Do we have to tip to get a good table in anytime dining?

[sunshine nana]

We have cruised on Princess five times for a total of 49 nights, mostly in a mini. We always choose anytime dining, but almost always early. On the first 4 cruises, we asked for a table for two and after one or two nights found a great location and wait staff. We would ask the host to be in the section of the waiter we liked, not a specific table, but his or her section.We always order a bottle of wine and tip extra at the end to the waiter and assistant or wine steward.

On our last Princess cruise,the Island 10 Panama Canal cruise, we asked for a table for two the first night and we told there were none, so we were put at a large table and did not get good service. We had bought a bottle of wine at lunch and it was delivered to the wait station for our table, but it was not poured for us until dessert.even though we asked twice.We like to enjoy our first glass of wine before the entre is served.

The next night we were at the entrance when the door opened and again asked for a table for two. We were told again that there were none even though we could see many. Other people behind us were told by the host they could "just go to their table". I asked him how they were assigned their choice of table and we weren't and he did not answer. We felt he was waiting for a tip!

By the third night, we found a great waitress and we asked her how to get put in her section each night and she said she would ask the host who was related to her. Each night after that we were allowed to just seat ourselves in her section. We ordered wine each night and did tip her generously at the end.My question, is it common to have to tip the host to get a good table? It doesn't seem right to us.

[xavier]

We have cruised on Princess five times for a total of 49 nights, mostly in a mini. We always choose anytime dining, but almost always early. On the first 4 cruises, we asked for a table for two and after one or two nights found a great location and wait staff. We would ask the host to be in the section of the waiter we liked, not a specific table, but his or her section.We always order a bottle of wine and tip extra at the end to the waiter and assistant or wine steward.

On our last Princess cruise,the Island 10 Panama Canal cruise, we asked for a table for two the first night and we told there were none, so we were put at a large table and did not get good service. We had bought a bottle of wine at lunch and it was delivered to the wait station for our table, but it was not poured for us until dessert.even though we asked twice.We like to enjoy our first glass of wine before the entre is served.

The next night we were at the entrance when the door opened and again asked for a table for two. We were told again that there were none even though we could see many. Other people behind us were told by the host they could "just go to their table". I asked him how they were assigned their choice of table and we weren't and he did not answer. We felt he was waiting for a tip!

By the third night, we found a great waitress and we asked her how to get put in her section each night and she said she would ask the host who was related to her. Each night after that we were allowed to just seat ourselves in her section. We ordered wine each night and did tip her generously at the end.My question, is it common to have to tip the host to get a good table? It doesn't seem right to us.

 

Wow! This never ever has cross my mind! Tipping for what you should be able to get?!

[CamCruiser]

I think the short answer to your question is: Yes.

On our last cruise our party of four was seated at a table in the center of the dining room. It was fine with us as we were just hungry and loving being on a cruise. We ordered a "nice" bottle of wine and soon the wine steward was at our table. The head waiter came to our table and said we could move to a table by the window and have that table each night. Of course, there were tips all around.

[Pam in CA]

My question, is it common to have to tip the host to get a good table? It doesn't seem right to us.

No. It is not common since if you don't have a reservation, Anytime is based on first come, first served. Someone who tips to get ahead of the line is essentially telling me, "I'm much more important than you are."

 

A suggestion is to talk to the Maitre d' the first day after boarding and explain your previous experience. You can ask to make a standing reservation for the cruise. Some Maitre d's will, others won't but it's worth asking. If he's willing to accommodate you, you could "reward" him but to be honest, that's his job.

[sunshine nana]

Thanks for the quick replies. After 4 cruises without having to tip the maître d', we were surprised that it was expected. We think it's fine to tip for good or great service, but in this case, he is expecting a tip to let us have what Princess has sold us, a choice of available tables at the time we arrive! I did ask the after the first dinner if I could make a reservation for the next night in a better location and he said we could not reserve a table for 2!

[Julia’s Journey’s]

You should be able to ask and get a good table without tipping before the service. Tipping before to me is a bribe, tipping after getting a good service is showing appreciation not a bribe. :rolleyes:

[Happy2cruise]

You should be able to ask and get a good table without tipping before the service. Tipping before to me is a bribe, tipping after getting a good service is showing appreciation not a bribe. :rolleyes:

Agree with you! In my humble opinion think Anytime Dining should be just that....first come first serve with no reservations.

[Pam in CA]

I did ask the after the first dinner if I could make a reservation for the next night in a better location and he said we could not reserve a table for 2!

Some Maitre d's will let you make a reservation for the same table and time for the entire cruise, some for only before 6pm and after 8pm, some for just that day, etc. It's up to the Maitre d' which is why it's inconsistent. There's no Princess-wide policy. Be aware that on some ships, the tables for two are just inches apart so they're not private.

[Northender]

We have cruised on Princess five times for a total of 49 nights, mostly in a mini. We always choose anytime dining, but almost always early. On the first 4 cruises, we asked for a table for two and after one or two nights found a great location and wait staff. We would ask the host to be in the section of the waiter we liked, not a specific table, but his or her section.We always order a bottle of wine and tip extra at the end to the waiter and assistant or wine steward.

On our last Princess cruise,the Island 10 Panama Canal cruise, we asked for a table for two the first night and we told there were none, so we were put at a large table and did not get good service. We had bought a bottle of wine at lunch and it was delivered to the wait station for our table, but it was not poured for us until dessert.even though we asked twice.We like to enjoy our first glass of wine before the entre is served.

The next night we were at the entrance when the door opened and again asked for a table for two. We were told again that there were none even though we could see many. Other people behind us were told by the host they could "just go to their table". I asked him how they were assigned their choice of table and we weren't and he did not answer. We felt he was waiting for a tip!

By the third night, we found a great waitress and we asked her how to get put in her section each night and she said she would ask the host who was related to her. Each night after that we were allowed to just seat ourselves in her section. We ordered wine each night and did tip her generously at the end.My question, is it common to have to tip the host to get a good table? It doesn't seem right to us.

 

All I can say is WOW!!!!!! I would have let the Powers to Be at Corporate know about this upon my return.

 

Julia got it absolutely correct - "Tipping before to me is a bribe, tipping after getting a good service is showing appreciation not a bribe." :rolleyes:

 

I hope Princess reads this thread.

[Loonbeam]

It also depends on your definition of a good table and the request. For example, we found a server we loved, so every day we would call for a reservation (the MD was not allowing standing reservations this trip except in special circumstances due to high AD demand). We could request her table but not always at the exact time we wanted, which is a fair tradeoff.

 

Thats a normal request and should not require a tip or any special recognition.

 

Now, if we had requested something outside the pale (a table for 2 with this server, at 6:15 every night (which is basically TD in AD) that should not be granted under those conditions, but that said some MDs will accept a small bribe at that point (its wrong, but it happens, especially with lesser MDs)

 

I've noticed if the MD is tip happy, service tends to suffer and the waiters and headwaiters follow suit.

[sunshine nana]

This is a good discussion. For us, good food and service in any time dining has been what put Princess above NCL even though we get a suite on NCL. The food and service on Princess has always been worth the extra over NCL which has poor food and service in their MDR. The rest of our Princess cruise on the Island was great once we got a great wait staff so I did not alert anyone to the "tip-happy" maître d'.

[jpthomas27]

No. It is not common since if you don't have a reservation, Anytime is based on first come, first served. Someone who tips to get ahead of the line is essentially telling me, "I'm much more important than you are."

 

A suggestion is to talk to the Maitre d' the first day after boarding and explain your previous experience. You can ask to make a standing reservation for the cruise. Some Maitre d's will, others won't but it's worth asking. If he's willing to accommodate you, you could "reward" him but to be honest, that's his job.

 

This is where I stand as well. Tipping simply to get seated is out of control. The definition of AT lends to a first come first serve situation, even allowing reservations is going to far in my opinion... again, it defeats the point of any time dinning in the first place.

 

I know there is a lot of discussion about "extra charges" on cruises these days, I for one don't mind the extra charges as I am very rarely interested in anything that requires it and I honestly believe it is keeping the overall cost of the cruise down.

 

BUT!! I would absolutely refuse to pay an additional charge just to be seated in the dinning room. That's ridiculous! And a charge is the proper definition as it's being collected in exchange for a service, it's not being offered in appreciation of one.

[pablo222]

We had bought a bottle of wine at lunch and it was delivered to the wait station for our table, but it was not poured for us until dessert.even though we asked twice.

 

If I asked twice for my wine to be served, and it was not,

I would immediately find the head-waiter responsible for

that section of the dining room, and have the situation

fixed.

[IECalCruiser]

This is from a tipping guide on CC

Maitre d's and Head Waiters

I usually do not tip the maitre d'. The only service he/she provides is assigning a table. If I like my assigned table, there is nothing he or she can do further. Unless it were an occasion like the one I described earlier, and I want a (very scarce) window table for two, I would assume it to be part of the maitre d's job to move me to a more congenial table. Another reason for not tipping the maitre d' is he/she is a ship's officer and is paid accordingly.

On the other hand, I tip head waiters $1 for each night I am in the dining room, even if he/she has done nothing more than greet me. The head waiter supervises the waiters and assistant waiters, and much of what he/she does is behind the scenes. If, however, the head waiter has promoted ordering off-menu items, prepared special dishes tableside or provided a cake for a special occasion, I would add an additional $5 per person, per service.

Never tipped a Maitre d' on a Princess ship. We don't usually tip our head waiters because on most cruises we have had zero interaction with them. On a recent cruise one of our traveling companions had dietary restrictions and the head waiter was at our table every night. We got to know him well. Although he didn't do anything for us, we gave him a tip at the end of the cruise. He expressed genuine surprise.

 

When traveling alone we choose to have a table for two. We have not had a problem reserving a table in the morning on most ships. If we find a wait staff we like, we have usually been able to get one of their tables for the remainder of the cruise. The people that are told to walk right to their table are the ones who have reserved a table, not those that have "bribed" anyone. As others have said, it can be difficult to get a reservation between 6:00 and 7:30/8:00.

[coiran]

I have never tipped the maitre de but have tipped the dining room captain in anytime dining, especially if we get the Godwin Experience.

[Times Prince]

We have cruised on Princess five times for a total of 49 nights, mostly in a mini. We always choose anytime dining, but almost always early. On the first 4 cruises, we asked for a table for two and after one or two nights found a great location and wait staff. We would ask the host to be in the section of the waiter we liked, not a specific table, but his or her section.We always order a bottle of wine and tip extra at the end to the waiter and assistant or wine steward.

On our last Princess cruise,the Island 10 Panama Canal cruise, we asked for a table for two the first night and we told there were none, so we were put at a large table and did not get good service. We had bought a bottle of wine at lunch and it was delivered to the wait station for our table, but it was not poured for us until dessert.even though we asked twice.We like to enjoy our first glass of wine before the entre is served.

The next night we were at the entrance when the door opened and again asked for a table for two. We were told again that there were none even though we could see many. Other people behind us were told by the host they could "just go to their table". I asked him how they were assigned their choice of table and we weren't and he did not answer. We felt he was waiting for a tip!

By the third night, we found a great waitress and we asked her how to get put in her section each night and she said she would ask the host who was related to her. Each night after that we were allowed to just seat ourselves in her section. We ordered wine each night and did tip her generously at the end.My question, is it common to have to tip the host to get a good table? It doesn't seem right to us.

It is not common to tip the host to get a good table. It is not Las Vegas, where that is the custom.

 

Using Anytime Dining we almost always ask for a table for two. We may have to wait a bit with a pager, but other than that there is no issue or special service required/rendered. On longer cruises the hostess at the door will normally come to recognize us and have us seated accordingly without asking, a nice touch.

 

The auto-tip system covers the variety of wait staff and section Maitre'D's we encounter during Anytime dining. I believe the wine steward is covered by the standard gratuity that is part of the purchase price for soft drinks/liquors/wine, thus no extra is warranted normally.

 

We've had 1-2 cruises where we liked our initial wait staff and requested their section each night. They received both extra tip and a "You Made a Difference" card.

[SiBreeze]

You should be able to ask and get a good table without tipping before the service. Tipping before to me is a bribe, tipping after getting a good service is showing appreciation not a bribe. :rolleyes:

 

Agree totally. We found a waiter we liked on the first night when seated at a table for 8. He told us he had tables for 2 and just ask the Maitre'd. We would get to the dining room early and say we would like to sit in Jun's area, table 72 please. :) Never had a problem. We tipped at the end of the cruise, not before.

[Kinkacruiser]

You should be able to ask and get a good table without tipping before the service. Tipping before to me is a bribe' date=' tipping after getting a good service is showing appreciation not a bribe. :rolleyes:[/quote']

 

I agree. My first reaction to this post was that any tip would look like a bribe. Furthermore, my understanding is that you take what's available in anytime dining or wait.

[helenb]

It is stories like this that make me glad that we always go for traditional dining. I would hate to come every day and not know where I will be sitting, or with whom, and what waiter I will have. And then to have lousy service and seat selection because we did not want to tip in advance... this just turns me off.

 

OP, I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience. It sounds to me as if you would prefer traditional dining. Perhaps you should look into it on your next cruise.

[abqmommyof4]

we cruised to the mexican rivera last christmas and used anytime dining. We were able to get the same area and wait staff each night and we didnt ask, they offered. It was helpful because I am gluten intollerant We also ate every night at 530 which helped.

We tipped well at the end.

[JimmyVWine]

The next night we were at the entrance when the door opened and again asked for a table for two. We were told again that there were none even though we could see many.

 

I did ask the after the first dinner if I could make a reservation for the next night in a better location and he said we could not reserve a table for 2!

 

There is something inconsistent with these two statements. If one is first to arrive at the dining room and can see many two-tops unoccupied, but is told that none of those tables is "available", wouldn't that indicate that others had indeed reserved those tables? I'm not sure what the solution is, but something was clearly amiss. The reservationist could not have been on the same page as the MD. Or else all of those tables for two had to have been reserved sub rosa without the DINE reservationist knowing anything about it. Which, unfortunately, smacks of payloa.

[sunshine nana]

Again, thanks for the replies. Since we ended up with a wonderful wait staff and an otherwise great cruise, we did not let the first two nights bother us, but now we are considering another Island cruise. We are trying traditional dining on our next Celebrity cruise as the early dining is 6:15 which we consider just right.

[NavyVeteran]

we cruised to the mexican rivera last christmas and used anytime dining. We were able to get the same area and wait staff each night and we didnt ask, they offered. It was helpful because I am gluten intollerant We also ate every night at 530 which helped.

We tipped well at the end.

 

I have noticed on several cruisers that the Princess Head Waiters have provided great service to people with food allergy problems. I suspect they offered you the same table at the same time, because it made their job handling the special menu selections a lot easier.

[Loonbeam]

Lets clarify a couple of terms here. A cash payment made in recognition of a service performed is a tip and is typically offered after the performance of said service.

 

A cash payment made in advance of a service in an attempt to affect that service and/or possibly arrange for something not normally offered is a bribe.

 

The first is completely acceptable and encouraged based on US custom.

 

The other is not uncommon within the US, especially in certain markets but other than in certain specific situations is considered a bit tacky.

 

A bribe should NEVER be necessary for a reasonable request on a cruise ship that falls within normal operating procedures. And honestly, anything that requires a bribe is something that shouldn't probably happen anyway. If the MD is resorting to bribes, this should be reported to corporate.

 

A different example. On embarkation day, your steward comes in to your cabin to say hi and you slip him or her $50. The implication here is that you want to be treated better than his other cabins. Or at least those who paid less of a bribe (which is why the bribe culture is a bad thing).

 

Now, same scenario except when the steward comes in, you request an egg crate, spa robes, deck blankets, wine glasses and to clean out the fridge and he or she does all that in the middle of a very busy day for them. In this case, the service has been rendered, their routine disrupted and a tip is very appropriate.

[Good Golly Miss Molly]

Interesting thread. We love anytime dining, have had both great and not-so-great tables, and have never waited long for a table, although we agree with others that the tables for 2 are often too close to other tables. Regarding tipping to get a good table... on our most recent Princess cruise (the Coral), more than once we happened to be seated near the entrance, and DH had a clear view of people entering the restaurant. He was pretty surprised to see (more than once) guests slipping money directly into the waiting handshake of the person in charge. It happened quickly... but the green exchange was obvious, and didn't seem to be a surprise to the person in charge.