tips...

[laurenlou]

We are not planning on eating dinner at the dining room- just grabbing stuff from the buffet. Is it tacky to adjust our tips for this???

[LONESTAR 101]

If you dont use the dining room at all to eat then yes id say it would be ok to adjust your tips,but if you use it just one time, "YES" Tip them!! If i didnt use the dining room at all I would not tip them because I didnt get any service from the Staff,others might disagree but this is just my own Opinion!! Please keep this pleasant and no Flaming~!;)

 

 

Thanks

Best Regards robert:)

[mom2girls]

If it were me, I wouldn't adjust them. There are people who work the buffet, clean the tables, walk around to refill drinks, etc. Those people should be tipped as well.

[AuntieBon]

The people that work the dining room also work the buffet area and you should leave the tip.

[laurenlou]

So that brings up a good point- does anyone know how tips are disbersed to staff members? If I kept my tips at $100 (2 passengers, 5 days), but never ate at the dining room, would my tips still go to the dining room staff? Or do you tell the cruise line where you want your tips to go?

[LHT28]

So that brings up a good point- does anyone know how tips are disbersed to staff members? If I kept my tips at $100 (2 passengers, 5 days), but never ate at the dining room, would my tips still go to the dining room staff? Or do you tell the cruise line where you want your tips to go?

 

Your $100 also goes to the room steward & wait staff maybe others depending on the cruiseline.

It should give you the break down on the website or in your documents.

 

Someone has to clear the dishes & clean the table in the buffet where you eat.

Or do you mean you will just grab something & eat on the run?

 

I say leave the tip in place.

[garigoun]

A good rule of thumb is:- if you have to ask if anything is tacky or not, then it usually is.

G.

[DonnaK]

You didn't indicate which ship you are on, or whether you have traditional dining. It would be considerate to inform the maitre-d if you do not intend to eat in the dining room so that your table can be reassigned to someone on the waiting list.

 

I wish the cruiselines would make a definitive statement about what to do in cases where one does not eat in the dining room, or only eats there a few nights. On one hand, I would feel inclined to leave the autotip in place with the assumption that the money will go to the appropriate people. And on the other hand, I prefer to tip those who served me directly.

 

Since different cruiselines handle the dispersement of tips differently (autotipping, traditional vs open seating, pooling tips, etc), the "right thing to do" is not consistant across the board.

[simplelife]

A good rule of thumb is:- if you have to ask if anything is tacky or not, then it usually is.

G.

Good point. garigoun!

I've noticed my waiters from the dining room in the evening working the buffet during the day. Those that don't use the dining room are still receiving their service, Keep the tips on.

[cruiserbryce]

I personally would leave them on...I am in the service industry and seemingly am a sucker when it comes to tips...I am unsure how the tips work and how the people in the buffet are tipped out, if its all a tip pool or what but we dont mind throwing a little extra in to recognize the service we recieve

[Jacky4]

We are not planning on eating dinner at the dining room- just grabbing stuff from the buffet. Is it tacky to adjust our tips for this???

 

Just curious...is this your first cruise? I was thinking the same thing about not eating in the dining room on our first cruise since it seemed like a hassle of dressing up and sitting with strangers but someone told me just try it. I am so glad I did. The dining room food is so much better than the buffet and sitting with strangers wasn't as bad as I thought. We ended up eating every night in the dining room.

[My Lady Sydney]

I totally agree with Jacky4, eating in the dining room is so much better. Also, meeting new people at your dinner table is always fun.

I also think the tips should be left in place because as stated before, the same people service the buffet areas too.

[Guest carlogesualdo]

It is true the same people work in the buffet as the dining room, but I have to question the service thing somewhat. The service in the buffet is along of the lines of dishing up food onto a plate as you pass by, clearing the table as you finish, maybe getting you a drink or silverware if you didn't already get it yourself. That's barely more than you get if you go eat at McDonald's.

 

On the other hand, the service in the dining room is a whole other level of service and frankly, I can't think of a single restaurant I've been to in the last 10 years that gave this level of service. They bring several courses to you, they clear dishes, including unnecessary silverware, as each course is completed, they remember your drink and bread preferences, they are incredibly solicitous, and they're watching to make sure you like your dinner. If they think you don't care for the food in front of you, they will ask and they will find something else for you, even if it isn't on that night's menu. That is some incredible service.

 

For the purposes of the question you ask, I say you should still tip if you plan to always eat at the buffet, but I don't think the service merits the entire tip, maybe only 1/4 of what you would have tipped. However, I would echo the remarks of others by saying if you're eating in the buffet to try to save money on tips, you're going to deprive yourself of one of the great pleasures of cruising (see my previous paragraph). Reconstituted egg product in the morning, even to save tip money, just doesn't make up for that kind of service. In fact, we ate at the buffet the first morning aboard because we thought that's what you're supposed to do. The second morning we ate in the dining room and never went back to the buffet again.

[emmaco]

I agree .....leave the tips on.

[LHT28]

 

For the purposes of the question you ask, I say you should still tip if you plan to always eat at the buffet, but I don't think the service merits the entire tip, maybe only 1/4 of what you would have tipped.

 

just as an example:

Carnival's breakdown of tips is $ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services

 

so you are saying that a tip of $1.40 pp p/d is is ok for 3 meals a day... that works out to less than 50 cents a meal that does not even take into account any dishes you may use at other times of the day

 

It is worth every penny of the $5.50 if I do not have to cook the meal or do the dishes ;)

[topofE]

I don't think that's a tacky question at all.

This will be my third time on a cruise and MAYBE I will have my third meal ever in the dining room on this one...

On my first cruise we were just always on the go. We either ate the pizza or the sandwich shop or the buffet constantly.

Last time I went once, didn't get a great vibe from the other guests at our table (I went with my dad...long story...boyfriend and I bought the tickets and he broke up with me to get back with his ex so I gave his ticket to my dad) and they kept remarking that first night how strange it was that I went with my dad and how they thought we were dating at first and so on, and never went back. I LOVE the buffet food. The fresh fruit, the salad bar, the constantly changing pasta bar, the meat and cheeses to make your own sandwich...yum!! (Plus, i am kind of a meat and potato kind of person. not into seafood or any "exotic" food so the dining room was a little too fancy for me. And this time, I will be travelling with my 2 year old. TO save the other guests I am sure they would appreciate her not going.

 

That being said, I will leave the tips the same. I wish there was some way to tip the buffet staff themselves as I actually do love the buffet. But I don't think it's fair to think anyone is skipping the dining room to avoid the tips. Everyone has their reasons and after spending this much money on a cruise, the 5.50 a day is hardly worth being called tacky...

[Guest carlogesualdo]

just as an example:

Carnival's breakdown of tips is $ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services

 

so you are saying that a tip of $1.40 pp p/d is is ok for 3 meals a day... that works out to less than 50 cents a meal that does not even take into account any dishes you may use at other times of the day

 

It is worth every penny of the $5.50 if I do not have to cook the meal or do the dishes ;)

 

I'm pretty sure my tips are going to the 2 waiters in the dining room. They're not being shared by everyone working in the buffet, and certainly not by the person in the back washing the dishes. I don't leave tips for that. I figure that's part of the cost of the meal when I eat out (do you tip your dishwasher?) and I figure that's probably part of my cruise fare here. I'm not saying they aren't earning the tips, but the level of service you receive in the buffet is nowhere near that of what you get in the buffet. And no I do not believe it deserves the full tip that would be going, in full, to the two waiters who would have been serving me in the dining room anyway.

[LHT28]

I'm pretty sure my tips are going to the 2 waiters in the dining room. They're not being shared by everyone working in the buffet, and certainly not by the person in the back washing the dishes..

 

I guess you would have to ask Carnival who is covered under "Dining Room Services"

 

JMO

I much prefer the "pooling method" of tips that way the wait staff I have for breakfast, lunch & tea are also covered since breakfast & lunch in the dining room is open seating and they deserve a tip as much as the dinner wait staff.

[srlafleur]

From everything I have ever read about cruise ship tipping, the tips are pooled and shared with the people we never see, but who also work their butts off for our convenience and comfort (laundry, dishwashers, additional cleaning crew).

I would leave the tips on.

[London Traveller]

I'm a newbie travelling next month with my 2 daughters. We have paid the tips upfront. Do we pay again? If so, how much in $. Coming from the UK i really have no idea on what is acceptable or would be considered 'stingy'

[Guest carlogesualdo]

If you pay your tips up front, you do not pay any additional unless you feel like someone has gone out of their way to provide exceptional service. There are some people you will need to tip in addition, however. These are: porters who carry your luggage ($1 or $2 per bag, generally), room service (generally $1 or $2), and individually for each alcoholic drink you buy (15% or so, they will add this on to your bill automatically).

[Guest carlogesualdo]

From everything I have ever read about cruise ship tipping, the tips are pooled and shared with the people we never see, but who also work their butts off for our convenience and comfort (laundry, dishwashers, additional cleaning crew).

I would leave the tips on.

 

I didn't realize that. I stand by my original response. It's all academic anyway - unlike the OP, I plan to eat at the buffet as little as possible. The dining room waiters will be truly earning my tips.

[LHT28]

I'm a newbie travelling next month with my 2 daughters. We have paid the tips upfront. Do we pay again? '

 

No you do not need to pay again

You may have tips added to the drinks not sure how it works for U.K. passengers.

[London Traveller]

Thanks guys

 

Your response has been helpful. Didn't think about the luggage and drinks so will change up some $ before we board ;)

[Guest carlogesualdo]

Thanks guys

 

Your response has been helpful. Didn't think about the luggage and drinks so will change up some $ before we board ;)

 

They'll add the drink tips onto your account so you won't need cash for that up front. But you'll definitely need it for luggage both before and after your cruise. I forgot about after on my last cruise and had to carry my own luggage. They do have an ATM on board in case you run out of money in the casino or something...