Main Dining Room and Tipping

[Kathykins56]

Is there a way to inform the main dining room that you do not plan to eat there during the cruise? I prefer the Windjammer.

 

How should I go about tipping? I understand that tips are their paycheck and regardless if I eat there or not they are there to serve me. But I also have read that you don't have to tip if you don't eat in the main dining room. :confused:

 

Thanks

[NorbertsNiece]

Pre pay your tips then the waiters who serve you in the WindJammer will be covered. Let the Maitre d' in the MDR know when you've boarded that you will not be requiring your table and s/he will be able to allocate it to someone else.

 

Edit : I'd like to know where you read you don't have to tip if you don't eat in the MDR. That's so bad advice.

[matj2000]

Why do you need to inform them? I doubt they will come looking for you.

[steponboard]

Is there a way to inform the main dining room that you do not plan to eat there during the cruise? I prefer the Windjammer.

 

How should I go about tipping? I understand that tips are their paycheck and regardless if I eat there or not they are there to serve me. But I also have read that you don't have to tip if you don't eat in the main dining room. :confused:

 

Thanks

If I didn't eat dinner in the MDR I would not tip for service I did not receive. Yes somebody prepared food for the buffet but i served myself and the buffet people do not expect tips. I would use the cash envelopes VS auto tipping so I could tip the cabin steward the suggested amount.

[steponboard]

.

 

Edit : I'd like to know where you read you don't have to tip if you don't eat in the MDR. That's so bad advice.

 

Is that your opinion or fact? I think it makes perfect sense and is good advice.

[NorbertsNiece]

Why do you need to inform them? I doubt they will come looking for you.

 

Because it's polite; because someone may be waiting for seating at that time and they will get their table after all and so the staff will know whether the guest is coming or not.

[NorbertsNiece]

Is that your opinion or fact? I think it makes perfect sense and is good advice.

 

The staff who serve in the MDR also serve in the WindJammer. Fact. Not opinion.

[Kathykins56]

Edit : I'd like to know where you read you don't have to tip if you don't eat in the MDR. That's so bad advice.

 

I have been looking at various travel websites and blogs. I want to make sure I'm doing the proper thing when it comes to tipping.

[Ashland]

Why do you need to inform them? I doubt they will come looking for you.

Just back from the 8 night INDY.....And yes they do...When we skipped the MDR our asst. waiter who also worked in the WJ would say "We missed you last night"....

[TPKeller]

Because it's polite; because someone may be waiting for seating at that time and they will get their table after all and so the staff will know whether the guest is coming or not.

Just to clarify and amplify this a little...

 

Many sailings do fill up one of the dining room seatings, which means there is often a wait-list to get into that seating. If you aren't going to use that seating, it is courteous to the other passengers who may have a very real need for that seating, but just didn't get it for some reason or another.

 

Also, it's courteous to your assigned table mates. You will have an assigned table, and there will be other people expecting to have someone to talk to. If you don't show up, you diminish their cruise experience as well. If you let the staff know you aren't coming, they can move folks around to better accommodate everyone.

 

Theron

[jerin]

If you want to make sure your tips are distributed among the staff who may serve you in the Windjammer as well, sign up for My Time Dining ... you'll be pre-paying gratuities into a pool that way anyway, and nobody will complain about one less party when/if they're waiting for a table.

[househunter]

Your tips cover all meals, just not dinner so by leaving the auto tip in place, that assures that everyone is covered. Your dinner waiter or assistant waiter may serve at other venues for breakfast and lunch.

[brfan]

Why do you need to inform them? I doubt they will come looking for you.

 

Another reason, I assume Royal Caribbean probably works the same as Celebrity, but they don't assign tables to the waitstaff until just before the first seating on a cruise. This way they can better allocate the tables if they know any will be empty, so the staff have a more equitable workload and tips (should most people who don't eat in MDR not tip).

[akcruz]

I agree with a previous poster, sign up for MTD, then if you truly will never eat in the dining room, let the staff know. By signing up for MTD you are not dissapointing those who like tablemates at whatever table you have been assigned to. As for tips they do towards all 3 meals of the day and various venues, my opinion leave them in place.

[TPKeller]

The problem is that MTD has a finite number of tables available, just like the first and second seating. If you sign up for MTD and do not use it, you are taking that option away from someone who may really want it.

 

It's usually been reported that the best way to handle this situation is to inform the staff that you will not be eating any dinners in the dining room at all.

 

I don't know what happens if you leave auto tipping in place, there would be no specific individuals for it to go to. The fairest thing would probably be to remove auto tipping and tip your Windjammer waitstaff each night. I've never done this, so I can't say whether that is a practical solution or not.

 

Theron

[NorbertsNiece]

The problem is that MTD has a finite number of tables available, just like the first and second seating. If you sign up for MTD and do not use it, you are taking that option away from someone who may really want it.

 

It's usually been reported that the best way to handle this situation is to inform the staff that you will not be eating any dinners in the dining room at all.

 

I don't know what happens if you leave auto tipping in place, there would be no specific individuals for it to go to. The fairest thing would probably be to remove auto tipping and tip your Windjammer waitstaff each night. I've never done this, so I can't say whether that is a practical solution or not.

 

Theron

 

Hi,

 

Prepaid gratuities are pooled between the serving staff.

[akcruz]

The problem is that MTD has a finite number of tables available, just like the first and second seating. If you sign up for MTD and do not use it, you are taking that option away from someone who may really want it.

 

It's usually been reported that the best way to handle this situation is to inform the staff that you will not be eating any dinners in the dining room at all.

 

I don't know what happens if you leave auto tipping in place, there would be no specific individuals for it to go to. The fairest thing would probably be to remove auto tipping and tip your Windjammer waitstaff each night. I've never done this, so I can't say whether that is a practical solution or not.

 

Theron

 

Agreed, the best thing is to tell the staff you will not be dining in the MDR (you can't opt out at booking unfortunately), but at least with MTD you are not taking an actual assigned seat. Yes, maybe it will be filled with someone who wanted that time but maybe not leaving those assigned to that table with empty seats to dine with each night. A big disappointment to some who look forward to tablemates.

[mistergq]

I agree with a previous poster, sign up for MTD, then if you truly will never eat in the dining room, let the staff know. By signing up for MTD you are not dissapointing those who like tablemates at whatever table you have been assigned to. As for tips they do towards all 3 meals of the day and various venues, my opinion leave them in place.

When you select My Time Dinning, you have to prepare the dinner gratuities, so that does not solve the problem.

 

In light that the assistant waiters work in Windjammer at other times of the day (and assist you in the WJ), as well as you will be served by a waiter during the breakfast and lunch seating, I would recommend just to do the auto tipping.

[akcruz]

When you select My Time Dinning, you have to prepare the dinner gratuities, so that does not solve the problem.

 

In light that the assistant waiters work in Windjammer at other times of the day (and assist you in the WJ), as well as you will be served by a waiter during the breakfast and lunch seating, I would recommend just to do the auto tipping.

 

huh you lost me here. Prepaying through MTD is auto tipping. Someone figured it out a while back it comes out to a few $$ per night for dinner. Not worth the effort in my mind to go through figuring out how much to tip who. Just prep-pay/auto-tip,one less thing for me to think about on my vacation since it is all taken care of. Of course if I get great service somewhere I can always add more.

[TPKeller]

Hi,

 

Prepaid gratuities are pooled between the serving staff.

I don't know what this means. There are too many variables for that one simple statement to make sense.

 

It is my understanding that the My Time Dining staff gratuities are pooled, and that makes sense, since you may not have the same staff each night.

 

But I have never heard of any scenario where the Main Dining Room (traditional seating) staff participates in any sort of a gratuity pool, whether they are paid at booking, assigned to the on-board account, or paid in cash.

 

Could you please clarify?

 

Thanks,

 

Theron

[TPKeller]

huh you lost me here. Prepaying through MTD is auto tipping. Someone figured it out a while back it comes out to a few $$ per night for dinner. Not worth the effort in my mind to go through figuring out how much to tip who. Just prep-pay/auto-tip,one less thing for me to think about on my vacation since it is all taken care of. Of course if I get great service somewhere I can always add more.

And you lost me here! ;)

 

My understanding is that "pre-paid" means added to the booking, and paid in full with final payment. Auto-tipping is when you add tips to your ship-board account, and the amount is charged to your credit card along with all your other purchases at the end of the cruise. That option is taken only at the request of the passenger, and must be done prior to a deadline given during the cruise. And of course the traditional cash-in-envelopes is... what it is...

 

Both of the non-cash forms (pre-paid and auto-tipping) are charged at the exact recommended amounts, which if you need to see, can be found on the Cruise Tip Calculator. :)

 

Theron

[akcruz]

And you lost me here! ;)

 

My understanding is that "pre-paid" means added to the booking, and paid in full with final payment. Auto-tipping is when you add tips to your ship-board account, and the amount is charged to your credit card along with all your other purchases at the end of the cruise. That option is taken only at the request of the passenger, and must be done prior to a deadline given during the cruise. And of course the traditional cash-in-envelopes is... what it is...

 

Both of the non-cash forms (pre-paid and auto-tipping) are charged at the exact recommended amounts, which if you need to see, can be found on the Cruise Tip Calculator. :)

 

Theron

 

Sorry, my keyboard is acting up, trying to reply in as few words as possible. The post I referred to said do not pre-pay because staff will get it that way, auto tip instead or something like that. To me the end result is the same. Yes, different process but ends up the same way with staff getting suggested tips.

[steponboard]

The fairest thing would probably be to remove auto tipping and tip your Windjammer waitstaff each night. I've never done this, so I can't say whether that is a practical solution or not.

 

Theron

We saw a tip jar outside the WJ so this really does make the most sense for the given scenario.

[Cruising89143]

OP, the best way to handle this is to pre-pay your gratuties.

[steponboard]

OP, the best way to handle this is to pre-pay your gratuties.

Actually the best way is to use the cash envelopes so they can tip those who gave them service..