Crown Grill tipping

I have been on a number of cruise but have never tried the specialty dinning option.

I plan to go to the Crown Grill. I need some guidance--does the cover charge include the tip?

If not what have you left as the tip? When you are done eating do you ask for the check?

The tip is included in the surcharge and if you leave your daily auto gratuity intact you've tipped the dining room for the same dinner. . If you feel the need to triple tip then by all means but when is enough , enough?

We leave an extra tip in cash on the table.

The servers are part of your automatic gratuity that you pay each night. If you search you will find lots of threads on the issue of whether to tip. Many people tip extra (some by a lot) while others do not tip.

I have been on a number of cruise but have never tried the specialty dinning option.

 

I plan to go to the Crown Grill. I need some guidance--does the cover charge include the tip?

 

If not what have you left as the tip? When you are done eating do you ask for the check?

As others have already said, it is your choice whether or not to tip extra. :)

I'm one of those who leave an extra tip, in cash.

The reason I specified "in cash" is that if you were to simply write in a tip amount on the "bill", that amount would go into the tip pool to be shared by all; your waiter would just see a small amount of your tip. By leaving a cash tip your waiter gets to pocket the entire amount - this is assuming you have left the auto-tip in place.

I agree, $10 cash per server.

We always extra tip. I think the max we do is $5 per server that helped us. They usually do it brigade style in the crown grill so we are only about $15. Last time our maitre d at dinner was also our maitre d at Sabatini's every morning and we loved him so I think we ended up tipping him twice that day, breakfast and dinner! Lol in the crown grill they take such good care of you that I don't mind throwing a little extra money at them.

Also the food is out of this world.

Also the food is out of this world.

I agree! :D

The tip is included in the surcharge and if you leave your daily auto gratuity intact you've tipped the dining room for the same dinner. . If you feel the need to triple tip then by all means but when is enough , enough?

I didn't give it much thought until now (the virtual eve of my cruise). It does seem extraordinarly foolish to tip a third time when you've not only already paid the specialty dining surcharge but are additionally tipping via the daily auto gratuity previously added onto one's account. That seems to be the whole purpose of that -- to free one from the need to handle money on board and/or repetitious over-tipping. However, I'm thinking it's probably not lost on the cruise lines that some may feel guilty or even the need to appear impressive and give even more. I mean OMG, even if I had money to burn, that dog don't hunt.

We leave an extra tip in CA$H! :D

LuLu

Our first time in CG, forgot to bring cash. As we were preparing to leave we were discussing the issue with the couple we went to dinner with and our waiter heard us. He came over and said "no tip necessary" and specifically told us not to put a tip on the receipt.

We leave a cash tip.

I have been on a number of cruise but have never tried the specialty dinning option.

 

I plan to go to the Crown Grill. I need some guidance--does the cover charge include the tip?

 

If not what have you left as the tip? When you are done eating do you ask for the check?

Tip, we do hand an extra cash tip to the waiter, but this is our choice. The waiters' tips are part of the daily hotel charge (auto-tip). Wine and other alcoholic drinks will have the automatic 15% grat. added so nothing extra required for drinks.

In the beginning you provide the waiter with your cruise card. At the end you have to sign for the meal charge $25/pp plus any alcoholic drinks you may have ordered, just like you do at any bar.

Make reservations early in your cruise. If you like steak, you will like the Crown Grill. Listen to the waiter, in our case she guided us to the most tender cut.

I'm one of those who leave an extra tip, in cash.

The reason I specified "in cash" is that if you were to simply write in a tip amount on the "bill", that amount would go into the tip pool to be shared by all; your waiter would just see a small amount of your tip. By leaving a cash tip your waiter gets to pocket the entire amount - this is assuming you have left the auto-tip in place.

From what I have been able to learn, both here and talking to personnel on ships, what you say is only partially correct. That said, my understanding of the situation is that even if you leave cash, if it's given to the people in an envelope, they are supposed to write their name on the envelope and your suite number and turn it in. It is then checked by someone at some point to ensure that you have not "turned off" the auto-tip. If it's turned off, then the amount of your tip is placed in "the pool" and distributed with all the auto-tips. If auto-tip is still in place, then it is returned to the person. I have had servers come back to me and ask my name and suite number so I tend to believe this is the way its done. I suspect that it's standard throughout all the ships, but that's just a supposition on my part.

Tom

You will find that many here on CC delight in tipping over and over even when they have already included the auto gratuity and the surcharge for the specialty dining. Others don't tip extra and don't feel bad about it - nor should they.

Tipping in the US is idiotically out of hand. I've worked as a cook and when I prepared great food with a great presentation the waitress got a great tip. I didn't get a tip at all. Of course I figured I was being paid to do my job and always wondered why someone should tip me.

In my opinion too many people in the US tip too much and too often. I don't know if it makes them feel more important or superior or what but it is totally idiotic the way people tip these days. It's no wonder the folks from Australia are confused by the tipping.

I had a absolutely wonderful experience there, on the Crown. My parents were with my wife and I, my father lost a hand in a accident years ago, but still gets around good, and he loves a good steak. The waiter, noticing my father having trouble with an appetizer, brought our meals, and before we could assist my father in cutting his steak, the waiter asked if he could cut it for my dad. He proceeded to cut the steak for my dad, that small act of kindness realay made my day, I gave him a nice tip and thanked him. That simple act certainly warranted an additional tip.

You will find that many here on CC delight in tipping over and over even when they have already included the auto gratuity and the surcharge for the specialty dining. Others don't tip extra and don't feel bad about it - nor should they.

 

Tipping in the US is idiotically out of hand. I've worked as a cook and when I prepared great food with a great presentation the waitress got a great tip. I didn't get a tip at all. Of course I figured I was being paid to do my job and always wondered why someone should tip me.

 

In my opinion too many people in the US tip too much and too often. I don't know if it makes them feel more important or superior or what but it is totally idiotic the way people tip these days. It's no wonder the folks from Australia are confused by the tipping.

I agree with you on Americans, at least in some instances, going overboard on tipping. It is really bad at the pier. Some of the porters working at the pier are bad about it and they're making, I believe, in the area of $50/hr (that may be very wrong, but it's a figure I've heard mentioned quite a bit by people who are in positions where they very well might know.) being very blatant about getting tips for handling bags, a job they're already getting a healthy wage to handle. Don't get me wrong, there are some absolutely great gentlemen working there who go out of their way to help passengers who may be handicapped in some way and who you would really admire for the way they work. My company's policy is to not accept tips unless the passenger absolutely insists. I carry that a bit further and just tell them that I'm not supposed to accept tips and my personal rule is that I will not accept them. I just remind them that the ship's personnel who actually take them on the ship can accept them and that they don't make that much anyway. That seems to work.

You are certainly correct in that a great meal prepared by you ends up, I'm sure, almost always with the waiter/waitress getting the accolades and tips. Of course if you produce a stinker, then they suffer then too. ;) But, since you mentioned the cook think, let me at least thank you on behalf of all the good meals I've had through life when I should have, but didn't properly show my appreciation to the cook as well as the wait staff.

THANKS!!!:D

Tom

I believe tipping is an entirely personal thing and nobody else's business and you should do whatever you are comfortable with, but since you've asked for guidance on what other people do - no, I never tip extra at the specialty restaurants, IMO the cover charge and the daily gratuity is sufficient.

You will find that many here on CC delight in tipping over and over even when they have already included the auto gratuity and the surcharge for the specialty dining. Others don't tip extra and don't feel bad about it - nor should they.

 

Tipping in the US is idiotically out of hand. I've worked as a cook and when I prepared great food with a great presentation the waitress got a great tip. I didn't get a tip at all. Of course I figured I was being paid to do my job and always wondered why someone should tip me.

 

In my opinion too many people in the US tip too much and too often. I don't know if it makes them feel more important or superior or what but it is totally idiotic the way people tip these days. It's no wonder the folks from Australia are confused by the tipping.

We realize this and that is why when we eat breakfast every day in Sabatini's we ask to talk to the cook....he is always nervous when he comes out, but we slip him a $50 or $100 depending on the length of the cruise. As you would agree, it is nice to be appreciated.

I agree with you on Americans, at least in some instances, going overboard on tipping. It is really bad at the pier. Some of the porters working at the pier are bad about it and they're making, I believe, in the area of $50/hr (that may be very wrong, but it's a figure I've heard mentioned quite a bit by people who are in positions where they very well might know.) being very blatant about getting tips for handling bags, a job they're already getting a healthy wage to handle. Don't get me wrong, there are some absolutely great gentlemen working there who go out of their way to help passengers who may be handicapped in some way and who you would really admire for the way they work. My company's policy is to not accept tips unless the passenger absolutely insists. I carry that a bit further and just tell them that I'm not supposed to accept tips and my personal rule is that I will not accept them. I just remind them that the ship's personnel who actually take them on the ship can accept them and that they don't make that much anyway. That seems to work.

 

 

You are certainly correct in that a great meal prepared by you ends up, I'm sure, almost always with the waiter/waitress getting the accolades and tips. Of course if you produce a stinker, then they suffer then too. ;) But, since you mentioned the cook think, let me at least thank you on behalf of all the good meals I've had through life when I should have, but didn't properly show my appreciation to the cook as well as the wait staff.

 

THANKS!!!:D

 

Tom

We like to tip extra for people who make our cruise...we are not rich by far; however, look at it as a donation to someone who has helped make our trip and we feel good about it...no regrets here.

Also the food is out of this world.

I agree, but if leave some extra cash on the table, is it only the server that gets it or is it shared with the kitchen staff as in a normal restaurant?

Also, I totally support anyone doing whatever they are comfortable with, but seems odd to me to leave cash for every server in CG if one maybe stopped by the table for one thing during the meal.

We like to tip extra for people who make our cruise...we are not rich by far; however, look at it as a donation to someone who has helped make our trip and we feel good about it...no regrets here.

I can understand this as well as understand potentially leaving some extra cash in the CG. I have pretty much always tipped additional to one or two of the Sanctuary staff who I think went above normal or made my stay there a little special.

If you do the math on the portion of the daily auto-tip that goes to food, and then consider the value of those three meals, plus whatever else is consumed during the day for "free", the amount of auto-tip is not a large percentage - not the 15% that is auto-added to drinks.

So, I can understand some additional tipping here and there that would not necessarily fall into what some are calling over-tipping Americans. Being in Canada, it is similar to USA and we are in USA a lot. I wonder if it's a chicken-and-egg situation - is there simply a societal expectation of tipping at every turn or is it folks want to do it and then more folks have to go along to not be out of sorts?

That said, I have tipped personnel on top of the auto-tip when I felt moved to do so.

I agree, but if leave some extra cash on the table, is it only the server that gets it or is it shared with the kitchen staff as in a normal restaurant?

 

Also, I totally support anyone doing whatever they are comfortable with, but seems odd to me to leave cash for every server in CG if one maybe stopped by the table for one thing during the meal.

What makes you think that sharing the tips given to a waitress with the kitchen staff is normal? Cooks, dishwashers, etc. don't "normally" share in the tips given to wait staff. Tips are most often kept by the wait staff.