Well said, Kim. IMHO, the whole tipping thing is way out of control.

If you are charged a fee for a service on the Dutch side that, to me, is the gratuity. End of discussion!

And if the service was exceptional, then perhaps a few dollars given directly to the waitperson in cash. But sadly, the inclusion of the service charge all too often leads to the decline in the quality of service and sometimes the demeanor of the wait staff as well. True Sint Maarteners, if you can find any, are generally a very kind and happy people so that, too, can also figure into your approach to tipping.

The French service staff is supposedly far better paid than the Dutch so basically we do the same there as we do on the Dutch side having been told by many in the know not to leave the higher percentage like we normally might do..