How much to tip for Palo dinner/Remy brunch?

[I Run Long]

My DH and I have booked a Palo dinner and Remy brunch for our upcoming cruise this September. Of course we always tip based on the price of any meal but that would seem to be way off for both Palo and Remy. We don't want to stiff our servers, but at the same time we don't want to overdo it, if that makes sense? Is there a formula that everyone uses to calculate tips for both of these meals? TIA.

 

[mrsxsparrow]

My DH and I have booked a Palo dinner and Remy brunch for our upcoming cruise this September. Of course we always tip based on the price of any meal but that would seem to be way off for both Palo and Remy. We don't want to stiff our servers, but at the same time we don't want to overdo it, if that makes sense? Is there a formula that everyone uses to calculate tips for both of these meals? TIA.

This is a hot topic, and the general consensus is usually to just do what you feel is right. I recently called DCL and they were able to confirm that gratuity is included in the $40 cost, but it is unclear how much goes towards gratuity -- which is not totally helpful, but eases my mind somewhat so I know it's not really possible to "low-ball" it. My general plan (since some basic gratuity is included) was to tip how I do at a bar -- $1 to $2 per ordered item depending on service.

 

[KayKayJS]

I tipped $20 on an $80ish bill... dunno if that was right or not but that's what we went with.

 

[I Run Long]

Thanks mrsxsparrow - I had no idea tip was included in the $40. I always thought that it wasn't - that is helpful. Of course we will tip on top of that $40 - we just didn't want to low-ball them.

 

[cedricandsophie]

As platinum we get Palo free but we do get a bottle of wine. We always tip at least 20 per person. When we did Remy we tipped 20% of the bill just like we would at home.

 

[Bonnie1222]

We've tipped $30 for two of us for Palo brunch (when it was $30pp). Last cruise we were platinum and friends who were not joined us. We always request the same server (Silvio) and for the 4 of us we tipped $70. He takes great care of us, and never rushes us. We usually spend 2.5 to 3 hours there. If you equate the meal to the bruch at the California grill which is self serve and a la carte you pay $90 pp so a $70 tip is right on target if you are tipping based on the value of the experience.

If you search you will find numerous threads on this topic.

 

[Henwen88]

At Remy champagne brunch we both got the pairing, which was $33/pp. When bringing the bill, they were very very clear about the gratuity being included on the drinks, but not on the meal ($75/pp). I had no idea that price was not inclusive of gratuity until that point, but it tacked like 45 bucks onto cost and over my budget. oops. I tipped 20% like on land restaurants.

 

[Rob1872]

I recently called DCL and they were able to confirm that gratuity is included in the $40 cost

I did Palo Brunch on Dream 2 weeks ago. The server clearly stated that gratuity is NOT included in the $40 cost.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks mrsxsparrow - I had no idea tip was included in the $40. I always thought that it wasn't - that is helpful. Of course we will tip on top of that $40 - we just didn't want to low-ball them.

The information as to whether there is any tip included in the upcharge has been murky to say the least.

Time was the website said a portion of the upcharge included a gratuity, but you were free to "tip additionally" if you wished.

When they raised the price of Palo a number of years ago, the comment regarding the upcharge including a gratuity was eliminated and the wordage "tip at your own discretion" was put in there.

As with all gratuities, it's really up to you what the service is worth. What's worth $10 to one person may be worth $50 to another. And both are correct.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I did Palo Brunch on Dream 2 weeks ago. The server clearly stated that gratuity is NOT included in the $40 cost.

And that may or may not be totally accurate. The original gratuity (when it was included) was pooled and shared by all Palo servers. Any additional you tipped went directly to your server.

It could still be that way, and the server was just alluding to the fact that "his" (or "her") specific gratuity isn't included.

No way of knowing.

 

[ASROBERTS]

I have never heard that tip was included. Since cost has been $40 each at Palo,we tip $20 each.

 

[Karin1984]

I have never heard that tip was included. Since cost has been $40 each at Palo,we tip $20 each.

A 50% tip? Wow. Service must be absolutely amazing at Palo, I almost suspect they even chew the food for you! ;-)

 

[ukintheus]

We tip $20 per person at both.

 

[lilsonicfan]

We left a tip of $20 total (2 of us) when Palo Brunch was $30pp, and frankly the service was exactly the same when it was $40pp so we also left $20.

 

[carrielouhoo]

For Palo brunch, we've always left $30-$40. When it was $30/pp, we left $30 tip (total) and now that it's $40/pp, we leave $40. We try to leave an amount that would more closely correspond to 20% of the price you'd normally pay for a brunch of that type. We always struggle knowing what's "right", so glad to know we aren't the only ones.

 

[mrsxsparrow]

I did Palo Brunch on Dream 2 weeks ago. The server clearly stated that gratuity is NOT included in the $40 cost.

I bit the bullet and just asked a friend who works for DCL and they said in all their training materials it says that $5-$7 of the $40 charge for Palo is gratuity for the service team. More for Remy — I’m traveling on the Wonder so I didn’t ask for specifics there.

“Service team” seems to indicate it doesn’t go solely to the server, as others have stated. And whether you think $5-$7 is enough for that level of service is another thing all together. But that’s the official word.

 

[ukintheus]

I bit the bullet and just asked a friend who works for DCL and they said in all their training materials it says that $5-$7 of the $40 charge for Palo is gratuity for the service team. More for Remy — I’m traveling on the Wonder so I didn’t ask for specifics there.

“Service team” seems to indicate it doesn’t go solely to the server, as others have stated. And whether you think $5-$7 is enough for that level of service is another thing all together. But that’s the official word.

I have heard this same thing and my understanding is that it is split between 3 people. One of which is the server.

 

[Lisa F]

I have heard this same thing and my understanding is that it is split between 3 people. One of which is the server.

so basically no tip is correct.

 

[MomOTwins]

$40 per person for a nice brunch seems pretty comparable to what I would pay on land, so I tipped $10 per person (I would normally tip 20%, but upped it to 25% because our server was really excellent).

If I were there for dinner, I would probably tip more because (1) a comparable dinner on land would be much more expensive, and (2) the brunch is largely self-serve, while at dinner the server is responsible for placing orders and delivering multiple courses. My thinking on dinner is about $15-20 per person.

 

[dznyacct]

We've tipped $30 for two of us for Palo brunch (when it was $30pp). Last cruise we were platinum and friends who were not joined us. We always request the same server (Silvio) and for the 4 of us we tipped $70. He takes great care of us, and never rushes us. We usually spend 2.5 to 3 hours there. If you equate the meal to the bruch at the California grill which is self serve and a la carte you pay $90 pp so a $70 tip is right on target if you are tipping based on the value of the experience.

If you search you will find numerous threads on this topic.

We were on The Fantasy last month and had Silvio for Palo dinner and brunch....he was WONDERFUL!!