Tipping the Maitre D'...

[Alessandrina]

Do you tip the Maitre D'? If yes, approximately how much? What has he done to make your cruise enjoyable? I'd like to hear from you. Thanks! :)

[bobcan]

Tipping the maitre d' in my opinion is only required if they perform a special service for you. As an example several years ago we mentioned that one night in Bermuda we would be dining off the ship with some resident friends and would be missing my favourite appetizer "escargot" which was on that night's menu.

Upon hearing of this our maitre d' arranged to have my own "escargot" prepared and served the next evening for me. Obviously, a special service that required a tip.

 

On Preincess, with their $10.00 a day tipping policy I do believe that a small part of the tip is actully alloted to the mairtre d' as well as the head waiter.

[Italy52]

On our cruise last year we decided to do PC dining. The MD gave us standing reservations at a time when it was busy. We felt that he went out of his way to accommodate us. Therefore, we gave him a little something--I believe DH gave him $20. He was very surprised and appreciative of the fact that DH remembered him at the end of the cruise.

[katisdale]

In May of 2004 we were on a Royal cruise in Europe. I asked the MD if I could get a copy of the menus. He provided all 12 days menus in our cabin on the last night. We tipped him about $20.

[zachnlucy]

The Maitre D' has never really done anything for us, but on our last cruise, the head waiter did help clear the dishes from our table a couple of nights, and always showed up at some point during dinner to ask if everything was okay. We tipped him $10 for the two of us, tipped our waiter $75 and our assistant waiter $50. It was a 7-day cruise turned into a 9-day (the crashed Grandeur).

[sunprincess]

Was on a cruise where the Maitre D was given $100/night by a couple doing B2B.

 

I do tip the Maitre D on a cruise. How much depends on what they have done or if I have asked a special request of them. $20-$100.

Last cruise we tipped the Head Waiter as he was so attentive to us. He brought us special appetizers every night, for a table of 10. We all chipped in and gave him $200.

[bdjam]

I did a back to back on Grand Princess. I was set to sit at a different table the second week than I was at the first, and I really liked the wait staff I had during the first week. So I asked the Matre’D to move me back to the other table. No can do – a group of about 30 passengers had been put in that whole section. So he moved the wait staff to my new table! Don’t know if that was going to happen anyway, or if he did something, but I was happy for another seven days. You bet he got a tip.

[kruisey]

On my last trip of 19 days.......I couldnot get traditional dining it was PC.

I tipped the Maitre'd to get me good waiters and same table each nite at same time. :)

[Murphey]

I thnk I need a new career and you all to be my passengers!:D

[Dreamer333]

It was a 7-day cruise turned into a 9-day (the crashed Grandeur).

 

What?? I never heard about that! What happened??

[Druke I]

We've tipped some Maitre 'ds when they have provided some extra service for us during the course of the cruise. Princess does have some very good ones.

 

Princess has at least one maitre 'd, who shall remain nameless, who is so very obnoxious with his hand out, he would never get a "dead president" from me. That, coupled with the fact he wears so much cologne you can smell him from two tables away, is a real turn off. (His cologne is as bad as, if not worse, than that worn by some of the "blue-haired" ladies in the elevators.)

[zachnlucy]

What?? I never heard about that! What happened??

We crashed into the pier in Costa Maya which put a 45' hole in the hull about 5' above the water line. The rather lengthy thread on it is in my subject line above.

[CruisenChic]

On most cruises I have been on I have not tipped the Maitre D, as they have not done anything for me. It seems that on those sailings I have not even come in contact with them until the end of the cruise when they are fishing for tips. There have been some Maitre D's on ships that had great personalites and were egar to make sure that the guest have a positive experience. Those types I tip even if I don't have any request for anything out of the ordinary.

[Pam in CA]

The Maitre D' might not appear to do anything specifically for you, but they have a lot to do with the overall dining experience and how much you enjoyed it. He works with the chefs on the food and presentation, the table/passenger assignments, and the training of the waitstaff. He's the one "driving the dining train." I don't tip extra but I do leave the auto-tipping on for them.

[cruiserforlife]

I have been somewhat put-off by the way the MD's I've encountered...they seem to just show up with their hands out expecting a tip.Generally we have no special requirements so I have never had to ask them to do anything special for me.

I just get turned off when they expect something and then get mad when you don't tip extra...

[ssbeagle]

On the automatic tipping it's only about 1.50 that they get between the table captain and maitre d. The rest is supposed to go to the waiter/assistant and cabin steward. The maitre d and table captain are on a salary where the others aren't. I would tip only if they perform a special service for us.

[SANDYJABS]

Our last cruise I asked the CD what the MD's job really was :confused: He told me that the MD is in charge of all the dinning room seating assignments, the menu's, and is over every area that serves food and all the staff on the floor and in the back. To me that sounds like a huge responsibility and a lot of delegating, JMHO. We usually tip $20.00. Sandy

[nmarsh]

We tipped the MD on our last cruise because he was very entertaining and stopped by our table most nights but not the last night. He was on the Miracle. It was nice to see someone who was so genuine and truly loved his job. His energy was contagious. He is the only MD that we have ever tipped.

[ssbeagle]

Our last cruise I asked the CD what the MD's job really was :confused: He told me that the MD is in charge of all the dinning room seating assignments, the menu's, and is over every area that serves food and all the staff on the floor and in the back. To me that sounds like a huge responsibility and a lot of delegating, JMHO. We usually tip $20.00. Sandy

He is well-paid for doing that job. The waiters and assistant waiters get only the tips. They are not salaried. The only time I would tip a MD is if he performed a special service for us.

[kryos]

Do you tip the Maitre D'? If yes, approximately how much? What has he done to make your cruise enjoyable? I'd like to hear from you. Thanks! :)

I posted this on another thread too ... I don't tip the maitre 'd a dime unless he has done something extraordinary for me ... well above and beyond the normal "call." The maitre 'd is considered "management." As such, he receives a salary and all the perks of management. Management is normally not tipped.

 

As far as I am concerned, tipping the maitre 'd would be the equivalent of tipping the owner of a restaurant when it was the waiter who provided you with the extraordinary service. If I was gonna tip extra at the end of the week (above the auto tip), I'd rather put that money into the hands of my waiter and assistant waiter ... who actually make slave wages on the ship ... than give it to the maitre 'd who already makes a decent salary.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita