Pay gratuities if not planning to eat in MDR?

[rccruiser1]

If we are not planning to eat in the MDR, do we still need to pay the gratuities for the dining staff? Is there another dining option besides main dining and my dining?

Thanks so much for all your help and advice. These boards are priceless!!

[Messunderstood]

It's all about how you look at it....

 

The same staff in the MDR are the same staff that serve us in the Windjammer (buffet) area for breakfast and lunch as they rotate. I don't usually (I have a time or two when overly impressed) tip when in the Windjammer though. So, even if not using the MDR, our waiters are still waiting on us.

 

From my reading on CC, when you use a specialty restaurant that has a cover charge, the basic gratuity is factored into that charge.

 

Tipping over and above the basic gratuity no matter where you eat is always at the dinner's discretion.

 

In reality though, the daily recommended amount of waitstaff tip is LESS than I would pay for one meal if we went out to eat at home and these waiters serve us in some capacity for all three meals each day!

 

Seems like a bargain to me!

[read52]

Seeing the number of posts that the OP made, you are a new cruiser. As the previous poster said that no matter where you eat, the tips are collected go for all the staff that wait on you all day. When we go to a speciality eating place, we still pay the tip plus the cost and some people tip above the cost.

[BrianAlt]

I did not eat in the MDR all week on Oasis (see link in signature). The requirement is to sign up for my time dining and pay for tips in advance. *shrug* I just considered it part of the cost of the cruise.

[rccruiser1]

Thanks everyone! What you've all said makes perfect sense. Appreciate your input!!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I did not eat in the MDR all week on Oasis (see link in signature). The requirement is to sign up for my time dining and pay for tips in advance. *shrug* I just considered it part of the cost of the cruise.

 

I'm not sure exactly what you mean. If you sign up for My Time Dining, you must pay tips in advance. But you don't have to sign up for My Time Dining in order to eat in the MDR on a Royal Caribbean ship. Your seating time, Main or Late, is requested by you when you sign up for your cruise or, in some cases, it is assigned. It is indicated on your Sea Pass which time and what table you are assigned.

 

Even with a traditional dining assignment, you are not required to eat in the MDR every night or any night if you don't want to. On ships such as Oasis and Allure with so many attractive dining options, it is tempting to never eat in the MDR.

 

On our recent cruise on Allure, we ate in the MDR only the last night. We did that to hand out tips, but Hubby did have misgivings about tipping folks who hadn't waited on us the entire cruise. I explained to him the reason commonly given here that the waiters work in the Windjammer and I suppose other "free" venues during the day without tips, so they rely on the MDR tips.

 

I confess that this seems convoluted to me...that we are expected to tip waiters who have never waited on us, because the ones that did wait on us are not getting tips. Why doesn't RCI just add tips to the cruise cost and distribute that fee to all waiters equitably each cruise?

 

We dutifully gave the MDR waiters their tip that last night but it was the worst meal of the cruise, the worst food, the slowest service. If and when I am fortunate enough to sail on Allure or Oasis again, we won't go to the MDR at all. There are so many good places to eat on these two ships. If we eat in the MDR for lunch or breakfast, we will leave a cash tip on the table at that time.

 

On giant ships with lots of choices, it really makes little sense to me to tip waiters we never see. Furthermore, I bet this is becomming a problem for MDR waiters becasue I imagine a large number of passengers are skipping the MDR and the traditional end-of-cruise tips for the waiters.

[packup]

In reality though, the daily recommended amount of waitstaff tip is LESS than I would pay for one meal if we went out to eat at home and these waiters serve us in some capacity for all three meals each day!

 

Seems like a bargain to me!

 

I thought about this, also. Let's say 4 people go out to dinner and the cost is $100. 20% tip would be $20.

 

The tip per night in the MDR for 4 people is $22. ($3.50 for waiter & $2 for Assistant = $5.50pp x 4p = $22) 22% tip

 

Come July the MDR tip per night for 4 people will be $23.60. ($3.75 for waiter & $2.15 for assistant) over 23% tip

 

I enjoy the food in the MDR, but I don't think I would pay more than $25pp for the meal, so the $5.50pp tip (soon to be $5.90pp) is more than most people leave at restaurants.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong...I believe just the assistant waiters work in the WJ, not the waiters.

[packup]

If you do not plan on eating in the MDR, during the entire cruise, can you tell Royal Caribbean that you do not need a table assignment?

 

This way there is no empty table, while you are enjoying your meal at a specialty restaurant or WJ. Other people can be assigned to the table and the waiters will receive their tips.

 

If you never eat in the MDR (B, L or D) then why leave a tip? It's like tipping someone that didn't serve you.

[packup]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong...I believe just the assistant waiters work in the WJ, not the waiters.

 

By this I mean, if your waiter is working in the MDR, then he doesn't work in the WJ that week. During his off week, he works in the WJ, but doesn't work in the MDR.

[BrianAlt]

I was signed up for MTD and I never ate in the MDR.

[packup]

I was signed up for MTD and I never ate in the MDR.

 

Can you ask them NOT to assign you to MTD and traditional?

[sblair]

I completely disagree with paying for tips for a service you never used. I wants my tips to go to the actual people that serve me. I actually tip well and am not trying to short change anyone, but I feel no obligation to tip people that never served me.

 

I sign up for traditional dining just to avoid the automatic tip charges from MTD.

 

There was a lengthy discussion on this topic recently with a wide range of view points in this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1358859

[AF-1]

I would think if you never step foot in the MDR, you would not owe any tips. You are paying for a service; if u don't use this service, you shouldn't have to pay for it. It is not your fault that Royal Caribbean expects everyone to eat in MDR every night; if that is the case then they should do away with the specialty resturaunts;and force everyone to eat in MDR.

[batman79]

So if I choose not to eat in the MDR, even though I signed up for MTD, do my tips just end up going to those in the specialty restaurants that did serve me?