gratuities

[Jodi Perez]

We are not planning to attend dinners AT ALL... our kids will long be in bed by the time our second seating rolls around and so we will not be able to attend. We will be eating quick service and room service for all of our dinner meals. (We know this isn't ideal but there is just NO WAY we would enjoy a long sit down meal with our little ones- even if we had early seating.) With this being the case I'm wondering if it would be wrong of us to eliminate or significantly reduce gratuities for the waiter. I just can't see giving a large tip to someone I will never even meet... Thoughts?

 

[KBinCO]

We are not planning to attend dinners AT ALL... our kids will long be in bed by the time our second seating rolls around and so we will not be able to attend. We will be eating quick service and room service for all of our dinner meals. (We know this isn't ideal but there is just NO WAY we would enjoy a long sit down meal with our little ones- even if we had early seating.) With this being the case I'm wondering if it would be wrong of us to eliminate or significantly reduce gratuities for the waiter. I just can't see giving a large tip to someone I will never even meet... Thoughts?

No, this does not reduce those gratuities.

Besides room service, all dinners are sit down, I believe.

I would maybe try the dining rooms, even with the kids. You may wind up adjusting their sleep schedule, but you might be surprised that it goes well.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are not planning to attend dinners AT ALL... our kids will long be in bed by the time our second seating rolls around and so we will not be able to attend. We will be eating quick service and room service for all of our dinner meals. (We know this isn't ideal but there is just NO WAY we would enjoy a long sit down meal with our little ones- even if we had early seating.) With this being the case I'm wondering if it would be wrong of us to eliminate or significantly reduce gratuities for the waiter. I just can't see giving a large tip to someone I will never even meet... Thoughts?

The gratuities cover all meal service onboard - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Your servers also work the buffets and quick serve locations during other meals. As well as other duties. I would suggest you just leave them the gratuities in place. Be aware this is a hot topic here (removing/reducing gratuities).

I might also suggest that you give the MDR a try, you might be surprised how well the kids will adapt. If it doesn't work, you can always leave early. Most times your servers will send whatever you've ordered with you if you need to leave early. Have you tried to get early seating?

 

[Dug720]

You can do what you want, but I personally would not reduce those tips. It is not the servers' fault that you are choosing not to even attempt to eat in the dining rooms. If you had never been assigned a table, the serving team would be aware that they would have an empty table/empty spaces - but there is not a way to NOT be assigned to a dining rotation and serving team. To remove those tips would be to remove money they are planning on based on their assigned diners.

And yes, I do know whereof I speak. Last year I was cruising on the Dream, and my crew member sister had gotten permission to dine with me. Because she would be in her whites, we arranged to change to a table for the two of us. Something never got coded with my reservation, so my tips were never changed to the team I actually had - something I discovered when I got the tip sheet at the end of the cruise. While I could have had the tops changed over, I opted to leave the tips in place for my originally assigned team as I felt I was punish them for my choice. I then gave the team who served me cash tips for what they would have gotten had I been originally assigned plus extra because they were awesome.

 

[Jodi Perez]

The gratuities cover all meal service onboard - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Your servers also work the buffets and quick serve locations during other meals. As well as other duties. I would suggest you just leave them the gratuities in place. Be aware this is a hot topic here (removing/reducing gratuities).

I might also suggest that you give the MDR a try, you might be surprised how well the kids will adapt. If it doesn't work, you can always leave early. Most times your servers will send whatever you've ordered with you if you need to leave early. Have you tried to get early seating?

Thanks... I guess I'm slightly confused about the MDR... is this a part of the scheduled seating time or is it come as you please.. My children go to bed at 7pm... not matter how much I've tried to ease them into a later bedtime they simply REFUSE... passing out on the couch or screaming their heads off till I get them in bed... Also, we have paid for a babysitter to come along so that we can have the evenings (after 8) to ourselves. So keeping them up late for dinners would definitely ruin OUR part of the vacation seeing as how the DCL night life ends rather early.

 

[C6PT7]

Ask for early dining when you board. You may get a spot.
Otherwise I'm in the you're still responsible for the MDR tips camp. And yes thats everyone in the party including the 18 month olds.

 

[perditax]

Thanks... I guess I'm slightly confused about the MDR... is this a part of the scheduled seating time or is it come as you please.. My children go to bed at 7pm... not matter how much I've tried to ease them into a later bedtime they simply REFUSE... passing out on the couch or screaming their heads off till I get them in bed... Also, we have paid for a babysitter to come along so that we can have the evenings (after 8) to ourselves. So keeping them up late for dinners would definitely ruin OUR part of the vacation seeing as how the DCL night life ends rather early.

I think you should just get waitlisted for the early seating or request to be changed to early when you get on board. They will probably be able to accommodate you, from everything I've read. Definitely no reason to sit out all those meals you have paid for.

 

[jtba]

in addition to what others have said, if you have a babysitter and your kids really can't stay up, how about ordering room service for them as you originally planned, and you and hubby go to the MDRs yourselves after they're in bed?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks... I guess I'm slightly confused about the MDR... is this a part of the scheduled seating time or is it come as you please.. My children go to bed at 7pm... not matter how much I've tried to ease them into a later bedtime they simply REFUSE... passing out on the couch or screaming their heads off till I get them in bed... Also, we have paid for a babysitter to come along so that we can have the evenings (after 8) to ourselves. So keeping them up late for dinners would definitely ruin OUR part of the vacation seeing as how the DCL night life ends rather early.

For dinner you are assigned to a seating time (early or late). For breakfast & lunch you may eat whenever you wish. You may eat at the quick serve locations poolside, room service, buffet, or 2 of the MDRs are open for those meals also (limited hours).

For dinner, you can eat at your assigned time, or eat in Cabanas (buffet for daytime, but sit-down table service for dinner). Room service and quick serve locations are also available.

The servers that serve at dinner in the MDRs, besides service at dinner, work the buffets/open MDRs for breakfast and lunch on a rotating basis. As well as the quick serve locations (including bussing the poolside table areas.

Seems to me that the $8.00 a day that you each are paying for gratuities is fairly reasonable for all that service.

 

[Jodi Perez]

Ask for early dining when you board. You may get a spot.
Otherwise I'm in the you're still responsible for the MDR tips camp. And yes thats everyone in the party including the 18 month olds.

thanks for your comment... early dining really wouldn't work either because they start getting really cranky (the 18 month olds) by 6:30. I'm thinking more of everyone around us than us... we are used to this nighttime routine but the other diners would DEFINITELY be annoyed by two squirming screaming twin boys. And they just aren't rational enough yet to try to reason with them I'm okay with paying the tip (at least a big portion of it) especially now that I realize the same waiters are taking care of the dining areas throughout the whole day. But we aren't typical cruisers... this is something we've REALLY had to save for. We splurged on this like we haven't splurged on ANYTHING in the entire lifetime of our marriage. We didn't even have a honeymoon and this is our first vacation since we got married over 4 years ago... so I was just really trying to feel it all out... I would never want to be unfair to the waiters either who I'm sure work very hard and do not get huge paychecks either (we understand that point of view and would never want to stiff anyone.)

 

[C6PT7]

And your kids can have food by 6pm if on early dining?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

thanks for your comment... early dining really wouldn't work either because they start getting really cranky (the 18 month olds) by 6:30. I'm thinking more of everyone around us than us... we are used to this nighttime routine but the other diners would DEFINITELY be annoyed by two squirming screaming twin boys. And they just aren't rational enough yet to try to reason with them I'm okay with paying the tip (at least a big portion of it) especially now that I realize the same waiters are taking care of the dining areas throughout the whole day. But we aren't typical cruisers... this is something we've REALLY had to save for. We splurged on this like we haven't splurged on ANYTHING in the entire lifetime of our marriage. We didn't even have a honeymoon and this is our first vacation since we got married over 4 years ago... so I was just really trying to feel it all out... I would never want to be unfair to the waiters either who I'm sure work very hard and do not get huge paychecks either (we understand that point of view and would never want to stiff anyone.)

Would it be possible for you all to start out at dinner (hopefully the early seating) and then the babysitter take the kids back to the room if they get antsy? That way you could still give the MDR a try.

I'd suggest that you request the wait list for early dining, and then, if it doesn't come through, go to the dining changes desk when you board to see about changing to early. It's worth a shot.

 

[NCTechGuy]

Tips are your choice, but we have kids with similar "need to be in bed...even on vacation" and we have always been able to change our reservation to be early (3 times so far). When you see the head waiter your desire to change to early seating, mention that it is a "do or die" situation

 

[Jodi Perez]

....Seems to me that the $8.00 a day that you each are paying for gratuities is fairly reasonable for all that service.

thanks for all the info but Where are you getting this number? The tipping guidelines I'm looking at say $16.00/guest rather than $8.00/day.. plus the asst server and the head servers... multiplied by 7 people (and of course our stateroom hosts tips as well) is a fairly considerable amount of money.... again I'm not saying its not reasonable to tip them... just noting that this amount is not insignificant to us!

 

[perditax]

Thanks... I guess I'm slightly confused about the MDR... is this a part of the scheduled seating time or is it come as you please.. My children go to bed at 7pm... not matter how much I've tried to ease them into a later bedtime they simply REFUSE... passing out on the couch or screaming their heads off till I get them in bed... Also, we have paid for a babysitter to come along so that we can have the evenings (after 8) to ourselves. So keeping them up late for dinners would definitely ruin OUR part of the vacation seeing as how the DCL night life ends rather early.

Ok, re-reading I think I've missed something.

If you have a babysitter after 8pm, why can't the two of you attend the late dining seating while the kids are asleep? Numerous ways to get the kids fed before then, including the buffet, quick service or room service?

I'm sorry if it seems like we are badgering you about this, just know it's because everyone wants you to enjoy the meals you've paid for. (Well, and no one wants to see the wait staff lose out on tips, but we ALSO want you to enjoy the MDR.)

EDIT: I think you've also got the gratuity math wrong, but I'm going to let people with actual experience cover that. (Which is not me.)

 

[Jodi Perez]

Would it be possible for you all to start out at dinner (hopefully the early seating) and then the babysitter take the kids back to the room if they get antsy? That way you could still give the MDR a try.

I'd suggest that you request the wait list for early dining, and then, if it doesn't come through, go to the dining changes desk when you board to see about changing to early. It's worth a shot.

Well question on this... my kids absolutely love music and lights (they love watching productions at our church.. as well as anywhere else we happen by them)
If we choose early seating... we would not be able to attend any shows correct? (before 8 o'clock of course.)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

thanks for all the info but Where are you getting this number? The tipping guidelines I'm looking at say $16.00/guest rather than $8.00/day.. plus the asst server and the head servers... multiplied by 7 people (and of course our stateroom hosts tips as well) is a fairly considerable amount of money.... again I'm not saying its not reasonable to tip them... just noting that this amount is not insignificant to us!

The suggested gratuities (the ones that will be applied to your onboard account) are $12.00 per guest (each person in a room) per day. That $12.00 breaks out to $4.00 per guest per day to your room host; $4.00 per guest per day to your dining room server; $3.00 per guest per day to your assistant server; and $1.00 per guest per day to your head server. The $8.00 number is the total of $4 + $3 + $1 for the 3 servers responsible for your dinner service.

Not sure where you're getting $16.00.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Well question on this... my kids absolutely love music and lights (they love watching productions at our church.. as well as anywhere else we happen by them)
If we choose early seating... we would not be able to attend any shows correct? (before 8 o'clock of course.)

There is a show performing at roughly the same time as each dinner service. Typically, if you have early dinner seating, you go to the show after dinner. If you have late dinner seating, you see the show before dinner.

 

[Jodi Perez]

Ok, re-reading I think I've missed something.

If you have a babysitter after 8pm, why can't the two of you attend the late dining seating while the kids are asleep? Numerous ways to get the kids fed before then, including the buffet, quick service or room service?

I'm sorry if it seems like we are badgering you about this, just know it's because everyone wants you to enjoy the meals you've paid for. (Well, and no one wants to see the wait staff lose out on tips, but we ALSO want you to enjoy the MDR.)

EDIT: I think you've also got the gratuity math wrong, but I'm going to let people with actual experience cover that. (Which is not me.)

honestly.. I know this is going to probably sound silly to most of you but the "babysitter" is a friend of mine who has agreed to come and we have just covered the cost of her cruise she isn't being paid anything additional.. so I kinda feel guilty about sending her to bed with the kids and going to the dinner that she and her 3 year old daughter would probably enjoy....[/QUOTE]

 

[C6PT7]

Well question on this... my kids absolutely love music and lights (they love watching productions at our church.. as well as anywhere else we happen by them)
If we choose early seating... we would not be able to attend any shows correct? (before 8 o'clock of course.)

That is correct, early dinner seating = late show, late dinner seating = early show.