Dwayne thank you for being kind to us brits, may I explain a bit more, in a pub, we tend when paying for a round to offer the bar person a drink,on us he may then take it as a drink or take money and put it in the bar staffs kitty,restaurants may add a service charge, that you may or may not decline but it should be no more than 10%, it was not till I had it explained to me by a waiter that was a student, who will be working in the uk whilst going to colledge that your minimum wage does not apply to service staff in the the retail food industry, in the UK it does so if you work in macdonalds or in claridges you will get $11 an hour, so we tip when we get above the norm service,because they are payed to do the job, on ships I give people tips when I arrive it works for us, and I have never been let down, other brits maybe ignorant of your pay structure but it does not excuse them from finding out, and with the dollar pound rate so good it just makes them look mean, thanks mate steve
We pre paid our tips because it was another thing we had paid for long before we went on vacation. I added up our total tips on board it was $180 not including pre paid. We tipped the Maitre'D, I felt the explanation of all the planning was suffice. We did see our Maitr'D early on and I thought him to be hilarios through out the cruise. We tipped our steward extra cash at the end of the cruise. We did not tip our wait staff extra. I did not feel like they went out of their way for us as a matter of fact we went out of our way to make things easier. Our section seemed like we were always last to be served and our waiter was rather stuffy. It did make it funnier when he was singing and dancing. I was a little irritated about paying tips when I had to personally go to the bar to get something because there was no waitstaff in sight. Also another note - I have been a waitress/bartender most of my life. So maybe I have higher expectations but I do tip well for those met expectations. Also I was told that it is not customary for Australians to tip.
sgbcruisin, If you have been a waitress and bartender most of your life, then I am sure you know the difference.
You can write out the 15%, and/or have it removed from your account. I agree, it should be a tip and not a sur-charge. If someone hands me a beer it is a retail transaction, if I am served a beer at a bar is different.
I read somewhere further up this post about someone tipping less because they didn't go to one of the formals. Does that mean that if you don't eat in the restaurant (the buffet instead) that you do not tip the wait staff? Say you eat 4 days in the restaurant and 3 days on the buffet, would you only tip for 4 days?
I believe the money goes into a pool, therefore, I would tip regardless. The staff at the buffet and elsewhere work just as hard as the waitstaff in the restaurant. I think $10 a day is reasonable for the service you receive.
I am trying to make sure I understand all of this. I have booked my cruise and the taxes, tips and transfers are included.
I feel happy that I don't have to worry about the extra $10 per day per person as well as recognizing that there is no guarantee that my family will receive good service. However, what his the whole point of paying in advance when it appears from the preceding comments that certain staff members of Carnival, namely the Maitre'D still expect a tip?
This is my first cruise and I just don't know what to expect. Help!
amina, don't feel you have to tip the Maitre'D. I have rarely tipped them, unless for some reason, they have provided me some type of service. The tips for the waitstaff are included, and any beverages you purchase will automatically have a gratuity added to the bill.
The only cruise staff tipping you will need is if you feel someone has given you extraordinary service and you want to recognize them personally. I think that is something you will know, and that would only happen at the end of the cruise. Some may feel differently, but I feel no obligation to tip the Maitre'D.
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