How to fix the TIP issue.

[cats mom]

When you book the cruise you get two choices, main or late dining.
Why not add a third choice? The third choice would be ‘no main dining room allocation.’

These passengers would still get room service, could dine at to topsiders / beach blanket buffett, pluto’s, Cookies barbecue, that pizza place by the Goofy pool, Palo’s (for the same additional fee as others) and dine onshore in port.

The only difference for these passengers would be they would not have a table allocated to them at the three main dining rooms.

This would solve the never ending debate.


What do you think? Would you support this third dining option?

So under your plan folks who choose "no main dining room allocation" would tip as they go?

ie: servers would have to take time to provide some sort of receipt at Cookies, the pizza place, etc. so the "no main dining room allocation" folks could tip at the time service is provided? (like with drink or room service orders)

What about those of us who have chosen main or late dining? Would we be expected to tip our dining room servers as always, plus add extra at the time service is provided for any of the above quick serve places?

Or are you saying the "no main dining room service" folks wouldn't tip at all since they are not eating sit down meals?

The servers are still preparing the food, manning the buffet lines, removing the trays, cleaning the tables, etc, etc. etc. Do you not think they should be tipped at all for this?

Nope, I wouldn't support it at all, unless I'm just not understanding it correctly.

 

[Presentation]

So under your plan folks who choose "no main dining room allocation" would tip as they go?

Nope

ie: servers would have to take time to provide some sort of receipt at Cookies, the pizza place, etc. so the "no main dining room allocation" folks could tip at the time service is provided? (like with drink or room service orders)

No, just keep it as it is now.

What about those of us who have chosen main or late dining? Would we be expected to tip our dining room servers as always, plus add extra at the time service is provided for any of the above quick serve places?

Nope

Or are you saying the "no main dining room service" folks wouldn't tip at all since they are not eating sit down meals?

Bingo

The servers are still preparing the food, manning the buffet lines, removing the trays, cleaning the tables, etc, etc. etc. Do you not think they should be tipped at all for this?

Although some of the main dining room, or even Palo staff must fill in manning the buffet lines, many, no wait…..most of the people that man the buffet or wait tables during the evening times lines get no tip now.

Nope, I wouldn't support it at all, unless I'm just not understanding it correctly.

No problem, you made that clear.

Any chance you have a suggestion?

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

The reality is tips are part of cruising. They should always be figured into the total cost of a cruise vacation. IMO not a place to cut corners or save some money. DCL tips are guidelines and can be increased or decreased depending on how your service was. I would have no problem decreasing the tip but in 18 DCL cruises never had to. We usually increase.

MJ

I agree 100 % with mmouse37.

We have been on three cruises; have always gone above the tipping guidelines because of great service. It's sad when I read 'we don't tip because Disney charges so much money for their cruises that we shouldn't have to add more on top of it'. It's easy to come up with excuses to justify being cheap.

Pay for what you get, good service deserves a good tip. If you didn't get good service decrease the tip but I hope you at least write down on the comment card at the end of the cruise why you did this. How can anyone improve without honest criticism.

 

[Presentation]

MM, we are main dining room folk. We do tip.

I’ve just read post after post that all have the same theme. I’m sympathetic to those having to tip for a service that is not being provided.

I’m trying to find a solution.

Do you have a suggestion?

 

[hgon76]

MM, we are main dining room folk. We do tip.

I’ve just read post after post that all have the same theme. I’m sympathetic to those having to tip for a service that is not being provided.

I’m trying to find a solution.

Do you have a suggestion?

Honestly, I think the only solution is not to cruise if the "cruiser" doesnt feel they need to tip. Most people know before they board the ship that these tips are "part of the deal". Rather than figuring out whether or not it's "fair" while onboard, know that this is what is expected & either choose to cruise or choose not to. I am also of the thought that this is "part of the cruise". If it is necessary to cut tips out in order to cruise, than maybe this particular cruise is not the right vacation for some. Not saying this to sound rude in any way, just think that it's kind of "a given" to tip.

 

[budwmn]

I had a very long, nice talk with a room service delivery guy on our last cruise. I was blown away when I asked him if he would rather work in the dining rooms. He said, "No way".

Turns out most food service positions are salaried and tips are simply "extras." The dining room servers have a minimal salary (almost nothing) and count on tips as income. He said if he gets sick and is stuck in his cabin, he still gets paid. However, if a server gets sick, they don't get paid. Also, a guest can choose to tip whatever they want and sometimes servers don't get what they were expecting. The income is inconsistent.

Personally, I wish they just included tips in the cruise fare, paid the staff a salary wage, and made the cruise all inclusive.

 

[IrishCowboy]

The point I wish to make is that even if you eat every meal during your entire cruise at Pluto's or Pinochio's Pizza, you are still being served by a crew member that works in a 'Tipped' position onboard DCL.

I do not see how you could develop a systems to handle normal dining room folks as well as those that choose to skip the dining rooms and still fairly compensate the staff.

 

[sayhello]

MM, we are main dining room folk. We do tip.

I’ve just read post after post that all have the same theme. I’m sympathetic to those having to tip for a service that is not being provided.

I’m trying to find a solution.

Do you have a suggestion?

I just think the main fallacy with your suggestion is the assumption that the tip is only for sit down dinner service. To make it easier, the tips are paid to your dining room staff, but those tips cover breakfast, lunch, buffets, quick service, etc. Saying those who don't eat sit-down dinners don't need to tip is then stiffing the folks who serve you at those other venues.

Sayhello

 

[Presentation]

The point I wish to make is that even if you eat every meal during your entire cruise at Pluto's or Pinochio's Pizza, you are still being served by a crew member that works in a 'Tipped' position onboard DCL.

I’m sorry; I am under the opposite understanding.


The person working at Pinochio's Pizza gets no more TIPs then the person painting the ship.

 

[shaylahc1]

I wish Disney would do away with tips and simply build it in to the price of the cruise. I'd gladly pay a bit more for my cruise to not have to worry about the hassle of tipping

 

[hgon76]

The person working at Pinochio's Pizza gets no more TIPs then the person painting the ship.

But they DO get tips. Your Server & Assistant Server also work at Plutos & Goofy's Galley & Pirate night Buffet, & Topsiders, etc. Last cruise, our Server was emptying trash on deck 9 during the day. They work 14-16 hour shifts. So when they're not serving in the dining room, they are either working or sleeping. The tips given at the end of the cruise covers their service at other places as well.

 

[Presentation]

But they DO get tips. Your Server & Assistant Server also work at Plutos & Goofy's Galley & Pirate night Buffet, & Topsiders, etc. Last cruise, our Server was emptying trash on deck 9 during the day. They work 14-16 hour shifts. So when they're not serving in the dining room, they are either working or sleeping. The tips given at the end of the cruise covers their service at other places as well.

Going to college I worked in a bar as a bartender. I also worked on the assembly line in an insulation factory. I could not possibly continue to go to college without both jobs. I had to do both.

Two different jobs. One gets tips.

So using your logic I made tips for working on the assembly line by bartending.




Do you have a suggestion on how to improve the current flawed system?

 

[elkesails]

"Do you have a suggestion on how to improve the current flawed system?" as posed by OP

It seems to me that most folks here think the system works extremely well and the downside to the changes you suggested far outweigh any possible benefits.

I appreciate that you are sincere in your thoughts and suggestions. Originally cruising was a multi-class format like you suggested but I just don't see that returning for any number of reasons which have mostly been mentioned already

 

[La2kw]

If I'm paying thousands of dollars for a cruise, I certainly should be able to tip the amount Disney suggests or more.

 

[jilljill]

Do you have a suggestion on how to improve the current flawed system?

You need to take this up with almost the entire cruise industry, not just DCL.

I suggest you post this question over on cruisecritic and see what kind of responses you get there, especially from people that are used to cruising on the other other lines that automatically add the tips to your shipboard account. I'm sure the posters over there won't be as nice with their answers as you are getting here.

 

[b00kw0rm429]

Seems like a good way to solve the problem is for DCL to just include the tips in their fees and then pay out to the servers. Then anyone who wanted to give extra could but nothing would be expected and every server would be paid...as they should be. It's not their fault someone elects to eat elsewhere. We all go on a cruise expecting to tip at a certain rate per person. I was a waitress...as were a good many of you...in college and used to get so "fried" when I gave good service and was left a puny tip (as I made $2.11/hour without tips). My thought was if you couldn't afford to tip, don't go to dinner. So my opinion is that if you don't want to pay the tip, don't go on a cruise. It's expected and you were forwarned and I am sure those servers are paid at a reduced rate. I understand that sometimes you don't use their service, but they are there for your convenience and need to make a living. Please, if your servers are good to you, pay them...if you elect to eat elsewhere, pay them. If they STINK...I'm all for leaving them a lower tip. Put yourself in their shoes.

 

[Presentation]

You need to take this up with almost the entire cruise industry, not just DCL.

I suggest you post this question over on cruisecritic and see what kind of responses you get there, especially from people that are used to cruising on the other other lines that automatically add the tips to your shipboard account. I'm sure the posters over there won't be as nice with their answers as you are getting here.

We defiantly do have a nice community Jill.

Thank you for taking the time to give it some thought. There may be no good solution to the issue. To fix one problem a bigger one develops.

 

[hgon76]

Going to college I worked in a bar as a bartender. I also worked on the assembly line in an insulation factory. I could not possibly continue to go to college without both jobs. I had to do both.

Two different jobs. One gets tips.

So using your logic I made tips for working on the assembly line by bartending.




Do you have a suggestion on how to improve the current flawed system?

if the assembly line & bartending job were owned by the same company &you were hired under the agreement that you would perform both jobs & would be given not only a "salary", but would also have an opportunity to earn tips.......then "Yes"! I would say that you earned tips for both jobs. As far as suggestions for improving, I don't think the current system needs to be improved. I think it works fine. As I said in my previous post, I simply think that the people who don't agree w/ it may be best suited to find another means of a vacation. One that suits there budget & comfort level.

 

[cats mom]

I’ve just read post after post that all have the same theme. I’m sympathetic to those having to tip for a service that is not being provided.

I’m trying to find a solution.

If passengers who selected "no main dining room allocation" brought along their own food and/or ate exclusively from room service, I could see saying no tip is warranted. (Although I certainly hope they'd slip a few $$ to the folks who brought all those meals to their cabin)

But if they eat on CC, or at any other location on the ship; whether it be a deck party, a buffet, a quick serve walk up, Topsiders, Cookies, whatever... then personally I think they are being provided a service that warrants a tip.

Although some of the main dining room, or even Palo staff must fill in manning the buffet lines, many, no wait…..most of the people that man the buffet or wait tables during the evening times lines get no tip now.

The person working at Pinochio's Pizza gets no more TIPs then the person painting the ship.

This is where you lose me. I don't have insider knowledge of all the scheduling procedures on DCL, but I really don't think this is the case.

We've seen our regular dining room servers working at Topsiders, at the buffets, at the quick serve places, and at Cookies.
And the one night we ate dinner at Topsiders, our server there was able to tell us exactly what we could have had on our regular menu, because he had just finished working main dining at Lumieres (our same rotation, except we had late dining)

I just think the main fallacy with your suggestion is the assumption that the tip is only for sit down dinner service. To make it easier, the tips are paid to your dining room staff, but those tips cover breakfast, lunch, buffets, quick service, etc. Saying those who don't eat sit-down dinners don't need to tip is then stiffing the folks who serve you at those other venues.

Sayhello

Exactly what I was trying to express, but Sayhello said it better.


I wasn't trying to be rude with my earlier response OP, I apologize if it came across that way. You did ask "What do you think? Would you support this third dining option?" I answered, although maybe too forcefully, subtlety is not necessarily my strong suit.
Sorry

 

[tvguy]

Seems like a good way to solve the problem is for DCL to just include the tips in their fees and then pay out to the servers. .

Those of us who have cruised with system have found it leads to inferior service.
After all tip stands for:
To
Insure
Promptness.

If servers know they get the tip without regard to the level of service they provide, they just do the minimum.