Tipping if we skip dining rooms

[lordog]

With this being our second cruise, we were thinking of being more casual and maybe going to the buffets and hanging out at the pool rather than the dining rooms for dinner. If we do this, do we still tip the dining room servers even though we never utilize their services and only tip the room steward?

 

[Otimon]

Tip everyone in the dining rooms just as though you had dinner there every evening.

The decision not to eat there is yours, not theirs, so please don't deprive them of their tips. They are there for you even if you choose not to use them.

We were just on the Nov. 16 4-night Wonder and never once used the rotation dining rooms. On the last night I brought the tip envelopes to Parrot Cay and gave them to the gentleman at the podium by the door to distribute to the servers.

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

[wuv tigger]

All of us who have been on The Magic or Wonder have eaten in some dining room, Topsiders or Pinnochio (sp?) at some point on our trip.

Yes, you still need to tip your servers. Someone served you food on the cruise.

I saw our servers on Castaway Cay serving. I also saw them in Topsiders one time.

Not trying to start something.

wuv tigger

 

[lbgraves]

The tipping is set up to actually make it easier for guests. I can't imagine having to keep track of enough cash on the ship to tip everyone every time we get something to eat. The tip that you give your server at dinner does not just cover dinner, it also covers breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc during the entire day. Those same servers work in the restaurants at each meal and DCL has it set up so that everyone just worries about tipping your dining room servers to make it simple for you.

 

[UK-Simon]

Most Servers have a section comprising of 18 seats. Even if you never show they keep those seats reserved for you, so they are unable to make up your tips any other way.

The crew work several shifts a day, including all the restaurants, Topsiders, Goofy's galley, Castaway Cay etc, and their tips are basically their wage (I don't know this for a fact, but I'm guessing their base wage is around $2.50 an hour for all time worked.)

Please take care of them, as many have families abroad whom they send all their money too.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Happy99]

The servers that work the dining room also work the buffets for breakfast and lunch, lunch in the dining room, deck parties and on castaway cay at one point or another. In my opinion I would still tip the recommended amount. Also remember that Topsiders / Beach Blanket are not open on the first night and last night of your cruise. Unless you are going to have pizza and chicken fingers or dine at Palo your only other option on those evenings will be the dining room

 

[DCLMan]

The crew work several shifts a day, including all the restaurants, Topsiders, Goofy's galley, Castaway Cay etc, and their tips are basically their wage (I don't know this for a fact, but I'm guessing their base wage is around $2.50 an hour for all time worked.)

I did a little research into cruise line wages and found this

http://www.cruiseshipjob.net/joblistings/

Cabin Steward Stewardess - Salary $1400-2400/month.

Cleaning of assigned public areas and passenger cabins, passenger laundry requests. No experience required.

Head Waiter Waitress - Salary $2800-3200/month.

Supervises waiter and waitresses and oversees dining room operations.


Host/Hostess - Salary $900-1600/month.

As a Food & Beverage Cashier Host/Hostess, you will be greeting Guest’s, taking food orders, entering orders into a system, and processing payments. You may also be assembling food orders and presenting to our Guest’s. Other duties include restocking, cleaning, and replenishing food items. You must be able to perform basic cash transactions and count back change. No experience required.

Bar Waiter Waitress - Salary $1800-3000/month.

Serves beverages to passengers and reports to Bar Supervisor.

Source http://www.cruiseshipjob.net/canada/


Seeing as they get board and lodging I don't think they do that badly.

 

[Happy99]

I did a little research into cruise line wages and found this

http://www.cruiseshipjob.net/joblistings/


Source http://www.cruiseshipjob.net/canada/


Seeing as they get board and lodging I don't think they do that badly.

Interesting - since this is a Canadian site would the salaries be in Canadian dollars? or U.S. Dollars

 

[UK-Simon]

Yeah but if you lived every day just for 10-12 hours of work you would want to be making at least that too, even if you did get 50 square feet of free living!

 

[DCLMan]

Interesting - since this is a Canadian site would the salaries be in Canadian dollars? or U.S. Dollars

This website seems to suggest that wages are made up in tips. But it does pay in US$

#

Dining Room Junior Waiter / Waitress (assisting dining room assistant waiters, serving meals and drinks) - Some experience required. Fare English Language skills required. Salary range: $1200-1800 U.S. per month, depending on gratuities (tips) from passengers. Possibilities for promotion to Dining Room Assistant Waiter.
#

Dining Room Assistant Waiter / Waitress (assisting dining room waiters in the food and beverage service, serve passengers as directed by the waiter) - Experience required. Good English Language skills required. Salary range: $1400- 2100 U.S. per month, depending on gratuities from passengers. Possibilities for promotion to Dining Room Waiter.
#

Dining Room Waiter/Waitress, (serving passengers, explain the dishes, make recommendations, supervise assistant waiters assigned to their tables) - lots of experience and fluent English Language skills required. Salary range: $2200-3800 U.S. per month, depending on gratuities from passengers. Possibilities for promotion to Dining Room Head Waiter.
#

Dining Room Head Waiter/Waitress, (responsible for a certain serving station in the dining room, supervises all waiters) - lots of restaurant and prior cruise ship experience in related position required. Fluent English Language skills required. Salary range: $2600-4700 U.S. per month, depending on gratuities from passengers.

http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/foodand.htm

 

[Sophie_2003]

hello,

what we have done in the past is reassign our tips; that was on Carnival. We requested that all our dining tips be allocated to the money they pool for buffet and casual dining options. Just an option for you, and you may also want to ask the purser desk what they would suggest.

 

[kcashner]

Two thoughts....

The "salaries" listed are what the cruise line anticipates the individual will receive in tips. It is NOT what the line pays them.

As others have stated, your servers work all over the ship, on Castaway, etc. The tip that you provide at dinner recognizes all the service you have received at meals for the time you were on the ship, not just what you didn't get by choosing to not eat in the dining room. Your servers will take their turns at the midnight buffets, on pirate night, etc. You should continue to tip as you were provided with service, albeit maybe not from those individuals during the dinner hour.

 

[nzdisneymom]

From http://www.dcljobs.com/

Dining Room/Assistant Server
Greet and serve 14-20 guests breakfast, lunch and dinner in multiple themed dining room experiences and styles. Assist at fast food outlets and buffets, including midnight buffets and Island Barbecue. Clean equipment. High guest interaction.

So just as others have pointed out, the servers assigned to you in the dining rooms for the evening meals are also serving at other meals as well. I've never been clear on how the quick service crew are tipped (or not).

Buffet/counter service. Provide quick and friendly service in high-volume, fast food outlets (serve/prepare/maintain drink stations/take orders/serve/bus tables/clean).

 

[MagicMe]

I just wanted to re-emphasize that the $$ shown on that website are based on what the cruise line pays them along with the "normal" tips expected from the guests. They REALLY do not make that much from the cruise line. I know for a fact that they get stiffed more often than we'd like to believe. The servers work long hours. They serve you at dinner, but I've seen them many times in Topsiders/Beach Blanket, in the restaurants at breakfast and lunch and even working the fast food areas. They are also responsible for cleaning off and setting up for the next service each time.

Even if you do not go for dinner, please tip them at least the minimum.

 

[luv that cruise]

My initial response is definitely still tip even if you don't go to the dining room, since they work all over the place all day long. However, got me thinking about the plutos and pizza employees, the food service employees (those that work back in the kitchen). Wonder if all the tips we pay go directly to our servers/attendants OR if tips are pooled and split. I don't undervalue the service of the support staff, but I'd like to know if tips i intend to go to a certain employee are being skimmed to others. Anyone know???

 

[kcashner]

What you give to your server/asst/head server goes directly to that person. If you charge them, they get the full amount you charge.

Tips that you hand to a person individually stay with that person, no matter where they work except that any money given to anyone in the kid programming is used for a party for that group (they can't keep individual money).

Bar tips (the automatic 15% that is added) is pooled and divided among those workers....so the guy who works Pinocchio's gets bar tips since they also serve drinks there.

Positions that are not in the suggested or automatic tipping list get better salaries.

Most of this info is from our favorite server......

The server who serves you in the dining room at dinner may be at Topsider or Pluto's at lunch...or mid-afternoon.....or may be serving the Pirate night buffet after dinner.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I went on my first Disney Cruise in Sept/Oct and we saw our assistant server when getting lunch at Pluto's. He came out from behind the counter and got our drinks for us!

Although we did go to the dining room every night for dinner, even if we hadn't I still would have tipped them because they do work extremely hard and do go out of their way for the guests.

 

[luv that cruise]

thanks for the tipping info. If I tip above the 15% in the bar - does the person get to keep it or is that pooled too??

 

[jajomo0118]

Say you know ahead of time that you will not be eating in the dinning room. Could you just give your tips early like the first night? For me it would save a guilty conscience worring that the poor server thought they got stiffed? Just a question?

 

[Michelemouse]

Say you know ahead of time that you will not be eating in the dinning room. Could you just give your tips early like the first night? For me it would save a guilty conscience worring that the poor server thought they got stiffed? Just a question?

Sure. You can stop by Guest Services to get the tip envelopes and charge the tips to your account if you are not using cash.

I think that's very thoughtful.