$400 in tips?

[my*jck*luv]

Okay, I just sat down and tried to figure how much we will be paying in tips. We're on the Deluxe dining plan, we'll have 2 TS meals a day, breakfast and dinner and lunch will be CS for 7 nights. Our pkg has been paid in full for awhile now so I'm trying to budget spending, tipping and extra money. I figured our tips will come out to $400 paying 20% at every meal. Granted, we are eating at a couple signature restaurants.

Can anyone who has gone w/ the DxDP confirm this sounds right? I want to make sure I'm putting enough in the tip budget. Thanks!

 

[eeyoresnr]

I'm guessing that's pretty accurate

 

[jrt1176]

We're eating at all signature restaurants, with exception of the day we arrive...even then, we may still go to Il Mulino...

6 nights...I expect $50-60 per dinner.

Although, we dont usually do sit downs for lunch. We snack throughout the park.

We will have a sitdown breakfast or two...

 

[lemondog]

Okay, I just sat down and tried to figure how much we will be paying in tips. We're on the Deluxe dining plan, we'll have 2 TS meals a day, breakfast and dinner and lunch will be CS for 7 nights. Our pkg has been paid in full for awhile now so I'm trying to budget spending, tipping and extra money. I figured our tips will come out to $400 paying 20% at every meal. Granted, we are eating at a couple signature restaurants.

Can anyone who has gone w/ the DxDP confirm this sounds right? I want to make sure I'm putting enough in the tip budget. Thanks!

Sounds pretty close. We did the math and ours came out around that number as well. Maybe slightly less since I usually tip a bit less for buffets (15%, unless service was EXCEPTIONAL, then I'll do 20%). And since most of our meals are buffets, our tips came out a little less on the DxDDP. We're also doing TS breakfast and dinner, and mostly CS lunches.

 

[my*jck*luv]

Sounds pretty close. We did the math and ours came out around that number as well. Maybe slightly less since I usually tip a bit less for buffets (15%, unless service was EXCEPTIONAL, then I'll do 20%). And since most of our meals are buffets, our tips came out a little less on the DxDDP. We're also doing TS breakfast and dinner, and mostly CS lunches.

My dh thinks the same, buffet 15%. I'm planning 20% for non buffets but if for some reason we don't rec. good service (waiter nowhere to be found, doesn't fill glasses, ect) then we'll tip less.

Thanks everyone for the input, I was so worried I wasn't adding everything up correctly.

 

[aubriee]

You might want to add a little to that figure. I was solo this past May and was on the DxDDP. I'm not a breakfast eater so chose to do an early TS lunch/brunch every day and then did a signature meal every night. For the seven night/eight day trip I had looked up the menus on All Ears and figured about what my tips would be. At almost every restaurant I ordered what I had figured. There was a couple though, where the All Ears menus were out of date, so I had to order other items. I had figured my tips for around $135.00, but round up spending $175.00. I only had one alcoholic drink all week, so the rest was just DxDDP stuff. I didn't buy any meals OOP. Apparently some of the prices on All Ears menus are no longer accurate.

Anyway, I am going back to WDW in Sept on the DxDDP. This time there will be three of us (all adults) and we will be eating three TS meals most days, plus paying for two small meals OOP (breakfast in the food court two mornings probably). I again used All Ears menus and figured what we would probably eat. I didn't necessarily choose the most expensive or the cheapest, just what I knew we would probably order. Our tips are coming out to $510.00 for the eight nights/nine days. Again this is DxDDP meals only and does not incude any alcohol for three adults, or anything OOP. I'm betting it's going to be closer to $550.00-$600.00 for tips though. Hopefully, I'm wrong and we'll come back with a little extra.

 

[lady browning]

That sounds about right. My girls only trip in January we always do Deluxe dining and we eat at sig. dining places every evening and usually CS lunch or breakfast. I easily spent that in tips this last trip. You figure 20% of a $200 meal is $40-$50. Times that by 5 days yeah, you are definately in the right ballpark. Good luck and happy eats!

 

[frdeb1999]

Sounds like it is pretty accurate to me. I always budget high end so there won't be any suprises.

 

[my*jck*luv]

Thanks everyone, I guess we'll budget in some extra and what ever we don't use on tips we'll spend in the parks!

 

[Mackey Mouse]

Our content team on the Dis here work very hard to keep our menus up to date with accurate pricing, I would click on Dining above and then go to the Restaurant area and more specifically the restaurants you are eating at and check their prices and offerings...

They work tirelessly at keeping the Dis up to date.

 

[choirfarm]

400 dollars JUST IN TIP?????? Wow... our grocery budget for a MONTH is 500 dollars for the 5 of us... WOW....

Christine

 

[Nancyg56]

400 dollars JUST IN TIP?????? Wow... our grocery budget for a MONTH is 500 dollars for the 5 of us... WOW....

Christine

When the tip was included in the price of the DDP there were folks who said they wanted to pay it to control how much servers would get and to ensure good service, there was a concern that servers would receive compensation for poor service. Well, now we get to pay the gratuity. And it does add up.

 

[planitdad]

I hear ya! We have budgeted a whopping $370 for tips (not counting mousekeeping) for our upcoming trip!

Of all the costs for our trip, this one is the hardest to swallow! While I may not like it, I have gotten over it. I will not slight a server for what is none of their doing, but if your listening Disney, I will be trimming spending elsewhere each trip until eventually we will be making bare bones trips, staying off-site.

The changes to the dining plan this year were a bit much!

 

[rentayenta]

It sounds a little low maybe. We'll be doing the regualr DDP and I have $325-$350 figured for tips.

 

[iluvpluto27]

I think that sounds about right for 2 TS a day.

 

[rdsx28]

Wow I am feeling very thrifty.. I can understand tipping 20% at signature restaurants for superior service. I cannot agree with tipping 15 or 20 % at a buffet when all they do really is get you drinks. I really feel 10% is adequate for a buffet and if the service is extra special for some reason bump it up. Especially with the fact that Disney meals are totally overpriced to begin with. We wereon the dining plan last year and went to Hollywood and Vine we paid for our meal with DDP and then the kids wanted those light up figures for the cups I think they were 5,95 or something like that. We were given a separate bill for those because they are not included in DDP.When we got the bill they had charged us an automatic gratuity for those. I was none too happy but let it go due to fact we were in a hurry to get to a show. My husband and I always tip 20% when we go out to eat but the meals are fairly priced and the service most times than not are good. I think the tip exclusion was a mistake. There should have been an option to give what you think the server deserved. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

 

[patsal]

Given the composition of your family and your dining choices that sounds about right. I figured for a family of four adults all sig dinners except two and a ts breakfast daily would be right around $1020. for 14 days. Needless to say we opted to not do the DXDDP or the DDP.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

When the tip was included in the price of the DDP there were folks who said they wanted to pay it to control how much servers would get and to ensure good service, there was a concern that servers would receive compensation for poor service. Well, now we get to pay the gratuity. And it does add up.

Yep, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!! Plus, I still don't understand why 20%. I tip based on service, and 10% at buffets is fine. It still makes no sense why just because a server is lucky enough to work in a signature restaurant they should get more than say a server at a place like GG. Doesn't make sense.

 

[Nancyg56]

I don't understand why folks think the server only brings drinks at a buffet. The next time you go to CM or 1900 PF,just for the heck of it, count how many trips the server makes to and from your table, and see if you eat off of the same dirty plate each time you go back to the buffet. Most times the server takes care of clean up and refills when you are not sitting but are away from your seat.

 

[my*jck*luv]

Yep, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!! Plus, I still don't understand why 20%. I tip based on service, and 10% at buffets is fine. It still makes no sense why just because a server is lucky enough to work in a signature restaurant they should get more than say a server at a place like GG. Doesn't make sense.

Yep, that's what dh says, he doesn't feel a server at a buffet deserves 20% when they're not working as hard as one at a normal restaurant where they take the order, bring the food, fill the glasses and so on. He told me to leave the tipping to him, just make sure I budget enough. $400 just seems like a lot of money for tips.