What would you have done?

[Viesczy]

This is one of the reasons we only do YTD!

IF we get bad service one night we can request a different wait staff the next night.

 

 

^Quoted above for truth.

 

YTD is great because of that. You don't "connect" w a server, a different time/location and BAM!

 

Okay, YTD is great because you're not stuck to a time and have freedom to do what you want and eat when you want.

 

The dud server is just the icing on the cake.

[ray98]

Leaving a tip in place for bad service only legitimizes bad service and it will continue.

 

Exactly.

[First and Ten]

No trolling. If my dinner takes an hour to arrive and it is cold and the waiter has a bad attitude they aren't getting rewarded by me. Leaving tips in place for subpar service legitimizes it. You can try reading as well my first post how I would deal with it. You just came in here talking about people wanting to be treated like royalty. So how would you handle the situation of the OP?

 

Here is the OP's post:

 

Unfortunately on the 1st night at dinner we found out our waiter was a "dud" and didnt really care. We waited over an hour for our Entree and then not only was it cold, they brought my wife the wrong dish! After 12 Carnival cruises, this was a huge shock as we have always had top notch wait staff.

 

Needless to say we made a complaint and that filtered through to the Maitre d'. The next evening we got much better service but the head waiters attitude kinda stunk. However one of the assistant Maitre d's made sure he didnt slack on service and stayed in our section for the rest of the cruise (we were not the only table to complain).

 

My dilemma was when it came to the gratuity. In all honesty I really wanted to cancel the gratuity altogether but gave it a lot of thought. Our cabin steward and the rest of the wait staff did a great job. The assistant Maitre d did an outstanding job! So for poor service and a bad attitude it cost me a "handsome" gratuity to the assistant Maitre d and I left the standard gratuity alone. As far as I am aware, you cannot single out one individual and cancel his payment? I certainly didnt want to affect anyone else who gave the service we are led to expect on board. I am sure in future if this were to happen, we would request to be moved but on this occasion, we didnt. Would you have come to the same conclusion or taken a different approach

 

First night seemed to be a bad night....cold meal and wrong meal. Me, do I complain after the first night, no. Now if it happened a second night, yea, I am probably having a conversation....The OP goes on to say the next night the head waiters attitude "kinda stunk". I guess I need a little more than that to see what "stunk" about his/her attitude.

 

The post you responded to, I wasn't even discussing the OP's post, I was addressing someone else....totally different

Edited September 7, 2016 by First and Ten

[h_blond2]

I would've left the tips in place and then given extra tips to those who deserved them.

[Je Souhaite]

Just back from a 7 day on the Breeze.

 

Unfortunately on the 1st night at dinner we found out our waiter was a "dud" and didnt really care. We waited over an hour for our Entree and then not only was it cold, they brought my wife the wrong dish! After 12 Carnival cruises, this was a huge shock as we have always had top notch wait staff.

 

Needless to say we made a complaint and that filtered through to the Maitre d'. The next evening we got much better service but the head waiters attitude kinda stunk. However one of the assistant Maitre d's made sure he didnt slack on service and stayed in our section for the rest of the cruise (we were not the only table to complain).

 

My dilemma was when it came to the gratuity. In all honesty I really wanted to cancel the gratuity altogether but gave it a lot of thought. Our cabin steward and the rest of the wait staff did a great job. The assistant Maitre d did an outstanding job! So for poor service and a bad attitude it cost me a "handsome" gratuity to the assistant Maitre d and I left the standard gratuity alone. As far as I am aware, you cannot single out one individual and cancel his payment? I certainly didnt want to affect anyone else who gave the service we are led to expect on board. I am sure in future if this were to happen, we would request to be moved but on this occasion, we didnt. Would you have come to the same conclusion or taken a different approach?

 

Sure you can. Remove ALL your tips, and then tip just the steward. The amount you leave your dining staff is up to you, but I would remove it completely in the hopes that he finds out real quick this is not a profession for him, and I don't end up getting him on a subsequent cruise.

 

On our last Carnival cruise, a 4 nighter, EVERY SINGLE DINNER ORDER to our table was wrong. Every one. It became a joke. A very bad one.

[First and Ten]

Service not up to standards - I would not accept sub par in a restaurant on land, not sure why it would be any different in a cruise. I tip accordingly and complain if the situation warranted it

 

I didn't see anything that made me think the OP expected to be treated royally, either

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Again, whos standards....example, you ask your room steward for ice, he gets it to you in 20 mins....some people would say my cabin steward addressed my request right away and I had my ice in no time. The "royalty" mindset is "well it took my steward 20 mins to get my ice for me, far to long"

 

As far as the OP, sure, it wasn't a stellar first night in the dining room. Is that a pattern, who knows, it was one night. I never claimed the OP was acting like royalty. I said some people have the expectation on a cruise ship of being treated like royalty, and that would be an incorrect expectation on a mass cruise line like Carnival, RCCI, NCL, etc

Edited September 7, 2016 by First and Ten

[Herfnerd]

If I don't accept less than reasonable service in a restaurant in my home town, why should I accept sub par service on a cruise? No one in this post has said anything about "Royal" service, but I think we can agree that ANYONE who experiences extraordinary wait times to receive an incorrect order, and cold to boot would consider that sub par standard

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[sparks1093]

Again, whos standards....example, you ask your room steward for ice, he gets it to you in 20 mins....some people would say my cabin steward addressed my request right away and I had my ice in no time. The "royalty" mindset is "well it took my steward 20 mins to get my ice for me, far to long"

 

As far as the OP, sure, it wasn't a stellar first night in the dining room. Is that a pattern, who knows, it was one night. I never claimed the OP was acting like royalty. I said some people have the expectation on a cruise ship of being treated like royalty, and that would be an incorrect expectation on a mass cruise line like Carnival, RCCI, NCL, etc

 

Since I am the one leaving the tip it's my standard that counts, just as it is for everyone else, even those that expect to be treated like royalty. My personal standard depends very much on where I am and how much I am paying to be their- my standard at Olive Garden would be much lower than it would be at a Ruth's Chris.

[First and Ten]

Since I am the one leaving the tip it's my standard that counts, just as it is for everyone else, even those that expect to be treated like royalty. My personal standard depends very much on where I am and how much I am paying to be their- my standard at Olive Garden would be much lower than it would be at a Ruth's Chris.

 

Agree....I used the hypothetical about ice....steward brings passenger A ice within 20 mins and they are thrilled....passenger B gets ice within 20 mins and they are annoyed that it took 15 mins to long

 

Now, using the OPs specific example. After 1 night, am I considering adjusting my tips or removing them totally, no. Others are pitching a beef because their salad came with a cherry tomato in it and I specifically asked for no cherry tomatos and my little snowflakes cucumbers to be cut in 1/4's not 1/2's because he has a precious little mouth and they have to be small, etc

 

different expectations

Edited September 7, 2016 by First and Ten

[Andoria]

yes, I would and I have.... people are people and it is important to care. You would be surprised at how fast things can turn around by just giving a smile or a concerned inquiry. I am not ABOVE the people who work on the cruise ships so I don't treat them like it. I have been there, working at minimum wage back when I was younger, and had to put up with rude people with a smile. Sometimes it was hard. Sometimes I got blamed for bad service when it wasn't my fault, too. A smile would go a long way.

 

 

This can easily backfire. Say said waiter told you what was wrong and then continued to share all of his/her woes. I'm on vacation and since I'll never run into the person again, I just don't care.

 

It isn't that I'm above anyone, I wouldn't want to hear the Captain's life story either.

[NCTribeFan]

I'm taking Carnival #26 in a few weeks. It's been my experience for the past several cruises, that service on the first night is often not up to par.

 

Maybe it's a new team working together. Maybe there are new people in the galley and things aren't to be blamed on the servers. Maybe the new shipment of food isn't quite as good as usual.

 

I don't like Anytime dining at all and am reverting back to late since I'm solo on this next cruise.

 

As for asking the server about their personal life, when you've dined solo, as I often choose to do, you get to sit and watch these people work. Just remember that every time a table wants the servers to stand and chit-chat with them, they're taking time away from another table who may end up with cold food thanks to people who think the servers need to be their BFFs for the week.

 

That goes for all your "special" orders, too. Every time you decide a normal 4-course meal isn't enough for you and you order another round of dishes, the wait team is taken away from their already too-many tasks. So, while you may think you've gotten great service, the table next to you may not have because you hogged the servers every night! Just leave them alone and let them do their jobs!

 

Anyway, I don't always tip extra. If I receive exemplary service, I do. I have never removed tips. I typically get decent service and given how much work these folks have to do, I think that's sufficient.

[First and Ten]

This can easily backfire. Say said waiter told you what was wrong and then continued to share all of his/her woes. I'm on vacation and since I'll never run into the person again, I just don't care.

 

It isn't that I'm above anyone, I wouldn't want to hear the Captain's life story either.

 

Well aren't you a ball of sunshine wrapped in sprinkles :rolleyes:

 

Hey, at least you are honest about your self absorption....give you credit for honesty

Edited September 7, 2016 by First and Ten

[LMaxwell]

Here is the OP's post:

 

 

 

First night seemed to be a bad night....cold meal and wrong meal. Me, do I complain after the first night, no.

 

You don't have to complain. You just have to inform the right person. Telling someone there is a problem gives them the opportunity to correct it going forward. Why wait for a second chance at failure? Correct it. It doesn't mean complaining, being demanding, wanting to be treated like royalty, or even being difficult, etc. I can overlook some service hiccups, and I strongly believe in giving people in power a chance to fix things and make it right, but if things continue to be bad I'm not going to legitimize it either.

[Mikew0805]

Well aren't you a ball of sunshine wrapped in sprinkles :rolleyes:

 

Hey, at least you are honest about your self absorption....give you credit for honesty

 

WOW Self absorption? Do you know what the person you responded to does for a living? I don't... but I know what I do for a living, and what I see EVERY day. I can tell you, that I would not want to hear sad stories either. I already support (for lack of a better word) certain people and their families on the worst days of their lives.. every single day!

 

So that would make me self absorbed to not want to know of/feel someone else's problems for a mere few days? I think not.

[spiritkat090909]

I don't understand why you can't remove the auto tip and simply hand out envelopes to those who DID perform well...like your cabin steward?

Yes, the ones who get the 'pool' will miss out...but, if everyone in the bad performers 'pool' were to do the same, SOMEONE would notice and find out WHO the problem was and correct it. Just because tipping has been made easy, doesn't make it something that must not be EARNED.

 

And I have waited tables in my life...so, I know how hard it can be. And as a housewife, I know how disgusting toilets are. You work, you get rewarded. Having a bad week? You SHOULD have a bad paycheck if you can't perform your duties. JMO.

[First and Ten]

WOW Self absorption? Do you know what the person you responded to does for a living? I don't... but I know what I do for a living, and what I see EVERY day. I can tell you, that I would not want to hear sad stories either. I already support (for lack of a better word) certain people and their families on the worst days of their lives.. every single day!

 

So that would make me self absorbed to not want to know of/feel someone else's problems for a mere few days? I think not.

 

And that is your right, to keep yourself wrapped in your sunshine bubble and have good thoughts of rainbows and gumdrops because its YOUR vacation and you want what you want when you want it....Not all of us operate that way and personally I would try to help if I saw someone having a bad day. I don't take the mindset of "I will never see you again so I don't care about you". while true that I probably wont see a crew worker after I get off the ship, I would care about them in the moment....you apparently are different ;)

Edited September 9, 2016 by First and Ten

[summersigh]

So your suggestion is to leave the tips in place always regardless of the type of service received? Sorry, I'm not that altruistic.

I would have left the tips in place BUT I would have insisted on being moved out of that problem section. :)

[Mikew0805]

And that is your right, to keep yourself wrapped in your sunshine bubble and have good thoughts of rainbows and gumdrops because its YOUR vacation and you want what you want when you want it....Not all of us operate that way and personally I would try to help if I saw someone having a bad day. I don't take the mindset of "I will never see you again so I don't care about you". while true that I probably wont see a crew worker after I get off the ship, I would care about them in the moment....you apparently are different ;)

 

Wow.

 

I had a response all typed up. Then I realized.. you cannot see past your own perception, and that level of ignorance is just not worth it.

[ekajun1957]

First I would have to ask myself was my dining room service sub par for the whole week. If the answer is yes then I would have to make an adjustment. From what the OP said it was not sub par for the whole week so I would have left the prepaid gratuity alone then gave out tips to those deserving more.

But there is no way I would have accepted that first night without some action to make sure it did not continue. I think the OP did it well. If I were not happy with second night I am asking to be moved and probably somehow compensated even if just a good apology and attention from the maitre'd to make sure I am happy for 5 more days. Then again my overall service would be back to par or better and I leave the tips. I always remember the tips on a cruise are different than just a one night meal on land, its a week of service.

Also I am sure there is a formal system Carnival uses to reprimand and/or coach staff that are sharing these tips. I also believe there is a lot of peer pressure brought to bear if someone is costing everyone money.

Also lets face facts in that the gratuity system is close to being a fee without really being a fee. I see it as a fee for good service for the week for everything. Overall good service they keep it all. Then as I said earlier the ones that make my vacation special get more directly from me.

[Angus1963]

I usually mid way thru cruise take server aside and give him a little extra for good service if its lacking the extra cash that I give him will usually make it better if its great then he is getting what he/she works hard for. I do the same for my room steward its not a lot that I give but compared to what they actually get divided up it makes a difference. So far I've been lucky and have never received crappy service. Either way I do my best not to get too worked up about it after all we are on to relax have a great time and if you dwell it really ruins your cruise.

[sparks1093]

I would have left the tips in place BUT I would have insisted on being moved out of that problem section. :)

 

Well, yes, I wouldn't suffer poor service in silence but if the poor service continued after I had addressed it then I would certainly consider reducing the gratuities appropriately and proportionally.

[Singer4Him]

I guess you could cancel the auto gratuities and then go old school by handing out individual tips.

 

I believe the best thing would have been to request a table change and then gratuities probably would not have been an issue. However, I guess if I felt that the service was lacking to the degree that he/she didn't deserve the designated gratuity (say a cabin steward), you would do as Hobbsey said. Remove the gratuities and then hand out individual tips. That being said, I would make sure that the others got at least their percentage or more when I handed them out.

[DrHfuhruhurr]

A lot of people seem to be bothered by the idea of reducing or removing the automatic gratuity solely because of one crew member's poor performance. I understand the concern that the rest of the crew members miss out on their share, but how many of the people taking this stance have also reduced gratuity when receiving lousy service at a standard restaurant on land?

 

A significant number of restaurants employ tip pooling and share tips received among all employees--from the waiter, to front of house, to the bussers and kitchen staff. So, if you've ever gone to a restaurant on land and given a crappy tip because you got crappy service from one person, then you probably engaged in the same behavior you're complaining about here.

[crusinpsychRN]

I've had plenty of not hot food served to me. On the first night I let them know I've had that problem and that usually helps.

 

Wrong dish? How many orders was he responsible for? Who told him it was yours? He made a mistake. Things happen. Give the guy a break. Now, if it happend 3 nights in a row...

[easyboy]

Just back from a 7 day on the Breeze.

 

Unfortunately on the 1st night at dinner we found out our waiter was a "dud" and didnt really care. We waited over an hour for our Entree and then not only was it cold, they brought my wife the wrong dish! After 12 Carnival cruises, this was a huge shock as we have always had top notch wait staff.

 

Needless to say we made a complaint and that filtered through to the Maitre d'. The next evening we got much better service but the head waiters attitude kinda stunk. However one of the assistant Maitre d's made sure he didnt slack on service and stayed in our section for the rest of the cruise (we were not the only table to complain).

 

My dilemma was when it came to the gratuity. In all honesty I really wanted to cancel the gratuity altogether but gave it a lot of thought. Our cabin steward and the rest of the wait staff did a great job. The assistant Maitre d did an outstanding job! So for poor service and a bad attitude it cost me a "handsome" gratuity to the assistant Maitre d and I left the standard gratuity alone. As far as I am aware, you cannot single out one individual and cancel his payment? I certainly didnt want to affect anyone else who gave the service we are led to expect on board. I am sure in future if this were to happen, we would request to be moved but on this occasion, we didnt. Would you have come to the same conclusion or taken a different approach?

Would have done the same thing. Retained the gratuities as it was not only for the dining the staff.