Jump to content

Drink package tip question


Cruisin 4 Ever
 Share

Recommended Posts

All gratuities are already covered in the beverage packages regardless of whether you received the package as a perk or paid for the purchase. If you order a drink that is above the package allowance you'll be charged the difference between the allowance and the drink cost + 20% gratuity on that difference. Some people had bar servers additional tips but that is completely optional and neither required nor expected, but received appreciatively when offered. In short, if you have the package and order within its limits you'll not be billed anything extra.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Guindalf said:

You won't get a receipt to sign for each drink, so you would need to hand it to the server in cash.

 

IMHO this is the second best part about having the drink package.  No fuss, no signature, and the entire transaction takes about 1/4th of the time compared to actually ringing up a drink.  The mini-bars serving beer etc that are set up around the pool area are even faster.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since gratuities are prepaid with the drink package, are service charges still added at the end of your vacation?

 

Many have posted that 'service charges' and 'gratuities' mean the same thing on NCL, but have not addressed if paying the pre-cruise gratuities cancels out post-cruise service charges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, nate55555 said:

Since gratuities are prepaid with the drink package, are service charges still added at the end of your vacation?

 

Many have posted that 'service charges' and 'gratuities' mean the same thing on NCL, but have not addressed if paying the pre-cruise gratuities cancels out post-cruise service charges.

If you stay within the limits of your drink package there won't be any other charges to your account relevant to drinks.

There is a daily gratuity that is charged to your account for room steward and waitstaff etc. unless you received pre-paid gratuities or paid them yourself. I hope that clears up any confusion. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Treacher1 said:

Recently some bartenders - give you a 0.00 due to sign receipt hoping for an additional tip - I have seen this more frequently in the last year.

 We have done 5 cruises on X in the past year and never once have we been given a 0.00 receipt to sign in any bar or speciality restaurant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, nate55555 said:

Since gratuities are prepaid with the drink package, are service charges still added at the end of your vacation?

 

Many have posted that 'service charges' and 'gratuities' mean the same thing on NCL, but have not addressed if paying the pre-cruise gratuities cancels out post-cruise service charges.


gratuities have always been added to your bill to cover the room steward, waiters, and some other behind the scenes staff. They have never included bartenders in that. So yes, you’ll still be charged the daily gratuity to your account. Without the drink package you would have had a mandatory gratuity added on top of each drink for the bar tending staff. With the drink package you won’t have any gratuities for the bar tending staff added.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our bar purchases are individual and not part of a package.  Who knows where the applicable service charges go in a billing system.  We have found that by simply slipping the server a dollar with each order that not only do we get what we want when we want but as soon as we walk into the bar a server makes his/her way to our table.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/7/2019 at 6:47 AM, sanger727 said:


gratuities have always been added to your bill to cover the room steward, waiters, and some other behind the scenes staff. They have never included bartenders in that. So yes, you’ll still be charged the daily gratuity to your account. Without the drink package you would have had a mandatory gratuity added on top of each drink for the bar tending staff. With the drink package you won’t have any gratuities for the bar tending staff added.

 

This is the best answer I've gotten, although I hope it is not true.  Not that I love math, but this is what I am seeing:  $140 gratuities with my alcohol package for a 7-day cruise.  That's $20 a day ... if that's my 20% tip, I am buying $100 of alcohol per day? Honestly, I didn't have a problem with this, but now, if what you are saying is true, they are going to almost double it.  I don't consume $175 of alcohol and food/services a day (total $35/day tip).  Let's throw in a tip for the ladies in the engine room ... I like the way they do their work (what, you don't like engines working???  You can't afford another $10/day??).  And listen, I don't care what you call the charges, I am a bottom-line guy.  Seriously, I would have more respect for it, if you called it an F**k U fee.  I really hate hearing people equivocating what service is worth what.  Making it this hard to get a straight answer just makes me want to get the service charges refunded on principle.  Being opaque about pricing makes it nearly impossible (for a newbie) to balance the best value by cruise line.  It's not cool.  You can afford a $100 12oz coke, but is it worth it??  The point is that you already paid money for the cruise, right?  This nickel-diming is just tom-foolery.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

22 minutes ago, nate55555 said:

 

This is the best answer I've gotten, although I hope it is not true.  Not that I love math, but this is what I am seeing:  $140 gratuities with my alcohol package for a 7-day cruise.  That's $20 a day ... if that's my 20% tip, I am buying $100 of alcohol per day? Honestly, I didn't have a problem with this, but now, if what you are saying is true, they are going to almost double it.  I don't consume $175 of alcohol and food/services a day (total $35/day tip).  Let's throw in a tip for the ladies in the engine room ... I like the way they do their work (what, you don't like engines working???  You can't afford another $10/day??).  And listen, I don't care what you call the charges, I am a bottom-line guy.  Seriously, I would have more respect for it, if you called it an F**k U fee.  I really hate hearing people equivocating what service is worth what.  Making it this hard to get a straight answer just makes me want to get the service charges refunded on principle.  Being opaque about pricing makes it nearly impossible (for a newbie) to balance the best value by cruise line.  It's not cool.  You can afford a $100 12oz coke, but is it worth it??  The point is that you already paid money for the cruise, right?  This nickel-diming is just tom-foolery.

 

I'll try to make this as simple and as clear as possible.

If you have a Classic or Premium beverage package (either as a free perk or purchased directly) there are no further charges to your on board account as long as you stay within the package allowances. Zero, nada, zippo, none.

 

The $14 per person per day fee is a fee added by X to the overall cost of your cruise when the Classic Beverage Package is chosen as a "free perk" for bookings made after 10/10/2020. It is not charged to your on board account. It has nothing to do with a gratuity or service charge. It has been waived during certain sales and by some TAs at times. X justifies it as an equalizer since the beverage package is worth more than the other choices of perks. (I am not indicating my personal feelings about this fee,  but am just trying to explain it in X terms).

 

Finally, totally apart from and having nothing to do with beverages or beverage packages there is the daily gratuity  that is charged to your account on board (unless you have already paid them or have pre-paid gratuities as a perk). That is for your dining wait staff, room steward, butler (if in a suite) and some behind the scenes service staff. 

 

I hope that clears things up for you.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/6/2019 at 11:22 PM, Luvcrusn said:

We have never received one either.

 

Our last 2 cruises (1 RCL 1 X) we got them, but only from pool bar.  Funny thing is, after I signed w/out extra tip, the bar guy just threw the rcpt away. Told me what I needed to know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...