Dining Plan budgeting for TIPS

[BelleQ]

We are planning a trip the last week of April 2015. 2 adults,3 kids (12,10 & 7) The 7 yr old is my neice and we went a few yrs ago with our kids for their first trip. We used the Quick Service plan then, but we want to do the dining plan since our 2 are older and eating more. Plus to try the sit-down restaurants we missed last trip. We are booking this week, but I am on the fence now about the dining plan because I didn't think about TIPS! My husband is going to have a cow if he figures out how much the dining plan is and then the cost of tips on top of that! I dread telling him! (He's a tight-wad by the way).

So my question is - do I need to sit down and try to figure out how much we need for tips? If we are staying 6 days - that will be 6 TS meals - So with 4 adult entrees and a child entree - I know the cost of each meal will depend on what we order, but what's an average amount of tip? We go out to eat frequently - the 4 of us - and we usually leave 15% but that can be just $6 on a $40 ticket. So that's what we are used to paying! But I have a feeling we are goign to be paying $40 in tips for each meal? I know, I need to get over it. This is Disney. We are paying for the ambience and the memories, yadda yadda.

I may have to reconsider this dining option and just stick with Quick Service if my husband has that cow when I tell him.

Just wanted to get opinions about the tipping. . .how much to budget and is it really, really worth it on top of the dining cost?

 

[lauradis]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningmain.cfm

Here's how I budget our food/tips. check out menus of where we will eat.
guess at what everyone will order add the percentage of our normal tipping. add little bit more.

I don't think asking amounts of tips are allowed on disboard, except in the tipping tread

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2300858

 

[MrInfinity]

Hi,
Pretty consistently $20-$30 for an adult meal and $9 for a child meal. A $32 buffet will include drinks. A $25 entrée will not. So you'll be around $30'ish / $12'ish per person. $96. 15% would be about $15 a meal. We have travelled with the same numbers and I think we allotted about $100 per sit-down restaurant as a general rule of thumb / loose budget numbers for a 2/3 family.
Hope that helps!
-mike

 

[mom2of2]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2300858

here's the tipping thread. On the bottom of every receipt there will be 18% and 20% amounts already figured out for you.

 

[TDC Nala]

Closing this one. The tipping thread has been linked - please read the first post of that thread before posting on it.