Tips

[reddog1473]

Are tips charged against your onboard account on a daily basis or at the end of the cruise? Iam trying to find out if tips will count towards my daily onboard credit balance. Appreciate the help.

 

[princessmommyx3]

From what I remember that they aren't added to your account until towards the end of the cruise - I think the last full day. Hopefully someone else can verify.

 

[clten]

Tips are not charged daily. They are added all at once near the end of the cruise.

 

[DizneyNutz]

This was copied from an e-mail received from our travel agent:

I also wanted to remind you about the Auto Apply Gratuities that has been introduced on All Disney Ships. On embarkation day, your folio (stateroom account) will automatically be charged for the suggested gratuity amounts for Server, Assistant Server, Head Server and Stateroom Host / Hostess.

This will only occur if you have not prepaid gratuities. If the pre-paid gratuities have not been added prior to boarding, you will receive a letter upon check-in explaining the automatic charge to your onboard account. You will still have the option to modify or add additional gratuity amounts, or pay in cash, by stopping by the Guest Services Desk onboard.

As a reminder, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to any bar, beverage, wine and deck-service receipt.

 

[clten]

Your travel agent's e-mail was probably drafted back when DCL first introduced auto gratuities and has not be updated to how they are doing them now. You do not get a letter (or we haven't in a few years) when you get on board explaining anything about tips. You get no notification of the tips being charged to your room until the cabin steward leaves the tip envelopes and page with the tip slips in your cabin (the next to last full day?). Along with that paperwork is the explanation of the auto gratuity and how you can change them. It is right around that time that the gratuities are charged to your account as well.

 

[Stasia5]

They were charged to our account on day 6 of our 7 day sailing.

 

[jrabbit]

for a long time now (years and years) the auto gratuity gets added on the night(day) BEFORE your last night of the cruise
3 night cruise - charged day 2
4 night cruise - charged day 3
5 night cruise - charged day 4
7 night cruise - charged day 6
14 night cruise - charged day 13

 

[DreaminOfDisneyWorld]

We just returned from the 7 night Western Caribbean on the Fantasy. We sailed 2/20-2/27 and our gratuity was put on our account on day 5. We received the gratuity tickets to hand our to the various people on day 6 with the little envelopes to put them in.

 

[sonocruiser]

Do you have to hand out the tickets/envelopes if its automatic?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you have to hand out the tickets/envelopes if its automatic?

No, you don't HAVE to hand out the envelopes. But, it's a nice gesture.

 

[over50visits]

Do you have to hand out the tickets/envelopes if its automatic?

You don't have to hand them out whether or not it is automatic, and whether or not you increase it. But the handing over of the tip envelope at the final dinner is kind of a cruise tradition, and believe me the waiters handle it with class. They take it with a smile, don't look inside, tuck it in their jacket, and every single time the occasion has been easy, quick, comfortable, and fun. I genuinely believe they appreciate it. They won't ask for it or even mention it in my experience, but the smiles seem real. And boy did they work hard for it not only at dinner but LOTS of other places and times.

 

[sonocruiser]

I guess the reason I ask is because I am very bad with remembering names and am nervous I would give them the wrong one! How are they labeled? By name or job title?

 

[Quellman]

I guess the reason I ask is because I am very bad with remembering names and am nervous I would give them the wrong one! How are they labeled? By name or job title?

By job title. There are little tear off strips that have their names and the tip amount that you put in each envelope. We often write a note on the back of the envelope or stick one inside as well for a personal gesture

 

[TrySomethingNew]

We have had the experience where one of the names for one server was incorrect, wrong person. So I had to spend some time at GS to get them to fix it- since we had spent every night being served by another person, I wanted to make sure my tips reached the correct person. GS took some time to get it fixed - they were perplexed at first and after standing there, talking with them off and on for about 20 min while they were consulting a computer, they had me leave and told me there would be a corrected form at my cabin later. This was done and the correct name was now on the sheet. So, make sure to read the names on the sheets to make sure they are correct!