Maitre' De* tipping?

[katie]

On my last cruise aboard the Carnival Pride, they left an envelope for gratuities to the Maitre' De. The Maitre' De that we had, we never saw because he stayed in the lower level of the Dining Room the whole cruise and we only heard his voice. I think the only time that I did see him was the last day at breakfast when the Dining Room was being inspected. But the assistant Maitre' De was very kind and went around to all the tables and said a few words. Is there a need to tip someone like the head Maitre' De in this situation? Thanks for your replys.

Cheerio,
Katie

[crystal]

I would tip him only if he did something directly for you. For example move you to a new table if you didn't like the one you were at.

[Donna]

Hi Katie,
In that situation which you described, no I would not tip him, but may of the actually employee that did stop by your table to make sure everything was exceptable, just MHO :-)


Tuesday Chat Host

You might not see the Maitre d' during your cruise, but sometimes the evidence of his work shows. I never realized what went into setting up passengers at tables. They do their best to match up passengers. On our last cruise, we were traveling with friends. They matched us up with two other couples who were also traveling together. We were all about the same age group and had a lot in common. It was more than good luck that we were a compatible group.
If, for some reason, you are incompatible with tablemates, he will do his best to move you to another table and/or seating.
Just my opinion...
Judy