Drink tip question

[jc foster]

If you order a drink with a drink package the tip is automatically included.  Is this correct ?   Also if you order a drink with the Medallion and the server walks a long way you should tip him additional and preferably in cash. Is this correct? Thanks

[skynight]

If you order a drink with a drink package the tip is automatically included.  Is this correct ? 

Yes, correct.

Also if you order a drink with the Medallion and the server walks a long way you should tip him additional and preferably in cash. Is this correct?

It is up to you if you wish to provide an additional tip and if you wish to carry around cash.  The service charge is already included in the delivery. If you do provide an additional tip cash is the way to go.

[SargassoPirate]

I may be in the minority here, but I always tip the server a little extra.  It pays off in spades.  Soon the servers recognize me, I'm getting a better grade of Scotch, better pours, and in other venues such as listening to strings or a guitarist my drinks seem to magically appear at my elbow.  

 

It's not a life changing amount of money to me and it may make a difference in that person's life - especially just recognizing them for their service.

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

I may be in the minority here, but I always tip the server a little extra.  It pays off in spades.  Soon the servers recognize me, I'm getting a better grade of Scotch, better pours, and in other venues such as listening to strings or a guitarist my drinks seem to magically appear at my elbow.  

 

It's not a life changing amount of money to me and it may make a difference in that person's life - especially just recognizing them for their service.

same as us ... and singles start to become doubles ...

[Potstech]

How do you know before hand how far the server had to go to deliver the drink?

[Tedferg]

9 minutes ago, voljeep said:

same as us ... and singles start to become doubles ...

That applies to bar staff not waiters, right?

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

That applies to bar staff not waiters, right?

sometimes both in Vines and Crooners

[wowzz]

25 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

I may be in the minority here, but I always tip the server a little extra.  It pays off in spades.  Soon the servers recognize me, I'm getting a better grade of Scotch, better pours, and in other venues such as listening to strings or a guitarist my drinks seem to magically appear at my elbow.  

 

It's not a life changing amount of money to me and it may make a difference in that person's life - especially just recognizing them for their service.

I get exactly the same service as you, but without tipping. 

[Ginster1]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

It's not a life changing amount of money to me and it may make a difference in that person's life - especially just recognizing them for their service.

Sargasso, exactly!  Acknowledging their service(s) at the time can mean a lot to them and not not just monetarily.  They work incredibly hard for many hours in less than ideal accommodations. I enjoy seeing the smile on their faces and the gratitude when receiving a cash tip.  But to each his own. 

[odyssyus]

[Bobbiegentry]

Double pours? Better grade of booze?

Sounds like bribery to me. 

Moreover, it also appears that those who participate are perfectly comfortable in stealing from the cruise line.

 

Yeah, yeah, I know but isn’t accepting/taking something that you clearly know you didn’t pay for the very definition of theft? 

[pris993]

We always tip extra, no matter how far they need to go.  We value that they seek us out and never seem to need to wait for service.  Princess staff are the best, so why not give a little extra.

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

I may be in the minority here, but I always tip the server a little extra.  It pays off in spades.  Soon the servers recognize me, I'm getting a better grade of Scotch, better pours, and in other venues such as listening to strings or a guitarist my drinks seem to magically appear at my elbow. 

 

How dose this work? When I order Scotch I order a specific brand. I don't really see the bartender "upgrading" my order without permission. I've also seen them "measuring" the amount of liquor in the bottles so how does pouring a more expensive Scotch work with that? I also don't see the bartender "upgrading" the Scotch or doubling the amount simply because the server is getting a dollar or two tip.

 

Edit: I did a cruise (can't remember if it was a 14 day or a 16 day cruise) where I took a large stack of $1 bills and tipped a dollar for every drink that was brought to me - even if I was sitting no more than 15 feet from the bar. I got exactly the same service as I get on other cruises where I haven't tipped for drink delivery at all.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Thrak

[partybarbie]

We spend a lot of time in Crooner’s and other bar venues. Normally we tip extra on the last night of the cruise. If we order drinks to the cabin, then it’s a dollar a drink. I think most servers do an excellent job and deserve the extra. I have no problem not tipping either.
 

On our recent Ruby cruise, one of the bartenders, Flynn, remembered us from a cruise that was several years ago. He almost died from Covid and a couple of his coworkers did. If tipping someone ten or twenty dollars causes them to remember you in a good way, then you know that money made a difference to them. 

[Kay S]

3 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

I may be in the minority here, but I always tip the server a little extra. 

You and DH.  He tips well in restaurants, etc., too.  One of our kids worked as a server during high school and schooled him in the ways of tipping.  He doesn't do it for the better service or fear of someone spitting in his drink but because he knows that small money to him means something significant to the recipient.  I know others have differing attitudes toward tipping and that's okay.

[skynight]

26 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

We spend a lot of time in Crooner’s and other bar venues. Normally we tip extra on the last night of the cruise. If we order drinks to the cabin, then it’s a dollar a drink. I think most servers do an excellent job and deserve the extra. I have no problem not tipping either.

Exactly how we handle it. 

[pris993]

53 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

How dose this work? When I order Scotch I order a specific brand. I don't really see the bartender "upgrading" my order without permission. I've also seen them "measuring" the amount of liquor in the bottles so how does pouring a more expensive Scotch work with that? I also don't see the bartender "upgrading" the Scotch or doubling the amount simply because the server is getting a dollar or two tip.

 

Edit: I did a cruise (can't remember if it was a 14 day or a 16 day cruise) where I took a large stack of $1 bills and tipped a dollar for every drink that was brought to me - even if I was sitting no more than 15 feet from the bar. I got exactly the same service as I get on other cruises where I haven't tipped for drink delivery at all.

In our dancing days, we did not always drink but we sure enjoyed a nice glass of cold water.  We used to tip the server $5 when we first ordered water.   Whenever we came again, we never had to ask for water it was automatically brought to us.  Respecting the staff with a little tip goes a long way.  Does not tipping them mean that much to you?  Staff are working hard either way, if they are tipped or not.  I like a world where service and doing a good job is valued. 

[odyssyus]

3 hours ago, Bobbiegentry said:

Double pours? Better grade of booze?

Sounds like bribery to me. 

Moreover, it also appears that those who participate are perfectly comfortable in stealing from the cruise line.

 

Yeah, yeah, I know but isn’t accepting/taking something that you clearly know you didn’t pay for the very definition of theft? 

It doesn't happen.  Its just an attempt to say 'look at me and how cool/much money/what level/fill in blank.. I am'. 

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, odyssyus said:

It doesn't happen.  Its just an attempt to say 'look at me and how cool/much money/what level/fill in blank.. I am'. 

What doesn't happen?  Double pours?  Better grade of booze?  Stealing from the cruise line? 🙃

[wowzz]

What are Brits and Europeans meant to do on European cruises ?

I'm not going to walk around with a pocket full of coins, and judging by the European cruises I've been on, I'm in the majority.

 

[SargassoPirate]

58 minutes ago, odyssyus said:

It doesn't happen.  Its just an attempt to say 'look at me and how cool/much money/what level/fill in blank.. I am'. 

I was merely sharing what my tipping experience has been.  The fact that my experience doesn't match your paradigm and that you think it "is an attempt to say look at me and how cool/much money/what level/fill in the blank...I am" speaks volumes.

 

All I can say it a little extra tip goes a long way and serves me well.

 

Enjoy your drinks from the well and I'll enjoy mine from the shelf.

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Enjoy your drinks from the well and I'll enjoy mine from the shelf.

Sackable offence for the bar staff.  Not convinced that a $5 tip is worth losing your job for. 

[SargassoPirate]

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

How dose this work? When I order Scotch I order a specific brand. I don't really see the bartender "upgrading" my order without permission. I've also seen them "measuring" the amount of liquor in the bottles so how does pouring a more expensive Scotch work with that? I also don't see the bartender "upgrading" the Scotch or doubling the amount simply because the server is getting a dollar or two tip.

 

Here's how it works for me.  I order a Scotch - no specific brand - and I tip a little extra to the server.  After I sip on that one and the server comes back by I'll make a positive comment about the flavor, etc etc.  When the next wee dram arrives, I often notice it's a little better pour and perhaps a little better flavor, maybe a little more peaty.     

 

On a recent cruise, on the third or fourth night the server asked if I had tried a particular brand noted for it's peatiness. I said no and he went to another venue and retrieved a bottle of it and had the bartender pour me a sample.  It was good and I complimented the server and the bartender on their recommendation and ordered one.

 

From that point forward that was my pour and at the end of the cruise I also tipped the bartender and thanked him again for his recommendation.

 

That's been my experience.

[startedwithamouse]

28 minutes ago, wowzz said:

What are Brits and Europeans meant to do on European cruises ?

I'm not going to walk around with a pocket full of coins, and judging by the European cruises I've been on, I'm in the majority.

 

No one tips in coins.  

[Kay S]

28 minutes ago, wowzz said:

What are Brits and Europeans meant to do on European cruises ?

I'm not going to walk around with a pocket full of coins, and judging by the European cruises I've been on, I'm in the majority.

 

Those coins can get heavy. 🙂  Different customs in different  places.  When in Rome, etc.  Or not.  You do you.