I've done the Select dining previously on Celebrity and on RCI I signed up for it again. You can pretty much get the same waiter each time if you want, so it's not a big deal. Especially, if you are like the extra things that a familar waiter does, like bringing you your favorite drink, etc.

As for complaining about tipping beforehand, I can understand that maybe if you booked the cruise months or years in advance, you don't want to have your money tied up with them.

But tip the damn people, they are working their butts off, serving your sloppy selves. I've cruised many, many times and never had issues with service on a cruise. Even if it's just okay service and not something above and beyond, it's still good service.

Let me guess, the food is late one meal and then at the end of the cruise you deduct that days tip... I know I'm going to extremes but the least you should tip is the recommended gratuity but I've seen plenty of people who the last day remove the gratuity from their accounts because they are just plain cheap and mean. Not because they got bad service or anything close to it.