Tipping Info Thread for Disney Dining *Updated 6.21.10

[pmickus]

We have 3 families (total of 9 people) going to WDW in January during Free Dining. Each family has their own room and dining plan attached to it. I have made all my ADRs but have a question about tipping since we will be eating some meals together. I know that we will automatically be charged the 18% for 6+ people. I am fine with that but how will Disney divide. All of us will have separate dining plans. Will Disney separate each of our checks correctly and just add the 18% to each check? The last time we travelled we were in a villa so it was just 1 dining plan.

We have a couple of Grand Gathering buffet events. Is the tip included in these dinners that cost 2 credits?

[tyniknate]

I was told by a reservation agent last week when I booked that the 18% was on there as a suggestion. If you don't feel that the 18% is what should be charged you just cross out the amount on the receipt and add your own amount (More or Less Depending on Service.) I certainly could have used this information before our last trip when we had two really lousy meals. It didn't seem to bother the wait-staff though. They can do as little or as much as they want when the tip is already on the bill and the customer doesnt know any different.

Originally Posted by pmickus

We have 3 families (total of 9 people) going to WDW in January during Free Dining. Each family has their own room and dining plan attached to it. I have made all my ADRs but have a question about tipping since we will be eating some meals together. I know that we will automatically be charged the 18% for 6+ people. I am fine with that but how will Disney divide. All of us will have separate dining plans. Will Disney separate each of our checks correctly and just add the 18% to each check? The last time we travelled we were in a villa so it was just 1 dining plan.

We have a couple of Grand Gathering buffet events. Is the tip included in these dinners that cost 2 credits?

[Pumbaa_]

That is not an option for parties of 6 or more. There is an 18% gratuity. You know it going in, they tell you when you make your ADR. It is not a suggested amount for parties over 6

pmickus - tell your server who is together in the party. You will get a bill for your part of the party with gratuity. Disney does this all the time and they are great at it

Have a great time!!

[DisneyStarWisher]

Originally Posted by Pumbaa_

the suggested amounts are on the pretax amount

I have not read through all the posts, but I had to comment on this one. All of the restaurants we ate at last week had suggested tip amounts that were based on the pretax amount--except for one. Le Cellier's suggested tip was based on the total amount. I found that very odd because I always thought you figured your tip on the subtotal before taxes.

[gonnago]

first off I posted a thread about tipping question before I knew there was a sticky for this so mod please close or move the thread and I sincerly apologize for breaking the rules as to which I was not aware of.
now with that said my question is we are a party of six so auto gratuity is in effect I know(and is no way a problem/concern)my question is we will all have our own KTTW card and are on the dining plan(6 adult females on a friends to the world trip)so there are two different room ressies so how do we go about charging our meals & tips?Do we ask for 6 individual checks(I would think this would make any server cringe)or just ask for the 2 different ressies to be seperated?don't want to make this any harder or more confusing to anyone involved just need to make sure the proper credits are being used for the ddp.we could figure out the tip amongst ourselves should this be a problem?

[Tricia1972]

There are two different room reservations. Each room reservation will have the credits for the people staying in that room on everyone's card.

Even though you are friends traveling together, think of it like a family of three or four sharing a room. A mom and dad aren't going to want to have to present cards for each of them and for each of their children when they go to a restaurant. They show and swipe one card. It makes it simpler for the family and for the servers.

When you go to a restaurant let the server know who is with who. Just point and say "John, Jack and Kevin are on one check." and "Jane, Judy and I are on another check" and ask them to please split it up accordingly.

The server will come out with one check for John Jack and Kevin and another for Jane Judy and you.

On each check will be the total for those three meals as well as the 18% gratuity amount.

How you and your friends choose to pick up the gratuity amounts between yourselves is entirely up to you.

[numberonenole]

We are on the DDP.

I saw in the first post that tips can be paid with the card, but what exactly is the procedure?

Does the server take the gift card with your KTTW card?

Do you have to tell him in advance how much to take off the gift card for tips or does he bring you a receipt with the tip recommendations(18% and 20%) and a blank line?

If it is a blank line, do you need to wait around for a receipt that shows the correct amount was taken off the gift card?

It makes a difference in whether the server has to leave and come back once or twice (meaning we are there longer). Thanks!

[minnie56]

Originally Posted by DisneyStarWisher

I have not read through all the posts, but I had to comment on this one. All of the restaurants we ate at last week had suggested tip amounts that were based on the pretax amount--except for one. Le Cellier's suggested tip was based on the total amount. I found that very odd because I always thought you figured your tip on the subtotal before taxes.

That is very odd? Disney has the same cash system in all the restaurants? Just different items-different prices--how can that be?

[Tricia1972]

Originally Posted by numberonenole

We are on the DDP.

I saw in the first post that tips can be paid with the card, but what exactly is the procedure?

Does the server take the gift card with your KTTW card?

Do you have to tell him in advance how much to take off the gift card for tips or does he bring you a receipt with the tip recommendations(18% and 20%) and a blank line?

If it is a blank line, do you need to wait around for a receipt that shows the correct amount was taken off the gift card?

It makes a difference in whether the server has to leave and come back once or twice (meaning we are there longer). Thanks!

The server will come out with your bill at the end of the meal, which shows how much your meal would be without the DDP.

This receipt is very much like any other receipt from any other restaurant in the 'real' world and there is a space to write how much you'd like to leave for a tip at the bottom of that receipt.

Write how much you want to tip on the tip line. (If you are subject to an auto gratuity, the auto gratuity is already built into the total and that line is where you'd add more tip if you choose to tip more.)

Give the server your KTTW card for the DDP

Give your server a separate card/cash/etc for the tip if you are not putting the tip on your KTTW card.

Let your server know "Please take the credits for the DDP from the KTTW card and put the remainder on my/out of ________."

[numberonenole]

Thanks! I was making it more complicated than it is...

[timbitkid]

We will be a party of 4 on the the ddp going in December. When do I tell the waiter/waitress that we are on the dining plan? And correct me if I am wrong I also determine the amount of the tip as well?

[BriarRosie]

Originally Posted by timbitkid

We will be a party of 4 on the the ddp going in December. When do I tell the waiter/waitress that we are on the dining plan? And correct me if I am wrong I also determine the amount of the tip as well?

The servers will ask you before you order if you're using the Dining Plan. You would say yes at that time. If the server doesn't ask, you should tell the server you're on the Dining Plan anyway. (I've never had a server forget to ask me, but just in case it happens, tell your server before ordering.)

Tip suggestions for percentages will appear at the bottom of the bill. You can give what you want.

[bedogged]

Is the tip included when using dinning credits for the Fantasmic Dinner Package? I saw this question asked on a previous page but never saw an answer.

[Tricia1972]

Originally Posted by bedogged

Is the tip included when using dinning credits for the Fantasmic Dinner Package? I saw this question asked on a previous page but never saw an answer.

It is not included

[mickeyluv'r]

Originally Posted by gonnago

we are a party of six so auto gratuity is in effect I know(and is no way a problem/concern)my question is we will all have our own KTTW card and are on the dining plan(6 adult females on a friends to the world trip)so there are two different room ressies so how do we go about charging our meals & tips?Do we ask for 6 individual checks(I would think this would make any server cringe)or just ask for the 2 different ressies to be seperated?

By my recollection, you can ask the server to split the check. When they put in your order, they do it by 'seat', as in "seat number one ordered: sandwich, soup, lemonade.

However, what we find is the simplest method for us is just to alternate. It all comes out in the wash - so to speak. There's no way I'm going fret if it works out a dollar or two in my sister's favor, and visa versa. If it looks like it's starting to go more than ten dollars in any one's favor - or thereabouts - someone picks up an extra snack, or some little thing in a gift shop. It's just not worth the hassle of nickel and diming; everyone is having fun. Really as much as we pay attention, it almost always seems to come out very close to even. Even if the groups aren't the same size. (the smaller group does the tip at the signature restaurant or something.)

Otherwise, the tip will not be done by person, but by party.Your dining credits are also pooled by pary - so only one person per room needs to give a KTTW card at each dinner.