Tipping at Sabatinis?

[WNCtourist]

Sorry to start another tipping thread, but I haven't found this in my searches -- do you tip when dining at Sabatini's or not? If you do, do you base the tip on the $20 per person charge? I can't figure this one out!

Thanks for your help!

[Loonbeam]

There are actually a few threads on this, the short answer is the tip is included in the service charge but many people have been so pleased with the service they add a little extra.

 

Sorry to start another tipping thread, but I haven't found this in my searches -- do you tip when dining at Sabatini's or not? If you do, do you base the tip on the $20 per person charge? I can't figure this one out!

Thanks for your help!

[LARGIN]

We tipped $20 this past May.. Would have been more but felt that we were rushed..

[hughdm]

I usually give an extra $20 cash if the service is good, which it almost always is superb.

[Woobstr112G]

We have always tipped an extra 30 in Sabatinis.....:):):)

 

Bob

[caribill]

The waitstaff there is in the tipping pool. Some tip extra for the great service given, but it is not "mandatory."

[Aruba]

Eeek...we haven't been tipping extra because we assumed the cover charge included a supplemental tip, on top of the daily hotel charges.

[Pia1913]

Eeek...we haven't been tipping extra because we assumed the cover charge included a supplemental tip, on top of the daily hotel charges.

 

Tipping is included. But the big spenders like to add more and the little spenders brag about being big spenders. Tipping is, and should remain, a private decision. We've tipped extra at times and not at all at other times. There was one time I would have liked not to have paid at all, that's how awful it was.

[Toto2Kansas]

We tip at the specialty restaurants IF the service is spectacular. We have seen it both ways in the past. Service was good, but nothing out of the ordinary (we don't tip extra), and service was outstanding/ exceptional (we do tip an extra $10-$20). It all depends on what we find with our visit to them. Tip if you think they deserve it, and don't if you feel it was just OK. Totally your decision! ;)

[Treven]

I've always left $20 :) as an extra tip, knowing the automatic tip goes into the pool, of which this particular person wouldn't see much of.

[geoherb]

We did not tip extra. I figured the waiter was getting the gratuity that was tacked onto our wine purchase.

[more cruises]

On our ship there was no place to add the gratuity on the bill so bring cash if you want to tip.

[Tak8]

For very good or better than very good, I tip an extra 20-30. I normally bring cash to the specialty restaurants. It is a personal choice.

[Toddy709]

I've always considered the price you are charged for the specialty restaurants is for the better quality of you food you receive. Therefore we usually tip an additional $20 if the service is outstanding (which it always has been so far). We, too, take cash to the specialty dining venue as the first time we went, there was no line for a tip.

[Catalina56]

$20. and $30. tips in the Speciality Restaurants, WOW! Tip is included with the Service Charge. I might leave $5.00 if the the service was "exceptional".

 

Catalina56

[hughdm]

Tipping is included. But the big spenders like to add more and the little spenders brag about being big spenders.

I'm trying to figure out which category I fit in!:confused:

[sultan_sfo]

I am skeptical that for 2 persons one would tip $30 or even $20! Now no one says they tip $5 -- so these folks must take a lot of cash to Sabatinis. I contemplated posting that we tip $50 just as a joke. After eating a few times in these specialty restaurants we find that our late traditional MDR service is far superior to these specialty restaurants. And our "extra" tip to our regular waiters + asst. waiter is about $6 to $ 10 total per day for both (not each). I wonder how much "extra" tip each of these posters then give to their regular MDR waiters. I think there is a lot of hype here.

 

I'm trying to figure out which category I fit in!:confused:

[wristband]

Wrongo. I enjoyed Sabatini's many times on a recent cruise and easily added an extra tip to the "bill." $20 pp includes gratuity but you are asked to sign a bill before leaving to confirm your presence. I added an additional tip to the bill (which was then added to my shipboard account) without a problem.

 

I also routinely added extra tips to bar/wine bills over the 15% automatically included. Never a problem and the extra tip always appeared on our shipboard account. In a number of instances, servers were especially solicitious and helpful. Most notably in Vines. There I added 5-10% to the 15% assessed for stellar service.

[Toddy709]

I am skeptical that for 2 persons one would tip $30 or even $20! Now no one says they tip $5 -- so these folks must take a lot of cash to Sabatinis. I contemplated posting that we tip $50 just as a joke. After eating a few times in these specialty restaurants we find that our late traditional MDR service is far superior to these specialty restaurants. And our "extra" tip to our regular waiters + asst. waiter is about $6 to $ 10 total per day for both (not each). I wonder how much "extra" tip each of these posters then give to their regular MDR waiters. I think there is a lot of hype here.

 

I don't consider a $20 tip excessive. To dine in a nice restaurant at home is going to cost A LOT more than $70 (cost for two + tip). Plus, I've never had service on land that is as good as the service on a ship, not to mention that on a ship they will bring you extra lobster, etc. Try asking for extra lobster at no additional cost on land:eek:!

 

And just so you don't think I'm bragging or a liar, I'll tell you that 90% of the time we choose Anytime Dining and don't tip our wait staff anything above the hotel service charge.

[wristband]

Toddy, I agree with your nice assessment. Tipping is discretionary and at Sabatini's one pays extra for the experience. It is my personal opinion, wherever service is terrific, that enhances the overall experience markedly and should be acknowledged.

 

So, for me, I tipped extra to reward the extra attention and warmth provided provided by the team at Sabatini's and elsewhere when merited (Vines & several bar servers).

 

My preference would be to have no tipping onboard and a fair wage paid to staff. But that is not the reality. So...to each his/her own based on the individual experience.

[Toto2Kansas]

I don't consider a $20 tip excessive. .

I agree, that is not an excessive tip in my opinion either. :confused:

[doubletree07]

I've always considered the price you are charged for the specialty restaurants is for the better quality of you food you receive. Therefore we usually tip an additional $20 if the service is outstanding (which it always has been so far). We, too, take cash to the specialty dining venue as the first time we went, there was no line for a tip.

 

This is something I find confusing. :confused: The price of your cruise includes all meals. So if you opt to eat in a specialty restaurant there is a surcharge. That I get. But because the food is of "better quality" does that justify an additional tip? You already are being charged for tips each day. I miss the old days when all the ship restaurants had exceptional food and excellent service. This past March we ate in the Bayou restaurant and were not impressed. No better service than in any MDR or Anytime Dining Rooms and certainly not better food. Much more food, but not better food. We did not leave an additional tip. :eek:

[Toddy709]

This is something I find confusing. :confused: The price of your cruise includes all meals. So if you opt to eat in a specialty restaurant there is a surcharge. That I get. But because the food is of "better quality" does that justify an additional tip? You already are being charged for tips each day. I miss the old days when all the ship restaurants had exceptional food and excellent service. This past March we ate in the Bayou restaurant and were not impressed. No better service than in any MDR or Anytime Dining Rooms and certainly not better food. Much more food, but not better food. We did not leave an additional tip. :eek:

 

If the service was no better and the food was no better than Anytime Dining, I wouldn't leave an additional tip either.

 

However, all our of experiences in the specialty restaurants so far have been outstanding in both food and service. I guess we're just lucky:)!

[sultan_sfo]

The dinner in Sabatinis replaces the dinner in MDR. So please deduct from the $70 whatever value you place on the value of dinner in MDR that evening.

 

I assume the tip is for service not the food.

 

Secondly, I still have not received response from any of the posters except you how the "service" in Sabatinis compares with service in MDR. You feel that service in MDR is not worth a penny of extra tip yet Sabatinis service deserves "at least" $20 in "extra" tips. You (and perhaps Toto) must be getting very inadequate service in MDR! Toto -- how much extra do you leave in MDR (on a per dinner basis)? That is the issue I am raising -- a comparison.

 

I don't consider a $20 tip excessive. To dine in a nice restaurant at home is going to cost A LOT more than $70 (cost for two + tip). Plus, I've never had service on land that is as good as the service on a ship, not to mention that on a ship they will bring you extra lobster, etc. Try asking for extra lobster at no additional cost on land:eek:!

 

And just so you don't think I'm bragging or a liar, I'll tell you that 90% of the time we choose Anytime Dining and don't tip our wait staff anything above the hotel service charge.

 

If the service was no better and the food was no better than Anytime Dining, I wouldn't leave an additional tip either.

 

However, all our of experiences in the specialty restaurants so far have been outstanding in both food and service. I guess we're just lucky:)!

[Toto2Kansas]

That is very difficult for me to answer as we rarely dine in the MDR. In fact, in the last 5 cruises combined, we have had dinner in the MDR 3 times total (even on longer voyages). So, I guess it would be best to tell you what we usually tip for room service meals, and our waiters we get to know well in the buffet. Room service we tip anywhere from $5-$10+ for delivery of a meal, depending on the meal. And at the end of each cruise (sometime we sail B2B's) usually $20 to each buffet waiter who has gone above and beyond normal service throughout the cruise. Plus we tip the usual staff at Sabatinis for breakfast. The last cruise we tipped an extra $50 to the Ass't Maitre'd and Maitre'd because they set up a special party for us and provided everything for a beloved staff member that was celebrating 20 years with Princess the final night we were onboard.

We owned several restaurants in the past, so we realize that tipping is a huge part of the wait staff's wages, that might explain why we tip more than some (most) others.