Pinnacle Grill Tipping

[kelelmel]

How do you tip in the Pinnacle Grill? Do you need to use cash or can you it be charged to your account? Or is a gratuity already added in, such as with bar purchases?

[zlato]

I always leave a cash tip when dining in the Pinnacle, and I have observed (and have been told) that cash tips are the norm in the Pinnacle. I have never asked about adding the tip to my account although I assume this would be permissible.

[ekerr19]

We use cash. We tip our waiter, wine steward and the Maitre 'D... :)

[sail7seas]

We always tip when we enjoy a fine dinner in Pinnacle. My husband hands cash to the steward and wine steward. (He often chooses to tip the Maitre d' as well.)

[gizmo]

How do you tip in the Pinnacle Grill? Do you need to use cash or can you it be charged to your account? Or is a gratuity already added in, such as with bar purchases?

The auto 10.00 a day tipping charge if left on your account, includes the Pinnacle. If you choose to add an additional tip it would be cash.

 

If you choose to have it removed you would tip using cash.

[sail7seas]

If you choose to leave automatic tipping in place, you still, most absolutely, may tip more to Pinnacle Stewards.

 

The pittance that filters down to them in no way begins to say a proper thank you for the excellent service we (almost always) have enjoyed in all the Pinnacle meals we have enjoyed. I cannot receive such fine service and leave without tipping in person, in cash.

[kelelmel]

I, absolutely, agree with everyone, additional tipping is certainly well deserved. I have been fortunate that I have always found the service in the past (other lines) to be worthy of more than is recommended. I have never dined in one of the alternative (upcharge) restaurants on a ship and was not sure how the tipping worked. I am very spoiled on the ship and just about never carry cash (not like I do at home either). Now I will make sure I remember to keep cash on me that evening.

 

Thanks!

[estj]

thanks for the feedback...trying the Pinnacle Grill this cruise...like most...I forget about having "cash" with me...will make certain I have plenty. :D

[rkacruiser]

How much of a gratuity would be appropriate for good service in the Pinnacle Grill? I am thinking $5/person for the waiter and $1-2/person for the Maitre d'. Since there already is a gratuity added to the purchase of the wine, is an additional gratuity needed and, if so, how much would one suggest?

 

Thank you for your suggestions!

[ekerr19]

We enjoyed our Pinnacle experience on the Maasdam so much - the food and service were both fantastic. I will share the amounts we tipped... the wine steward about $10, the waiter $20 and the Maitre d' about $10...

 

Keeping in mind this is just us, and while I think tipping is a very personal matter - I applaud you for asking for suggestions and having people supply them, rather than being unsure and foregoing a tip. :)

 

I think what you suggested above sounds fine - we were in the Pinnacle before the onset of the autotip, so our Wine Steward had no gratuity inlcuded - he also recommended an excellent wine to accompany our dinner and our tip reflected that.

[digby]

We ate twice at the Pinnacle on the new Westerdam and left no tip because we were told that all additional tips must be pooled. We saw no one else leaving tips at other tables. (I kept watching just to make sure.) Why have an automatic tipping policy in the first place if you still must tip 'certain' staff? They are doing their job, not doing anything special. (I usually tip at least 20% at a fine land restaurant just in case you think I'm just antitipping.)

[ekerr19]

We received a leather billfold with our slip for our wine - as we pre-paid for the meal through ship services, we did not have a charge for that.

 

Has HAL changed the policy of bringing the billfold? All the diners around us received them - we had no idea what anyone else tipped because of the billfold. Just curious.

 

We were also "pre" auto-tip, as I stated, so I have no idea what to expect now. :)

[KAKcruiser]

i agree with Digby. What is the purpose of auto tips if we are talking about additional tips? It is HAL who decided to divide the tips among everybody so that each person only gets a little. On the other hand, if everyone on the ship leaves the auto tips on, that amounts to a whole lot of money for the crew.

[Lois R]

Hi:) Ruthann, Trey, Bertha (Ruthann's Mom) and I ate in the Oddessy on the Z last week.

We discussed the tipping policy together. Ruthann read where it stated tipping for the this restaurant was in cash.

The 4 of us didn't have wine that evening.......and our service wasn't what we consider "5 Star".

We tipped a total of 20.00...the bill was 80.00....16.00 would have been 20%...so we left more than that.

I want to ask a question....and I am not being sarcastic...so please bear with me...

When you go to a "5 Star Eatery" in your area....would you say your table always has salt and pepper on it?...and that your waiter is readily available?

[dakrewser]

When you go to a "5 Star Eatery" in your area....would you say your table always has salt and pepper on it?...and that your waiter is readily available?

A true 5* would not have salt & peper on the table, the chef would see that the food is properly seasoned. That's not the case in most US restaurants, unfortunately.

 

Not only should your waiter be available, but he should be at your side just before you realize you need to speak to him. This is one of the criteria I use to decide on a tip for service.

 

-dave

[CINCY40]

The best Eggs Benedict I EVER had was at the Citronelle Restaurant in the Santa Barbara Inn. However DH prefers scrambled eggs with crisp bacon. We had to plead with the waiter who had to plead with the chef in order to get pepper for his scrambled eggs. Perhaps some great chefs have an attitude.

 

On the other hand, we had salt and pepper in the Pinnacle on the Amsterdam and the Zuiderdam. We did not like the darned oil sauce for the bread so had to ask for butter, though.

 

Nancy

[dakrewser]

Perhaps some great chefs have an attitude.

Would you ask Van Gogh to put a bra on the woman in his painting? Ask the Rolling Stones to toss out a guitar and add a saxophone? Yes, a great chef, like any great artist, does have an attitude. It's what makes them strive for greatness.

 

-dave

[Lois R]

Hi Dave:) well, I suppose everyone likes their food seasoned differently.

 

Anyway....as good as our food was.....we had to flag our waiter down...oh, it wasn't the waiter who found us a salt shaker:eek: ..it was Fritz, the Maitr'd.

[doone]

As I understand it, if you give your waiters, room stewards, wine stewards, etc, extra tips, they are able to keep these, they are not pooled. When we ate in the Pinnacle onboard the Rotterdam last March, I put the tip in the billfold as well. It was discrete and worked well. Our waiter and wine steward were wonderful and very deserving of a generous tip.

 

To say you feel they didn't deserve an additional tip, I would only have to assume you had bad service. Even if I have bad service at a restaurant on land, I will always leave 15% and I am sure the mere pittence that the servers in the Pinnacle will receive from the auto tips, wouldn't even be 5%. With that said, I think even if you leave $5 per person in the billfold in the Pinnacle for bad service is better than leaving nothing, which I cannot imagine anyone doing.

 

If my service is excellent, I will absolutely, most definately give extra tips to those who deserve it. I have always had excellent service on all my HAL cruises so I will expect nothing less. I will adjust my extra tip money as I see fit or at all. I will also leave the auto tip in place to be sure the others who work so hard to be sure we have a great cruise, are compensated as well.

[Lois R]

Hi Doone:) Your last post is interesting.....and I guess that is what makes the world go round...that we are all different.

 

"Even if I have bad service at a restaurant on land, I will always leave 15%"

 

Not me...as much as I think I overtip on the good.....If my service is BAD...the wait staff might get 10%.......

 

The Service Industry is tough...I was in it for many years ( a long time ago). It is the kind of profession not everyone can handle....

Bad service reflects the entire evening.....I know people have bad days (we all have them) but as a waiter or waitress....when you are out on the floor, (in my opinion) the bad needs to stay at home.

 

oops sorry, that got Off Topic....:eek: we are talking about tipping on a cruise!

[TedC]

I believe the auto tip is for the wait staff in the main dining room, room stewards and some others.

 

The Pinnacle is an "extra" and the staff there should be tipped commemsurate to the service you receive.

 

(If you leave the auto tip in place your main dining room staff, room steward etc do not have to pool extra tips they receive.)

[dakrewser]

To say you feel they didn't deserve an additional tip, I would only have to assume you had bad service. Even if I have bad service at a restaurant on land, I will always leave 15%

That I definitely disagree with. Bad service does not deserve any tip. Be sure, of course, that it's not the kitchen that's at fault (and not the wait staff) - but why reward someone for doing less than is expected? By all means reward excellent service, people who go above and beyond but be sure those who belong in another line of work get that message.

 

:rolleyes: =dave

[ekerr19]

As I understand it, if you give your waiters, room stewards, wine stewards, etc, extra tips, they are able to keep these, they are not pooled. When we ate in the Pinnacle onboard the Rotterdam last March, I put the tip in the billfold as well. It was discrete and worked well. Our waiter and wine steward were wonderful and very deserving of a generous tip.

 

To say you feel they didn't deserve an additional tip, I would only have to assume you had bad service. Even if I have bad service at a restaurant on land, I will always leave 15% and I am sure the mere pittence that the servers in the Pinnacle will receive from the auto tips, wouldn't even be 5%. With that said, I think even if you leave $5 per person in the billfold in the Pinnacle for bad service is better than leaving nothing, which I cannot imagine anyone doing.

 

If my service is excellent, I will absolutely, most definately give extra tips to those who deserve it. I have always had excellent service on all my HAL cruises so I will expect nothing less. I will adjust my extra tip money as I see fit or at all. I will also leave the auto tip in place to be sure the others who work so hard to be sure we have a great cruise, are compensated as well.

doone-

 

I could not have said it better myself!!! We always tip 10-15% for "less than stellar" service too.

 

To everyone else - please keep in mind - this meal would set you back $150-$200 at home. Tipping should commensurate that price, not the $20 surcharge.

 

dave - I agree with you most of the time, but this time - I have to disagree. We have still tipped 10% for the worst service... DH & I both worked service through college and depended on tips. I hope everyone can keep in mind that some things MAY be out of the server's control...

 

Lois- We also felt the service on the Zui (Pinnacle) was lacking... we waited over 1 hour to be served - not acceptable, IMO. Our drink order was "lost in space" - and we tipped accordingly.

 

We will continue to tip the Pinnacle staff in accordance to our service/dining experience, (even with the auto-tip) whether the tips are pooled or not - but I am still not convinced they are. :)

[laib4]

Do you tip the waiter by USD or Euro if you are in an Europe cruise?

[doone]

Lois, your right, that's what makes the world go round. I will always tip 15% at a minimum, its always more than 20% for good service. I always try to put myself in the server's position, perhaps they are not feeling well that day or maybe they were up all night with a sick child or sick parent, perhaps its the kitchen's fault for the service and perhaps its the manager's inability to manage that restaurant, its not always the server's fault, so I don't want to penalize them. If the service is really bad, I will always mention it to the manager/hostess, you can't correct something you don't know about. I just try to put myself in their position and we all know we all have bad days.

 

My sister was in the food service industry for many years, she worked at this while fighting breast cancer and undergoing chemo and I am sure there were nights that she wasn't at her best, and sometimes it was the kitchen at fault. My sister was one server who wouldn't serve a dish unless she would eat it herself and yes, she sent back alot of dinners to the kitchen and had them done over. She explained these situations to her customers, they were understanding, perhaps thats what was missing when you have bad service, an explanation.

 

I don't and will never take a tip away from a server without understanding the entire situation.