Tipping in specialty restaurants?

[lefy]

I don't remember the policy in specialty restaurants on NCL because it's been quite a while since our last NCL cruise & now with the free dining package I'm a little confused. On Royal Caribbean we always tipped because they didn't add any surcharge to the cost of specialty restaurants but on NCL they add 18% for the dining package. I don't want to be a cheapskate but I feel if they're already charging an 18% service fee on top of the daily gratuity fee we are charged for service on the ship that the staff shouldn't expect another tip. I'm curious to hear other opinions on this but i haven't totally made my mind up yet.

[NLH Arizona]

I don't remember the policy in specialty restaurants on NCL because it's been quite a while since our last NCL cruise & now with the free dining package I'm a little confused. On Royal Caribbean we always tipped because they didn't add any surcharge to the cost of specialty restaurants but on NCL they add 18% for the dining package. I don't want to be a cheapskate but I feel if they're already charging an 18% service fee on top of the daily gratuity fee we are charged for service on the ship that the staff shouldn't expect another tip. I'm curious to hear other opinions on this but i haven't totally made my mind up yet.

If you paid the 18% already, you are not expected to leave any additional tip, unless you choose to do so.

 

When I get the SDP, I don't pay the 18% because I cruise in a suite, so I will take cash and leave a tip, but that is just me.

[hawkeyetlse]

I don't want to be a cheapskate but I feel if they're already charging an 18% service fee on top of the daily gratuity fee we are charged for service on the ship that the staff shouldn't expect another tip.

You'd have to read their minds to know for sure, but I don't think they expect another tip. Unless they enjoy feeling disappointed all the time.

 

Leave an extra tip if you are very happy with the service and you feel like giving more. You are not a cheapskate if you don't leave anything extra. You have already paid for the service.

[ColinIllinois]

I wouldn't leave extra. I couldn't imagine anything that they could possibly do that would warrant more than the 18% already paid.

[lefy]

I used to work for tips in my younger days so i always like to leave about a 25% tip but whenever a tip is added to the check I never leave any more. I understand that the automatic tip takes away the possibility of a bad tip or no tip but I can't help feeling a little insulted by it also. It also takes away the added incentive for extra special service too.

[BrandoMan13]

I used to work for tips in my younger days so i always like to leave about a 25% tip but whenever a tip is added to the check I never leave any more. I understand that the automatic tip takes away the possibility of a bad tip or no tip but I can't help feeling a little insulted by it also. It also takes away the added incentive for extra special service too.

 

At a normal restaurant I totally agree with you. But we've been in jobs where we relied on tips, so we get it. Others do not. Which unfortunately why some places have an automatic tip in place.

 

The exception would be when a restaurant has an automatic tip for a larger party, usually 6 or more. I have no problem with that, and will usually leave a little extra depending on the automatic %.

[NMLady]

Because our platinum perk doesn't include an 18% charge, we leave a cash tip when using platinum perk voucher. But when we use SDP we've already paid 18% gratuity so, unless the service was above and beyond, we do not leave an additional tip.

Edited August 17, 2016 by NMLady

[queenschick9b]

I just got back from Breakaway and I did add a little extra each time even though I paid for my SDP and paid the 18% charge. I just felt weird not leaving anything when they brought me out the 0.00 bill.

 

I do the same in the spa. Not an extra 20% on either of these, but just a little something for the person who assisted.

[Va. Plumber]

We generally do tip extra, especially if the service is great and the waitstaff is extremely personable.

 

I had a waiter follow me out of a restaurant one night to thank me profusely for the extra.

 

Let's face it, most of them are not going to retire to the south of France from what they make.

 

We were fortunate enough to have "suite privileges" given to us on last cruise. There were three young people who served us breakfast and lunch and sometimes dinner in Cagney's who always beat a path to our table even if they weren't serving us. Perhaps I am naïve, but I don't think they did it just to get a tip. We gave each of them an envelope at the end of the cruise.

[cb at sea]

On RCI, the "fee" for specialty dining INCLUDES the tip...some folks leave a bit more, if they feel the service was worth it! You don't have to, tho!

[roger001]

Realizing, I've already been charged 18% by NCL (and I'm sure my server didn't get much, if any of that), I still leave $5 always. My choice.

[maria1963]

We are going on Spirit in February and have the Speciality dining package as an offer along with the beverage package. So I'm a bit confused. Will there be an expectation that we pay the dinning gratuity on top of the daily one?

[luckyinpa]

I just got back from Breakaway and I did add a little extra each time even though I paid for my SDP and paid the 18% charge. I just felt weird not leaving anything when they brought me out the 0.00 bill.

 

I do the same in the spa. Not an extra 20% on either of these, but just a little something for the person who assisted.

 

hate to ask the newbie question but i will as this is the 1st time ive read a post that had the word bill in it.

 

do you show your key card when you sit down or when you are finished? i'm guessing when finished otherwise theres no need to bring a bill because they would know it's all free if you had the SDP plan.

 

regarding free venues i have to admit it would be weird to eat then just leave but i'm sure ill get used to it. hope i dont start doing it at home then.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

hate to ask the newbie question but i will as this is the 1st time ive read a post that had the word bill in it.

 

do you show your key card when you sit down or when you are finished? i'm guessing when finished otherwise theres no need to bring a bill because they would know it's all free if you had the SDP plan.

 

regarding free venues i have to admit it would be weird to eat then just leave but i'm sure ill get used to it. hope i dont start doing it at home then.

 

 

Well, SDP is for a limited number of meals, so I assume the bill for 0.00 is the paper trail that you've used an SDP credit. It also gives you the opportunity to add an additional tip. :)

[hawkeyetlse]

do you show your key card when you sit down or when you are finished? i'm guessing when finished otherwise theres no need to bring a bill because they would know it's all free if you had the SDP plan.

Even with the SDP, you might order more than you are entitled to with the package, so there's potentially a bill for that. And if you don't have a beverage package, there's a bill for the drinks, too. So yes, they ask for your keycard at the end of the meal.

 

Even if you have nothing to pay, they still bring you a bill for $0, for the reasons that Quilting_Cruiser explained.

Edited August 17, 2016 by hawkeyetlse

[queenschick9b]

hate to ask the newbie question but i will as this is the 1st time ive read a post that had the word bill in it.

 

do you show your key card when you sit down or when you are finished? i'm guessing when finished otherwise theres no need to bring a bill because they would know it's all free if you had the SDP plan.

 

regarding free venues i have to admit it would be weird to eat then just leave but i'm sure ill get used to it. hope i dont start doing it at home then.

 

Last week on the Breakaway they asked for my card at the end of the meal to "prepare my check". They always knew I was SDP because I actually did 5 meals and had only bought 4, so the hostess the first night wanted to make sure I knew it wasn't covered and that was while I was still at the desk - I told her I was aware :)

 

For my SDP meals, the bills were 0 each night (because I also had UBP) except one night where I had a cappuccino. The funny part was they didn't give me the 0.00 bill that night, just the one for the coffee, so I just tipped the extra on that bill instead.

[sctexan]

Even though an 18% gratuity is added to the package, I always tip extra. I don't know where that 18% goes but I know where my tip goes.

 

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

[Va. Plumber]

In answer to a previous question: The hostess will swipe your key card when you enter the restaurant.

[lefy]

After reading some of the replies I think the idea of leaving an extra 5 or 10 bucks in cash sounds good. It may not be much but I don't see that we have any obligation to leave anything extra. I feel like the cruise line is already double dipping by charging a gratuity fee for the cruise which is supposed to cover the wait staff for every night of your stay then charging another fee for tipping for specialty dining if you don't eat in the main dining room. When I was on RC I saw some of the same waiters from the free main dining room in the specialty restaurants & I'm not sure how all those prepay or even extra tips get divided up. I'll bet the waiters would probably rather have us leave $5 or $10 cash than put more on our onboard account.

[lefy]

Well me & my wife just got back from our cruise on Norwegian Epic & all i can say is by the service we got I don't think the waiters expected a tip at the specialty restaurants. On

only one night would I say we got really good service so I gave the guy $10 cash. The other three nights were average at best so i gave them $5 each. We had one waiter didn't even offer to serve us coffee after we finished our dessert & just brought us the bill. My kids worked as waiters so hate to not leave anything but I also hate when they already pre-charge the gratuities.

[nissach]

I wouldn't leave extra. I couldn't imagine anything that they could possibly do that would warrant more than the 18% already paid.

 

Agreed!!

[CruisinHarvey]

Most servers any more think because they show up you should give them a tip. It's gone from 15% to 25% too. Nope! If you've already given 18% that's plenty, unless you've gotten service that you'll remember for a long time.

[cruzsnooze]

I don't remember the policy in specialty restaurants on NCL because it's been quite a while since our last NCL cruise & now with the free dining package I'm a little confused. On Royal Caribbean we always tipped because they didn't add any surcharge to the cost of specialty restaurants but on NCL they add 18% for the dining package. I don't want to be a cheapskate but I feel if they're already charging an 18% service fee on top of the daily gratuity fee we are charged for service on the ship that the staff shouldn't expect another tip. I'm curious to hear other opinions on this but i haven't totally made my mind up yet.

 

I did not tip in the specialty dining room.

[luckyinpa]

Well me & my wife just got back from our cruise on Norwegian Epic & all i can say is by the service we got I don't think the waiters expected a tip at the specialty restaurants. On

only one night would I say we got really good service so I gave the guy $10 cash. The other three nights were average at best so i gave them $5 each. We had one waiter didn't even offer to serve us coffee after we finished our dessert & just brought us the bill. My kids worked as waiters so hate to not leave anything but I also hate when they already pre-charge the gratuities.

 

daniel at cagneys (BA) was great so we left him 15.. really did good with us and the kids and got a hero card

 

typically i do 5 in specialty or haven dinner

 

taste and savor. i would never leave a tip because i just hate waiting 1.5 hours for all of my meals including breakfast. i know they arent the cooks but the situation was just like that every meal we had there even if the restaurant was half full. when it filled up (i didnt notice) i asked for more potato skins and another kids chicken tenders. he said would take a very long time now since busy. and this is my 2nd cruise and there's an overall lack of them getting you refills unless you ask and even initial drink orders take forever.

 

service in all the specialties ive been in is superior to taste/savor but i did find MDR to be better than taste/savor.