So I decided to tip bartenders and this is my conclusion

[Ray]

15 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Exactly. The bartender isn’t working behind the bar for the exercise, they are working for money! It would make sense to take care of the people who are paying you the most money. It’s just good business sense. 

So what happens if everyone in front of you is also flashing the cash? You're at the end off the line waiting! 

If bar tender ignores me to go serve others i tell bar tender that there are other people waiting before them. I have then let others go infront of me so i get different bar tender then i make a show of handing them a 10 or 20 ( heres what you could have won) hey you got $1 but you could have got a lot more if you done your job properly 

If bar tender continues to serve q jumper first i will and have raised issue with F&B manager and told bar tender to expect negative feedback in questionaire! 

[tonyfsu21]

1 hour ago, Ray said:

So what happens if everyone in front of you is also flashing the cash? You're at the end off the line waiting! 

If bar tender ignores me to go serve others i tell bar tender that there are other people waiting before them. I have then let others go infront of me so i get different bar tender then i make a show of handing them a 10 or 20 ( heres what you could have won) hey you got $1 but you could have got a lot more if you done your job properly 

If bar tender continues to serve q jumper first i will and have raised issue with F&B manager and told bar tender to expect negative feedback in questionaire! 

I really don’t put this kind of thought into ordering a drink at a bar and I certainly wouldn’t take time out of my vacation to complain to an overloaded food and beverage manager. In addition, I don’t weaponize negative feedback in the questionnaire as these crew members have enough crap to deal with let alone this nonsense. Like I said before, money always talks so if you want exceptional service (not average service) then you should start digging into those deep pockets of yours and pulling out those $20’s and maybe (probably not) you will get a drink before me. 

[ScottD]

2 hours ago, Ray said:

So what happens if everyone in front of you is also flashing the cash? You're at the end off the line waiting! 

If bar tender ignores me to go serve others i tell bar tender that there are other people waiting before them. I have then let others go infront of me so i get different bar tender then i make a show of handing them a 10 or 20 ( heres what you could have won) hey you got $1 but you could have got a lot more if you done your job properly 

If bar tender continues to serve q jumper first i will and have raised issue with F&B manager and told bar tender to expect negative feedback in questionaire! 

The bars on a cruise are never so crowded that a bartender will obviously pass over anyone. They may see a few people lined up at the bar and go to the one they know will tip first, but they aren't going to lean past you and serve the guy behind you, they are still getting paid and are being watched so they won't be THAT obvious. Relax. BUT in a regular land bar, damn right this will happen. Bartenders on land work strictly for cash tips and will gravitate to the bigger tippers, and rightfully so.  If I'm a bartender and 2 people are standing there that have been there, and one tipped me 5 bucks last round, and one tipped me 50 cents last round- I don't care if the 50 cent person has been waiting longer or not- I'm serving the 5 dollar tipper first 

[tonyfsu21]

8 minutes ago, ScottD said:

The bars on a cruise are never so crowded that a bartender will obviously pass over anyone. They may see a few people lined up at the bar and go to the one they know will tip first, but they aren't going to lean past you and serve the guy behind you, they are still getting paid and are being watched so they won't be THAT obvious. Relax. BUT in a regular land bar, damn right this will happen. Bartenders on land work strictly for cash tips and will gravitate to the bigger tippers, and rightfully so.  If I'm a bartender and 2 people are standing there that have been there, and one tipped me 5 bucks last round, and one tipped me 50 cents last round- I don't care if the 50 cent person has been waiting longer or not- I'm serving the 5 dollar tipper first 

^^^^ This. I don’t get why there’s even a question about this. Anyone behind the bar would do the same thing.

[Ubiquitous Cruiser]

We always tip for our diamond drinks and on a recent 7 night we had 3 of our vouchers "stolen" from the MDR on the last night. We did not know it and went to the Schooner for our final nightly nightcap. The bartender told us we only had 1 drink left. Said to give it to my wife as I headed to customer no service. As you can imagine the line was crazy long & they could not resolve it ... As I furiously left the counter my wife was standing there with my drink of choice. She said the bartenders gave it to her to give to me.

It's not that we cannot afford to purchase a drink, but I was so touched that these guys felt bad for me that they made a comp drink. Not sure if tipping helped but it sure didn't hurt.

[tonyfsu21]

33 minutes ago, Ubiquitous Cruiser said:

We always tip for our diamond drinks and on a recent 7 night we had 3 of our vouchers "stolen" from the MDR on the last night. We did not know it and went to the Schooner for our final nightly nightcap. The bartender told us we only had 1 drink left. Said to give it to my wife as I headed to customer no service. As you can imagine the line was crazy long & they could not resolve it ... As I furiously left the counter my wife was standing there with my drink of choice. She said the bartenders gave it to her to give to me.

It's not that we cannot afford to purchase a drink, but I was so touched that these guys felt bad for me that they made a comp drink. Not sure if tipping helped but it sure didn't hurt.

How do vouchers which are loaded on the seapass card get “stolen”? Is this a thing?

[icf75]

Isn’t this just a form of bribery 

[HeWhoWaits]

24 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

How do vouchers which are loaded on the seapass card get “stolen”? Is this a thing?

When we cruised with a group, one night at dinner a group member's glass of wine was charged against my wife's voucher count. We caught it later when she got another drink and the total remaining mentioned by the bartender didn't match what she had used that day. From that point forward, we have checked our account in the app for free drinks just like we check for charges that may be added.

[Bazza]

 

Maybe somebody is working their way up to a much bigger diamond heist and starting with a few drinks....???    

https://people.howstuffworks.com/five-largest-diamond-heists.htm

[smokeybandit]

47 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

How do vouchers which are loaded on the seapass card get “stolen”? Is this a thing?

In the MDR, likely the waiter typing in the wrong room number/scanning the wrong card.

[JFCruise]

5 hours ago, ScottD said:

If I'm a bartender and 2 people are standing there that have been there, and one tipped me 5 bucks last round, and one tipped me 50 cents last round- I don't care if the 50 cent person has been waiting longer or not- I'm serving the 5 dollar tipper first 

But then some customer is going to the manager to complain that you are giving preferential treatment to the higher tippers.

Question: How hard do you think they would laugh at the complaint?

[CruiseGus]

10 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

In the MDR, likely the waiter typing in the wrong room number/scanning the wrong card.

The very reason I never order a drink in the Dining room. 

Most of the time I  carry in from my free bottles of wine and make that glass of wine last the meal.

To many problems with Dining room drinks is a reoccurring  complaint 

[Wheeler825]

I love these threads. All the imaginary big tippers come out in force!  Funny how you never actually see them on a ship.  $2 a drink tip when you've already tipped 18% on a ridiculously overpriced drink package...lmao,  SUREE..

[ScottD]

24 minutes ago, Wheeler825 said:

I love these threads. All the imaginary big tippers come out in force!  Funny how you never actually see them on a ship.  $2 a drink tip when you've already tipped 18% on a ridiculously overpriced drink package...lmao,  SUREE..

I DO tip cash every drink..but I will say I didn't notice many other people doing it on board. I don't consider any pre-paid or included tips as an actual tip, it's just part of the price. 

[Xaa]

43 minutes ago, ScottD said:

I DO tip cash every drink..but I will say I didn't notice many other people doing it on board. I don't consider any pre-paid or included tips as an actual tip, it's just part of the price. 

I believe you @ScottD.  It's easier for @Wheeler825 to believe that he sees with detail every interaction at all of the bars than to believe a person would give  a buck or two for some service as if it adds up to some enormous amount by vacation spending standards.  

What are there, 20 people in this thread?  Mostly multiple time cruisers?  If every one of us were on a single ship it's still a tiny amount of the population to expect to bear witness to the transactions.

If you don't see value in giving some pocket change, just don't do it, nobody cares, but you're calling the people in this thread liars and I like to think this place is friendlier than that.

[Ampurp85]

@Xaa I was going to post something similar. I can understand someone's incredulity or disbelief in what people say on the internet. I rarely see people tip, and do what I want in that regards. But there is that not factoring in the subset of people on this board. This blog could have 2k members, that would translate to maybe 20 cruisers on any given ship. 

[tonyfsu21]

2 hours ago, Wheeler825 said:

I love these threads. All the imaginary big tippers come out in force!  Funny how you never actually see them on a ship.  $2 a drink tip when you've already tipped 18% on a ridiculously overpriced drink package...lmao,  SUREE..

Imaginary???????

[tonyfsu21]

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

@Xaa I was going to post something similar. I can understand someone's incredulity or disbelief in what people say on the internet. I rarely see people tip, and do what I want in that regards. But there is that not factoring in the subset of people on this board. This blog could have 2k members, that would translate to maybe 20 cruisers on any given ship. 

More than 1% of people tip above and beyond the auto gratuities. I’m sitting here watching it right now. It’s laughable that anyone would consider tipping $1-2 extra for a cocktail to be excessive. The crew works hard for basically slave wages and I don’t consider what they make in their home countries because that’s besides the point. Perhaps the haters should consider not cruising or taking any vacation if an additional $100 really blows the budget. Sad, really sad. 

[Ampurp85]

2 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

More than 1% of people tip above and beyond the auto gratuities. I’m sitting here watching it right now. It’s laughable that anyone would consider tipping $1-2 extra for a cocktail to be excessive. The crew works hard for basically slave wages and I don’t consider what they make in their home countries because that’s besides the point. Perhaps the haters should consider not cruising or taking any vacation if an additional $100 really blows the budget. Sad, really sad. 

I don't agree that people shouldn't take vacations if they cannot afford to tip extra. If people did that, the crew/staff would get nothing. I try not to count other people's money, that I am not actually paid to count .

Crew chose to work for, very important to say that slaves don't make wages, less than ideal pay. I think if you can afford to, do what you can afford. Everyone makes a choice, and they have to live with them.

 

[tonyfsu21]

15 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

I don't agree that people shouldn't take vacations if they cannot afford to tip extra. If people did that, the crew/staff would get nothing. I try not to count other people's money, that I am not actually paid to count .

Crew chose to work for, very important to say that slaves don't make wages, less than ideal pay. I think if you can afford to, do what you can afford. Everyone makes a choice, and they have to live with them.

 

I agree with this but I do not agree with shaming the folks who decide to tip extra beyond the auto gratuities. I am taking a hard stand on just staying home if you can’t afford a vacation and/or don’t shame people for tipping more then what is perceived to be deserved. For anyone to say that they consider it “imaginary” to tip beyond the auto gratuity is laughable. 

[CruiseMsclDad]

On 8/30/2023 at 9:24 AM, tonyfsu21 said:

Yes, being a generous tipper to the bartenders is not only the right thing to do but also can garner some nice perks. I could stand 4 deep at the casino bar and it’s guaranteed my red stripe beer is going to be handed to me first.

100% true, and they work hard, it feels great to tip anyway, but yes you are correct, there are hundreds of times I have had small things done for me because of tipping.

Mitch

[Ampurp85]

1 hour ago, tonyfsu21 said:

I agree with this but I do not agree with shaming the folks who decide to tip extra beyond the auto gratuities. I am taking a hard stand on just staying home if you can’t afford a vacation and/or don’t shame people for tipping more then what is perceived to be deserved. For anyone to say that they consider it “imaginary” to tip beyond the auto gratuity is laughable. 

I don't agree with shaming anyone for their tipping habits.

I can see the difference when I tip but also I am mostly solo, so I get a lot of preferential treatment.

[Ray]

On 8/31/2023 at 11:03 AM, tonyfsu21 said:

. Like I said before, money always talks so if you want exceptional service (not average service) then you should start digging into those deep pockets of yours and pulling out those $20’s and maybe (probably not) you will get a drink before me. 

No you're ok!! 

Unlike you i do put thought into it and also have respect for those already waiting in line before me! 

Thats one thing money can't buy...self respect 

[Ray]

.

[Neesa]

On 8/31/2023 at 10:26 AM, tonyfsu21 said:

How do vouchers which are loaded on the seapass card get “stolen”? Is this a thing?

Yes! We had our vouchers stolen almost the entire week on the Oasis. It was crazy because they have cameras every where & they were always used in Central Park & charged by the Trellis Bar. (now I know the restaurants up there are tethered to that bar) * we were dining in CK that week and never even spent time in Central Park that sailing. We believe someone heard me use it and of course you had to say the cabin number & every day for half of the trip they used a minimum of 2 a night. The concierge became involved, I had to go down to the restaurants manager & so on, thinking how hard could this really be? The day there was a late excursion they were not used. It finally stopped after night 5 maybe and we were never told what truly happened. I always check my OBA at the end of each day so I would see this in practically real time daily. I was made to feel like a fibber as I sat at the concierge desk & could hear the other person accusing me of trying to get additional vouchers. The best part was the drinks that were purchased with our vouchers were hard liquor drinks nothing we would ever consume, but the staff didn't know us so I realize this didn't mean much, we were afforded 4 vouchers per day at that time & it cut into our bottled water supply that week. 

[Doug_Texas]

We've had traveling companions have their vouchers stolen in MDR as well.  We don't give up our seapass to waiters in the MDR because strangely this occurs.  We always cash tip because of D vouchers.  In February I was called out on an Australia cruise twice where the passengers said Americans are ruining cruising for everyone because of tipping.  Oh well.

[JFCruise]

7 hours ago, Ray said:

No you're ok!! 

Unlike you i do put thought into it and also have respect for those already waiting in line before me! 

Thats one thing money can't buy...self respect 

I have to say that this whole sub-thread is...confusing?

1. I don't spend too much time in cruise bars, but every time I'm there, they aren't so crowded that 'waiting' becomes a real problem. Maybe this is different at late hours or something, but cruise bars don't have raucous crowds. And most people sit at tables where they have waiters taking their orders.

2. At bars/clubs, there are no actual lines. It's just a big crowd and people semi-randomly get served.

3. Yes, the more you tip, the better service (including less wait time) you get. That's just how people work.

[SweetPea]

Obviously I'm a little late to the , but i can't believe how many have said they don't notice a lot of people tipping. Folks, tipping done right is discreet! You fold up your bill behind your key card so that the bill and card are about the same size and hand it to the bartender in one swoop. The bartender will be equally as discreet in pocketing that tip. It's not like people are waving cash to get attention to get served first (well, unless you're sailing out of NYC, which that behavior makes me cringe I've seen it.  It's not a good look).
 

[ScottD]

3 hours ago, SweetPea said:

Obviously I'm a little late to the , but i can't believe how many have said they don't notice a lot of people tipping. Folks, tipping done right is discreet! You fold up your bill behind your key card so that the bill and card are about the same size and hand it to the bartender in one swoop. The bartender will be equally as discreet in pocketing that tip. It's not like people are waving cash to get attention to get served first (well, unless you're sailing out of NYC, which that behavior makes me cringe I've seen it.  It's not a good look).
 

I'm sure some people do this...but it's still a much smaller percentage overall. There are definitely not many people sliding cash to the bartender,overall. I don't wave it..but I do throw it on the bar when I grab my drink. It's not illegal, no reason to sneak it

[Morganno]

Wow I'm surprised at the response to this. 

I cruise in Europe on RC and tipping the bar staff on European cruises is just not done by the vast majority of cruisers.  I've been curious about this so have been sitting at bars and watched the interaction on a few recent cruises in Europe and 99% of drinks are without tip.

I'm on Harmony next month and I'll definitely be watching to see if I see more cash tips to bar staff, I expect to see a lot more as tipping is a larger part of US culture.

As for queue jumping. I don't expect, nor want, my bar staff to skip other people for me that's not why I tip.

When on a cruise I'm super chill waiting at a bar chatting to staff and other patrons while waiting for a drink is also part of the experience. 

I don't think I've ever seen a bar 4 deep on a cruise. Usually when bars get busy the staff phone in for more help and staff are sent from quieter bars to help out.  Last thing RC want is people standing at a bar getting annoyed with each other and fighting to be served. So I'm surprised at the comments. 

[JimnKathy]

On 8/30/2023 at 11:43 AM, VillainsGin said:

I personally tip on top of prepaid gratuity and it makes a HUGE difference especially for my needs!

Although their service is already amazing and friendly they do go out of their way for you more than most if you tip a few dollars.

I bring a few hundred dollars in 1's and 5's for tipping and port shopping.

Examples of when tipping made a huge difference:

• When I'm gambling at the casino and the runner makes his way around the tables to take drink orders, I always start of the initial tip with $5 and the rest of the night every time I get my drinks I give $1. the drink runner would come to me first and check on my drink to see where i'm at and would ask if i'm doing good before moving on, even if I didn't notice him or was busy gambling. This was important to me because I do forget to order more drinks when I get caught up gambling.
• When I'm in the pool or hot tub and I definitely start off the initial first order with a $5 tip which is EXTREMELY convenient. The runner would ALWAYS swing by frequently to make sure I have a drink or would keep tabs on when I would need one. This is really important because it saves me the hassle and time of getting out of the hot tub or pool potentially losing my spot and walking over the the bars on deck! [also its cold coming out the pool/hot tub]
• When I meet my cabin attendant on day 1 I initially give him $10 and he goes above and beyond his above and beyond. He takes effort in remembering our names and if he doesn't know he will look on his roster of the assigned area and greet us by name every time. Puts extra gifts when we come back along with tower animals and small treats like cookies/fruits. I even had a bucket of ice in the cooler and never requested it. He noticed I used the cruise soap bar a lot so he had 2 extra bars by the sink. Took note I sit on the balcony a lot so he deep cleaned the chairs and tables, etc.

These are just some of the example but there a lot more!

Yup. 

[fa-li]

We get the drink package, and always tip an extra couple of dollars per drink.  More than at the bars, I find this really enhances service at the places servers bring drinks to us, like Schooner Bar or the Pub.  We tend to return to these spots nightly (or afternoonly on sea days ) and often it is the same servers every time.  Usually, my drink is in front of me by the time I've settled into a seat after the first night or two.  And when we are ready to call it a night, bottled waters magically appear to go back to our cabin with us.  When we traveled with my aunt who did not drink, and didn't have a package, I was often brought a glass of wine and a ginger ale, and she was never charged.  

Plus, when a server "claims" us because we tip on the first night, we then get to know him or her over the week, which we really enjoy.  We then get to name and lavishly praise them on the survey, which I've been told they appreciate as much as the cash.  

This is a lot of happy on both sides, for a total outlay that is less than one nice dinner out at home.  Why wouldn't we do this?

[octaviocloss]

This is what we do regarding tips: 

On the final night, we usually Tip around U$S100 to the main dinning room staff (For the whole staff)

Bartenders: $1 bill or most of the times blue $1/  yellow c0,50 casino chip. 

Flowrider staff: I always take the group lessons and whenever i feel like i got helped and improved; id tip them too. 

Room attendant: $10/20 first day. 

[tonyfsu21]

On 9/2/2023 at 9:18 PM, ScottD said:

I'm sure some people do this...but it's still a much smaller percentage overall. There are definitely not many people sliding cash to the bartender,overall. I don't wave it..but I do throw it on the bar when I grab my drink. It's not illegal, no reason to sneak it

Exactly. This isn’t a “bribe” for a table at Peter Lugers (although this place is not worth a bribe) where you slip the maitre d some cash  as you shake hands. This is simply placing some cash on the bar and sliding it over after a drink is made. 

[tonyfsu21]

On 9/4/2023 at 4:38 PM, fa-li said:

We get the drink package, and always tip an extra couple of dollars per drink.  More than at the bars, I find this really enhances service at the places servers bring drinks to us, like Schooner Bar or the Pub.  We tend to return to these spots nightly (or afternoonly on sea days ) and often it is the same servers every time.  Usually, my drink is in front of me by the time I've settled into a seat after the first night or two.  And when we are ready to call it a night, bottled waters magically appear to go back to our cabin with us.  When we traveled with my aunt who did not drink, and didn't have a package, I was often brought a glass of wine and a ginger ale, and she was never charged.  

Plus, when a server "claims" us because we tip on the first night, we then get to know him or her over the week, which we really enjoy.  We then get to name and lavishly praise them on the survey, which I've been told they appreciate as much as the cash.  

This is a lot of happy on both sides, for a total outlay that is less than one nice dinner out at home.  Why wouldn't we do this?

This is exactly what I’m talking about. I really think the crew appreciates the tips and takes care of the guests who go above and beyond. This is how it should be. 

[Bingee]

This all comes down to culture.

It seems that in the USA you pay your waiting staff a pittance to maximise profits and keep the headline price down.

In Europe I hope we pay our hospitality staff a decent salary and then tip on top for good service. It also seems from some comments that in Scandinavia tipping is not even a thing.
It would be good if the cruise industry page decent wages and didn't have all these back door add ons, but I am not holding my breath.

[Ditchdoc]

My technique .... find a bar I like .... chat with the bartender ... find out if they work there the same hours I intend to frequent .... if so .... drop a $20 tip on them early on .... guaranteed preferred treatment the rest of the cruise, no matter how crowded the bar gets. Been doing this since I was young and in my bar hopping days. Pretty much never fails on land or at sea.

[fishernrex]

Have to agree specifically in the pool area and casino.  We tend to tip generously in the casino -  My logic...If I can afford to risk $$ in the machines, I can afford to tip the folks serving me.  Most days/nights I don't even ask for a drink, it simply appears!  

[TXcruzer]

On 9/1/2023 at 11:54 AM, tonyfsu21 said:

More than 1% of people tip above and beyond the auto gratuities. I’m sitting here watching it right now. It’s laughable that anyone would consider tipping $1-2 extra for a cocktail to be excessive. The crew works hard for basically slave wages and I don’t consider what they make in their home countries because that’s besides the point. Perhaps the haters should consider not cruising or taking any vacation if an additional $100 really blows the budget. Sad, really sad. 

The crew does not work for "slave wages" FAR FAR from it.

[tonyfsu21]

2 minutes ago, TXcruzer said:

The crew does not work for "slave wages" FAR FAR from it.

I don’t consider what they make in their home country as a base line at all. If you take into account the volume of work and the type of work (across the board) this boils down to slave labor by US standards. We are not talking unionized wages and any bargaining unit agreement for these workers. The tips are greatly appreciated by them for the hard work they do and I’m sure it goes a long way when they send the money home.