Tipping with my time dining

[jarvb]

I usually sail with husband and have assigned dining.  This January I am sailing with my daughter and trying my time dining for the first time.  How do you usually tip the wait staff in the main dining room.  I am use to tipping on the last night ( in addition to prepaid), how do you handle tipping with my time?  What would you consider a reasonable tip, if tipping per meal.  Thanks.

[teknoge3k]

We always leave our prepaid gratuities in place, and use the same wait staff each night with YTD. The last night I usually give each of the 3 wait staff members an extra $30-$40/ea. 

[Organized Chaos]

With Your Time Dining, there's a chance you get a different wait team every night, so if you want to tip extra, you might want to do it at the end of that meal since you may not get them again. Even with YTD, if you get a particular wait team you really like, you can request to be seated in their area when you get to the MDR. Just keep in mind that if you do that, your wait could be a little longer if their section is full. If you do choose to use the same wait team, you could hold your extra tips until the last night.

[MeganGC1983]

We additionally tip any service member we thought went above and beyond or that we enjoyed. We usually try to stay with a good team, by asking the hostess each night for that same section. 

[biomedbob]

It's usually very easy to find your favorite YTD group on the last night and walk over and give them the envelope.

[Banditswife]

We only tip extra when someone went above & beyond, we feel the prepaid gratuities are enough in most cases.  But when we feel a server has gone above normal service, we either tip them personally or ask the hostess to give them an envelope.  On our last cruise there was a young man on Lido who really took pride in his work, was always kind, smiling & efficient.  We found him toward the end of the cruise & handed him an envelope with some cash plus a note thanking him for his wonderful attitude.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Banditswife

[Saint Greg]

I get there early and get the same table so my waitstaff stays the same. I give them thank you cards with additional tips on the last night.

[coevan]

3 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

With Your Time Dining, there's a chance you get a different wait team every night, so if you want to tip extra, you might want to do it at the end of that meal since you may not get them again. Even with YTD, if you get a particular wait team you really like, you can request to be seated in their area when you get to the MDR. Just keep in mind that if you do that, your wait could be a little longer if their section is full. If you do choose to use the same wait team, you could hold your extra tips until the last night.

 

 

We had the same waitstaff for 2 weeks. We never waited more than a few minutes to clean off a table. 

[glentally]

This topic brings up the unknown of how cruise lines divide the tips.  So if I do early or late does that tip I prepaid for get divided between just my staff?  Thrown into a big pool and EVERYONE gets some? 

 

I know I am going to rock the boat but I don't believe the cruise company doesn't skim some off for administrative fees etc.  No one here can prove me right or wrong, its all speculation including my own comments.

[HillBilly Bob]

15 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

With Your Time Dining, there's a chance you get a different wait team every night

I have not found this to be the case.  We always dine with Anytime and are always seated at the exact table every night.  If not, we might be seated at the table next to our "regular" table.  Same staff every meal.  The only time we have different staff is at breakfast.  Once you state your seating preference with the podium, they will respect your requests.   

[HillBilly Bob]

11 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

........with additional tips on the last night.

We tip the FIRST night....they will never forget your special requests.  And I always have my server surprise me with my meal....just to let them know I am an adventurous diner.  They know what is good and what other diners have not enjoyed.  

[Purvis1231]

We have always done YTD but on several cruises we have requested the same dining team. Sometimes I keep a list of those who I want to tip extra and call customer service and have an extra tip added to my sign and sail card. 

[rvsullivan]

3 hours ago, glentally said:

This topic brings up the unknown of how cruise lines divide the tips.  So if I do early or late does that tip I prepaid for get divided between just my staff?  Thrown into a big pool and EVERYONE gets some? 

 

I know I am going to rock the boat but I don't believe the cruise company doesn't skim some off for administrative fees etc.  No one here can prove me right or wrong, its all speculation including my own comments.

The bigger question is why do you care? The employee's seem happy with the system (they keep coming back), the cruise line is happy, and for the most part the customers are happy (they too keep coming back)! Seems to be win all around!

[ParrotRob]

4 hours ago, glentally said:

This topic brings up the unknown of how cruise lines divide the tips.  So if I do early or late does that tip I prepaid for get divided between just my staff?  Thrown into a big pool and EVERYONE gets some? 

 

I know I am going to rock the boat but I don't believe the cruise company doesn't skim some off for administrative fees etc.  No one here can prove me right or wrong, its all speculation including my own comments.

 

Why do you care how tips are divided?  Apparently the employees are happy with the arrangement.  When you tip at a restaurant on land, do you dictate how you want your top divided between your server, hostess, bartender, kitchen staff, etc?

[serene56]

4 hours ago, glentally said:

This topic brings up the unknown of how cruise lines divide the tips.  So if I do early or late does that tip I prepaid for get divided between just my staff?  Thrown into a big pool and EVERYONE gets some? 

 

I know I am going to rock the boat but I don't believe the cruise company doesn't skim some off for administrative fees etc.  No one here can prove me right or wrong, its all speculation including my own comments.

For some one who cruised as much as you did you know those tips do not go to everyone.    They go to your own dining staff--  and if you have anytime   you are asked your room number/folio number so that wait staff will get those tips those nights.         The 2.00 a day tip does pay for anyone working the lido buffet that day.   

 

[sc4125]

5 hours ago, glentally said:

This topic brings up the unknown of how cruise lines divide the tips.  So if I do early or late does that tip I prepaid for get divided between just my staff?  Thrown into a big pool and EVERYONE gets some? 

 

I know I am going to rock the boat but I don't believe the cruise company doesn't skim some off for administrative fees etc.  No one here can prove me right or wrong, its all speculation including my own comments.

True, it's all speculation, but I'm sure if the cruise line was skimming, we would have heard so by now. 

 

I use to work on CCL ships years ago when passengers used (or more often, didn't use) the tip envelopes.  I can almost assure you that crew are receiving way more tips now than then - even with those people who choose to remove the tips at CS. 

 

I choose to believe that cruise lines aren't screwing their staff out of tips, you can choose to think they do.

 

 

[buckeyefrank]

5 hours ago, glentally said:

This topic brings up the unknown of how cruise lines divide the tips.  So if I do early or late does that tip I prepaid for get divided between just my staff?  Thrown into a big pool and EVERYONE gets some? 

 

I know I am going to rock the boat but I don't believe the cruise company doesn't skim some off for administrative fees etc.  No one here can prove me right or wrong, its all speculation including my own comments.

Actually the financial auditors can prove you wrong.  Money set aside for employees via tips, etc cannot be used by the company for bottom line profit.  It's an easy test to perform to ensure it's all used for EE purposes.  Not one auditor used by any cruise line would sign off on financial statements where they were profiting from money set aside for the crew.

[buckeyefrank]

39 minutes ago, sc4125 said:

I choose to believe that cruise lines aren't screwing their staff out of tips, you can choose to think they do.

 

 

That's because they're not.  They may not be going 100% as direct cash compensation but they are benefiting.  For example, it could be going to provide additional benefits they wouldn't receive normally such as recognition, days off, etc.

[Denverdonkeys]

5 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

Actually the financial auditors can prove you wrong.  Money set aside for employees via tips, etc cannot be used by the company for bottom line profit.  It's an easy test to perform to ensure it's all used for EE purposes.  Not one auditor used by any cruise line would sign off on financial statements where they were profiting from money set aside for the crew.

 

I doubt tips are audited precise enough for Financial Auditors to concern themselves with 100% flowing to the employees. They will check for proper immateriality of the net flow-through, and as you mentioned the indirect benefits could be the difference. maybe an audit by a government agency, but I am not sure of the agencies that would look at this due to the ships not being a US flagged vessel.

 

I am not doubting that a very high majority of the tips are given directly to the employees. It is too cynical to believe the opposite- and probably a view many take to justify removing tips.

[grandmarnnurse]

20 hours ago, jarvb said:

I usually sail with husband and have assigned dining.  This January I am sailing with my daughter and trying my time dining for the first time.  How do you usually tip the wait staff in the main dining room.  I am use to tipping on the last night ( in addition to prepaid), how do you handle tipping with my time?  What would you consider a reasonable tip, if tipping per meal.  Thanks.

We requested the same waiter ever night, and then on last night, gave a tip. Not sure I would give extra cash if I had a different waiter every night. 

[Eliot Ness]

We also request the same wait staff each night for YTD and on the last night give them an envelope with a note and a tip in addition to what they receive through our pre-paid gratuities.

[buckeyefrank]

39 minutes ago, Denverdonkeys said:

 

I doubt tips are audited precise enough for Financial Auditors to concern themselves with 100% flowing to the employees. They will check for proper immateriality of the net flow-through, and as you mentioned the indirect benefits could be the difference. maybe an audit by a government agency, but I am not sure of the agencies that would look at this due to the ships not being a US flagged vessel.

 

I am not doubting that a very high majority of the tips are given directly to the employees. It is too cynical to believe the opposite- and probably a view many take to justify removing tips.

Between the SOC 1 which tests the cruise lines internal control structure and the financial audit, you can rest assured the tips, DSC, services charges, etc. are going to the employees.  They would likely be captured under a revenue code (or handful of codes) that would be easy to test in a SOC 1 environment.  The auditor (SOC 1 and financial) would perform testing on a limited basis to ensure that the amounts reported as service charges (which have been asserted by management as employee funds) go to an appropriate account (liability account on the balance sheet).  They would also test the disbursements, making sure that payments that were made are appropriate.  Materiality doesn't really come into play at this level.  The amount of DSC collected throughout the year makes the account material and would surely be tested.  Carnival Corp shows that they had 12,400,000 passengers in 2018.  Figure an average of 6 days a cruise you are looking at DSC collected of about $800 - $900 million. 

 

I do certainly agree with you in assuming people who argue the opposite are trying to justify in their own heads why they don't tip.

[ParrotRob]

5 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

Between the SOC 1 which tests the cruise lines internal control structure and the financial audit, you can rest assured the tips, DSC, services charges, etc. are going to the employees.  They would likely be captured under a revenue code (or handful of codes) that would be easy to test in a SOC 1 environment.  The auditor (SOC 1 and financial) would perform testing on a limited basis to ensure that the amounts reported as service charges (which have been asserted by management as employee funds) go to an appropriate account (liability account on the balance sheet).  They would also test the disbursements, making sure that payments that were made are appropriate.  Materiality doesn't really come into play at this level.  The amount of DSC collected throughout the year makes the account material and would surely be tested.  Carnival Corp shows that they had 12,400,000 passengers in 2018.  Figure an average of 6 days a cruise you are looking at DSC collected of about $800 - $900 million. 

 

I do certainly agree with you in assuming people who argue the opposite are trying to justify in their own heads why they don't tip.

 

It's easy to just make up reasons not to tip.  Not everyone understands things like accounting and auditing.

[Organized Chaos]

6 hours ago, HillBilly Bob said:

I have not found this to be the case.  We always dine with Anytime and are always seated at the exact table every night.  If not, we might be seated at the table next to our "regular" table.  Same staff every meal.  The only time we have different staff is at breakfast.  Once you state your seating preference with the podium, they will respect your requests.   

 

Stating your seating preference is a totally different situation than letting them seat YTD passengers where they want. YTD is designed to seat guests at the next available table, according to the number in your party. If you get seated with the same wait team without asking, I'm guessing that's just a coincidence. Obviously I don't know first hand, but I doubt their system shows where YTD guests sit from night to night so they can put you there again.

 

We always get YTD and get different wait teams more often than not. Last year, we ate dinner in the MDR six nights of our seven-day cruise. We got a different wait team every time, except for one, but that's only because we requested one of them again. On the other hand, earlier this month, we got the same wait team all three nights we ate in the MDR. But I still think that was a coincidence rather than being saved in the system.

[Organized Chaos]

7 hours ago, HillBilly Bob said:

We tip the FIRST night....they will never forget your special requests.

 

I've seen multiple people say they tip up front. Not just the wait staff, but stewards too. This is something I'll never do. We shouldn't have to "bribe" them up front with an extra tip just to get good service. Good service should come regardless of the tip. A tip is extra money given for a service provided, not to get them to provide the service.