Free Drinks in Casino... Do I tip?

I would always tip for a comp. Just like using a discount coupon at a restaurant. The server does the same amount of work as if the meal, drink was regular price.

i had a thread somewhere i had started about how we tipped with a dollar wrapped around two hershey miniatures. We NEVER waited for drinks. I mean NEVER. I couldn't drink fast enough. Matter of fact, i got the nickname by two of the servers as Grey Goose. People said it was the dollar, NOT the chocolates. I had the Drinks on us card. So maybe that combined with the dollar.....:confused:. Waiting for our cruise in September. Hopefully my drinks on us card will be waiting for me. We will see

On Carnival you still have to sign a receipt that prints out 15% gratuity, cost zero.

Some are saying the staff still gets a tip though?!? Can someone explains how that works?!? I know carnival isn't pulling that out of their pockets.

If you liked your service, wheather you paid or not, tip the staff.

Tip the wait staff, and the dealers. The pit supervisor notices, and it goes a long way toward getting drinks comp'd.

Even if you're nowhere close to making the minimum points, the supervisor will send a drink your way if you're treating his staff well. After all, he records your betting averages/points for the table games, and may have some discretion over how quickly those points add up.

Happy players = good comment cards = happy bosses = all sorts of happiness.

For those that DO NOT TIP: The Bar gratuity goes to the bartender ONLY!

It is up to the bartender whether or not the waitstaff gets a cut...

Don't be so cheap! Give a dollar or 2!!!:D

Tip the wait staff, and the dealers. The pit supervisor notices, and it goes a long way toward getting drinks comp'd.

 

Even if you're nowhere close to making the minimum points, the supervisor will send a drink your way if you're treating his staff well. After all, he records your betting averages/points for the table games, and may have some discretion over how quickly those points add up.

 

Happy players = good comment cards = happy bosses = all sorts of happiness.

If you're getting the drink for free you should tip no matter whether the 15% tip is included. It's just bad form not to.

I stand corrected. You need 1500 points..not 1000.

 

You need to spend $3750 to get the Drinks on us card.

 

Wow!

There's something really wrong with these figures or else I have been incredibly lucky. I got the drinks on us card on both of my last two cruises and I didn't spend $500 in the casino. On the first cruise I did have a $2000 win on the first sea day and the drinks on us card was given to me right after that. On the second cruise I won only small amounts and did play that back but I did not spend $500 of my own money. There has to be more to it than how much you spend. (both Carnival cruises)

There's something really wrong with these figures or else I have been incredibly lucky. I got the drinks on us card on both of my last two cruises and I didn't spend $500 in the casino. On the first cruise I did have a $2000 win on the first sea day and the drinks on us card was given to me right after that. On the second cruise I won only small amounts and did play that back but I did not spend $500 of my own money. There has to be more to it than how much you spend. (both Carnival cruises)

Ye you are correct. I don't agree with those number previously posted at all. I got my drinks on us card after approximately $1500 dollars.

You are also correct that when you win a jackpot they almost always give you a card because they want theirmoney back and they want you in their playing with their money so they can get it back.

FYI.... For the Drinks on Us card on Carnival, only 1,000 points are required for cruises of 5 days or shorter.

It is not how much you spend, but how much money you put out in bets. Example, if you bet $50 a hand at blackjack and play for 2 hours with an average of 2 other people at the table during that time, you will have bet around $10,000. With 3 at a table you will play an average of 100 hands per hour. 100X2 hours=200 handsX$50=$10,000. Now whether you win or lose means nothing. The house just wants to see you playing at a good average. Over the long haul, the house will win even against the best player(2% house edge), they will still get their $200 on average for the $10,000 bet. On one cruise, I put over $900,000 in play for the week and ended up winning $4500. My first buy-in at the first table I played was only $300. My comps for that cruise were huge.

I always tip the server when I am drinking in the casino ("free"-though nothing is ever free ;))

I tip the roulette dealer $2 for every win on a $44 bet. The pit boss usually starts offering free drinks within a few hours. I get the Drinks card on day 2 or 3. I don't drink so they usually laugh if I ask for an orange juice. I have never tipped the waiter. The pit boss signs for the free drinks that they offer directly, so I thought the gratuity for free drinks came from them...guess I need to fix that. I order pina coladas for my wife and the pit staff run em down to her at the BJ table for me. As a side note, I would be very concerned with the price if they weren't comped. I have seen the receipt be anywhere from $4.25 to to $5.95 to $7.25 for that same drink. Maybe they go on sale from one hour to the next.

When you are talking about the number of points required to get free drink cards those are points and not exact dollars. For instance you can actually spend $100 on a lucky machine and keep spinning and before the $100 is gone you racked up points that equal to you spending 6-7 hundred. If you get lucky on a few machines you can add up points pretty quickly. Now on the other hand if you don't get lucky.

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Rickeejb,

My last cruise on the Triumph proved your theory. I actually got the Drinks on Us card before I played, and it is a good thing. It took me until day 3 to get to 1,000 points. I probably spent $800 to get those points (not much for play backs). I spent another $300 on day 4 and got another 1,000 points and then another $300 on day 5 to get another 1,200 points. For days 1-3 I got about 1.1X throughput, but then on days 4-5 I jumped up to 3.5-4.0X throughput (assuming $1.00 per point, which isn't accurate but works for the ratio). I also noticed on the video board that you needed to get to 2,500 points to qualify for mailers, etc. I was pretty nervous in the beginning since I usually average 1,000 points a day on 7 day sailings.

On a side note, does anyone know for Carnival are the mailers based solely on your last sailing, or do they do something like a "last 3 sailings" average like many land based casinos in Vegas? I am really hoping my 3,200 point "free" trip doesn't cost me the premier offers that I get regularly. Thanks!

Joe

On Carnival, when they bring you free drinks, you will have to sign a receipt for your free drink and you can add the tip to the receipt. That's what I did on my last cruise this past summer. Worked well for me.

Rickeejb,

My last cruise on the Triumph proved your theory. I actually got the Drinks on Us card before I played, and it is a good thing. It took me until day 3 to get to 1,000 points. I probably spent $800 to get those points (not much for play backs). I spent another $300 on day 4 and got another 1,000 points and then another $300 on day 5 to get another 1,200 points. For days 1-3 I got about 1.1X throughput, but then on days 4-5 I jumped up to 3.5-4.0X throughput (assuming $1.00 per point, which isn't accurate but works for the ratio). I also noticed on the video board that you needed to get to 2,500 points to qualify for mailers, etc. I was pretty nervous in the beginning since I usually average 1,000 points a day on 7 day sailings.

 

On a side note, does anyone know for Carnival are the mailers based solely on your last sailing, or do they do something like a "last 3 sailings" average like many land based casinos in Vegas? I am really hoping my 3,200 point "free" trip doesn't cost me the premier offers that I get regularly. Thanks!

 

Joe

How did you get the drink on us before you played?

There is a point threshold on your previous trip that will trigger the drink card automatically. I was told by Martin that it was 5,000 points on a 7 day sailing about a year ago. I haven't been on another non Premier Casino offer with Carnival since then, so I cannot confirm if that is still the practice.

It's still 5000 points on Carnival to qualify for the free drinks card on the next cruise.

I have gotten the drinks on us card on each cruise this year (always had more than the required 5000 points) and I always tip the server. They work so hard and such long hours, they deserve it. I was told that if you write the tip on the receipt, that it goes into a tip pool that gets divvied up. If you want that person to get the actual tip, give them cash, so that is what I do. I always bring 50 singles with me and usually end up getting more from the casino cashier. They really appreciate the tips, and will definitely take good care of you.

I would.

I do tip on free drinks.

I always tip $1 or $2 per drink. I get casino drink cards in our cabin upon arrival when we book through CAS directly. I also always tip at meals, $3 for breakfast and lunch $5 for dinner (for 2 of us) even though we pay the DCS on NCL. I just feel funny getting up from a table leaving nothing.

Of course. The tip is for the bartender, not the Cruise Line.

I stand corrected. You need 1500 points..not 1000.

 

You need to spend $3750 to get the Drinks on us card.

 

Wow!

No. You have to run $3,750 through the machines, not spend that amount. For example, if you are playing a machine with an 88% payout on average you would lose $450 not $3,750 (3750 x .12 (the house edge). Although I believe CC payout rates are much lower than this unless you are playing $1 or more likely $5 slots.

A machine paying 95% would "cost" you (on average) $187.5.

A machine paying 92% would cost $300

A machine paying 85% would cost $562.50

A machine paying 80% would cost $750

A machine set to the lowest payout of 75% would cost a whopping $937.50 !!!

So choose your games wisely. While CC doesn't publish their payables, you can safely assume their Penny & Nickel machines (yes even those multi-line, multi-bonus games with $1.50-$3 Maxbets!) Payout anywhere from 75-84%.

Quarter slots are probably in the 85-89% range.

$1 slots are probably in the 90-94% area.

It would not surprise me if the $5 machines went as high as 96-98%. So if you had the BANKROLL, to play $5 slots, on average you would only lose $75 on a 98% machine to cycle the $3,750 required to get the free drinks on us.

That means you need to load in $312.50... sit back a spin those reels one $5 credit at a time (make sure it's on a machine with NO PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT and pays even credits across all paylines ie a Double Diamond machine paying 800 credits for first line / 1600 for second line / 2400) if the machine does offer a graduated pay for all 3 lines and/or a bonus, then max bet) for 63 times in a row! You can spin these once ever 4-5 seconds so at one credit a spin you'll get your drinks on us card in 5 and a half minutes and on average you'll be down just $75. Remember that is the "average of large numbers" you could be down s312 or up $4000 or MORE.

Now if it does pay more for a 3 credit max bet because it has a bonus feature or jackpot is say 2800 rather than the straight 2400, just spin that sucker 21 times in 2 minutes although you will win more smaller payouts by single credit spins because of the law of averages.

That's why it's called Gambling! Good luck and most importantly Have Fun and only gamble for entertainment. If all you've put aside for your cruise casino money is $300 DON'T DO THIS PLAY! LOL.