Check every receipt on your Cheers Package.......Here's Why

[Scfilla]

4 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

No, it is not 18% per drink.  The info above about it only being 18% of the first $50 worth of drinks is accurate.  Ends up being less than 75 cents per drink which drink crew don't love CHEERS.  If it was 18% on every drink value under CHEERS, servers would be lining up to get you drinks

Additional Information

>Gratuities are assessed on all guests, with the exception of children under the age of 2. 

>Gratuities apply regardless of the dining options selected, such as eating at the casual dining restaurant or open seating dining.

>For beverage purchases, an automatic 18% gratuity will be added to the bill. 

>An automatic 18% gratuity will be added to the cover charge of the Chef’s Table.  

>A gratuity may be extended to room service staff as service is rendered.

[Computer Nerd]

7 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

No, it is not 18% per drink.  The info above about it only being 18% of the first $50 worth of drinks is accurate.  Ends up being less than 75 cents per drink which drink crew don't love CHEERS.  If it was 18% on every drink value under CHEERS, servers would be lining up to get you drinks

Here's what I don't get. You're not paying $10-$12 a drink. You're paying something like $3.50 ($52/15 drinks) a drink but you're calculating the tip like it's still a $10 drink. Your math is incorrect. So here's my question, When you go out to Chili's or Applebees for dinner do you tip like you just ate at Ruth Chris'? They did the same work so by your math you should tip the same at Chili's as you do at Ruth Chris. When you buy the drink package, you're paying $3.50 a drink so you tip (already included) on that $3.50 but you want to do the math like you paid $10 for that drink. So you HAVE paid 18% for that drink.....even more when most people don't actually drink all 15 drinks in a day.

[Elaine5715]

9 hours ago, Scfilla said:

Additional Information

>Gratuities are assessed on all guests, with the exception of children under the age of 2. 

>Gratuities apply regardless of the dining options selected, such as eating at the casual dining restaurant or open seating dining.

>For beverage purchases, an automatic 18% gratuity will be added to the bill. 

>An automatic 18% gratuity will be added to the cover charge of the Chef’s Table.  

>A gratuity may be extended to room service staff as service is rendered.

That is on single purchased beverages charged to your S&S card.  It is also why nonCheers guests get faster service at times.  

[Colorado Beach Bum]

6 hours ago, Computer Nerd said:

Here's what I don't get. You're not paying $10-$12 a drink. You're paying something like $3.50 ($52/15 drinks) a drink but you're calculating the tip like it's still a $10 drink. Your math is incorrect. So here's my question, When you go out to Chili's or Applebees for dinner do you tip like you just ate at Ruth Chris'? They did the same work so by your math you should tip the same at Chili's as you do at Ruth Chris. When you buy the drink package, you're paying $3.50 a drink so you tip (already included) on that $3.50 but you want to do the math like you paid $10 for that drink. So you HAVE paid 18% for that drink.....even more when most people don't actually drink all 15 drinks in a day.

Cheers is more like a discount.  When I go to a restaurant and get a discount I always tip to the cost before discount.  The waiter did the work and shouldn’t be punished for the discount.  The comparison to a more expensive restaurant makes no sense, but comparing to a discount/coupon does. 

[Elaine5715]

12 hours ago, rcandv said:

Not sure I see the math.  I just purchased three cheers packages and a bubbles package for a 5 day cruise.  The cost for that was $809.00.  The gratuities charged on that was a total of $145.64.  That basically equates to $46.75 in gratuities per cheers package, which I guess is $9.35 per day. If that is that you are implying, I guess I can see that then.  It would honestly be nice if you can tip cash. I wouldn't have a problem with that at a bar.  I don't see how the person in the gift shop deserves a portion of a tip/gratuity for a drink served at a bar.  

The gift shop people don't get any of the beverage grats.

Divide that $9.35 among the 15-20 folks who serve up your beverages..

[Computer Nerd]

4 hours ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Cheers is more like a discount.  When I go to a restaurant and get a discount I always tip to the cost before discount.  The waiter did the work and shouldn’t be punished for the discount.  The comparison to a more expensive restaurant makes no sense, but comparing to a discount/coupon does. 

Well, that's one opinion but it's not my opinion. A discount (coupon if you will) has to be applied each time. Cheers is a package and sold at a particular cost. You can call it a discount if you want but I see it as a package and the tips have been paid on that package.

 

You go be you though and I'll be me.

[Computer Nerd]

4 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

The gift shop people don't get any of the beverage grats.

Divide that $9.35 among the 15-20 folks who serve up your beverages..

When did the folks working in the gift shop start serving drinks??

[canes20]

15 minutes ago, Computer Nerd said:

Well, that's one opinion but it's not my opinion. A discount (coupon if you will) has to be applied each time. Cheers is a package and sold at a particular cost. You can call it a discount if you want but I see it as a package and the tips have been paid on that package.

 

You go be you though and I'll be me.

 

[Linda the Book Lover]

I try to always check my receipts, both at home restaurants and on ships. So far there has never been an issue. However, it is always a good idea to check later. Tipping is a personal decision, and I do carry ones for the roving servers. 

[happy cruzer]

So back to the original post that suggests checking every receipt,  not going to do that because it is too much trouble.  Another option is to just request the invoice for the cruise charges and review it to find any big obvious errors like this 20 dollar error and get that fixed.

 

Keeping every receipt and reviewing them is not in my plans.  But if someone wants to spend their time doing so - go for it.

[Jasonsterling]

On 11/14/2021 at 9:59 AM, sanger727 said:

while I get what you are saying; not sure that this is the best way to look at it. If you have 10 $10 drinks by 10 different bartenders, I don’t think the first 5 get a tip and the second 5 get nothing. I’m under the impression that cheers tips would go to a general bartenders tip pool. So if you planned to tip $10 on those extra drinks it would be better to give everyone $1.

Sorry this was a quick post and I wasn't entirely clear. I do tip extra on EVERY drink. A dollar to two dollars per drink so that the 18% paid on the fifty dollars charged with the Cheers program (which is around 9 dollars) is ultimately increased overall to closer to what I would tip w/o the program which is 20 percent on every drink. So, if I drink ten 10 dollar drinks (often they are slightly more than ten dollars 11-13) then I start with paying an original 9 dollars per day when buying the program and then I add another roughly 15 throughout the day bring the total to around 24. 

[Jasonsterling]

On 11/14/2021 at 10:52 AM, Computer Nerd said:

Since the program covers the cost of 15 drinks and you can only get 15 drinks with the program, the tip on ALL drinks is covered.

You're paying 9 dollars in tips on the 50 dollar cost of the program (I know those number are not exact to the cent this is a rough amount). So you're paying 90 cents per drink on ten drinks, or 60 cent per drink on fifteen. Roughly my drinks are around 11 dollars a glass, times 20 percent which is what I tip on land and without the program that's 22 dollars over a day of 10 drinks. So, by your method I'm actually cutting the server out of 13 dollars of normal tipping giving them far less than half. 

[Computer Nerd]

On 11/22/2021 at 8:59 AM, Jasonsterling said:

You're paying 9 dollars in tips on the 50 dollar cost of the program (I know those number are not exact to the cent this is a rough amount). So you're paying 90 cents per drink on ten drinks, or 60 cent per drink on fifteen. Roughly my drinks are around 11 dollars a glass, times 20 percent which is what I tip on land and without the program that's 22 dollars over a day of 10 drinks. So, by your method I'm actually cutting the server out of 13 dollars of normal tipping giving them far less than half. 

Just to be clear here, it is not MY method. It is Carnival's method and I, and you, are tipping 18% on every drink you get if you get all 15 drinks each and every day. You are not paying $11 a drink, you are paying about $4 a drink. You are tipping more than 18% if you don't drink all 15 drinks in a day because you have already tipped on the full package. If YOU don't feel comfortable with that level of tipping, YOU are more than welcome to tip more. I feel 18+% is more than an adequate amount of tip.

 

For those of you who are suggesting someone is getting cheated because they aren't tipping on the full price of the drink, I suggest you stop buying the Cheers package and start paying the full price of a drink because you are cheating Carnival out of profit on alcohol sales by purchasing the Cheers package, a profit they sorely need these days.

Edited November 24, 2021 by Computer Nerd

[cyclist_guy1]

On 11/14/2021 at 3:36 AM, travelplus said:

If a worker is forging tips they should be reported to security. I would file a report . Whether its $20 or $150. I make it a habit to check my Sign and Sail Card often . 

 

Perhaps they got the wrong folio#. I would suggest writing your Folio# on the receipt you sign and a - where the Tips go even when leaving a tip. If you have to snap a photo of every receipt to avoid this then by all means do so.

 

yea this is also what i was thinking. hopefully its an honest mistake but if not...its not only cheap and unprofessional as @topaz123 says but potentially illegally forging. 

[Host Carolyn]

May reopen after cooling off