Princess First timers....

[arizonaperson]

1 hour ago, bucky0926 said:

I know they get the 18% if I do not opt for a package.  Just wondering if they get a tip on a drink I order but doesn't "go through the system."  If nothing is rung up then how do they get their tip since nothing went through the system.  They can't collect 18% if the drink was never purchased right?  In this instance should I tip?

I don’t totally get some of your questions,but….

The bartender/ bar service crew do not get the straight 18% on your one drink or however-many you consume, if that makes sense. Drink package or pay as you go.
No worries on figuring out on how crew makes $ in my opinion. Many crew on Princess and other lines must be ok, as many work for the line for many many years.

If you order a drink through Ocean now, same thing…. It’s all accounted for. If you wish to give a cash tip do so, if you don’t, not an issue.

Edited August 6 by arizonaperson

[bucky0926]

OK I see on the lido deck there is an eatery called the lobster grill.  Is this free or one of the "casual" eateries that you pay for?  Someone mentioned that all places to eat on the Lido deck are free but I can't believe that have lobster rolls for no charge.  If that is true I think my husband will be in love with Princess.  LOL

[arizonaperson]

@bucky0926 no the lobster rolls are not complimentary. Here’s the menu.$15 or  more. Not sure if this is a current menu or not price wise.It’s the only thing on the menu that contains lobster and the other items are complimentary .

Edited August 7 by arizonaperson

[bucky0926]

47 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

@bucky0926 no the lobster rolls are not complimentary. Here’s the menu.$15 or  more. Not sure if this is a current menu or not price wise.It’s the only thing on the menu that contains lobster and the other items are complimentary .

Yeah I suspected as much.  Oh well....

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I don’t know if they are still using the colored lights at night or not but here is a photo of the indoor pool and the Hollywood Conservatory (indoor cabana) area. The Hollywood Conservatory area used to be free to use but I don’t know if it still is or not because our cruise was right after the pandemic. You can find videos online that show the entire area. 

[paddingtonbear]

10 hours ago, bucky0926 said:

I know they get the 18% if I do not opt for a package.  Just wondering if they get a tip on a drink I order but doesn't "go through the system."  If nothing is rung up then how do they get their tip since nothing went through the system.  They can't collect 18% if the drink was never purchased right?  In this instance should I tip?

Is the package what you are referring to as "the system"? 

 

Your drinks are recorded on your medallion everytime you order one.

It is recorded but not charged if you have a package and the gratuity is included. 

 

If you don't have a drinks package you pay for the price of the drink plus 18% gratuity automatically which goes on your bill via the medallion. No need for a tip as it is included. But you can double tip if you want to. 

 

Edited August 7 by paddingtonbear

[rocker57]

If you or your husband served in the military, you can apply for on board credit. I don’t know what it is for 14 days, on lesser days it is a $100 credit. I’m sure someone will chime in with how many days, and credit. Also, if you have at least 100 shares of CCL, you also get OBC for that as well.

[wallyj]

@rocker57, the Military OBC mirrors the shareholders OBC, based on length of sailing, 6 days or less, $50, 7-13 days, $100 and 14+ days, $250.
 

Shareholders is awarded on a per cabin basis, so if both passengers or more qualify for shareholders, only 1 passengers will get. Briefly, solos could not receive Military AND shareholders, but I think Princess reinstated. Maximum 2 military OBC per booking. See Princess.com for details. Canadian and US military only.

Edited August 7 by wallyj

[bucky0926]

2 hours ago, paddingtonbear said:

Is the package what you are referring to as "the system"? 

 

Your drinks are recorded on your medallion everytime you order one.

It is recorded but not charged if you have a package and the gratuity is included. 

 

If you don't have a drinks package you pay for the price of the drink plus 18% gratuity automatically which goes on your bill via the medallion. No need for a tip as it is included. But you can double tip if you want to. 

 

OK I get it now.  On royal your drink is not recorded so the serer/bartender gets nothing.  But since its recorded the gratuity basically goes where it's supposed to go.  People on royal walk around with dollar bills so the servers don't get screwed.

[Scottdalfonso]

3 hours ago, bucky0926 said:

OK I get it now.  On royal your drink is not recorded so the serer/bartender gets nothing.  But since its recorded the gratuity basically goes where it's supposed to go.  People on royal walk around with dollar bills so the servers don't get screwed.

This isn't true (if I'm reading it correctly)  on Royal, the drinks get recorded every time you order one, even with a package. They NEED to do this to get tipped- they do get a % depending on how much they "sell".  This is why they don't scan for bottled water most of the time, it doesn't count as an a beverage that gets tipped on. SO every drink is charged the 18% gratuity, then the bartenders get that for each drink they register in the computer at the end of the day. 

[arizonaperson]

6 hours ago, bucky0926 said:

OK I get it now.  On royal your drink is not recorded so the serer/bartender gets nothing.  But since its recorded the gratuity basically goes where it's supposed to go.  People on royal walk around with dollar bills so the servers don't get screwed.

My opinion is people carry around $ because they want to. Most cruise lines including Princess is cashless.

Carry around dollar bills if you wish, not necessary though. If you can’t stand the thought of not tipping extra then do it.

Not really our place in my opinion as passengers to try to figure out how crew are paid,not my job.  They would not work year after year on a cruise line if they weren’t paid what they need/ want.

On land in any country I try to adhere to what is customary,but I definitely don’t make it my job to figure out how much a server makes in wages or tips and figure out the formula on such.

Yes, I tip- my choice on amount based on many “ things”.

On Princess-Drink package,cruise plus or premier, or pay as you go all have 18% in the cost of “ drinks”, I am not privy to how it is all divided up, not my worry or job. Bartender  & server staff gets paid. Sure if you have a favorite give them extra if you wish.

[Cruisemeister2002]

2 hours ago, arizonaperson said:

My opinion is people carry around $ because they want to. Most cruise lines including Princess is cashless.

Carry around dollar bills if you wish, not necessary though. If you can’t stand the thought of not tipping extra then do it.

Not really our place in my opinion as passengers to try to figure out how crew are paid,not my job.  They would not work year after year on a cruise line if they weren’t paid what they need/ want.

On land in any country I try to adhere to what is customary,but I definitely don’t make it my job to figure out how much a server makes in wages or tips and figure out the formula on such.

Yes, I tip- my choice on amount based on many “ things”.

On Princess-Drink package,cruise plus or premier, or pay as you go all have 18% in the cost of “ drinks”, I am not privy to how it is all divided up, not my worry or job. Bartender  & server staff gets paid. Sure if you have a favorite give them extra if you wish.

Can it not get that if many tip staff even when taking out a Plus or Premier Package that it becomes an expectation of staff that although they are part of a pool of staff that already are paid gratuities that they get even more ? A few have commented that by giving a decent tip the service they get is better than a non tipper. Is that right ? expected maybe as who wouldn't perhaps go beyond knowing they will be looked after. When the old system applied where tips were put in envelopes and given to staff on the last night I have seen many tables in the MDR empty because some bail out of giving tips at all. So I do see the logic in including gratuities in Packages so that all staff get a slice of the cake.

[arizonaperson]

Since this is not a tipping thread,… Plenty of the threads out there on tipping and it will never be solved. Many opinions out there & some facts.

I don’t think we should keep going on this subject.

 

 

Simple- if you don’t like the 18% gratuity, don’t order any drinks that have this added. Just have the drinks that are included in your cruise fare easy solution  or go on a cruise line that it is inclusive.

Tip if you want ,if you don’t want to ,don’t.
The system is already in place. It’s not going to be changed at the moment, so just go with it. Doesn’t matter if you don’t like it or if you do like it or the old system worked or the old system didn’t.
The 18%  gratuity/ service charge whatever you want to call it on top of the price of your drink -on alcohol, soda, mocktails, etc. ,it’s there.  And further, if you don’t give a tip to a bartender until after you receive your drink then how the heck would you get any better service??

Sure if you frequent the same bar all day long then perhaps ,but I guess I bar hop. I never stay in one place long enough to worry about it. Too subjective in my opinion .Does one really think that you’re going to get great or poor service when you order a drink ?that they already know that you’re going to give a  extra tip or not .

How about if you order from the ocean now? How is that person that delivers your drink going to know that you’re going to give them an extra tip or not? They’re not. 

There is no expectation from the staff to get tipped more from passengers, of course, if you want to give extra, they are not going to pass it up.
Not our job to try to figure out the formula and how they compensate the crew.

I’m on vacation when I cruise -the least of my worries.

If you feel like you want to tip more on top of your tip  already ( to make it 20% then do so) that’s on you -do what you feel is necessary.  It’s your $ to do with what you please.The 18% is there for a reason.

Edited August 7 by arizonaperson

[Cruisemeister2002]

14 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

Since this is not a tipping thread,… Plenty of the threads out there on tipping and it will never be solved. Many opinions out there.

I don’t think we should keep going on this subject.

 

 

Simple- if you don’t like the 18% gratuity, don’t order any drinks that have this added. Just have the drinks that are included in your cruise fare easy solution  or go on a cruise line that it is inclusive.

Tip if you want ,if you don’t want to ,don’t.
The system is already in place. It’s not going to be changed at the moment, so just go with it. Doesn’t matter if you don’t like it or if you do like it or the old system worked or the old system didn’t.
The 18%  gratuity/ service charge whatever you want to call it on top of the price of your drink -on alcohol, soda, mocktails, etc. ,it’s there.  And further, if you don’t give a tip to a bartender until after you receive your drink then how the heck would you get any better service??

Sure if you frequent the same bar all day long then perhaps ,but I guess I bar hop. I never stay in one place long enough to worry about it. Too subjective in my opinion .Does one really think that you’re going to get great or poor service when you order a drink ?that they already know that you’re going to give a  extra tip or not .

How about if you order from the ocean now? How is that person that delivers your drink going to know that you’re going to give them an extra tip or not? They’re not. 

There is no expectation from the staff to get tipped more from passengers, of course, if you want to give extra, they are not going to pass it up.
Not our job to try to figure out the formula and how they compensate the crew.

I’m on vacation when I cruise -the least of my worries.

If you feel like you want to tip more on top of your tip  already ( to make it 20% then do so) that’s on you -do what you feel is necessary.  It’s your $ to do with what you please.The 18% is there for a reason.

Have purchased the Plus Package so won't be tipping further. Know this isn't a tipping thread so I won't add much more except to say with regards to people receiving "Better service" for giving a hefty tip it wasn't myself but another person on this forum who said as much. As you say tipping over and above is up to the individually. I don't have a problem with that. But many regulars on cruise ships get to know staff and staff them so would be naive to think that if staff knew a certain passenger or passengers were more forthcoming that they wouldn't go the extra mile to accommodate them. Having once been a waiter myself you get to know who's likely to tip well and who isn't.

[voljeep]

11 minutes ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Have purchased the Plus Package so won't be tipping further. Know this isn't a tipping thread so I won't add much more except to say with regards to people receiving "Better service" for giving a hefty tip it wasn't myself but another person on this forum who said as much. As you say tipping over and above is up to the individually. I don't have a problem with that. But many regulars on cruise ships get to know staff and staff them so would be naive to think that if staff knew a certain passenger or passengers were more forthcoming that they wouldn't go the extra mile to accommodate them. Having once been a waiter myself you get to know who's likely to tip well and who isn't.

when you were a waiter on a cruise ship, and part of the tipping pool ... did you prefer the guests to tip additionally as they purchased drinks, or wait until the end of the cruise - like in the olden days?

[Wishing on a star]

Bucky,

The tip works the same, whether you buy a Package/Bundle (PLUS or PREMIER)

The $60.00 or $80.00 will put money into the 'tip pool'.   Nobody will give specifics... But, I believe the understanding is that - Yes, the 'system' will record each drink/transaction...  However, that does not mean that your specific server/bartender will get a specific tip for each drink/transaction.   No difference in whether you have a Package or not.   You might be over-thinking a bit.

If you want to tip a staff member, in addition to what they will earn from the tip pool,  then of course you can.

 

Get the PLUS or PREMIER if it works out to benefit you, and possibly save you some $$$.

Tip in addition, according to your preference.

 

It is also thought that what is just as important for service staff are good ratings/recommendations.  Seems like they might get priorities/perks if they get a lot of good mentions.

 

I have found that Princess itself is not outstanding on many points, but the STAFF is what has made our recent cruises really great!

 

On a one week cruise, I believe a lobster tail will be served on one night.  And, that is included.

So, a 14 day Back-to-Back would repeat that.

 

One can always add a lobster tail as an addition in the Main Dining Rooms, but that would be a bit extra.

 

The 'Casual Dining', on Majestic, I believe would be Alfredo's and Vines.

I am not as familiar with Majestic.   Other ships might have Sushi, O'Malleys Irish Pub, or others.

Assuming you are sailing before the dry dock next March.  Where dining will be changed around.

Majestic was designed for the Asian market, thus the Harmony Restaurant and the Noodle Bar.  These will be gone. I do not know if there will be changes to the Lobster Grill.

 

[arizonaperson]

@bucky0926 I found this menu ( lobster roll) in the dining room on the Enchanted . Yes it’s an upgrade , 1 cent cheaper than the burger/lobster grill on Majestic.

Not sure if all the ships are offering this at lunchtime in the main dining room ,but here’s the menu.

If you are  on a seven day cruise, I don’t remember what you had said in your previous post ,but usually lobster is served complementary on the second formal night in the dining room. It’s really small……

 

Edited August 13 by arizonaperson

[6986]

I had the seafood salad on embarkation day and thought it was excellent and worth the price as there was plenty of seafood and it was fresh. I ordered it again on our last full day and while it was very good, it didn’t seem quite as good as the first one I had. 

[bucky0926]

15 hours ago, arizonaperson said:

@bucky0926 I found this menu ( lobster roll) in the dining room on the Enchanted . Yes it’s an upgrade , 1 cent cheaper than the burger/lobster grill on Majestic.

Not sure if all the ships are offering this at lunchtime in the main dining room ,but here’s the menu.

If you are  on a seven day cruise, I don’t remember what you had said in your previous post ,but usually lobster is served complementary on the second formal night in the dining room. It’s really small……

 

Yeah I kind of figured that the lobster roll wasn't free.  What has yet to be determined is if it has enough lobster in it.  Hubbie will decide rather quickly. LOL

[Cruisemeister2002]

On 8/7/2024 at 8:05 PM, voljeep said:

when you were a waiter on a cruise ship, and part of the tipping pool ... did you prefer the guests to tip additionally as they purchased drinks, or wait until the end of the cruise - like in the olden days?

Sorry, only just picked up your question. I wasn't a waiter on a cruise ship. It was a large hotel chain in a place called Norwich in Norfolk, East Anglia UK. The hotel had what the called a "trunk" which in effect was a tipping pool where the money was shared out weekly. But it wasn't shared out fairly in my opinion. The head waiter (Maitre D' Hotel) got the most, then the wine waiters (sommelier's, one French, one German), then the ordinary waiting staff who did silver service, then myself, a young 19 year old who serviced hors d'oeovre's and desserts, washed glasses and cleaned spirit lamps that were at service stations. As I only received £2 I must admit if I received a tip from a customer I pocketed it. My wage then in 1969 was £10 per week or around $13. I would save £5, pay £2 rent  and have £3 to spend myself. You got to know who tipped well and who didn't. We used to have two elderly ladies come in every year and stay in the hotel. One year I was away on holiday, I came back the day they were leaving and still received a tip. Each waiter would be requested to approach them at their table and receive their tip.