How to fix the TIP issue.

[Presentation]

My big idea regarding restaurant TIPs!

We have all read the post using the logic “But we ate at the buffet / Pluto’s / onshore / etc. Why should we have to tip the main dining room staff for those meals?

Then the self appointed TIP police jump on the person and point out that the server was allocated a given number of guests and they work so hard and deserve the TIP they are owed.

We are main dining room folk. We do tip yet even I have a hard time with this argument.

Basically the non-main dining room users are subsidizing these servers for no reason other than they have been cornered into a no-other solution corner.

So it’s the allocation that is the issue.

But why must there be an allocation?

When you book the cruise you get two choices, main or late dining.
Why not add a third choice? The third choice would be ‘no main dining room allocation.’

These passengers would still get room service, could dine at to topsiders / beach blanket buffett, pluto’s, Cookies barbecue, that pizza place by the Goofy pool, Palo’s (for the same additional fee as others) and dine onshore in port.

The only difference for these passengers would be they would not have a table allocated to them at the three main dining rooms.

This would solve the never ending debate.

This is not a option we would take but it sure seems like a good idea for those that don’t wish to dine in them main dining rooms and don’t feel they should tip for a service they never use.

What do you think? Would you support this third dining option?

 

[DVCconvert]

This would solve the never ending debate.

Sure it would...and if you believe this....I have some real estate you might be interested in....

 

[mammacaryn]

Sure its a good idea, but nobody should feel guilty about NOT tipping what the cruise line suggests we tip.

We are all spending good money-to me there is no debate.

It is my money-I'll tip what I want

 

[calmpets]

The new debate would then be "Why should I have to pay as much money for the cruise if I'm not allowed to eat in the main dining room? I should have a discounted rate!"

 

[over50visits]

No. Does not even begin to work.

Here's a radical idea; Disney pays all their employees a fair wage, and no tipping.

As it is now, only one person is paying the penalty for those who game the current system: the staff member (server, steward) who doesn't receive their well-earned "tip."

Subsidizing? If I don't have kids am I subsidizing the kids activities? If I don't go to the shows am I subsidizing the actors? How about the various staff presentations? Workout room? Sheesh.

Eliminate tips (and the drink gratuity Disney so nicely adds for my "convenience"), charge a fair cruise price reflecting the quality of the cruise, and let's post about our favorite food or shore excursion!

 

[NTOFD]

Would you tip the people at Pluto's, Topsiders, BBB, etc who also work in the main dining rooms?

 

[Brooklyn]

It does not solve the problem bc the servers at the buffets, at the pizza and hamburgers and at CC are all the same servers from the dining rooms. They also work at the midnight buffet etc.

People should be able to make their own decisions about whether I like it or not. If someone is going to start a thread about whether or not they should tip bc they don't eat in the dining all that much then they need to be ready to accept the answer from people.

This solution however does not solve the "problem" it just justifies those who chose not to tip.

 

[hgon76]

Sounds good in theory, but like a PP said, then people who don't use the dining room would feel like they shouldn't have to "pay" for dining room meals. Anothe words, some would say they should get a reduced fare seeing as how they're having pizza, or buffet everynight while others are getting nice sit down dinners. I also believe adding the tip onto the cruise fare would not please everyone either. As some would feel if they didn't get great service, they shouldn't have to tip the same as someone who did get acceptional service. I think the old saying "you can't please everyone all the time" definitely applies to the "tipping debate". I personally have never had a problem tipping above suggested amounts to all the CM's that have taken care if me. They have ALL deserved every penny & then some!

 

[elkesails]

A cruise is an "all inclusive experience" which seems to be a big part of the appeal for many travelers. You don't need to worry about how much you spend on meals or entertainment while cruising. Unless you want to indulge in spa or adult beverages you are pretty much paid in full when you step on board.

OP suggestion for a "Third option"...casual dining only. Let's say you could opt for casual dining only. How much less would you expect to pay? Are you BIG eaters or light eaters? What if you get tired of the casual fare three days into the cruise...can you upgrade? Since the ship is already built and has formal dining rooms they would only be able to offer a very limited number of "casual dining spots". That would also mean that folks who paid full price might no longer have the option of casual dining in a timely fashion. Sounds like a plan that would be virtually impossible to implement.

Tips...There are really only two options...controlling the tips yourself or paying a bit more for the cruise on the front end. I like the tipping option as I feel it results in better service overall.

Tips and "Third Option" (casual dining only). Unless you opt for a cruise with tips included you are still going to be tipping when you don't eat in the formal dining rooms. Those who serve you will still be relying on the tips to make a reasonable income. It will just be much more complicated as you will be tipping 3 or 4 times a day instead of all at once at the end of the cruise. I think the level of service would suffer greatly as the servers would not have as much to gain from a single meal served well as they have in a week long tip for exceptional service.

I think if you look at the ship as a whole there are many areas where you are paying for a service that you might not use. Maybe you never go to the movies on board or never order a Mickey bar from room service. Maybe you don't play basketball or like to swim. That does not mean that you expect some sort of credit from your bill. Can you imagine the line at the purser's office..."We only used the pool on port days between 10-2 so we get a $32 credit"

I see tipping as the same. Those guys in the dining room are available to me and ready to serve me. I am their ONLY source of revenue for the week (other than a small salary). They can't go home for the night and see their families just because I decided to skip dinner.

So...I think the only practical choice is a cruise with tips included or tipping controlled by the passenger. The "third option" you described seems completely unworkable to me and would not impact the need to tip either....so I am calling it a "Goofy Idea".

PS...No flames please I broke down the argument in a logical way and the OP asked for replies

 

[NancyIL]

If you choose the "Anytime Dining" option on some cruise lines (Royal Caribbean/Celebrity), you are automatically charged the gratuity as part of your cruise fare when you book. You can eat in the dining room at a time you choose or never step foot in the dining room, but you are still charged the standard gratuity because you are served by someone somewhere.

 

[tvguy]

Here's a radical idea; Disney pays all their employees a fair wage, and no tipping.

Well, there are two issues with that.
One, the MONTHLY salary Disney pays it's employees (BEFORE tips) is often equal to the ANNUAL salary in their home countries.

Two. I took an all inclusive, no tips cruise way back in 1980, and it was $5,000 per person in 1980 dollars for an ocean view stateroom. What would that be, about $20,000 per person in 2010 dollars? Would you pay that to save a couple hundred bucks?

 

[ppiew]

We have sailed both Silversea and Regent which are 'all inclusive' lines and absolutely LOVE the format (also their staterooms are MUCH larger - abt 275 sq ft or more). wish DCL were the same. Yes it has ranged from $3000 to $5000 per person (last year) but tips, alcohol EVERYTHING was included and the staff was superb in every respect. Frankly, by the time you are done with all the add ons, DCL is not much different.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

How about Disney just does away with Tips and changes over to a service charge instead?

Cruise Price: $XXXX
Port fees & Taxes: $XX
Charge for Services Rendered aboard ship: $XX

Or Disney automatically charges your account and to have it removed or taken off, you need to have a legitimate service complaint?

 

[IrishCowboy]

Personally, I like the fact that servers know that their TIPS are not automatic and work a little harder and go the extra mile To Insure Proper Service.

Considering the overall cost of a cruise (travel, excursions, pics, etc), TIPS are relatively small. If an extra 12-15 per person per day causes you such financial worry, maybe you don't need to go on a cruise.

Its by no means a perfect system, but it is the way things are work. Is it fair to pay $15 for large coke and popcorn at a theater? Maybe not, but it is the way the movie theater business model has been established and how things work in that industry.

But please, whatever you do, don't STIFF your servers. They work at their jobs.

 

[Maryrn11168]

Personally, I like the fact that servers know that their TIPS are not automatic and work a little harder and go the extra mile To Insure Proper Service.

Considering the overall cost of a cruise (travel, excursions, pics, etc), TIPS are relatively small. If an extra 12-15 per person per day causes you such financial worry, maybe you don't need to go on a cruise.

.

That is not fair to a lot of cruiser!!! We are a family of 5. So I have to add 12/pp/day x5x 7 days. This adds $420.00 In tips, on top of the $13,000 cruise fair b/c we have get a cat 4 or better, and the $4000. airfare b/c I have to travel over major hloidays to avoid my children missing school!! This doen't include anything we will be spending on our vacation. I tip my servers generously, but some people out there may have saved for years to take this one and only cruise and are wondering how to cut cost someplace.

We were on NCL and they charged on room $10pp/pd for gratuities, I think this keeps people from giving the well deserving servers extra money. So I think Disney should avoid it. Disney servers go above and beyond and in most cases they are well taken cared of. IMHO!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

That is not fair to a lot of cruiser!!! We are a family of 5. So I have to add 12/pp/day x5x 7 days. This adds $420.00 In tips, on top of the $13,000 cruise fair b/c we have get a cat 4 or better, and the $4000. airfare b/c I have to travel over major hloidays to avoid my children missing school!! This doen't include anything we will be spending on our vacation. I tip my servers generously, but some people out there may have saved for years to take this one and only cruise and are wondering how to cut cost someplace.

We were on NCL and they charged on room $10pp/pd for gratuities, I think this keeps people from giving the well deserving servers extra money. So I think Disney should avoid it. Disney servers go above and beyond and in most cases they are well taken cared of. IMHO!

Slightly off-topic:

To other families of 5 thinking of booking a cruise, we've never paid $13,000 even for a 15-night Panama Canal cruise! Nor have we ever paid more than $1,700 for airfare even during busy Spring Break. With the exception of our Panama Canal cruise, our family of 5 has cruised on two DCL 7 night cruises for less than $6,000 all-in including airfare, tips and excursions. We're going again in three weeks and it will be even lower in total cost, but it's also a 4-night with a couple of days at WDW added.

On-topic

I agree with PP's that I like the way Disney has their tips now. No system is perfect. I don't want to feel obligated to prepay or have tips automatically added to our daily stateroom fee like some other cruiselines. I've seen our servers working at breakfast, lunch, at the mid-night buffet and at Castaway Cay. They work hard 7 days a week with perhaps an occassional meal off here or there. We've generally tipped above the recommended minimums for all 5 of us for the main server, but have tipped at recommended or slightly below for less than stellar service by the assistant server and head server.

Also, as a PP said, Disney is not set up to handle a third option. If that were to happen, they may have to reallocate staff, change space around to accomodate more quick-service options and/or hire more staff. Each of these could add to the overall cost of the cruise for everyone.

 

[mmouse37]

The reality is tips are part of cruising. They should always be figured into the total cost of a cruise vacation. IMO not a place to cut corners or save some money. DCL tips are guidelines and can be increased or decreased depending on how your service was. I would have no problem decreasing the tip but in 18 DCL cruises never had to. We usually increase.

MJ

 

[IrishCowboy]

I tip my servers generously, but some people out there may have saved for years to take this one and only cruise and are wondering how to cut cost someplace.

I have no problem with anyone trying to save a few $$. Just don't do it at the expense of your server team. Unfortunately, some folks will skip dinner on the last night just so they can skip out on tipping their server team.

IMHO, if you can;t afford to tip, then you really can't afford to cruise.

 

[TheWog]

We were on NCL and they charged on room $10pp/pd for gratuities, I think this keeps people from giving the well deserving servers extra money. So I think Disney should avoid it. Disney servers go above and beyond and in most cases they are well taken cared of. IMHO!

Why would this stop anyone from putting extra money on their account or putting some extra cash in the envelope with the vouchers?

 

[sbell111]

I have no problem with anyone trying to save a few $$. Just don't do it at the expense of your server team. Unfortunately, some folks will skip dinner on the last night just so they can skip out on tipping their server team.

IMHO, if you can;t afford to tip, then you really can't afford to cruise.

I believe that you misundertood her post. As I read it, she tips 'generously', meaning that she tips well above the suggested amounts. However, she can see how some people may not be able to budget these generous tips. That is not to say that these hypothetical people do not tip a reasonable amount.