Tipping in the specialty restaurants

[Overtyme]

Okay - here's my question. At the end of the cruise, you tip your cabin attendant, the dining room staff, concierge (sp?) if you've used one, etc...

Are you supposed to tip the staff at Chops or Portofino's?

Do you tip less in the dining room if you're going to use the specialty restaurants 2 of the 6 nights (we'll be missing dinner on the 1st night of our 7 night cruise since we'll first be boarding around 8PM)?

Please let me know what ettiquette dictates? We typically over tip regardless, but have always made it to dinner every night and have always had incredible service.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

Serenade of the Seas 12/4/2004

[VABeach]

You're going to be BOARDING at 8:00pm???

[Overtyme]

yep. Unfortunately, but it's the latest we can board. We are going to a wedding that day and (long story short) the bride and groom are going to be going with us on the cruise, afterward (not our idea - i know that I would'nt want to go on my honeymoon with family, but this was their plan).

[MadCnty]

JMHO... Tip, like you would for any fine dining experience...

[TERRY223]

Will the questions of when,where , and how (much) :confused: to tip ever end ?:eek: ? Probably not:( . So here is my TIP to all that read these boards, " In the likely event, that you cruise,don't cruise, plan to cruise someday or not, or just leave your house to go to a 5 star restaurant or McDonalds- TIP,TIP,always TIP, and if you are still confused about it - REPEAT PROCESS UNTIL YOU ARE NO LONGER CONFUSED.. TIP at Portofinos, TIP at Chops, TIP at the Windjammer if someone brings you a beverage, TIP at the bars- over and above what is charged to your Sea-pass account, TIP the Wait-staff in the dining room if you are there for every meal OR NOT". If you do not TIP when you receive a personal service, or you cut back on the amount of a TIP to the dining room staff because you missed being there one night, your fault or not, you will be thought of as "CHEAP" and in my ( ever so humble)opinion, rightly so!!!

[dougp26364]

I tipped $20 for dinner for 4 on top of the cost to dine there. I prepaid the tips for the dinning room staff and did not short them a nights tip just because we choose to dine at a specialty restaurant.

 

So, IMO, tip the dining room staff as you normally would and tip the specialty restaurant staff as you feel appropriate.

[bUU]

Many folks consider the surcharge at the specialty restaurants to be a service charge and reduce the tip accordingly.

[ruttie]

I thought the 20.00 service charge was for the tip???

[bUU]

Indeed, inquiries to the cruise line seem to, as often as not (or even more often), indicate precisely that, ruttie. It's one of those things for which there is no definitive "right" or "wrong" answer, apparently, and so it is up to each of our own discretion. Personally, IMHO $20 pp is much too much to tip servers at a restaurant of that sort, in that context. I don't ever pay $133 ($20 / 15%) for one person's dinner (and remember, don't include the drinks, since you'll be paying extra for those drinks at the specialty restaurants, and paying a gratuity on that amount, separately), and the descriptions of the meals at these restaurants don't seem to indicate that we're talking about a meal that would be valued at $133 pp on-land. So my conclusion is that the $20 includes a surcharge for the superior food quality (to the extent there is such a distinction) plus a very, very generous tip.

[stbmom]

Okay, here is the deal, I just called RC and here is what they told me. Tip the full amount in the dining room, even if you don't eat there UNLESS you don't eat there any night. You are then, not expected to tip in the dining room. Tip in the specialty resturant If you like. Tips are already included in the price of any bar drinks.

That is official word from RC as of Dec. 3rd, 2004.

However, as stated above - this is a person choice. If you want to tip both places - do. If you don't, don't. Who cares if someone thinks your cheap - you don't know those people (or the people on this message board). It's your money, you earned it - spend it as you will.

[ducklite]

I'm sure we'll leave an extra $20 or so on the table after dinner as I'm also fairly certain that only a small portion of the service charge goes to the servers.

 

Unlike Bicker, my husband and I do dine at restaurants where dinner for two can easily reach the $250 range. Maybe it's the geographical region we live in. Therefore adding a cash tip for the server over and above the service charge is quite appropriate IMHO.

 

Anne

[stbmom]

I think diversity is great. That is one thing that makes cruising so nice. For instance, if I could afford to spend over $100 per person on meals on a regular basis, there is no way in the world I would be sailing on RC. I've looked at upscale cruises and I would go in a minute if I had money to burn. I guess to each his own. I just don't consider Chops and Portifino that upscale (I travel a lot and I've been to "upscale" places - just not on a regular basis). To me, RC is a mass market, everyone can get on sort of line, like Carnival and Princess for that matter.

If I had money to tip $20 per person every time I went to a resturant, I would be crusing with a line that would cater to me. I just can't see tipping $40 for my dh and I to eat in a resturant that holds 100 other people.

Once again, that's the beauty of diversity - even diversity of opinions. People make decisions others wouldn't.

[ducklite]

stbmom-

 

We are taking our 19 year old son with us, and RCCL has by far the most to offer him in the way of activities. Additionally we are sailing with another family who also have teens, so RCCL is the best fit for our group. Because we tend to tip generously doesn't mean we shouldn't cruise RCCL.

 

Anne

[stbmom]

stbmom-

 

We are taking our 19 year old son with us, and RCCL has by far the most to offer him in the way of activities. Additionally we are sailing with another family who also have teens, so RCCL is the best fit for our group. Because we tend to tip generously doesn't mean we shouldn't cruise RCCL.

 

Anne

Once again, the point of my post was diversity is a good thing. You don't have to justify for me why you choose to cruise with RC. I think it is great that you tip the way you feel is appropriate, just like it is great that I tip the way I feel is appropriate for me.

That is what makes the world go round.

For instance, I tip above the norm when I feel I get something upscale. I just wouldn't consider Chops upscale (or Davids on Carnival). Some people tip above the norm all the time - that works for them. Then others don't tip at all, or tip below the norm - that works for them.

I was simply offering a perspective. It is a perspective different than yours and probably different from others. That is what makes these boards fun - we get to read about people different from ourselves. That's, once again, a good thing.

[Driftwoodgal]

Are you putting your tips on the sea pass or putting a cash tip on the table for the server? Are you handing the tips in cash the the servers in the Windjammer? Our next cruise we be the first time that we will have a choice of alternative dinning.

 

Terry,

 

Thanks for the advice on tipping. Here is some advice for using proper etiquette while posting to a message board. Typing in all caps and especially in red is rude IMHO.

 

Colleen

[gerif]

I thought the 20.00 service charge was for the tip???

 

Me, too. Not wanting to sound cheap here, but I've read on these boards where RC spends $10 per DAY per person on food. So, I'm paying $20 per person EXTRA to eat at Portofino's/Chops. I'm not eating the dinner in the dining room that night (but am tipping the dining room waiter/assistant waiter/head waiter for that night). I'm also paying a 15% gratuity on cocktails/wine. So I'm thinking that of that extra $20, at best $10 would be for the "upgraded" food and the other $10 for a tip.

 

JMHO

[ducklite]

For the main dining room servers and cabin steward, we'll put the tips on the seapass, although it's likely we'll give them each $20-$50 the first day in cash.

 

When we eat in the specialty restaurants, at the Windjammer, or order room service, we'll tip in cash.

 

Anne

[ruttie]

Are you putting your tips on the sea pass or putting a cash tip on the table for the server? Are you handing the tips in cash the the servers in the Windjammer? Our next cruise we be the first time that we will have a choice of alternative dinning.

 

on our last cruise we were asked for our sea pass after the meal to put the 20.00 service charge on it. it is just like any place where you use a credit card there was a place for you to put a tip and retotal it..

 

I asked or waiter as i was confused i thought thetip was the 20.00 but here was a space for ann aditonal tip he said yes it was it confuses everyone and no we were not expected to tip additional that was what the surcharge was for that (the tickets are just preprinted like that and used throughoutth eship).... this ensures that all teh waiters get a tip if they are not in the dining room. I then said you did awesome service is it the "norm' to tip more.. I did not want him to think we stiffed him if we were expected to give more and he said NOPE that again that is what he surcharge was for and he was glad we enjoyed the meal.

[MikeNJ1109]

Okay, here is the deal, I just called RC and here is what they told me. Tip the full amount in the dining room, even if you don't eat there UNLESS you don't eat there any night. You are then, not expected to tip in the dining room. Tip in the specialty resturant If you like. Tips are already included in the price of any bar drinks.

That is official word from RC as of Dec. 3rd, 2004.

However, as stated above - this is a person choice. If you want to tip both places - do. If you don't, don't. Who cares if someone thinks your cheap - you don't know those people (or the people on this message board). It's your money, you earned it - spend it as you will.

 

Stbmom, thank you for this information. Calling RCL regarding this exact topic was on my "to do" list, I appreciate you posting what they told you. My wife and I do not eat at all in the main dining room, but rather eat in the Windjammer, Portofino, or JR's...and we always over-tip in those locations.

 

Michael

[bUU]

Because we tend to tip generously doesn't mean we shouldn't cruise RCCL.

I think stbmom's point was that if you cruise RCI, it wouldn't be inappropriate to tip less generously than you would on a higher-end cruise line (which, perhaps you could afford, but reasonable have elected not to in the interest of activities for your son -- a fine rational for cruising RCI AFAIC).

[bUU]

Here is some advice for using proper etiquette while posting to a message board. Typing in all caps and especially in red is rude IMHO.

I agree Colleen. As much as playing with font and color may seem light-hearted and festive, I perceive it as an attempt to attract more attention than the actual words perhaps warrant, and after a while I simply put the poster on my ignore list.

[bUU]

I've read on these boards where RC spends $10 per DAY per person on food.

It is actually disclosed in their SEC filings.