What to tip at Palo's?

[Karen Mouse]

You had me at 'grape pizza'! Who knew that blue cheese and grapes belonged on a pizza? Can't wait to have that again in two weeks!!!

Ahhhhh, blue cheese and grape pizza.... worth $20 on its own

 

[Dizny]

I hear you, 50% looks too much right?

Well, consider how much you'd be paying for the meal you are getting if in a real nice restaurant on land, more than $40's worth right?

Then consider the extras you get at Palo, being able to order multiple items to try.

Then consider the service from these folks who I am told get paid very little if anything of a salary. They rely on your tips.

If they treated you very well, and you are on vacation, on a wonderful cruise, treating yourselves very well, don't over think the % you are giving as a tip. If they treat you very well, treat them very well in return. Carma baby

Just my 2 cents.

Eric

Eric,
I have never cruise, so I have yet to experience Palo. I agree that if service is excellent, then tip should equal that. Glad I "ran" into this post. Everyone's reply is great. Since reading all of them, I will be adjusting my tips accordingly.

 

[jilljill]

This is exactly my problem. $40 tip to me with out acohol seems excessive. I don't want to feel like the server feels slighted by only getting $20 tip when the last table he got $40. I guess the majority says $20 so I'll go with that.

This is one of the reasons these threads become a hot topic. Don't feel bad for leaving an additional tip, no matter what the amount is. There is no way of knowing what the person next to you left and you shouldn't worry about it either. Tipping is a personal choice and shouldn't be compared to others choices so much.

You may arrive at Palo and your server could be having a bad night and not worthy of a $20 tip, let alone a $40 tip. In this case you shouldn't feel 'obligated' to leave them more than you feel they deserve just because you read on DIS that others leave a larger amount.

 

[plc001]

Many, many moons ago, I used to be a server. I hated when people tip in relation to a discounted totals and also when people pull out those little tip suggestion cards, my name was not on them.

Like it was stated above, if you where to go out to dinner in a nice restaurant, how much would it cost you? $100? $150? 200$?

How was your dinner experience? How was the service?

Then you would realize that $20, $30 or $50 maybe the proper amount to pay for service.

my two cents.

 

[Anal Annie]

The way I look at it is that on a cruise, meals are included in the cost - Palo is "extra" but I still feel that part of it at least is included in what we've already paid for the cruise...the $20 pp fee covers the extra ambiance & service at Palo. I do not look at it as if it's an EXTRA $100-150 meal. That said, we usually leave an extra $10 pp or $20 total for both dinner and brunch. Se each meal costs us $80 plus any alcohol. Perhaps with the latest price increase we should've taken that to a total of $25 but we didn't.

 

[tgropp]

We tip $5 extra for each of us on top of the $20 charge. Guess we are cheap

When considering that your regular servers look after you for 7 nights for approx $25.00/person , I would think that anything around $15 for 2 people is quite reasonable

 

[Disney Dreams]

This is exactly my problem. $40 tip to me with out acohol seems excessive. I don't want to feel like the server feels slighted by only getting $20 tip when the last table he got $40. I guess the majority says $20 so I'll go with that.

I understand what you are saying about it feeling excessive, but...

A $200 dinner, tipped at 20% equals a $40 tip. A $150 dinner = $30. So, if you feel you received excellent service (which we always have at Palo), and if you were to figure out what Palo would cost if it were a restaurant in your neighborhood, $30-$40 isn't that far off.

When considering that your regular servers look after you for 7 nights for approx $25.00/person , I would think that anything around $15 for 2 people is quite reasonable

I don't think you can compare the tipping in the main dining rooms to the tipping at Palo. The servers in the main dining room have more people that they receive tips from, they are not providing as intimate of an experience, and they are not in a restaurant that is as "fine" as Palo. To us, it's a different level of service at Palo... that's why those servers are there.

- Dreams

 

[kmitchel]

We have felt that the 'service charge' is not really the 'cost' of the meal. We tip based on what a similar meal would cost back on land.

We figure that the meal would be about $100 excluding alcohol, so $20 would be a nice tip.

 

[lmb]

We have always done a $20 tip for dinner/brunch.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

$20.00 dinner and brunch, $10.00 High Tea.

 

[BlackMamba]

Many, many moons ago, I used to be a server. I hated when people tip in relation to a discounted totals and also when people pull out those little tip suggestion cards, my name was not on them.

Like it was stated above, if you where to go out to dinner in a nice restaurant, how much would it cost you? $100? $150? 200$?

How was your dinner experience? How was the service?

Then you would realize that $20, $30 or $50 maybe the proper amount to pay for service.

my two cents.

Well, I agree about tipping off of the discounted amount. I would never dream of doing that in a restaurant but it really is a different story when there isn't a starting price go from. If the bill said $150 but reduced to $40 then it would be clear what to do.

 

[BlackMamba]

The way I look at it is that on a cruise, meals are included in the cost - Palo is "extra" but I still feel that part of it at least is included in what we've already paid for the cruise...the $20 pp fee covers the extra ambiance & service at Palo. I do not look at it as if it's an EXTRA $100-150 meal. That said, we usually leave an extra $10 pp or $20 total for both dinner and brunch. Se each meal costs us $80 plus any alcohol. Perhaps with the latest price increase we should've taken that to a total of $25 but we didn't.

I think I'm with you on this one.

 

[aberrydisneygirl]

I agree with Anal Annie. I pay a lot for the cruise and that covers most meals, so I as well would not consider the $20 a discounted meal, as said, the $20 is for extra atmosphere etc. So I don't see an issue with tipping on the $20. Some of us don't make a lot of money and one cruise is a year or more worth of any extra income we get. We would love to do the palo experience but are having to scrimp and save for the extra $$ to do so, and to put an extra $40 as a tip would be a little much for us. If we are cheap doing a $5-$10 pp tip then so be it, that would be what we could do. And from reading these threads it seems like people tip way more than they need to, but that is their choice.

On another note. I have seen people say that the servers get a very small wage and they rely on the tips for their income. Well, If I got room/board, and meals, then the tips would be extra and I would be happy with anything. If they were to have 5 tables they serve per night, and each table left them a $40 tip, that would be $200 for a day/evening work. To some of you, that may be pocket change, but for some of us, that is way more than we might make in a day and we have to pay for our rent/mortgage etc. So $200 a day plus room/board and meals is a pretty nice wage.

These are just my thoughts.

 

[jjgarv]

Count us in the camp that typically leaves an additional $15-20 for our party of 2 for brunch or dinner.

But seriously, when DCL tells you that gratuity is included in the additional cost for Palo right on their website, there is no reason to judge anyone that chooses to take DCL at their word and not leave any additional tip. I'm sure that all the cruisers who aren't acquainted with the DisBoards do just that. And to be completely honest, as grateful as I am for a wonderful meal and service, part of that $20 gratuity (on top of the $40 that we already paid) is to not appear cheap! (And I once waited tables at Bob's Big Boy, so I know how hard servers work...)

Let's face it...I don't think that it's 'fair' if the server really only gets $4 per person of that $20 fee...in that case, I'm more than happy to add to the tip! However, if they are getting more like $15 of the $20 per person, then that's a different story.

I do appreciate the server who told someone on these boards that they consider anything over $5 per person a good tip. That can provide a bit of guidance on the subject...

 

[tomspixie]

I agree with Anal Annie. I pay a lot for the cruise and that covers most meals, so I as well would not consider the $20 a discounted meal, as said, the $20 is for extra atmosphere etc. So I don't see an issue with tipping on the $20. Some of us don't make a lot of money and one cruise is a year or more worth of any extra income we get. We would love to do the palo experience but are having to scrimp and save for the extra $$ to do so, and to put an extra $40 as a tip would be a little much for us. If we are cheap doing a $5-$10 pp tip then so be it, that would be what we could do. And from reading these threads it seems like people tip way more than they need to, but that is their choice.

On another note. I have seen people say that the servers get a very small wage and they rely on the tips for their income. Well, If I got room/board, and meals, then the tips would be extra and I would be happy with anything. If they were to have 5 tables they serve per night, and each table left them a $40 tip, that would be $200 for a day/evening work. To some of you, that may be pocket change, but for some of us, that is way more than we might make in a day and we have to pay for our rent/mortgage etc. So $200 a day plus room/board and meals is a pretty nice wage.

These are just my thoughts.

You did a nice job of explaining your thoughts, and they are quite valid. I think the info on this thread is merely as a guide, since someone asked. Not to one up another, or belittle someone else. It is to guide an individual on what they personally feel comfortable with leaving in addition to inclusive gratuities.
But, as a side note, regarding the cast members getting room, board, etc....the CMs get those while onboard. When they return home, the majority are not living at Mom and Dad's so they have mortgages or rent. Many have families that they are providing for...spouse and kids. Most CM's are grateful for anything extra they do receive...it gives their families a better life. Speaking with several, they have spoken about getting their kids educations that they themselves were not able to attain.
So, whether someone has a lot to leave or someone that gives the hard earned extra, the CM's are grateful and do appreciate.

 

[NickyKnack]

Personally, I think it's best to tip generously according to what you can afford. For some a twenty dollar tip is relatively painless, for some 40 is painless and for some ten is really all they can afford on top of the fee. Tip what you can with an open heart, and don't worry if you can't keep up with the table before you.

This is exactly my problem. $40 tip to me with out acohol seems excessive. I don't want to feel like the server feels slighted by only getting $20 tip when the last table he got $40. I guess the majority says $20 so I'll go with that.

 

[NickyKnack]

See, my problem with this is that the "Percentage of what you paid for your meal" card is always played by servers who work in higher priced establishments to explain why they "deserve" to make more then a server who does the same amount of work in a Denny's.

The price is 20 dollars per person... so by the above argument all I really owe is 4 - 6 dollars per person for great service. That said given the unique situation at hand I usually forgo percentages and leave according to my heart/financial situation.

(Oh and we are the patrons that servers ask for when we walk trough the door, because yes we do tip appropriately for our area, that and we tend to be really easy going/easy to please.)

Many, many moons ago, I used to be a server. I hated when people tip in relation to a discounted totals and also when people pull out those little tip suggestion cards, my name was not on them.

Like it was stated above, if you where to go out to dinner in a nice restaurant, how much would it cost you? $100? $150? 200$?

How was your dinner experience? How was the service?

Then you would realize that $20, $30 or $50 maybe the proper amount to pay for service.

my two cents.

 

[UK-Simon]

See, my problem with this is that the "Percentage of what you paid for your meal" card is always played by servers who work in higher priced establishments to explain why they "deserve" to make more then a server who does the same amount of work in a Denny's.

May I just add, as a server who works in a moderately priced steakhouse (steaks start at $20 and go up to about $40 when served as a seafood combo) the level of service/attentiveness is very different to what you would receive at Denny's.

Someone at Denny's may server 60 people in a shift, I might serve 20, but those 20 receive very careful attention to detail. We have to know the menu inside out, we are tested on it regularly. Table maintenance must be perfect, refills automatically bought when drinks are low (for refillable drinks.) It's very different and more time consuming than the service at a "Denny's" type establishment.

That said, I feel like it's a privilege not a right. I give 100% to my tables every need, and I often make reasonable money in tips. That said, I do not believe it's a right to be tipped, you must earn it, and if you do not offer great service, you should not make the large tips.

 

[debg]

We tip $25 at brunch (for three people) and $50 at dinner (for three people). When it's just the two of us it's $15 and $35. We are there at least a couple of hours, DH tries many things, and our servers always go above and beyond to make for a wonderful experience. We do not tip over the auto 15% on our wine. I don't remember how I came up with those amounts and don't really care what the percentage is, it's simply what we're comfortable doing.

debg

 

[NickyKnack]

Now see, as someone who frequents places from Denny's to the types of places you work on a regular basis, I can say in my own experience that's not always, heck, not even usually the case.

The number of people each type of server has at a given time actually in my exp is then a point in the favor of my local Denny's waitresses, who manage to be at least as attentive as those at place like Corbet's and Varaneese, and the Waffle House waitress last night blew our last Stone Hearth server out of the water.

I don't need my server to know the menu inside and out, I can make choices from the menu without any help, so why should I tip extra for a service I never utilize?

The fact is (at least around here) who gets to work where has a lot more to do with where you live (I live in a smaller city which only contains one fine dining establishment - but drive the hour to Louisville quite often.) and what they look like, whether they are physically able to present the image the higher end restaurants want to present.

I have had way too many extremely good servers at our local Denny's, Texas Roadhouse ect to buy into the idea that where you work makes you a better or worse server.

May I just add, as a server who works in a moderately priced steakhouse (steaks start at $20 and go up to about $40 when served as a seafood combo) the level of service/attentiveness is very different to what you would receive at Denny's.

Someone at Denny's may server 60 people in a shift, I might serve 20, but those 20 receive very careful attention to detail. We have to know the menu inside out, we are tested on it regularly. Table maintenance must be perfect, refills automatically bought when drinks are low (for refillable drinks.) It's very different and more time consuming than the service at a "Denny's" type establishment.

That said, I feel like it's a privilege not a right. I give 100% to my tables every need, and I often make reasonable money in tips. That said, I do not believe it's a right to be tipped, you must earn it, and if you do not offer great service, you should not make the large tips.