Gratuities question

[Axelskater]

I have seen that gratuities are attached to your cruise account; I was wondering if anyone has adjusted the amounts if you take no meals at all in the Main Dining Room? Do you still leave the tips on for the dining room servers even if you never eat there? It appears all other bar service is tipped individually. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have seen that gratuities are attached to your cruise account; I was wondering if anyone has adjusted the amounts if you take no meals at all in the Main Dining Room? Do you still leave the tips on for the dining room servers even if you never eat there? It appears all other bar service is tipped individually. Does anyone have experience with this?

Yes, you should still leave the gratuities in place, even if you never set foot in the dining room for dinner. The gratuities for your servers cover all 3 meals. The dinner servers also serve in Cabanas and the quick serve locations for breakfast & lunch times. As well as the main dining rooms that are open for those meals. Not to mention doing clean up duty poolside.

Any beverages you order from a poolside server, or in the theaters, or in a lounge will have a 15% gratuity added. That is pooled to be shared by all bartenders/beverage servers onboard. You may tip additionally cash, if you wish, directly to a specific server/bartender.

 

[Laundress]

You see the MDR servers all over the ship all day long. They have many responsibilities that make our vacations magical. I consider that the tip is not just for serving meals its for the whole days enjoyment. It is quite normal to leave the tips as recomended if you never eat in the dining rooms.

 

[Dug720]

I have seen that gratuities are attached to your cruise account; I was wondering if anyone has adjusted the amounts if you take no meals at all in the Main Dining Room? Do you still leave the tips on for the dining room servers even if you never eat there? It appears all other bar service is tipped individually. Does anyone have experience with this?

Also, just to point out... Unless you're planning Palo or Remy or holing up in your cabin with room service, the MDR is your only dinner option on the first and last night as Cabanas is not open those nights.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Please do a search on this forum. There was a very recent thread about your same exact question with many explanations on why you should absolutely tip your MDR servers no matter where you plan on eating.

 

[Axelskater]

I plan on room service for breakfast, and have made plans for Remy/Palo for dinner each night. I don't do buffets or quick service. I found the MDR food mediocre on my last trip & plan on any extra snacks, light meals, in the concierge lounge, which is separate from any other tips. I understand gratuity is added to bar service and usually add something extra each time I get a drink. I was just wondering what other persons have done in that situation.

 

[MUN]

I plan on room service for breakfast, and have made plans for Remy/Palo for dinner each night. I don't do buffets or quick service. I found the MDR food mediocre on my last trip & plan on any extra snacks, light meals, in the concierge lounge, which is separate from any other tips. I understand gratuity is added to bar service and usually add something extra each time I get a drink. I was just wondering what other persons have done in that situation.

I think it's ok, and probably fairly common to reduce the amount of your tips to your wait staff it you don't use the MDR's. Enjoy your cruise!

MUN

 

[mevelandry]

(I don't mean to be mean or anything)

If you can afford Remy, Palo and concierge, you can (probably) afford spending a few dollars to pay the suggested gratuity, which is not much considering all that is done for us. They are most likely to dress your table in case you are coming, etc. Those people work really hard and deserve it.

 

[apathetic]

Can you tell Disney not even to assign a table in a case like this? It saddens me when you have a serving team and 1 or more of the tables never show up for dinner. I always wonder if they lose out on tips from those tables, like is being asked here. Besides working hard at dinner and other meals, not tipping them hurts because they have no way to make up the lost income. We were on a cruise where 3 of the 5 tables were empty most nights. I would tip no matter what. I guess you could consider lowering it, but these servers are everywhere on the ship at all hours. Chances are you use them at least once a day.

 

[Flossbolna]

To be honest, I just look at the gratuities as part of my cruise fare that for some historic reasons is split from the main part of the cruise fare. And with my cruise fare I do pay for a number of things and services that I might never use like the kiddie pool and splash area, the castmembers doing the animation classes, some of the musicians, a lot of the family shows in D-Lounge etc. So, I really do not think twice about the gratuities and if they are justified. However, if I had a case of getting really bad service (like a constantly dirty room, or a server who would not deliver my food at all), I would consider reducing the gratuity. But I cannot imagine something so bad happening every day.

 

[squirk]

Can you tell Disney not even to assign a table in a case like this? It saddens me when you have a serving team and 1 or more of the tables never show up for dinner. I always wonder if they lose out on tips from those tables, like is being asked here. Besides working hard at dinner and other meals, not tipping them hurts because they have no way to make up the lost income. We were on a cruise where 3 of the 5 tables were empty most nights. I would tip no matter what. I guess you could consider lowering it, but these servers are everywhere on the ship at all hours. Chances are you use them at least once a day.

I am sure that the people who assign tables do their best to "even things out" on the next sailing if one server has a full complement of tables and another is missing a few. In fact, if someone is dining at Palo/Remy on any given night(s), don't the MDRs get the heads-up on that ahead of time so they can adjust the service accordingly?

I always walk onto a ship expecting and prepared to tip my serving team at least the recommended minimum. That having been said, I do bristle at DCL's presumptuousness in adding those gratuities to my folio ahead of time, placing the onus on me, the guest, to have those tips removed or reduced if the service is not satisfactory.

Tipping should always be "opt-in", not "opt-out". Otherwise, it's really just a "service charge".

 

[Axelskater]

Can you tell Disney not even to assign a table in a case like this? .

I already told them to take my main (early) dining assignment and give it to a family who was on the waiting list and might need it. They aren't expecting me.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I leave on the regular tips even if I don't go to the MDRs at all. Their salary is based on tips. They are all assigned X amount of tables. That is where their pay is coming from. If people don't come to the meals and don't tip, they are essentially getting less salary and it isn't like they can get another part time job to make up for it. They work very long days and are stuck on the ship, whether you tip them or not.

 

[squirk]

I leave on the regular tips even if I don't go to the MDRs at all. Their salary is based on tips. They are all assigned X amount of tables. That is where their pay is coming from. If people don't come to the meals and don't tip, they are essentially getting less salary and it isn't like they can get another part time job to make up for it. They work very long days and are stuck on the ship, whether you tip them or not.

But when you take a tipped position, you are assuming the risk that a table may not tip you, and you are not guaranteed full tables in your section throughout the entirety of your shift. I"m not saying it's right or wrong - it's just the way it is.

If the DCL servers really need our tips to earn a living wage, then I wish Disney would simplify the whole thing and just 1.) pay them a living wage, 2.) adjust the cruise fare to reflect the $12 per person per day (or whatever it is), and 3.) removing tipping from the equation altogether.

I recognize that tipping is meant to be an incentive to deliver superior service, and that by removing that incentive, you open the door to merely passable service ("I am getting the tip either way, so why bother going the extra mile?"). However, the head servers seem to watch their people like hawks. If someone is just phoning it in, I would think the head servers would catch on pretty quick and make whatever adjustments were necessary.

 

[Bettyscruise]

I am curious as to why someone would forego good meals? I can't think of a reason to skip all of the meals in a nice restaurant, especially after I've already paid for them. Medical reason maybe? I don't know... seems so punitive.

 

[squirk]

I am curious as to why someone would forego good meals? I can't think of a reason to skip all of the meals in a nice restaurant, especially after I've already paid for them. Medical reason maybe? I don't know... seems so punitive.

She said she has dinner in Remy or Palo each night. She is foregoing good meals in favor of great meals.

 

[Bettyscruise]

She said she has dinner in Remy or Palo each night.

Yes, but... is that even possible? I don't think you can pre-book all meals in advance like that.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I am curious as to why someone would forego good meals?

We don't do the MDR on every night. The time investment for the MDR for what you get in terms of quality of food just isn't worth it to us. We use those evenings to do more of what the ship has to offer that may have longer waits. Water slides, etc.

 

[bumbershoot]

Tipping should always be "opt-in", not "opt-out". Otherwise, it's really just a "service charge".

If you just look at it as a service charge you'll be happier with the whole thing.

 

[bumbershoot]

I already told them to take my main (early) dining assignment and give it to a family who was on the waiting list and might need it. They aren't expecting me.

I am no expert but I doubt that's actually been done. At any point you might decide to eat at both places and they wouldn't want to turn you away. If you board the ship and don't have a seating assigned I'll be very surprised.