Dining Room Wine Stewards: Changes Fleetwide?

[kazu]

The Pinnacle has kept its wine stewards. At least they had on the Oosterdam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam.

 

and the Maasdam:D

[rkacruiser]

Sounds like this is another example of "fixing" something that was not broken!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like this is another example of "fixing" something that was not broken!

 

Right

Now the dining room staff have more tables and more people to take care with cutbacks in that area -- and now they have an extra duty to preform.

[SilvertoGold]

Both the ships we have booked have changed over to the new system.

 

For us this may actually be a positive: we have better interaction with the waiters on every cruise than with the wine stewards. Not to say we don't have satisfactiory interaction with the wine guys, just better with the waiters.

 

In reading this thread I am left with questions: who gets the 15% and if the waiters do, then if I buy wine in the lounges and bring it to the DR, as some have suggested, then I would be denying the waiters the 15%. Not an optimal set-up from their point of view.

 

Anyone have any ideas about this?

[rkacruiser]

SilvertoGold,

 

If you bought a glass or a bottle of wine in one of the lounges, the steward/bartender serving you there would receive the gratuity. Often on my most recent cruise, I would buy a second glass of wine in the lounge where I was before dinner and take my unfinished glass with me to the dining room. My steward in the lounge received the tip.

[SilvertoGold]

SilvertoGold,

 

If you bought a glass or a bottle of wine in one of the lounges, the steward/bartender serving you there would receive the gratuity. Often on my most recent cruise, I would buy a second glass of wine in the lounge where I was before dinner and take my unfinished glass with me to the dining room. My steward in the lounge received the tip.

 

So, with the new system in the Dining Room, if I order a glass of wine from the waiter, he gets the 15%. If I bring a glass from the lounge, he is actually missing the 15% he would have had.

I don't really like that.

[RuthC]

So, with the new system in the Dining Room, if I order a glass of wine from the waiter, he gets the 15%. If I bring a glass from the lounge, he is actually missing the 15% he would have had.

I don't really like that.

If you bring the drink with you, what is the dining steward doing to earn the 15%?

[sail7seas]

I understand this concept, but I must admit, I have never paid attention to whether Muslim DR stewards serve food containing alcohol (i.e. food they should not be eating per their religion). Things like rum cake, meats with wine sauces, etc. Then again, I have also not seen them refuse to serve pork, another food their religion forbids. So I wonder if they make an exception in some cases. I'm not sure if I have had a DR team of two stewards where both were Muslim, although it seems like I might have. It seems common to have one Muslim with a Hindu or Christian. (Not that I normally find out their religion since I don't ask them about it, although I do usually ask their home island -- most seem to be from Bali or Java.)

 

 

I have no idea if our dining stewards are Muslim, Hindu, Christian or what...... and I doubt they know my religion either. :confused: How would we know? Yes, I realize the majority from Indonesia are Muslim but not all of them are, are they?

 

 

 

Sounds like this is another example of "fixing" something that was not broken!

 

What HAL is saving is crew. They have cut the number of wine stewards who work on the ships that have already switched to the new system. There is a notable reduction in their numbers.

 

 

 

 

If you bring the drink with you, what is the dining steward doing to earn the 15%?

 

 

How do we know if the dining stewards share in the beverage department tips at all?

I have no idea if the dining stewards on Oosterdam who were serving beverages would get anything of the 15% if they served the drink or not.

 

I suspect they do NOT. I think all gratuities for drinks still go to bar department.

 

This is only my 'guess' with no one actually stating such a thing but my instinct says.......

 

Maybe that's a question to ask CD at next Disembarkation Talk.

 

 

[SilvertoGold]

If you bring the drink with you, what is the dining steward doing to earn the 15%?

 

Well, RuthC, I am assuming HAL is fair and is including the DR waiter in the pool for the 15%.

If I purchase wine from the waiter in the DR, he will be getting something for it surely.

If I purchase wine from the lounge bring it to the DR, then I am putting the DR waiter in the position of not being able to earn extra by taking the order and serving the wine.

 

If HAL is loading this work onto the DR waiters without having them share the 15% pool, then I would be disappointed with HAL.

[RuthC]

If I purchase wine from the lounge bring it to the DR, then I am putting the DR waiter in the position of not being able to earn extra by taking the order and serving the wine.

 

If HAL is loading this work onto the DR waiters without having them share the 15% pool, then I would be disappointed with HAL.

That's the reasoning that I'm not following. If you purchase a drink in a lounge, and the 15% goes to the lounge stewards, then everything is as it has always been. The only thing different now is that you carry the glass to the dining room, which has also been done routinely in the past.

I've not seeing where the dining room steward is losing out. He's where he has always been. He has no extra work to do, no loss of money, and no extra income.

 

Your drink. Your choice on where to place the order. I was just curious as to your rationale.

Thanks for trying to explain.

[sail7seas]

I've not seen where bar department shares in automatic service charge. I wonder if bar department shares the 15% gratutity added to all beverages/wine/liquor but does not share in the hotel service charge put onto our OnBoard accounts.

 

IF that is the case, HAL would be fair by not sharing the 15% gratuity with dining stewards serving diet cokes. They get their gratuities from a different pool than bar department..... IF that is what happens.

 

Maybe guests who regularly order drinks from dining stewards may give them some additional tip at the end of the cruise. That would be nice. :)

 

[dakrewser]

You know, it's really none of our business who's sharing in the 15% added to a beverage bill, is it?

[sail7seas]

You know, it's really none of our business who's sharing in the 15% added to a beverage bill, is it?

 

 

Actually, Dave, I agree with you and always have felt how crew is paid and where the tips go really is no concern of mine. I don't need or really want to know.

 

JMO.......

 

I know others do not agree and I respect that.

 

[Rockfan2]

On the Oosterdam in April, our wine steward of course took care of our wine package but when we wanted to order an after dinner port, he took care of that too. He even served it in a HAL logo port glass :)

 

Rockfan2

[kazu]

On the Oosterdam in April, our wine steward of course took care of our wine package but when we wanted to order an after dinner port, he took care of that too. He even served it in a HAL logo port glass :)

 

Rockfan2

 

Our wine steward took care of after dinner liqueurs on the Maasdam as well:)

[dakrewser]

Actually, Dave, I agree with you and always have felt how crew is paid and where the tips go really is no concern of mine. I don't need or really want to know.

 

JMO.......

 

I know others do not agree and I respect that.

 

 

I wonder if they ask their plumbers, electricians, "cable guys" and other service personnel how much they make...