2 Staterooms - reserved as 3 + 3, but staying 4 + 2

[dvcdisney]

OP, I am so sorry you are being flamed by so many here. I understood your original question and your viewpoint on who to tip. I think you should tip the person giving you the service. I believe if you go to Guest Services and explain the situation they should be able to arrange the tips the way you want them to be. You sound like an honorable person doing what you think is right. I applaud you. Don't let the flamers get you down.
I'm not sure why anyone is questioning the way you booked the rooms either. If you read the different threads on this board you read about people doing the very same thing all the time and no-one criticizes them. So sorry they're hitting on you. Chin-up!

Thank you. I appreciate it. And thank you, especially, for understanding. I didn't want to start a dispute...last thing I would want. This forum is full of information. I try to stay clear of these types of threads and it looks like I, inadvertently, started one.

I never want to take something away or treat someone so poorly as to not tip them. I just wanted to know how I can ensure that the Host who was going to service the room for 4 guests would get the appropriate gratuity. I know gratuities are charged automatically. So I want to make sure our host doesn't get only gratuity for 3. He or she should receive gratuity for 4 guests.

I understand that some posters are very passionate about certain things, but I don't believe I implied doing anything against the rules or even wrong. I believe gratuities are given based on service not because someone expects it. I understand that it's a sore spot for people.

I really hope the Moderators close this down. I think it's getting a lot of people upset and that's not my intention.

 

[dvcdisney]

Just go to guest services and explain your situation and to whom you wish your portion of the tips to be allocated. Each person in a room is broken out on the bill. If you have no relationship with the room b host and you don't tip, it will show on the bill. For the room where you don't have a bill under your name, just allocate, say double your DHs portion and that host will be compensated for the work done for you. You might consider making up a thank you card for your host that explains... or not.

For the record, I don't think you have to tip the host in the room you didn't use. And also, if your rooms adjoin (that is, are near each other) there's a good chance you'll have the same host.

Consider it this way... if you have the same host in both rooms, will you tip in both rooms or just one? That is how you should tip if there are two hosts involved.

Nobody is availing themselves of benefits they didn't earn. Disney has clearly designed the Castaway Club program in a way benefits apply to all those booked in the same stateroom. Disney has even gone so far as to recommend people book a certain way to maximize those benefits. Nobody is trying to beat the system here, nor have I seen any attempts here to take advantage of a stateroom host or somehow short them on a gratuity. Seems people are trying to create problems where none exist.

I just wanted to thank you both for understanding my position. And I appreciate your help.

 

[lesroi]

Hi. This came up in one of the threads but I didn't want to hijack the thread from the OP, so I thought I should post a new question.

If I reserved 2 staterooms with 3 guests in each, but in reality it will be 4+2, how do I handle the stateroom host gratuity IF they are two different stateroom hosts?

I chose the staterooms close to each other, but I know that doesn't guarantee we will get the same host.

Any suggestions and experience with this would be much appreciated.

I apologize if this was already covered but I could not read through four pages of tipping discussions.

When you check in, as long as the room sleeps 4, switch room assignments at the port or at guest services after boarding. Then the individual muster stations will correspond with the actual rooms people are staying in and that is the is the first benefit. Along those lines should there be an actual emergency the family of 4 will not have to split up. The second reason to do this is the for the tips, the stateroom host will correspond to the actual room people are staying.

We have done upgrades 3-4 times and switched multiple people in rooms another 3 times. In all circumstances the tip printout always has the correct stateroom host. Since there are not any real CC benefits for the individuals in the stateroom once on board, the actual room assignments are sort of a moot point. The biggest CC benefit to having guests in each stateroom is booking excursusions and such. Again the switch at the port or on board will not impact this. Also, If the reservations are linked then you would not have to worry as all in the party can book at the same time for most items. (I think the spa bookings may be one exception.)

Hope that helps. Switching at the port is pretty easy and should alleviate a lot of stress so you can enjoy the cruise.

 

[dvcdisney]

I apologize if this was already covered but I could not read through four pages of tipping discussions.

When you check in, as long as the room sleeps 4, switch room assignments at the port or at guest services after boarding. Then the individual muster stations will correspond with the actual rooms people are staying in and that is the is the first benefit. Along those lines should there be an actual emergency the family of 4 will not have to split up. The second reason to do this is the for the tips, the stateroom host will correspond to the actual room people are staying.

We have done upgrades 3-4 times and switched multiple people in rooms another 3 times. In all circumstances the tip printout always has the correct stateroom host. Since there are not any real CC benefits for the individuals in the stateroom once on board, the actual room assignments are sort of a moot point. The biggest CC benefit to having guests in each stateroom is booking excursusions and such. Again the switch at the port or on board will not impact this. Also, If the reservations are linked then you would not have to worry as all in the party can book at the same time for most items. (I think the spa bookings may be one exception.)

Hope that helps. Switching at the port is pretty easy and should alleviate a lot of stress so you can enjoy the cruise.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post and sharing your experience! This is exactly what I was looking for.

Yes, the stateroom does sleep 4 and our reservations are linked. And yes, being able to book the excursions, and checking in together was the reason I was told by the Future Cruise CM to arrange my reservation this way.

Perhaps my one experience of unsuccessfully trying to switch at port (and being given so many different answers at check in and from GS) was just an anomaly. Hopefully, I'll be just as fortunate and be permitted to make the switch to the other stateroom.

Also, I'm very glad to hear that the gratuity can then be allocated properly.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

To the OP I think you are perfectly justified in doing exactly as you plan.

To the people who think he should double tip, what about if you received an upgrade at port? Do you double tip for both rooms then? What if you go to guest services on arrival and switch dining times, do you owe double tips for both serving teams?

In my opinion a gratuities are extra money a service worker earns by performing a service. If there’s no service performed then gratuities aren’t called for.