Meaghan

I'm getting ready to plan our 2nd cruise and the family has decided that this time we would rather eat our evening meal more casually in the Windjammer restaurant and skip the dining room. We'll probably try out the dining room for a breakfast and/or lunch here and there, but of course we won't have the same waiter each time.

So, who should we tip at the end of the cruise? We wouldn't think of NOT tipping, since we will be waited on consistently during the week, yet it would feel awkward to tip the waiter/assistant waiter that was assigned to our table when we never met them and chances are they may never have personally served us.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

kfusto

Since you reference the Windjammer Restaurant I assume you are cruising with Royal Caribbean.

They now have a tipping program where you can add the tip to your cabin charges and they will be disbursed by the ship. This may be an option.

Bootman4U

If you want a really honest opinion: since you say you wouldn't think of NOT tipping then I suggest you wait and see just what you end up doing. I suspect you may end up in the dining room on at least one night...and if you don't since you already know what the tip situation on cruise ships is you'll know what to do.

dmb123

If the dining is traditional and not freestyle then you will be assigned a table in the dining room. Your wait staff will be short the # of people in your party therefore it would be fair if they received the tip.

JimSmith

dmb123, are you crazy? Your logic is fatally flawed. Maybe you don't realize but any passenger can request to change tables and this often happens on the first day. If there is an emply place at a table (because guests did not show up) and if the cruise if full, it is entirely possible for those two empty seats to be given to other passengers who request a dinner table change.

Even if the seats aren't given away, that is just too bad for the staff. It means they work less(less people to serve). Why would you encourage people to tip someone when the person being tipped is working less because of their nonappearance?

The dining staff know that some people don't show up and that is part of the job.

If the original poster is going to tip someone, they should tip the persons who are actually serving them (and if you re-read the original post, I believe that you will see that is the underlying desire).

If the original poaster is sincerely wanting to tip for their service, then maybe they should carry around a bunch of one dollar bills. yes this is not traditional, but then again, if they are on RCCL, then by never using the dining room for dinner, they are not following the traditional path.

Meaghan

That's what I was thinking too. On our recent cruise, we had a table for 10 entirely to ourselves the first night. Then a family switched to our table because they didn't like where they were seated the first night. They tipped our waiter because he was who served them the remainder of the trip, not the waiter for the table they were originally assigned too.

I think it would be very awkard on the last night to go into the dining room, find your assigned table, and then hand the waiter and assistant waiter an envelope saying, "We've never met, but here's a tip." That sort've defeats the purpose, in my opinion, of tipping based on service.

I just wish they would eliminate the entire tipping system altogether and roll it into the price of the cruise, but that's another thread that's been beaten to death.

Hold

Some lines are doing away with the concept of tipping specific classes of people such as waiters, cabin attendents, etc. In its place they say that your tip will be shared by those who work on the ship.

It always bothered me that people would tip, but only the people they come in contact with. What about the people down in the engine room, the staff cleaning the decks, the crews making sure the supplies were stacked in the holds, etc. The cruise would not be enjoyable without them!

I can't remember the exact words, but Carnival on our last cruise stated that the tips they took out at the start of the cruise would be shared by those working on the ship, both in public areas and behind the scenes.

This makes more sense to me and would resolve issues like your Meaghan. But I have also thought like you Meaghan that it would be far better for the lines to just include it in the price of the cruise and pay all staff the way they should. Tipping now is basically supplimenting the very poor salaries that the lines pay these staff.

You are right, this topic has been discussed in great length here already.

Jacko

I wouldn't tip anyone if I didn't eat there. True, the staff on ships work their butts off, but the cruise lines don't pay them anything and expect the tips to completely pay their salaries. It's really criminal behavior on the part of the cruise lines and the poor servants pay the price.

Theresa

I would ask the purser's desk when you get on board.

A lot of ships are pooling their tips (Princess is) and doing automatically tipping, so it doesn't matter where you eat - the tips would be shared and everyone get's a fair share. At first, I didn't like the idea but it has worked out great. Last time on RCCL - we did tip the person directly.

I agree with you Meaghan, someone should be tipped, I am just not sure who. Ask when you get on board. I am sure you are not the first to be asking this.

Gerald

The Windjammer at least on Vision of the Seas is pretty mediocre cafeteria food - greasy and bland. I found the dining room food very good. My guess is that after a couple of dinners in the Windjammer you'll have had enough of it.