WindJammer for all meals

[Prphan2]

[quote name='gowhitesox99']uh oh didnt mean to open the box.. sorry!

I should have left the tipping part out of it.

Yes I loved the food and the freedom to eat whenever.

I didn't tip the waiter, I got my own food, my own drink, I didn't even accept any drinks from the people walking around with them I always went and got my own. Go easy on me :-)[/quote]


We cleaned up your table?

[N2DFIRE]

[SIZE=2]That's why it's your [/SIZE][SIZE=4][B]Vacation.[/B][SIZE=2] You can do what ever you want. I like eating in the Dinning Room. It's your choice to stay in your room and order room service, stay on the ship during port days, or not seeing any shows, but not tipping is wrong.

[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[cruisinkitten]

We have always done the dining room for dinner but I am looking to do a more relaxed cruise next time. The reviews of dinner in the windjammer sound really nice and casual so i am definately going to try that next time. So what I am planning on doing is signing up for MTD and doing a couple of night in the dining room and the rest in the windjammer. How does the tipping work with MTD. I would like to prepay tips to get it out of the way but how do I know the right people get tips? Do the windjammer staff get any of that tip money or should I make sure to tip them extra?

Gheesh you would think this is my first cruise or something since I am so confused. :confused: :p

[Mikew0805]

[quote name='PattyW']I have to agree with those that say that many may not understand the big picture regarding tipping the waitstaff. The RCCL FAQ's state:

Dining Room Waiter: $3.50 USD a day per guest
Assistant Waiter: $2.00 USD a day per guest
Headwaiter: $.75 USD a day per guest

It doesn't say anything about tipping the WJ staff, the cafe promenade staff, the Johnny Rockets staff or anyone else. If I didn't know any better, I would think that you did not have to tip the dining room staff if you did not use their services. In fact, I think it is absolutely counterintuitive that you DO tip the waitstaff when you don't utilize their services.[/quote]

I agree.

I actually do not get some peoples stance on this. I certainly understand that ALL the servers should expect and get tipped based on services rendered!! NOT.. "just because!" If in the WJ, someone makes their own plate, cleans up after themselves, and receives no type of service.. what exactly should they be tipping for??? Seems like a waste to eat in the WJ for dinner, but if someone wants to, they should.

Let me put it this way... I actually deliver pizza as a part time extra job. I am paid less than minimum wage, and expect to earn tips for my service of delivering a product to the customers door. (even though there are some cheap people out there) So what everyone is saying here is that those customers that choose to come "carryout" their order should still tip me, because I was there and would have provided the service if they chose to use it????? NOT!

Makes no sense... if service is not rendered, then I do not consider a person who does not tip for not receiving a service as cheap/low class, or whatever it would be called. I will reserve that for those who do receive adequate or above service and still do not tip.

[cruisecrasy]

[quote name='lovetocruise75']We usually eat 4-5 nights in the Windjammer and 2-3 nights in the dining room. Nothing against the dining room but I wear a suit everyday and do not get dressed up on vacation! That being said, we always make sure to tip our wait staff in the MDR.

For those of you who do not know, a waiter on a RCCL ship is paid approximately $100 per month. They rely on tips and usually send all money they make back to their families in other countries. Working on a cruise ship is an up-at-dawn round-the-clock 7 day per week job for 3-4 months at a time and IS NOT AT ALL GLAMOROUS!!

Give them something even if you don't eat in the MDR!![/QUOTE]

I believe waiters earn more than $100 per month. I have talked to several folks 'in the know' so to speak..and they agree with the article mentioned below..

Under 'Features' here on CC there are excellent, IMO, articles - Under The Captains Table -written by a Celebrity Captains wife - Joyce Gleeson-Adamidis who is a former cruise ship staff member in her own right and the one I refer to is entitled 'Gratuities - Whats The Point'..
I personally find her articles most informative..

In this article she outlines the ins & outs of tipping & wages onboard cruise ships.

A waiter can be in the $2,000 to $3,200 range & a busboy (assist. waiter) is $1,200 to $1,800 per mo! It isn't clear whether this does or doesn't include the tips..

Whatever their initial salary is - I totally agree that the staff shld all receive a tip (unless u had very bad &/or rude service and that is highly unlikely.

In the WJ the staff puts out the food, plates, napkins etc, cleans tables, gets drinks when asked, clean up spills, serve pax at the 'stations' etc (and are the same folks who also serve in the MDR) & if this doesn't qualify as 'service' I don't know what does...!!

Sure wld if u were in a restaurant ashore...and the cruise fares are so low these days anyway, no one cld even imagine they include tips..!

Easiest way to solve the problem of tipping is having it automatically added to your SeaPass acct.
Putting it on the SeaPass means not having to remember to tip if u are the forgetful type.. :)

Have happy cruisin'!

[bobstheboy]

I am happy to pre pay tips, having selected MTD.

I do not believe it necessary to then tip everyone who gives me service once on board, Speciality Restaurants excepted. Some who have posted are obviously doing this and IMO that's OTT.

[octagonmike]

OK.

Having recently been on an Ocean Village cruise where all of the inclusive dining is within two buffett restaurants, I cannot wait to board Liberty in May and be waited upon.

All this talk about having to put a suit on to eat in the MDR is nonsense from what I understand. I have never sailed on RC ships but I understood that suits were generally expected for Formal nights only.

Having seen the menus for the MDR I am really looking forward to it.

[Sue (mom of 3 boys!)]

We struck up a nice rapport with our waiter on our recent cruise. He told us they get a $50 stipend from RCCL a month for incidentals (laundry soap, personal items, phone cards, etc.). The rest of their salaries come directly from tipping. This is also the same for stateroom attendants, asst. waiters
The dining room staff also rotates through the Windjammer.
We also were told this by a few other crew members, and we did not get the feeling they were snowballing us to get highter tips.

I agree with the poster that said to let the maitre de know if you will not be eating in the dining room. There were 2 people at our table who did not come to dinner at all. Their friends (who were at our table) knew they would not be there at all. But because they never officially let anyone know, they could not fill their seats. There were a lot of people on the waitlist for main seating, but they couldn't give those seats away.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

We have prepaid our tips so as not to leave anyone out but will tip extra if we feel someone really deserves it. My point I would like to make about the staff living in small rooms working lots of hours and not seeing their families etc....................... They choose to do this kind of work, I dont tip because I feel sorry for them, they have to earn it like we work hard to earn our wages.

[whyrlygig]

The only way it would be fair to not tip any of the dining staff, would be to never eat one morsel on board and never step foot in any food venue. Otherwise, it's just plain selfish.

[travelpig]

Hi, DH and i do all our meals in Windjammer or at the alternate restaurants. We consider it "our time dining". We got tired of doing the dining room with all its hoopla. As for tips we sailed on the Radiance and there was a tip box for the Windjammer which we gladly tipped. The next ship we were on had no box or anything, we were not sure what we were supposed to do. I'm not sure if people skip the dining room to avoid paying tips or don't like to have to dress up. This is their trip however they want to have it. That being said back to the meaning of TIPS, to insure prompt service. Many people feel at a buffet setup they are not obligated to tip, whether on a ship or in a restaurant.

[petesweet]

[quote name='Mikew0805']Makes no sense... if service is not rendered, then I do not consider a person who does not tip for not receiving a service as cheap/low class, or whatever it would be called. I will reserve that for those who do receive adequate or above service and still do not tip.[/quote]

The operative term is "release your table." That way, the fine service team in the MDR can have another couple (or whatever) assigned to the table to supplement their tip income, which is so important to them.

[stuball]

Over Christmas our family sailed a 10 day on teh Navigator. My 12 adn 8 yesr olds rarely ate in the MDR. I think three times for my older sona dn twice for my daughter (first night and New Years). But we tipped pretty much the same as if they did. Even if you don't eat breakfast or lunch in the MDR those waiters are serving you in the buffet and at dinner they are rotated through. For those who say the buffet is not full service, ask yourself who is clearing your plates, bringing water, keeping the buffet clean, setting up tables, rolling set ups. Having worked in the resturant business through school a buffet service is just as much work as seated dinner.

If people did nto tip in the past because they didn't think they had to that's one thing, but there seem to be a good many folks who just think they shouldn't. Probbaly the same folks who don't show up in the MDR the last night of the cruise after eating there the reset of the trip.

Now, all of this could be solved if the ship built this into the price, but we know they won't unless everyone does it.

[setsail]

[quote name='cruisePRN'][B]If I ate all my meals in the WJ I would not tip the main dining room since there was no service rendered. I would tip the people in the WJ who gave me service and would not tip the full amount, it is a buffet not full service. There is no waiter and assistant waiter or Maitre D but a prorated tip would be how I would do it.[/B][/QUOTE]

Is this another perk for D+

[petesweet]

[quote name='cruisecrasy']In the WJ the staff puts out the food, plates, napkins etc, cleans tables, gets drinks when asked, clean up spills, serve pax at the 'stations' etc (and are the same folks who also serve in the MDR) & if this doesn't qualify as 'service' I don't know what does...!!

Easiest way to solve the problem of tipping is having it automatically added to your SeaPass acct.
Putting it on the SeaPass means not having to remember to tip if u are the forgetful type.. :)

Have happy cruisin'![/quote]

Two points:

In one post I mentioned we did not get any particular service in the WJ. I did not, of course, mean the staff did not work hard. It's just that there was no particular person we would have been inclined to TIP. That's what makes it difficult to think about tipping in the WJ and why I asked the maitre d' to handle the situation for us.

Second, putting your tips on your seapass card keeps you from having to get the right change, etc., to fill envelopes, but you still have the problem of knowing to whom you should give the envelopes if you do anything out of the normal routine (which is what this thread is about).

I say again that I wish we would go to the automatic service charge and then everyone will be treated well.:) And to ward off any comments about how that makes the service suffer, I'll add that we have never noticed that on our few cruises with NCL.

[Gonzo70]

[quote name='cruisecrasy']I believe waiters earn more than $100 per month. I have talked to several folks 'in the know' so to speak..and they agree with the article mentioned below..

A waiter can be in the $2,000 to $3,200 range & a busboy (assist. waiter) is $1,200 to $1,800 per mo! It isn't clear whether this does or doesn't include the tips..
[/quote]

On Royal Caribbean waiters earn a salary of $50 per month. The figures you are quoting are their expected pay [I]with [/I]tips.

[cruisePRN]

[quote name='setsail']Is this another perk for D+[/quote]
You need some anger management. I will post my honest opinion and if you don't like it there is an ignore button you can use. That way you needn't see any of my posts and your resentment of D+ cruisers may dissipate.

[cruisePRN]

[quote name='petesweet']

I say again that I wish we would go to the automatic service charge and then everyone will be treated well.:) And to ward off any comments about how that makes the service suffer, I'll add that we have never noticed that on our few cruises with NCL.[/quote]

[B]Service will be worse when the tips are mandatory. I sailed on the Pride of Hawaii and the service was really bad. I know it's an American crew not the same as NCL it's NCLA and they should operate the same.
If tips are mandatory then they aren't tips, they are part of the cruise fare. I read that HAL used to have it this way and changed it so apparently it work for them. I think cruising has become to cheap and wouldn't mind seeing the fare raised and the quality of the food improved.
[/B]

[setsail]

[quote name='cruisePRN']You need some anger management. I will post my honest opinion and if you don't like it there is an ignore button you can use. That way you needn't see any of my posts and your resentment of D+ cruisers may dissipate.[/QUOTE]

I graduated from that class 26 years ago when I first started sailing with RCCL.
Angry cruisers are the pits and so is sitting at a table listening to a whiny pax complain about everything about RCCL yet they find away to book another cruise with them, HELLO.

[Sabbo]

We also tip. Then again we love the MDR experience because we don't get to do it at home. BTW we also love dressing up, this includes my son who has been crusing with us for 3 years. We purchased a TUX for him and he loves to were it. Make him feel like James Bond I guess. There has only been 1 time I didn't tip and it was the Head Waiter who was basically useless. He was rude and we always got the feeling he didn't really want to be there. Actually he probably still got the tip since we purchased prepaid grat. We did however hold them out and placed them with our comment card and requested the tips go to our waiter and asst. waiter who were fantastic. We usually tip above the recommend amounts and give this in cash. My feeling on mandatory tipping is the same as it is when I go into a restaurant and because I have 8 people am automatically assessed a 18% rate. Since they feel the 18% is appropriate, I usually decide to to my 20%+.

[DGNY]

[quote name='cruisePRN'][B]Service will be worse when the tips are mandatory. I sailed on the Pride of Hawaii and the service was really bad. I know it's an American crew not the same as NCL it's NCLA and they should operate the same.
If tips are mandatory then they aren't tips, they are part of the cruise fare. I read that HAL used to have it this way and changed it so apparently it work for them. I think cruising has become to cheap and wouldn't mind seeing the fare raised and the quality of the food improved.
[/B][/quote]

Had nothing but outstanding service on Princess last June. A daily tip was automatically placed on my account (although I could have gone to the front desk to adjust it if needed).

[dgwags]

[quote name='Cthy651']On our last couple of cruises, we have eaten most of our meals in the Windjammer. The reason: do not want to get dressed up for dinner, want to eat, when we choose.
Do we tip? Certainly every night as a matter of fact.
When on a cruise vacation, you have a choice of where to eat, please do not criticize those who wish to eat somewhere else, besides the dining room.[/quote]
I have to say I really respect you for this. You don't seem the Norm here on CC, you don't complain that you can't wear whatever you want in the MDR, you just go to the Windjammer.
I thank you for this unique take on where to eat.

[terri23]

Perhaps RC should change the listing (maybe this isn't the best wording but the idea should be clear):

"Dining Room Waiter [B][U]and service in buffet venues[/U][/B]: $3.50 USD a day per guest"

then, certain people couldn't use WJ dining as an excuse not to tip for their food service all week.

Those of you who prefer WJ dining all week, [U][B]please[/B][/U] tell the MD you will not be using your reserved MDR seats. :)

[cruisePRN]

[B]The OP is not asking about the main dining room they asked if they NEVER use the dining room.

The title of the thread is

WINDJAMMER FOR ALL MEALS

The windjammer is a buffet and not full service, there is no waiter, assistant waiter nor Maitr'D
[/B]

[dgwags]

[quote name='Pomperaugrr']I have not seen a reply that criticized eating in the windjammer every night in this thread. It is a very viable option. While you indicate you tipped, the OP seems to indicate that he did not tip the wait staff at all. As I said above, the best thing about cruising is that there are so many options for everyone, including dining choices. It is good to share the experience and ease the minds of those who are considering that option. Bragging about saving money buy not tipping is just not cool though. I am still giving the OP the benefit of the doubt in that he did not clearly state whether he tipped the wait staff in this thread.

Eric[/quote]
I was thinking of just using the Windjammer on our next cruise but we really like the interaction and treatment given by the waiters in the MDR.

I do have to admit that part of my thinking also included not having to tip, I never thought of what everyone has stated about tipping in this thread and it has opened my eyes. If I ever do use just the Windjammer in the future I will pay my tips. Maybe the OP didn't think of this either and their eyes are now opened.