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MDR Gratuities


srjones1

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On a typical cruise my wife and I will only eat in the MDR two nights, the first night and formal night. Is it appropriate to remove the gratuities for the nights we don't go? I don't want to start another tipping debate just wondering what some of you guys think.

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On a typical cruise my wife and I will only eat in the MDR two nights, the first night and formal night. Is it appropriate to remove the gratuities for the nights we don't go? I don't want to start another tipping debate just wondering what some of you guys think.

 

No.

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The wait staff also serves breakfast and lunch around the ship. So if your eating breakfast and/or lunch on the ship, they are serving you in a different way.

 

Agreed.........the tips that go to the waitstaff doesn't just mean the MDR waitstaff.........it includes the the Lido waitstaff as well. I don't think I've ever cruised that I haven't seen my MDR servers up in the Lido a couple of times during the cruise.

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Just wanted to check as we are quite new to cruising -2nd one coming up :D.

 

We have prepaid our gratuities is that it or are we expected to tip others as well or do they get some of the prepaid tips.

 

The ones I am wondering about are -

cabin steward

bar staff

matra-d (as I am celiac and the matra-d will take my order for the next days food)

 

 

I take it we need to tip additionally for room service.

 

 

I do not want to start a debate on as to who deserves what - I just want to know what is expected.

 

Thanks

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Just wanted to check as we are quite new to cruising -2nd one coming up :D.

 

We have prepaid our gratuities is that it or are we expected to tip others as well or do they get some of the prepaid tips.

 

The ones I am wondering about are -

cabin steward

bar staff

matra-d (as I am celiac and the matra-d will take my order for the next days food

 

 

I take it we need to tip additionally for room service.

 

If you have prepaid your tips you are done. It will cover all including your cabin steward and matre'd. Yes, tipping for room service is additional. Bar service - 15% will automatically be added to your tab - no need to tip additional. If your receive exceptional/extra service its up to you if you wish to tip additional in cash to that person at the end:)

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Just wanted to check as we are quite new to cruising -2nd one coming up :D.

 

We have prepaid our gratuities is that it or are we expected to tip others as well or do they get some of the prepaid tips.

 

The ones I am wondering about are -

cabin steward

bar staff

matra-d (as I am celiac and the matra-d will take my order for the next days food)

 

 

I take it we need to tip additionally for room service.

 

 

I do not want to start a debate on as to who deserves what - I just want to know what is expected.

 

Thanks

 

Cabin steward is included in your tips. I usually leave a little bit more at the end if I feel they went above and beyond, which they usually do.

 

Bar staff receives 15% automatically every time you get a drink. You can leave a tip here and there if you like. I will leave a dollar every now and then. This seems to get them back to take your order quicker.

 

I give 2 to 3 dollars for each room service delivery. Depends on how much I order.

 

I always tip the Maitred. Ten dollars usually. I do this because I am sure his job behind the scenes is more then many can imagine.

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Just wanted to check as we are quite new to cruising -2nd one coming up :D.

 

We have prepaid our gratuities is that it or are we expected to tip others as well or do they get some of the prepaid tips.

 

The ones I am wondering about are -

cabin steward

bar staff

matra-d (as I am celiac and the matra-d will take my order for the next days food

 

 

I take it we need to tip additionally for room service.

 

If you have prepaid your tips you are done. It will cover all including your cabin steward and matre'd. Yes, tipping for room service is additional. Bar service - 15% will automatically be added to your tab - no need to tip additional. If your receive exceptional/extra service its up to you if you wish to tip additional in cash to that person at the end:)

 

 

 

Your cabin steward is covered under the pre-paid tips but you can choose to leave a little extra at your discretion. ( as well as your waitstaff in the MDR) Room service is not covered in the tip-pool, so we always tip a few $ for service. The cocktails also have a tip incl in the price, but again, if you get great service from a bartender or bar server, than feel free to give them a little extra. The maitre`d is not covered in the pre-paids so if he/she gives you extra service than you can tip them as well.

 

Porters, Tour excursion guides, shuttle drivers etc.... are another area where you may want to have a few dollars handy to tip.

 

Before our cruise, we get a stack of $1's and $5's. We tip extra in cash -vs- adding it to the the signed S&S ticket for those we tip on the ship.

 

I found it nice to buy a small package of blank thank-you cards and write a little note of thanks for anything or way that they have made the cruise memorable. We then add any extra $$ and hand them out on our last evening to our cabin steward & waitstaff. Room service and bartenders etc... we just give a few bucks to at the time of service.

 

 

Wishing you a great time.

 

 

 

:)

 

 

.

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On a typical cruise my wife and I will only eat in the MDR two nights, the first night and formal night. Is it appropriate to remove the gratuities for the nights we don't go? I don't want to start another tipping debate just wondering what some of you guys think.

 

Tip are basically $2 per person per meal.

 

I would remove it, and present what you thought was appropriate on tip night, with your thanks.

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On our second cruise - before I found CC - we ate in the dining room the first night and hated it. We loved the buffet! So on the last night, we went to guest services and moved the majority of our dining room tips to Alternative Dining Services, which covered the buffet.

 

We like the dining room more now and it's a non-issue. But I think moving them to the area in which you actually eat is OK. Removing is not.

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Some cruises, I have never stepped foot in the MDR, but wouldn't even consider removing dining room tips from my Sail & Sign account.

 

Last I knew the maître d is not included with the other bundled tips because he is considered an officer of the ship, and is compensated accordingly. Others here have posted that Carnival no longer suggests tipping the maître d. If I were to request extra services from him, I would certainly consider that grounds for tipping, but that is a personal preference.

 

Other additional tips you would expect to pay out of pocket include the porters that take your luggage from you when you arrive at the port of embarkation, room service, and anyone that you feel goes above and beyond the call of duty for you. Sometimes people tip the casino staff when they win.

 

I consider tipping the porter essential as insurance to help ensure that your luggage will show up at your cabin door. :-)

 

Bar beverages will include an auto-tip of 15%, and you will see this on your receipt.

 

Here is a breakdown explanation from Carnival:

 

http://www.carnival.com/core/faq.aspx?faq=tippingpolicy

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Of course this topic is "much discussed" and is mostly "opinion based", but....

 

I could never remove a gratuity unless there was some overt and blatant issue. We usually leave the steward extra $$ the first or second day along with a note so that he/she realizes it is in addition to, and not in place of, the normal gratuity. I always tip the bar staff in addition to the automatic amount. And, as previously stated, there are the porters, excursion guides / drivers, cab drivers, and who ever else I can't think of right now, who will require a tip. So having a ready supply of cash in the correct denomination is handy as heck and can save you from some awkward moments.

 

Assuming the service being provided is adequate or better, I feel more comfortable over-tipping than not. I am on vacation taking life at its best and the staff is working their tails off, away from home and loved ones trying to keep their family fed, so to speak. I appreciate their smile and "what can I do for you" attitude. It is a time to realize how fortunate we are to be able to do things like cruise while so many toil for long hours, under not the best of circumstances, to make our vacation enjoyable. I won't miss a few extra dollars and hopefully their day will be a little better.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Keith & Sharon

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Thanks everyone for your take on it. I have no issue with tipping, my daughter works in a restaurant so I understand service work, although I'm not too fond of the company telling me how much it should be. My opinion is to leave it alone but my wife tends to disagree because we don't use MDR and almost had changed my mind. Now I can change hers as she also wasn't thinking in terms of all meals. $5.80 per day is less than $1 per meal for me on vacation.

 

Also, thanks for the reasonable responses. Some threads get ugly around here when politics, religion, or tipping comes up.

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I consider the auto tips as part of the fare & have never removed them. I'm sure the same people work the MDR as well as the buffet. I will usually tip extra to the room stewards though. I'm thinking about tipping the bartenders a little extra next cruise just to see what happens.

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I consider the auto tips as part of the fare & have never removed them. I'm sure the same people work the MDR as well as the buffet. I will usually tip extra to the room stewards though. I'm thinking about tipping the bartenders a little extra next cruise just to see what happens.

 

LOVE your avatar!!

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I am so tired of subsidizing others weather it's cultural , regional or just plain cheap

Look the next time at guest services and see how many line up and remove tips

I for one think that they should just add it as a service charge and deal with the tax considerations

In the meantime I suggest all remove tips. While it will hurt for a month or so it would cause a riot among the workers and force carnival to take action

In the long run the workers would be better off

No more subsidizing

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Of course this topic is "much discussed" and is mostly "opinion based", but....

 

I could never remove a gratuity unless there was some overt and blatant issue. We usually leave the steward extra $$ the first or second day along with a note so that he/she realizes it is in addition to, and not in place of, the normal gratuity. I always tip the bar staff in addition to the automatic amount. And, as previously stated, there are the porters, excursion guides / drivers, cab drivers, and who ever else I can't think of right now, who will require a tip. So having a ready supply of cash in the correct denomination is handy as heck and can save you from some awkward moments.

 

Assuming the service being provided is adequate or better, I feel more comfortable over-tipping than not. I am on vacation taking life at its best and the staff is working their tails off, away from home and loved ones trying to keep their family fed, so to speak. I appreciate their smile and "what can I do for you" attitude. It is a time to realize how fortunate we are to be able to do things like cruise while so many toil for long hours, under not the best of circumstances, to make our vacation enjoyable. I won't miss a few extra dollars and hopefully their day will be a little better.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Keith & Sharon

 

Beautifully said! I agree 100%!

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On our second cruise - before I found CC - we ate in the dining room the first night and hated it. We loved the buffet! So on the last night, we went to guest services and moved the majority of our dining room tips to Alternative Dining Services, which covered the buffet.

 

We like the dining room more now and it's a non-issue. But I think moving them to the area in which you actually eat is OK. Removing is not.

 

Thanks everyone for your take on it. I have no issue with tipping, my daughter works in a restaurant so I understand service work, although I'm not too fond of the company telling me how much it should be. My opinion is to leave it alone but my wife tends to disagree because we don't use MDR and almost had changed my mind. Now I can change hers as she also wasn't thinking in terms of all meals. $5.80 per day is less than $1 per meal for me on vacation.

 

Also, thanks for the reasonable responses. Some threads get ugly around here when politics, religion, or tipping comes up.

 

On several cruises we have eaten in the buffet for every meal. We always do auto-tip and usually have anytime dining (assigned dining when traveling with a group). We live the tips in place. I don't want to waste time at GS for reallocating tips. I'll let the powers-that-be decide the best place for the tips.

 

For ATD Carnival asks for your cabin number for tip assignments.

Our last HAL cruise we had anytime dining but decided every night to eat in the buffet. The head buffet waiter asked guests for their cabin numbers.

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I am so tired of subsidizing others weather it's cultural , regional or just plain cheap

Look the next time at guest services and see how many line up and remove tips

I for one think that they should just add it as a service charge and deal with the tax considerations

In the meantime I suggest all remove tips. While it will hurt for a month or so it would cause a riot among the workers and force carnival to take action

In the long run the workers would be better off

No more subsidizing

 

This is bad info and advice.

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