Tipping at Palo (not Palo's)?

[rykdad]

What are the guidelines for tipping at Palo? Is the tip covered by the extra charge for dining there?

 

[Michelle]

Most people add a tip in addition to the $5 per person cover charge. Palo is an excellent restaurant with outstanding service and the servers deserve the added tips.

We have added tips in the $25 -$40 range each time we eat there. It's up to your discretion.

 

[ThreeCircles]

I'll second Michelle's response. We tipped $30 in addition to the $5 per person cover on our last cruise.

It's well worth it!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I notice that the first two replies referred to the $5 per person charge as a "cover" charge. It's not a cover charge; it's an automatic gratuity charge. According to DCL's official Fun Onboard Q&A page:
<DL><DD>Is there a romantic restaurant just for adults?
The ship features an adults-only alternative restaurant called Palo. Dining hours
for Palo are 6 - 11 p.m. Reservations are required, and taken (once on board)
on a first-come first-served basis. Palo dining is limited to Guests 18 and older.
There is a service charge of $5 per Guest for gratuities.</DD></DL>
So, for a couple, that's an automatic $10 tip. If the food is worth $66 per couple, that equivalent to a 15% tip. (I'm only counting the food because there's an automatic 15% tip on any alcohol or fancy beverages.)

But a similar multi-course meal would cost more than $66 per couple at most US restaurants that are comparable to Palo. And the excellent service would deserve more than 15%.

Let's suppose the dinner is worth $80 per couple, and you want to tip 25%. Or let's assume the food is worth $100 and you want to tip 20%. In either case, and extra $10 will do it.

There's blank line on the receipt where you have an opportunity to increase the tip. If a couple adds another $10 in addition to the automatic $10, that's a $20 tip, plus the automatic tips on the drinks and wine. That seems like a good tip.

I think that adding $25 to $40 per couple is extremely generous. Of course, that's fine. I'm sure the servers are thrilled. But I don't think that's common or expected.

 

[raisin64]

The last time I was on the Wonder I was told that the
manager gets a % of the $5/person the rest is split amongst
the wait staff. So I feel adding on to the tip is doing the right thing. I usually leave at least $20 extra .

 

[Maleficent59]

There is a line for "Additional Tip" on the charge slip with the service and beverages charges. Although correct, "additional tip" as it regards to the service for the meal (not the beverage), is a little misleading. The $5 service charge for gratuities is split amongst the staff at Palo. The server receives a small portion of this gratuity (I believe it is $0.15 of the $5.00). During my last cruise, I asked what the service charge covered and was surprised to hear that the server received the smallest portion.

I tip well above recommended amounts for outstanding service. However, tipping is always at your discretion.

 

[ducklite]

We left an additional $20 (plus the automatically added gratuity for alcohol) fir brunch, and $25 for dinner.

Dinner was OK, the brunch was incredible--better than brunch at the Four Seasons in Philly, which costs $50 per person, exclusive of alcohol.

Anne

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Anne,

Glad to hear that about Palo. This cruise will be our 3rd and we've never eaten there. This time we still don't want to miss any of the regular dinners and were considering brunch. Sounds like it will be a good choice. Guess one of us had better head for the reservation line early!

Deb