Tipping in Specialty Restaurants

[Colo Cruiser]

One trip to a Speciality Restaurant (for 2)- $10-20 depending.

 

I agree, we have always tipped $10-$20. :)

[shredie]

We always tip in the specialty restaurants and if the service was exceptional for a looooong dinner I would have no issue tipping $50. ;)

Can I come over to your house and serve you dinner? :)

 

I find it odd and actually unsettling that staff would discuss and comment on tipping habits of other guests? Professional?:o

 

I agree here. That does not sound professional at all. A complaint to the Maitre d' could get these people fired.

[zephyrella14]

We recently had dinner in Sabatini's on the Emerald Princess. The bill was $50 ($25 pp, we had started a bottle of wine before we reached the dining room, and it was our table mates' turn to buy the wine at table). DH started to add our customary 20% tip, but I made him bump it up since we had had almost three hours of outstanding service.

 

At home the dinner would probably have been at least $250 and merited $50+ for a tip, so I'm wondering what would be an acceptable tip for a specialty restaurant since the price isn't really indicative of the cost of the meal and the service far surpasses all but the best restaurants.

 

Just wondering why eating a meal would take 3 hours? And I'm not being sarcastic, I really would like to know more about your experience.

[Colo Cruiser]

Just wondering why eating a meal would take 3 hours? And I'm not being sarcastic, I really would like to know more about your experience.

 

You can make the meal proceed as fast/slow as you want.

Maybe they enjoyed relaxing/visiting/eating.

[zephyrella14]

I'm asking about her personal experience because I read a review about folks who ,although they enjoyed the quality of the food, felt the service was painfully slow and they walked out after enduring 2 hours.

I would like to try this place but I know I won't want to sit there for hours...I'm a first timers just trying to gather information :)

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm asking about her personal experience because I read a review about folks who ,although they enjoyed the quality of the food, felt the service was painfully slow and they walked out after enduring 2 hours.

I would like to try this place but I know I won't want to sit there for hours...I'm a first timers just trying to gather information :)

 

 

There is no way to gty your experience there, you would just have to try it.

We have read the comments as well. We take them with a grain of salt.

We have patronized the CG since its inception on the Crown in 2006 and had only one mediocre experience.

[shredie]

I think the idea of Sabatini's is to mimic a European dining experience. The original format, with the multiple courses with multiple choices, was closer to what one might find in a restaurant in Italy. (I once sat through one of those marathon meals in Turin.) The point is to prolong the meal and enjoy the experience. Apparently, the format didn't work with Princess cruisers, so they changed the menu to offer fewer choices. The idea of a long meal hasn't changed much, though. The staff is doing you a favor by prolonging everything so you will have the "authentic" experience. Like so much in tourism, though, the idea of the authentic experience isn't always what really happens in the real world. Nowadays, you find fast food all over Rome and elsewhere. (My favorite photo is of the Pantheon McDonald's.):)

[mellon1]

We tipped $25.00 extra the nights we ate in the Crown Grill and Sabatini's.

 

We had breakfast every morning in Sabatini's and on those mornings when our service was great we gave our main server an extra $10.00. The last breakfast we gave everyone who served us at breakfast an extra $25.00. Turned out not to be our last breakfast there due to a fog situation. Let's just say that they couldn't do enough for us on the actual last morning. I went away feeling really happy that we had tipped. We talked to our favorite waiter and assistant and found out that apparently the suite guests that week had their wallets locked up and only a few guests tipped.

 

We always tip at the end of each of our segments for (breakfast) Sabatini's also. It is amazing how many people do not tip. They really make our cruise special. We get to know them all, even though they all are not waiting on us all the time, we still tip them.

[mellon1]

I totally agree with you. Now every time I'm having breakfast at Sabitini's, this will be in my mind. Even though the breakfast will, I'm sure, be wonderful, I will have a bad taste left in my mouth.

 

The staff doesn't bring it up. We have brought it up to the staff, mentioning how people run to the door to get out that last day or not show up that day. The usually say something like it's not required and many people's culture's vary as well as tipping.

 

I think it is if you feel good about tipping for them making your cruise memorable it is up to you. We feel good when we do tip and show them we appreciated all they did for us.

[pattyfrann]

the tip is alredy included in the service charge. I see no reason to tip at all

[Treven]

As a single diner, I always leave a $20 cash tip. As I keep auto-tip in place, the waiter gets to pocket the $.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Does anyone know if Princess has put in writing anywhere that the upcharge in the alternative dining venues includes a tip, over and above the daily autotip? Some CCers have said it does, and some say it doesn't. I can't find anything on the website.

 

There seem to be fewer diners per server in the upcharge venues, so if they get the same autotips as the MDR servers they get a greater tip per passenger to start with.

 

I worked for tips at one point many years ago, so want to be fair to those who serve me. On the other hand, I don't want to overtip unless the service is outstanding.

 

I guess I would like to see more transparency from Princess (and other lines as well) on this issue.

[hawkeyetlse]

I guess I would like to see more transparency from Princess (and other lines as well) on this issue.

CC did a little legwork on this question a few years ago:

Tipping Points: I’ve Already Paid $30 — Do I Have to Tip at the For-Fee Alternative Restaurant?

 

They didn't get a statement from Princess, but I guess it works pretty much the same on all the mainstream lines. Basically, if they really expect you to give an additional tip, they will let you know quite clearly (e.g. by adding it to your bill). In all other situations, it's completely up to you, and you should not feel pressured by anyone to give anything extra.

[LovetheSea]

Hlitner.. I totally agree. We must remember we are NOT in a restaurant at home or on land. They have a different way of dividing tips etc. We have tipped extra, but I don't think we should feel compelled to do so when a waiter /waitress does his job well.

[camofwilliamsburg]

I was told that the up charge included the tip. You take the daily charge for food in the MDR and add the up charge for the special food and tip for the upgraded service. It usually says in the info about the service fee that it includes the tip. I expect good service if I am paying $50 more for food on a cruise that includes my food. By charging the $50 to your account part of that is the tip that goes to the wait staff, so in essence you all are triple tipping: the daily service charge, the up charge and then another tip.

 

I have made tons of friends from the UK and tipping is not done... They wonder why we Americans tip for everything. It is expected to be served exceptionally when you are charged an extra $50 per couple to eat on a cruise.

 

We ate in Sabitinis once and we did tip, we signed the bill for the $50 up charge.

[LovetheSea]

What bugs me is the expectation of the waiters? Are they expecting a $20.00 tip? Or expecting more? If you give $20.00 will they be dissapointed , thinking you did not think they did well? I like it more clear cut. 15% or 20% to the bill is normal for a restaurant. If they expect a tip, Princess should be very clear about it, so no confusion or hurt feelings.

Edited September 13, 2014 by LovetheSea

[Putterdude]

While not strictly necessary we do tend to leave a tip of $20 in the specialty restaurants. I don't ever recall have a poor waiter in a specialty restaurant .... in fact quite the contrary and I am quite happy leave something extra.

[camofwilliamsburg]

Once again, it says the tip is included and that is why there is an extra fee. That is covering the specialty menu items as well as the tip and the upcharge for the food. It is included in the $25 pp and the waiter already gets his share from that. These waiters take turns doing the specialty restuarants. If you are tipping cash then they are getting their fair share of the shared tips and so much more pocketing that tip you left for that specialty service while only waiting on a few tables that night as compared to the main dining room. It is a cushy job for the waiters.

If you go to a restaurant that is fixed pricing with tip included do you tip more? I am sure they build in a good tip for themselves , the food cost and everything else.

[-Lew-]

 

Once again, it says the tip is included and that is why there is an extra fee. That is covering the specialty menu items as well as the tip and the upcharge for the food. It is included in the $25 pp and the waiter already gets his share from that.

Your information is incorrect...

 

Waitstaff do not receive a share of the $25 charge...the entire amount goes to Princess. My information comes from both the maitre d'hotel and food service manager.

 

Tips charged to your account go into the tip pool. Cash tips are kept by the server.

 

Lew

[RJ2002]

For suite passengers who take breakfast in Sabatini's, do folks generally tip every morning, or once at the end of the cruise?

 

This will be our first Princess cruise in a suite. On HAL, when we've been in suites and dined at the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast, we gave the maitre d a tip for the entire staff at the end of the cruise. This seemed to work well in that situation.

[Cobraman]

I can only speak for us, but we don't tip for breakfast, nor do we tip for dinner at Sabatini's. I figure we paid for the meal already, and the service is included, otherwise make it a buffet style meal and be done with it.

 

With each passing year, my wife and I become more jaded to the whole process. We pay the going rate for the cruise, and always leave the auto-tip in place. We then tip stewards, MDR staff and good bartenders. But with our upcoming cruise, we have decided we will only tip for room service deliveries which we initiate.

 

We will no longer tip a steward who does his/her job AND already receives a tip from me, same with the MDR wait staff.

 

I am ready to embrace the Princess philosophy of "cashless cruising".......no cash, no tips.

[Colo Cruiser]

For suite passengers who take breakfast in Sabatini's, do folks generally tip every morning, or once at the end of the cruise?

 

This will be our first Princess cruise in a suite. On HAL, when we've been in suites and dined at the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast, we gave the maitre d a tip for the entire staff at the end of the cruise. This seemed to work well in that situation.

 

 

We tip at the end.

[bhopal21]

Once again, it says the tip is included and that is why there is an extra fee. That is covering the specialty menu items as well as the tip and the upcharge for the food.

 

 

Could you please cite where you found this information?

 

Mike:)

[RJ2002]

We tip at the end.

 

Thanks. Tipping once at the end seems to make most sense to us. And of course, we will base the tip on the level of service we've received. ;)

[jak378]

We have only dined in the specialty restaurant, Crown, once. I tipped the waiter 20 bucks in cash, and my wife thought it was too little. I thought, and still think, that it was appropriate since it is my understanding that he shares in the auto tipping. Last cruise we used anytime dining, which we both really enjoy. I did not think to tip the waitstaff, and now wish that I had. I did give one of the Assistant Maitre'd's a tip on the first night, I think about 20 bucks. My usual practice with the cabin steward is to tip him 20 on the first night and then an additional 20 to 30 at the end, depending on service.

 

Do most of you folks leave a cash tip at anytime dining?