Unknown Gratuities

[harrywpb]

We’re just completed a TA and had dinner almost every night with a friendly group. We discussed gratuities and they told us that they declined them.  We , as always paid ours in advance. I spoke to a maitre d and asked him if the waiter knew who left gratuities and who didn’t. I was surprised to learn that the wait staff weren’t informed. We’re on a BTBTBTB and as usual feel we the need to inform the staff that we paid ours in advance. We sometimes leave extra but not always as we’re not always at the same table.  It’s awkward on the last night as they must think that we don’t tip.  Anyone else feel the same ? 

Edited April 27, 2019 by harrywpb

[davekathy]

12 minutes ago, harrywpb said:

We’re just completed a TA and had dinner almost every night with a friendly group. We discussed gratuities and they told us that they declined their them.  We , as always paid ours in advance. I spoke to a maitre d and asked him if the waiter knew who left gratuities and who didn’t. I was surprised to learn that the wait staff weren’t informed. We’re on a BTBTBTB and as usual feel we the need to inform the staff that we paid ours in advance. We sometimes leave extra but not always as we’re not always at the same table.  It’s awkward on the last night as they must think that we don’t tip.  Anyone else feel the same ? 

No.

[gerelmx]

29 minutes ago, harrywpb said:

We’re just completed a TA and had dinner almost every night with a friendly group. We discussed gratuities and they told us that they declined them.  We , as always paid ours in advance. I spoke to a maitre d and asked him if the waiter knew who left gratuities and who didn’t. I was surprised to learn that the wait staff weren’t informed. We’re on a BTBTBTB and as usual feel we the need to inform the staff that we paid ours in advance. We sometimes leave extra but not always as we’re not always at the same table.  It’s awkward on the last night as they must think that we don’t tip.  Anyone else feel the same ? 

 

If you are in a B2B2B2B, by the second leg they will know about you because of your comments card on the first leg (if you answered it online), and the same continue in the other legs. You can ask the Maitre D to be seated in the same table or  in another area with the same waiters,  (it's not a guarantee they will be in the same table) or ask the opposite, different table and or different waiters. No one can guess your thinking but you can intuit their feelings.

Edited April 27, 2019 by gerelmx

[Husky61]

Why did you feel the need to advise the staff about how you tip?🙄

[harrywpb]

3 minutes ago, gerelmx said:

 

If you are in a B2B2B2B, by the second leg they will know about you because of your comments card on the first leg (if you answered it online), and the same continue in the other legs. You can ask the Maitre D to be seated in the same table or  in another area with the same waiters,  (it's not a guarantee they will be in the same table) or ask the opposite, different table and or different waiters. No one can guess your thinking but you can intuit their feelings.

Non tippers can write great reviews but that doesn’t put any extra money in the staff pockets nor does it tell them that you left a gratuity. I’m comfortable knowing I did what I thought was the right thing but as I mentioned , it’s awkward. 

[Marelaine]

We pay our auto-grats before we cruise. We consider it a convenience since we don't have to worry about tracking down those crew members who serve us behind the scenes. At the end of the cruise, there are usually a few who stand out. We bring them thank you notes with some extra $$ on the next to the last night. I don't worry about what anyone else does. The crew members know there are cheapskates, generous people and everything in between. What someone else does is no reflection on you.

[mom says]

Like others, we prepay our gratuities, and supplement with additional cash tips on the last night to those who provided excellent service. I've never felt the need to notify any staff that I have prepaid. Why should I? And while I don't condone the practice of removing gratuities, it's not my business if others do so.

 

Just wondering why you feel compelled to single yourself out by informing your servers, in front of others, that you have paid your gratuities? At a land restaurant to you tell your server that you will be tipping them, before you've had your meal?

[harrywpb]

9 minutes ago, mom says said:

Like others, we prepay our gratuities, and supplement with additional cash tips on the last night to those who provided excellent service. I've never felt the need to notify any staff that I have prepaid. Why should I? And while I don't condone the practice of removing gratuities, it's not my business if others do so.

 

Just wondering why you feel compelled to single yourself out by informing your servers, in front of others, that you have paid your gratuities? At a land restaurant to you tell your server that you will be tipping them, before you've had your meal?

Don’t know why you thought I inform the waiter in “ front “ of others as I didn’t say that in my post. I did say that we feel the need to Inform the staff as “ it’s awkward “ on the last night. Even when we leave a little something extra , it’s awkward because they don’t know. What does before I have a meal at a restaurant have anything to do with this ? 

 

[Manchester is blue]

3 hours ago, harrywpb said:

We’re just completed a TA and had dinner almost every night with a friendly group. We discussed gratuities and they told us that they declined them.  We , as always paid ours in advance. I spoke to a maitre d and asked him if the waiter knew who left gratuities and who didn’t. I was surprised to learn that the wait staff weren’t informed. We’re on a BTBTBTB and as usual feel we the need to inform the staff that we paid ours in advance. We sometimes leave extra but not always as we’re not always at the same table.  It’s awkward on the last night as they must think that we don’t tip.  Anyone else feel the same ? 

Definitely not.

[verizon]

Believe me the crew members have a list of who are good tippers what ever Celebrity ships you cruise on.

[hcat]

Previously we have been thanked by staff who were informed we pre paid grats..but maybe this only was the cabin attendant. 

 

I guess with so much moving around these days for dining,  ....there's no way to personalize the pre paid  general grat payments.   

 

Slip them extra if service was extra good. ...we do that in BLU  where we have same waitstaff thru the cruise.  but not sure how that can work with select dining in the MDR...esp on Edge with 4 mdrs????

Edited April 27, 2019 by hcat

[Husky61]

59 minutes ago, verizon said:

Believe me the crew members have a list of who are good tippers what ever Celebrity ships you cruise on.

And just how do you know this?  You think the cruise line posts a list of who are good tippers?

[Marelaine]

By the way, it was tacky of your tablemates to discuss whether or not they tipped. I wouldn't take part in that discussion. TMI, for me.

[fstuff1]

9 hours ago, harrywpb said:

We’re just completed a TA and had dinner almost every night with a friendly group. We discussed gratuities and they told us that they declined them.  We , as always paid ours in advance. I spoke to a maitre d and asked him if the waiter knew who left gratuities and who didn’t. I was surprised to learn that the wait staff weren’t informed. We’re on a BTBTBTB and as usual feel we the need to inform the staff that we paid ours in advance. We sometimes leave extra but not always as we’re not always at the same table.  It’s awkward on the last night as they must think that we don’t tip.  Anyone else feel the same ? 

 

dont understand.

why are you under pressure to leave a tip at dinner?

 

your auto-grats pay for it already

 

[chamima]

9 hours ago, harrywpb said:

We’re just completed a TA and had dinner almost every night with a friendly group. We discussed gratuities and they told us that they declined them.  We , as always paid ours in advance. I spoke to a maitre d and asked him if the waiter knew who left gratuities and who didn’t. I was surprised to learn that the wait staff weren’t informed. We’re on a BTBTBTB and as usual feel we the need to inform the staff that we paid ours in advance. We sometimes leave extra but not always as we’re not always at the same table.  It’s awkward on the last night as they must think that we don’t tip.  Anyone else feel the same ? 

 

We sit at a table for 2.

Avoids that and many other problems.

[markeb]

In the world of autogratuities, I'd never think twice about not giving a visible tip on the final night. Never felt any need to inform the staff that I was tipping through the autogratuity system. I would think they'd assume you were just paying your gratuities with your bill, not that you weren't tipping at all.

 

One of the more common responses on tipping and tip pooling questions is that if you give a cash tip to a waiter/assistant waiter, etc., that it's theirs to keep if you've auto-tipped and goes into the pool if you haven't. If they don't know, then logically everything goes into the pool. I have no idea which is true, but that's yet another reason why I don't concern myself with who gets what on gratuities. 

[GastroGnome]

We auto pay and will occasionally hand tip as well.  I think Brits are probably more shy about this as tipping is not a part of our culture. We use small envelopes and try to tip as discretely as possible.  We certainly don't discuss it at table!

[harrywpb]

10 minutes ago, GastroGnome said:

We auto pay and will occasionally hand tip as well.  I think Brits are probably more shy about this as tipping is not a part of our culture. We use small envelopes and try to tip as discretely as possible.  We certainly don't discuss it at table!

Interesting that you mention being British. Our four table mates were as well and they brought up the topic. We wouldn’t have as the practice of  tipping varies from culture to culture and we don’t care to offend others. 

[yorky]

14 hours ago, verizon said:

Believe me the crew members have a list of who are good tippers what ever Celebrity ships you cruise on.

I think that’s most definitely total nonsense.

[yorky]

16 minutes ago, harrywpb said:

Interesting that you mention being British. Our four table mates were as well and they brought up the topic. We wouldn’t have as the practice of  tipping varies from culture to culture and we don’t care to offend others. 

On the whole Brits don’t like tipping, people will say that’s a generalisation but that our experience over 25 years of cruising. That’s why cruise lines that mostly cater for Brits now auto include tips in the cruise price.

[lovescarborough]

3 hours ago, yorky said:

On the whole Brits don’t like tipping, people will say that’s a generalisation but that our experience over 25 years of cruising. That’s why cruise lines that mostly cater for Brits now auto include tips in the cruise price.

I believe there are some countries where tipping is even considered to be insulting ( Japan for example) . 

[yorky]

3 minutes ago, lovescarborough said:

I believe there are some countries where tipping is even considered to be insulting ( Japan for example) . 

There is indeed

[DirtyDawg]

1 hour ago, lovescarborough said:

I believe there are some countries where tipping is even considered to be insulting ( Japan for example) . 

 

1 hour ago, yorky said:

There is indeed

 

Coming from a country that has a tipping culture I would be very uncomfortable not tipping.

But when in Rome............. 

 

And in this case, Rome is the cruise line you are on. 

[weregoingcruising]

I noticed that without asking were seated in the same area when in select dining. My guess is the hostess does it to help the staff a better chanch to receive extra tips.

[chamima]

2 hours ago, weregoingcruising said:

I noticed that without asking were seated in the same area when in select dining. My guess is the hostess does it to help the staff a better chanch to receive extra tips.

 

Alternatively, maybe she does it so you have staff who already know something about your likes and dislikes so they can serve you better.

it's a glass half full or half empty thing.