Do you tip servers for days you don't dine?

[Pete W.]

We hope to get Palo reservations for the last night of our 4-night cruise. If we don't stick with our regular dining rotation on that night, do we still tip our 'regular' servers based on the recommended amounts for four nights, or three?

Also, if we don't dine with our regular servers on the 4th night, will we see them the following morning at breakfast and can we give them their tips then?

 

[xnascar2x]

Yes you still tip your servers based on the recommended amount even if you dine at Palo.

Yes you can give them their tips at breakfast on the last day.

 

[KEH]

You tip your servers for all the nights, regardless of whether you eat with them or not.

You can see your servers at breakfast on the last morning as you will have a seating time based on your dinner seating time for a sit down breakfast in the same restaurant where you ate your last night's dinner.

 

[MrsPete]

Yes, we did tip them for the evening we went to Palo. It's only fair because we did receive service at breakfast and lunch that day; however, we did go with the minimum recommended amount for that day -- we added a bit for the other days because we thought our wait staff was great.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

MrsPete,

Interesting tipping scheme I never though about... convert the total suggested tip amount to a daily amount and change the daily tip amount each day based on the service you recieved that day.

I just go over or under the suggested amounts based on how their over-all service was, but nothing wrong with that idea.

I'd also agree with the others, you tip even if you skipped.

 

[webray]

yep, we tipped full plus extra and we did not eat in the dining room at least 3 nights

 

[jrabbit]

On your 3rd night, let your servers know that you will be eating in Palo on the following night, and tell them you will see them on debarkation morning. That way they'll know that you're not one of the customers who are going to stiff them.

Oh yeah, Tip your Palo wait staff well because they are excellent. Tip your normal waitstaff for all days because they deserve it (most of them are excellent too!). Your normal wait staff works breakfasts and lunchs, so when you tip you really are tipping for ALL meals (even though you probably won't be waited on by your normal servers for breakfast and lunch)

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Do you tip servers for days you don't dine?

Yes, we tip them even if we didn't have dinner with them one or more nights. They're still working hard serving us and others elsewhere on the ship during the day for breakfast and lunch.

 

[inkkognito]

We always tip our servers the full amount (and usually extra) even when we aren't in the diningroom every night. We don't go to the sitdown breakfast on the last morning, so when we eat at Palo on the last night, we just stop by the diningroom briefly to give them their envelopes.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[prymsu]

yes, you will see some of these same folks serving lunch, working at Cookies at CC, and cleaning up after the buffets.

 

[Pete W.]

Thanks for all the replies. Definitely don't want to stiff anyone, just wanted to know the proper protocol.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Pete W. - Just realized you had another question to your original post. We've tipped both on the last dinner night and the last morning's breakfast and never had any problems. Although, I would suggest that you tip during your last dinner because many people don't show up for breakfast on the last morning....it may look like you're stiffing them their tip if they don't receive it on the last night. Do what you feel comfortable with, though.

HAPPY SAILING!