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Gratuity in speciality restaurants


carefree lady
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Does Holland add a gratuity on top of the charge? RC is starting to add an 18% gratuity to the charge. For example if it cost $30 they would add 18% on top of that. In the past gratuity were included. Just wanted to know what Holland does.

 

 

 

No additional gratuity is added.

 

 

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So far HAL isn't charging a gratuity for the specialty restaurants. And it is not included in the price of the specialty restaurant.

There isn't any place on the charge slip for you to write in a gratuity if you want to give one.

Those people (like us) who do want to give the wait staff a tip, just hand it to them at the end of dinner. It is up to you if you want to give a tip.

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It is mighty strange given that the specialty restaurants up-charge and/or hotel service charge includes specialty restaurants gratuities on sister cruise lines Carnival and Princess, as well as on competing cruise line Celebrity (and Royal Caribbean for that matter). You would think given how well-established it is across the industry that if Holland America wants to do it differently they would make it clearer that that's what they're doing and easier to comply with their intention.

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It is mighty strange given that the specialty restaurants up-charge and/or hotel service charge includes specialty restaurants gratuities on sister cruise lines Carnival and Princess, as well as on competing cruise line Celebrity (and Royal Caribbean for that matter). You would think given how well-established it is across the industry that if Holland America wants to do it differently they would make it clearer that that's what they're doing and easier to comply with their intention.

Perhaps they are more aligned with the Cunard line than the Carnival line.

Edited by *Miss G*
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We always leave a tip for our server at the Pinnacle Grill. I think dh leaves $20.00. We usually figure the meal would be about $100 so 20% is usually what we leave. No big deal, we leave it on shore so we leave it on the ship.

 

I am wondering if the server needs to turn over the "tip" to the general pool. Anyone know?

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No, HAL does not add a tip on top of the specialty restaurant fee. Tips for the specialty restaurants are included in your daily hotel service charge so there is no need to pay anything additional when dining in specialty restaurants. Just keep your daily hotel service charge in place and you are good to go.

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We always leave a tip for our server at the Pinnacle Grill. I think dh leaves $20.00. We usually figure the meal would be about $100 so 20% is usually what we leave. No big deal, we leave it on shore so we leave it on the ship.

 

I am wondering if the server needs to turn over the "tip" to the general pool. Anyone know?

 

I would think that tips are pooled as every time we have dined in the PG the service has been a group effort.

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We always leave a tip for our server at the Pinnacle Grill. I think dh leaves $20.00. We usually figure the meal would be about $100 so 20% is usually what we leave. No big deal, we leave it on shore so we leave it on the ship.

 

I am wondering if the server needs to turn over the "tip" to the general pool. Anyone know?

 

I would think that tips are pooled as every time we have dined in the PG the service has been a group effort.

The tips are indeed pooled. I was thanked and advised accordingly :)

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Perhaps they are more aligned with the Cunard line than the Carnival line.
From that list, the comparisons I've read from people who have cruised several lines rather than focusing on just one line put Holland America closest to Princess and Celebrity. There are very substantial differences between those three and Cunard. Regardless, on Cunard no extra gratuity is expected; the difference there is that the hotel service charge (rather than the specialty restaurant up-charge) covers White Star Service.
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So far HAL isn't charging a gratuity for the specialty restaurants. And it is not included in the price of the specialty restaurant.

There isn't any place on the charge slip for you to write in a gratuity if you want to give.

What charge slip? Am I missing something?:confused:

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I am wondering if the server needs to turn over the "tip" to the general pool. Anyone know?
They do not have to turn it into the general HSC pool (if that's what you mean) as long as you haven't removed the HSC charge from your account. They probably pool the cash tips among the PG wait staff.
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I am not being charged a hotel service charge every day on shore....

 

igraf

 

 

 

...We usually figure the meal would be about $100 so 20% is usually what we leave. No big deal, we leave it on shore so we leave it on the ship....
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From that list, the comparisons I've read from people who have cruised several lines rather than focusing on just one line put Holland America closest to Princess and Celebrity. There are very substantial differences between those three and Cunard. Regardless, on Cunard no extra gratuity is expected; the difference there is that the hotel service charge (rather than the specialty restaurant up-charge) covers White Star Service.

 

What does White Star Service cover? We have sailed on the QM2 and did not see any difference in service between HAL and Cunard. Both are excellent.

Edited by Tampa Girl
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They do not have to turn it into the general HSC pool (if that's what you mean) as long as you haven't removed the HSC charge from your account. They probably pool the cash tips among the PG wait staff.

 

 

We cruise in Neptune suites and usually have four or five dinners in the PG in addition to all our breakfast meals. I asked the Matre'd for the Oosterdam and the Westerdam on our last cruise on those ships and was told that any additional tip would be pooled among the PG staff. I provided an envelope to the Matre'd to distribute as appropriate.

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They do not have to turn it into the general HSC pool (if that's what you mean) as long as you haven't removed the HSC charge from your account. They probably pool the cash tips among the PG wait staff.

 

Sorry if I wasn't clear earlier. Yes it's pooled among the PG staff.

 

We cruise in Neptune suites and usually have four or five dinners in the PG in addition to all our breakfast meals. I asked the Matre'd for the Oosterdam and the Westerdam on our last cruise on those ships and was told that any additional tip would be pooled among the PG staff. I provided an envelope to the Matre'd to distribute as appropriate.

 

Thanks for explaining clearer than I did ;). That's the exact same thing I was told on my ships.

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From that list, the comparisons I've read from people who have cruised several lines rather than focusing on just one line put Holland America closest to Princess and Celebrity. There are very substantial differences between those three and Cunard. Regardless, on Cunard no extra gratuity is expected; the difference there is that the hotel service charge (rather than the specialty restaurant up-charge) covers White Star Service.

I haven't cruised Princess or Celebrity so I cannot do a comparison between them and HAL. I have, however, cruised Cunard and find them comparable. What are the "very substantial differences" you experienced?

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From that list, the comparisons I've read from people who have cruised several lines rather than focusing on just one line put Holland America closest to Princess and Celebrity. There are very substantial differences between those three and Cunard. Regardless, on Cunard no extra gratuity is expected; the difference there is that the hotel service charge (rather than the specialty restaurant up-charge) covers White Star Service.

 

I am somewhat confused. We are 5 Star on HAL, Elite on Princess, Elite Plus on Celebrity and have also cruised on the Queen Mary 2. We have never felt there are substantial differences in service, tipping etc. on any of those lines. All now charge a daily gratuity and all have alternative restaurants that have an extra fee. Whether one chooses to tip (on top of the fee) in an alternative restaurant is a personal thing. But some of the lines do give you more of hint...as when you get a bill (even if its zero) that has a space to write in "tips."

 

As to "White Star Service" it is nothing different then motto's on other lines (such as Signature of Excellence). The "White Star" simply refers to a previous competitor of Cunard which merged with Cunard back in the 30s. The White Star Line was thought to be a high class line (the Titanic was one of their vessels) as was Cunard.

 

I have to admit, that as a long time cruiser and pretty generous tipper, we have are own questions about tipping in alternative restaurants. One can make a good argument that when a line adopts a policy of mandatory daily tips (added to the onboard account) there is no reason to tip extra...and perhaps there is good reason NOT to tip extra. On HAL, why should we tip extra for eating in the Pinnacle....and not pay extra daily tips every time we eat in the MDR? To be blunt, we have always thought the service we got in HAL MDR's was as good or even better than what we have experienced in the Pinnacle.

 

My big issue is what I call "tip creep" which is a long term tendency to ask for more and more tips, tips on tips, and increasing tip percentages. When restaurants charged a lot less then we see today, 10% used to be the standard. As prices increased the traditional tip percentage also increased to 12%, 15%, 18% and now even 20%. But since the price of everything was also increasing we are being asked to pay out a higher percentage on a much higher cost...or a double whammy. Perhaps the Aussies have it right. Pay a decent wage, expect folks to do their jobs, and there is no reason for tips.

 

Hank

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I pre-book all the specialty restaurants thus we do not get a charge slip.

Some people wait until they are on the ship to book, for example, the Pinnacle Grill, and they are usually given a receipt.

We added a last minute reservation for the PG in December. They did not issue a separate slip. It was handled just like the ones we booked in advance.

 

I do wish that they'd give you a receipt folder so that you would have somewhere to put your tip. We tip in cash, but it's always a little extra work without a receipt.

 

We just took an NCL cruise. They charge an 18% service charge and still give you a folio folder so you can tip extra. (I much prefer HAL's low key approach, but not everyone travels with cash. We do, but I can see how a slip might help.)

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I agree with POA1's comment about having a receipt folder. I, too, find it awkward to just leave some currency on the table. I appreciate the suggestion to put the money in an envelope and give it to the PG/Canaletto's/Tamarind Maitre d' for proper distribution.

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I agree with POA1's comment about having a receipt folder. I, too, find it awkward to just leave some currency on the table. I appreciate the suggestion to put the money in an envelope and give it to the PG/Canaletto's/Tamarind Maitre d' for proper distribution.
We leave cash in an envelope on the table.
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