Dining time and Tipping question

[icanflossu]

I have a dilemma. I have requested main seating for our family of five traveling with another family of five. We have requested a table for ten at the early/main seating. As of right now we are only able to get late seating which means that we will probably never eat with our kids. We'll have to feed them earlier. IF that's the case, I don't want to pay tips for them either...I would rather tip the people in the windjammer. I do realize that our wait staff would be whorted I discussed the possiblity of having only a table for four, but customer service says no, all travelers must have a dining arangement. BUT, if they can't accomodate me, do I have to accomodate them? PLease no flames, I'm not trying to be cheap I just want to pay the people who actually did the work, and believe me, six kids is work,

[HurricaneSally]

Believe it or not, the cruiselines have the tipping dilemma all figured out. Tip your dining room staff. It will get distributed to Windjammer people too. True, it may cost you a few more bucks, since I doubt you'll actually tip the 3.50 per person per day requested. Just tip the dining room staff, as they are also being cheated out of actual tipping patrons.

[banderboo]

I have an opinion that is probably different from most but here goes. If you know for sure that you are not going to have them with you in the dining room at all, then upon boarding the first day go to the head waiter and request a table for 4. If he turns you down then I personally feel you are under no obligation to tip for services not rendered especially since you made the attempt to move to a smaller table. You should however tip the servers who help you in the windjammer during dinner because they do not receive any tips from the dining room this week. (you'll also find that you get GREAT service in the windjammer if you sit in the same general area for all meals)

 

On the other hand if your kids come to the dining room even once then you should pay tips for the whole week.

 

I know people will argue that since a table is available for you (and your kids) then you should tip whether they are there or not because the waiters are the same people that work throughout the ship. I personally do not agree with this philosophy and tip the people who provide me service.

 

Please no flames we are all entitled to our own opinions and I'm providing the OP with mine :) .

[icanflossu]

I agree with you completely banderboo. I am going to ask them, if they can't accomodate, I don't want to accomodate them. I desperately want the main seating and can't even tell you the lengths I've gone to try to secure it. We'll see what happens. I will talk to the dining cordiantor when we board and tell him how I feel...that may help him make the switch. BTW, if they don't, and insist on that table for ten, anyone on the rhapsody 1/22, if you're in the second seating, watch out, my kids will either be cranky or wired for the night. Not sure which is worse.

[cryscruiser]

On the Christmas cruise I was on, the dining room was not able to accomodate my request for particular dining arrangements, so I never went into the dining room. Each night I would order room service and those are the people that had the tips. I did not tip a dining room waiter that I did not use.

[cb at sea]

We you arrive at the ship, go to the Maitre'd and get your name on the wait list for whichever seating / table size you prefer. On our last cruise, we could only get the early seating, due to a large group onboard. However, once the group realized how late 2nd seating is, most wanted to switch and we were able to get 2nd seating beginning the 2nd night of the trip. I was happy from then on, since I can't eat that early! No time for drinking!

[Ali-in-Texas]

icanflossu,

 

We just returned from a cruise and had early seating. I was sure that my kids would want to eat at 6pm since at home we usually eat at 5:30pm. On the cruise we wished we had opted for late seating. We had 3 excursion days and would usually eat lunch late about 2 to 3pm. When dinner came around we were not that hungry but went to dinner anyway because we loved the experience and just ate a little. I will never do early seating again.

[katiel53]

If you don't want to tip the waiters, I can certainly understand that, but I believe you should eat dinners in the Windjammer and tip the $2 they request, and order room service for your other meals and tip accordingly. That way the waiters who work in the dining room at night, but work in the Windjammer during the day won't be serving you so they don't need a tip. Seems easy to me.

[FitzLA]

I have an opinion that is probably different from most but here goes. If you know for sure that you are not going to have them with you in the dining room at all, then upon boarding the first day go to the head waiter and request a table for 4. If he turns you down then I personally feel you are under no obligation to tip for services not rendered especially since you made the attempt to move to a smaller table. You should however tip the servers who help you in the windjammer during dinner because they do not receive any tips from the dining room this week. (you'll also find that you get GREAT service in the windjammer if you sit in the same general area for all meals)

 

On the other hand if your kids come to the dining room even once then you should pay tips for the whole week.

 

I know people will argue that since a table is available for you (and your kids) then you should tip whether they are there or not because the waiters are the same people that work throughout the ship. I personally do not agree with this philosophy and tip the people who provide me service.

 

Please no flames we are all entitled to our own opinions and I'm providing the OP with mine :) .

 

I actually agree with you. As long as you are tipping for your kids one way or the other, whether it be in the dining room which will get to the windjammer staff, or you tip the windjammer staff on your own, it doesn't matter. I have my own opinions about tipping, but they are just that, my own opinions. I am happy to share, but not everyone has to do what I do. Tip what you are comfortable with. As long as they get tipped. My personal preference...I tip the full amount or more, and I usually only eat in the dining room maybe 3 times on a 7 day cruise. But that is just me. That way everyone gets tipped, and I don't have to worry about it, ever!