Tipping Faux Pas?

[bobbi565]

On our 3 night cruise, we dined at Palo on night 2. I tipped our regular servers, therefore, for two nights instead of 3 for all three of us, even thought DS didn't dine with us on Saturday night. I distributed tip envelopes Satuday night and felt like my server was snubbing me at breakfast Sunday. Was I wrong in not tipping for the night I did not use his services?

 

[m&m's mom]

To be honest, yes you were.
The common way of thinking is that it was your choice to not eat there so why should your waiter be penalized.

 

[becka]

Yes because your servers also were serving at breakfast, lunch on CC, etc.. Your tips are really for all of your meals not just for dinner.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

As others said you made a mistake. Your tipping is for a variety of service not just dinner.

 

[inkkognito]

Yes, afraid this was an error on your part. The servers are assigned a certain number of tables, which they count on for their income. Just because I choose to visit Palo, I don't think it's right to let that impact them and $$ they were counting on. Last Wonder cruise, we didn't eat in the main dining room on ANY of the nights (we did Palo and casual dining). But we still tipped our diningroom staff the full amount. For the casual dining servers, I gave them little bags of candy and lottery tickets. For Palo, I tip the same as I would for a land-based dinner of the same caliber.

 

[heather6699]

I can only imagine the responses I will get for this but...

I think this tipping thing is out of hand. Since when do we TIP for services we don't receive? Do you tip wait staff when you don't eat at a restaurant? Do you tip porters when they don't take your bags? If we are required (or get snubbed if we don't) to give tips for services that we didn't receive then it's not really a tip and the "recommended tips" should just be included in the cost of the cruise (and this would go for all cruises not just DCL).

And, I have read many posts where it seems that this "snubbing" that the wait staff periodically does is totally acceptable. Isn't DCL supposed to be known for their service? Or does that only apply if you give a great tips and tip for services you did not receive?

I have been a waitress before and I know what it's like to live off tips, and I am considered a very good tipper, so I am not heartless and I know that these people count on this money, but maybe the cruise lines should change their practice because it doesn't make much sense to me. Maybe I am missing something, who knows.

This is obviously just my opinion.

 

[inkkognito]

Since when do we TIP for services we don't receive?

On a cruse ship, you DO receive those services even if you never eat in the main diningroom at night. As others have pointed out, your dinner servers aren't just serving dinner...they are working during breakfast and lunch too, both in the restaurants and on CC. You will even see Palo servers working in Goofy's Galley during Palo's closed hours. Even if you don't dine where they are working, you are sitting at someone else's servers' table, and they are sitting at yours. The tips are not just showing appreciation for dinnertime service, but for all your meals during the course of the cruise. The only way the premise of not receiving service holds up is if you fast for the entire length of your cruise.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

On a cruse ship, you DO receive those services even if you never eat in the main diningroom at night. As others have pointed out, your dinner servers aren't just serving dinner...they are working during breakfast and lunch too, both in the restaurants and on CC. You will even see Palo servers working in Goofy's Galley during Palo's closed hours. Even if you don't dine where they are working, you are sitting at someone else's servers' table, and they are sitting at yours. The tips are not just showing appreciation for dinnertime service, but for all your meals during the course of the cruise. The only way the premise of not receiving service holds up is if you fast for the entire length of your cruise.

I think you said it perfectly. Unless you never leave your room on the ship you are receiving services.

 

[heather6699]

So I must be missing something then...if I understand correctly, at the end of the cruise I will hand the waiter, asst. waiter, etc. their tip envelopes. But lets say one night I didn't eat dinner in the dining room but I eat in our room and received room service (which I tip for when they bring the food), and I eat breakfast and lunch at a buffet. If I still tip the waiter, asst. waiter, etc. for that day, then does they share that tip with others that waited on me during the day?

 

[inkkognito]

Actually, your own servers might potentially be the ones who wait on you at the buffet...all of the dinner staff works the breakfast and lunch venues, too. Think of it this way: You are eating at the buffet and being served by the team who serves someone else's dinner. Meanwhile, someone else is eating at the buffet (or another venue) and being served by the people who serve YOU dinner. You each give your tips to your own dining team, but they are all being reimbursed for their services at all the meals. Don't know if I'm explaining that clearly...if someone sees what I'm saying and can do better, please do!!

 

[tynkerbell]

I can only imagine the responses I will get for this but...

I think this tipping thing is out of hand. Since when do we TIP for services we don't receive? Do you tip wait staff when you don't eat at a restaurant? Do you tip porters when they don't take your bags? If we are required (or get snubbed if we don't) to give tips for services that we didn't receive then it's not really a tip and the "recommended tips" should just be included in the cost of the cruise (and this would go for all cruises not just DCL).

And, I have read many posts where it seems that this "snubbing" that the wait staff periodically does is totally acceptable. Isn't DCL supposed to be known for their service? Or does that only apply if you give a great tips and tip for services you did not receive?

I have been a waitress before and I know what it's like to live off tips, and I am considered a very good tipper, so I am not heartless and I know that these people count on this money, but maybe the cruise lines should change their practice because it doesn't make much sense to me. Maybe I am missing something, who knows.

This is obviously just my opinion.

Did you then tip the person who cleared your plates and trays at breakfast and lunch? If you had lunch at Lumiere's did you tip the server who served you there?

Basically the way this tipping thing works is that it's expected that everyone will tip at least the recommended amount for their length of stay (not how many times they dined in a certain establishment). When everyone does tip properly then the people who served you during the other times of the day make a fair amount to compensate. So even though you didn't personally tip, say the person who served you lunch, the families that had that server for dinner basically covered it for you. It's set up this way so that all the servers can get a fairly set amount of tips that they can expect.

**I hope I've explained this well, I'm not feeling well so I'm not sure if my words are coming out right.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

As others have noted in this thread, our "dinner tips" to our servers are not just tips for dinner. Those tips (plus whatever they get from pooled beverage tips) are the servers' compensation for working from dawn until late night, 7 days a week, at breakfast, lunches, buffets, snack service, dinners, and late night snacks -- on the ship and on Castaway Cay.

(Yes, they get some time off during the day, during non-meal periods, and not all servers work all non-dinner meals, but it's still more like an 80-hour work week than a 40-hour work week.)

Also, their tips are not on top of US minimum wage. Those tips are essentially their entire compensation, except for the $50 per month (or so) base that DCL pays, and "free" room and board in small, shared cabins below the water line. Of course, it's likely they're still paying rent in their home countries so that their families, whom they don't see for many months at a time, have a place to live.

For the crew members, the pay is good compared to what they could get in most of their home countries. It's hard work. It means that their families have decent housing, food, clothing, and education -- especially in countries where the US dollar goes much further than in the US.

I don't think the guidelines are excessive. We tip well over the recommended amount, and I assume most other DCL passengers do too.

The tips to the Dining Room Server, Dining Room Asst. Server, Dining Room Head Server, and Stateroom Host/Hostess are a small sum compared to what we pay to DCL -- yet these hard-working people do so much to make our time at sea (and at Castaway Cay) so wonderful.

The dirty little secret in the mainstream cruise industry is that "all inclusive" cruises really don't include the cost of the dining service or stateroom service. The cruise lines expect the passengers to pay. This allows the cruise lines to keep their cost structure lower, which allows cruises to be priced affordably. As long as everyone understands the situation, it works out well for everyone.

 

[gottaluvdisney]

I forget the recommended gratuity amount per day (for all the tips) - I think it may come out to about $11 per person per day. So - a family of four would be paying approximately $44 per day for tips/gratuities for their dining room service for three meals and two visits from housekeeping. IMHO this is very reasonable - even if dining at a buffet for two of the meals.

I have gone on another cruise line (NCL) where the gratuities were included, they charged $10 per day per person to our shipboard account. The service in the dining rooms and buffets was not the same. It was very poor service--my friend complained about it/nothing changed and they fought with her to adjust her gratuities. We did find one waiter and assistant waiter and would request them each night--for the last three nights of the cruise. We tipped them directly for their service, which was above the $10 per person/per day we were being charged on our account. I also don't like confrontation and didn't feel like I should argue with guest service why the auto gratuity should be taken off my account and that I wanted to tip.

That being said - I think that DCL servers work for what they receive and I usually will go over the recommended amount.

Also ---I don't think that the servers "snub" people on the last day. I have posted my theory in the past and think it very true--most people that are upset with the way they are treated or feel like they are being "snubbed" on the last morning have early dining.

Bobbi---did you have early dining?

If you have early dining -you have early breakfast at like 6:45am on debark morning. The serving team has one hour and fifteen minutes or one hour and a half to serve you, clean up after you and reset the dining room for the later guests. (including changing linens, having cloth napkins folded and set, clean dishes, silverware usually polished with no spots). I do not feel that they treat you poorly on purpose.

 

[CastleCreations]

We were undecided about the tipping too. We took a 4 night cruise and had room service for all of our breakfasts, which we tipped the delivery guy for. We ate lunch and dinner in the restaurants 1 time. We didn't go to Palo...and my 2 children never ate with us. So I was divided over having to shell out so much in tips when the wait staff wasn't that great. That's why we didn't go back to the dining room. We did tip the recommend amount, but tipped almost 4 times the amount to our room steward, who I think worked harder than anyone. I think tipping is a personal decision, but I don't think we should be required to tip, if we didn't receive good service, or we weren't there to receive the service.

 

[MikeN]

As others have noted in this thread, our "dinner tips" to our servers are not just tips for dinner. Those tips (plus whatever they get from pooled beverage tips) are the servers' compensation for working from dawn until late night, 7 days a week, at breakfast, lunches, buffets, snack service, dinners, and late night snacks -- on the ship and on Castaway Cay.

(Yes, they get some time off during the day, during non-meal periods, and not all servers work all non-dinner meals, but it's still more like an 80-hour work week than a 40-hour work week.)

Also, their tips are not on top of US minimum wage. Those tips are essentially their entire compensation, except for the $50 per month (or so) base that DCL pays, and "free" room and board in small, shared cabins below the water line. Of course, it's likely they're still paying rent in their home countries so that their families, whom they don't see for many months at a time, have a place to live.

For the crew members, the pay is good compared to what they could get in most of their home countries. It's hard work. It means that their families have decent housing, food, clothing, and education -- especially in countries where the US dollar goes much further than in the US.

I don't think the guidelines are excessive. We tip well over the recommended amount, and I assume most other DCL passengers do too.

The tips to the Dining Room Server, Dining Room Asst. Server, Dining Room Head Server, and Stateroom Host/Hostess are a small sum compared to what we pay to DCL -- yet these hard-working people do so much to make our time at sea (and at Castaway Cay) so wonderful.

The dirty little secret in the mainstream cruise industry is that "all inclusive" cruises really don't include the cost of the dining service or stateroom service. The cruise lines expect the passengers to pay. This allows the cruise lines to keep their cost structure lower, which allows cruises to be priced affordably. As long as everyone understands the situation, it works out well for everyone.

even here in the USA wait staff doesn't get minimum wage. I paid for college by waiting on tables. I think they still get about $2/per hour. IOW any waiter/waitress is working for tips alone.

 

[Amyg]

Wow, I never thought about this tipping thing.

Can I assume that if I get a massage i should tip right then and there?

 

[MikeN]

Now I'm going to really stick my head in the lion's mouth. I (sadly) over tip even when the service is bad. That being said, I'm going to play devil's advocate for a minute. Tipping is supposed to be a reward for good service. If you are supposed to tip for service not received (in the Palo case because you tipped another server), do you tip well or poor? Maybe your server did a crap job when you weren't there. Suppose you got poor service for dinner, but you felt your breakfast and lunch were serviced very well, what should you do? Or vice-versa, how do you send a message? The theme here is frighteningly socialist. I don't know whether or not they pool tips. If they do not, then all these arguments don't make much sense. Flame away.

 

[misseulalie]

Even though the Disney version may be flawed, it is better than Carnival and other cruiselines. The tip is already charged to your account so the servers put absolutely no effort to help you.

One time while sailing DCL, my stateroom host told me about 30% of the guests don't tip him anything. So the extra amount that we always pay and those of others probably just equal that of those who don't tip at all.

I don't know if that's true or he just wanted me to feel sorry for him so I'll tip him more...do I have "sucker" written all over my face????

 

[woody73]

So I must be missing something then...if I understand correctly, at the end of the cruise I will hand the waiter, asst. waiter, etc. their tip envelopes. But lets say one night I didn't eat dinner in the dining room but I eat in our room and received room service (which I tip for when they bring the food), and I eat breakfast and lunch at a buffet. If I still tip the waiter, asst. waiter, etc. for that day, then does they share that tip with others that waited on me during the day?

Your waitstaff shares responsibility for all meals (except maybe room service).

On various occasions, we saw our head server, server, and assistant server working at breakfast at Topsiders, lunch at Luniere's, lunch at Parrot Cay, Pluto's, the Pirates buffet, the dessert buffet, and at Cookie's on Castaway Cay.

Woody

 

[musicgirl]

Amyg, yes you do tip for spa services at that time. You will be asked to sign (with your card of course) and that is when you add on the tip. This is a personal service that is not covered by any other service tip.


I like the way inkcognito put it the best, if you are eating at any restaurant at any time, buffet or pirate buffet,at Cookies on CC or Serenity Bay at CC or chocolate buffet etc., they may not be YOUR
servers, but YOUR servers are serving someplace.

They work HARD treat them well.