Elite Drink Coupons - Bartender Gratuities

I expect we will be given Elite drink coupons for our upcoming TA. Are gratuities included in the coupon? (We are not on a drink package).

Give $1 :) they will take it! :cool:

If you have free coupons for whatever,gratuities are an optional extra. I will leave it at that. AS an elite you have earned the perk. If coupons are not issued and you front up at the Elite function do you expect to pay extra gratuities, I think not.

If you have free coupons for whatever,gratuities are an optional extra. I will leave it at that. AS an elite you have earned the perk. If coupons are not issued and you front up at the Elite function do you expect to pay extra gratuities, I think not.

Actually when I attend an Elite function I do tip the servers. As do many others.

Actually when I attend an Elite function I do tip the servers. As do many others.

 

Well there you go then. If you want to tip do so if not don't. Choice is yours and the staff will give you quality service either way

We always tip the servers. Even if we have a drink package. It's our way of saying thank you, and we appreciate the service.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Well there you go then. If you want to tip do so if not don't. Choice is yours and the staff will give you quality service either way

But isn't that the real answer to any tipping question?

But isn't that the real answer to any tipping question?

Try not tipping in the hospitality industry in the States and see what happens. 20% is expected these days

Tipping is discretionary but is appreciated.

Thanks, all. Allow me to rephrase my original question:

Does the bartending staff receive any gratuity from Celebrity when they provide a drink to a passenger in exchange for an Elite drink coupon?

Thanks, all. Allow me to rephrase my original question:

 

Does the bartending staff receive any gratuity from Celebrity when they provide a drink to a passenger in exchange for an Elite drink coupon?

I am unclear about that but on the Constellation last April we were killing time with a barman and he told us he gets paid $US1500 per month plus any gratuities he gets in his hand (cash), which for many third world people is a lot of money, considering his only costs are any monies he spends in the crew bar. Everything else is met by the company.

You can take from that comment what you will. My take on it is that a barman / waiter gets paid a flat salary based on wages paid by the company plus pooled prepaid gratuities.

With so many prepaid packages on board X ships a lot of which are "perks" it is probably the only fair way that a barman/waiter can be fairly compensated. Whether or not $US1500 per month tax free is considered a fair wage is another argument all together.

If what my friendly barman told me was "gospel" you can make your own decision whether or not to pay an additional tip on a per drink basis. Either way you are going to be right because X in their own publications say if one prepays gratuities nothing more is required.

My anti tipping culture says no extra is required , your tipping culture may dictate otherwise.

Once I board the ship I understand there may be a different culture than I have at home.

That different culture may well include tipping, gratuities or whatever term is in use.

If I don't want to adapt to that different culture I can either stay home or be intentionally ignorant.

When I travel I adapt to the local culture, because to me that is just simple respect.

Two different bartenters/supervisors in the Sky Lounges told me that they collect and turn in all the coupon/tickets at the end of each happy hour and accounting adds money into the tip pool for the bar staff on the ship.

Thanks, all. Allow me to rephrase my original question:

 

Does the bartending staff receive any gratuity from Celebrity when they provide a drink to a passenger in exchange for an Elite drink coupon?

We have sailed our last couple of cruises with a drink package so have no need of the coupons.

I have asked bar staff if they wanted our coupons anyways so they could turn them in for whatever "credit" they get and most want them.

So I find a server that's nice and give him our coupons.

Well there you go then. If you want to tip do so if not don't. Choice is yours and the staff will give you quality service either way

I am not someone who is constantly tipping people. Sometimes I give more than expected when the person goes above and beyond great service, but typically I give the amount expected (not cruising, restaurant for example).

When we attended our first Elite cocktail hour I noticed how difficult it was to get someone to serve us.

Then we sat with friends and noticed how often the waiter came by, service was great. I noticed that someone at our table slipped him cash at some point. Aha! That was the secret!

When coupons came out and I would go to the bars, and I would tip. I always got served quickly and the glasses were always a little fuller.

It only costs me about $2 a day. I'm happier. The bartender is happier. win win!;)

I am unclear about that but on the Constellation last April we were killing time with a barman and he told us he gets paid $US1500 per month plus any gratuities he gets in his hand (cash), which for many third world people is a lot of money, considering his only costs are any monies he spends in the crew bar. Everything else is met by the company.

 

You can take from that comment what you will. My take on it is that a barman / waiter gets paid a flat salary based on wages paid by the company plus pooled prepaid gratuities.

 

With so many prepaid packages on board X ships a lot of which are "perks" it is probably the only fair way that a barman/waiter can be fairly compensated. Whether or not $US1500 per month tax free is considered a fair wage is another argument all together.

 

If what my friendly barman told me was "gospel" you can make your own decision whether or not to pay an additional tip on a per drink basis. Either way you are going to be right because X in their own publications say if one prepays gratuities nothing more is required.

 

My anti tipping culture says no extra is required , your tipping culture may dictate otherwise.

First, your "third world" statement is totally offensive on several levels, not least that not all the workers on a ship come from third world countries. AND they aren't working in a third world situation, so they deserve a wage commensurate with the world they are working in. Also your presumption that he doesn't have costs other than bar costs is a mistaken one. Most call home regularly, that isn't free. They have personal clothing care costs, computer costs, snack foods, and lots of others that I can't think of at the moment. I agree that we should pay people a reasonable wage so tipping isn't needed to augment salaries, but that isn't the reality of the day.

Finally, your anti-tipping culture is fine, and in New Zealand, if I'm ever fortunate enough to make it there, I won't tip, but on board a ship, you aren't in New Zealand.

Beth

Thanks, all. Allow me to rephrase my original question:

 

Does the bartending staff receive any gratuity from Celebrity when they provide a drink to a passenger in exchange for an Elite drink coupon?

I believe they do. However, whatever plan they have in effect isn't up to me, it's an agreement between the servers and their employer (Celebrity). I let them work it out and I'm not going to try and figure it out. It's my understanding (and I could be wrong) that each voucher they turn in is a tip for them. Like each drink that is served to a person on a package is a tip for them.

We will tip a couple dollars in the evening when we leave the cocktail hour, but not every single drink.

I believe they do. However, whatever plan they have in effect isn't up to me, it's an agreement between the servers and their employer (Celebrity). I let them work it out and I'm not going to try and figure it out. It's my understanding (and I could be wrong) that each voucher they turn in is a tip for them. Like each drink that is served to a person on a package is a tip for them.

 

 

 

We will tip a couple dollars in the evening when we leave the cocktail hour, but not every single drink.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm confused and don't want to stiff the bartenders. We are Diamond on Royal and going on our first Celebrity cruise.When we buy a drink on a Royal ship (without the drink package), an 18% gratuity is automatically added. We will have the free drink package on our Celebrity cruise. When we get a drink, do the bartenders receive the 18% (or a different %) for each drink? If not, I feel that we need to tip the bartender with each drink. When they served us drinks in the Diamond lounge, we always tipped them at the beginning of each evening. I'm not sure what to do on Celebrity. Any/all advise appreciated.

I'm confused and don't want to stiff the bartenders. We are Diamond on Royal and going on our first Celebrity cruise.When we buy a drink on a Royal ship (without the drink package), an 18% gratuity is automatically added. We will have the free drink package on our Celebrity cruise. When we get a drink, do the bartenders receive the 18% (or a different %) for each drink? If not, I feel that we need to tip the bartender with each drink. When they served us drinks in the Diamond lounge, we always tipped them at the beginning of each evening. I'm not sure what to do on Celebrity. Any/all advise appreciated. Also, when you say drink coupons, are these paper coupons of some sort? Our free drinks were loaded onto our SeaPass cards so this is new to me also.

We were told by a bartender we've sailed with multiple times that they get some amount for each drink they serve on the package but that amount varies from cruise to cruise depending on the # of packages purchased/given, and how many drinks are consumed. I got the impression that it's less than the 18% they'd receive for an individual drink purchase, so we usually tip our favourite bar staff at the end of the cruise.

I do think 18% is a bit high for bar service, frankly, especially when you're talking about opening a beer, or that the gratuity on a bottle of expensive wine is so much more than for uncorking a $30 bottle for the same work, but that's the way we do things I suppose.

In the last 18 months X have increased the auto gratuities 80% from 10% to 18%. I note that lots of people are concerned about stiffing bartenders when they purchase drinks but how much thought is given to the shop assistants, or the waiters in the buffet. Those that are keen on tipping bar waiters do you also tip the waiter for clearing away your plates at breakfast, lunch and dinner? When you buy your $10 T shirt on your seapass card do you slip the assistant anything extra.

Whilst not bagging individuals the culture of tipping in the USA is spreading around the world like a cancer, such that even where a good working wage is paid Americans persist in tipping. As long as this culture remains proprietors of businesses will continue to pay lower wages because there is no incentive to pay a decent wage for a day's work.

X now charge us all 18% for everything we purchase on board over and above the cost of the item plus profit margin and there are those that want to pay even more. Go figure. Noone is getting stiffed on a cruise ship. Were it so there would not be the numbers of people returning time and time again to work the long thankless hours that many of these people do. They aren't stupid. If the remuneration was not better than they could get at home they wouldn't do it. One can ask why aren't Americans, Aussies and Kiwis doing this work. In my opinion it is not the fiscal side of the argument but have they got the same work ethic. Just my opinion and that argument is for another day

In the last 18 months X have increased the auto gratuities 80% from 10% to 18%. I note that lots of people are concerned about stiffing bartenders when they purchase drinks but how much thought is given to the shop assistants, or the waiters in the buffet. Those that are keen on tipping bar waiters do you also tip the waiter for clearing away your plates at breakfast, lunch and dinner?

 

My recollection is the increase was from 15% to 18%. I don't recall 10% as long as I've been cruising -- at least over the last 10-15 years.

In the last 18 months X have increased the auto gratuities 80% from 10% to 18%. I note that lots of people are concerned about stiffing bartenders when they purchase drinks but how much thought is given to the shop assistants, or the waiters in the buffet. Those that are keen on tipping bar waiters do you also tip the waiter for clearing away your plates at breakfast, lunch and dinner? When you buy your $10 T shirt on your seapass card do you slip the assistant anything extra.

Whilst not bagging individuals the culture of tipping in the USA is spreading around the world like a cancer, such that even where a good working wage is paid Americans persist in tipping. As long as this culture remains proprietors of businesses will continue to pay lower wages because there is no incentive to pay a decent wage for a day's work.

X now charge us all 18% for everything we purchase on board over and above the cost of the item plus profit margin and there are those that want to pay even more. Go figure. Noone is getting stiffed on a cruise ship. Were it so there would not be the numbers of people returning time and time again to work the long thankless hours that many of these people do. They aren't stupid. If the remuneration was not better than they could get at home they wouldn't do it. One can ask why aren't Americans, Aussies and Kiwis doing this work. In my opinion it is not the fiscal side of the argument but have they got the same work ethic. Just my opinion and that argument is for another day

So much misinformation in one post.

Gratuities were 15%, not 10%, since we started sailing, nearly 20 years ago. Your 18 months is wrong.

You are NOT paying "18% for everything we purchase on board over and above the cost of the item". No surcharge in the shops. No surcharge in the specialty restaurants. No surcharge on shore excursions. Your info is simply wrong.

Shop employees are paid a salary, so your "suggestion" that someone would tip them is specious. The employees that ARE in the tipping pool are NOT paid a salary, save a $50 per month or so stipend. The $$$ from the gratuity pool makes up virtually all their income.

Over and over you rail about the "American" tipping culture. It is simply because that is the way it is, whether you like it or not. Without gratuities, service employees in the US would not be able to live, since their salary is often a few dollars an hour or less. We travel frequently to NZ, and frankly, you don't pay tips but you pay more for about everything (e.g. restaurants and in pubs) than we do in the US. YOU are the basis of those service employees income, just as a price + Tip is in the US.

If you want to sail an American oriented ship, like Celebrity, you need to get with the "culture" you so despise or maybe you would be better sailing on an Oz based ship (like P&O Australia) where the employees ARE paid a living wage and gratuities are for exceptional service. That is simply NOT the case on US based lines.

It would appear that the practice of tipping began in Tudor England, so it really isn't an American custom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratuity

But regardless of where the custom began, it is the model for compensation to service people on most cruise lines.

The Tips are how these people are compensated. We all know this.

If the tipping model is too onerous for people, then use a cruise line that rolls the Tips into the cost of the cruise, or find another vacation alternative, but don't cheat people of their compensation. They work hard to provide service, and they really should be compensated for their work. Removing the Tips, that's just cheap.