Can't find an answer...does anyone know??

[eeyoregon]

Here is my situation. We are a party of 6 (5 adults and 1 two year old) and just booked for free dining in September.

I called to make ADR's today and there isn't much left, especially for our party size.

Castmember tells me we can get a ressie if we do 2 tables which is fine because most of our meals are buffets so not a ton of social time anyway with all of the up and down.

She then tells me there is no guaranty that we will have tables together...fine.

Then she tells me the gratuity for a party of 6 is an automatic 18% and that Disney will try to get us tables close together.

I interrupt and say, well if we are 2 parties of 3 at tables that might be on opposite ends of the restaurant then we won't be charged an automatic 18%, correct?

She says, "No. Because you booked as one ressie of 6 you will be charged the automatic 18%."

I asked her how that would work when we will have two different KTTW cards/accounts and aren't sitting together?? She said she had no idea and to ask our server.

I don't really want to wait to ask our server if I can avoid the automatic 18% by just booking two parties of 3 for all of our ADR's.

FYI: YES we plan to tip based on our service but I certainly don't want to being paying 18% gratuity on my grown brothers $60 dinner at Coral Reef when we aren't even at the same table!!!

I thought maybe I just didn't have a very informed cast member since she swore up and down that the lunch and dinner menus are IDENTICAL at Sci-Fi and when I pointed out that she was WRONG she said, "Well they are the same except lunch doesn't have steak, fish, ribs....." OY!!!

TIA!!!

 

[KEMdisney]

I would like to know also. I am also going in June (not for FREE dining, but we're on the DP). We have a large group that will often be split into smaller tables. Im curious if EACH TABLE gets an 18% grat., or if the ENTIRE PARTY gets the 18% grat. My one sister and brother in law will run up our tab with extras, so Im wondering if I will have to contribute to their 80 dollar bar tab!!

I am an over tipper, and tip 20% for average service, and well above for extra, so I'm really not concerned about it for the tip sake. Im just curious how it works, we've never done the DP before

 

[eeyoregon]

so Im wondering if I will have to contribute to their 80 dollar bar tab!!

Exactly!

I'm sorry but if we are sitting at two different tables that may not be anywhere near each other I sure as heck am not paying an 18%tip for 3 other people who may order 3 appetizers and 10 adult beverages!!!

After I hung up I got to thinking about the logistics of it and I don't see how it would work?! Is the server going to run over to our table, grab our KTTW card then run across the dining room yelling "Are these the people??" and grab their KTTW card and then put 9% on each tab??

 

[Lady V]

why is this so confusing? you will NOT pay a percentage of whatever your brother charges....you will pay 18% based on WHAT YOU ORDER!!!! they add 18% to everyones bill but it is based on what that particular bill ordered.

 

[TDC Nala]

Here's what I understand: If you are booked as party of six but seated at two separate tables, and you have the same server at both tables, you'll be charged the automatic 18%.

If the two tables have different servers, you won't.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

I was told by one CM that we would have 2 separate tables for our party of 5. I agreed to the reservations but called back later worrying about being split from my 2 teenagers. This particular CM told me we would get the 1st available table for a party of 5 or we would have 2 tables pulled together and would be sitting next to each other.

HTH

 

[Kathy C]

I was under the assumption that adding 18% gratuity to bill was standard these days - has that changed?

 

[Brian Noble]

One reservation across two tables is still one reservation, and if it is a total of six or more guests, it will be subject to the 18% service charge. It may not make sense, but Them's The Rules.

As an aside, I book two-table reservations often, and every single time we've all been seated together, even if it required pushing two tables together to make do. The chances that you'll be on opposite sides of the restaurant are slim indeed.

 

[Christine9125]

We are going in August and have 11 people. We were also told we would be at 2 tables, not guaranted next to each other and we would also have the 18% tip added to our bill. The way I was explained since the reservation is for 11 people we will have 3 bills and each bill will have the 18% tip added in, BUT if we had trouble with our "service" we could ask the manager to reduce the tip to what we wanted to pay. You are not stuck pay the 18%, if you don't think it is deserved, ask for a manager, BUT if you believe the server deserves more then 18% then you can leave them more.

 

[hannahon]

We are going in August and have 11 people. We were also told we would be at 2 tables, not guaranted next to each other and we would also have the 18% tip added to our bill. The way I was explained since the reservation is for 11 people we will have 3 bills and each bill will have the 18% tip added in, BUT if we had trouble with our "service" we could ask the manager to reduce the tip to what we wanted to pay. You are not stuck pay the 18%, if you don't think it is deserved, ask for a manager, BUT if you believe the server deserves more then 18% then you can leave them more.

This is good to know. I am definitly a good tipper, but there are times when the service does not deserve the automatic gratuity they add on. We will be a party of 7 in September, and I was worried about the automatic tip thing. Hopefully our service will be great and it will not be an issue, but nice to know that if we think the server is not deserving we could talk to a manager. Thanks for the info!!!!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If the party is six or more, even if they are split into separate tables and also even if there are separate checks, it is one party. Therefore the automatic 18% gratuity will be added to the group.

If there are separate checks, the 18% with respect to that particular check will be added to each individual check.

Example. Party of 12. Three separate checks. First for two people, second for four people, and third for six people. Each persons order comes to $30 for food and beverage. (Taxes ignored for the example.)

Group 1's bill is $60 plus $10.80 gratuity; group 2's bill is $120 + 21.60 gratuity and check 3 is $180 plus $32.40 gratuity. Total for party of 12 is $360 plus $64.80 gratuity.

 

[tyniknate]

I was able to confirm that no matter where the party sits, together or separate, you pay the 18% gratuity. It's really turned me off from the dining situation. What's the motivation to provide great service if you're getting the tip automatically? A tip is a tip. You receive in proportion to the kind of service you've given (and yes, I've waited tables). Maybe that's why the service has gone down hill the last couple years. I thought about trying to get two different reservations for parties of four, but it was almost impossible to work. Would have had to have another person on another phone calling at the exact same time and making reservations only if we could get semi together. Wasn't worth the time and hassle.

 

[disnut8]

One reservation across two tables is still one reservation, and if it is a total of six or more guests, it will be subject to the 18% service charge. It may not make sense, but Them's The Rules.

As an aside, I book two-table reservations often, and every single time we've all been seated together, even if it required pushing two tables together to make do. The chances that you'll be on opposite sides of the restaurant are slim indeed.

Exactly. Relax. What Disney will do is add the 18% to your tab. How the six of you want to split it up is not their problem, that's for you to decide. Alcohol is never figured into a gratuity and neither is the sales tax.

The reason for the whole part of six but sitting at two different tables is pretty simple. You will have one server. Who will bring out your food at the same time. So even though you might have two tables next to each other, the server really is serving a party of six.

Go back, take a deep breath and have the ground rules for paying settled with everyone in your party before you even open the doors to the restaurant.

 

[Brian Noble]

What's the motivation to provide great service if you're getting the tip automatically?

Service charges rather than tips are becoming increasinly common for parties of modest size well beyond Disney. I was in one of my favorite local places recently that included an 18% service charge for a party of four.

Personally, I welcome the change. It turns what would otherwise be an adversarial situation into a simple matter of payment for services rendered. I don't expect my plumber to do a poor job because he is not being tipped, why should I treat my waitperson any differently?

 

[kaytieeldr]

TDC Nala is correct.

One party of six or more at one table = automatic 18% service charge.
One party of six or more at separate tables with the same server = automatic 18% service charge.
One party of six or more at separate tables with different servers = multiple parties; any table of five or fewer gets to determine the tip, but any table of six or more = automatic 18% service charge.

You tip on YOUR check.

If there are three parties of two dining together, with each bill totaling $100, EACH party is assessed $18. Each party is NOT assessed $54 (the total tip for the six dinners).

 

[TSWJan78]

I can also add that we have traveled as a large group on numerous occasions and have been told we would have 2 tables but we have never been seperated.. they have always been close togther or 1 table... Good luck

 

[eeyoregon]

why is this so confusing? you will NOT pay a percentage of whatever your brother charges....you will pay 18% based on WHAT YOU ORDER!!!! they add 18% to everyones bill but it is based on what that particular bill ordered.

Thank you for your RUDE response!!

Sorry that we are not all as flipping smart as you are.

Hope your day was nicer than you are.

 

[eeyoregon]

Thank you everyone for your help. Gonna bring my mini calculator along so that I can figure out my % since it will be on one tab.

 

[moretigger]

Thank you everyone for your help. Gonna bring my mini calculator along so that I can figure out my % since it will be on one tab.

Hi there - Unless you are all in one room, you will actually have separate tabs for your table, based on your KTTW card. I just came back from a trip with a party of 7, and each time we had our own bills based on our dining plan for our own room (2 adults, 1 child for us, 2 adults, 2 children for them). We never got a combined bill. Our tip (added on due to total party size) was 18% of what we ordered, not the whole group.
We also had some of our reservations made as two tables, but always sat together.
Hope that helps. I was really confused about how it would work until I got there and saw it in action.