Why did waiter ask room number on LAST night?

[peety3]

We were asked for the stateroom number the 2nd and 3rd night. When asked since we were at ATD, the waiter just said they were just told by the Headwaiter without saying why.

 

We were asked our stateroom numerous times (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and so we asked. Apparently Princess wants to have those records so that if one passenger gets sick, they can more quickly cross-reference who may have sat near that passenger at meals, find out what dishes the passenger ate in case it was something specific in the galley, etc.

[runner15km]

Cruise lines should bury the tips in the price of the cruise.

[floridalover5623]

We were asked our stateroom numerous times (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and so we asked. Apparently Princess wants to have those records so that if one passenger gets sick, they can more quickly cross-reference who may have sat near that passenger at meals, find out what dishes the passenger ate in case it was something specific in the galley, etc.

I've often wondered the same thing myself & never gotten a straight answer. Sometimes they ask & other times they don't. At one point I thought they were keeping track of how much people were ordering, :D but your answer seems to be the most logical.

 

Cruise lines should bury the tips in the price of the cruise.

It's not good for advertising at a price that will attract people to book. Once people have booked a trip there not likely to back out when they find out that tips are extra.

[cruzsnooze]

We gave our head waiter a cash tip in an envelope the last night of our cruise (as well as our asst waiter and cabin steward). Related or not, he asked our stateroom number shortly thereafter. Anybody else had this happen or have an explanation?

 

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You'll get a multitude of answers but no one really knows the answer. Princess chooses not to tell the public how it really dispenses the gratuities.

[easyboy]

We were asked our stateroom numerous times (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and so we asked. Apparently Princess wants to have those records so that if one passenger gets sick, they can more quickly cross-reference who may have sat near that passenger at meals, find out what dishes the passenger ate in case it was something specific in the galley, etc.

 

 

That makes sense! I was speculating before that they need a reference to the table wait staff with those that will request removal of auto gratuities so any extra cash tip later will be put to a tip pool.

 

 

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[USNUZULOOSE]

They could scan the card when coming into dine so they don't have to keep asking. It is probably annoying for them to have to keep asking. I would feel so terribly awful to have to keep asking that question.

[floridalover5623]

They could scan the card when coming into dine so they don't have to keep asking. It is probably annoying for them to have to keep asking. I would feel so terribly awful to have to keep asking that question.

They still don't keep track of what table people are sitting at.... only which tables are occupied. It would probably be to much to have the hostess keep track of each individual.

[pablo222]

They still don't keep track of what table people are sitting at.... only which tables are occupied. It would probably be to much to have the hostess keep track of each individual.

 

Maybe they can put medallion sensors in the chairs?

[Taer al Saefer]

Honestly, my thought was that if you ordered something to drink, they would know where to charge. I was feeling kind of squeamish the last few nights so I ordered ginger ales and was never asked for my card.

[satxdiver]

We were on the Ruby last month. We had the usual TD so they did not ask our cabin number but every time we went to the MDR for breakfast or seaday lunch, they would ask the cabin number and write it down. It was no big issue to us. I understand the issue of TD pax going to ATD and causing higher traffic. Quite a few nights in TD I did notice that certain tables were consistently empty on most but not all nights. Whether the pax had gone to the HC or to ATD I had no idea but the increased traffic would increase load on the ATD MDRs.

 

I would guess that collecting cabin numbers at breakfast and seaday lunch is for analysis of who goes where for those meals. I am sure that Princess is always trying to study pax patterns. With the advent of *****, they will no longer have to ask as it will be entered into the database as you enter the MDR. Studying traffic patterns is a very useful tool for Princess.

 

We had a ship hotel officer address us at the M&G and before we could even ask him a question, he addressed the great butter caper with a smile. He said that they throw away literally tons of butter every cruise. Once butter is put on the table and not used, it has to be thrown away. So they put a minimum on the table and are very willing to give out more simply by asking. It is all part of reducing waste. BTW he did say he reads the Princess boards all the time which is why he knew about the butter.

[OzKiwiJJ]

It's not good for advertising at a price that will attract people to book. Once people have booked a trip there not likely to back out when they find out that tips are extra.

 

It works fine in our part of the world where the gratuities are built into the cruise fare. People soon adapt to a different style of pricing. However some people from your part of the world might not be happy that they could no longer remove the gratuities. :eek: ;)

[floridalover5623]

BTW he did say he reads the Princess boards all the time which is why he knew about the butter.

Then he must be quite aware of the frustration of having to ask & wait 5 minutes or more for an additional serving during the meal.

I didn't notice any shortage on our last Royal cruise either.

[floridalover5623]

It works fine in our part of the world where the gratuities are built into the cruise fare. People soon adapt to a different style of pricing. However some people from your part of the world might not be happy that they could no longer remove the gratuities. :eek: ;)

Well I know I wouldn't like the idea if I wanted to remove them or even cut back on the amount.

It's still nice to know that it's an option if needed.

[pablo222]

He said that they throw away literally tons of butter every cruise. Once butter is put on the table and not used, it has to be thrown away.

 

Literally?

 

Tons must mean at least 2 x 2000 pounds...

I found a reference that says there are 48 pats per pound.

 

So, that means they are throwing away at least 192,000 pats of butter every cruise.

 

So, on a ship with 3600 passengers, that is more than 50 per person.

 

Last week on royal, the hostess seated Mrs. Pablo and myself.

She brought menus, bread and butter to the table.

 

Seconds later, the waiter swooped in to replace the butter dish with 3 pats

with one having 2 pats.

 

I thought it was really, really funny.

[AE_Collector]

Cruise lines should bury the tips in the price of the cruise.

 

Amen to That! But, they figure there pricing wouldn’t be competitive.

 

I and many others view Celebrity as one of Princess main competitors. Celebrity now includes at least one free “perk” for all but inside cabins and one of those perks can be “gratuities included”. Quite often you get more than one free perk. So, IMHO Princess is missing the boat not going “All inclusive” including gratuities and taxes/Port fees. Just like in Australia.

 

AE_Collector

[M4dC0w]

I asked the head waiter why he asked for our room number, and it is so they can check if we pulled the gratuities. We all know some do it all the time as you can see the lineups at the services desk all the time on the last day.

 

Do you notice that almost half of the tables are always empty too on the last day. I can't believe what people do to avoid paying any type of gratuity.

[0112358]

Because IF the guest has removed the auto tip, the waiter would have to hand in the tip to the tipping pool. If you paid the autotip then he would get to keep what you gave him. So he or his supervisor will have to check. They take this very seriously.

 

 

 

Correct. Good for you for tipping.

 

 

 

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[floridalover5623]

Literally?

 

Tons must mean at least 2 x 2000 pounds...

I found a reference that says there are 48 pats per pound.

 

So, that means they are throwing away at least 192,000 pats of butter every cruise.

 

So, on a ship with 3600 passengers, that is more than 50 per person.

 

Last week on royal, the hostess seated Mrs. Pablo and myself.

She brought menus, bread and butter to the table.

 

Seconds later, the waiter swooped in to replace the butter dish with 3 pats

with one having 2 pats.

 

I thought it was really, really funny.

Theoretically the dish with 2 pats has to be thrown away since it was already served. LOL :D:D

[Host CJSKIDS]

 

We had a ship hotel officer address us at the M&G and before we could even ask him a question, he addressed the great butter caper with a smile. He said that they throw away literally tons of butter every cruise. Once butter is put on the table and not used, it has to be thrown away. So they put a minimum on the table and are very willing to give out more simply by asking. It is all part of reducing waste. BTW he did say he reads the Princess boards all the time which is why he knew about the butter.

 

I laughed reading about the butter. Can you imagine what they must think when reading the threads on here about only getting a few pats of butter?!!! They must have been shaking their heads saying "what's next?" Obviously it's something discussed since he brought it up quickly.

[tip]

I laughed reading about the butter. Can you imagine what they must think when reading the threads on here about only getting a few pats of butter?!!! They must have been shaking their heads saying "what's next?" Obviously it's something discussed since he brought it up quickly.

 

Well-said. And then there is the complaining about the scratchy toilet paper!:rolleyes:

[pa247]

I can well understand that.

 

 

 

Between this and the butter situation, I'm surprised princess has any customers left.

 

 

 

Rofl.. That made my day!

 

 

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[floridalover5623]

I laughed reading about the butter. Can you imagine what they must think when reading the threads on here about only getting a few pats of butter?!!! They must have been shaking their heads saying "what's next?" Obviously it's something discussed since he brought it up quickly.

Well since it's become somewhat of a minor problem and the wait to order & then receive more is usually a long process during busy times, the only thing left to do is order extra early when first placing your dinner order.

Of course this only leads to more waste than necessary but their the ones who've created the issue.

[flamomo]

We gave our head waiter a cash tip in an envelope the last night of our cruise (as well as our asst waiter and cabin steward). Related or not, he asked our stateroom number shortly thereafter. Anybody else had this happen or have an explanation?

 

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On the envelopes of any "extra" tips I give, I put my cabin number and my name, along with a brief personal note thanking them for such things as great service, extra assistance if needed, great attitude, etc. I feel it's important that they know what they did that warranted the extra $$.

[DRPWDunIL]

On the envelopes of any "extra" tips I give, I put my cabin number and my name, along with a brief personal note thanking them for such things as great service, extra assistance if needed, great attitude, etc. I feel it's important that they know what they did that warranted the extra $$.

We did the same thing. I agree with you.

 

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[Silkroad]

If it's standard, why doesn't the hostess just take the information when they take the number of people in the party?

 

The annoying part was the seeming randomness of when the waiter would ask for our cabin number, usually by interrupting conversation. If the waiter must ask for the information, make it a part of the order taking process instead of an afterthought.

 

I’ve been wondering the same thing! Being someone who has only sailed on Celebrity, but is considering a Princess Cruise, I’m trying to learn the ropes by following threads such as this one. I book Select (any time) dining on Celebrity. When we turn up each evening, the hostess asks our cabin number, checks her computer and we’re not asked for it again until the next evening.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Silkroad
correction