How much do you tip at Chops and Portofino

[Mydnite]

I know the charge says that there is a tip included, but I think I woukld like to tip extra if the service is good. So I am wondering what most people tip.

[jobowl]

I was told the charge is the tip. But we always give $20 for the two of us on top of the $40.

[cruisePRN]

The tip is included. I do not add any more however i do not deduct from my main dining room tips so I've tipped double for that night.

[bplazo]

we always leave an extra $20.00 for three of us.

[kingsgirl]

No additional tip. It's included in the $20.

[cb at sea]

I think the $40.00 is ample--the meal, if you paid for it in a land-based restaurant shouldn't cost more than $100.00-$120.00 for 2!

[SelectSys]

have always tipped a bit more as I have assumed most of the charge goes to cover the extra food cost.

[WisCruiser2]

We were prepared to tip a little more than what was covered by the extra charge, but didn't because we felt that the service we received was not outstanding as we expected based on reviews by others. Our waiter was not as good as our dining room waiters, and we felt that one of the "selling points" for Portofinos (besides the wonderful food we had) was that the service was better.

[HB Cruiser]

This battle has been fought many, many times on this board so I asked a server in Chops last year about the charges and this is what he/she said he/she because I got the same answer from both at two different times.

 

They split $7 of the $20 between ALL the servers in the restaurant. Therefore if there is six servers, they would get approximately $1.17 per person that enters for that night. The remaining $13 goes to RCCL.

 

Since this conversation, we now tip an extra $5 per person in the alternative restaurants.

 

Tim

[PhoenixCruiser]

We always leave an extra $10 to $20 per person. The additional tip is based on the service and quality of food.

 

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[lovemylab]

We tiped an extra $10 for the two of us.

[canucks4]

Extra $50 for the four of us - it was worth it and it's only once a year. Further, my guess is they need the money more than us. Think of it as less than a case of beer & carton of smokes or a night at bingo (in Canada anyway!)

[Cruise Cat]

I never eaten at Chops or Portifino, so forgive my ignorance - Is the charge still $20 or is it $30? We just watched a cruise show (Cruising Do's and Dont's) on the travel channel, and the cruise line lady (forget which one) said the extra charge is the tip.

 

HB Cruiser (Tim) - In regards to what the the crew told you, do they still get a share of all the server tips as well, or do they for-go them because they are in the specialty restaurant?

[cruisePRN]

It is not comparable to a land based restaurant . The ship crew don't have rent and utilities and health care and they do have room and board so why people compare it to a land based restaurant eludes me.

When you ask a server you get a sob story geared to generate more tips and it's vulgar anyway to ask someone how much they keep.

[Cruiserccl]

This battle has been fought many, many times on this board so I asked a server in Chops last year about the charges and this is what he/she said he/she because I got the same answer from both at two different times.

 

They split $7 of the $20 between ALL the servers in the restaurant. Therefore if there is six servers, they would get approximately $1.17 per person that enters for that night. The remaining $13 goes to RCCL.

 

Since this conversation, we now tip an extra $5 per person in the alternative restaurants.

 

Tim

Thanks for that info! It just reassures me that you should always tip! Most of the crew members come from impoverished countries and they work hard for every dollar! Unless your experience was terrible my family will always tip for the crews services! :D

[HorrorFan]

We tipped $10 for the two of us. We had great service and a wonderful meal.

[HB Cruiser]

HB Cruiser (Tim) - In regards to what the the crew told you, do they still get a share of all the server tips as well, or do they for-go them because they are in the specialty restaurant?

 

They DO NOT share in the server tips from the dining rooms, they only get what they derive from their restaurant.

 

Tim

[HB Cruiser]

When you ask a server you get a sob story geared to generate more tips and it's vulgar anyway to ask someone how much they keep.

 

We normally get to know our servers very well, to the point we have become friends with many and they still know us by name when we go on their ships. This particular situation one of our group had our server in a dining room situation so she felt very free to ask.

 

Asking someone how much they make at their job is not cool. The quesiton was put to her do the servers get the entire $20 per person or only a portion. She responded only a portion and then went to explain the percentages, we DID NOT ASK the percentages, she offered.

 

Tim

[MellieInWI]

For all the money that you spend to go on a cruise, what's the big deal about leaving a little extra for the person who works hard to make your experience memorable?

 

I just figure if you can't afford or want to leave even a small tip out of respect for the servers at the specialty restaurants where they work hard to go above and beyond, then you should stick to the other dining options.

 

And for the record, we tipped an extra $20 for the two of us at Portofino. A measly .003% of my entire cruise bill. Not worth arguing about or making a big deal out of.

[RetireeWannabee]

The tip is included. I do not add any more however i do not deduct from my main dining room tips so I've tipped double for that night.

Yeah, I figure it ends up being a wash.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

We ate at Portofino three times on our last cruise and left $35 xtra each time. The service was outstanding, beyond some of the priciest in NYC.

 

I was sorry to read the one post who said their service at a Portofino specialty restaurant (what ship was that??) didnt warrant an extra tip since the service was not as expected. We have eaten at Portofino on both VOS and EOS always to an extreme pleasure and being known by name on our return sails.....

 

HB, I wouldnt dispute what you were told, but the info you were given is off base and not how the $$$ is dispersed.

 

Seems like census is TO TIP :-)

[readytolose]

We tipped an extra $20 for the two of us. Honestly, the food was good but it wasn't spectacular like I was expecting. People on here made me believe the food was going to be so much better than the dining room and honestly I didn't think it was.

 

Our server was good, but not as good as the dining room server. We still tipped extra because I know how hard they work for their money and I wouldn't dream of stiffing them.

[HB Cruiser]

HB, I wouldnt dispute what you were told, but the info you were given is off base and not how the $$$ is dispersed.

 

Seems like census is TO TIP :-)

 

Would you care to email me what you know so I can be corrected?

 

Tim

[Happy ks]

We don't tip extra nor do we ask the servers what they are making per person. We asked the Maitre d' while making our reservation if the tip was included in the charge and he assured us that yes, they are compensated and there is no need for further gratuity.

 

However, I think the servers are more than happy to take any of your excess cash :)

 

If it's true (the $7 amount) then we've already given a $14 gratuity, since the meal value would be approximately $60-80 on land (excluding beverages) that is already 15 - 20% of the tab. Alcohol and wine also already have an auto gratuity, so we're good there as well.

 

I know many of you enjoy giving away a lot of extra money in gratuities, but it really is not expected of anyone to do so. I just wanted to state this so people on a budget but want to splurge on a special meal don't feel obligated to tip more than they already are giving.

[pmfan]

I tip extra as the service is worth it.