Extra tipping for bar drinks?

[kiska]

I know that the 15% gratuity is already included on all bar drinks, but I am wondering if it's customary to tip on top of that when getting drinks in the lounges in the evening? Or if any of you do it anyways, and if yes, how much?

 

Thanks in advance!

[ladypalmtree]

If I find a bartender that I like...maybe in the casino. I will tip him a buck here or there if I am sitting at the bar. If I find a favorite server in the casino at the machines, or in the bar before dinner I will do the same. It is amazing the service that you will get...lol:rolleyes:

[DanJ]

It's not customary. You can do what you feel. I don't generally feel I need to give more when the server is already getting a buck and half to 2 bucks to bring us each a drink. I have given an envelop at the end of the week to the odd server or bartender I have used a lot, and also as importantly, made mention of their service in the comment card.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree if you feel an additional tip is warranted then go for it. ;)

[BoPippy]

lets see...4-5 drinks each at disco-thats about $5-7.00 already to go a few feet if your at the bar.I don't think so...15% is plenty.for twisting a beer cap.:eek:

[cruiseryyc]

At the end of our cruises, if we have had the same server we will pass them a little extra but we don't do it during the cruise.

[sultan_sfo]

Not required but if we are using the same bar around the same time often (say prior to dinner or sailaway from ports), we leave an extra $ or two. They get to know us and both the service and the quality of drinks improve. We also tip when ordering brewed coffee even with a coffee card because the tip included in the coffee card price is based on specialty coffee that the coffee card buys and not the infinite brewed coffee. We do not feel tipping bar persons at the end of the cruise has any value for us. We tip extra for cabin steward and waiters at end of cruise.

[FritzG]

My DH gets a coffee card which has a gratuity added to the purchase price. However, on the last day he gives additional tips to servers who have given him extra service. He's at the coffee bar several times a day so he gets to know the servers, especially the early morning ones. Occasionally on a longer cruise he'll tip extra mid-cruise.

[moogie14a]

On the Crown I purchased a soda card for my daughter and got her a "mocktail". There were a few bartenders that wouldn't bust my hump when I would walk up with her card and asked for a mocktail or a gingerale, etc. I would then order a beer (on tap if available) for myself, and then tip a buck or two extra since they were easy going.

[benbell]

While I have not been on a cruise(first one is april 12!!) , I have read that drinks with 15% tip are around $5.00-$7.00, that is about the price I pay for a drink when I go out before tip.

 

I assume that the bartenders on the ship will be no different than any bartender I have ever dealt with anywhere. Give a few nice tips upfront and you get stronger drinks and quicker service. From there on out give a decent tip here and there and they will remember you.

 

That is just how I deal with bartenders who I go out in crowded bars and always get stronger drinks and they will pour mine before others who have been waiting.

[rc51]

While I have not been on a cruise(first one is april 12!!) , I have read that drinks with 15% tip are around $5.00-$7.00, that is about the price I pay for a drink when I go out before tip.

 

This might be true but I find the drinks on land at a nice restaurant/louge of much better quality and presentation than on a ship.

 

The stuff on the ship is sugar, sugar and more sugar with a measured shot.

 

I've had to ask several times just to get a decent amount of mint in a mojito and sometimes the extra tips work, sometimes they don't.

 

I've also come across some bartenders on the ships that are not trained very well, how can you not know how to 'muddle' properly?? It's a fundamental skill.

[rdsqrl]

While I have not been on a cruise(first one is april 12!!) , I have read that drinks with 15% tip are around $5.00-$7.00, that is about the price I pay for a drink when I go out before tip.

 

I assume that the bartenders on the ship will be no different than any bartender I have ever dealt with anywhere. Give a few nice tips upfront and you get stronger drinks and quicker service. From there on out give a decent tip here and there and they will remember you.

 

That is just how I deal with bartenders who I go out in crowded bars and always get stronger drinks and they will pour mine before others who have been waiting.

I think you need to recalibrate that entitlement meter you got there, kiddo. You wouldn't want to be the cause of any unpleasantness, would you?

[sharpie13]

Often if we find we using one specific bar to meet up with friends every day before dinner we will tip extra. Such little recognition for them to remember the specifics of six person is well worth the extra service they provide on future visits. I also tip extra when using a discount coupon at a bar. If you are using a 2 for 1 coupon they are preparing two drinks and deserve to be tipped for both. JMHO

[Pam in CA]

While I have not been on a cruise(first one is april 12!!) , I have read that drinks with 15% tip are around $5.00-$7.00, that is about the price I pay for a drink when I go out before tip.

 

I assume that the bartenders on the ship will be no different than any bartender I have ever dealt with anywhere. Give a few nice tips upfront and you get stronger drinks and quicker service. From there on out give a decent tip here and there and they will remember you.

 

That is just how I deal with bartenders who I go out in crowded bars and always get stronger drinks and they will pour mine before others who have been waiting.

I guess it's all about you, what you want and to heck with anyone else who has been waiting longer than you. Since you haven't been on a cruise yet, don't assume. And, I would hope that any bartender or waitstaff who gave you preference over others would be reported. Note, they could lose their job and have to pay for their own passage home, usually half-way around the world, something your local bartender doesn't have to do. The bartenders and waitstaff on cruise ships are trained and must follow certain procedures.

 

Back to the OP's question, every now and then, we've come across waitstaff who were terrific and deserved something extra. Not often, but it does happen.

[sunsurf]

If I find a bartender that I like...maybe in the casino. I will tip him a buck here or there if I am sitting at the bar. If I find a favorite server in the casino at the machines, or in the bar before dinner I will do the same. It is amazing the service that you will get...lol:rolleyes:

 

 

so true. We had a favorite bartender & waiter this past cruise in the casino--all time best...EVER. They took care of us (drinks were nice & strong) and we took care of them!!:D

[Putterdude]

We seldom tip over and above the 15% but like everyone else if we have had a server who has gone above and beyond or amused us then we add something to the tab..:)

[donaldsc]

IMHO, a 15% tip to pour a drink out of a bottle is rediculously high. Unfortunately, you can't remove it. Tip more - never!

 

DON

[benbell]

@Pam/rdsgirl: I guess I should have been more clear that usually the situations I am talking about are very busy situations(Pittsburgh bars get VERY busy) which I couldn't imagine comes up on a ship like some of the places I go around me. I doubt the situation will present itself the way I am used to. In some situations sometimes if I don't get the bartender to remember me I can wait 20-30 minutes just for a single drink.

 

Either way, I am usually a generous tipper as long as the service is good. I really think that food service industry jobs like waiters and bartenders can be very difficult with all of the juggling of customers and tables and I know stateside those people depend on their tips to survive because they are often paid $2-$3/hr. It may be different on ships but I doubt I will be able to change my habit as long as the service is not extremely poor. I am actually very hard to dissatisfy.

 

@rc51: I find it is hard to find a good mojito many places! Most of the stuff is some pre-poured mixture and you are lucky to get muddled mint at all. My wife and I are fairly simple when it comes to drinks, (beer or rum and diet for me, vodka tonic for her) but I have been to plenty of places where the mixed drinks didn't even have a single shot in them. So if the standard is to pour a full measured shot in every drink then that is better then some places I have been to.

[BehrHunter]

Want to get waited on before anyone else in a crowded bar? Tip. The bigger the tip, the better the service. A bartender will remember you and what you drink. Its a no-brainer. Its not mandatory, but it makes your life easy.

 

As a former bartender in another life it goes without saying money talks. As a rule I will hit a bar first night and drop some $$. Then I never have to wait in line or ask for service when its busy. The bartender will have his/her eye on you above everyone else and spot you in a crowd. A really good bartender will have made your drinks by the time you make it thru the crowd to the bar.

[DanJ]

I have yet to be in a bar on a cruise ship that has been so crowded or busy that you need to tip extra to get recognition from the servers. I mean, there's a bar every 20 feet and if this one has 3 people standing at it, there's one over there with nobody.

 

But I am curious how this works. Do you drop an extra 10 bucks on the first round or on each round? I would think that a large tip at the start would create expectations by the server, and since the servers aren't trained in a North American nightclub where extra tipping is the norm, they are just as likely to relegate you back to the rest of us if the tip on the second round isn't as good as on the first.

[BehrHunter]

But I am curious how this works. Do you drop an extra 10 bucks on the first round or on each round? I would think that a large tip at the start would create expectations by the server, and since the servers aren't trained in a North American nightclub where extra tipping is the norm, they are just as likely to relegate you back to the rest of us if the tip on the second round isn't as good as on the first.

 

My suggestion was not meant as a guide for cruise ships only. It is a general thing I apply at all bars. I will usually pick one bar that I like or one bartender and stick with him/her. As a general rule I will tip a buck a drink with each round and then drop a $20 before I leave the bar. Its not a huge amount but it is enough that you will be remembered (especially when the majority of people just rely on the auto tip). Most likely the tip will result in a round of free drinks on the bar the next time I am there. If the bartender cannot do the free round, I can guarantee you your drinks will be a lot stronger. A free round each time usually guarantees another $20 before I leave. Yeah I know I am really paying for those drinks but again it all boils down to the service.

 

Its a bartender thing. Those who have done it know what I am talking about.

[BoardwalkBabe]

I know what you are talking about. :D We do the same thing and have actually had servers come up to us to make sure we're being taken care of even when we are not in their area. People do remember you and service definitely improves.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Plus, I tip 20% (at least) for good service on land, so the 15% isn't even meeting my level of gratituity. Right there, they deserve the extra few bucks that I give them each night. I'm not (necessarily) doing it to "butter them up" but more 'cause they deserve it.

 

I also give the deck staff a buck or two each time they come around. Again, they deserve it, but also they do remember you and will usually check on you throughout the day more often than the "roaming" waiter.

 

Never bartended myself but have LOTS of friends who do. They work hard!

[rc51]

@rc51: I find it is hard to find a good mojito many places! Most of the stuff is some pre-poured mixture and you are lucky to get muddled mint at all. My wife and I are fairly simple when it comes to drinks, (beer or rum and diet for me, vodka tonic for her) but I have been to plenty of places where the mixed drinks didn't even have a single shot in them. So if the standard is to pour a full measured shot in every drink then that is better then some places I have been to.

 

True enough. But the sad fact is, a mojito isn't really a hard cocktail to make ;)

 

I've actually stopped ordering drinks when we go out except for beer/wine. I can't make either of those at home. Measured shots, short shots and they all use mixes now.

 

I can't believe they can charge $14 for a 'classic margarita' up here and not even use fresh lime juice!! :(

[rc51]

Want to get waited on before anyone else in a crowded bar? Tip. The bigger the tip, the better the service. A bartender will remember you and what you drink. Its a no-brainer. Its not mandatory, but it makes your life easy.

 

Often times I couldn't care less if I got served first, I'm at a bar/restaurant or on a cruise, what's the rush?!?!

 

I'd rather wait for a 'quality' drink. The problem is not all bar tenders are created equal and if I have the knowledge to be able to make a better cocktail than the bar tender serving, an extra tip doesn't make any difference.