E
erikthewise
Guest
We took our first cruise in Dec 2001 and are now starting to plan another for Dec 2004. (Yes I hope the intervals will be shorter in the future!)
After our first cruise there were two questions I had that never really got answered. So I will raise them again and hope somebody is up to answering them this time.
(1) Exactly what is the $5pp charge at Palo supposed to pay for, and how should that affect the way you tip, if at all?
I read a lot of material in preparation for our first cruise, some of which seemed to say that the $5 was really a gratuity. One source said that it was "to compensate your regular server for the loss of your gratuity for that evenings dinner", which I now don't believe. I actually talked to the head waiter (or whatever) at Palo when we ate there to try to understand it. He said that the $5 was split among all the Palo staff. I'm still not sure if he meant just the servers or literally all the staff. As a couple I tipped our server (an additional?) $10 as the service was top-notch, but I'm still not sure if I did the right thing. If that was the only gratuity he received it wouldn't really have been adequate. I also suspect that many Palo guests don't tip at all thinking the $5pp IS their tip. (FWIW I did tip our regular servers as if we ate with them all three nights.)
(2) I did not the spa as such, but I did enter the spa twice to use the exercise room. I noticed that on the left of the corridor just before you reach the exercise room is what appears to be an ordinary (but very nice!) locker room with showers. My question is whether this is available for use without additional charge, or is it only available to those using paid spa treatments. I tried to ask this of someone at the spa front desk, but she did not seem to understand anything other than paying for spa treatments.
After our first cruise there were two questions I had that never really got answered. So I will raise them again and hope somebody is up to answering them this time.
(1) Exactly what is the $5pp charge at Palo supposed to pay for, and how should that affect the way you tip, if at all?
I read a lot of material in preparation for our first cruise, some of which seemed to say that the $5 was really a gratuity. One source said that it was "to compensate your regular server for the loss of your gratuity for that evenings dinner", which I now don't believe. I actually talked to the head waiter (or whatever) at Palo when we ate there to try to understand it. He said that the $5 was split among all the Palo staff. I'm still not sure if he meant just the servers or literally all the staff. As a couple I tipped our server (an additional?) $10 as the service was top-notch, but I'm still not sure if I did the right thing. If that was the only gratuity he received it wouldn't really have been adequate. I also suspect that many Palo guests don't tip at all thinking the $5pp IS their tip. (FWIW I did tip our regular servers as if we ate with them all three nights.)
(2) I did not the spa as such, but I did enter the spa twice to use the exercise room. I noticed that on the left of the corridor just before you reach the exercise room is what appears to be an ordinary (but very nice!) locker room with showers. My question is whether this is available for use without additional charge, or is it only available to those using paid spa treatments. I tried to ask this of someone at the spa front desk, but she did not seem to understand anything other than paying for spa treatments.