Chops and the 18% added tip.

We were informed by a waiter at Chops on Indy that the 18% automatic added gratuity doesn't go to the waiter but rather to RCCL. Has anyone else heard this or know it to be fact or fiction??

Thanks for any info y'all can provide.

3......2.......1........till someone comes saying none of the crew ever seeing any of the grats.

Have no idea and don't really care. Thanks to this 18% price increase we didn't tip extra for the first time, on a recent cruise. And will not in the future.

This post come up all the time. They are playing you for an extra tip. The cree does not get screwed over by the cruise lines. If this were true the ships would,be without crews. The contracts would,not be renewed. It is just logical.

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I would be pretty put out if a waiter were to offer up information like this. Pretty tacky IMO - almost as tacky as someone asking him. Really none of anyone’s business.

I always wondered, if additional tip should be added to specialty restaurants when purchased as a dining package. The last 3 sailings I have not, but kind of felt that I should. Since the cost of the meal is reduced due to the package price. If I understand that gratuity is included in the cost of the package, then I wonder if anybody felt it was appropriate to add additional gratuity when signing the check at the end of the meal.

I always wondered, if additional tip should be added to specialty restaurants when purchased as a dining package.

Welcome to CC.

Up to you to add another tip. Both the package implicitly and the obvious 18% takes care of the tip.

I always wondered, if additional tip should be added to specialty restaurants when purchased as a dining package. The last 3 sailings I have not, but kind of felt that I should. Since the cost of the meal is reduced due to the package price. If I understand that gratuity is included in the cost of the package, then I wonder if anybody felt it was appropriate to add additional gratuity when signing the check at the end of the meal.

I purchased a dining package at the offered price for food and service included so that I didn’t have to think about prices once onboard. If we encounter truly phenomenal waitstaff I will give extra but otherwise won’t bother, it has been handled already.

I have had excellent service in Chops on Allure and the waiter we had was the best we have ever had anywhere. We ate in Chops 4 nights on our last cruise and we did tip him extra every night.

We will be on Allure again in June and I will ask for the same waiter as he will still be on the ship when we sail. We are looking forward to his services again, but this time probably for 5 nights.

I feel the tip that is included with the package can't be that much as there is quite a discount on the package, so unless we had poor service, I would tip extra.

Based on my two experiences at Chops (food quality was average at best...think Saltgrass chain quality) and the service was abysmal in a mostly empty restaurant I would have been tempted to tell them "Good, because based on the food and service nobody here deserves a tip."

Sometime tacky should go both ways...

We were informed by a waiter at Chops on Indy that the 18% automatic added gratuity doesn't go to the waiter but rather to RCCL. Has anyone else heard this or know it to be fact or fiction??

 

Thanks for any info y'all can provide.

When we sailed the Anthem in February, I made reservations on-line for Chop's and no 18% added to bill. I added grats. to the bill. I believe, why no uniform treatment, if one books SR on-line via the cruise planner, no grats added at booking.

When we sailed the Anthem in February, I made reservations on-line for Chop's and no 18% added to bill. I added grats. to the bill. I believe, why no uniform treatment, if one books SR on-line via the cruise planner, no grats added at booking.

I thought the new total included grats ?

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Based on my two experiences at Chops (food quality was average at best...think Saltgrass chain quality) and the service was abysmal in a mostly empty restaurant I would have been tempted to tell them "Good, because based on the food and service nobody here deserves a tip."

 

Sometime tacky should go both ways...

Hmm. We just cruised the LOS last week, and I wish Chops had been up to the quality of Saltgrass. It was pretty bad, although the desserts were great.

We have always enjoyed Chops and always tipped extra, but on our last Allure cruise, it was not that great. They had just started adding in the 18% gratuity so we did not choose to tip any extra this time. Neither the food nor the service warranted an extra tip. Living in Chicago, we are used to great steak houses and Chops certainly did not live up to our expectations on this last cruise. In fact, I highly doubt we will partake of any other specialty dining on our next cruise unless we happen to want Izumi one night. The specialty dining just isn't what it used to be and the MDR food is just fine for us.

I thought the new total included grats ?

 

 

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If you are talking about the price in the cruise planner, there's no mention of grats. being included. On our upcoming Allure sail, Chop's is listed as $49 per and no mention of grats being included.

Originally, when SR was introduced (Portofino), the fare was supposed to be for grats. Along the way, prices are higher and introduction of the 18% grats.

If you are talking about the price in the cruise planner, there's no mention of grats. being included. On our upcoming Allure sail, Chop's is listed as $49 per and no mention of grats being included.

 

 

 

Originally, when SR was introduced (Portofino), the fare was supposed to be for grats. Along the way, prices are higher and introduction of the 18% grats.

I think I got it wrong. The old price included gratuities. The new price does not. Applies to Chef Table as well.

Correct?

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I think I got it wrong. The old price included gratuities. The new price does not. Applies to Chef Table as well.

 

Correct?

Correct, all specialty restaurant charges now have 18% added.

So I will be the Allure of the sea this summer. Including tips what will be the cost for chops?

So I will be the Allure of the sea this summer. Including tips what will be the cost for chops?

Check your Cruise Planner, prices can vary sailing to sailing. No way to know in advance what the onboard price will be,

ANY tips go to the servers. No worries. If the employees didn't like the rules or distribution of tips, they wouldn't work there. You cannot ask a "tipped" person about their tips...they will try to tell you that they get nothing. NO tipped person will readily tell you that, "Yes, I'm making ample money...you don't need to tip a penny more,, but thank you for asking"! I mean, c'mon....

Get real! Their rules...if you follow the "suggested" tip scheme, you're gold. No worries.

Get real!

Correct, all specialty restaurant charges now have 18% added.

So the 18% is included in the specialty dining packages, correct?

So the 18% is included in the specialty dining packages, correct?

I did a mock booking for Chops for our cruise on Harmony a week and half from today. The charge is $49 pp. it used to say in the description that gratuity was included in the price. It doesn’t indicate that now. I believe you will be charged 18% when onboard at time of meal.

When we were onboard Brilliance, the published price onboard included the 18% But price was adjusted for it.

Not sure why online booking is not specific.

Bob, is this correct?

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Thank you for your response. We purchased the 4 night package for 100ea so we will be charged another 18ea? I’ll look for that on our daily expenses when we go in May.

I think I got it wrong. The old price included gratuities. The new price does not. Applies to Chef Table as well.

 

Correct?

 

 

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I just tried a mock lunch booking, this is at the bottom under the names, res # & prices

*Service Charge

INCLUDED

Therefore, no extra service charge. I know when I look up what I paid for the drink package, there is the price for the package & a separate line for the service charge, so my assumption is that the price includes the 18% grat

Thank you for your response. We purchased the 4 night package for 100ea so we will be charged another 18ea? I’ll look for that on our daily expenses when we go in May.

The packages include the gratuities, you will not be charged any extra. Reservations purchased individually will have the gratuity added.