Tipping when not eating in the main dining room?

[frenigirl]

Hello-
We're booked for a spring cruise on the Fantasy. It's our third cruise. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the MDRs on the first two except for the CC days.

The kids are now older and I think they will enjoy the flexibility of other dining options including room service this cruise. Tipping, of course.

So, if we opt not dine in the MDR at all, do we have a moral and ethical obligation to tip the server, assistant, and the head guy? Can we pro-rate the daily tip on the occasional use of the MDR? What if the adults go to dinner and the kids eat up on deck?

Normally, I am a decent tipper--following the Disney guidelines and have noted superior service on comment cards by naming specific CMs.

Help.
Francesca in Ohio

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Hello-
We're booked for a spring cruise on the Fantasy. It's our third cruise. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the MDRs on the first two except for the CC days.

The kids are now older and I think they will enjoy the flexibility of other dining options including room service this cruise. Tipping, of course.

So, if we opt not dine in the MDR at all, do we have a moral and ethical obligation to tip the server, assistant, and the head guy? Can we pro-rate the daily tip on the occasional use of the MDR? What if the adults go to dinner and the kids eat up on deck?

Normally, I am a decent tipper--following the Disney guidelines and have noted superior service on comment cards by naming specific CMs.

Help.
Francesca in Ohio

First question? Will you eat breakfast in the Buffett or a main dinning room? Will you eat lunch at Cabanas or a main dinning room? Or are you saying every meal is room service.

Because the tip doesn't just cover the evening meal it covers service in every meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner, it's the same teams, working shifts from early morning to late evening.

So unless you est from room service on every meal and tip on that then yes you still should tip, it's up to you but otherwise your getting service at any of these meals and not tipping.

I would add missing the MDRs you miss some great experience the two shows in Anniimators are not to be missed.

Tips against the total cruise fare are minimal and if you really will not eat any meal bar room service, then tell DCL in advance not to allocate you a table so someone else can use it and those servers are tipped.

 

[Silverfox97]

After our 10/20 Magic cruise was cancelled, our TA scrambled and got us on the 10/20 Dream just a few days before she set sail. All that was left was late dining and since it was our 9th cruise, we decided as a family to skip the MDRs. Night one we ate on deck, Night 2 was at Remy (DD had pizza), night 3 was at Cabanas for their table service, and night 4 was room service. We did this because we knew we were boarding the Magic 10/25 for 7 more nights and we enjoyed the freedom of not having to rush to the MDRs.

That being said, we still tipped all positions. It was the first time we gave just the recommended amount and didn't add to them, but we tipped nonetheless.

 

[Tinknalli]

Please consider that unlike a land based restaurant where servers may fill tables with walk in guests etc. on a cruise the numbers of guests are finite and they will not be seating someone at the table they have reserved for you. Servers rely on the tips as their main source of income and as another poster said you will see them working the buffets and at Castaway Cay when they are not in the main dining room. Leaving tips as is is the equitable way to compensate the service provided in and out of the dining room.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Hello-
We're booked for a spring cruise on the Fantasy. It's our third cruise. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the MDRs on the first two except for the CC days.

The kids are now older and I think they will enjoy the flexibility of other dining options including room service this cruise. Tipping, of course.

So, if we opt not dine in the MDR at all, do we have a moral and ethical obligation to tip the server, assistant, and the head guy? Can we pro-rate the daily tip on the occasional use of the MDR? What if the adults go to dinner and the kids eat up on deck?

Normally, I am a decent tipper--following the Disney guidelines and have noted superior service on comment cards by naming specific CMs.

Help.
Francesca in Ohio

We did a 3-night this past November and never once entered a dining room. We still tipped the standard amounts, would not have considered doing anything different. And I am sure I would not have felt good about it if we hadn't done so. Those CMs work very hard for the money that they earn.

Remember that you are also tipping for those that serve in the buffet areas and clean up after you there.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Please consider that unlike a land based restaurant where servers may fill tables with walk in guests etc. on a cruise the numbers of guests are finite and they will not be seating someone at the table they have reserved for you. Servers rely on the tips as their main source of income and as another poster said you will see them working the buffets and at Castaway Cay when they are not in the main dining room. Leaving tips as is is the equitable way to compensate the service provided in and out of the dining room.

I had not really thought of this in the way that they won't be filling the table when you don't show up, but that is a very good point.

 

[Silver Queen]

We totally agree with the above posters. Although we do eat in the MDRs for dinner, if we didn't we would never think of not leaving at least the recommended tips. The servers are also working very hard in Cabanas during the day and at Castaway Cay.

 

[frenigirl]

Thanks for all the great responses. The question of to tip or not to tip when not eating in the MDR came up over the holidays while visiting w friends and the discussion was centered around the value of cruising as a family vacation.

We will continue to tip using DCL guidelines.

F in Ohio

 

[NAB]

The servers are all over the ship during the day, sometimes serving you hamburgers or ice cream on the top deck or at Cabana's for lunch. So yes you still tip the servers. The head server I guess would be up to you but he too is in charge of the servers when they are at other postions on the ship so he still is doing his job.

 

[Minnie-Mickey]

I did not even know the mdr where open any other meal but dinner. We always did cabannas or pizza chicken nuggets on deck. What did we miss?

 

[debsters41]

I did not even know the mdr where open any other meal but dinner. We always did cabannas or pizza chicken nuggets on deck. What did we miss?

Our experience is that the main dining room breakfast (Triton, Lumiere or Royal Palace) is nothing like the last day breakfast. The food is hot and fresh and yummy, and they will take special requests like a bowl of berries and cream, for example.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I did not even know the mdr where open any other meal but dinner. We always did cabannas or pizza chicken nuggets on deck. What did we miss?

Quality food served, three courses odd and sometimes like Animators a show or maybe two, and themed dinners. It's the difference between Disney and other cruise lines.

 

[NAB]

I did not even know the mdr where open any other meal but dinner. We always did cabannas or pizza chicken nuggets on deck. What did we miss?

And hamburgers in the dining room are nothing like the ones up on deck for lunch. You have to check the navigator for which ones are open for lunch sometimes they are buffet style if it is the Garden one that is open.

And you don't have to dress up either, anything but bathing suit allowed.

 

[Bear3412]

...What did we miss?

Breakfast Menu, Royal Court/Palace; http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/royal-court-royal-palace-breakfast-menu/

 

[gigi1313]

I did not even know the mdr where open any other meal but dinner. We always did cabannas or pizza chicken nuggets on deck. What did we miss?

In my opinion, you missed wonderful, freshly prepared meals, in quiet relaxed settings with excellent service... some of the offerings can be found elsewhere, but others are unique to the MDRs during b'fast/lunch...

I agree with the PP that the burgers at lunch in the MDR are nothing like those found in other food service areas... they are more like good pub grub burgers... fresh and hot... other meals were equally delish!

 

[frenigirl]

I traveled as the solo adult w two kids, ages 4 and 7 a while back. Once I learned that one of the MDRs would be open during breakfast and lunch, I took advantage of it....no juggling trays, finding a table, and getting up for refills, silverware, etc. The servers were great and I was hooked. We never did the snacks or room service.

Now, the kids are older and most likely will not want to sit so long...

The MDRs offer lots of well-prepared food served by an excellent wait staff.

F in Ohio

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I traveled as the solo adult w two kids, ages 4 and 7 a while back. Once I learned that one of the MDRs would be open during breakfast and lunch, I took advantage of it....no juggling trays, finding a table, and getting up for refills, silverware, etc. The servers were great and I was hooked. We never did the snacks or room service.

Now, the kids are older and most likely will not want to sit so long...

The MDRs offer lots of well-prepared food served by an excellent wait staff.

F in Ohio

There is a lot to keep them occupied in the MDRs and the servers are great, they also serve children fast, its a great experience and my children have grown up from age of 3+ on the cruises and have always eaten an evening meal in the MDR without issue.

 

[SnowWhite2]

We usually eat the sit-down lunch in the MDR for the majority of the lunches. I'm not a fan of Cabanas and I try to stay away from the fast food options.

The hamburger/cheeseburger is awesome as described above. I won't eat one on the top deck anymore after having one in Royal Court/Palace. They also have a Reuben that is very good. Several fish dishes that looked good (I don't eat fish). It is a very relaxing lunch. I'm not wandering around looking for something to eat at Cabanas and then trying to find a table and then finding the drink station...it isn't a vacation if I have to put in that much work getting food.

I guess since DH and I don't have to worry about the kids anymore, it is nice to just relax at lunch.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

I'm still a little confused? We plan on eating lunch in whatever MDR is open each day do we leave a separate tip for these servers or is it covered under what Disney will automatically charge us at the end of our trip?

 

[bats]

I'm still a little confused? We plan on eating lunch in whatever MDR is open each day do we leave a separate tip for these servers or is it covered under what Disney will automatically charge us at the end of our trip?

It's covered by the recommended tips already.