Question About Tipping - MDR

[AnthonyDrexelBiddle]

Ok, that’s all I could think of to get 4, but I guess in my mind “brunch” doesn’t preclude dinner in the MDR. Maybe with a late brunch and early dinner seating.

I referenced the brunches as some one mentioned the tip covered the MDR servers working in the QS restaurants for lunch

 

[tidefan]

So this is a British company thing though. A lot of the British cruise companies either claim they don't have tips or have offers continually that include the tips. Virgin as a British company have gone down that route because Brits do not tip in general its a very odd concept and so if you want to appeal to British cruises its one of the best marketing ploys. I'm sure last summer with the Staycations Disney did they got a rude awakening on how our culture just doesn't get tipping the way American culture does. I know I for one heard multiple people when walking past guest services asking to remove tips. Virgin have just got rid of this option to reduce the headaches.

In terms of MDR tipping, I think what you have to think of it as you are tipping for those meals you do have outside of the restaurants. You will be eating more than just dinner every day and these are what you are actually providing that tip for as you would in the US.

But Virgin operate mainly out of Miami. The no tipping thing is one of their selling points.

 

[gismo1554]

It's customary to tip about 10% in British restaurants, though. And bellhops still take tips, too. And I saw plenty of tip jars at takeout places and coffee shops. So, who says that British people don't have a tipping culture? Nonsense.

So as a Brit who lives here I can tell you that's not the case. Its customary to tip 10% for good service ONLY not in every single restaurant at all. Yes there are tip jars in cafes and usually in bars but that doesn't mean we tip. It is actually not customary at all! We especially do not tip in bars on a common basis - in fact I'm not even sure I have ever tipped in a bar and definitely not in a cafe or coffee shop. It is becoming more regular but honestly it is not part of our culture to tip for the sake of tipping like it is in the US which is why when Brits visit the US they often get a shock at the fact that tips are common place. You can say I'm talking nonsense all you like but as someone who is here and not a visitor I think I am actually talking from experience growing up in this country. If that's nonsense then fine but I think I would know if we have a tipping culture

 

[gismo1554]

But Virgin operate mainly out of Miami. The no tipping thing is one of their selling points.

They have 1 ship in Miami and 1 ship in Europe I believe currently. And yes its a selling point but I think its based on the fact the cruiselines heritage is a British company. There are other cruiselines that also don't have tips separated from cruise fares like P&O & Marella which are British based companies but the ships sail around the world. As said its just what I think and could well not be the case but as the majority of non-luxury lines that don't have tips anymore seems to be the British based ones thats why I was suggesting this

 

[Kwami]

So as a Brit who lives here I can tell you that's not the case. Its customary to tip 10% for good service ONLY not in every single restaurant at all. Yes there are tip jars in cafes and usually in bars but that doesn't mean we tip. It is actually not customary at all! We especially do not tip in bars on a common basis - in fact I'm not even sure I have ever tipped in a bar and definitely not in a cafe or coffee shop. It is becoming more regular but honestly it is not part of our culture to tip for the sake of tipping like it is in the US which is why when Brits visit the US they often get a shock at the fact that tips are common place. You can say I'm talking nonsense all you like but as someone who is here and not a visitor I think I am actually talking from experience growing up in this country. If that's nonsense then fine but I think I would know if we have a tipping culture

You also tip for cab drivers, tour guides, hair salons, manicurists, ...

Come on. Just because *you* don't always tip doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of tipping in the UK. It hasn't been that long since I was there. And except for pubs and restaurants with service charges, we always tipped 10% unless the service was bad.

 

[MomOTwins]

So the way I see it is if you book a specialty restaurant, you are still paying for the food at the MDR (it is built into the cruise fare), even though you are not eating the MDR food. So it doesn’t seem crazy to me that you would pay for the MDR staff wages too even though aren’t using the MDR. Especially since your MDR servers don’t have any way to make up those lost wages from another guest since they were planning on serving your table and it will just sit empty and not be replaced by another stateroom.

 

[tidefan]

They have 1 ship in Miami and 1 ship in Europe I believe currently. And yes its a selling point but I think its based on the fact the cruiselines heritage is a British company. There are other cruiselines that also don't have tips separated from cruise fares like P&O & Marella which are British based companies but the ships sail around the world. As said its just what I think and could well not be the case but as the majority of non-luxury lines that don't have tips anymore seems to be the British based ones thats why I was suggesting this

So, I'll meet you halfway on this . They do have 1 in Miami and 1 in Europe, but it is about to be 2 in Miami and 1 in Europe. They have definitely focused on Miami to be their hub as they just opened their new dedicated terminal.

I do agree that this was probably part of Richard Branson's pedigree in being British and one of the things he hated about cruising. He has said he decided to get into the cruise business because he "hated" the way most cruises operated, so he wanted to have a line that did things "his way". We were on in November and it is definitely different, but we loved it.

In addition to no tipping:

• there is no MDR. There are 7 restaurants (all included) and you can go to the one you like. The food is amazing.
• there is no buffet. The "buffet area" is set up like a food court. Think of the salad station like a "Chopt" or the taco station like a chipotle (BTW, the Wish has done this to a degree too).
• the included ice cream is gelato and is included, plus you can get it in your choice of included chocolate, vanilla, or red velvet waffle cones
• the main theater shows have a different setup every night. Hard to explain until you see it yourself.
• free video games (who doesn't like tabletop Ms. PacMan?)
• all the gummi bears, twizzlers, and taffy you can eat...

 

[Kwami]

In addition to no tipping:

• there is no MDR. There are 7 restaurants (all included) and you can go to the one you like. The food is amazing.
• there is no buffet. The "buffet area" is set up like a food court. Think of the salad station like a "Chopt" or the taco station like a chipotle (BTW, the Wish has done this to a degree too).
• the included ice cream is gelato and is included, plus you can get it in your choice of included chocolate, vanilla, or red velvet waffle cones
• the main theater shows have a different setup every night. Hard to explain until you see it yourself.
• free video games (who doesn't like tabletop Ms. PacMan?)
• all the gummi bears, twizzlers, and taffy you can eat...

So no MDR, no tipping, and free snacks? That's all it takes to go from hating cruising to being "his way"?

 

[tidefan]

So no MDR, no tipping, and free snacks? That's all it takes to go from hating cruising to being "his way"?

Well, it’s more than that, but those were my highlights. We also loved the hammock on the balcony, the fact that they let the crew interact with guests much more than other lines, etc. Also, it was much more upscale than I was anticipating…

The vibe on the ship is very different. There is no dress code, for instance. There are some very “adult” offerings as well, but they are easily avoided if you don’t want to go.

Interestingly, the person running Virgin Voyages, Tom McAlpin, is the former President of Disney Cruise Lines...

 

[SirDuff]

You also tip for cab drivers, tour guides, hair salons, manicurists, ...

Come on. Just because *you* don't always tip doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of tipping in the UK. It hasn't been that long since I was there. And except for pubs and restaurants with service charges, we always tipped 10% unless the service was bad.

I was in London over the weekend and every restaurant that we went to added an automatic 10% service charge. None of them mentioned it (that I saw) - I wouldn't have noticed if I had not looked at the bill properly. I think some noted it as "optional", so I assume that I could have had it removed (but I always had good service, so never tried).

 

[Kwami]

I was in London over the weekend and every restaurant that we went to added an automatic 10% service charge. None of them mentioned it (that I saw) - I wouldn't have noticed if I had not looked at the bill properly. I think some noted it as "optional", so I assume that I could have had it removed (but I always had good service, so never tried).

Yeah, a lot of restaurants have added the built-in tip and called it a "service charge" now. It's still basically a tip, though. Before the service charge, it used to be standard to tip 10%. You'd still be expected to do that at a restaurant that doesn't have an automatic service charge.

There are plenty of places in the world that don't have a tipping culture. Japan, for instance. The UK is not such a place, even if they aren't quite as into it as the US.

 

[SirDuff]

Yeah, a lot of restaurants have added the built-in tip and called it a "service charge" now. It's still basically a tip, though. Before the service charge, it used to be standard to tip 10%. You'd still be expected to do that at a restaurant that doesn't have an automatic service charge.

There are plenty of places in the world that don't have a tipping culture. Japan, for instance. The UK is not such a place, even if they aren't quite as into it as the US.

To be clear, my post was in support of yours, not countering it. I agree that "service charge" and "tip" are (at least here) basically the same thing.

The last time I was in London was 2018, and I hadn't noticed the charge then (but that doesn't mean it wasn't there).

 

[gismo1554]

You also tip for cab drivers, tour guides, hair salons, manicurists, ...

Come on. Just because *you* don't always tip doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of tipping in the UK. It hasn't been that long since I was there. And except for pubs and restaurants with service charges, we always tipped 10% unless the service was bad.

Just to say I actually DO tip I just know that most of us in this country do not! WE DO NOT TIP cab drivers routinely or manicurists or hair salon staff or tour guides (mainly because we don't use tour guides in our country why would we). You can keep insulting me all you like. You coming here on holiday and finding that places accept tips is not the same as the culture for British people. As someone from this country who also interacts with people in this country on a daily basis, as I have said it is becoming more customary but I am still one of the few people I know who will routinely tip at restaurants. I don't know anyone who tips cab drivers unless its rounding up so you don't get change and now everything is done electronically even less of us tip cab drivers. I have a friend who's a cab driver and they do not get tips regularly at all. In places like London then yes I am sure that there is a tipping culture because the majority of the people are tourists! In regular places in the UK it is NOT customary. The fact you even mention service charges means it is unlikely you left London because the rest of the UK doesn't do service charges unless you are large parties (over 6/8)! We are never going to agree on this but as said as a Brit who lives and works here and spends 90% of my year here I think I would know more than a tourist who visited once. I also don't think you need to take jibes at me when I am trying to educate you on a different culture. If however you feel you are better placed to explain my culture than I am feel free. Either way if you look at which cruiselines do "tip included" fares the majority of them are British which would suggest that we have a different tipping culture to American's in my opinion. Yours clearly differs and that's fine but please don't make me out to be something I'm not. At no point have I ever said I don't tip apart from in bars, I have been talking about the overall British culture compared to the US culture. And as I have said most people will only tip for good service rather than only not tipping for bad service. In places like London its completely different to the majority of the UK.

So, I'll meet you halfway on this . They do have 1 in Miami and 1 in Europe, but it is about to be 2 in Miami and 1 in Europe. They have definitely focused on Miami to be their hub as they just opened their new dedicated terminal.

I do agree that this was probably part of Richard Branson's pedigree in being British and one of the things he hated about cruising. He has said he decided to get into the cruise business because he "hated" the way most cruises operated, so he wanted to have a line that did things "his way". We were on in November and it is definitely different, but we loved it.

In addition to no tipping:

• there is no MDR. There are 7 restaurants (all included) and you can go to the one you like. The food is amazing.
• there is no buffet. The "buffet area" is set up like a food court. Think of the salad station like a "Chopt" or the taco station like a chipotle (BTW, the Wish has done this to a degree too).
• the included ice cream is gelato and is included, plus you can get it in your choice of included chocolate, vanilla, or red velvet waffle cones
• the main theater shows have a different setup every night. Hard to explain until you see it yourself.
• free video games (who doesn't like tabletop Ms. PacMan?)
• all the gummi bears, twizzlers, and taffy you can eat...

Yeah so I sailed Virgin last year and its an interesting concept to be honest. The shows were amazing and I like the dining aspects. I agree the "buffet" concept is probably more akin to the Marceline Marketplace actually now that is in place. Its a strange one though that he was trying to get away from the things he didn't like as some of the initial things he moaned about he's done - such as now there is bingo onboard and that was one of the original things he hated I enjoyed a lot of aspects on Virgin including the tips aspect - we did Princess, Virgin then Disney last summer so had 2 with no-tips/tips included and the last one where we needed to pay tips. My whole party (4 adults) agreed it was easier when it was included as it felt very strange at the end handing over the little envelopes. I do agree that Miami there hub now I just think that Richard had a vision about the typical cruiselines and is trying to go as far from them as possible. The tipping thing was one of his big bug bears and the included fares makes it a lot easier. It isn't the only cruiseline that does this though its just the first one to make it part of their overall philosophy from the beginning. We had a drinks package included so not sure if they still charge tips on drinks onboard.

I was in London over the weekend and every restaurant that we went to added an automatic 10% service charge. None of them mentioned it (that I saw) - I wouldn't have noticed if I had not looked at the bill properly. I think some noted it as "optional", so I assume that I could have had it removed (but I always had good service, so never tried).

London is a very different place to the UK as a whole. Yes it does have service charges and yes you can remove them. I don't know of anywhere else in the UK that has service charges like this. London is very different beast to the rest of the UK. This is like saying all of America is the same as New York City when it clearly isn't. As said, everyone can have their opinions but I was trying to explain the British culture and if you want to disagree with me on that based on our Capital city doing things differently thats fine. It doesn't make my opinion any less valid. The majority of cruiselinees that include service charges or don't charge them are UK originated companies.

Just for info here is the tourist info take on this- "Tipping is not expected in Britain the way it is in some other countries. Workers don't officially have to rely on their tips to live and all staff in the UK must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. Employers are also banned from topping up wages with tips from customers. Although it's not necessary to tip, it's always greatly appreciated and will be greeted with that endearing British politeness. "

Well, it’s more than that, but those were my highlights. We also loved the hammock on the balcony, the fact that they let the crew interact with guests much more than other lines, etc. Also, it was much more upscale than I was anticipating…

The vibe on the ship is very different. There is no dress code, for instance. There are some very “adult” offerings as well, but they are easily avoided if you don’t want to go.

Interestingly, the person running Virgin Voyages, Tom McAlpin, is the former President of Disney Cruise Lines...

They have a lot of ex-Disney staff from what I've seen. Clayton who used to be a DCL cruise director is now head of entertainment I think it is. We unfortunately went to one of the adult offerings with my parents! Funniest/Cringiest moments of my life! Unfortunately we were on the first or second cruise so didn't have enough info to know what it was

 

[holula]

I’m English. I agree that 10% is standard to put on a bill now at a restaurant in cities. We don’t tip at a cafe or bar, but sometimes there will be a change pot. I’ve never tipped a cab driver in the UK. Or a hairdresser or manicurist. It’s absolutely NOT standard here to tip outside of a restaurant environment.

Edit: I live near Manchester now but not in Manchester and I’ve not noticed the service charge as much up here. When I lived in Suffolk there were several restaurants that post pandemic had added a 10% service charge to bills.

 

[gismo1554]

I’m English. I agree that 10% is standard to put on a bill now at a restaurant in cities. We don’t tip at a cafe or bar, but sometimes there will be a change pot. I’ve never tipped a cab driver in the UK. Or a hairdresser or manicurist. It’s absolutely NOT standard here to tip outside of a restaurant environment.

Edit: I live near Manchester now but not in Manchester and I’ve not noticed the service charge as much up here. When I lived in Suffolk there were several restaurants that post pandemic had added a 10% service charge to bills.

Thanks for this. Glad it isn't just me. Sad that the service charge is creeping in across the country now. I'd rather tips be kept as optional as then you are really tipping for the service and not because you have to. I actually usually tip more than 10% but if they add a service charge unless they have been outstanding I don't add any extra as it annoys me. Also there's the issue that in London especially service charges don't always go to the servers they go to the restaurant. There was a big campaign about this a few years back (pre pandemic).

 

[Chica1581]

I see the tips charge on cruises akin to the resort fees hotels are charging now. For example, JW Marriot is charging a resort fee of $75 a day during the summer at some of their resorts.

As a side note, do people give the envelopes even if just giving the standard printed tip or do you just let them charge and not give the envelope?

 

[gismo1554]

I see the tips charge on cruises akin to the resort fees hotels are charging now. For example, JW Marriot is charging a resort fee of $75 a day during the summer at some of their resorts.

As a side note, do people give the envelopes even if just giving the standard printed tip or do you just let them charge and not give the envelope?

I’ve always given envelop even if just doing the standard - which I have done a few times when service hasn’t been great. I’m never sure if you need to or not

 

[dcassetta]

I’ve always given envelop even if just doing the standard - which I have done a few times when service hasn’t been great. I’m never sure if you need to or not

You did not need to give the envelopes. The crew will receive all gratuities, both standard and any extra you add to your shipboard account. Of course, if you are tipping in cash the envelope is nice to have.

 

[MomOTwins]

You did not need to give the envelopes. The crew will receive all gratuities, both standard and any extra you add to your shipboard account. Of course, if you are tipping in cash the envelope is nice to have.

I still like to hand the envelopes even when not using cash because I add tip at guest services and I want to make sure that if there are any glitches with that and for some reason our servers/host just received standard tips, they’d be able to follow up and show the paper slip to their managers that they we supposed to get more. But yeah, if the tip is not being altered from standard I don’t see a point in giving out envelopes.

 

[Kwami]

I still like to hand the envelopes even when not using cash because I add tip at guest services and I want to make sure that if there are any glitches with that and for some reason our servers/host just received standard tips, they’d be able to follow up and show the paper slip to their managers that they we supposed to get more. But yeah, if the tip is not being altered from standard I don’t see a point in giving out envelopes.

I don't know. It's kind of nice to hand them the envelopes and say thanks and (at least in the before times) shake hands. But you're right, they aren't necessary if you aren't giving them cash.