tipping question- speciality restaurant

[Jtm1979]

On 12/16/2022 at 12:22 PM, espmass said:

On our first Oceania cruise last year we realized as dinner ended that there was no bill.  We have cruised many times on other lines where the restaurants were not included so we always received a check and could use our ship card and add a tip.  It seemed odd to simply stand up and leave but that's what we did.  At the time we wondered how to leave a tip if we wanted.  So our next Oceania cruise is coming up.  How do people tip on Oceania if they wish to?  Cash?

This is our first Oceania cruise, but during our prior cruises on Viking Ocean, we always had $5 and $10 bills to discreetly hand a personal tip to our excellent server, favorite bartender,  other employees that went beyond our expectations, during the cruise.  Some received more than 1 tip from us.  Our way of letting them know we appreciated the personal attention.

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, Jtm1979 said:

This is our first Oceania cruise, but during our prior cruises on Viking Ocean, we always had $5 and $10 bills to discreetly hand a personal tip to our excellent server, favorite bartender,  other employees that went beyond our expectations, during the cruise.  Some received more than 1 tip from us.  Our way of letting them know we appreciated the personal attention.

Great question, thanks for asking, as I am wondering the same thing.  On a recent cruise on Celebrity Edge, I had the same waiter and assistant waiter every night of the cruise dining in Luminae, so knowing who/when to tip was easy.  With specialty dining included on Oceania, eating at a different restaurnt most nights, obviously the tipping won't be so easy.  As an O newbie in May, I am looking forward to hearing how others have handled this.

[Acrusa]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

Great question, thanks for asking, as I am wondering the same thing.  On a recent cruise on Celebrity Edge, I had the same waiter and assistant waiter every night of the cruise dining in Luminae, so knowing who/when to tip was easy.  With specialty dining included on Oceania, eating at a different restaurnt most nights, obviously the tipping won't be so easy.  As an O newbie in May, I am looking forward to hearing how others have handled this.

Did Celebrity charge you got gratuities on you finely bill

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, Acrusa said:

Did Celebrity charge you got gratuities on you finely bill

I was in the retreat, gratuities and specialty dining were "included" in my total cruise fare.  I tipped Luminae staff additional at end of cruise.

[Acrusa]

2 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I was in the retreat, gratuities and specialty dining were "included" in my total cruise fare.  I tipped Luminae staff additional at end of cruise.

That's what most passengers do on Oceania 

[LHT28]

15 minutes ago, Acrusa said:

That's what most passengers do on Oceania 

Do you mean they tip in the Specialties??

 

[Acrusa]

10 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Do you mean they tip in the Specialties??

 

No never tip in restaurants and do not leave cash on table 

[pinotlover]

We have given cash tips directly to a number of the waitstaff over the years. This includes not only our room attendants and butler, but also bartenders and certain waiters that all went above and beyond on a repeated basis. 
 

We don’t leave the tip at the table nor add it to the bill. We find the waitstaff later and individually give them cash. The only exception to this is Privee. Our groups will normally leave cash for that group of waiters to split up amongst themselves in the privacy of the room.

 

We tip what we want to whom we want directly to the individuals. 

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

We tip what we want to whom we want directly to the individuals. 

Is this in addition to the auto tip?

[LHT28]

I hated the  envelope method  bad in the old days

Prefer they just add the tips  in the fare  or at least on the account

then I can give extra  to some staff  that went above & beyond

Personal choice

[Acrusa]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

We have given cash tips directly to a number of the waitstaff over the years. This includes not only our room attendants and butler, but also bartenders and certain waiters that all went above and beyond on a repeated basis. 
 

We don’t leave the tip at the table nor add it to the bill. We find the waitstaff later and individually give them cash. The only exception to this is Privee. Our groups will normally leave cash for that group of waiters to split up amongst themselves in the privacy of the room.

 

We tip what we want to whom we want directly to the individuals. 

That's exactly what I have been doing since cruising these past 50 years

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Is this in addition to the auto tip?

Do you still pay gratuities, or do you get PPG which means no gratuities are actually paid?

 

I wish people would stop confusing a cruise ship with a restaurant. On a cruise ship employee compensation is set by rank and years of service. Their pay is not determined by how many are cruising or how many are paying the add on gratuity. From my understanding, the general gratuities paid goes into a general welfare fund that Oceania doles out, as it sees fit, for employee recognition awards and type functions. Unlike a restaurant, gratuities paid are not part of their established compensation. I have been told by two different butlers, Any tips given directly to employees , for exceptional service, are retained by those employees on Oceania. This is not the case on all cruise lines.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Do you still pay gratuities, or do you get PPG which means no gratuities are actually paid?

 

I wish people would stop confusing a cruise ship with a restaurant. On a cruise ship employee compensation is set by rank and years of service. Their pay is not determined by how many are cruising or how many are paying the add on gratuity. From my understanding, the general gratuities paid goes into a general welfare fund that Oceania doles out, as it sees fit, for employee recognition awards and type functions. Unlike a restaurant, gratuities paid are not part of their established compensation. I have been told by two different butlers, Any tips given directly to employees , for exceptional service, are retained by those employees on Oceania. This is not the case on all cruise lines.

So you are saying  the crew get no tips unless you hand it to them personally??

 

I have heard  they do get  a share of all gratuities whether is comes via O or from the daily amount added

some of that pool goes in the  crew fund for parties/awards/bereavement fund

 

We do get the PPG via O  but we also tip  extra to some staff

 

We are not  leaving tips on the table after meals  we are not  running around tipping  every staff member we encounter

the gratuity that is tacked onto drinks  is more than fair  IMO  so we do not feel the need to tip more

we may only have 1 or 2 drinks  a day  so no favourite bartender to make happy

 

anyway  as another tipping thread  emerges

just do what works for you

 

 

[sunlover12]

We'll leave a tip for the room steward and butler. We leave it in an envelope on the morning of disembarkation.  I have given an additional small tip to the manicurist in the spa which is in addition to the 18% automatic gratuity. I have found all the staff in the spas to be very good. 

 

I agree with LHT28. We don't leave additional tips to restaurant or bar staff.  I order a glass of wine, they bring it, and honestly I do not feel like I should be tipping extra for that. Unless one feels that they have received restaurant service that went above and beyond expectations, an additional tip is not necessary. 

JMO

[ORV]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Do you still pay gratuities, or do you get PPG which means no gratuities are actually paid?

Do you really think that the crew gets no grats from the majority of the passengers that have over 10 cruises? There would be a rebellion by the crew. I would say on any given cruise there are more passengers with over 10 than less. 

 

I personally am not privy to the internal workings of how they pay their workers, but considering the many long term employees I've seen that are in the group that would receive tips I'd say they are satisfied. 

[pinotlover]

ORV;

 

Do you believe that international crew made markedly less income on all those 50% and less filled cruises than on full cruises? Do you believe the guys working the engine room income is dependent upon gratuities paid?
 

I believe most Americans have a very narrow view of tips and gratuities that aren’t consistent with how they are treated worldwide. 

 

[Robjame]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

I believe most Americans have a very narrow view of tips and gratuities that aren’t consistent with how they are treated worldwide

In many restaurants the owner is part of the tip while bus boys and girls are cut out of the loop. I recall one chain promoting many of the servers to hostesses, where they got significantly less.

 

Few have a real view of how tips are handled.

Edited January 2, 2023 by Robjame

[ORV]

13 minutes ago, Robjame said:

Few have a real view of how tips are handled.

I'll agree with this. 

[ORV]

21 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

ORV;

 

Do you believe that international crew made markedly less income on all those 50% and less filled cruises than on full cruises? Do you believe the guys working the engine room income is dependent upon gratuities paid?
 

I believe most Americans have a very narrow view of tips and gratuities that aren’t consistent with how they are treated worldwide. 

 

Well, yes and no. Engine room workers are a different pay structure than waiters and room stewards. 

[Robjame]

Very few cruisers are savvy like CC cruisers. Very few cruisers are silly enough to say the amount is insignificant. It will be interesting to watch the newly embarked as they go to Reception to upgrade their beverage package.

 

We are setting up lawn chairs and making popcorn.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

ORV;

 

Do you believe that international crew made markedly less income on all those 50% and less filled cruises than on full cruises? Do you believe the guys working the engine room income is dependent upon gratuities paid?
 

I believe most Americans have a very narrow view of tips and gratuities that aren’t consistent with how they are treated worldwide. 

 

the gratuities  go to Waitstaff & housekeeping dept

Bar  & butlers have their own gratuity pool

 

 Other staff 

kitchen 

maintenance

security / Captain/officers 

are salaried employees

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Robjame said:

In many restaurants the owner is part of the tip while bus boys and girls are cut out of the loop. I recall one chain promoting many of the servers to hostesses, where they got significantly less.

 

Few have a real view of how tips are handled.

wow  my nephew worked  at restaurant  when he was 14  as bus boy  he only worked Fri & sat  nights 

He used to get $40 in tips  each night  plus his wage & dinner LOL

Times have changed

[LGW59]

21 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

wow  my nephew worked  at restaurant  when he was 14  as bus boy  he only worked Fri & sat  nights 

He used to get $40 in tips  each night  plus his wage & dinner LOL

Times have changed

I was a grocery bagger at the A&P when I was a kid, when I took the groceries out to the customers car, I usually got a quarter, when the big spenders gave me fifty cents I was ecstatic...when I got nothing I was pissed.