2008 DDP - why tip 18% OOP ?

[pooh2001]

2008 DDP changes to plan of 2007...
We never ordered appetizeers, so that change does not bother us.

Tips - we normally do 15%.
Why 18 % - if you have to tip and is not on 2008 DDP ?
For buffets we do 10% - we get our own food - only drinks are served.
So for an $80 breakfast CP buffet, our tip would just be $8.

Are we being cheap ?
__________________

 

[Colleen27]

You'll probably get as many answers to this as there are posters on the DIS. Having both been tip-dependant employees at various points in our adult lives, DH and I tend to tip well, but we don't generally tip as much at a buffet as at a fill service or family style restaurant. A quick Google turns up many, many, many sites (including Peggy Post, Miss Manners and Dear Abby columns) that list 10% as the suggested starting point for buffet tips, rather than the 15-20% that should be the starting point for a sit down meal.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I believe that the 18% gratuity is not added on unless your party size is 6 or more. I can't seem to find anything to the contrary.

Tipping does tend to be a hot topic here. People get very passionate about what some posters post.

My tipping amount depends on a few things. How was the service? Did I have to chase down refills? Eat around dirty dishes (buffet)? Any special requests? If there are kids, how much of a mess was left? Then adjust accordingly. If my sever makes my dining experinec more enjoyable, then I leave extra.

We have had some fun servers at CP. Engaged my niece in a fun way and really left an impression. He got extra

 

[patsal]

The issue with buffet tipping at WDW is 1. even if it is a buffet if the party is 6 or larger in 2008 then an automatice 18% will be added. 2.At WDW buffets are not like your local buffet joint where the wait staff gets your drink order and you rarely see them again. They help with photos , answer questions, strike up conversations with your kids, help find a character they may have missed before you leave, take care of refills, clear plates, set up any special occasion things like birthday cards and cupcakes, grab your final refill in a to go cup so you can enjoy it in the park. I have never had a WDW server at a buffet that didn't earn the 18-25% tip I have left.

 

[bookgirl2632]

I tip anywhere from 15% to 18%, and sometimes, even more. If service is great, I tip higher. If it is merely adequate, I tip on the low end, at least 15%. This pretty much goes for buffets as well, unless I have a particularly bad server.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I think these days 15% is the very low end of "normal" when it comes to tipping in a Table Service restaurant.

 

[paulh]

when the union contract was announced i thougth they said 18% for all dinning plans,DDE card and partys 6+over(used to be 8)
we will find out more when people can look at contract or disney announces something or jan 1st when it starts

 

[caroline1851]

If the service is very average, i tip 15%. If it's good...20%. At a buffet (not wdw, since i haven't been to one yet), i tip 10%

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

Tip what you feel is right an what you can afford.

 

[Lewisc]

when the union contract was announced i thougth they said 18% for all dinning plans,DDE card and partys 6+over(used to be 8)
we will find out more when people can look at contract or disney announces something or jan 1st when it starts

Links to the 2008 borchure have been posted. The 18% gratuity will be added to parties of 6 or more (DDP or not). The brochure would have indicated if an automatic 18% was going to be added to all DDP guests.

People should eat where they can afford including a normal tip for normal service.

 

[dizfanz]

Tip what you feel is right an what you can afford.

How about this instead: Dine at a place that fits into your budget, including a 15-20% gratuity, and tip what you feel is appropriate. Saying tip what you can afford leaves open the possibilty of having a $150 bill and leaving a $10 tip just because that is what you can afford.

 

[erikthewise]

There is absolutely no reason why you should feel obligated to tip 18%, unless you feel the level of service merited that amount. (IMHO it often does.)

The figure 18% was selected by Disney and the CMs during negotiations of the previous contract, not by the guest. They may wish that to be a standard tip, but their wishing does not make it so. I think most people still regard 15% as standard.

But again, service at WDW often exceeds the standard and should be so rewarded when it does. In spite of my thinking of 15% as a standard tip, I usually end up tipping 18-20%. But when service is merely adequate, it's 15%, and on the rare occasions when service was substandard, I have tipped well under 15%.

As for differences if any between ordinary TS tipping and buffet tipping, I expect the BSDL (Buffet Servers Defense League) to contribute shortly. Let me just mention that our best service last year was at Biergarten, a buffet. A delightful and enthusiastic young lady from Germany spend several minutes at our table talking about her homeland and responding to our minimal attempts to speak German with her. She got 20%+. But if it had been a matter of "There's the buffet. Here's your drinks. If you're lucky I may refill them", it would have been 10% at best.

 

[BeckWhy]

I believe that the 18% gratuity is not added on unless your party size is 6 or more. I can't seem to find anything to the contrary.

Tipping does tend to be a hot topic here. People get very passionate about what some posters post.

My tipping amount depends on a few things. How was the service? Did I have to chase down refills? Eat around dirty dishes (buffet)? Any special requests? If there are kids, how much of a mess was left? Then adjust accordingly. If my sever makes my dining experinec more enjoyable, then I leave extra.

We have had some fun servers at CP. Engaged my niece in a fun way and really left an impression. He got extra

I agree with this. I think tip should be dependent of the situation. But you tip how you feel you should tip. It's your money.

 

[corgi_monster]

I have always used the dining plan while at WDW, so I've always been had to tip 18% (not that I'm complaining). I've NEVER had a bad service in WDW, but everyone has a different idea as to what bad service is.

Outside of WDW I tip:
10% or more for standard service at a buffet
20% at restaurants - I hate math, so it's much easier to calculate 20% rather than 18%.
For breakfast or really cheap meals, I tend to tip a higher percentage. While I've never been a server, I would imagine that a great waitress who has 6 tables at Denny's works just as hard as a great waitress who has 6 tables at California Pizza Kitchen.

I think that as long as you are generous as you can afford to be, everyone will be happy!

 

[nicolbw]

We tip pretty much the same... 15% at TS and 10% at buffets. BUT this really depends on the server. My husband tends to drink alot (nonalcoholic). He goes through about 4-5 glasses during the meal. So the tip really depends on how good they are at refilling. If they bring refills before he's done, then they get closer to 20%. If he has to ask and they bring it right away then they get 15%. If he has to ask and it takes awhile to bring a refill then they get closer to 10%. If we don't see the server at all then no tip as they didn't do their job and earn it.

My kids very rarely make messes and they don't run around or bother other diners. So just because I have kids doesn't mean I'm going to tip more.

Call us cheap if you want to. I don't see our percentages going up anytime soon. The way I see it, if the server wants to be paid more then they need to do their job better. By the way I do take into concideration if there are demanding diners the server has at another table. Plus I don't count food quality against them either.

 

[stitchlover]

I can have a little OCD when it comes to my Disney planning, imagine a Disboard member being a little obsessive about planning, I know you're shocked! ANYWAY...In the months leading up to our trip I tend to put aside Disney Dollars, purchased at the Disney store, for those OOP expenses. I will be putting aside approximately a 20% tip for all our our meals and if the server earns 20% that's what I'll leave, if they don't I'll put the extra dollars aside to use for soda or water, etc.

 

[daisy112878]

We tip the same way no matter if we're at a restaurant here in atlanta, on vacation or at WDW. We usually tip around 20% unless the service was horrible and no explanation is given as to why the service was slow or wrong etc. I don't see a difference in the restaurants at wdw or another vacation place or at home. I base my tip on the experience at that place.

 

[JimMIA]

How about this instead: Dine at a place that fits into your budget, including a 15-20% gratuity, and tip what you feel is appropriate. Saying tip what you can afford leaves open the possibilty of having a $150 bill and leaving a $10 tip just because that is what you can afford.

Disney is an expensive place to vacation, but the server's shouldn't be punished because we've spent more than we expected, or more than we could afford.

A reasonable tip is an integral part of the cost of a meal. If you can't afford to eat at an expensive restaurant, that's fine -- just eat at a less expensive restaurant.

 

[bicker]

Well said, Jim.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Disney is an expensive place to vacation, but the server's shouldn't be punished because we've spent more than we expected, or more than we could afford.

A reasonable tip is an integral part of the cost of a meal. If you can't afford to eat at an expensive restaurant, that's fine -- just eat at a less expensive restaurant.

I wholeheartedly agree!