Hi, those so-called "pre-paid tips" are intended for your cabin steward. I'm not sure if you've been on a cruise before but the steward is much like a hotel maid only he/she is responsible for an entire corridor of people and does so individually. You are not expected to tip your steward because of this 135 euro fee, though I'm sure he/she will appreciate the gesture. Your steward is more than just a maid though, they are responsible for keeping any amount of time you spend in your cabin as comfortable as possible, be it bringing you sheets, pillows, soap, ice, you name it. Your steward is there to ensure that you don't have to go without any pleasantries.

I'm not sure which cruise line you're taking so it varies from company to company. However, I can speak a little on what it is like for an average Carnival Cruise bartender. They assign their bartenders to different bars based on a tier system. The bartenders that regurlarly pull in more customers and generally make better tips are assigned to tier 1. These are the bars that are jam packed by 11pm (i.e, the casino), to get here they had to start out in the shitty cigar bars that only see the lonliest old men, usually looking to drown their sorrows in some Johnny Black and some lounge singer, otherwise known as tier 3 bars. Now, the only way for a bartender to move up is to bring in money for the boat and for themselves. their tips are included in this number. So more tips plus more sales will mean that you move yourself up the bar hierarchy. This can be tricky when you're tending bar that only sees 3-4 cruisers a night. Once a bartender has been assigned a bar they are stuck there for the remainder of their contract...sometimes lasting 10 months.

The staff will always have your best interest at heart. I have never been treated poorly for not tipping or tipping inadequately. they are stuck on that boat for months on end and you are only going to interact with them for a few days on end. I was amazed at how quickly most of the crew would pick up on my name after only a few nights and treated me as if I was a king.