Windjammer for Dinner???

[yogimax]

+1

 

The current system is both stupid and unfair. It needs to go.

 

Agreed!

 

Tips should be included in the price of the cruise in some way. Then let people choose where they want to eat. That would be fair to the staff and the cruisers.

[negc]

It's not fair to me IMHO that Royal is expecting me to eat in the MDR every night when there are so many other venues available to me to have my dinner.

I'll tip my specialty dinner servers, I'll tip the WJ at night and cover those meals and also include them in any lunch or morning meals-although those are few a far between. I'll tip my room service employee's. I will not give the MDR servers all the tips. I have no problem bringing cash for tips. My chairs would not sit empty the entire cruise as I would release them. I will however, tip the MDR servers for meals I had there and cover them with extra for any afternoon or morning meals had at the buffet. By the end of the cruise-I have gone way over the reccommended amount but just spread it around a bit.

To each his own and quite possibly-folks that don't give all to the MDR could actually make the system work possibly.:confused: Who realy knows. As long as you tip those who served you. That to me is what is most important.!!!

 

As long as the system is fair to the servers, I am not sure why you should object to a system that saves you from the hassle of searching out the individuals who served you or carrying cash in order to tip them at the point of service. The system seems to be accepted by those most involved in the matter, namely the waiters and assistant waiters who work on the ship. If you already tip over and above the suggested amounts why are you concerned about a system that seems to work pretty well? On other lines that just add a service charge to your account without any input from you whatsoever, do you know or care how that service charge is distributed among the ship's wait staff?:rolleyes:

[Debde]

If you already tip over and above the suggested amounts why are you concerned about a system that seems to work pretty well? On other lines that just add a service charge to your account without any input from you whatsoever, do you know or care how that service charge is distributed among the ship's wait staff?:rolleyes:

 

For me, it does not work well and I have no problem bringing cash and tipping all who serve me. Until royal tells me I have to do it another way, I will continue to tip those who serve me.

Once they make it a service charge and I must tip ahead of time-I'll roll with it. I'm not complaining, just stating how I do it. I don't think I'm the only one!!;)

[Skipper Tim]

I was reading this thread because of its title not for where it has wandered. However, it has wandered into an interesting place and I was just having an email discussion with another concerned member of our party for the forthcoming Grandeur Transatlantic.

 

Most Europeans find North American tipping habits mystifying. I shall put it like this:

 

1) Northern Europeans tip for good service received in the past;

2) Southern Europeans tip for expected favours in the future;

3) North Americans tip regardless.

 

If a tip is mandatory or heavily expected, it is not a tip and certainly not a gratuity. I agree Royal Caribbean are taking advantage of North American tipping habits in order to underpay their staff and thereby misrepresent their actual cruise fares. I believe the practice should be illegal but it isn't, yet.

 

I am English but I lived for years in Southern Europe. Call me mixed up, but I wait for good service then over-tip in expectation of future favours :-)

 

I won't be tipping the captain or, for that matter, the chief executives and shareholders of the company.

 

Tipping is, and always has been, discretionary. If the discretionary principle is taken away it undermines the personal relationships and responsibilities on both sides for which the tip remains a simple, clear, voluntary expression of appreciation by the guest for the staff member. Anything otherwise and all tips may as well be paid though income tax as a subsidy to poor cruise lines.

[Langley Cruisers]

For me, it does not work well and I have no problem bringing cash and tipping all who serve me. Until royal tells me I have to do it another way, I will continue to tip those who serve me.

 

The flaw in your plan is that you tip only those who come in direct contact with you. In a land based restaurant, this works but on a cruise ship, the dining room staff rotate out and work in other venues. For this, they deserve to be compensated. If you do not tip per the suggested guidelines the way it is set up presently, those who work in the DR and the WJ but do not directly serve you are not being compensated for their hard work. The staff depends on our tips to make up most of their wages.

 

But yes, until RCI changes this as a direct charge on our daily account, this situation will continue to occur.

[Jimnbigd]

Of course for dinner it does not have to be the Windjammer or the MDR. You can do the Windjammer and the MDR. (Burp. :o)

Actually, I've thought about going to the Windjammer for dessert if the MDR does not have any dessert I want, or I want to eat dessert later. I've done this with Cafe Promenade -- getting dessert there later.

[struther1]

We very seldom eat in the WJ but have often gone there after dinner for an extra dessert (most of the time same as what was offered in MDR). My favorite dessert was warm chococlate cake, one time I ate my cake in the MDR, with vanilla ice cream, then went to WJ where they had a huge pan of warm chocolate cake and a big tub of vanilla ice cream. Needless to say I made a complete hog of myself eating almost to the point of being sick. :D Now I don't like warm chocolate cake as much. LOL.

[Debde]

The flaw in your plan is that you tip only those who come in direct contact with you. In a land based restaurant, this works but on a cruise ship, the dining room staff rotate out and work in other venues. For this, they deserve to be compensated. If you do not tip per the suggested guidelines the way it is set up presently, those who work in the DR and the WJ but do not directly serve you are not being compensated for their hard work. The staff depends on our tips to make up most of their wages.

 

But yes, until RCI changes this as a direct charge on our daily account, this situation will continue to occur.

 

I'm tipping extra in the MDR to cover those folks in other venues and I tip my dinner WJ servers to cover dinner and any extra-all are covered so not all that flawed!!!:D

Besides tipping specialty restaurant servers, room service employees and CL workers-I've got them all included. No one is left out. I get how hard they work and make sure each and every one is covered. I think Royals system is flawed. Expecially with all the pay to eat places on Oasis and Allure-handing the entire tip to the MDR servers does not make sense to me. But again, that's just my opinion and I full well know some here do not agree. ;)

[negc]

For me, it does not work well and I have no problem bringing cash and tipping all who serve me. Until royal tells me I have to do it another way, I will continue to tip those who serve me.

Once they make it a service charge and I must tip ahead of time-I'll roll with it. I'm not complaining, just stating how I do it. I don't think I'm the only one!!;)

 

I guess that I am just not clear on "how" it does not work well for you since, as you state, you actually tip more than the recommended amounts. As I said, it seems to work well for the people most affected by the process - the wait staff and is, for most people at least, more convenient than tipping as you go. It is obvious from the many posts on here that seem to agree with you that you are not the only one. However, aside from those who object to the idea of tipping in general, I fail to see much reason to complain about the system(s) that RCI has established.

[TOlson70]

I prepaid the tips for serving teams, room stewards, etc and still tipped the WJ servers. Since we did MTD we had to prepay tips. End of issue, charge tips as part of the cruise fare and allow people to tip extra if they desire.

[MikeNJ1109]

Is it just me, or has this thread segued from asking about eating in the Windjammer to a discussion about tipping.

 

Forgive me if I'm out of line, but let's either get back on topic (Windjammer), or create another (redundant IMHO) thread about tipping.

 

Michael

[smltwngrl76]

Is it just me, or has this thread segued from asking about eating in the Windjammer to a discussion about tipping.

 

Forgive me if I'm out of line, but let's either get back on topic (Windjammer), or create another (redundant IMHO) thread about tipping.

 

Michael

 

 

Seriously! Talking about tipping on here is the equivalent of talking about politics or religion. :(

 

I, for one, am quite excited about eating in the Windjammer at least one evening on our upcoming cruise! It's our first cruise, so we will try the MDR at least one night, and do at least one of the formal nights. But definitely will hit up the Windjammer in the evening as well. I plan on doing Seaview for lunch. :D

[MikeNJ1109]

Seriously! Talking about tipping on here is the equivalent of talking about politics or religion. :(

 

I, for one, am quite excited about eating in the Windjammer at least one evening on our upcoming cruise! It's our first cruise, so we will try the MDR at least one night, and do at least one of the formal nights. But definitely will hit up the Windjammer in the evening as well. I plan on doing Seaview for lunch. :D

 

You'll love the WJ, especially for dinner. Much more sedate ... very quiet ... excellent service ... food is good at worst, and usually much better then that ... and the view of the wake -- that wake -- makes dining in the WJ infinitely more enjoyable for us than eating in the MDR.

 

Michael and Silke

[smltwngrl76]

You'll love the WJ, especially for dinner. Much more sedate ... very quiet ... excellent service ... food is good at worst, and usually much better then that ... and the view of the wake -- that wake -- makes dining in the WJ infinitely more enjoyable for us than eating in the MDR.

 

Michael and Silke

 

That sounds so wonderful! Plus, we were assigned the late dinner seating and we were just a tad worried (worried may actualy be too strong a word) that we just wouldn't really feel like eating that late every night. But Windjammer sounds like a great option for nights when we know the late seating in the MDR won't fit our schedule!

[snowman]

How late are they open on the Explorer 9 nighter?

[stephanie1]

What you're saying makes complete sense. My worry is that the MDR servers will not make their expected amount. RCCL does not expect us to eat in the MDR every night, but they do have the system in place to assure that everyone makes their tips. I think there are people that think, just because they are not eating in the MDR, that they do not need to tip at all. Obviously you're not one of those people. :)

 

But, we have kind of strayed away from the OPs original question. Sorry Stephanie. :D

 

Hey Rhonda:

 

Oh no, not another "tipping" thread. OMG - does it ever end! C'mon everybody, do what you want already... I do what I think is right. I tip those deservant. By the way, a very long time ago I went on a Singles cruise. We

were a table for 12 on an old ship called the Oceanic. Anyone remember this ship out of NY? Anyway, I was ordering doubles of some menu items and the waiter made faces and on 1 occasion he said something under his breath. On the morning of the last day I gave him a nice envelope. He smiled and

thanked me a lot. However the joke was on him. In the envelope was a note saying "If you want people to treat you nicely, treat them with respect."

 

He was a terrible waiter and I did not care about his finances. He was rude to me and that was that.

 

Do you want everybody....Tip those deservant and do what you see fit for everyone else. P.S. I never thought that people ate in the Windjammer to

avoid tipping. I thought they ate there to avoid the hassle of getting dressed

up!

[BLAMBKY]

We love dinner in the WJ, to the point where we usually give up our table assignment in the MDR and eat in the WJ most of the week (one night we'll go to Chopos).

 

WJ at night is quiet ... the lighting is subdued ... not too crowded ... we get a table right at the back window so we can watch the wake ... we can talk to each other in a quiet civilized tone ... and the food happens to be quite good.

 

We highly recommend it, but would not advertise the fact as we want to keep it our little secret. :)

 

Michael and Silke

 

Love the lighting PLUS the waitstaff gives you a little more breathing room. :p

[Jimnbigd]

How late are they open on the Explorer 9 nighter?

I'm not sure. I think the WJ closes around 9pm or so on most ships. Cafe Promenade (deck 5) is open most all the time though.

[MikeNJ1109]

I'm not sure. I think the WJ closes around 9pm or so on most ships. Cafe Promenade (deck 5) is open most all the time though.

 

9 - 9:30 sounds about right ... we've been known to close the place on occasion, just relaxing and enjoying the quiet and the view.

 

Michael and Silke

[lpizzuro123]

We very seldom eat in the WJ but have often gone there after dinner for an extra dessert (most of the time same as what was offered in MDR). My favorite dessert was warm chococlate cake, one time I ate my cake in the MDR, with vanilla ice cream, then went to WJ where they had a huge pan of warm chocolate cake and a big tub of vanilla ice cream. Needless to say I made a complete hog of myself eating almost to the point of being sick. :D Now I don't like warm chocolate cake as much. LOL.

 

I actually like this idea alot. On our cruise this past February we were so full from dinner I did not want dessert right after but we had late dinner sitting so by the time dessert time came it was after 10:00pm. We are cruising for Thanksgiving this year and will be eating dinner early. I love the idea of having dessert later (maybe an hour or so after dinner).

 

Does anyone know what time the WJ has dessert on the buffet until?

 

Thanks,

Linda

[Happy ks]

We've eaten in the Windjammer only once for dinner, after reading here how many people liked it. Well, we were so very disappointed, it was just buffet food. It was just as disappointing as the Windjammer is for breakfast or lunch.

 

Typically we like the Windjammer to grab some cookies.

[RhondaC]

We've eaten in the Windjammer only once for dinner, after reading here how many people liked it. Well, we were so very disappointed, it was just buffet food. It was just as disappointing as the Windjammer is for breakfast or lunch.

 

Typically we like the Windjammer to grab some cookies.

 

What ship were you on? Didn't they have dim lights, white tablecloths, soft music, and servers bringing you drinks, dessert, and coffee? And, didn't they offer the same food that was in the MDR? It's usually so much better than the madhouse that it is at breakfast or lunch.

[Langley Cruisers]

I love the idea of having dessert later (maybe an hour or so after dinner).... Does anyone know what time the WJ has dessert on the buffet until?

 

The entire WJ closes at the same time, so whenever that may be - usually 9 or 9:30 pm. It's not going to work for you if you have late seating but Main seating, yes - it's a great idea and we have done it too.

[Cruising89143]

The way food on a cruise ship is massed produced its all basically buffet food, its just dished up behind a closed door when you are in the MDR and you don't get to mix and match it!

 

:p

 

Very true. If I have to choose between the MDR and WJ, the WJ would win out everytime. It's much more quiet and relaxed. I haven't found a huge difference in food quality between the two. I look at this way, in the WJ I serve myself from a series of serving stations. In the MDR they slap the same type food on a plate, place a cover over the dish and bring it to me.

[JMB22]

Great question!

 

We've never had dinner at the WJ, but have passed by on our way to/from MDR, and the food usually looked very good. The atmosphere was usually really quiet and calm too. This cruise, we might have to try the WJ for dinner, instead of the MDR, because we'll be traveling with a toddler who has an early bedtime. I'm so glad so many people are saying the food at WJ is as good as it looks! I was getting a little sad that I would miss out on a really good dinner.

 

Does anyone know what time the WJ opens for dinner on the Freedom Of The Seas?