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How we made the most of Cheers on Carnival Splendor

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The.Deno

The.Deno

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I felt like i had to create an account to come on here and explain how the bartenders make tips on the Cheers program.

 

Essentially at the end of the trip, each bartender/waiter/pool drink person makes $0.35 x # of guests who purchased the Cheers program. On the last cruise we went on (middle of August 2016, 4-day Bahama cruise from Miami) out of the ~2700 guests only only about 12-15% bought in to the Cheers! package. That's about 324-405 guests, So each one of the bartenders made ~$141.75 in tips for serving all the Cheers guests.

 

For the non Cheers program guests; Yes 15% gratuity is built into the price of each drink; but Carnival keeps 3% of that so the bartenders and waiters really only get 12% tip on each drink.

 

I have always tipped $1 additional tip (100% of additional tip goes to these folks) per drink, and i tend to visit the same 2 or 3 bars so i can develop a good relationship with the bartender and chat while they are slow. At the end of the trip i generally have 1 or 2 bartenders that i really feel like i will miss and think about after the trip... i generally tip those guys specifically $20-50 extra on my last drink from them. They don't make a ton of money on these ships and always have a smile on their face! And know your name after the 3rd drink haha

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Hazmike

Hazmike

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I was on the Disney Dream in April and bought their beverage package (a case of beer with a carry around cooler). I hauled that cooler everywhere, even into the bars. I'm a bartender when I'm not on duty at a fire station and understand the beauty of tips. I tipped for every beer they opened for me that they dug out of my cooler! It didn't take long for random servers to show up with buckets of ice to keep my beer cold, yep I tipped for that too. Money talks. Manners & a smile go a long way too. I'm on the Conquest in Oct with a CHEERS package. I may leave my faithful cooler in the room, but will be toting lots of tip money. So the moral of the thread is if you forget your servers, they will forget you.

Edited by Hazmike
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dorisdvu

dorisdvu

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If you tip the waiter (at shows, casino, etc.) how does the bartender know that you've tipped extra - thus giving generous pours etc.? If you're tipping the waiter in cash, does the waiter get the tip? If your add it to the receipt, who gets the tip (if there is a waiter involved)? If I ordered a drink that had more that one liquor in it (ex Long Island Tea) and wanted all top shelf liquor, do I have to specify each liquor or brand?

 

Anyone?

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Luke gs Daddy

Luke gs Daddy

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our last cruise was RCL, but we've also done several carnival as well. Seems like they don't have a whole lot in the way of menus. They might have table cards with 6 or 7 drinks, but if you do a search for "carnival drink menu" or some such, you could probably find a list with a good 30-40 different drinks that most of the bartenders know. We did this on our last trip and it was pretty handy when trying new drinks...the pyrat rum runner and coco- Bull was pretty good. Also, if you try this and print one, print a few... We had several people asking "where did you get that?" and we explained that we brought it. We handed out one or two and they were very happy we shared.

 

I googled this and only came up with what Carnival menu is.

Any other Ideas?

Thanks.

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meanjean80

meanjean80

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This is awesome. I've been somewhat strong armed in to this package because my room mates are heavier drinkers than I am. I like an adult beverage but don't want to over indulge. The idea of trying high end drink options makes sense. I'll certainly be on the lookout for that champagne!

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happywife0921

happywife0921

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I read this post out of curiosity when I saw "Splendor" and I must say I think you sold me on adding on a cheers package lol. I never really consider it because I don't drink very often, a good glass of wine is about it for me. It may come in handy for my hubby though because he does spend a good bit at the bars so I'll look into further now!

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  • 5 months later...
tancruiser

tancruiser

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I would get coffee at the coffee bar for breakfast. I would go back 5 minutes later and get Powerade and water to take on port days. Saves money from having to buy something in port. Plus the coffee bar had spiked coffee. I was not the only person getting a spiked coffee for breakfast.

 

 

Did you get your powerades and waters from the main bar or the coffee shop? This is a great idea! I will be doing the same on our cruise in less than 3 weeks :) Thank you

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NCbmwmom

NCbmwmom

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Did you get your powerades and waters from the main bar or the coffee shop? This is a great idea! I will be doing the same on our cruise in less than 3 weeks :) Thank you

 

 

I did this as well, but over half the time they removed the lid and wouldn't let me have it. I'm going to bring my own cup this time in case they do that again.

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Poolplayer1369

Poolplayer1369

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Just got back from the Carnival Splendor for the 8 day Southern Caribbean itinerary. Loved the ship and the crew, nothing but nice things to say about the experience.

 

Thought I would share a few notes on how my wife and I felt we got the most out of Cheers while on board.

 

A) The Steakhouse has a nice rose champagne by Heidsieck that is $20 per glass and very nice. We each had 3 glasses with dinner on embarkation day and this alone made that day a big value.

 

B) Roca Patron Silver: $15 per shot at the pool bar. Incredibly smooth, goes down like water.(Also goes great stirred into a Margarita after 5 minutes ;) ) Don't forget to pace yourself !

 

C) Order your favorite frozen beverage, wait 5, and ask for an additional shot of your favorite ultra premium liquor on the side to stir in since they frozen drinks can taste pretty weak.

 

D) Asking for Pellegrino at the beginning of our MDR meals and request the large bottle of still water with dessert to bring back to the room or off with you in port.

 

E) Hitting the coffee bar before breakfast as well as after dessert/before night activities to get some pep.

 

F) We noticed that once we started tipping $1 per drink (in addition to the auto gratuity ofc) we started (1) receiving increasingly generous pours by the bartenders as the trip progressed and (2) being given priority when bars were busy with MDR waits /busy comedy club nights, etc.

 

Now if we could just go back...

I didnt think you could get shots on the cheers package.

 

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Forums mobile app

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angiem0217

angiem0217

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I didnt think you could get shots on the cheers package.

 

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Forums mobile app

 

 

Yes you can get shots. Just not double shots. On our last cruise we would order a drink. Sit at the bar and in 5 minutes order a shot of rum to put in the drink since some of the drinks are not strong. fa1831bb824e6cf4bfcc147a16c4e641.jpg

This was the red frog pub bar on magic

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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sweets2323

sweets2323

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Yes you can get shots. Just not double shots. On our last cruise we would order a drink. Sit at the bar and in 5 minutes order a shot of rum to put in the drink since some of the drinks are not strong. fa1831bb824e6cf4bfcc147a16c4e641.jpg

This was the red frog pub bar on magic

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

What we learn in this forum is PRICELESS!!!!!!

Thinking out the box is the best on this forum!

Great information!!:cool:

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