Specialty Dining Tips

[RCARD]

When cruising, we usually take the UDP for our the weekend provide a tip at each service.  Recently, we went on a 4 night cruise and decided to take advantage of the Diamond BOGO first/second night offer where you only pay for one person.  An 18% gratuity was added to the bill.  At restaurants on land I'm accustomed to tipping on the 'entire' amount if any discount was applied.  For example, on a BOGO meal I'd simply tip on the amount before discount (ie. double the tip).  So on our cruise I used the same logic and added an additional 18%.  Service and food were great and it was well worth it.

Now we're heading out on another cruise and I realized that the UDP total charge includes an 18% gratuity (never really paid attention before).  Does anyone know if that gratuity goes directly to the specialty dining staff?  Since we also prepay gratuities for the cruise, do specialty dining staff get a piece of that or does it go to MDR which we aren't using?

Just curious.

 

[Ampurp85]

The specialty dining gratuity goes to the specialty dining staff.

[CruiseGus]

Even if you don't add additional tip to the already paid 18% gratuity, you need to know that being a waiter in specialty restaurants and even CK is a highly competitive and sought after position On Royal ships, once they have achieved it, they are then in line for the next open position On their next contract.  So basically once they have achieved the position when they return they have the next open position on that ship.