Specialty restaurant - tipping

[Heather1973]

Do you tip the waiters at the specialty restaurants or is automatically added to the charge?

[shoreguy]

See this thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=224563

[Tomct]

Do you tip the waiters at the specialty restaurants or is automatically added to the charge?

 

We tend to tip at all the specialty restaurants, not just because they are specialty restaurants, but because the waitstaffs just seem to provide an upper grade of service. That's not so say we have ever had any problem with other dining options, but we just feel more comfortable tipping there, and they also seem more deserving. Of course, 15% of the bar bill is included in your bill there as well. We also tip in cash, as our waitperson is more likely to get the most of it that way. As for other restaurants and bars, we don't usually tip extra, except where it may be deserved for something special. Though it's usually not in the $10 or $20 range, my goal is to at least get the tip on record for that person's supervisor to take note of.

 

On our last Dawn cruise, my wife asked the waiter in Le Bistro where she could get Creme' Brulee on the Dawn. He asked her if she wanted some, and with his urging, said yes. Though we were ordering the chocolate fondue, he brought four of the desserts wrapped to go, for later consumption. Of course he earned a nice tip, and I'm sure they are well aware of that. If some regular Joe in Venetian does that, he might be surprised if he gets a $5 tip. On that same cruise, one of our group wanted roatsted garlic in her pasta, and though it was not on the menu, he had the chef sautee some up for her. These are but two examples we have come across on our 5 cruises, as we are great fans of NCL and FreeStyle.