Palo tipping

I respect your personal choice Moki'smommy, but I'm of the opinion that the 15% auto grat covers delivery to me, be it in a bar or pool side.

Guests are already paying massively overinflated prices for a can of soda, and IMO that profit is paying for the staff to receive the delivery and the DCL to hold it aboard and distribute it from the stores to the various outlets on the ship.

As for room service, the room service CM doesn't go to a bar to get the can of soda, just from the fridge after collecting any food items, so it would be fair IMO that they would receive the 15%, not bar staff.

ex techie

I do not know who is included in the tip pool for the 15% auto gratuity. I've been variously told it is shared among the "bar staff" and "all the CMs who work in that area." I've never been clear on whether it includes the assistant servers in the dining rooms who serve all beverages, but are specifically responsible for the alcohol served in the MDRs. If they are getting the $3 per guest per night PLUS a share of the 15% autograt, they are making more than a server....unless the server is also a part of the pool. I don't know whether it includes the room service people.

Bottom line, I never really considered it my business who shared in the pool. I do know that any extra I add goes to the person who actually serves me. The extra little that I add might ultimately mean something to that person; it isn't enough to matter to me. And I order VERY little alcohol or other paid beverage.

I do not know who is included in the tip pool for the 15% auto gratuity. I've been variously told it is shared among the "bar staff" and "all the CMs who work in that area." I've never been clear on whether it includes the assistant servers in the dining rooms who serve all beverages' date=' but are specifically responsible for the alcohol served in the MDRs. If they are getting the $3 per guest per night PLUS a share of the 15% autograt, they are making more than a server....unless the server is also a part of the pool. I don't know whether it includes the room service people.

 

Bottom line, I never really considered it my business who shared in the pool. I do know that any extra I add goes to the person who actually serves me. The extra little that I add might ultimately mean something to that person; it isn't enough to matter to me. And I order VERY little alcohol or other paid beverage.[/quote']

 

In this scenario though, say a couple that do drink alcohol and maybe order a drink or two throughout the day, a glass of wine or two at dinner each, and maybe a smoothy for their two kids, would or should you add an additional grat over the 15% already added to the check because the assistant server brought those drinks to your table through the busy MDR?

 

In my mind no. You are already being asked to pay a grat for their services (pay an add on to their $50 per 4 weekly wages with your $3pp per night) and pay the cruise line 15% for what is essentially a service charge and who knows how that is divided between the bar servers and the walking waitstaff or how that is dealt with backstage, and then tip additionally on that?

 

I agree a dollar here and there isn't a lot in the crusing budget, but when it comes to a family or four, all of those additional grats on top of auto grats each and every day really could start to add up IMO.

 

So I'm just speaking for a larger group of cruisers than just your specific family.

It does differ a lot if you view it from a different stance.

 

ex techie

In this scenario though, say a couple that do drink alcohol and maybe order a drink or two throughout the day, a glass of wine or two at dinner each, and maybe a smoothy for their two kids, would or should you add an additional grat over the 15% already added to the check because the assistant server brought those drinks to your table through the busy MDR?

 

In my mind no. You are already being asked to pay a grat for their services (pay an add on to their $50 per 4 weekly wages with your $3pp per night) and pay the cruise line 15% for what is essentially a service charge and who knows how that is divided between the bar servers and the walking waitstaff or how that is dealt with backstage, and then tip additionally on that?

 

I agree a dollar here and there isn't a lot in the crusing budget, but when it comes to a family or four, all of those additional grats on top of auto grats each and every day really could start to add up IMO.

 

So I'm just speaking for a larger group of cruisers than just your specific family.

It does differ a lot if you view it from a different stance.

 

ex techie

Agreed..and if I purchased more than a very rare "bar item" I'd probably act differently.

I once warned daughter that if I ever saw a charge for a soda, it would be her last cruise! No need on DCL--go up to the beverage station. She would occasionally get a smoothie with that associated charge + auto grat.

The reason I know about the way the soda charge works from room service is that a guest we brought on a cruise ordered a 4 pack thru room service. The charge, including the 15% auto grat was almost $12. I know that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't amount to much, but I about flipped when I saw the cost. I don't mind spending money if I feel I'm getting good value, but I don't like wasting it!

On a different perspective, we've always felt the need to tip at least the recommended daily amounts for the dining room server and assist server per person as a baseline.

That said, with one exception, we have always tipped higher rounded up as most of the time the service is fantastic. As a rule we most of the time round up to $20. ($10 each)

We did have one Palo dinner that the server was phoning it in and pretty much ignored us. We pretty much ignored them on the tip line.

I haven't eaten at Palo yet, but from the reviews I've read and from my own experience at "nicer" restaurants, $100/person without drinks is not at all out of line. Victoria & Alberts at Walt Disney World costs $150/person without alcohol.

Palo is nice, but no where near V&A's.

We figure it's similar to Seasons 52, which costs us about $130 including tax for two not including alcohol. If we order alcohol from them, the tip is included and we don't feel the need to add to it. If we are paying corkage, we include an additional tip.

Typically we would leave $15 per person for Palo, plus an additional tip for any wine we BYOB. If service is stellar it would be $20 pp.

Remy OTOH is not unlike V&A's and we tipped accordingly, I want to recall $75 for two plus the auto grat on the bottle of wine we purchased and $30 to the Somm for the bottle we brought along and he uncorked and decanted for us.

We are a party of 2 when dining at Palo- I cannot remember all our tips but we tipped $15 for brunch and $20 for dinner. (Total.)

We've been tipping whatever the current Palo cost - sometimes a little extra if they are really good. Now the current charge is 30? pp so for my husband and myself we leave 30 total tip. A little more if we order a drink, but that is rare. Others we've dined with have thought the same way. I do wish they would include it in the cost - makes it much easier.

I think I'm remembering this correctly but back at the beginning of the Magic we didn't go to Palo because we had an under 18 with us so I may be wrong. The charge for Palo was 5pp and it was presented as a gratuity service charge. Some were tipping extra. I seem to remember a posting where a passenger had spoken to one of the servers who said some tipped an extra 5 and they thought that was good. (A long time ago, LOL) Anyway at some point it evolved to the gratuity at your discretion way of doing things.

I don't recall Palo ever being $5. Maybe for brunch and dinner was $10? I recall afternoon tea being free, but you needed a reservation. I went with a woman from my roll call, and it was empty--maybe three tables? Apparently many would make a reservation and forget because they got busy doing other things, which is why they began charging for it.

It started at 5pp and was that way for awhile - several years I think. Don't remember when it went to 10. My son was 17 for our first cruise so we skipped Palo and once he turned 18 I was worried he would feel out of place there since Palo was promoted as 'adults dining without the kids'. This goes way back though because our first cruise was August 1999.

It started at 5pp and was that way for awhile - several years I think. Don't remember when it went to 10. My son was 17 for our first cruise so we skipped Palo and once he turned 18 I was worried he would feel out of place there since Palo was promoted as 'adults dining without the kids'. This goes way back though because our first cruise was August 1999.

Ah the differences.....we scheduled a cruise specifically because DD wanted to celebrate her 18th birthday in Palo. 18 = adult....and we've enjoyed it ever since.

Yes, in 1998, dinner was $5 and tea was complimentary (reservation needed). The good old days......

Being Platinum now I tip 10.00 per person at Palo. On bar drinks I round up to the nearest dollar and have trained my husband to do so - when I review our bill amounts that are .00 get tougher scrutiny.

Palo Dining Option includes gratuities for the Palo Service Team, additional gratuities are optional. That being said, I still still add $10-$15 per person.

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Palo Dining Option includes gratuities for the Palo Service Team, additional gratuities are optional. That being said, I still still add $10-$15 per person.

 

 

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I know this used to be true. There's some doubt whether it still is.

That was what I was told this morning when I called - a portion of the $30 goes to the gratuity for the team, the rest for these experience.

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That was what I was told this morning when I called - a portion of the $30 goes to the gratuity for the team, the rest for these experience.

 

 

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Sadly, information from the CMs on the phones can be wrong. They primarily read from a script and some of them haven't even actually been on any of the ships.

That answer is the same one they've given for years. And the "portion", at least in the past, was only about $5.

Correct...and I was about to say that the last time I had a figure on the tip, it was $4.83 or something equally strange. This is pooled and divided among the staff working that evening. Anything you add goes directly to the person who served you. The auto grats on bar items are divided among the bar CMs.

I wasn't saying I knew what the portion was for the team, but I believe it to be about $5-$6. That's why I add at least $10-$15 pp.

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That was what I was told this morning when I called - a portion of the $30 goes to the gratuity for the team, the rest for these experience.

 

 

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It's a well known fact that shoreside has no clue what really happens on the ships. I wouldn't take their word for it anymore than I would take the word of the bus driver in St. Thomas as to where a DCL ship will sail in 2024.