Where do i pay my tips?

Here's a question that some of you experienced cruisers might be able to answer for me. Even the folks at the purser's station couldn't.

We are on a B2B. Cruise #1 we have main seating. Cruise #2 is full with 100 on waiting list for main seating, so they will not even add our name. Doesn't look good (although we will check once onboard).

Similar thing happened on our last B2B. We had main dining with big family table. Cruise #2 it was DH and me, and we got a table for two but did not enjoy that. So we gave up our table for two since they seem to be in demand. In that case, we signed up for My Time Dining only so we could make our small table available to someone else, but we never did go (and don't care to on this trip either).

Question: Of course we want to tip, because we realize our tips go beyond just the dining room service. But where do we put our money? The only reason we signed up for MTD was because that problem would be solved, but those service people did not serve us. We ate in the Windjammer every night. Was that the fair thing to do? If so, we will do that again. Or if we love our wait staff from cruise #1, would it be fair to give our cruise #2 tips to them?

Of course, we will give up whatever table they assign us to for second seating since that is too late for us to eat.

Take the easy way out and either prepay your tips or have them added to your Seapass account when onboard. That will get your tips to the correct staff members based on the cruise line's criteria.

With that taken care of, you can tip whomever you feel deserves more directly in cash at the end of each cruise.

Take the easy way out and either prepay your tips or have them added to your Seapass account when onboard. That will get your tips to the correct staff members based on the cruise line's criteria.

 

With that taken care of, you can tip whomever you feel deserves more directly in cash at the end of each cruise.

 

 

Thanks - but that doesn't work. We always prepay our tips, but when you do that, you get envelopes and vouchers to distribute. My question is: To whom do I distribute the dining room tips? (And the folks at the purser's desk didn't seem to want to receive them and make that decision.)

If you "pre-pay" the vouchers and envelopes are only a "formality"--you don't HAVE to hand them out for the folks to get paid., unlike paying in cash. We prefer the cash method, but in your case, the pre-paying seems to make more sense.

Thanks - but that doesn't work. We always prepay our tips, but when you do that, you get envelopes and vouchers to distribute. My question is: To whom do I distribute the dining room tips? (And the folks at the purser's desk didn't seem to want to receive them and make that decision.)

You do not have to distribute the vouchers/envelopes at all. They are just "for show", so that you have something to hand the waiter/stateroom attendant. (It could be embarrassing if all the parties at your table hand the waiter a cash tip envelope and you give nothing). But, the servers have a list of who prepaid and who didn't, and they do not have to turn in the voucher in order to receive payment - the cruiseline gives it to them automatically. So, they know that you didn't stiff them, and they will get your tip. I'm surprised the purser's desk didn't inform you of this.

If you "pre-pay" the vouchers and envelopes are only a "formality"--you don't HAVE to hand them out for the folks to get paid.

I sure hope so! We prepaid the tips before the end of the cruise and just left the vouchers sitting in the cabin. We didn't eat in the dining room on the last night and didn't want to wander around handing out the envelopes.

We didn't eat in the dining room on the last night and didn't want to wander around handing out the envelopes.

And all your tablemates thought you were stiffing the wait staff!!:D:D (By then they knew you better, I hope.)

Yes, I'm surprised that the purser's desk folks didn't tell us that.

Thanks for the good responses.

There is a slight crack in the system, which you have noticed here. It's been discussed before elsewhere.

It is generally a good idea to relinquish your table in the main dining room if you do not plan to use it, as you noted, so that others who may be wanting that seating time might be able to use it.

When you do this, I believe you lose an assigned wait-staff, which as you note, would seem to "orphan" your tips.

My Time Dining is probably not good to sign up for if you don't plan to use it as well, since it has been reported that those slots often fill up and become unavailable. It's also suspected that tips for the MTD staff is pooled, since everyone tips the same (pre-paid) except for cash handed to individual servers.

I doubt anyone has the answer to what happens to orphaned tips. It would be an interesting thing to know. The tipping system is not designed to handle the relatively recent addition of so many dining choices.

Theron

There is a slight crack in the system, which you have noticed here. It's been discussed before elsewhere.

 

It is generally a good idea to relinquish your table in the main dining room if you do not plan to use it, as you noted, so that others who may be wanting that seating time might be able to use it.

 

When you do this, I believe you lose an assigned wait-staff, which as you note, would seem to "orphan" your tips.

 

My Time Dining is probably not good to sign up for if you don't plan to use it as well, since it has been reported that those slots often fill up and become unavailable. It's also suspected that tips for the MTD staff is pooled, since everyone tips the same (pre-paid) except for cash handed to individual servers.

 

I doubt anyone has the answer to what happens to orphaned tips. It would be an interesting thing to know. The tipping system is not designed to handle the relatively recent addition of so many dining choices.

 

Theron

In the absence of a better plan, I think we will do the following:

1. Give up our assigned seat for late seating (which we will never use).

2. Eat in the Windjammer every night (which we did on the second leg of our last B2B and enjoyed).

3. If we REALLY love and appreciate our wait staff on the first leg, give them our tip envelopes. As we all understand, they, too, have "tippable" duties that take them outside their set of tables in the evening, so that might be a good alternative.

Does anyone see a flaw in this?