specialty rest/MDR gratuities

[mamakinrocks]

Hello All, We will be sailing on Allure, June 1st. We are planning on doing 4 specialty dining venues. I assume that we will be billed double gratuities on these 4 evenings? Also, when making advance reservations, is our credit card billed immediately? What would happen to these charges in the event of a change of plans? Thank you!

[Clarea]

Hello All, We will be sailing on Allure, June 1st. We are planning on doing 4 specialty dining venues. I assume that we will be billed double gratuities on these 4 evenings? Also, when making advance reservations, is our credit card billed immediately? What would happen to these charges in the event of a change of plans? Thank you!

Your credit card will be billed immediately. The fee for the specialty restaurant includes gratuity, but you will be given the opportunity to add more if you wish.

 

If your plans change in advance of the cruise, you have to cancel and rebook.

[gerif]

Hello All, We will be sailing on Allure, June 1st. We are planning on doing 4 specialty dining venues. I assume that we will be billed double gratuities on these 4 evenings? Also, when making advance reservations, is our credit card billed immediately? What would happen to these charges in the event of a change of plans? Thank you!

 

You will not be billed "double" gratuities. There is no separate gratuity added to the bill for specialty restaurants - although the service is usually excellent and most do leave an additional tip. Your credit card will be billed immediately when you book - don't know what happens if you change your mind, but I believe if it is done in a reasonable amount of time, you would get a refund.

[dacsmom]

Why would you assume you will be billed double gratuities? The daily gratuities are for all the waitstaff no matter where you eat. If you choose MTD or opt to pre-pay your gratuities your card is charged immediately. Also if you book the specialty restaurant before boarding you are charged at the time of the reservation If not it is added to your onboard account to pay at the end of the cruise.

Edited March 2, 2014 by dacsmom

[mamakinrocks]

I was just pondering that, if for instance, someone is barely using the MDR (or not at all), then they are, essentially, paying for gratuities for both. We are always very generous tippers and would provide our own add-on in the specialty restaurants. I realize that the wait staff in the MDR works extremely hard and depends on their assigned diners providing their gratuities. But in this case, one really is paying double gratuities. Now that there are so many extra-charge venues, I would think that it has become a bit more challenging to navigate. Thank you!!

[Ourusualbeach]

I was just pondering that, if for instance, someone is barely using the MDR (or not at all), then they are, essentially, paying for gratuities for both. We are always very generous tippers and would provide our own add-on in the specialty restaurants. I realize that the wait staff in the MDR works extremely hard and depends on their assigned diners providing their gratuities. But in this case, one really is paying double gratuities. Now that there are so many extra-charge venues, I would think that it has become a bit more challenging to navigate. Thank you!!

 

Those tips that you pay for the dining room staff also cover those that help serve you breakfast and lunch.

[Roce48]

I was just pondering that, if for instance, someone is barely using the MDR (or not at all), then they are, essentially, paying for gratuities for both. We are always very generous tippers and would provide our own add-on in the specialty restaurants. I realize that the wait staff in the MDR works extremely hard and depends on their assigned diners providing their gratuities. But in this case, one really is paying double gratuities. Now that there are so many extra-charge venues, I would think that it has become a bit more challenging to navigate. Thank you!!

 

Remember that the gratuity for the wait staff is not just for the Dinner wait staff, but also breakfast and lunch wait staff in the MDR as well as the Windjammer wait staff. For us a cruise is a splurge to begin with, so we rarely kick in extra unless there is something special done for us.

 

I understand your thought about the double gratuity when using the Specialty dining rooms. I also think it is very nice that others provide even more of a tip. Pehaps that keeps me out of Specialty dining, as I do not want to feel like a cheapskate. Maybe someday we will have more money at our disposal, but even then I would prefer to buy a larger gift for our adult children who are watching our dogs and house.

 

On our last cruise we saw our cabin steward only once at the start, and he never came to us to see if there was anything we needed. Yes, he did a good job, but we keep things very neat because we hate to sit in a hovel.:)

 

To be truthful, when I read the posts on CC about tipping extra, I feel a little intimidated.:(

Edited March 2, 2014 by Roce48