More dining questions...

[gina1569]

1) Is tip included at Remy in the $75/person charge? If not, should I tip the customary 15/20%?

 

2) If we get a MDR table with other people, do the same group stays together the entire week?

 

Thanks!

[Shmoo here]

1) Is tip included at Remy in the $75/person charge? If not, should I tip the customary 15/20%?

 

2) If we get a MDR table with other people, do the same group stays together the entire week?

 

Thanks!

 

According to the DCL website tipping in Remy is at "Your Discretion".

 

Yes, if you are seated with others, you will be seated with the same people (at the same table number) in all dining rooms. Note, while located in a similar location in each dining room, each table is not in the exact same location with each dining room.

[moki'smommy]

2) is easy--yes, your table group stays the same for the entire cruise. If you want a "just us" table, call DCL and make that request. Ignore the "this is only a request" speech. Thank them and just ask that they note the request.

 

1) Early on the written stuff indicated that the Palo tip was included in the upcharge but most people tip additional. Since that time, the written stuff from DCL says that tipping at Palo and Remy is "your discretion." You can interpret that as you wish. If you order alcohol, you will be automatically charged a 15% tip on that amount (so you don't need to double tip on it!). That leaves the question of the tip for the meal. 15-20% of what? Of the upcharge? Of what you assess the value of the meal to be? Of what it would cost at Victoria and Albert at WDW?

 

But the short answer is that yes, a tip is appropriate in addition to the upcharge.

[gina1569]

Thanks.

 

Yesterday I emailed VIP guest services and asked for the E, R, A, E, E, R, A rotation and they said no problem. They said that was rotation #3.

 

They asked me if I wanted a private or shared table....I think I will ask for a shared table, hopefully with kids of similar age as ours...thoughts?

 

I'm looking forward to talk to other adults and my kids can make new friends.

[Shmoo here]

Thanks.

 

Yesterday I emailed VIP guest services and asked for the E, R, A, E, E, R, A rotation and they said no problem. They said that was rotation #3.

 

They asked me if I wanted a private or shared table....I think I will ask for a shared table, hopefully with kids of similar age as ours...thoughts?

 

I'm looking forward to talk to other adults and my kids can make new friends.

 

In our experience, DCL is very good about matching the dynamics of groups for seating arrangements. Rarely, the match isn't so good. That being said, we've never had any bad tablemates, yet, on any cruise we've been on.

[moki'smommy]

Somehow DCL does an amazing job of placing families together. We have either been very lucky or ??? When we have not asked to be "just us," we have been seated with one or more similar families--a single child within about a year of my daughter's age, always another girl. Once we were seated with 3 other pairs of mother/daughter or grandmother/daughter teens (my daughter was 12).

 

I think they do it intentionally--we've never had a family with 2 kids vs. our family with 1. We've never had more than about 18 months age variation with one exception. In that case, we were with another mother/daughter pair but the girl was about 2 years older AND 2 WDW CMs who were doing a temporary assignment on the ship for a week. The CMs politely explained that they were not likely to be at dinner much as they would be working long hours.

 

Some of the families we've been seated with have remained friends--we shared photos, become FB friends, etc. In one case, we have cruised with a group additional times and always request to sit together.

 

And if your set up doesn't work on the first night, let the head server know. You WILL be moved to a table with just your family.