Tipping question (if eating only additional cost dining venues)

[cmsjmu]

Scenario: If one were to book an Oasis or Allure cruise...and they only planned to eat in the premium restaurants. Easy to do with all the premium restaurants.

 

If you booked a preset dining time in Main Dining room and never went all week, could you theoretically skip the dining room tips with a clean conscience...since you are never going there? Thoughts?

[Lynnees]

You are going to be beat up with this one but my opinion - let the dining room know you are not going to be eating there so they can release your table/seats, eat where you want and tip accordingly.

 

You are not obligated to tip the dining room staff no matter what others say. Just make sure you give gratuities to those who do give you service.

[cmsjmu]

FYI...not saying I'd do this...seriously, just curious on people's thoughts.

 

Basically you are double tipping since gratuity is included in the cost of the premium restaurants. And last, of course I'm not talking about the room steward tips here.

[daleb85]

If you eat in the WJ those servers will not be getting any of your largess.

Servers work all shifts...not just in the MDR and should be tipped for that work.

[bionicman97]

You are going to be beat up with this one but my opinion - let the dining room know you are not going to be eating there so they can release your table/seats, eat where you want and tip accordingly.

 

You are not obligated to tip the dining room staff no matter what others say. Just make sure you give gratuities to those who do give you service.

 

I agree with you. If you can let the appropriate dining staff know that you won't be attending, that would be good, but I agree that you should not be obligated to tip someone when you never received any service.

[Lynnees]

FYI...not saying I'd do this...seriously, just curious on people's thoughts.

 

Basically you are double tipping since gratuity is included in the cost of the premium restaurants. And last, of course I'm not talking about the room steward tips here.

 

I don't consider this double dipping. You pay $20 - $30 is specialty restaurants. An extremely small amount goes to the servers. You normally have 2 or 3 servers in the specialty. The give you exemplary service as a rule. I don't even consider the $2-$4 that they would split between them. We do give a gratuity there but again, you are not obligated to.

[CP3o]

While I see the logic, cruises have fixed pax and you will be assigned to a seating and waitstaff. It's not their fault you go to premium restaurants so it doesn't seem they should be penalized by 0 tip. It's not like choosing not to go to landbased restaurant where they can seat someone else and earn their tips. It's not like staff can take the night off and do something fun if you don't show. About all they can do is give better service to other pax since they might be serving fewer, and hope they get above recommended tips for doing so.

 

Eating at all specialty restaurants is a nice luxury and should do it if makes cruise more enjoyable. Probably can afford to select MTD and prepay gratuities and just consider it a part of the cruise cost.

[dixieva]

Where do you plan to eat breakfast and lunch? And snacks during the day? Or do you plan to use room service for these meals?

 

As someone else said the dining room waiters and asst. waiters also work in the Windjammer during breakfast and lunch. It's just easier to tip as suggested by the cruise line and consider it part of the price of cruising.

 

You'll get many opinions on this question.

[Blue Darter]

Scenario: If one were to book an Oasis or Allure cruise...and they only planned to eat in the premium restaurants. Easy to do with all the premium restaurants.

 

If you booked a preset dining time in Main Dining room and never went all week, could you theoretically skip the dining room tips with a clean conscience...since you are never going there? Thoughts?

 

Did exactly (well almost) this on a 5-day Navigator last fall. Ate a late meal (more like a snack) in the Windjammer after sail-away then alternated between Chops & Portifino the other nights. No tips for the MDR staff. Had a clear consience then and still do today.

 

We eat a lot of meals at Chops or Portifino but I don't pro-rate tips in the MDR. If I eat any evening meals in the MDR, the wait staff get's their entire weekly tip.

[Donray]

Scenario: If one were to book an Oasis or Allure cruise...and they only planned to eat in the premium restaurants. Easy to do with all the premium restaurants.

 

If you booked a preset dining time in Main Dining room and never went all week, could you theoretically skip the dining room tips with a clean conscience...since you are never going there? Thoughts?

 

Will you be eating ALL Breakfest, Lunch, and Dinner in the premimum restaurants? I didn't know they serve Breakfest and Lunch.

[bionicman97]

For the people that reference the windjammer and tipping, are you referencing the fact of people getting drinks for you and cleaning the tables in the windjammer, or bringing the food out to the buffets, or something else that I am not thinking of?

[MikeNJ1109]

You are going to be beat up with this one but my opinion - let the dining room know you are not going to be eating there so they can release your table/seats, eat where you want and tip accordingly.

 

You are not obligated to tip the dining room staff no matter what others say. Just make sure you give gratuities to those who do give you service.

 

Just our two cents based on experience...

 

On our honeymoon (Brilliance), we ate in the MDR and enjoyed ourselves, and had a great table / tablemates...and we tipped accordingly for that cruise.

 

From then on, however, we decided that we no longer wanted to eat in the MDR, for various reasons (not wanting a "fixed" dining schedule primarily). As such, we called RCCL's corporate offices in Miami and asked what the proper 'Protocol' was. We were told that if ON THE FIRST DAY (DAY Of BOARDING), we should go to the Maitre d', and have them release our table immediately. Under *that* scenario only, we would not be expected to tip the staff in the MDR. However, it WOULD be proper to tip those who served us in the other venues (whether it would be WJ, the specialty restaurants, JR's, Etc.).

 

RCL Corporate also said that if we did NOT release our table upon boarding, for whatever reason, it would be considered proper to tip the dininig room staff since they would be expecting us under the circumstances.

 

We have followed the above advice ever since ...

 

Michael and Silke

[mrpayroll]

If i wasn't going to eat at MDR " at all " during the cruise i would not feel guilty about removing tips...Just inform them that you will NOT be there at all. You are not screwing anyone by doing this..

[Lynnees]

Just our two cents based on experience...

 

On our honeymoon (Brilliance), we ate in the MDR and enjoyed ourselves, and had a great table / tablemates...and we tipped accordingly for that cruise.

 

From then on, however, we decided that we no longer wanted to eat in the MDR, for various reasons (not wanting a "fixed" dining schedule primarily). As such, we called RCCL's corporate offices in Miami and asked what the proper 'Protocol' was. We were told that if ON THE FIRST DAY (DAY Of BOARDING), we should go to the Maitre d', and have them release our table immediately. Under *that* scenario only, we would not be expected to tip the staff in the MDR. However, it WOULD be proper to tip those who served us in the other venues (whether it would be WJ, the specialty restaurants, JR's, Etc.).

 

RCL Corporate also said that if we did NOT release our table upon boarding, for whatever reason, it would be considered proper to tip the dininig room staff since they would be expecting us under the circumstances.

 

We have followed the above advice ever since ...

 

Michael and Silke

 

Again, I don't go with giving a gratuity for services not recieved. If I don't eat in the dining room - nope - not going to. Whoever actually serves me dinner will get it. As for breakfast and lunch, I serve myself - I get my own juice and coffee and if I decide to have a pop or drink I order it from the bar and the grautity is built in.

[Lynnees]

While I see the logic, cruises have fixed pax and you will be assigned to a seating and waitstaff. It's not their fault you go to premium restaurants so it doesn't seem they should be penalized by 0 tip. It's not like choosing not to go to landbased restaurant where they can seat someone else and earn their tips. It's not like staff can take the night off and do something fun if you don't show. About all they can do is give better service to other pax since they might be serving fewer, and hope they get above recommended tips for doing so.

 

Eating at all specialty restaurants is a nice luxury and should do it if makes cruise more enjoyable. Probably can afford to select MTD and prepay gratuities and just consider it a part of the cruise cost.

 

And I shouldn't have to give someone who has done absolutely nothing for me and whom I have never even met a grautity.

[Duke95]

As I said in a previous thread on this subject: if you give tips to those who provide you no service, what incentive is there for anyone to provide exceptional service?

[dixieva]

The dining room waiters who also spend time working in the Windjammer might not serve you your food but they do make it possibel for you to eat there. They have to put out the food, make sure the area remains somewhat clean (almost impossible at a buffet), clean the tables, get dirnks for you etc. This is why I would tip as suggested by the cruise line. It's just easier not having to tip each waiter in the Windjammer. The staff in there changes pretty much daily.

 

JMHO and I know some folks disagree but to each his own. I consider the tips just part of cruising.

[Queen of Oakville]

I think there some that are wait-listed for early or late seatings, so by releasing your table, you allow others to get your spot.

 

It's kind of like the deposit on a hotel-room. If you want to hold the room but never show up, then you should pay rate for the night (or in this case the tips). By releasing the spot, you at least allow someone else to sit at that server's table allowing them to be tipped by that person.

 

Release the table ~ clear your conscience - IMHO

[galavant3]

Judging by the responses, there doesn't seem to be a right or a wrong answer. I would also tip as requested. That way I don't have to worry about having money on me at all times to tip at breakfast and lunch. The cost of dining room tips for the week is $43.75 (for three meals a day) which considering the level of service is quite a bargain :)

[bostonfred]

It's amazing that people spend thousands of dollars on a cruise vacation and get alligator arms when tipping....the cruise staff work extremely hard for months away from their families and depend on their gratuities..we are all blessed to be able to cruise and eat in specialty restaurants...how many of us could swap places and live as cuise waiters..yet people find ways to rationalize saving a couple of bucks....loosen up you'll feel better and so will the staff!!! overtipping is not a crime!!

[CP3o]

And I shouldn't have to give someone who has done absolutely nothing for me and whom I have never even met a grautity.

 

It's just that RCCL has based their salaries on assumed tipping and I'd feel a little bad about them making less just b/c I wanted nicer meals. But, release the table straight away and it gives them a chance to distribute servers. If 5% don't show overall, RCCL can adjust staff in the future so that everyone makes around the same amount of money. If tables aren't released and no redistribution of pax is done, some unlucky server might find 40% of his pax chose to skip MDR and also tips. (for example) It is better to share the burden of losing those tips amoung all servers.

 

As fees on extra luggage get higher and MDR food declines, I can completely understand wanting to skip MDR all together. I guess releasing the table is the best that can be done for the servers in the short run and RCCL will need adjust waitstaff accordingly if it becomes really popular to skip MDR.

[critterchick]

If we never eat in the MDR we don't tip the waitstaff in there. I know it's not their fault, I know they're away from their families and I know I wouldn't want their jobs. But the same can be said for the staff in the other venues - the WJ staff work for nothing on the weeks that they're assigned there. So if we eat there, we tip there, since they're the ones who bring us beverages, sometimes even dessert, and have the time to pause, chat and generally enrich our cruise experience. And we'll leave a little extra for the servers in the specialty restaurants if we get the usually excellent service (sometimes we haven't). If we eat in the MDR at all (including lunch) we just pay the recommended amount there and still tip at the other places. I really wish RCI just had the daily service charge the way all the other lines seem to have now.

 

And I tip my cabin steward double when I cruise alone - s/he has pretty much the same amount of work whether it's just me or both DH and me, so it doesn't seem fair to tip only for one.

[Mustanggirl]

I encourage everyone who does not feel they should tip if not eating in the dining room to read "cruise confidential". This is a book written by an american who worked 18 months on a cruise ship in the dining room, (the only american to do that). They work seven days a week 10-12 hour days. When not working in the dining room they are at the buffet working or room service. So If you think that they don't deserve a tip, because you skip the dining room you are wrong.

[dixieva]

Thank you Michele!

 

Well said!

[silentbob007]

On the one 7-day cruise where we skipped the MDR, we felt conflicted so we tipped cash in the WJ individually to each person who helped us. We got crazy looks from other passengers, but it made sense to us and the servers seemed to appreciate it.