Questions about wine tipping

[elbarney]

Hello, I'll soon be on my first HAl cruise, and I'm thinking about bringing my own wine onboard, as I don't really like what they offer. I undertand that I have to pay a corkage fee, but I'm not really sure if I am expected to tip the wine server or not? As they usually get a gratuity of 15%, but in this case they don't, what is the proper way? What would be a proper amount?

Also, once I pay the corkage, how is the procedure to have our wine in the restaurant? Do I bring it on the same night I want to have it?

Do they store for the next day if there are leftovers?

And what about in case of specialty restaurants?

Thank you very much!

[jtl513]

We never bring our own wine to the MDR and have no clue about tipping the wine steward, but I've read here that it's your choice to bring it in advance or on the night you wish to drink it. Leftovers will be stored. Any bottles you have stored, opened or unopened, can be sent to a specialty restaurant if you tell them the night before.

.

Edited July 26, 2014 by jtl513

[sandthrush]

Hello, I'll soon be on my first HAl cruise, and I'm thinking about bringing my own wine onboard, as I don't really like what they offer. I undertand that I have to pay a corkage fee, but I'm not really sure if I am expected to tip the wine server or not? As they usually get a gratuity of 15%, but in this case they don't, what is the proper way? What would be a proper amount?

Also, once I pay the corkage, how is the procedure to have our wine in the restaurant? Do I bring it on the same night I want to have it?

Do they store for the next day if there are leftovers?

And what about in case of specialty restaurants?

Thank you very much!

 

Depending on which cruise line you are on, in the dining room, sometimes they have a person specifically for serving wine, but in our recent experience, it was the assistant server (RCCL). Regardless of their duties, if they have served us well throughout the cruise, we will give them an additional tip at the end of the cruise. Of course that's a personal choice.

 

We take our bottles to the dining room the night we are going to drink it, but if it needs chilling, DH will take it to the dining room in the afternoon and ask them to chill it.

 

Yes, they will store any leftovers (although we rarely have any :)) and they can retrieve it regardless of which restaurant you are eating at.

Edited July 26, 2014 by sandthrush

[igraf]

Here is some discussion on tipping on top of a corkage fee:

 

http://blog.wblakegray.com/2010/05/should-you-tip-on-corkage.html

 

I happen to agree with the author of this article. No need for an additional tip.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Hello, I'll soon be on my first HAl cruise, and I'm thinking about bringing my own wine onboard, as I don't really like what they offer. I undertand that I have to pay a corkage fee, but I'm not really sure if I am expected to tip the wine server or not? As they usually get a gratuity of 15%, but in this case they don't, what is the proper way? What would be a proper amount?

Also, once I pay the corkage, how is the procedure to have our wine in the restaurant? Do I bring it on the same night I want to have it?

Do they store for the next day if there are leftovers?

And what about in case of specialty restaurants?

Thank you very much!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have seen many people carry bottles of wine into the dining room and the specialty restaurants.

And if you have any left over, they will tag the bottles with your name and cabin number.

[serendipity1499]

Here is some discussion on tipping on top of a corkage fee:

 

http://blog.wblakegray.com/2010/05/should-you-tip-on-corkage.html

 

I happen to agree with the author of this article. No need for an additional tip.

 

igraf

 

Sorry but do not agree with the author of that article at all..the wine server/steward does not receive a portion of the corkage fee..

 

When you bring a bottle of wine into a restaurant or the MDR IMO a tip to the wine steward or a tip on the corkage charge in a restaurant should be figured in..

[POA1]

I chill our white wine and Champagne in our room before I take it to dinner, but you can give it to your wine steward for chilling ahead of time. We prefer to take our wine to dinner with us each day, but that is merely our choice.

 

At the end of each night's dinner, I always tell our wine steward how to set the table for the next night. (Red & White glasses, Red & Champagne, etc.)

 

We tip extra in addition to the corkage fee.

 

Leftover wine will be stored for you and brought to your table the next night. (Or so I have been told. We have not had any leftover wine.)

[RJ2002]

Sorry but do not agree with the author of that article at all..the wine server/steward does not receive a portion of the corkage fee..

 

When you bring a bottle of wine into a restaurant or the MDR IMO a tip to the wine steward or a tip on the corkage charge in a restaurant should be figured in..

 

I always thought that the corkage fee went into the same "bucket of money" as the 15% service charge on beverages. If that is not the case, does HAL simply pocket the corkage fee itself? (i.e., it is not pooled with the other service charges for staff?)

[POA1]

I always thought that the corkage fee went into the same "bucket of money" as the 15% service charge on beverages. If that is not the case, does HAL simply pocket the corkage fee itself? (i.e., it is not pooled with the other service charges for staff?)

From what I was told, a small part of it goes into the tipping pool and a larger part compensates the cruise line. The info came from one of the assistant beverage management people.

Edited July 26, 2014 by POA1

[PathfinderEss]

We usually tip extra to our wine steward.:)

[RJ2002]

I always thought that the corkage fee went into the same "bucket of money" as the 15% service charge on beverages. If that is not the case, does HAL simply pocket the corkage fee itself? (i.e., it is not pooled with the other service charges for staff?)

 

From what I was told, a small part of it goes into the tipping pool and a larger part compensates the cruise line. The info came from one of the assistant beverage management people.

 

Thanks.

 

We also tip the wine steward at the end of the cruise, when the service has warranted a tip. We had a great wine steward on our last cruise on the Zuiderdam, and he was recognized accordingly. :)

[ansjefitnes]

I was told that the wine server gets 15% of the corkage fee but don't know for sure that's correct.

Edited July 26, 2014 by ansjefitnes

[2ptu/000]

When you bring wine to the MDR, you pay the corkage fee and they will automatically add the service fee. Comes to a little over $18. They will store what you don't drink the same as if you purchased the wine in the MDR. We tip the servers extra at the end of our cruise.

[2ptu/000]

Also, when we bring an interesting bottle of wine from a port and the wine steward comments on it, we offer him a taste when he picks it up at the end of our meal to store it for us. Not sure if they can do this but at least we offered.

[POA1]

When you bring wine to the MDR, you pay the corkage fee and they will automatically add the service fee. Comes to a little over $18. They will store what you don't drink the same as if you purchased the wine in the MDR. We tip the servers extra at the end of our cruise.

When we checked our wine in before boarding, there was no service charge beyond the $18 corkage. Nor was there an add on service charge when we took those bottles to the MDR. (They had the corkage stickers on them.)

[igraf]

We are all over the map on this one. Some say the server gets nothing from the corkage fee, others that they do get something, and someone else said that the tip is added to the bill (or maybe not!).

 

I would take issue with HAL if they did not share the corkage fee with the wine server in some manner. The fee can't just be because they lost revenue on the wine that I did not order. That falls in the category of "charging for air".

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

When we checked our wine in before boarding, there was no service charge beyond the $18 corkage. Nor was there an add on service charge when we took those bottles to the MDR. (They had the corkage stickers on them.)

[sail7seas]

Also, when we bring an interesting bottle of wine from a port and the wine steward comments on it, we offer him a taste when he picks it up at the end of our meal to store it for us. Not sure if they can do this but at least we offered.

 

 

If a wine steward happens to comment (s)he likes a particular wine we ordered, we always suggest they have a bit. Just a nice gesture for someone making our evening more pleasant.

 

[2ptu/000]

When we checked our wine in before boarding, there was no service charge beyond the $18 corkage. Nor was there an add on service charge when we took those bottles to the MDR. (They had the corkage stickers on them.)

 

I'm sorry, I gave outdated information. We haven't cruised since the new wine policy.

Edited July 26, 2014 by 2ptu/000

[LottaWata]

"Do they store for the next day if there are leftovers?"

 

Another option?

 

We had a bottle that had a glass (or two for small glasses) left in it. It was one purchased in the MDR. I took the bottle back to my stateroom and it sat there a couple days before I decided it was a good time to drink it there in the cabin. I'm not sure if this is something I just got away with, or if it is standard procedure.

 

It was good wine.

[taxmantoo]

"Do they store for the next day if there are leftovers?"

 

Another option?

 

We had a bottle that had a glass (or two for small glasses) left in it. It was one purchased in the MDR. I took the bottle back to my stateroom and it sat there a couple days before I decided it was a good time to drink it there in the cabin. I'm not sure if this is something I just got away with, or if it is standard procedure.

 

It was good wine.

 

Quite standard. You paid for it, it is yours do whatever you wish with it.