Tipping in alternative dining
 

When you are dining in the alternative dining rooms are you expected to leave a tip? If so what is appropriate. You are paying an additional $20. per person for your meal and even 20% would only be $4.00 - just wondering.

Re: Tipping in alternative dining
 

At least on RCL, the fee for the alternative restaurants is listed as a "service charge" and, thus, no additional tipping is required - although there is a spot on the check to leave one. Since we were also tipping the dining room waiter for that night AND received better service from him, we did not feel compeled to leave an additional tip.

Re: Tipping in alternative dining
 

On Carnival, gratuities are included in the surcharge (per Carnival's website).

Re: Re: Tipping in alternative dining
 

When we sailed on the Explorer as well as the Disney Wonder our server made a point of telling us the "tip was not included." I was under the impression that the service charge included the tips. WRONG!

Re: Tipping in alternative dining
 

Each cruiseline is different. This is from Carnival's website (FAQ):

The reservation fee is $25 per guest, per entree. This fee includes the wait staffs' gratuity; additional gratuities are optional and may be extended in cash or to the guest's Sail & Sign Account, at the guest's discretion.

Re: Re: Tipping in alternative dining
 

The gratuity is included if you are on Royal Caribbean ships. If you wish to give any extra that is entirely up to you. If you do, cash is preferred. It really is no different than bar service-the gratuity is already added on, if you wish to give more it is up to you.

Re: Tipping in alternative dining
 

The information I have is two years old so I don't know if it's accurate anymore. We actually got chatty (who me?) with our server in the alternative restaurant. He said that he got paid alot more than the regular dining stewards. The rationale was that he was being compensated for the fact that he had a smaller pool of customers over the course of a cruise. Again, I don't know if that was only HAL or if it's true any longer. We did chuckle the first time around however. We couldn't decide what to tip so decided to estimate what that calibre of dinner would have cost at a fine restaurant. We then tipped 15% of that amount. We obviously overtipped because even though the restaurant was completely booked for the rest of the cruise, our server got us in twice more :)

Re: Tipping in alternative dining
 

"
When we sailed on the Explorer as well as the Disney Wonder our server made a point of telling us the "tip was not included." I was under the impression that the service charge included the tips. WRONG!"

Imagine that, a service worker guilting you into leaving a tip. After all they would never lie. Give me a break. That car dealer needs to win that trip to Hawaii too.