Tipping the Maitre d - now known as Director of Restaurant Operations

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, mellon1 said:

Nicola told us that he trained Gereroso!  That's why they are both so wonderful

Ahh.. that makes a lot of sense to me.  Had not heard that before.

[mellon1]

53 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Ahh.. that makes a lot of sense to me.  Had not heard that before.

That was our response when Nicola told us!  LOL

[MustangGT]

Thanks to all for your thoughts and recommendations!!

We decided on a bottle of wine and a heartfelt note.

Nicola and his team have spoiled us and we are sad to be leaving them on Friday!

[2 cruises a year]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:44 PM, Steelers36 said:

I agree with the point on being senior mgmt.  As someone posted once, do you tip the Captain if he gets you into a port 15 minutes early? 

 

In the situation outlined above, I'd want to do something.  Regardless of availability of crew comment cards, I'd find a way to document a kudos.  The name Nicola was mentioned - I think there are two of them, but if it is Nicola Furlan, he is nothing less than outstanding. 

 

So, I might be tempted to slip him something else in a special circumstance, but normally I would not tip sr mgmt.  OTOH, he doesn't own the restaurant and there may be reasons to tip the MD at a land-based establishment.  I don't think there is any "hard and fast" rule.

 

Aside:  I know a guy that generously tips the MD shortly after boarding - especially if someone he knows.  He feels that it comes with benefits.

That's not a tip, that's a bribe. 😊

[RNRcruisers]

On 1/9/2022 at 6:57 PM, MustangGT said:

I mentioned it on another thread but the Reader’s Digest version is as follows:

Pre-cruise we were able to reserve a private table for 2 since we had booked for Traditional Dining.  First night we went to Concerto per our reservation and had to stand in line and were not asked about our reservation.  Had a chat with HD waiter, he informed me that reservations meant nothing and we would need to stand in line each night.  I let him know we were disappointed.

Thinking reservations meant nothing, we headed to the Allegro DR.  The friendly host greeted us and asked, “Do you have a reservation?”  Hmmmmm….

Long story short, a conversation with HD waiter, Winston erased all problems!  We were promptly seated at a table for two.  The next night, Winston greeted us with enthusiasm, escorted us to a very quiet table at a window and assured us, if this table was satisfactory, it would be our table each night.

 

 

We board the Regal on Friday and have reservations in Concerto for the same time every night. Sounds like we need to consider switching to Allegro if it doesn't go well the first night. I think it was our only choice when we booked it. Odd that the DR that is specifically for reservations wouldn't be able to handle them 🙄

 

[dog]

3 hours ago, MustangGT said:

Thanks to all for your thoughts and recommendations!!

We decided on a bottle of wine and a heartfelt note.

Nicola and his team have spoiled us and we are sad to be leaving them on Friday!

Seen this many times. Nice gesture 

[MustangGT]

2 hours ago, RNRcruisers said:

 

We board the Regal on Friday and have reservations in Concerto for the same time every night. Sounds like we need to consider switching to Allegro if it doesn't go well the first night. I think it was our only choice when we booked it. Odd that the DR that is specifically for reservations wouldn't be able to handle them 🙄

 

I would hope the HW has been updated after our experience.  If you do have an issue, we have seen many passengers welcomed in Allegro without reservations.  Say hello to Patrick and Grace from Steven and Deborah!  They are wonderful greeters!!

I will qualify that with the fact that we only have 1500 passengers onboard.  Things are flexible right now.

[cruzsnooze]

He is already in the pool. He is supposed to sort out and resolve problems. If there was nothing to sort and resolve he wouldn't have a job. He did his job so no extra tip is necessary. 

[MissP22]

A few years back the Matre D's staff were arranging seating on the first day & a large group had their representative making special requests. There must have been 30 people waiting for table assignments when they made an announcement that there were no more tables for 2 available. 

I told a friend of mine who wasn't there about that & didn't think more of it until we saw them every night walk past the check in desk to their reserved table. I asked the Matre D' about it and he just refused to talk to me & excused himself.

The moral is, if your willing to bribe him there's always a way to meet your request. If not, then just wait on line like everyone else. 

Tipping for extraordinary service is one thing but having to bribe him upfront for doing his job is something else.

[Steelers36]

11 hours ago, RNRcruisers said:

 

We board the Regal on Friday and have reservations in Concerto for the same time every night. Sounds like we need to consider switching to Allegro if it doesn't go well the first night. I think it was our only choice when we booked it. Odd that the DR that is specifically for reservations wouldn't be able to handle them 🙄

 

And I find it odd that even for near-term voyages, REGAL seems to have only Concerto loaded.  It would be interesting to know how wide-spread this is.  Voyages in October only offer Concerto as well and surely they must be expecting any number of pax to a full ship.  They should at least have two on offer I would think.

[1965]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:38 PM, Bgwest said:

Americans are always ready to spread money around almost without provocation. 
never ceases to amaze me. 

I'm an American, & I agree with you. As retired teachers we are on a careful travel budget. We leave in place the auto crew incentive, once known as gratuities. But feel no need to go beyond that. 

[MustangGT]

Just wanted to circle back with an update.

Nicola stopped by our table tonight and sat for a chat.  He was very touched and appreciative of our note and the wine.  He had already reached out to some of his staff that we mentioned in our note and said he would be in touch with the others.

We talked about how he trained Generoso and we told him we had sailed with Generoso several times on Emerald but we had not met him personally.

We told him we are spoiled for life and hope to sail with him again soon!

The entire crew has been amazing on this cruise!  There were nearly 1500 passengers on this cruise and you could tell!  No crowded elevators, plenty of sun loungers all day, plenty of places to sit in the buffet and empty tables most of the time in the Piazza.

Edited January 14, 2022 by MustangGT

[PrincessLuver]

1 hour ago, MustangGT said:

Just wanted to circle back with an update.

Nicola stopped by our table tonight and sat for a chat.  He was very touched and appreciative of our note and the wine.  He had already reached out to some of his staff that we mentioned in our note and said he would be in touch with the others.

We talked about how he trained Generoso and we told him we had sailed with Generoso several times on Emerald but we had not met him personally.

We told him we are spoiled for life and hope to sail with him again soon!

The entire crew has been amazing on this cruise!  There were nearly 1500 passengers on this cruise and you could tell!  No crowded elevators, plenty of sun loungers all day, plenty of places to sit in the buffet and empty tables most of the time in the Piazza.

That is why we always pay for Club Class….. do not have to suck up to anybody to be appreciated and receive consistently outstanding service…..

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, MustangGT said:

Just wanted to circle back with an update.

Nicola stopped by our table tonight and sat for a chat.  He was very touched and appreciative of our note and the wine.  He had already reached out to some of his staff that we mentioned in our note and said he would be in touch with the others.

We talked about how he trained Generoso and we told him we had sailed with Generoso several times on Emerald but we had not met him personally.

We told him we are spoiled for life and hope to sail with him again soon!

The entire crew has been amazing on this cruise!  There were nearly 1500 passengers on this cruise and you could tell!  No crowded elevators, plenty of sun loungers all day, plenty of places to sit in the buffet and empty tables most of the time in the Piazza.

Okay, I have to ask.  If you see Nicola again, ask him if he knows if he will be on REGAL in Europe this October.

Thanks.

[RNRcruisers]

11 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

That is why we always pay for Club Class….. do not have to suck up to anybody to be appreciated and receive consistently outstanding service…..

I don’t think I should have to pay for club class to get good service, and I have to say I usually get great service on a cruise even when I only paid for an inside room 😁

[MustangGT]

11 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

That is why we always pay for Club Class….. do not have to suck up to anybody to be appreciated and receive consistently outstanding service…..

I didn’t feel as if we were sucking up to anyone. We appreciated the people who made everything outstanding on our cruises. With the crew on the Regal, it was apparent in every interaction that they were so happy to have passengers onboard. Service in all areas was World Class even though we weren’t Club Class. 

[MustangGT]

11 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Okay, I have to ask.  If you see Nicola again, ask him if he knows if he will be on REGAL in Europe this October.

Thanks.

Sorry - didn’t see this last night. I will hope for you to sail with him!

[Fat Albert]

Mustang GT, we were cruising, and we meet onboard a friend who was cruising, and it was her first time since her husband passed away.  She was most travelled passenger and was not having a great time like she has had in the past with her husband.  I have coffee around 6am every day and I enjoy the coffee klatch that gets created form fellow passengers. I enjoy seeing the Captain and Most of the Senior Officers who come for their espresso around 7am daily. The Maite D is always there to walk the area too. They are all very friendly to the passengers having morning coffee. I talked to the Maitre D about the lady who was so lonely and was MTP. he knew her and her husband off course form all their cruises.  I asked him if he could make her feel special and tell the head waiter to look after her a bit. Well, she was all happy the next morning and she had lots of great stories of her wonderful day yesterday. I was really happy to see her happy. She then was greeted by him with a morning kiss on the check and asked her how everything was going and had a nice chat. We were doing 15 days from LA to Hawaii and back and the morning of our first port for Hilo I wrote a Thank you note to him for making her feel special especially after her loss of her husband and she was trying to continue on. I put a 100-dollar bill inside and my note said have a wonderful lunch in port. I also had the Maitre D on another cruise help me secure 6 seats for the chefs table and sit us together and I also thanked him with a 100-dollar handshake after dinner that evening. Money is relative to how much you have and how you feel about having it all. Most of my friends are successful professionals and we are retired nowadays. We enjoy sharing our blessings with others who are doing what we did (work hard) to become financially independent. I also have a soft spot for those who leave their families and live on a ship for months at a time and miss many wonderful family celebrations. I served int eh US Marines for 21 yrs and I know what that feels like to miss our loved ones, that in itself is a hardship to endure, especially for those who have been doing it for over a decade. The Maitre D has bills to pay and a family to financially support and it they might really appreciate the money to go and enjoy a wonderful meal in port and hopefully bring another cruise worker along to share in the delightful time. The senior officers with 3 stripes are eligible for financial compensation bonus based on expenses. The Capt. uses the estimated fuel for 4 months or comes in under that makes a very large bonus.

[jascritz]

4 hours ago, Fat Albert said:

Mustang GT, we were cruising, and we meet onboard a friend who was cruising, and it was her first time since her husband passed away.  She was most travelled passenger and was not having a great time like she has had in the past with her husband.  I have coffee around 6am every day and I enjoy the coffee klatch that gets created form fellow passengers. I enjoy seeing the Captain and Most of the Senior Officers who come for their espresso around 7am daily. The Maite D is always there to walk the area too. They are all very friendly to the passengers having morning coffee. I talked to the Maitre D about the lady who was so lonely and was MTP. he knew her and her husband off course form all their cruises.  I asked him if he could make her feel special and tell the head waiter to look after her a bit. Well, she was all happy the next morning and she had lots of great stories of her wonderful day yesterday. I was really happy to see her happy. She then was greeted by him with a morning kiss on the check and asked her how everything was going and had a nice chat. We were doing 15 days from LA to Hawaii and back and the morning of our first port for Hilo I wrote a Thank you note to him for making her feel special especially after her loss of her husband and she was trying to continue on. I put a 100-dollar bill inside and my note said have a wonderful lunch in port. I also had the Maitre D on another cruise help me secure 6 seats for the chefs table and sit us together and I also thanked him with a 100-dollar handshake after dinner that evening. Money is relative to how much you have and how you feel about having it all. Most of my friends are successful professionals and we are retired nowadays. We enjoy sharing our blessings with others who are doing what we did (work hard) to become financially independent. I also have a soft spot for those who leave their families and live on a ship for months at a time and miss many wonderful family celebrations. I served int eh US Marines for 21 yrs and I know what that feels like to miss our loved ones, that in itself is a hardship to endure, especially for those who have been doing it for over a decade. The Maitre D has bills to pay and a family to financially support and it they might really appreciate the money to go and enjoy a wonderful meal in port and hopefully bring another cruise worker along to share in the delightful time. The senior officers with 3 stripes are eligible for financial compensation bonus based on expenses. The Capt. uses the estimated fuel for 4 months or comes in under that makes a very large bonus.

And I’ve used this technique in reference to your comment, Albert. Whenever I feel an impulse to be generous, I act on it before engaging my analytical brain, and I’ve not only never regretted it, but I experience an immediate sense of satisfaction.

[mellon1]

20 hours ago, MustangGT said:

Just wanted to circle back with an update.

Nicola stopped by our table tonight and sat for a chat.  He was very touched and appreciative of our note and the wine.  He had already reached out to some of his staff that we mentioned in our note and said he would be in touch with the others.

We talked about how he trained Generoso and we told him we had sailed with Generoso several times on Emerald but we had not met him personally.

We told him we are spoiled for life and hope to sail with him again soon!

The entire crew has been amazing on this cruise!  There were nearly 1500 passengers on this cruise and you could tell!  No crowded elevators, plenty of sun loungers all day, plenty of places to sit in the buffet and empty tables most of the time in the Piazza.

That's Nicola.  He has a good heart and wonderful personality.  The crew really respect him also.

[mellon1]

19 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

That is why we always pay for Club Class….. do not have to suck up to anybody to be appreciated and receive consistently outstanding service…..

I don't think it is sucking up.  Everyone looks at tipping differently.  We look at it that we are giving a donation or gift to someone who has made our trip extraordinary.  We also tip the waiters, room steward, etc. additional.  Some have even told us we don't have to tip and they didn't want to take our money.  We are not rich by far but it makes us feel good knowing we helped someone out.  We believe in treating people as you yourself would like to be treated.  I personally would never do their job EVER!  I would be turned in on day one or jump overboard, just our own opinion.  We feel good about doing it and that's what matters.  We in no way feel obligated to tip additional, it is something we choose to do.

 

I can understand the poster tipping Nicola.  He is outstanding.  He doesn't do things with the thought of getting tips, he does it because it is the right thing to do.  That's what makes him the person he is.

[mellon1]

7 hours ago, MustangGT said:

I didn’t feel as if we were sucking up to anyone. We appreciated the people who made everything outstanding on our cruises. With the crew on the Regal, it was apparent in every interaction that they were so happy to have passengers onboard. Service in all areas was World Class even though we weren’t Club Class. 

I am sure you were not sucking up to anyone.  You did what you felt was right in your heart.  By the way, it was the right thing to do.

[mellon1]

19 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Okay, I have to ask.  If you see Nicola again, ask him if he knows if he will be on REGAL in Europe this October.

Thanks.

I want to know where he is too!!!  We are on the Caribbean next year for 34 days and are hoping he is there.  No one is keeping the Maitre' D list anymore.  

[mellon1]

6 hours ago, Fat Albert said:

Mustang GT, we were cruising, and we meet onboard a friend who was cruising, and it was her first time since her husband passed away.  She was most travelled passenger and was not having a great time like she has had in the past with her husband.  I have coffee around 6am every day and I enjoy the coffee klatch that gets created form fellow passengers. I enjoy seeing the Captain and Most of the Senior Officers who come for their espresso around 7am daily. The Maite D is always there to walk the area too. They are all very friendly to the passengers having morning coffee. I talked to the Maitre D about the lady who was so lonely and was MTP. he knew her and her husband off course form all their cruises.  I asked him if he could make her feel special and tell the head waiter to look after her a bit. Well, she was all happy the next morning and she had lots of great stories of her wonderful day yesterday. I was really happy to see her happy. She then was greeted by him with a morning kiss on the check and asked her how everything was going and had a nice chat. We were doing 15 days from LA to Hawaii and back and the morning of our first port for Hilo I wrote a Thank you note to him for making her feel special especially after her loss of her husband and she was trying to continue on. I put a 100-dollar bill inside and my note said have a wonderful lunch in port. I also had the Maitre D on another cruise help me secure 6 seats for the chefs table and sit us together and I also thanked him with a 100-dollar handshake after dinner that evening. Money is relative to how much you have and how you feel about having it all. Most of my friends are successful professionals and we are retired nowadays. We enjoy sharing our blessings with others who are doing what we did (work hard) to become financially independent. I also have a soft spot for those who leave their families and live on a ship for months at a time and miss many wonderful family celebrations. I served int eh US Marines for 21 yrs and I know what that feels like to miss our loved ones, that in itself is a hardship to endure, especially for those who have been doing it for over a decade. The Maitre D has bills to pay and a family to financially support and it they might really appreciate the money to go and enjoy a wonderful meal in port and hopefully bring another cruise worker along to share in the delightful time. The senior officers with 3 stripes are eligible for financial compensation bonus based on expenses. The Capt. uses the estimated fuel for 4 months or comes in under that makes a very large bonus.

Very well said.  I can tell you are a good person and you in turn will be blessed for making someone else's life better.  One of the best posts I have ever read on CC.  

[Crown Cruiser]

MustangGT,  

If you see Nicola again, would you ask him if he will be on Regal Princess in August?  We are supposed to sail then and would love to see him again - you are correct - he is a wonderful person.

 

Thanks