Beginning in January - 18% Gratuity....

[RACHELSMOM1]

How is that reading something that isn't there?

"Gratuities not included"

I read that as "gratuities not included in the price of the DDP".

Not directed at anyone in particular, but the post I answered said that gratuities not included did not necessarily mean that the gratuity would not be added, and it seems that people are just trying to make something out of nothing. I still go back to my original thought, the email I got this morning was from DDE TEAM, not from DDP TEAM.

 

[Tricia1972]

Also on the DDP, you can use the DDE to discount any items not covered by the DDP.

You still have the 18% tip, but you're saving 2% off of the total cost of the appetizer and alcoholic beverage.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

My money is on the fact that this is for everyone. DDP, DDE, cash, or paying with your looks, an automatic 18% gratuity is going to be added to every TS meal.

 

[Tricia1972]

Not sure what would happen. If you had an ADR I wonder if they could try to contact you about your outstanding bill. (Since you give a phone number when you make the ADR)

 

[BarleyJack]

My money is on the fact that this is for everyone. DDP, DDE, cash, or paying with your looks, an automatic 18% gratuity is going to be added to every TS meal.

Well since we're using your money............no worries

 

[BrianD]

I'm just hoping that this will make it a little easier once again to get a stinkin' ADR!!!

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Not directed at anyone in particular, but the post I answered said that gratuities not included did not necessarily mean that the gratuity would not be added, and it seems that people are just trying to make something out of nothing. I still go back to my original thought, the email I got this morning was from DDE TEAM, not from DDP TEAM.

I understand. However, I think this was just a "heads up" for DDE holders. It is much easier to contact the group of DDE holders than to contact every single person on the dining plan. Obviously, I could be very wrong, but I have a feeling this is an "across the board" scenario.

 

[BarleyJack]

Does anyone know if you can Fedex beer to the resort???

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Well since we're using your money............no worries

I may have to start pruning my money tree

 

[BrookeTx]

So then what happens if one, for whatever reason (poor service, poor tipper, doesn't know better, doesn't care...) leaves cash on the table is less than the $18 and then leaves the restaurant? Or better yet, just doesn't leave a thing on the table and leaves the restaurant?

Not saying that I'd do that in a million years, but I'm just wondering.

I am curious about this too. We are on the DDP and I totally understand that gratuity is not included, but what if I do get poor service and don't want to leave the total 18%.

 

[SnowWtch]

I can't afford 18% tip with every meal. That's not right. A tip is not supposed to be madatory. Now service will suffer b/c the waiter/waitress will know that regardless of how they do their job they're getting a nice tip at the end. That really upsets me. It's not like the prices of the food have gone down to make up for it.

 

[JimMIA]

Jim, what has been your experience- if you have poor service, have you ever adjusted the automatic 18% down? My thought for our upcoming trip is that if I have another terrible experience, I would just ask for the manager and tell him or her what happened, and tell her what I would like the service bill to be adjusted down to. I can't see how they can force you to pay 18% if you had a terrible time.

To be honest, we have only had bad service at one restaurant at WDW. That was Alfredo's at Epcot. I don't think it was a server problem -- we ate there three times and had mediocre food poorly served all three times. We never ate there on DDP, and I lowered my tip each time. One time I think I only left 10% because i wanted to be sure they realized they were being insulted. Needless to say, we stopped eating there, and we held a little celebration when we heard the place was history.

We go to WDW twice a year, we have always eaten onsite. Everywhere except Alfredo's, we have had good to exceptionally good service. That's both on DDP and without DDP.

Now, however, because the huge price increase in DDP makes it no longer attractive, we will be eating virtually all of our meals offsite. We'll do one character meal onsite each trip, at the most. That has nothing to do with the automatic gratuity -- it has to do with the removal of the gratuity and appetizer from DDP. DDP simply no longer saves us money, so we're looking forward to trying some of the excellent offsite restaurants.

 

[Creekermom]

I am jumping in here, I hope you don't mind, just wanting to add that when DH and I ate at Spoodles on the Boardwalk in September we were on the DDP BUT, we also paid OOP for 4 glasses of wine at $8 each..They also added the automatic 18% for those glasses of wine...

So they have been already doing this from my point of view.

We can't wait to go back, but we do have to plan ahead for the 18% for all of our meals.

 

[keys2kingdom]

I hope this shakes out to be only for DDE people, we were expecting it anyway. Sure seems to have a lot of people wrapped up in a big brouhaha.

If it does happen to be for everyone I doubt they'll be sending out emails, I'd be more inclined to think they'd spring it on you when you arrive.

This DDE rumor was around earlier this year courtesy of 'Disney Server' or some such person so I was fully expecting it to materialize at some point. As I said it doesn't really bother me and I hope you dining plan folks don't get stuck with it. I can totally see the point of doing it for DDE because I'm sure a fair amount of people were regularly stiffing the servers on the tip computation. Hope the rest of you escape unscathed.

Here's to freedom to compute your own tip!

 

[Tricia1972]

I can't afford 18% tip with every meal. That's not right. A tip is not supposed to be madatory. Now service will suffer b/c the waiter/waitress will know that regardless of how they do their job they're getting a nice tip at the end. That really upsets me. It's not like the prices of the food have gone down to make up for it.

If you're not using the DDE, there is no official word from Disney this will affect you yet. Unless of course you're a party of 6 or more.

If you're using the DDE and if you truly can't afford 18%, then perhaps talk to a manager about adjusting your tips down to 15%. I know what it's like to vacation on a tight budget.

Also, maybe by replacing one TS meal with a CS, you'll have more free money to leave an 18% tip at your other TS meals.

 

[BarleyJack]

to heck with it, I'm going to Cancun!

 

[frayedend]

I don't think we ever added anything to the DDP so I wasn't aware that they added a tip for that. I wonder why? Is it because they assume people may not leave a tip for a few glasses of wine or an extra appetizer? I do find it strange since someone paying OOP doesn't have the tip added to the bill.

 

[Tricia1972]

I am curious about this too. We are on the DDP and I totally understand that gratuity is not included, but what if I do get poor service and don't want to leave the total 18%.

The consensus in the other thread about this is that a talk to the manager can get the percentage adjusted.

 

[frayedend]

to heck with it, I'm going to Cancun!

If your going to Cancun then who is driving me to McDonalds off site? I'm sure I don't need to leave a tip there.

 

[BarleyJack]

If your going to Cancun then who is driving me to McDonalds off site? I'm sure I don't need to leave a tip there.

dunno, think ME will take us??