MDR Tipping when you don't eat dinner there?

[algorithmannie]

I apologize for yet another post about tipping, but I am always torn on this one!

 

My family likes to dine in the specialty restaurants... usually three times on a seven night cruise. We usually also have one casual buffet dinner. This means that we only eat in the MDR three times. How should we handle tipping for our MDR waiter? It doesn't seem necessary to tip for the whole week, but I always feel bad knowing that our choice leads to less money for the MDR waiter. In the past, we tip the appropriate amount for the number of nights that we dined in the MDR, plus quite a bit extra.

 

However, I'm frustrated that the cruise encourages specialty restaurants, but then sets us up to feel obligated to double-tip for that evening. Tip is included in the specialty restaurant fee, but I usually tip on top of that. Then, I consider tipping the MDR waiter even though I wasn't there... The tips start adding up!

 

I would prefer to choose anytime dining for the few nights in the MDR, but then we would be forced to pre-pay tips for 7 nights in the MDR... this doesn't seem right either!

 

My family goes around and around about how to best handle this! Does anyone have suggestions?

[jt1120]

Your tip is not exclusively for the MDR. Where do you eat breakfast and lunch? The same staff waits on you in the MDR as well. Tipping in the MDR is just so that everyone who works in either there or the buffet gets a little something something at the end of the cruise.

[Ma Bell]

We always pay full tips in the dining room whether we eat there or not. Those waiters serve us all day long, not just in the evening. They are either in the dining room, the buffet or working elsewhere on the ship.

[dkjretired]

Do you realize that tips will be taken out daily once you are on board. You can adjust them upward and you can remove them completely but you can't remove one portion of them such as the dining room service. As the previous poster mentioned, these are the same people who serve you in other capacities.

 

Also, you do understand Celebrity does not have a buffet for dinner...

[nadalina]

I would never even think about reducing my gratuities to the MDR staff regardless where I choose to eat dinner.... my cabin, the buffet, specialty restaurants, off the ship..... it doesn't matter. Full tips are a part of the cost of the cruise that I expect and plan and budget for.

[Vernipper]

You have an assigned table in the MDR. If you are not there the seats are empty and the waiter cannot fill them with tipping guests.

 

 

If you rent an apartment and go on a vacation for a month , do you stop paying rent?

[cruisestitch]

The tips are not just for dinner service, but for breakfast and lunch service as well. So whether or not you eat in the MDR at dinner should not play into your decision, since you eat in some venue at other times during the day.

[tomcruiser1234]

It really is not a bad question, since for some who have not cruised with X for awhile, the new select dinning is a change.

 

Also,that is the best answer to explain the MDR tipping. Breakfast and lunch are all part of the tipping. Maybe they should just do the select dinning since the tipping is auto. included. They can then go where they wish and if they receive special services, feel free tip extra.

MHO

 

 

The tips are not just for dinner service, but for breakfast and lunch service as well. So whether or not you eat in the MDR at dinner should not play into your decision, since you eat in some venue at other times during the day.

[algorithmannie]

Wow! Thank you for your responses! I would not consider myself a cheap tipper by any means... so I'm very grateful to have further understanding on this. I did not realize that it is considered very rude to remove tips from the MDR, nor did I realize that the tips also pay for their service at breakfast and lunch.

 

I'm glad I asked because it makes much more sense that the tips for select dining are pre-paid. Because we will have limited use of the MDR, we likely will change our reservation to select dining. I always feel that we disappoint our waiter by skipping dinner in the MDR!

 

Regarding the dinner buffet, I actually didn't realize that it is not available in the evening. When I cruised last Winter on Solstice, we had dinner at the buffet. It was more limited than lunch time, but plenty of selection and it was a perfect casual evening after being out all day on excursions.

[cruisestitch]

You will find some selections at dinner -- pizza, pasta, salad, dessert, but not a full buffet as you would at lunch. For many people, those offerings are sufficient. But if you are looking for a huge dinner buffet complete with multiple side dish options, no, as you have already seen on Solstice, you won't find that on Celebrity.

[jackdiamond]

Sorry, pushed the wrong button.

[Project_gal]

Your tip is not exclusively for the MDR. Where do you eat breakfast and lunch? The same staff waits on you in the MDR as well. Tipping in the MDR is just so that everyone who works in either there or the buffet gets a little something something at the end of the cruise.

 

We now eat in the speciality restaurants on every night and have choisen Select Dining so as not to inconvenience anyone but share this attitude. The "MDR tips" are not just for the MDR and we think the staff deserve every penny [sorry, cent] they get [and more].

 

Sue

[snausman]

We now eat in the specialty restaurants on every night and have chosen Select Dining so as not to inconvenience anyone but share this attitude. The "MDR tips" are not just for the MDR and we think the staff deserve every penny [sorry, cent] they get [and more].

 

Sue

 

We do the same thing. We eat every night in the Specialty restaurants. And we pre pay all our tips. On the first day we go straight to the main dining room where they are set up for people to talk to them about problems or switching tables. We tell them we will not need our table at all and to please use it for whoever. They are always so thankful that we informed them we will not be using the table. Everyone wins in this, plus whoever our waiter was will now get double tips.;)

 

Laura

[jackdiamond]

Laura,

Thank you for posting: and, also for a very reasonable approach to this matter.

[Denny01]

Wow! Thank you for your responses! I would not consider myself a cheap tipper by any means... so I'm very grateful to have further understanding on this. I did not realize that it is considered very rude to remove tips from the MDR, nor did I realize that the tips also pay for their service at breakfast and lunch.

 

I'm glad I asked because it makes much more sense that the tips for select dining are pre-paid. Because we will have limited use of the MDR, we likely will change our reservation to select dining. I always feel that we disappoint our waiter by skipping dinner in the MDR!

 

Regarding the dinner buffet, I actually didn't realize that it is not available in the evening. When I cruised last Winter on Solstice, we had dinner at the buffet. It was more limited than lunch time, but plenty of selection and it was a perfect casual evening after being out all day on excursions.

Nice for you to come back and let us know what you are going to do after seeing various opinons on this. A lot of times, posters ask a question, get good responses, but just kind of disappear.

 

Laura had a great input - we usually use the MDR but on nights we don't, we let our tablemates know so there isn't any problems, and no, we don't reduce the gratuities for the times we use the Specialty restaurants, and wouldn't if we used them a most of the time for the same reasons as stated. Most of us do it this way.

 

Quick funny story - our 1st cruise in '92 was on Carnival when ships used the envelopes for tipping. We get to the MDR with our envelopes and one of our tablemate couples asked us what they were - we told them. They looked at each other and the woman said they'd go get theirs and be back....right...I guess they thought it would take both of them to lug the huge amount of cash back??? We all looked at each other and laughed a bit knowing that was the last we'd see of them...and it was. The funny part was they had a large Suite (never invited any of us but made sure we all knew about it). Funny for us, sad for our waitstaff. We all added a few more bucks to cover for them.

 

Denny

[algorithmannie]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We switched our reservation to select dining and will pre-pay all the tips. Good to know what the expectation is!

[Redtravel]

On my last Azamara cruise, all tips were included. Extra charge for specialty restaurants unless you were in a suite. No hassle about the tips. Include in the basic cruise and stop the hassle about the tip or not routine.

[elena7seas]

On my last Azamara cruise, all tips were included. Extra charge for specialty restaurants unless you were in a suite. No hassle about the tips. Include in the basic cruise and stop the hassle about the tip or not routine.

 

We think about tips as if they WERE included in the price of the cruise...we just pay them and don't think about it. It's all part of the business model that many cruise lines use, and part of the reason that the cruise fares themselves are so low. If the tips were ALL included in the base price on all of the cruise lines, that would suit me as well.

 

Service is always above par, so we always tip extra. We know going in that there is a service charge for the specialty restaurants, and we tip extra there as well, as the service has always been amazing.

[swigso]

Wow! Thank you for your responses! I would not consider myself a cheap tipper by any means... so I'm very grateful to have further understanding on this. I did not realize that it is considered very rude to remove tips from the MDR, nor did I realize that the tips also pay for their service at breakfast and lunch.

 

I'm glad I asked because it makes much more sense that the tips for select dining are pre-paid. Because we will have limited use of the MDR, we likely will change our reservation to select dining. I always feel that we disappoint our waiter by skipping dinner in the MDR!

 

Regarding the dinner buffet, I actually didn't realize that it is not available in the evening. When I cruised last Winter on Solstice, we had dinner at the buffet. It was more limited than lunch time, but plenty of selection and it was a perfect casual evening after being out all day on excursions.

You will love select dining, on the M class there is a stir fry, pasta ,sushi option and also there is a casual dining opton which has a $2 service charge. We loved it.Also the fact that tips etc were pre paid was great.

[snausman]

Laura,

Thank you for posting: and, also for a very reasonable approach to this matter.

 

You are welcome. We have been doing this for several years now and it really works for us.

 

Laura

[dzcruisers]

Wow! Thank you for your responses! I would not consider myself a cheap tipper by any means... so I'm very grateful to have further understanding on this. I did not realize that it is considered very rude to remove tips from the MDR, nor did I realize that the tips also pay for their service at breakfast and lunch.

 

I'm glad I asked because it makes much more sense that the tips for select dining are pre-paid. Because we will have limited use of the MDR, we likely will change our reservation to select dining. I always feel that we disappoint our waiter by skipping dinner in the MDR!

 

Regarding the dinner buffet, I actually didn't realize that it is not available in the evening. When I cruised last Winter on Solstice, we had dinner at the buffet. It was more limited than lunch time, but plenty of selection and it was a perfect casual evening after being out all day on excursions.

 

Remember to take some ones with you so you can tip for room service.

We loved select.

Also there is enough at the buffet to make a meal just not as much variation as a full buffet. Enjoy your cruise.

I think you'll find prepaid tips the easiest way to go no matter where you dine. We find it a lot easier on us!

[brentp]

On my last Azamara cruise, all tips were included. Extra charge for specialty restaurants unless you were in a suite. No hassle about the tips. Include in the basic cruise and stop the hassle about the tip or not routine.

 

I agree - that is the way it should be!

 

The cruise lines created this dilemma in the first place by still using the word 'gratuity' and then adding all sort of dining options. When they separate the service area tip recommendations, . . . and then push these specialty food options with additional fees which state the gratuity is included, it is certainly a reasonable conclusion one would be 'paying twice' for food service for nights when you use the specialty options. In the OP case, do that 3 or 4 nights on a 7 niter, . . . most would certainly start to ask questions.

 

Times have changed in cruise dining. I am pretty sure on our first cruise you had 1, and only 1, option for dinner. It really is time, IMHO, to go the flat service charge route. Everyone should be happy - passengers and crew. No fuss. You can then deal with any service issues on a case by case basis with management.

 

I doubt service would slide, . . . the cruise lines are too dependent on repeat business to allow it to happen. Plus, the good servers know that many might still leave a extra at the end of the cruise. I still remember the look on our waiter's face on our Circle cruise when only 3 couples showed up on the last night out of his 3 larger tables. It was just horrible!

[algorithmannie]

Brentp, Just noticed that we'll be on the same Eclipse cruise on November 20. I'm looking forward to it!!! Thanks for your input on the tipping dilemma.

[brentp]

Brentp, Just noticed that we'll be on the same Eclipse cruise on November 20. I'm looking forward to it!!! Thanks for your input on the tipping dilemma.

 

Excellent!!! Should be a great time. Speaking of dinning, . . . hope we get an excellent Turkey dinner at least on the one night that we should.

 

Your user name intrigues me, . . . could this be a math wiz named Annie? :)

[Lois R]

I was on Summit back in May and it was the first time in all my cruises

I did not eat dinner in the main dining room at all. It never would occur

to me to remove my tips. Just left everything on there and felt more

than comfortable doing it. The waiters in the dining room always do

other jobs throughout the day.:)