QM2 Gratuities - Alternative Dining

[Paulras]

We'll be on the QM2 Nov. 26 and are planning on enjoying many of the Dining Alternatives. What's the custom for giving gratuities when you dine outside of the Brittania? If we're only in the dining room half of the days, do we still tip for the whole trip or do we give half of the tips to the wait staff at the alternative restaurants?

[curlyQ]

Heavens darling, the very first thing that you

need to learn is: Cunard spelling, it is:

B-r-i-t-a-n-n-i-a

[lknick]

Is it required?--No.

 

Is it expected?--Yes.

 

Did we do it on our June crossing?--Yes.

 

Was the service worth it?--No.

 

Are the tips to be equalized, ie deducted--No.

 

Anything you give to the alternate dining staff is OVER AND ABOVE what you give to the dining room staff.

 

You are thinking of a tip to be a reward for the serving staff. In reality, on the QM2 it is a service charge to have the dining room facilities available, or if you like, a direct transfer of labor costs to you.

[mufi]

If the service was not worth it why did you do it?

David

[lknick]

I don't think much about tipping one way or the other. It's simply a 'cost of doing business.'

 

If the service is not bad enough to raise the issue to management level, I tip.

 

The service at Todd English was not near that expected or advertised, but at least he didn't put his elbow in my soup, as did the server in the Britannia. It was simply mediocre and not inspired. The service has been compared to the Connaught in London, and it is not in any way similar.

[wulicny]

Paul,

 

First, welcome to the Nov 26 New Yorker's Caribbean! I hope to meet you there. I have actually been to Sayreville, NJ, on a project.

 

Second, make sure you sign in on the roll call board for our cruise. If I am not mistaken, we have the most active thread in the "Roll Call - Other" group.

 

Third, don't worry about spelling or those that snidely criticize spelling mistakes.

 

Fourth, my understanding is that the charge to eat in Todd English includes the service charge, or gratuity. Since tips are automatically added to your ship account, I am assuming they are pooled among the dining staff. If I want to reward exceptional service, I will seek out that staff member and provide him or here with a little extra by cruise end.

 

Just a little over a week to go ...

Bill

[Paulras]

I'll be petitioning Cunard to change Britannia to Brittania next week.

 

I'm still not sure I saw an answer on the Brit_____ Dining Room staff's gratuities. I have no problem tipping if it's customary (and deserved). But if we're only in the dining room half of the time, is it customary to give the full gratuity or only half to the wait staff? I've never thought about it in the past, because we've probably only used the alternative restaurants once during a cruise so I never adjusted the main dining room gratuities. But with so many options that we want to try, I was thinking about the subject.

[lknick]

Fourth, my understanding is that the charge to eat in Todd English includes the service charge...

Yes, there is a service charge but it is not a gratuity. It is for the 'enhanced' food and ambiance.

I'm still not sure I saw an answer on the Brit_____ Dining Room staff's gratuities.

How clearer can I be: “Anything you give to the alternate dining staff is OVER AND ABOVE what you give to the dining room staff.” The dining room ‘tip’ has nothing to do with the number of times you eat in the dining room. It is a service charge and nothing more…like a fuel service charge on an airplane.

[wulicny]

Plus, you can have Cunard remove the automatically-charged gratuities from your account. Then you can individually provide tips at the end of your cruise. I think that the reason they automatically charge your account is to pool the tips so that the alternative dining room waitstaff get theirs too.

 

Bill

[imacruizer]

This is the way I understand the automatic gratuities. Those that are charged to your ship board account each day are divided between all of the dining room servers and housekeeping staff. So your server would get a tip regardless of whether you eat in the traditional dining room or one of the alternative dining rooms. Again, it is my understanding that if you have those automatic tips removed from your account, any additional tip that you give any of the employees must be turned in and divided among other staff members. If you leave the automatic tips in place, you are free to give an additional tip to anyone you choose and they can keep the entire amount.

[mufi]

I think this all shows how out of hand tipping / gratuities have become. When people tell us that they give tips for poor service where does this leave anyone who wishes to award good service. Cunard say that the added daily gratuities on your account cover your obligations, but that if you wish to awrard outstanding service that is up to you. So no matter how many times you use your dining room give what extra you wish or nothing. Remember that you have paid already.

 

David.

[Chuck & Phyllis]

On our last cruise on RCCL, we had a table for two. Next to us there were 2 tables for eight serviced by one waiter and busboy. The first night, four people showed up at one of the tables and every night after, only two passengers showed up for dinner. I asked our waiter why that was. He said that as more alternative restaurants are added to ships, more and more no-shows at dinner in the main restaurant occur. He had 2 tables for two and 2 tables for six, and had 2 no-shows at one of the tables for six. I suggested that maybe some opted to change tables? He said they are told if that occurs. He said he never saw so many no-show as there were at these 2 tables for eight though and that only 2 people changed tables. They were two of the four from the first night.

 

The reason we noticed all of this is because the waiter and busboy just stood by watching the couple waiting for something to do for them. We said to each other what spectacular service they were getting. Our waiter and busboy provided great service, but that lone couple were waited on hand and foot. We felt sorry for that team on the last night because they just received that one envelope from that one couple. Our waiter and busboy only had 2 additional no-shows on the last night, the other table for 2.

 

We've never really received service bad enough not to warrant at least the minimum and have always given extra. So, we're OK with the auto tip policy now and just add the extra in an envelope on the last night. :)