DDE/DVC savings calculation

[DVC Grandpa]

I know that the DDE meal plan includes many more establishments than does the DVC (or AP) discount plan but, to those who calculate savings, do you reduce your savings by that amount you could be saving using your DVC membership card?

If the DDE card cost $65 and “beginning on January 1, 2008, DDE will have 18% gratuity added to all transactions regardless of party size” and you have poor service but can’t tip accordingly, would the DVC card work as well?

We have purchased the DDE card prior years but now with only two of us travelling to WDW and large meals a part of the past, perhaps the 10% DVC card will do just fine.

With no Take-outs” allowed at the BC or YC (except at Hurricane Hanna’s at the pool and most likely when the pool is open) we have frequented Pepper Market Food Court at Coronado Spring and found it to be a place of choice for Take-outs and choice of size and variety… although they do not take any discount card but only add 10% to sit down meals.

I will have to evaluate the DDE plan more closely the next time we go.

 

[Chuck S]

One has to wonder if the gratuity will be added to DVC discounted meals in the future as well, under the guise of consistency. I don't think it would surprise anyone if all "discounted" meals had gratuity added.

 

[Deb & Bill]

They might just up the price of every meal to account for an automatic gratuity and tell everyone the gratuity is already included in the meal.

 

[FLYNZ4]

We are at OKW right now, and we have been using the DDE card as always. The 18% tip is included. In the past, I would always tip 20% on the pre-discount bill.

Now with the 18% added in... I have been just signing the bill. This is lousy for the servers because they are only getting 18% from me instead of the normal 20%. I could add in the extra 2%... and maybe I should... but it actually makes me feel too cheap to put down $1 on a $50 meal. I know it doesn't make any sense (because it would be really be $10 instead of $9)... but still, I have not been doing it.

/Jim

 

[DVC Grandpa]

We are at OKW right now, and we have been using the DDE card as always. The 18% tip is included. In the past, I would always tip 20% on the pre-discount bill.

Now with the 18% added in... I have been just signing the bill. This is lousy for the servers because they are only getting 18% from me instead of the normal 20%. I could add in the extra 2%... and maybe I should... but it actually makes me feel too cheap to put down $1 on a $50 meal. I know it doesn't make any sense (because it would be really be $10 instead of $9)... but still, I have not been doing it.

/Jim

In the event you get bad service, can you reduce the tip?

 

[bobbiwoz]

We are at OKW right now, and we have been using the DDE card as always. The 18% tip is included. In the past, I would always tip 20% on the pre-discount bill.

Now with the 18% added in... I have been just signing the bill. This is lousy for the servers because they are only getting 18% from me instead of the normal 20%. I could add in the extra 2%... and maybe I should... but it actually makes me feel too cheap to put down $1 on a $50 meal. I know it doesn't make any sense (because it would be really be $10 instead of $9)... but still, I have not been doing it.

/Jim

It is interesting that DH and I felt exactly the same way as we paid the bill at CG on Saturday. Neither of us wanted to add just the few dollars, so we let it go. Maybe we'll change in the future.
Bobbi

 

[bobbiwoz]

In the event you get bad service, can you reduce the tip?

Before the new rules went into effect, I spoke to someone at WDW. I had written a letter asking the same thing. This spokesperson said that what we should do if we got poor service is to contact the person's supervisor then and there because every waitperson wants to do a good job and there are plans in place for improving his/her service.

After I got off the phone I realized that my question really wasn't answered. In fact, I feel that WDW was putting upon us, the customers, to help train their people.

We have paid for the DDE for this year, so that's a done deal. We often pay the bill for our family, so I've more or less resigned myself to using DDE, but I will be evaluating our purchase of the plan very carefully in October. So far, we've only had the CG experience on Saturday, and service was excellent.

Bobbi

 

[FLYNZ4]

In the event you get bad service, can you reduce the tip?

I am not sure. I do not think I have ever knowingly tipped less than 18%... (maybe 15% a few times). Generally I tip 20%.

/Jim

 

[javamom]

Maybe it's a midwestern thing, but I always tip 15% for good service, 20% for great service, and less to none for bad service.

My mom was a waitress for many years, and I used to help her count out her tips at night. I knew how hard she worked for those tips, and so I appreciate and recognize good wait staff when I get it. Unfortunately, I rarely get what I would call great service. On those rare occassions, I always up the tip.

I also learned long ago that often our own attitude at the beginning of the meal, can have a great effect upon the server's attitude. I always try to make sure that I look the server in the eye when they greet our table, and I make sure to repeat back their name to them before they leave the table.

This does 2 things: A) they know that I know their name and B) that I haven't already trivialized their being there in the first place by treating them like some nameless minion. Often this will do wonders, and it is a simple thing.

Just so as not to go too off-topic here. I am trying to decide whether to buy the DDE myself over this whole tipping thing.

 

[OKW Lover]

The whole automatic 18% thing is comical. First Disney tells us they do it on the DDE to be fair to the servers because some of us under-tip. Then Disney removes the tip from the DDP because people want the flexibility to tip what they want.

Which is it?

 

[Chuck S]

Then Disney removes the tip from the DDP because people want the flexibility to tip what they want.

Which is it?

Actually, Disney removd the pre-paid tip from the DDP. That way, they kept the price the same, but basically increased their "take" by about 25% to 30%, if you count the loss of the appetizer.

 

[Muushka]

I also learned long ago that often our own attitude at the beginning of the meal, can have a great effect upon the server's attitude. I always try to make sure that I look the server in the eye when they greet our table, and I make sure to repeat back their name to them before they leave the table.

This does 2 things: A) they know that I know their name and B) that I haven't already trivialized their being there in the first place by treating them like some nameless minion. Often this will do wonders, and it is a simple thing.

Well that is a great tip. Thank you!

PS I always get the name on the phone for someone who does something for me for that same reason (they know that I know who they are!) but I never thought about doing that for waitstaff!

 

[dizzneebabe]

We are at OKW right now, and we have been using the DDE card as always. The 18% tip is included. In the past, I would always tip 20% on the pre-discount bill.

Now with the 18% added in... I have been just signing the bill. This is lousy for the servers because they are only getting 18% from me instead of the normal 20%. I could add in the extra 2%... and maybe I should... but it actually makes me feel too cheap to put down $1 on a $50 meal. I know it doesn't make any sense (because it would be really be $10 instead of $9)... but still, I have not been doing it.

/Jim

We are exactly the same way. I waited tables and bartended throughout college and then some, so for us the server is guaranteed 20% from us at "HELLO." Occasionly, we'll drop it down to 15%-18% if the service is blatantly bad (but that's rare)! So, with the DDE they would more than likely be losing that 2%. In my book, if gratuity is included, we sign and go. And one more question...is the 18% being added on AFTER your discount???? If that's the case, they are losing more than 2%!!!

 

[javamom]

Ok, I have been looking at this dilemma a bit harder. Lemme see if I get this correctly.

DDE: I pay 65.00 to get it. Then Disney is going to add 18% to the top of the bill, and then I am getting 20% off using it. So my discount is really only 2%??? Am I over simplifying it?

DDP: I pay the flat rate, per person, per day. They do NOT add the gratuity on, so I tip what the server earns. I lose the appetizer, and I gain a mug (or is the mug the premium one)?

DVC discounts of 10% (aren't some 20%) and I tip what the server earns, when I got to a TS. I eat breakfast in my room, possibly lunch there too (or counter service). I get stuff to stock the kitchen.

So as I see it, I'll probably do better without either. If I had to pick one or the other though, I guess I would go with the DDP.

Or am I forgetting/missing something???

 

[llmurphy17]

The whole automatic 18% thing is comical. First Disney tells us they do it on the DDE to be fair to the servers because some of us under-tip. Then Disney removes the tip from the DDP because people want the flexibility to tip what they want.

Which is it?

lol

 

[Anal Annie]

So as I see it, I'll probably do better without either. If I had to pick one or the other though, I guess I would go with the DDP.

Or am I forgetting/missing something???

We're rounders. We figure up a nice rounded amount that's at least in the 15-20% range and round off whatever we leave. Sometimes this is an overly generous method - but we never short anybody anything they've earned.

We purchased our DDE card last summer before this gratuity announcement was made. (We used it several times at CS places in AK too BTW). When we used it at Boma, our "savings" worked out to be our 20% tip that we left. But so it DID save quite a bit on that one as we had several drinks etc. (Don't forget that the DDE card is good for alcohol too...if you happen to like a cold beverage or two!)

Anyway, we're only a family of 3 & we thought we'd try it just to see how it worked out. The DDP is not for us right now as DS is 10 - so they want to charge the adult price for him for it and I have a real problem with that as he still eats a lot of mac & cheese and I don't think that's worth $38 / day or whatever it is! OK, so we used it as much as possible for a week last August. Once we got home, I tallied up our "savings" and we were still $10 short of paying the $65 fee. Now. We're going back again next weekend for 4 n and will use it so we'll be able to finish off our $10 that we didn't hit last summer. Then we're going again next July for 3 n and the card is still good so we'll get some more use out of it. I think if we were a larger group or if DS ate more, it would've been a real deal!! If we were a group of 10 people eating at Boma! Holy smokes! If the 3 of us could spend $100 there then we could "pay for" the card with one meal if we were a group of 10!

But I am not going to quibble over $2 one way or the other on a tip since our rounding method was probably in that 18% range a lot anyway. Not sure what we'll do in the future - but we're covered for this year!

 

[Aunt Michelle]

I figured it this way:
Each trip we generally eat at a "nice" place - California Grill for example
At three adults we can easily run up a $150.00 bill
With an 18% tip this meal would be $177.00 (I hope my math is correct, and leaving tax out for simplicity)
With DDE we'd get 20% discount so the bill would actually be $120.00
Adding in the automatic 18% gratuity the meal would be $141.60
$177.00 - $141.60 = $35.00 (give or take )
In one meal I've paid for half the cost of the DDE card. In a 5 day trip we will easily pay for the rest even at less expensive restaurants. Therefore, one trip pays for the DDE card, the second, third, forth (just kidding ) trips I am getting a 20% discount.
I hope that all makes sense, please don't make fun of my math!

One additional thing I really like about the DDE card (I think someone else mentioned this) is I save the 20% on a bottle or wine, or after dinner drink, etc.

 

[BroganMc]

In one meal I've paid for half the cost of the DDE card. In a 5 day trip we will easily pay for the rest even at less expensive restaurants. Therefore, one trip pays for the DDE card, the second, third, forth (just kidding ) trips I am getting a 20% discount.

That's what we do. Our tipping rate is usually 15% plus whatever to round it up to an even amount. The extra 3% just means we'll eat another meal to make the difference.

It helps that Artist's Palette takes the DDE. So we save 20% on all our SSR meals and mugs.

 

[FLYNZ4]

And one more question...is the 18% being added on AFTER your discount???? If that's the case, they are losing more than 2%!!!

The 18% tip is calculated on the pre-discounted price, which I believe is the most appropriate way of doing it.

/Jim

 

[Chuck S]

Since I normally rounded off the discount and added that back in for the tip on DDE, it is a basically a wash for me. Basically the same amount of discount as before.