Unlimited dining plan & tipping?

[Loralie]

We booked the unlimited dining plan on the cruise planner for our cruise next Month on Anthem of the Seas.  Does that include tips or do you tip on top of that?  If you tip, how much is common?  This is our first time with the dining plan.

 

thanks,

 

Loralie

[Tree_skier]

They say that the "service charge" that was added to you bill when you purchased in the cruise planner is the tip for servers however I think the majority of people add some tip to that based on the over all cost of the meal.  That amount is up to you and what you feel comfortable with.

[BNBR]

25 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

They say that the "service charge" that was added to you bill when you purchased in the cruise planner is the tip for servers however I think the majority of people add some tip to that based on the over all cost of the meal.  That amount is up to you and what you feel comfortable with.

 

There is no service charge added with the UDP when you book it. At least for me. Only on the drink package. I would think that's because the DSC covers dining staff whether you are at Chops or the MDR. So yes, it's already covered. 

[Tree_skier]

1 hour ago, BNBR said:

 

There is no service charge added with the UDP when you book it. At least for me. Only on the drink package. I would think that's because the DSC covers dining staff whether you are at Chops or the MDR. So yes, it's already covered. 

My bad... that is right.  It actually says service charge included. 

[Jimbo]

So even though you have UDP they still take out tip money for Head waiter, waiter and assistant waiter for the dining room which you never go into?

[BNBR]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

So even though you have UDP they still take out tip money for Head waiter, waiter and assistant waiter for the dining room which you never go into?

 

I'm pretty sure that's not at all how the DSC works. 

[dplusd]

2 hours ago, Jimbo said:

So even though you have UDP they still take out tip money for Head waiter, waiter and assistant waiter for the dining room which you never go into?

Yes, the auto gratuities are still charged even if you have the UDP.  Keep in mind that they cover your stateroom attendant and all other dining services.

[katiel53]

The package does have a gratuity included, although, the website does not state the amount.  We do tip extra when we use the package.  We tip $10 per person for dinner and $5 per person for lunch.  We have always had excellent service and feel the wait staff does a wonderful job for us and we feel we should reciprocate.

 

My understanding of the regular dining portion of the tips does NOT go to the wait staff in the specialty restaurants with the package.  If one is assigned standard dining, the tip for the dinner portion still goes to the waiter who would have served you.  If one has MTD, the dining portion of the tip goes to the tip pool for the MTD wait staff.  This is what I was told by RC when I asked this question on FB a while ago.

[springfire]

If we tip extra, it is always in cash directly to the person who deserves it. 

[tinkr2]

I keep thinking they will change how the tips are divided with the sales of so many UDP plans . We have always tipped extra in the specialty but it does seem odd that all the tips go to the servers in MDR and buffet and none to specialty. We do try to tip in cash anytime its an extra tip.

[cb at sea]

You will be charged 18% on the cost of the package...there's the tips.  You don't need to tip additionally.

[Clarea]

5 minutes ago, cb at sea said:

You will be charged 18% on the cost of the package...there's the tips.  You don't need to tip additionally.

 

Wrong, please re-read post #3.

[taglovestocruise]

5 hours ago, cb at sea said:

You will be charged 18% on the cost of the package...there's the tips.  You don't need to tip additionally.

No 18%,  the server only gets a few dollars from the service charge, they keep the tips you leave. 

 

Prices are per person for the full sailing. All selections are subject to change. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to verify eligibility upon arrival to the activity. Specialty Dining Packages must be booked at least two days prior to boarding and may not be available for every sail date.  All other reservations must be made onboard and are subject to availability.

***********Packages include service charge and food portion only for dinner and, when available, lunch service********. 

[katiel53]

6 hours ago, cb at sea said:

You will be charged 18% on the cost of the package...there's the tips.  You don't need to tip additionally.

Once again, you obviously have not done the UDP as you would know that no 18% is added when booking online.  Why do you always post false info and act like it's a fact??????