1st timer- what all will be charged -food?etc?

[shefor24]

I guess I am a little confused here, I have always been told that on a cruise "oh my gosh you can eat at anytime day or night and its all free- except alcohol".
I guess I am confused about a few things on the DCL. I read that people are taking their own drinks- even soda and water.....can you not get this free on the ship or does it just taste bad?? Also- what all restaurants are not included on the "free food while on the ship". You read about Palos being expensive....I guess I just don't understand this part of my cruise yet. Cruising Oct 24-27 for the 1st time. Can someone please straighten me out

 

[disneyholic family]

i was going to try to straighten you out, but as i started i realized it can be confusing...
hmm..
ok....all the food in the restaurants and fast food type things on the ship is free.....also the 24 hour room service food is free (except for the tip you are expected to give to the person delivering it)....

the only thing you would pay for is candy type stuff sold in the store or in the bar near the theater (i'm not sure as i never felt the need for candy)....but we never bought any of that so i can't tell you about it...
there is just so much food (including incredble cookies and deserts) on the ship i can't imagine having to buy candy as well.......but i suppose if you can't live without your twizzlers licorice then you'd want to bring that along....

as for drinks....soft drinks (coke etc) are free with your meals (as much as you can possibly drink....our waiter kept bringing us refills...enough to float an armada)....at other times (not in the restaurants) you have to pay for the soft drinks (or get a mug that is refilled for free once you pay for the mug)...
the specialty drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) must be purchased wherever you are (in a restaurant or not)...
they're nice, but i only bought one....that was enough for me....i think they cost about $7 each....but i'm not sure...

on deck 9 there is a 24 hour free self-serve coffee bar that has coffee, tea, milk, hot chocolate, water, ice, and Barb says they're adding juice and lemonade...the water on the ship is excellent (at least i thought it was)...
some people take bottles of stuff onto the ship with them to have it in their room handy....we didn't and didn't feel the need for it...

as for palos, it's my understanding that you have to pay $5 per person when you eat there (i guess a kind of cover charge)...
we didn't eat there as i wanted to eat with my kids....

i should add that you can eat non-stop if you so desire...for example, you could wake up in the morning and have a room service breakfast....then you could go to tritons for a sit down breakfast served by waiters...then you could go to the buffet breakfast and eat some more...all of that is free...if you want to, you can put on 10 pounds without paying a penny extra...
and it goes on like that through the day....don't worry....there is so much free food you'll probably never get to half of it...we were on the 3 day cruise and i only managed to get room service once...only managed to eat one chocolate chip cookie, only managed to get one order of french fries from wherever it was they had them....it's not that i couldn't have had more than that but i was just so full there wasn't more room than that in my stomach...i guess i'll have to go back just to eat some more...yummy......

 

[markey]

I just have to chuckle everytime someone says the food is free on board, what was that final payment I made for? I know that we are saying there is no bill recieved everytime we get food while on board. Also would like to add that soda is only free in the sit down restaurants during meal time, not at the buffets, deck fast foods, or room service.

 

[markºoº]

As far as food goes, a few items are not "free". Snacks like popcorn, candy and nuts can be ordered from room service or purchased as various places on board but these items all cost extra.

I am a fairly big soda drinker but did not bring any on board nor did I purchase a mug. I didn't see myself carrying the mug around all day. I got enough soda at lunch and dinner. If I was thirsty I either has something from the coffee bar, water, or an adult beverage.

As for Palos, there is an additional $5 charge for dinner per person. Our server briefly explained the $5 charge and additional discretionary tipping when he presented the check (he was not pushy at all). In addition to the $10 charge for my wife and I, we also left an additional $20 tip as our service was excellent and we felt that is what we would have tipped for a meal of that quality. We discussed Palos and tipping with our regular server, Remi, the night after we did Palos. Remi said the $5 is shared by several people and that your actual server only receives a little more than $1 out of the $5. Remi said he has been offerred a position at Palo's but turned it down because he can make more money in the regular restaurants. I wish Disney would clarify the tipping issue at Palos. I feel sorry for a server who works his butt off only to receive a few dollars since the guest didn't know the tipping works.

Oh, and by the way, remember DCL automatically adds a 15% gratuity to any beverage purchase (including wine or other beverages purchased at dinner). There is no need to leave an additional tip unless you feel like being generous.

 

[disneyholic family]

excellent point markey....
it's not that the food is free, it's that it's included in the price of your cruise...

 

[din]

If you like the specialty coffee, it is extra also, even during meals. 15% will also be added.

 

[din]

If you like the specialty coffee, it is extra also, even during meals. 15% will also be added.

 

[mmouse37]

Just to clarify that the 15% automatic gratuity is added on ANY beverage purchased, anywhere on the ship.

Really like that bartender on Deck 9 and want to tip him, go ahead, but just remember that every drink you ordered already had a 15% gratuity added on.

I know of several people who did not know this and tipped their drink server by the pool several times because they didn't know the 15% tip was already added in. Obviously there is nothing wrong with wanting to tip above and beyond the 15% for good service, but just be aware that it is added on already.

I do know know how DCL divvies up the tips between the bar servers.

MJ