HAL. Room service and skipping the formal nights

[Boytjie]

So, if one does tip for room service, what currency do you use? We pay for everything else in USD, but we'll also have local currency (in our case NZ and AUS dollars) to use on shore. Most of the crew are Indonesian, which uses yet another currency. So which do you use to tip?

 

Everything on the ship seems to be in US dollars so we tip in US dollars.

[cruzmaven]

Okay, here I go! :)

 

Yes, HAL has room service and you can order off the dining room menu as long as you order during the time dinner is being served. But, I don't know what kind of cabin you are considering ... if you don't have room (like on a balcony or enough room in the cabin) to spread out, it's gonna be difficult eating on the bed.

 

Now, here's where I'm gonna get into trouble ...

 

The Westerdam is a Vista class ship. The Eurodam is a Signature class ship. I would assume you're sailing some sort of Alaska itinerary? Seven days? If so, you're gonna find the whole onboard environment rather casual because it will be a lot of families. People aren't going to get too dressed up in Alaska, just as they wouldn't in the Caribbean.

 

Personally, I would say that if you dress nicely (no tee-shirts or shorts or jeans or flip flips) you could probably get away with going to the dining room on formal night. As long as everyone looks their best in casual clothing, I can't imagine you being turned away ... especially in this age of airline baggage limits.

 

 

This is exactly what I was going to say and I didn't want Rita's point to be lost in the tipping discussion.

 

I think some new cruisers are intimidated by "Formal Nights". A dark sport jacket will be good enough for the guys and the women certainly don't need a gown. There's plenty of discussions on this board about acceptable "Formal" attire. I wouldn't suggest people show up to formal night in khaki's and sport shirts but tuxedos and gowns are not required. Its your vacation people, those who enjoy being dressed to the nines will do so, that doesn't mean you have to hide in your room or run to the Lido. Make yourself presentable and walk into the main dinning room with your head held high. No one is going to say anything (until they get back home and post it here).

[lovesublime]

Lots of good info and advice here. Thanks to all for taking the time! This would be a Caribbean cruise. We just returned from Alaska-second year in a row. It looks like the Westerdam and Eurodam both will be in the Caribbean in November. We normally enjoy dressing for formal evenings, but this time with it being at the start of the holiday season we just aren't loving the idea of it.

 

We've ordered room service plenty on other lines and we do always tip the person who delivers it. Again, thanks for all the great advice!

[kryos]

Make yourself presentable and walk into the main dinning room with your head held high. No one is going to say anything (until they get back home and post it here).

LOL ... now that's the best laugh I had all week. So true, unfortunately.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I think some new cruisers are intimidated by "Formal Nights". A dark sport jacket will be good enough for the guys and the women certainly don't need a gown.

I'd even go one further and say a nice dress shirt with a tie will work for the guys, and any sort of nice blouse and dress pants will work for a woman on an Alaska or Caribbean cruise.

 

Believe me, you're gonna see lots of people in that dining room dressed far worse than that on formal nights.

 

Now, on a Med cruise or perhaps a TransAtlantic, maybe then I would be a bit more careful ... because you do tend to get many more of the "hard core" cruisers who really like to dress up in the evenings. On a cruise such as that, you may have a problem walking into the dining room on a formal night without at least making the effort to put on a jacket or a nice dress, or dressy pants suit. I tend to think the dining room managers would want to please the majority ... and if a sailing had a majority of people adhering strictly to formal night guidelines, they may turn someone away from the dining room who didn't adhere to them. But you're definitely not going to have that problem on a seven-day Caribbean or Alaska cruise. There is a different sort of cruiser on them ... the families, the younger age demographic, the type of ports where you need a certain kind of clothes to enjoy them ... bulky clothes for Alaska maybe, island-type attire for the Caribbean. The whole cruise, as a result, will be more informal and I think the majority in the dining room won't be dressing too formal.

 

I'll be honest ... I'm doing a 35-day Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in September, and I am not planning on bringing along ANYTHING that would strictly be considered as formal. I'll certainly pack some nice clothes, with a nice velvet jacket to "formal" them up ... but nothing that could remotely be considered as formalwear. This is an island cruise, for God's sake ... it shouldn't even be that formal.

 

And you know what else? I'll eat in the dining room most nights too ... including most of those eight formal nights we will have. And you know what else? I doubt anyone will so much as bat an eye ... because I will look good and it will show that I am making the effort to look presentable. And that's all HAL really cares about, in my opinion.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

It is customary to tip the person delivering room service a few bucks. We have only done coffee or breakfast in the morning and I would give a dollar or two. (Am I cheap?! :eek:)

Not cheap at all. That's exactly what I tip. Now maybe if I ordered a full meal ... from soup to nuts ... I might tip a bit more ... but for normal room service orders (some coffee and breakfast rolls ... perhaps a snack late at night) for one person, I consider two bucks more than sufficient as a tip. In fact, I always get $50 bucks in one dollar bills from my bank before a cruise and keep that hidden in one of the dresser drawers specifically for room service orders. This way I don't have to keep going to the safe to get the money for the tip.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Seago2]

This is one of the big reasons that I bring a minimum of $100 in $1 dollar bills when we go on a cruise. Room service, taxi fares in port, paying for bottled water in port, and haggling with local vendors (much easier to get a ten dollar price down to six bucks if you're not standing there holding a twenty!!), tipping cocktail waitresses and bartenders extra if the mood strikes. It always seems like a pain in the neck to run into the bank to get the singles right before we leave but it is sooooo worth it. I should have brought $200 last time. We went into a local supermarket in Costa Rica and bought a bunch of coffee- each bag cost something like 4500. Okay... 4500! Sounds like a deal! Or not! Who knows? Not us. So we had those singles and did not end up with a bunch of mysterious change possibly at a sketchy, on the spot exchange rate.

 

By the way, the coffee was great. If you are ever traveling to Panama, Costa Rica, or Colombia, as we did on our last cruise, don't bother buying the coffee at the port. Go right into a supermarket and buy it there. We must have brought 20 bags home to give as gifts- each one cost us less than 4 bucks- and it was great coffee!

[Krazy Kruizers]

So, if one does tip for room service, what currency do you use? We pay for everything else in USD, but we'll also have local currency (in our case NZ and AUS dollars) to use on shore. Most of the crew are Indonesian, which uses yet another currency. So which do you use to tip?

 

We always tip in US Dollars.

The crew doesn't have the opportunity to go to a bank to exchange the money before they go to the post office and send money home.

[Krazy Kruizers]

This is one of the big reasons that I bring a minimum of $100 in $1 dollar bills when we go on a cruise. Room service, taxi fares in port, paying for bottled water in port, and haggling with local vendors (much easier to get a ten dollar price down to six bucks if you're not standing there holding a twenty!!), tipping cocktail waitresses and bartenders extra if the mood strikes. It always seems like a pain in the neck to run into the bank to get the singles right before we leave but it is sooooo worth it. I should have brought $200 last time. We went into a local supermarket in Costa Rica and bought a bunch of coffee- each bag cost something like 4500. Okay... 4500! Sounds like a deal! Or not! Who knows? Not us. So we had those singles and did not end up with a bunch of mysterious change possibly at a sketchy, on the spot exchange rate.

 

By the way, the coffee was great. If you are ever traveling to Panama, Costa Rica, or Colombia, as we did on our last cruise, don't bother buying the coffee at the port. Go right into a supermarket and buy it there. We must have brought 20 bags home to give as gifts- each one cost us less than 4 bucks- and it was great coffee!

 

Why bring a big wad of $1 bills? Just bring a hundred dollar bill and change it at the front office -- or if you are in a suite -- the concierges can do that for you.

That's what we do.

[sail7seas]

I keep an envelope from whatever hotel we were in post cruise from our last cruise in my carryon. I put whatever one's and five's we have left from our tip money 'stash' from the last cruise in it. When we prepare to go on our next cruise, I put $50 - $100 more ones/fives in the envelope and know it is there for tips as wanted.

 

I enjoy taking out the envelope from the last cruise and remembering back to the good time we had on that one as we embark on our next.

[Rotterdam]

I've stayed in my cabin plenty of evenings & had dinner delivered...if you ask your steward they will bring the menu to your cabin...just give them plenty of notice & followup!

 

A few years ago I met a couple on teh promenade deck having wine & cheese at dinner time - they said they never go to teh diningroom..its all about the sea for them...

 

Also remember the bar b ques - another way to have a causal dinner!!

 

Enjoy!

[GMWT10A]

In all my cruising, I've wanted to have breakfast on our balcony/verandah, whatever...and it just never happened for some reason.

 

On our next cruise in October, we'll be in a great suite on the Navigation deck and I really plan to get at least a Continental breakfast to enjoy out on our HUGE verandah!!

 

All we need is for the weather to cooperate!!!

 

As for the dress-up nights, we just don't bother. We end up in the Lido and enjoy the same food, INCLUDING the lobster on the big night in the dining room. (although coming from Boston, I don't even care) :D

[Aunty KK]

There was a poster not too long ago who described dining in their cabin every night. I believe if they timed it correctly they were able to order from the same menu being served in the dining room. I cannot remember the posters name, Nancy comes to mind but I'm not sure. Perhaps someone else could refer you to that post.

 

Enjoy your cruise!