Maitre'd tip

[Wayfairers]

It has been a few years since we sailed with HAL... and this one will be 45 days. What is the normal tip for the maitre'd on the last night if you have been happy with your service?

[kazu]

'tips' for all or hotel service charge is added to your on board account every day ($11 pp/per day). If you wish to tip extra, you may of course, but not required ;)

[Wayfairers]

'tips' for all or hotel service charge is added to your on board account every day ($11 pp/per day). If you wish to tip extra, you may of course, but not required ;)

 

Yeah, I understand that, but most people will slip the maitre'd an envelope on the last day, IF he has provided good service.

[boards]

What does he do? He occasionally will stop ask if everything is okay and usually on the last day of the cruise he will stop by. So what does he do that he should be tipped extra?

[kazu]

What does he do? He occasionally will stop ask if everything is okay and usually on the last day of the cruise he will stop by. So what does he do that he should be tipped extra?

 

Maybe it depends upon if you have fixed dining or the other. Those on anytime (or whatever the politically correct term is) may appreciate a table for two, or a certain waiter every night? not sure

 

However, we did have one OUTSTANDING one on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise. He stepped in to help the 'new' waiters. So yes, in that case, we did show some appreciation ;) Otherwise, I totally agree with you:)

[Wayfairers]

By tipping the matire'd you are tipping everyone who has waited your table.... the money is not to him, he has to turn it in to be shared. Plus, we are anytime dining and he has control over whether or not we got that large table we requested every time. If this isn't done anymore, fine, but the last time we cruised everyone was handing him envelopes the last day and even back then we weren't sure of the proper amount in the envelope.

[kazu]

By tipping the matire'd you are tipping everyone who has waited your table.... the money is not to him, he has to turn it in to be shared. Plus, we are anytime dining and he has control over whether or not we got that large table we requested every time. If this isn't done anymore, fine, but the last time we cruised everyone was handing him envelopes the last day and even back then we weren't sure of the proper amount in the envelope.

 

if you are in anytime dining, then it may well be appropriate. I have seen people tip him (haven't seen a her) on anytime dining as they enter. Perhaps for a better table? not sure. I don't know about the 'share' thing as we don't do that dining. :confused: We do fixed dining.

 

It has always been my understanding that as long as I keep the hotel service charge in place, then anything extra I choose to tip is for that person alone. In other words - my waiters keep theirs, stewards, wine steward, whoever or even the maitre d' (I believe they are now called dining room managers and assistant managers ) all keep any extra they receive ;)

 

i do know that the Pinnacle Grill pools as do the concierges but was unaware of any others if the hotel service charge is left in place

 

Personally, if I was in your dining style and had a great waiter i would ask for them every night - tip them extra as you felt they deserved and yes, express my gratitude for arranging it to the maitre d' if you so wished.

 

I'll let the more knowledgeable people address this as I wasn't aware that this was shared with the others :confused:

 

People rarely state how much to tip extra (except on the spa thread). It's very subjective I think.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It has been a rare occassion when we have seen the Dining Room manager on our cruises the last few years. He has never come by our table -- usually too busy working the Open Seating downstairs.

I couldn't even tell you names of the dining room managers or what they look like.

Thus we do not tip them.

From what I was told years ago -- the dining room managers are not part of the Hotel Service Charge pool. I don't know how true this is -- but I was told that they salaried emplyees.

[edward01ca]

We tipped the maitre'd the first night of our Panama Canal cruise and he made sure that we got the same servers and table everynight at the same time. He also made reservations for the MDR, Canaletto, and Pinnacle whenever we wanted it. He did an excellent job. We ALWAYS tip at the beginning of a stay at a resort or cruise and we always get excellent service.

[donaldsc]

It has been a few years since we sailed with HAL... and this one will be 45 days. What is the normal tip for the maitre'd on the last night if you have been happy with your service?

 

Zero. He is management.

 

DON

[mamaofami]

We were on a B2B cruise to Canada and we tipped the dining room manager on the last night of the cruise. We were unhappy with the table we had on the first half of the cruise and he helped us pick out a table for the second half that we loved. He stopped by every night to be sure everything was OK.

 

 

[Nancyquilts]

Interesting. We never see the maitre d', but sometimes the head waiter for our section. Sometimes the head waiter comes by every day or two to see if things are going well, sometimes he only shows up on the last few nights.

[catl331]

Yeah, I understand that, but most people will slip the maitre'd an envelope on the last day, IF he has provided good service.

Most? I have never seen the Maitre d' (now known as the Dining Room Manager) given an envelope on a HAL ship. Or are you talking about your "area captain" or "head waiter" who is in charge of maybe 10 or so waiters? Twice in our 12 HAL cruises we've given him an end-of-cruise envelope when he has been especially helpful to us.

 

By tipping the matire'd you are tipping everyone who has waited your table.... the money is not to him, he has to turn it in to be shared.

Not true. If you leave the Hotel Service Charge intact each person you tip may keep it for themselves. Now there may be some sharing agreements between the head waiters and those below them, but by expecting them to share anything they're given you may be stiffing your waiter and assistant waiter.

 

We ALWAYS tip at the beginning of a stay at a resort or cruise and we always get excellent service.

We never pay bribes before service is given, and we always get excellent service on HAL ships.

 

Zero. He is management.

Right ... and well-paid management. Tipping him is like tipping officers.

[catl331]

BTW - it's maitre d', not maitre'd, because it's an abbreviation for maitre d'hotel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%C3%AEtre_d'h%C3%B4tel

[sail7seas]

By tipping the matire'd you are tipping everyone who has waited your table.... the money is not to him, he has to turn it in to be shared. Plus, we are anytime dining and he has control over whether or not we got that large table we requested every time. If this isn't done anymore, fine, but the last time we cruised everyone was handing him envelopes the last day and even back then we weren't sure of the proper amount in the envelope.

 

HAL has Dining Room Managers. They are not titled Maitre d', though they used to be.

 

If you choose to tip someone individually, they can keep all of it, not submit it to the pool, if you have kep the automatic hotel service charge in place. If you remove any part of the automatic charge, any money received from guests must be submitted to the pool..............

 

or so we are told repeatedly by the Cruise Directors, when asked.

[OVgirl]

We tipped the maitre'd the first night of our Panama Canal cruise and he made sure that we got the same servers and table everynight at the same time. He also made reservations for the MDR, Canaletto, and Pinnacle whenever we wanted it. He did an excellent job. We ALWAYS tip at the beginning of a stay at a resort or cruise and we always get excellent service.

I didn't know that the diningroom manager would do all that for the passengers. Good to know. My bold.

[Taxguy77]

On one cruise the maitre d' changed our dining hour, changed our table the next night when the people booked for it finaly showed up, kept it for us and moved some others who never showed the first 5 days came. He visited every table every night to see if everything was OK. I would see him again the next morning checking the kitchen, serving line and tables in the Lido at 7AM. Always fresh- looking and smiling. He made up for the nine others on different cruises i barely saw, and is the only one I ever tipped.

[jtl513]

He made up for the nine others on different cruises i barely saw, and is the only one I ever tipped.

The only time I recall ever seeing the DR Manager (or maitre d' if you prefer) on our cruises was when he was lined up with Captain and Hotel Manager at the MDR entrance for the Mariner Brunch! I'm thinking some people posting here maybe think the steward at podium each night is the DRM?

[kazu]

The only time I recall ever seeing the DR Manager (or maitre d' if you prefer) on our cruises was when he was lined up with Captain and Hotel Manager at the MDR entrance for the Mariner Brunch! I'm thinking some people posting here maybe think the steward at podium each night is the DRM?

 

No John, in our case it was the Asst DRM who pitched in when we were subject to turnover on our NA cruise. And he came by every night to make sure that things were done right and pitched in. (they were new).

 

He really turned it around and yes, we all showed appreciation as otherwise our dining room experience would have been abysmal :)

[jtl513]

No John, in our case it was the Asst DRM ...

That's still not the DRM. ;) I'm not saying that others haven't met and/or had interaction with the DRM, just that we never have.

[sail7seas]

We have never been on a HAL cruise that we did not see (not necessarily speak with) the Dining Room Manager. We always find out who is aboard 'running the dining room' and always know the difference between The Assistant or The Manager. I cannot recall any cruise where we did not see him out and about and busy in his dining room during Traditional Upper Dining. I cannot speak for lower level or early seating.

[GeriatricNurse]

It has been a few years since we sailed with HAL... and this one will be 45 days. What is the normal tip for the maitre'd on the last night if you have been happy with your service?

 

 

Well, for one, I would not tip the Maitre 'd, who is now referred to as the DRM, (Dining Room Manager)! ;)

[GeriatricNurse]

It has been a rare occassion when we have seen the Dining Room manager on our cruises the last few years. He has never come by our table -- usually too busy working the Open Seating downstairs.

 

I couldn't even tell you names of the dining room managers or what they look like.

 

Thus we do not tip them.

 

From what I was told years ago -- the dining room managers are not part of the Hotel Service Charge pool. I don't know how true this is -- but I was told that they salaried emplyees.

 

As well, DRM's are "Managers"! ;) Managers are not tipped! ;)

[Randyk47]

It has been a rare occassion when we have seen the Dining Room manager on our cruises the last few years. He has never come by our table -- usually too busy working the Open Seating downstairs.

 

I couldn't even tell you names of the dining room managers or what they look like.

 

Thus we do not tip them.

 

From what I was told years ago -- the dining room managers are not part of the Hotel Service Charge pool. I don't know how true this is -- but I was told that they salaried emplyees.

 

This has been our experience in the past few years. Back years ago it seemed to me that there were more managers and they were around and involved more than today. I remember the wonderful crepes and other deserts they'd make on one or two nights each cruise. All gone for either safety reasons or, more probably, cost cutting reasons. Coming by our table two or three times over an 11-day cruise do not qualify for service above and beyond so no tip.

[Copper10-8]

"S" class - 1 Dining Room Manager; 3 Assistant Dining Room Mngrs.

"R" class - 1 DRM; 4 Asst. DRMs

Prinsendam - 1 DRM; 3 Asst. DRMs

Vista class - 1 DRM; 5 Asst. DRMs

Signature class - 1 DRM; 5 Asst. DRMs