should you tip if you have breakfast/lunch at tritons?

[disneyholic family]

If you have breakfast (or lunch for that matter) at Tritons, where you order from a menu and are served your meal, should you leave a tip?

if so, how much?

 

[TheWog]

you are not required to, but cash tips are always accepted. a few dollars if you feel the service was great if you want. we tipped $5 one morning, but the server also helped get me the Patriots scores from the playoff game the night before. but no it is not expected or asked for.

 

[MrsPete]

No. You tip "your own waiters" at the end of the cruise, but you don't tip those who serve you breakfast or lunch. In theory, that works out fairly because all customers are tipping and all waiters are receiving. I guess you could consider it indirect tipping.

I wanted to directly tip our lunch waiters once because they'd gone out of their way for my daughters (they'd brought them PB&Js because there was nothing on the Asian buffet that they liked), but I didn't have any cash. Next cruise I'll avoid being in that position.

 

[disneyholic family]

i guess that's the trick....carry some cash at all times just in case..

the idea of tipping at every meal is a bit distressing though.....it kind of destroys the concept of all inclusive...
maybe next time i should cruise on that really all inclusive cruise line.....that doesn't allow tipping at all (radison seven seas???)

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I don't think it's expected. I would have to be really bowled over by the breakfast or lunch service to feel compelled to leave a tip. It hasn't happened to me yet, and I'm really not all that hard to impress. The tips you give to your wait "team" are ostensibly to cover all of your dining room service (the same servers work all three meals), which is why I always tip at least the recommended amount, even if I don't eat in the dining room every night (which is usually the case).

 

[jrabbit]

the idea of tipping at every meal is a bit distressing though.....it kind of destroys the concept of all inclusive...

It is NOT usual or customary to tip at ANY of the meals (except Palo and room service and unless your name is Rae) until your last Dinner or Breakfast with YOUR wait staff. And if you tip the recommended amount you are tipping for ALL of your breakfasts, lunches and dinners. If everyone tipped the minimum, all rotational servers would be adequately tipped for all meals.

 

[goingbacksoon]

Think about it like this...

If the people who serve you at lunch also serve someone else dinner, that means their tips are taken care of (presumably) by the other people at dinner. And your server who serves you dinner who also works lunch has tips coming from you. So tips work reciprocally. Therefore, if you tip again, they have received two tips where only one was due.

Of course there are exceptions if a CM does something special for you or the family, but we tip our servers once for a reason - so we don't have to tip them every time we see them.

Room service and bartenders are a little different because they aren't in a "tip guaranteed" position, but it is customary for them to get something nonetheless even though it is not required.

goingbacksoon

 

[kcashner]

It is certainly not expected. They will never refuse a tip.

The servers work all shifts in various locations (Scoops, Topsiders, etc.) Tips are expected only to your dinner servers. These tips compensate them for all the other places that they are assigned during the week. They and DCL realize that they did not necessarily serve YOU during those times, but they did serve someone.

All that said, if someone renders a special service to your family, a small tip might be nice. However, for a routine lunch or breakfast at Lumiere's, Triton's, or whatever, a tip is not expected.

 

[disneyholic family]

the last time we were on the wonder, we didn't tip for breakfast....but i felt a bit odd about it....
after all, we were being served........i guess i'll play it by ear this time...

but i really will think about radisson seven seas next time around....i think that's the one that doesn't allow tipping...

 

[CSX2]

I always tip at the sit-down breakfast or lunch meal. Having worked in the service industry (long, long ago) I just don't feel right receiving service and assuming that some one else is going to provide the tip.

Plus, I remember how it could really make my day when I got a really good or unexpected tip. Compare it to getting a bonus at your job.

You should always tip well! It's good for your soul/karma/spirit/vibe/groove!

 

[disneyholic family]

CSX2 -- i know what you mean....whenever we eat out, we're big overtippers and it always gives me a good feeling to see the big smile on the server's face.....

on the last cruise, we did tip once...at the very first lunch --- the buffet at parrot cay...(right after boarding)....our favorite head server was working on the Wonder then and he was the head server at our first lunch (he wasn't our head server for our dinner rotation, but just for that lunch)....
we had special needs and he was FANTASTIC......he sat with us to explain everything that was available on board and what we could eat.......and kept running back and forth to the chef, making sure our lunch was being specially prepared for us....we tipped him $20 and he definitely definitely definitely deserved it.....(our regular head server was also phenomenal....unfortunately, i don't remember his name....but since he made our trip for us, we tipped him more than 10 times what the suggested amount was...and he deserved every penny of that.....nevertheless he was very surprised and touched by the gesture...

which reminds me....i have to remember to take small bills with us on the cruise......i only have $100s right now (we live overseas, so getting small bills is not exactly as easy as going to the bank)...so before we board the ship i'll make sure to break some of those hundreds....

 

[rae519]

I always try to tip the servers at both breakfast and lunch, even at Topsiders. If I pennypinch enough to get on the ship, then I'm certainly going to spread the wealth once I get there! Hey, I figure if I spend $4-6 a day on tips (say $30 total) but get a good feeling inside from doing it, then I got a real bargain and maybe, just maybe made someone's day a little better. PLUS it makes up for all those tightwads that skip out on tipping their evening dining room servers completely.

Rae

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by rae519
I always try to tip the servers at both breakfast and lunch, even at Topsiders.

Rae, it's nice of you to be so generous.

But the folks who are planning their first cruises should know that it's neither expected nor customary to tip servers -- except at the final dinner when you present tip envelopes (supplied) to your server, assistant server, and head server. Those tips are for all the service you've recieved at all meals over the entire course of your cruise. And many of us tip way more than the suggested amounts, because we understand that we're not just tipping for dinner and that the service tends to be excellent.

The only exceptions are:
-- Automatic 15% gratuities (which you can increase) are added to paid beverages at the time that you buy them.
-- At Palo, there is a service charge, which you can (and really should) increase.
-- Room service is tipped in cash at the time that service is rendered.

 

[disneyholic family]

Horace,
what's the going rate on room service tips these days?

 

[rae519]

Depending on how much the server is bringing, I tip $3-5. That might be cheap or generous depending on who is going to reply, but it seems fair to me!!!

Yes, Horace, I'm just a generous gal - what can I say?!

You should see what I am willing to pay for 5622 if someone has it on the August cruise 2005 repo and wants to trade!!!!! OR what I would pay Fidelio for coming back and doing special shows for us in his family Dueling Pianos venue!!!!

Rae
(Just a four horse mama)

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We've eaten breakfast and lunch so many times at Lumiere's/Triton's but it never occurred to us to tip our waitstaff there. SO, my question is this --> when you do tip them, do you personally hand it to them or do you leave it on the table?

 

[rae519]

I have done both. Depends if the server who is nearby. Often, those breakfast/lunch servers will do something extra - get you a coffee refill or put a smile on your grumpy child/spouse/parent's face - that to me is worth a few bucks!!!!

Rae

 

[CRSNDSNY]

This is all very good to know!

 

[mmouse37]

I am a generous tipper in general but I never felt the need to tip the breakfast/lunch staff on the cruise. It is not that I don't think they did a good job....most of the time it is the opposite....and I can understand those of you who do, but does a coffee refill really prompt a tip....it is kind of in the job description of any good server. The basic premise of a cruise is not to carry around cash on a daily basis....and to tip your servers at the end of the cruise. As others have said...the breakfast/lunch staff are tipped by their own guests at dinner. I think only a small percentage of folks tip at other times....and if they feel the need or desire to that is fine...but I do not want the majority to think they need to carry cash around with them to tip at every meal...a cruise is just not meant to be that way. A cruise is very different than a regular restaurant on land....your breakfast/lunch servers are not expecting a tip at that time or will they think you cheap if you do not leave one...so do not worry. I know it may feel odd not to leave a tip for service...but cruises are different and this system is understood in the cruise industry.

I go above and beyond with our regular servers but as I said, never felt compelled to leave an additional tip in the dining room at other meals.

MJ

 

[CRSNDSNY]

While we're on the tipping subject, do any of you tip extra at the bars? We have a tendency to build a 'relationship' with specific bartenders, so we'll tip over the standard that is already added on.