Tipping @ Supper Clubs?

[GOTTA CRUISE NOW]

Do we need to tip above the $25 @ the supper clubs? We are planning on going to Nick & Nora's 2x on the Miracle next week & were just wondering.

[L2J]

Do we need to tip above the $25 @ the supper clubs? We are planning on going to Nick & Nora's 2x on the Miracle next week & were just wondering.

I think that $25 includes gratuity but if you get good service it would be nice to tip more.

[CaribbeanCruiseJunkie]

The $25 fee does NOT include gratuities. Maybe Carnival should take a hint from RCCL...$20 including gratuity. The fee and gratuity are worth it IMHO.

[Mike A]

I would assume that if you are paying an additional $25 pp at least some would go to the Wait Staff. While I understand the the food and service is very good it can't be that much better than the main dining room. In addition in the Carnival Brochure it states that $.90 of the $10.00 pp suggested gratuity goes to alternative dining and you can make adjustments. I plan on dining in the Supper Club on both nites of our 10/22 CTN. As a result, I would request that the $5.50 per day that would normally go to the dining room be given to the Alternate Dining Staff.

[pnjkeith]

The $25 fee is enough to pay extra for food, cooked in same kitchen as the dining roomfood. You are already paying a daily tip, why pay more???

[CoachTerry14]

The $25 fee is enough to pay extra for food, cooked in same kitchen as the dining roomfood. You are already paying a daily tip, why pay more???

 

I watched my steak being cooked in David's - It is not the same kitchen!

[wwakla]

That's right. On the Pride the food is prepared right there in David's. You can see the grill, located near the dance floor.

I have to say something about tipping. You pay $10 a day that is split many, many ways. Now count all the people that wait on you. Make sure you include the person wiping up the juice you spilled on the counter and the person making your omelet. Count every person. These people clean, cook and will get anything you ask for. I can honestly say that there was not one worker that didn't smile and acknowledge us.

Can you spare $5 for the excellant service you will most likely receive? I don't know about the other ships but on the Pride our servers told us that they work exclusively at the supper club. They are trained to service you for FINE dining. By the way we had such wonderful service we tipped $20 per couple. The food is NOT like the dining room. We had the steak and it melted in our mouths.

Sorry for ranting but now I can see why others have.

[suzybruner]

None of the $25 goes to the wait staff in the supper club. The chef-servers do not work the other dining venues. So please tip them! We tip $10 per person when eating in the supper club.

 

Suzy

[ccletzgo]

does carnival still do the envelopes at the end of the cruise? I thought you had a choice of the flat $10.00 a day added to your cruise rate, or envelopes at the end of the cruise. We like to thank the people that made our cruise so nice, shake there hands, give them there envelope and say good-bye.

[coold8]

Tip if service is extravgent, don't tip if service sucks, and if your in the middle tip half as much as you would. These people work hard to get money on the boats, so obviously if you are their guest, then you have more money to give then they do (on cruises of course), sothen give them a little more so they can go on a vacation of their own. Meh do w.e you want lol. I have to go bells about to ring.

[CaribbeanCrazy]

Is 10.00pp the norm when tipping in the supper clubs?

Also...this may sound like a dumb question...but how do you tip them? Do you just hand 20.00 to the waiter at the end of the meal? Or is it added to your sail & sign card??

CaribbeanCrazy

[suzybruner]

No they did not give us the usual envelopes at the end of the cruise. I had to ask our steward to dig up envelopes for us, and all they had was Maitre 'd envelopes.

 

Tips are now automatic on your s/s card. We went to the purser's and had them removed, so we could pay cash. The automatic tips are not paid to the staff until the end of the month by Carnival, or at least that's what I read here.

 

In the supper club, you get a bill for $25 per person, and there's a line for "gratuity" you just write it in if you want. Or you can tip with cash if you prefer. You sign the bill just like at any restaurant when you eat in the supper club.

 

I base my tipping on how much the meal would have cost me "on land" and then figure 15% or so. It is definitely a $50 to $75 a plate meal.

 

Suzy

[GOTTA CRUISE NOW]

What a wide range of answers! I think I know what we'll do now.

Thanks for your help!

[bphman]

What a bunch of cheapskates!. If you can afford the extra money for the supper club then you can afford a tip. The service is exceptional and the wait staff go overboard with their service.

 

If you figure what you would pay a land-based restaurant for what you get, the tip alone would be $15 each person at least. If you are given a free entre on a 2 for 1 offer, you should tip on what the actual total check would be. And to suggest you deduct the tip from the dining room staff for a missed meal is totally unacceptable. Your dining room staff should not suffer because you chose to eat elsewhere. I would suggest a minimum of $10 pp in David's. We tipped $20 pp because no detail was left unattended.

 

As far as RCL's policy, only a few dollars go towards the actual tip out of the fee which I thought was up to $25 pp. So, they're not being overgenerous either.

[foilman2002]

We ate at The Golden Fleece on the Legend last September. All I can say is those who are talking about not tipping because the food is the same and the service is maybe a notch above the main dining room have not eaten in the supper clubs. Once you go, you'll have no problem tipping. And if you do. . . ,well, I'll stop there. The service is excellent, the food is very good to excellent and everything is very elegant. We were four at a table, and tipped $10.00 pp.

[steveaaaa]

The $25 fee does NOT include gratuities. Maybe Carnival should take a hint from RCCL...$20 including gratuity. The fee and gratuity are worth it IMHO.

Where did you get that info??:confused:

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Nouveau_Supper_Club.aspx

 

The reservation fee is $25 per guest, per entree. This fee includes the wait staffs' gratuity; additional gratuities are optional and may be extended in cash or to the guest's Sail & Sign Account, at the guest's discretion. The reservation fee does not include any beverage that is normally ordered through the bar service such as wine, liquor, soda and bottled water. There is nightly entertainment during dinner such as a cabaret singer or duet along with a large dance floor. There is also a cooking display area where guests can watch the chefs prepare their culinary masterpieces.

 

Steve

[madelinerose]

Hi, sl....We will definitely tip.