question on gratuities if you don't go to MDR at all

[Temeculaguy]

Let me start by saying we always do the auto gratuities and give an envelope at the end to our MDR staff who are consistently wonderful. My question isn't about about cost savings but more about our next cruise on a quantum class ship in a suite giving us access to the coastal kitchen and we bought the UDP. As I plan out the the cruise, it appears we will not set foot in the MDR for the entire cruise based on our habits and options available to us . How do we direct our tips to the coastal kitchen staff and the specialty dining staff? Are all the staff included on our auto gratuities or just the MDR? I don't really want to short the MDR staff because we are doing something different and I don't want to short the people who will actually be serving us in the coastal kitchen or specialty restaurants. Do we just pay the auto and cash tip our actual servers?

[BrianB]

Good question.

I do the same thing. I love the specialty dining and the CK and very rarely, if at all, eat in the MDR. I tip the servers who serve me individually with cash…usually after each meal. I don’t know how the auto gratuities are distributed and I don’t think anyone here can really say with much accuracy how it’s done, so I just think of it as part of my cruise fare. But it’s pretty much common knowledge that the auto gratuities are shared among lots of other crew members beside the restaurant servers…including those behind the scenes. I’m one of those who feel I wouldn’t want to take any benefit away from the crew so I don’t mind if I happen to be double tipping, as it were.

Just my opinion.

[smokeybandit]

Just view the gratuities as a service fee instead 

[Templecruiser]

Do suite gratuities go to coastal kitchen? We ate there every day and would hope it went there instead of the MDR. Or do they go off where you are based off reservations,

[WAAAYTOOO]

It is my understanding that gratuities are directed to the dining venue in which you dine…one of the reasons that they insert your cabin number into the “system” prior to seating you.  Therefore, regardless of where you dine (with the exception of the WJ), they will direct your  auto gratuity there.  I certainly would not be concerned about your auto gratuity…it will (or won’t) make it to the right place.  You paid it - what they do with it is up to them.

[Yo2slick]

I always cash tip my server at the end of each meal even if we eat at the WJ.

[twangster]

I have been told that gratuity is diverted to CK when you eat there.  

[Censored]

I dont think thats true. I tip $10 every time I dine in CK.  I always get exceptional service. 

[CruiseGus]

6 hours ago, Censored said:

I dont think thats true. I tip $10 every time I dine in CK.  I always get exceptional service. 

You don't think what is true?

Please be a little more specific as to what you're commenting on. I get confused easily.

 

[Traveling Mike]

I asked one of my wait staff about how tips are split.  He told me that no one other than they computer programmers know for sure.  The auto gratuities are split among all the staff that have job titles that get gratuities.  If you hand them cash, they are allowed to keep that for themselves.  The money I gave him at the end of the cruise just went to the two servers I had for most of the cruise.  The way I think it goes is all the money goes into a big pot and that pot is split among everyone that take care of you for the cruise.  I figure the auto gratuities are for the group and the cash I give to the individuals is for them going out of their way to make me happy.

[Censored]

On 12/26/2022 at 8:42 PM, CruiseGus said:

You don't think what is true?

Please be a little more specific as to what you're commenting on. I get confused easily.

 

that prepaid gratuities in suites go directly to CK staff.