Gratuities for specialty dining

[crooooze]

For some specialty dining reservations, Carnival adds an additional 18% gratuity up-front when you make the reservation. And for others, like the steakhouse, they don’t.  
 

I wished there was consistency across all the dining venues - I don’t care if I pay it upfront at reservation time or pay it when I settle the check after we eat.
 

I just don’t want to unintentionally double tip, just because I forgot I already paid months ago.

[Illbcruzn4life]

43 minutes ago, crooooze said:

For some specialty dining reservations, Carnival adds an additional 18% gratuity up-front when you make the reservation. And for others, like the steakhouse, they don’t.  
 

I wished there was consistency across all the dining venues - I don’t care if I pay it upfront at reservation time or pay it when I settle the check after we eat.
 

I just don’t want to unintentionally double tip, just because I forgot I already paid months ago.

I don't know which ones were tipped or not but I tipped extra in all of them. Even Cucina and Chibang.

 

They were working their butts off. As for the 2 nights we ate in the MDR, both elegant nights the service was not very good the first night and just a tad better the second. No extra.

[shortyjoesmith]

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4250/~/specialty-restaurants---dining-reservation-information

 

Based on the Specialty Dining information on the Carnival website above, the gratuity is included for:

     The Steakhouse

     Ji Ji Asian Kitchen
     Cucina del Capitano
     Rudi’s Seagrill
     Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast

 

The 18% gratuity is automatically added to the bill for:

     Bonsai Teppanyaki
     The Chef’s Table

 

The Steakhouse - There is a nominal fee of $48 USD per adult and $13 USD per child, 11 and under (when ordering from the Kids' menu, available upon request). The fee includes a starter, salad, entrée, dessert and the wait's staffs' gratuity; additional gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion. 

Ji Ji Asian Kitchen - For dinner, there is a nominal fee of $18 USD per adult and $6 USD per child 11 and under (when ordering from the Kids' menu, available upon request). The fee includes a starter, entrée, dessert and the wait staffs’ gratuity; additional gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion.

Cucina del Capitano - For dinner, there is a nominal fee of $18 USD per adult and $6 USD per child 11 and under (when ordering from the Kids' menu, available upon request). The fee includes a starter, entrée, dessert and the wait staffs’ gratuity; additional gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion. 

Rudi's Seagrill - There is a nominal fee of $48 USD per adult and $13 USD per child 11 and under (when ordering from the Kids' menu, available upon request). The fee includes a starter, entrée, dessert and the wait staffs’ gratuity; additional gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion. 

Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast - For breakfast, there is a nominal fee of $10 per adult and $8 per child (children under 2 are complimentary); gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion.

---

Bonsai Teppanyaki - For dinner, there is a nominal fee of $38 USD per guest, including children ($35 USD per guest, including children, for lunch), which includes a starter, entrée and dessert; an 18% service charge will be added. additional gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion.

The Chef's Table - An 18% service charge will be added and applied directly to the guest’s Sail & Sign account. additional gratuities may be extended at the guest's discretion.

[crooooze]

5 minutes ago, shortyjoesmith said:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4250/~/specialty-restaurants---dining-reservation-information

 

Based on the Specialty Dining information on the Carnival website above, the gratuity is included for:

     The Steakhouse

     Ji Ji Asian Kitchen
     Cucina del Capitano
     Rudi’s Seagrill
     Green Eggs & Ham Breakfast

 

The 18% gratuity is automatically added to the bill for:

     Bonsai Teppanyaki
     The Chef’s Table

 

 

Thanks. I haven’t seen this before.

Venezia’s Il Viaggio also adds the gratuity on top of the per-person charge.

Still, I wonder why they decided to include gratuities in some and exclude on others.

 

 

[sanger727]

As long as they are consistently including or adding the gratuity, what does it matter if it happens when you book vs when you pay the bill? 

[crooooze]

21 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

As long as they are consistently including or adding the gratuity, what does it matter if it happens when you book vs when you pay the bill? 

It doesn’t as long as you know.

But the check you get at the end of the meal does not say gratuities are included, nor does it remind you that you paid them when you booked. No problem with tipping more - but I would like to know that I’m tipping wayyyyyyy more.

 

anyways, apparently this isn’t an issue for anyone else. So let’s move on.

[mz-s]

As always caveat emptor.

[kona_wahine]

I am probably in the minority, but it bothers me they add a gratuity and then say you can also add more when the check comes. I feel like I have to at that point and always do. Same thing with drinks. Idk, just rubs me the wrong way. 🤷‍♀️ makes me wonder what I wind up actually tipping….30%? 35%? Hmmmmm….. I might do some calculations in the morning. 

[BoozinCroozin]

It was always consistent when we cruised...it was automatically added. I typically do not tip more if it is forced on me. However, we were comped the Steakhouse so I gave a $30 tip for 3 of us. Because it was comped, there were no forced gratuities.

[VictorWI]

I tipped extra at all the bars/restaurants last week on the Celebration - never did eat at the MDR with all the options. Having so much OBC it was Carnival tipping their own employees anyway. 😁 But even so if I had no OBC I would have anyway.

[aml3679]

$20

[mz-s]

On 5/10/2023 at 1:38 AM, kona_wahine said:

I am probably in the minority, but it bothers me they add a gratuity and then say you can also add more when the check comes. I feel like I have to at that point and always do. Same thing with drinks. Idk, just rubs me the wrong way. 🤷‍♀️ makes me wonder what I wind up actually tipping….30%? 35%? Hmmmmm….. I might do some calculations in the morning. 

 

Tipping extra is never forced or even expected. If you tip above and beyond the automatic gratuities, it's entirely up to you.

[Florings]

We always tip additional.  Dining out on land, we tip 20-22% anyway.  We tip $2 extra to the bar staff per drink and $20-$30 at the upcharge dining venues.  The servers work so hard!

[coffeeboy77]

On 5/9/2023 at 10:38 PM, kona_wahine said:

I am probably in the minority, but it bothers me they add a gratuity and then say you can also add more when the check comes. I feel like I have to at that point and always do. Same thing with drinks. Idk, just rubs me the wrong way. 🤷‍♀️ makes me wonder what I wind up actually tipping….30%? 35%? Hmmmmm….. I might do some calculations in the morning. 

I agree with this sentiment.  We should not be pre paying a gratuity far in advance of the meal and service being delivered - and despite this, the bill prompts for an additional gratuity…crazy.  I have alway prepaid my gratuities and have never once considered removing them.  However, I may have to rethink this.  Gratuities have gone up a lot lately, with additional gratuities now being requested by the bars and restaurants.   It may be better to tip cash for great service instead.  I have never done this as I never wanted to leave out the behind the scenes staff, but I am considering this and will have to trust the employer to compensate them fairly.  Also, some say the additional gratuities are never expected…I used to believe this as well, but after four cruises in the past year I’m beginning to wonder.

[kona_wahine]

6 hours ago, coffeeboy77 said:

I agree with this sentiment.  We should not be pre paying a gratuity far in advance of the meal and service being delivered - and despite this, the bill prompts for an additional gratuity…crazy.  I have alway prepaid my gratuities and have never once considered removing them.  However, I may have to rethink this.  Gratuities have gone up a lot lately, with additional gratuities now being requested by the bars and restaurants.   It may be better to tip cash for great service instead.  I have never done this as I never wanted to leave out the behind the scenes staff, but I am considering this and will have to trust the employer to compensate them fairly.  Also, some say the additional gratuities are never expected…I used to believe this as well, but after four cruises in the past year I’m beginning to wonder.

That wasn’t what I meant at all. I will always prepay for steward and food, I was talking more about the extra charge at the premium restaurants and the drinks. I generally give extra to steward as they work their behinds off. Last cruise we asked once for ice and never ran out for a week! I just don’t like tipping 18% on, say, $10 drink (($1.80 tip) then adding another $2. That’s a 38% tip then. 

[mz-s]

12 hours ago, coffeeboy77 said:

I agree with this sentiment.  We should not be pre paying a gratuity far in advance of the meal and service being delivered - and despite this, the bill prompts for an additional gratuity…crazy.  I have alway prepaid my gratuities and have never once considered removing them.  However, I may have to rethink this.  Gratuities have gone up a lot lately, with additional gratuities now being requested by the bars and restaurants.   It may be better to tip cash for great service instead.  I have never done this as I never wanted to leave out the behind the scenes staff, but I am considering this and will have to trust the employer to compensate them fairly.  Also, some say the additional gratuities are never expected…I used to believe this as well, but after four cruises in the past year I’m beginning to wonder.

 

Tipping is near the inflection point in the industry. It's clear we're no longer thanking the employees for their wonderful service, we are corporate welfare for the cruise lines. That became clear for me when the cruise lines started cutting service and yet raising gratuities multiple times per year.

[taglovestocruise]

19 hours ago, kona_wahine said:

That wasn’t what I meant at all. I will always prepay for steward and food, I was talking more about the extra charge at the premium restaurants and the drinks. I generally give extra to steward as they work their behinds off. Last cruise we asked once for ice and never ran out for a week! I just don’t like tipping 18% on, say, $10 drink (($1.80 tip) then adding another $2. That’s a 38% tip then. 

The 18 % goes into the pool, waiter gets almost nothing. A $2 tip they get to keep, even though most bartenders pool their extra tips during the night.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 5/9/2023 at 4:20 PM, crooooze said:

Still, I wonder why they decided to include gratuities in some and exclude on others.

They used to include it in all of the venues.  But then added it to Teppanyaki, I would assume because of the entertainment value of the cookery.  

No idea about the Chef's Table, never went there.

[kona_wahine]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

The 18 % goes into the pool, waiter gets almost nothing. A $2 tip they get to keep, even though most bartenders pool their extra tips during the night.

That does nothing to convince me. 🤣 I have a feeling that with all the drinking going on 18% is enough. I do tip in casino when I have free drinks. Enough that they keep bringing me drinks. 😜

[AtSeaWithChris]

First, if you want to tip extra that’s up to you, not saying you should or shouldn’t. If you prepay or pay gratuities you’ve already paid them. I fail to see why you would need to pay extra gratuity for an up charge dining experience. Whether you eat in the MDR or a specialty restaurant you’re only being served once. You’re paying extra for a higher quality meal. The service should be the same. In the beginning the cost of the specialty restaurant was only to offset the increased cost of the nicer cut of meat. It used to say in the description that the gratuity was included in the price. Now they make it obscure so it’s easier to have people overpay the gratuity. If you eat at a specialty restaurant and you order a drink, if you have the drink package, they give you 2 receipts. One for the food and one for the drinks with a line for extra gratuity on each one. Why should I have to tip on both receipts? Additionally, in the bars, on the receipt they show that 18% gratuity is already charged but leave another line to tip extra. Its mere presence rakes in a lot of extra gratuity.  It’s time to just include gratuity in the price of everything. You’re even expected to pay gratuity on a self serve beer or soda machine. Even fast food places are putting gratuities in their web ordering systems with gratuities pre-added. You’re taking your own order, paying, and picking it up in the drive through and they want you to tip. They are making an hourly wage not reliant on gratuities. It’s really ridiculous.  

[wemjam]

We usually always ad $15-$20 in the Steakhouse and then like $10 in the others.

[mz-s]

10 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

The 18 % goes into the pool, waiter gets almost nothing. A $2 tip they get to keep, even though most bartenders pool their extra tips during the night.

 

That's how tip pools work...nothing new.

 

4 hours ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

You’re even expected to pay gratuity on a self serve beer or soda machine. It’s really ridiculous.  

 

On Carnival you're not just expected, you're required to pay an 18% gratuity when you use the PYOB machines. It's such a racket.

[taglovestocruise]

On 5/12/2023 at 10:44 PM, kona_wahine said:

That wasn’t what I meant at all. I will always prepay for steward and food, I was talking more about the extra charge at the premium restaurants and the drinks. I generally give extra to steward as they work their behinds off. Last cruise we asked once for ice and never ran out for a week! I just don’t like tipping 18% on, say, $10 drink (($1.80 tip) then adding another $2. That’s a 38% tip then. 

The $1.80 tip goes into the overall ship pool, THEN your $1.80 is divided and shared by 1500 crew members. The $2.00 is his to keep, although most bars pool the cash tips for their shift. 

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

The $1.80 tip goes into the overall ship pool, THEN your $1.80 is divided and shared by 1500 crew members. The $2.00 is his to keep, although most bars pool the cash tips for their shift. 

 

This goes on all cruise so while their individual share of that single $1.80 gratuity is quite small, they're well taken care of by the entire ship population. That's how tip pools work.

Edited May 14, 2023 by mz-s

[coffeeboy77]

43 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

The $1.80 tip goes into the overall ship pool, THEN your $1.80 is divided and shared by 1500 crew members. The $2.00 is his to keep, although most bars pool the cash tips for their shift. 

Let’s not underestimate the tip pool.  That $1.80 tip for one drink is a nice contribution to a huge pool.  Why is there a need for an additional gratuity beyond 1.80?  I think we have to trust management to disperse those funds fairly.