Positively or negatively? And how did they know how much you would tip since you don't get that opportunity until the end of the meal?
When I initially didn't add anything, he explained to me how the service was shared among everyone. The next time, I added maybe $15 total, and he seemed a bit disappointed, let's say. When I then increased the next time, he showered us with extra free drinks and extra food items. We had the same server and visited Palo for three dinners and a brunch during that cruise.
That seems a little forward. They explained the tip to be me when they presented the bill and I've never had them take the signed bill much less look at it before I leave the table. I also had excellent service at Palo from the start when he knew I was only ordering the cheese plate.
You can. When we did the TCM cruise once, I don't think we ever ate in the MDR. When I asked if they ever changed the amuse bouche, our server joked that most people don't eat at Palo every night. You can prebook Palo for first night and then an additional night. If there is availability on the cruise, you can add as many nights as you want that are available.
We've done it several times. We book one night beforehand. When we go to that dinner, we ask if they happen to have any openings on other nights.
We usually dine at Remy 2x per cruise, we love it there and feel it’s a decent value (especially compared to comparable experiences in LA and NY) we usually split a wine or champagne paring, and get the caviar course, and we tip 25-35% of the bill depending on whether the service is good or excellent. Never been offered extra freebies though.
No judgment towards others, but I’m able to enjoy cruising more knowing I’m generously tipping the hardworking staff who were born into far less fortunate circumstances.
Thank you for this insight and for sharing your perspective. It’s really valuable to hear directly from someone who’s actually worked on DCL. You’ve added important nuance to the conversation—there’s often a one-size-fits-all narrative about cruise workers being underpaid or in difficult situations, but clearly the reality might be different. Your honesty about the work, the pay, and the behind-the-scenes dynamics really sheds light on a side many guests never see. I’ve spoken to a few of the DCL staff and just about all of them were doing very well. My room attendant admitted that he works long hours; however, what he earns makes up for it. At the time, he had worked for DCL for over 15 years. Moreover, he’s able to send his children to private school.
I also want to thank you for sharing your perspective. As to your point about Disney as an employer, it's a similar dilemma to restaurants that we have here in the U.S. where they charge a service fee that is shared among all staff, front and back of house, but servers still expect rightfully expect a tip for themselves. The restaurants are doing it as a way of trying to equalize the disparate pay between the servers and cooks, but obviously you don't have anything like that issue in the UK.
When you see how long many of them have been doing it, if it was such a hard life none of them would come back - with an employer like Disney on your CV you can walk into most hospitality jobs around the globe- there is a reason everyone keeps coming back!
1000%
That's a nice tip, indeed.
