YTD and tipping wait staff

Planning our next annual mother-daughter cruise and we have picked YTD dining again. We have only done YTD one time on previous cruise and each night were seated in a different area in the dining room. Which worked on fine for us, never a wait and good to very good service each night.

But I struggled with tipping our wait staff. Some nights I remembered to bring cash with me and a couple of nights I forgot.

Any “tips” or ideas on what works for you? And I should say we are fine getting seated in different areas. We enjoyed meeting all the different wait staff and getting to know them. So I do not forsee us requesting the same table each night. [emoji6]

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Planning our next annual mother-daughter cruise and we have picked YTD dining again. We have only done YTD one time on previous cruise and each night were seated in a different area in the dining room. Which worked on fine for us, never a wait and good to very good service each night.

 

But I struggled with tipping our wait staff. Some nights I remembered to bring cash with me and a couple of nights I forgot.

 

Any “tips” or ideas on what works for you? And I should say we are fine getting seated in different areas. We enjoyed meeting all the different wait staff and getting to know them. So I do not forsee us requesting the same table each night. [emoji6]

 

 

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In all honesty, it's much easier if you simply leave your auto-gratuities in place. Carnival will take care of it for you.

If you receive extraordinary service and want to tip additionally and you forget to take cash with you, make note of your servers name, return to the dining room and ask for him/her.

Also, if we get great service, we always ask to be seated with the same server on subsequent evenings.

Even with YTD, you can request the same staff every night if you desire. We've done that many times when we find a good wait team.

Also agree with leaving the auto-gratuities on and tipping cash extra if you think it is deserved.

Just to clarify, we always leave our auto-gratuities in place.

But we have always tipped extra to all waitstaff whether that be bartenders at Alchemy, drink staff on lido or the wait staff in the dining room.

Just trying to see what others do?

I choose YTD and I just leave auto gratuities in place. I am no longer tipping extra as I have not received the level of service in several years that I once received on the same ships.

We usually try to get the same table each night then tip extra the last night. I leave my auto-tips on

Does the wait staff pool tips? If so, then tip on last night for entire cruise

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Like everyone else, we just leave our auto-gratuities in place and let Carnival handle it. We don't tip extra to the wait staff.

We have always requested the same staff in YTD if they are good. If we tip extra, we do it on the last evening. I suppose if we were going to be seated in different sections nightly, I might come prepared with additional cash, but then again, I doubt it. We always leave the auto gratuities on the account, so they will always get their share of that.

We do my time dining and if we like our waitstaff, we request them each night. They are usually in the same section so if we can't get them every night we know where to find them. Alternately you can just tip them a little something extra the first time they serve you and a little more at the end if they serve you the entire cruise. We prepay our gratuities, so this is in addition to that.

I choose YTD and I just leave auto gratuities in place. I am no longer tipping extra as I have not received the level of service in several years that I once received on the same ships.

Nothing wrong with that :)

If DH and I tip extra it IS for exceptional service in making our trip extra special.

I choose YTD and I just leave auto gratuities in place. I am no longer tipping extra as I have not received the level of service in several years that I once received on the same ships.

This.

We do YTD every cruise. We leave the auto grats in place. If we have a wait staff that we like, that do a great job and we request every night then we will add something extra on the last night.

I tip, what is expected, and customary. With that being said, when I go out, I tip the waiter/waitress 15%-18% but no more than 20%. When I go to a bar, it is usually $1 per drink which is about 15%. When I travel Internationally, depending on location, it is common for a 5%-10% tip, than I will tip that amount. Sometimes, a service charge is customary to be added and those areas of the world, nothing extra. The theme of this statement is that I tip according to the customary amounts based on where I am. Very Seldom more, even less likely less (unless it is extremely bad service). On a cruise ship, since I have been going since 1990, tipping was always spelled out, what is customary for ships. The dollar amount has changed over the years, but the concept is the same. A fixed price per day, for each of the customary people, you give tips to. I see no reason to give any more, than what is recommended, and if I do, it is usually a small amount more, as I'm saying thank you.

Cruise ships today, as opposed to back in the 1990's, add tips to everything and you can prepay it. Prepay your daily tips. Added to your drinks. No need to ever think about it unless you get bad service. Tipping more for a drink, is just plain ridiculous, but the bartenders like it, as they pour you the same amount as everyone else. (the perceived heavy pour).

Does anyone know the going hourly rate that is paid to the wait staff and room stewards on Carnival?

According to Carnival your auto gratuities per day are as below:

Here is the breakdown, per day:

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites)

Dining Team: $6.40

Alternative Services: $2.50

Not sure what alternative services are??

Just thought the above was interesting and I am not trying to "stir a pot" but like I said we have always tipped above the auto gratuities. (we prepay them as well - just works best for my budgeting) And always add in another $1 or $2 on our drink orders depending. (not looking for a heavy pour but to be appreciative of the work they are doing while i sit on my lounger being lazy;)) Does not seem like $6.40 is very much. Heck I tip more than that at our local mexican place in town.

So that is why I asked the question about tipping. Just trying to see if anyone had ideas on a "smooth" tipping process each night in the dining room. :confused::confused:

I would think that if you are wanting to tip each night, you could prepare an envelope with your desired amount of cash labeled for each night, before you ever leave home. Then you can place it next to your Sail&Sign card when you start getting ready for dinner each night.

BTW - Good for you for being generous

Does anyone know the going hourly rate that is paid to the wait staff and room stewards on Carnival?

 

According to Carnival your auto gratuities per day are as below:

 

Here is the breakdown, per day:

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites)

Dining Team: $6.40

Alternative Services: $2.50

Not sure what alternative services are??

Just thought the above was interesting and I am not trying to "stir a pot" but like I said we have always tipped above the auto gratuities. (we prepay them as well - just works best for my budgeting) And always add in another $1 or $2 on our drink orders depending. (not looking for a heavy pour but to be appreciative of the work they are doing while i sit on my lounger being lazy;)) Does not seem like $6.40 is very much. Heck I tip more than that at our local mexican place in town.

So that is why I asked the question about tipping. Just trying to see if anyone had ideas on a "smooth" tipping process each night in the dining room. :confused::confused:

those numbers are per person per day so if there are 2 of you its double and if its 4 of you its quadrupled.

if a typical meal is 30. per person then 6.40 is over a 20% tip.

I would think that if you are wanting to tip each night, you could prepare an envelope with your desired amount of cash labeled for each night, before you ever leave home. Then you can place it next to your Sail&Sign card when you start getting ready for dinner each night.

 

BTW - Good for you for being generous

I like your envelope idea. I do that already for our port days and excursions.

Thank you! We are blessed :D!

those numbers are per person per day so if there are 2 of you its double and if its 4 of you its quadrupled.

 

if a typical meal is 30. per person then 6.40 is over a 20% tip.

Yes but doesn't that also include the time they spend in the dining room and Lido for breakfast and lunch hours? Not sure just asking? I recall from our first cruise one of our wait staff for dinner also worked on Lido during the day.

How refreshing -- a tipping post that didn't go haywire.

Tipping more for a drink, is just plain ridiculous, but the bartenders like it, as they pour you the same amount as everyone else. (the perceived heavy pour).

Your opinion, which you certainly are entitled to, but I've sat and watched the bartenders and have actually observed quite differently. To each their own.

How refreshing -- a tipping post that didn't go haywire.

The thread is still fresh, give it until the days end. It'll get there.

I appreciate that the OP wants to tip above and beyond just the auto-gratuities. I like to do so as well, but honestly don't think of it often enough at the MDR when we get up to leave - I'm gonna try to remember to do it more this next cruise.

Tipping more for a drink, is just plain ridiculous, but the bartenders like it, as they pour you the same amount as everyone else. (the perceived heavy pour).

To each their own (I think I subconsciously stole that, sorry Pyrate13), but we tipped a bit extra each time last cruise, and somehow we always got served right away (and I mean right away) when ever we walked up to a crowded bar that we had been to before.

But my wife and I have both worked in the service industry, and might be considered generous tippers. My minimum tip is 20% (assuming normal=good service).

I appreciate that the OP wants to tip above and beyond just the auto-gratuities. I like to do so as well, but honestly don't think of it often enough at the MDR when we get up to leave - I'm gonna try to remember to do it more this next cruise.

 

 

To each their own (I think I subconsciously stole that, sorry Pyrate13), but we tipped a bit extra each time last cruise, and somehow we always got served right away (and I mean right away) when ever we walked up to a crowded bar that we had been to before.

 

 

Well, a 15% tip, plus an extra dollar, usually amounts to a tip in excess of 30% and sometimes approach 40%. Of course the bartender will remember you, because they want the money, but it doesn't mean you get better service. If he sees you and me standing side by side, often he will take both orders. You might get yours first, but I will save $1.00 and be just as happy. Although they will seem to help you first, they don't want to tick me off either since I'm a mystery tipper. Another scenario, if I'm on a lounge chair, and you are that big tipper, I'm going to piggy back off of you, and get my drink order also at the same time. I will be happy, and have another $1.00 in my pocket. I'm fine with the 15%. But I will never tip 40% to have them pour me a drink.

 

But my wife and I have both worked in the service industry, and might be considered generous tippers. My minimum tip is 20% (assuming normal=good service).

My tips are customary for the situation.

I like to tip a little extra (over and above the auto grats) to dining room wait staff if the service is excellent, which it usually is. I have done YTD, three times , and twice/two cruises, I was able to get the same wait staff each night, and did tip a little extra on the last evening. This worked best for me, since as you say OP, sometimes I also forget to bring cash each evening. The one time that I was not able to get the same wait staff, I had the same wait team two nights, and different teams on the other nights, so I just left it to the auto gratuities, and I think that is adequate. Just my way though, everyone has what works best for them.