Question about bartender gratuities

[Shmoo here]

I know that drinks have their own gratuity applied when you order one, and not part of the general onboard gratuities pool.  What if you have a beverage package, does the bartender/server still get auto gratuities added to the drink?

[MTNest93]

If you're asking whether or not you'll be charged for the gratuities when ordering a drink in your package, the answer is no.  You will not be charged extra.  If you exceed your drink package limit - say you order an $18 drink with a $15 limit in your package, then you'll be charged the additional $3 plus gratuity on the $3 only.  Hope that helps 🙂

[memoak]

Bartenders are not part of the crew appreciation that you pay. They have their own contracts. If we patronize a bar quite a bit during a cruise and have established a relationship with the bartenders we always tip out at the end of the cruise even though we have a package which is supposed to include gratuities on drinks

[ldubs]

Interesting question.  I don't know the answer.  My best guess is they participate in the re-allocation of gratuities form the corporate pool.  That of course assumes the "+ gratuity" for non-package drink orders are pooled like other gratuities.  

Edited May 10 by ldubs

[Shmoo here]

5 minutes ago, MTNest93 said:

If you're asking whether or not you'll be charged for the gratuities when ordering a drink in your package, the answer is no.  You will not be charged extra.  If you exceed your drink package limit - say you order an $18 drink with a $15 limit in your package, then you'll be charged the additional $3 plus gratuity on the $3 only.  Hope that helps 🙂

Yes, thank you, that's exactly what I was looking for.  

[d9704011]

11 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

I know that drinks have their own gratuity applied when you order one, and not part of the general onboard gratuities pool.  What if you have a beverage package, does the bartender/server still get auto gratuities added to the drink?

The question seems a little uncertain to me.  Are you asking whether the bar staff receive a portion of the gratuities added to a drinks package?  

[Shmoo here]

Just now, d9704011 said:

The question seems a little uncertain to me.  Are you asking whether the bar staff receive a portion of the gratuities added to a drinks package?  

If I order a drink onboard and I have no drink package, the charge for the drink includes an auto gratuity for the bartender/server.

 

If I order a drink onboard, and I do have a drink package, is the auto gratuity amount still on the drink?  So the bartender/server still gets the same gratuity?

 

 

[1025cruise]

My understanding is that the gratuities for the packages are split amongst the bar staff. You won't be charged extra. However, if you find a bar tender you like, feel free to give them a George Washington handshake or 2.

[memoak]

13 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

My understanding is that the gratuities for the packages are split amongst the bar staff. You won't be charged extra. However, if you find a bar tender you like, feel free to give them a George Washington handshake or 2.

Since on a typical 2 week cruise we will consume well over a hundred cocktails mostly from one or two bars we will top out much more than that at the end of the cruise. Especially when it is a bartender we know from past trips and they always give us outstanding service

Edited May 10 by memoak

[d9704011]

2 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

If I order a drink onboard, and I do have a drink package, is the auto gratuity amount still on the drink?  So the bartender/server still gets the same gratuity?

If you purchased a drink package, you paid a gratuity based on the value of the drink package.  For the Plus Beverage Package the cost is $64.99 + 18% of that (service charge) per day... $11.68; there is no individual service charge on the drinks, within the limits of the package.  So, I'd say you've paid the bar staff right up front when you purchased the package (unless Princess pockets the entire 18%, which I doubt).

 

If you purchased the Princess Plus package at $60 per day (grats, wifi, drinks, etc...), I've no idea how bar staff would be compensated out of that.

 

Am I confused about what you've asked?

[Shmoo here]

8 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

If you purchased a drink package, you paid a gratuity based on the value of the drink package.  For the Plus Beverage Package the cost is $64.99 + 18% of that (service charge) per day... $11.68; there is no individual service charge on the drinks, within the limits of the package.  So, I'd say you've paid the bar staff right up front when you purchased the package (unless Princess pockets the entire 18%, which I doubt).

 

If you purchased the Princess Plus package at $60 per day (grats, wifi, drinks, etc...), I've no idea how bar staff would be compensated out of that.

 

Am I confused about what you've asked?

I don't know how to ask any clearer, sorry.

 

We have the Princess Plus package, which includes a beverage package.

 

What I'm asking is if the bartenders/servers still get some money (whatever the auto gratuity on a regular, purchased drink is) put in the service staff pool to be shared when I order a drink.  

[d9704011]

1 minute ago, Shmoo here said:

I don't know how to ask any clearer, sorry.

 

We have the Princess Plus package, which includes a beverage package.

 

What I'm asking is if the bartenders/servers still get some money (whatever the auto gratuity on a regular, purchased drink is) put in the service staff pool to be shared when I order a drink.  

OK, I did not realize you have a Princess Plus package; I thought you had asked about 'a beverage package'.

[nini]

15 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

I don't know how to ask any clearer, sorry.

 

We have the Princess Plus package, which includes a beverage package.

 

What I'm asking is if the bartenders/servers still get some money (whatever the auto gratuity on a regular, purchased drink is) put in the service staff pool to be shared when I order a drink.  

 

This is how I understood it as well. I am also curious if the "included" beverage gratuity goes to that person.

[Shmoo here]

2 minutes ago, nini said:

 

This is how I understood it as well. I am also curious if the "included" beverage gratuity goes to that person.

It's my understanding that the auto gratuity that's added to the cost of the drink goes into a pool to be shared by all bartenders/servers.  If you give your actual server an direct, additional tip at the time you get your drink they get to keep it.

[Cruise Raider]

13 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

I don't know how to ask any clearer, sorry.

 

We have the Princess Plus package, which includes a beverage package.

 

What I'm asking is if the bartenders/servers still get some money (whatever the auto gratuity on a regular, purchased drink is) put in the service staff pool to be shared when I order a drink.  

The contracts for the crew have changed since the restart.  Each employee now works on a salary and it is derived from the ‘crew appreciation’ we all pay, whether it is from the package or paid separately.  Bartenders are included in this payroll method.  It kept things fair after the restart when some ships had 15% passenger capacity and some were at the full limit.  It also keeps it fair when considering a large percentage of passengers on a specific itinerary are not from a tipping culture, as is in the US.  Anything extra you give them is theirs to keep but still, many that work in a bar with the same teammates will put it into a communal pot to be shared with their other coworkers. 

 

 

[nini]

9 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

The contracts for the crew have changed since the restart.  Each employee now works on a salary and it is derived from the ‘crew appreciation’ we all pay, whether it is from the package or paid separately.  Bartenders are included in this payroll method.  It kept things fair after the restart when some ships had 15% passenger capacity and some were at the full limit.  It also keeps it fair when considering a large percentage of passengers on a specific itinerary are not from a tipping culture, as is in the US.  Anything extra you give them is theirs to keep but still, many that work in a bar with the same teammates will put it into a communal pot to be shared with their other coworkers. 

 

 

 

It is good to know that they can at least keep what is personally given to them. They work so hard!

[skynight]

3 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

If I order a drink onboard and I have no drink package, the charge for the drink includes an auto gratuity for the bartender/server.

 

If I order a drink onboard, and I do have a drink package, is the auto gratuity amount still on the drink?  So the bartender/server still gets the same gratuity?

 

 

If you have the plus or premier package there is no additional service charge per drink for alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. The service charge is included in the package. With both packages if you order an alcoholic beverage that is over the packages menu price limit, $15 or $20, then you will be charged the difference plus 18% of the difference service charge.

I was on board for 24 days with the plus package. Each day I had numerous non alcoholic beverages, under 15 alcoholic beverages, and never went over the $15/drink package limit. I was never charged one cent for a service charge.

 

[1025cruise]

I don't believe the bartenders are tipped based on the drink you buy with your package. To make the math easy, let's say 100 people buy the package and there are 10 bartenders/servers. So, if the daily gratuity for the package is $11.68 per day, that $1168 dollars in the pool. Divided by 10, that's $116.80 per bar person each day. So that's $817.60 per bar person for a 7 day cruise. It would be an accounting nightmare if they had to break up the tips from the package based on the cost of each individual drink.

[dweeb]

I had asked a bartender this exact question, and his answer was that they don’t get any of the drink price gratuity. He was salary and the drink gratuity went into the big gratuity pool for bonuses and such. However, he could accept individual cash tips that were offered.   No, I didn’t feel that this was his way of asking for a cash tip.  

[Potstech]

I will not pay any extra tips other than the automatic gratuity charged. I would have to outstanding service in order to do so.  Sorry but I will not subsidize a salary contracted for by individual.

[ChutChut]

The answer is YES - you have paid for gratuities when you bought the Plus/Premier package. No need to tip extra unless you want to. 

[ChutChut]

The drinks portion of the Plus/Premier package already has drink gratuities calculated into it, I meant to write.

[memoak]

58 minutes ago, Potstech said:

I will not pay any extra tips other than the automatic gratuity charged. I would have to outstanding service in order to do so.  Sorry but I will not subsidize a salary contracted for by individual.

So you stiff all the waiters and bartenders in restaurants on land. ?  If so I would not go to the same restaurant very often. Back in the day funny things would be done back in the kitchen. We tip a good deal and I will guarantee you that I will get better made drinks served quicker than you 

[cruzsnooze]

4 hours ago, Potstech said:

I will not pay any extra tips other than the automatic gratuity charged. I would have to outstanding service in order to do so.  Sorry but I will not subsidize a salary contracted for by individual.

Not the answer people here want to hear but the right answer that most people abide by. How many times do people want to tip for the same service? I don't like the auto gratuity, it's to high and I reduce it at guest services. Princess keeps too much of it with admin fees and allocating what was supposed to be gratuity into employee incentives, employee parties, and such. With the quantity of people on this board that tip over and above I'm sure they're getting in excess of the auto amounts.

Edited May 11 by cruzsnooze

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, memoak said:

So you stiff all the waiters and bartenders in restaurants on land. ?  If so I would not go to the same restaurant very often. Back in the day funny things would be done back in the kitchen. We tip a good deal and I will guarantee you that I will get better made drinks served quicker than you 

Wrong. Waiters and bartenders on land do not work for a company that has already accepted gratuities for there service. I tip as I find appropriate on land. If a land base establishment charges an automatic gratuity then I do not tip any extra. Sorry it does not meet your approval but I really do not care.