Gratuities when dining in Windjammer only ???

[CruzieSue]

RCI has clearcut guidelines for the tipping situation. They have recommended tips for cabin attendant, waiter, assitant waiter and head waiter. They figure the system how to rotate people crew between MDR and WJ. So if you follow their recommendation all is well.

 

Thanks for your reply. I just did not know if there was a difference in tipping the wait staff in the two different venues (MDR v. WJ), but glad to know our pre-paid gratuities covered everyone. Since this was our first cruise, there was a lot to learn. :rolleyes: I did not even think about "releasing" our table in the MDR for others to use, but will certainly do that if we go that route again next trip.

[Emdee]

We ate only two nights in the MDR but didnt want to stiff the waiters. Besides they serve you in other venues as well. So gave them the recommended tips.

We tipped a small amount in the speciality restaurants as well and also our principal server in the Concierge Club.

[Paulxyz2004]

Thanks for your reply. I just did not know if there was a difference in tipping the wait staff in the two different venues (MDR v. WJ), but glad to know our pre-paid gratuities covered everyone. Since this was our first cruise, there was a lot to learn. :rolleyes: I did not even think about "releasing" our table in the MDR for others to use, but will certainly do that if we go that route again next trip.

 

You said you had MTD, so unless you had made reservations, there´s really no need to release your table. If you have a reservation it´s sure nice to let them know you won´t use it, so they won´t hold a table empty for you. Otherwise they won´t really wait and hold a table.

[Eng23]

First of all, you pre-paid your tips and they were absolutely not "wasted". Your pre-paid tips cover 4 people: waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter, cabin steward. Your wait team, all of them, work in other venues of the ship at different times. We have seen all of our wait team in the Windjammer, for instance. Thus, when you pay your tips (pre-paid or not), you are paying your wait team for working in other venues even though you may not necessarily have taken dinner in the dining room. They do not need to be tipped again if you dine in the WJ, but many people feel they want to tip and do so by leaving something on the table. Personal choice.

 

Last cruise, we did what you did: we had pre-paid our tips but actually chose never to dine in the MDR. Not once did we go to dinner there. We ate in the Windjammer as they have outdoor aft seating on Brilliance, and it was fabulous. Having said that, our tips weren't wasted - our wait team still got paid even though they did not serve us in the MDR. For all we know, we met each one of our wait team in the WJ. It's entirely possible!

 

Pre-paying tips is a good way for us to do it because the amount is added to the final bill and paid before we even leave home. No adding it to the Sea Pass account, no worrying about having the correct amount of cash to put into envelopes... it just makes sense to us. I know some don't like it and are very vocal about it. To each his own, I suppose. Just wanted to let you know that your tips were dispersed to the deserving staff who made your cruise wonderful, even if you didn't take dinner where you had initially thought you would.

 

Hope this helps. :)

Thanks. Your post helped me. I am cruising in a couple of weeks and was wondering about this situation. I chose MTD which requires pre-paying your tips. With all of my tips pre-paid which I now understand covers my cabin steward also I feel much more comfortable.

[Debde]

RCI has clearcut guidelines for the tipping situation. They have recommended tips for cabin attendant, waiter, assitant waiter and head waiter. They figure the system how to rotate people crew between MDR and WJ. So if you follow their recommendation all is well.

Your wish to rather tip the WJ wait team is your personal preference in sort of a disagreement with the system RCI has set up. You can´t blame RCI for your personal preference by stating you wish they would set up a clearcut guideline, when they already have one.

 

What is so clearcut-If you do not use the MDR??

If I tip everyone who serves me-what could be wrong with that??

sorry-it is my opinion-Royal has no real tipping sytem at all.

[fred30]

So do I have this straight?

 

Only those serving us in the MDR receive any of the tips that we give through RCCL.

 

All of the wait staff in the MDR are rotated through Windjammer and possibly other venues but do not get receive any of tips through RCCL on those days.

 

Other than the wait staff, cabin staff and anyone we choose to tip all of the other thousands of employees working very hard behind the scenes do not see any of the tips.

[Debde]

So do I have this straight?

 

Only those serving us in the MDR receive any of the tips that we give through RCCL.

 

All of the wait staff in the MDR are rotated through Windjammer and possibly other venues but do not get receive any of tips through RCCL on those days.

 

Other than the wait staff, cabin staff and anyone we choose to tip all of the other thousands of employees working very hard behind the scenes do not see any of the tips.

 

I have no idea what the sytem is and I'm thinking no one does.

All I know is I would like to choose who gets my tips so I choose. I do not let the company choose for me. Everyone I come in contact with gets a tip from me and I have no idea why anyone would have a problem with that.:rolleyes:

[critterchick]

Your response was very helpful. I did not know if the tips were shared among ALL wait staff or not. Glad to know they apparently are shared. We never did see the same waiters we had in the MDR at the Windjammer or anywhere else (would not have forgotten them, but that is a different matter), but did see some folks from Johnny Rockets working in the Promenade Cafe a day or two later. Also, most people seem to post that they almost always had the same staff in the Windjammer. I really don't believe we did. And we had very little service anytime we ate there. Maybe 2 or 3 times someone asked if they could refill our drinks but not every single time. So I'm not sure who you would leave the tip to at the end of the trip. Also, saw many suggestions not to tip with cash along the way so that was confusing also. We did add tips anytime we had drink orders. There's a lot to learn when you're a newbie to cruising!! Almost everyone has been extremely helpful. :)

 

Tips are only shared among the My Time Dining waitstaff. If you have traditional main or late seating, then your assigned waitstaff tems keeps whatever gratuity you give them. Those working the dinner shift in the WJ are not included in the tip pool.

 

 

What is so clearcut-If you do not use the MDR??

If I tip everyone who serves me-what could be wrong with that??

sorry-it is my opinion-Royal has no real tipping sytem at all.

 

They do, but it's out of date. I think it's time for RCI to join every other mass market line and just add a daily charge Their tipping guidelines are based on the days when the MDR and the WJ were the only options and all three meals were assigned seating at the same table and with the same servers.

 

I'm with you - we never leave less than the suggested amount (lest anybody think we're too poor or too cheap to cruise:rolleyes:) but I prefer to reward those people who actually do something for me that I see. But more often than not we pick MTD, so I do feel that a portion of my tip is "wasted.". And, since we've become fans of eating in the WJ at least a few nights during our trips, we end up tipping those people, too, because I feel that the "no tip for you this week" approach is unfair.

[fred30]

I have no idea what the sytem is and I'm thinking no one does.

All I know is I would like to choose who gets my tips so I choose. I do not let the company choose for me. Everyone I come in contact with gets a tip from me and I have no idea why anyone would have a problem with that.:rolleyes:

 

 

I'm of the opinion that tipping should not be a persons wages. Wages should be based on the job. The price of the cruise should be adjusted to cover all of the staffs full salary.

So many of the staff go above and beyond and for us and we don't go around handing out money to every person we come in contact with. We don't even see most of the workers that keep everything on the ship going.

Everyone on the ship has some part in making for an enjoyable vacation for most of us. Maybe, tipping through RCCL should be pooled equally by all employees thus giving us a way to tip everyone.

[Capt_BJ]

tipping on a cruise ship is tied to long long tradition

 

that's the way it was done long ago

 

cruise lines try to maintain some traditions .... maybe too long

 

I've sailed "no tipping" cruise lines - just expect to add 20% + to your fare; the tips ARE an artificial price ajdustment

 

If you sail under today's traditional tipping rules and opt out of a tip because of some "I only ate at the deck burger joint for 6 days" claim, you:

 

a) got away with a deal because you were so smart

 

&

 

b) decreased an employee's income for the week by the "suggested amount" of your tip

 

the servers rotate - that IS a fact, and how the $$ gets split discussion is all theory {different by line}. I KNOW I've seen my dinner 'asst server' bussing tables in the "jammer" on EVERY cruise.

 

I guess I get passionate on this topic because when we started cruising 30 years ago, tipping was a KNOWN, and only recently has tip avoidance become such an issue. I don't defend the cruise line pay system but it is what it is and it ain't new . . .

[NYcommodore]

If you sail under today's traditional tipping rules and opt out of a tip because of some "I only ate at the deck burger joint for 6 days" claim, you:

 

a) got away with a deal because you were so smart

 

&

 

b) decreased an employee's income for the week by the "suggested amount" of your tip

 

This. RCCL DOES have a system. That's why MTD requires prepaid gratuities, and the traditional dining times have strongly recommended tipping guidelines. The waitstaff is largely compensated by these tips. The staff know they will have to rotate to other stations where specified tips are not suggested or expected and accept it as part of the job, knowing that the overwhelming percentage of passengers will tip what the cruise line recommends.

 

I find that the staff really doesn't work for tips, but rather for recognition, since high marks on the comment cards (which also cover WJ) = faster promotion to waiter for the busboys, more passengers in their section for the waiters, and ultimately faster promotion to head waiter. The staff has a pretty good idea of what their tips will be each cruise (although there's always the odd passenger that thinks they shouldn't follow the system), but they have NO IDEA what box you're going to check on the comment card--that's what they are trying to influence.

 

I remember my early cruises on RCCL--the waiters were very vocal about wanting everything to be "excellent", asking you to check "excellent" and even closing their group song on the final formal night with the exclamation "EXCELLENT!!!"

[DonnaK]

RCI has clearcut guidelines for the tipping situation. They have recommended tips for cabin attendant, waiter, assitant waiter and head waiter. They figure the system how to rotate people crew between MDR and WJ. So if you follow their recommendation all is well.

 

Your wish to rather tip the WJ wait team is your personal preference in sort of a disagreement with the system RCI has set up. You can´t blame RCI for your personal preference by stating you wish they would set up a clearcut guideline, when they already have one.

 

You misunderstood me. I eat in the MDR every night, and tip according to the guidelines. These guidelines are clearcut for MDR diners.

 

In trying to answer the OP's question, I expressed the opinion that the guidelines for tipping WHEN ONE DOES NOT EAT IN THE MDR AT ALL is not clear to me, nor to the OP or to the many others who ask the same question on CC over and over again. If I were in that situation, I would want to ensure that my tip goes to the WJ servers and not to the MDR servers. The current guidelines do not take this into account.

[emeraldcity]

I sailed the Grandeur earlier this month ... the last 7-day cruise out of Colon before she repostioned to head across the pond for rehab. We did the traditional dining. Despite the fact that the ship was sailing at capacity, the dining room was at best 50% capacity every night. I still wonder if that meant the wait staff was stiffed by people who signed up for traditional dining, but then chose to have their meals elsewhere.

 

I prefer the traditional way of handling my own tips, but I have to wonder if perhaps a different tactic might be in order in certain cultures.

[critterchick]

tipping on a cruise ship is tied to long long tradition

 

that's the way it was done long ago

 

cruise lines try to maintain some traditions .... maybe too long

 

I've sailed "no tipping" cruise lines - just expect to add 20% + to your fare; the tips ARE an artificial price ajdustment

 

If you sail under today's traditional tipping rules and opt out of a tip because of some "I only ate at the deck burger joint for 6 days" claim, you:

 

a) got away with a deal because you were so smart

 

&

 

b) decreased an employee's income for the week by the "suggested amount" of your tip

 

the servers rotate - that IS a fact, and how the $$ gets split discussion is all theory {different by line}. I KNOW I've seen my dinner 'asst server' bussing tables in the "jammer" on EVERY cruise.

 

I guess I get passionate on this topic because when we started cruising 30 years ago, tipping was a KNOWN, and only recently has tip avoidance become such an issue. I don't defend the cruise line pay system but it is what it is and it ain't new . . .

 

I don't think that anybody who posted here is trying to avoid tipping. Just to distribute according to our idea of what is fair.

 

I sailed the Grandeur earlier this month ... the last 7-day cruise out of Colon before she repostioned to head across the pond for rehab. We did the traditional dining. Despite the fact that the ship was sailing at capacity, the dining room was at best 50% capacity every night. I still wonder if that meant the wait staff was stiffed by people who signed up for traditional dining, but then chose to have their meals elsewhere.

 

I prefer the traditional way of handling my own tips, but I have to wonder if perhaps a different tactic might be in order in certain cultures.

 

In some markets the locals pay a higher fare that has gratuities built in. Australia, where tipping is either not the norm or just much less than the RCI model, is one such market. When we were on Rhapsody a couple of years ago, they even had two wine lists, depending on where the passenger was from. Ours would show a price of, say $50 and then a 15% gratuity would be added. If a passenger was from Australia or New Zealand, then the wine list they got showed the same bottle to be $57.50, if my math is correct. We received the Australian wine list toward the end of the cruise by mistake.:eek:

 

The bar prices had the 15% built in, and the spa added a 15% "service charge."

[Debde]

I still wonder if that meant the wait staff was stiffed by people who signed up for traditional dining, but then chose to have their meals elsewhere.

.

 

The problem is Royal makes you pick a MDR time. Even if you know you are not eating there.

There should be a choice of no MDR this way I would think no more wait lists.

Then, those of us who prefer specialty dining or WJ can tip accordingly and no one in the MDR winds up with multiple tables being released day one!

[XLRATION]

I may be wrong, but as far as I know tips are NOT pooled among all the wait staff...the servers who work dinner in the WJ are not tipped the week they are there...or so we were told by our waiter there one evening...we asked..he did not volunteer the information...he was a joy & we made sure to sit in his section each night & tipped him at the end of the cruise...we HAD released our table in the MDR so someone else could switch if they wanted...

 

 

I may have to agree. I did say earlier that tips were pooled but friends of ours just came off ExoS and they asked specifically if tips were pooled to which the reply was NO. They asked because apparantly their MDR waiter was terrible.

[Paulxyz2004]

What is so clearcut-If you do not use the MDR??

If I tip everyone who serves me-what could be wrong with that??

sorry-it is my opinion-Royal has no real tipping sytem at all.

 

 

Even though I have an opinion on what you do, I never expressed it and I will not do so in this post, so I never said there´s anything wrong with what you do. You are also entitled to your opinion about RCI having a tipping system or not and if you think it´s a good one or a bad one.

 

However like it or not it´s a fact they have a tipping system in place.

• Bar Services get tips automatically added to the bill
  
• There´s a recommended amount for cabin attendands, waiters, assistant waiters and headwaiters
  
• If you chose MTD prepaid is mandatory for all the above mentioned
  
• If you chose traditional dining it´s your choice on how to tip the above mentioned positions
  
• If you have CL access it´s at your discretion if and how to tip the Concierge
  

As it was mentioned before waiters, assistant waiters and head waiters rotate between the MDR and WJ. It´s a fact and I´ve seen all of them serve in the WJ.

 

If you agree with their guidelines or not and if you follow them or not is obviously your choice, but it doesn´t eliminate the fact they have a clearcut system set up.

 

 

 

 

You misunderstood me. I eat in the MDR every night, and tip according to the guidelines. These guidelines are clearcut for MDR diners.

 

In trying to answer the OP's question, I expressed the opinion that the guidelines for tipping WHEN ONE DOES NOT EAT IN THE MDR AT ALL is not clear to me, nor to the OP or to the many others who ask the same question on CC over and over again. If I were in that situation, I would want to ensure that my tip goes to the WJ servers and not to the MDR servers. The current guidelines do not take this into account.

 

See above, the current guidelines tkae this into account. Again you might not agree with the system or don´t understand the system, but the system is there.

[yes!yes!yes!]

well i am australian (dont group us together, very unflattering) i always pre pay the suggested amount for tipping. i come from a country that pays high wages for any service staff and it is traditional to tip only if you have received amazing service. i dont buy into the argument that the staff on the ship are fed bread and dripping and get no wages. they work for better wages and conditions than they are used to.

if royal carribean suggest a format that works for them, then i pay it. i would prefer a dearer fare and no separate tips, but i think the staff prefer it the way it is.

[Debde]

Even though I have an opinion on what you do, I never expressed it and I will not do so in this post, so I never said there´s anything wrong with what you do. You are also entitled to your opinion about RCI having a tipping system or not and if you think it´s a good one or a bad one.

 

 

However like it or not it´s a fact they have a tipping system in place.

 

This is a pretty good conversation as it seems everyone is just putting ideas on the table and it has not gotten snarky yet! Let's hope it stays this way!!;)

 

The system is there you are correct but is quite possible it is outdated and does not work for all. I do not want to choose MDR. This is where I feel the system is outdated since now-Royal has many other dining options that could very well be you never step into the MDR or WJ but yet eat 3 meals a day on board.!!

 

If someone releases a table in the MDR they should tip the food servers they come in contact with which is what some do and some don't understand.

[boo214]

ok, here's what i think should be done. if you choose to opt out of mdr. they should move your mdr waistaff gratuities to the windjammer staff as it is a known fact that they rotate weekly and the week they are in the windjammer they are not included in the gratuities.

[Heidils]

ok, here's what i think should be done. if you choose to opt out of mdr. they should move your mdr waistaff gratuities to the windjammer staff as it is a known fact that they rotate weekly and the week they are in the windjammer they are not included in the gratuities.

 

I agree! Why is it so up to us to determine where gratuites go? If we are asked to pre-pay then it's up to the line to delegate where the monies go. And it makes sense that if we as cruise members let the line know our dining experiences, they can simply give the gratuties to whomever is deserving.

[jaykaym]

I've been reading through this thread trying to figure out how the pre-paid gratuity amounts correlate to the tipping guidelines. I opted for pre-paid gratuities when booking, since I wanted one less thing to deal with during the cruise. The amount I was charged is far less than the recommended tipping guidelines so now I have no idea what positions are included in the pre-paid gratuity and what positions are not. We do NOT have MyTimeDining and so the pre-paid option was not required. Does anyone experienced in pre-paid gratituties have any info for me?

[brfan]

The problem is Royal makes you pick a MDR time. Even if you know you are not eating there.

There should be a choice of no MDR this way I would think no more wait lists.

Then, those of us who prefer specialty dining or WJ can tip accordingly and no one in the MDR winds up with multiple tables being released day one!

 

Other than NCL, no cruise line that I'm aware of gives you the option to opt out of some form of MDR (either traditional or anytime). As far as I know the lines, which are pretty much every one but Royal, that does autotipping, the tip would go to the MDR staff whether you eat there or not.

 

At least with Royal Caribbean, if you do not choose my time dining, which requires the tips to be prepayed, the passenger can tip whoever they want as there is no autotipping (unless the passenger decides to fill in a form to request it). So if you don't go to the MDR, you can tip anyone in the Windjammer. Unfortunately the wait staff assigned to you in the dining room will get stiffed.

 

Anyway I guess I'm confused on what the issue is for those who are on traditional dining and don't opt to have the tips charged to their account and don't eat in the MDR. I doubt you are going to go the MDR the last night and look for your table to tip the waitstaff. Would that be correct? So you are probably either tipping as you go in the Windjammer or tipping the Windjammer crew on the last night now. The MDR staff aren't being tipped if you don't opt to charge your tips to your account and are paying cash.

[Debde]

Unfortunately the wait staff assigned to you in the dining room will get stiffed.

 

That's the part that I feel could be solved if they would let you opt out of a MDR time. I think anyone who releases their table does not want this to happen and hopes that slot gets filled.

[DonnaK]

I've been reading through this thread trying to figure out how the pre-paid gratuity amounts correlate to the tipping guidelines. I opted for pre-paid gratuities when booking, since I wanted one less thing to deal with during the cruise. The amount I was charged is far less than the recommended tipping guidelines so now I have no idea what positions are included in the pre-paid gratuity and what positions are not. We do NOT have MyTimeDining and so the pre-paid option was not required. Does anyone experienced in pre-paid gratituties have any info for me?

 

It shouldn't have been less.

 

Perhaps you included both the stateroom attendant and the suite attendant in your calculations, and you only have to tip one of those depending upon what stateroom category you are staying in.

 

Your tips include: either the stateroom or the suite attendant, the waiter, the assistant waiter, and the head waiter.

 

The only additional tips you need to give is the 15% that is automatically added to your bar/beverage bill, and a dollar or two to the person who delivers room service if you use room service.