Extra gratuity for Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto?

[kazu]

I assume this will be somewhat unpopular comment but I stated on a previous thread that the thought of tipping in the Pinnacle had never occurred to me. I would consider their service at the end of the trip when I considered how much to add to the auto tip. To me tipping in the Pinnacle starts a slippery slope, why stop there, maybe folks with anytime dining should also leave cash each night. Or how about the staff in Lido, they serve me. I could continue it to the servers at the Terrace Grill. Doesn't this undo the whole reason behind the auto tips? I am not a cheap skate, I worked in the hospitality business in my younger days so appreciate the issues but I wish they would set the auto tip at an appropriate level where we could not feel obligated to leave $10 or $20 every time we eat somewhere or eliminate the auto tip and we all go to a cash basis.

 

Actually Kirk, this is what dh and I do - we tip at the end of the cruise and/or segment or when we are certain it's our last dinner/breakfast in the Pinnacle:D It is not mandatory - but if we have had excellent service (and we usually do) then it's what we like to do. It's no different than leaving your waiter a bit extra or your cabin steward if you have had excellent service IMO:D

[George C]

Actually Kirk, this is what dh and I do - we tip at the end of the cruise and/or segment or when we are certain it's our last dinner/breakfast in the Pinnacle:D It is not mandatory - but if we have had excellent service (and we usually do) then it's what we like to do. It's no different than leaving your waiter a bit extra or your cabin steward if you have had excellent service IMO:D

 

thats what we did for Pinnacle also

[Aquahound]

Sail,

 

It looks like most of Aquahound's cruises are on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, like mine. On RC/X, even if you pre-pay your specialty restaurants, you get a "bill" with a $0 balance at the end of your dinner. There is a tip line so you can leave money for a tip if desired. It is the same for the bar statements. The tip is added to your onboard account. No cash needed except for room service tips.

 

My husband and I didn't realize it was different on HAL. We thought we could add tips to our beverage and specialty restaurant bills using our onboard account. It was a little awkward when we realized that tips were expected to be paid in cash and we had left all our cash in the safe. We adjusted and made sure that we always had some cash in our pockets when onboard.

 

Different cruiselines - different ways of tipping.

 

Exactly. All I've seen on the 3 other lines I have sailed is the option to write in an extra tip on the bill, even if pre-paid. That's why I was a little surprised to see HAL's way of doing it. But like you said, different cruiselines - different ways of tipping. Because on RCI and X, the waiters do receive a portion of the specialty restaurant cover charge as their tip. The included tip, also for the bartenders, is pooled among that staff, but any additional tip you write in goes directly to that bartender or waiter. This is a true cashless system.

[sail7seas]

Sail,

 

It looks like most of Aquahound's cruises are on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, like mine. On RC/X, even if you pre-pay your specialty restaurants, you get a "bill" with a $0 balance at the end of your dinner. There is a tip line so you can leave money for a tip if desired. It is the same for the bar statements. The tip is added to your onboard account. No cash needed except for room service tips.

 

My husband and I didn't realize it was different on HAL. We thought we could add tips to our beverage and specialty restaurant bills using our onboard account. It was a little awkward when we realized that tips were expected to be paid in cash and we had left all our cash in the safe. We adjusted and made sure that we always had some cash in our pockets when onboard.

 

Different cruiselines - different ways of tipping.

 

 

Thanks for explaining the different system you have experienced.

It sounds very convenient and I easily see why you would have expected the same throughout all the cruise lines.

 

More than once, we were in Pinnacle and DH realized he had not taken cash when we left the cabin. We get so used to the cashless society. :) He returned to the cabin to get some tip money and it worked out fine.

 

In any case, certainly do not worry about it.

If you tip, that's wonderful. If you do not, you will not be the only one.

[Typhoon1]

We always leave an additional tip in the PG.

 

Canaletto-rarely. The service would have to be exceptional.