Palo Tipping

[Dug720]

We take 2/3 of our meals in Cabanas and dine at Remy and Palo for two dinners. Based on that, lowering the suggested tip isn't out of the question (a buffet tip should naturally be less than a T.S. tip), but we don't. We would do it for poor service. This last cruise, half our party lowered the gratuity for server and asst server for that reason.

I'm not feeling the love for Disney servers right now. I definitely felt there was a downgrade in the dining rooms over five years ago. We didn't reduce gratuity because we wanted to clarify our concerns by leaving a detailed comment card.

Dirk

I would hope that they addressed the problems and gave the server and assistant a chance to improve service before they lowered the tips. Otherwise they will not know the reason for the reduced tips as there are people who do it just because and NOT for a legit reason.

 

[carolina_yankee]

I would hope that they addressed the problems and gave the server and assistant a chance to improve service before they lowered the tips. Otherwise they will not know the reason for the reduced tips as there are people who do it just because and NOT for a legit reason.

Nope. They weren't that patient.

I feel the problem is systemic, which is why I wrote on the comment card rather than ding the servers. However, the main dining room service was indeed bad. I felt the servers were promoted a little too quickly.

But this is about Palo. Our server there was outstanding and he was well tipped! He could afford to go the MK for a day without a cast discount after our table was finished with him.

Dirk

 

[Dug720]

Nope. They weren't that patient.

I feel the problem is systemic, which is why I wrote on the comment card rather than ding the servers. However, the main dining room service was indeed bad. I felt the servers were promoted a little too quickly.

But this is about Palo. Our server there was outstanding and he was well tipped! He could afford to go the MK for a day without a cast discount after our table was finished with him.

Dirk

I will just say that in the future, they CAN make changes and adjustments during the cruise IF they - or the head server or dining room manager - are made aware of the SPECIFIC problems. Not just "they were promoted too quickly" but specifics. They don't WANT people to be unhappy, but they are not mind readers.

 

[carolina_yankee]

I will just say that in the future, they CAN make changes and adjustments during the cruise IF they - or the head server or dining room manager - are made aware of the SPECIFIC problems. Not just "they were promoted too quickly" but specifics. They don't WANT people to be unhappy, but they are not mind readers.

Yep. I don't disagree with you, which is why I handled it differently than they did.

 

[Dug720]

Yep. I don't disagree with you, which is why I handled it differently than they did.

Understood!

 

[bbel]

We eat our breakfast in Buffett. There is no server. We get our own drinks. Lunch is really just one of the fruit bars or the sandwich/wrap place.

Oh yeah, I forgot that it's Disney and the drinks stations re-fill themselves, the cups don't get re-stocked or taken away to be washed for the next time you use them, dirty trays and plates just disappear and food and cutlery magically appears for you...

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Oh yeah, I forgot that it's Disney and the drinks stations re-fill themselves, the cups don't get re-stocked or taken away to be washed for the next time you use them, dirty trays and plates just disappear and food and cutlery magically appears for you...

 

[Dug720]

Oh yeah, I forgot that it's Disney and the drinks stations re-fill themselves, the cups don't get re-stocked or taken away to be washed for the next time you use them, dirty trays and plates just disappear and food and cutlery magically appears for you...

Post of the day!!!!!

 

[Notyourtypicaldisney]

Where are you getting $50 a plate? Each person (on your reservation) has a suggested gratuity (to the dining room servers) in the amount of $8.00 a day.That breaks out to approximately, $2.66 for each person per meal per day.

If $2.66 is 15%, the tab would be around $15.00 for that meal. OK, I'll give you that's pretty pricey for breakfast, but lunch and dinner at a better than Denny's establishment could run that.

Again. Feel free to tip what you want. Disney keeps asking me to come back. The $50 a plate I did hear around the time Disney implemented the automatic tips that I opt out of. Secondly, I am not penalizing the servers when I tip the Palo servers and take some from Rotational Dining. Why double tip. That is silly. Very silly. The Rotational Servers aren't having to serve my family and it gives them more time to add Pixie DUst to your experience. Third, I do say thank you and please to my servers. Also to the attendants in the Buffet etc... We don't overwork them at all. Have no special request. No food allergies or special diet. Just order off the menu. Perhaps if I ran them around more and was a pain in the butt I would over tip them. Seems that our table mates or neighbor tables all run the servers nuts with special request and food allergies. Seems we always have a table with someone with food allergies. They should definitely tip.

 

[TestingH2O]

When researching my first cruise, I read several threads to learn about tipping and how cruise economics worked. It was instructive. I know that in every state I've lived, servers make a small fraction of minimum wage and truly depend on tips to make anything that resembles a living wage. On cruises, it is very similar and the cruise lines pay tipped employees a smaller wage and they depend on tips to make up the difference.

I agree with the many people who have been cruising longer than I who say, if you don't like how the cruise lines work the system to pay their employees, then tell the cruise line. Taking it out on the people is unethical. These are not hidden or surprise expenses. Just like on land, if you aren't willing to pay the expected service fees, then don't go out to places that structure their economics around those fees.

PP, I disagree with your position on the minimum tipping. Servers are working all those places you mentioned and their wages are structured around the tips. I don't think the system is particularly good, and I don't think these people are my friends, but acting out against the people doing their jobs isn't an effective way of protesting the situation.

 

[Notyourtypicaldisney]

Oh yeah, I forgot that it's Disney and the drinks stations re-fill themselves, the cups don't get re-stocked or taken away to be washed for the next time you use them, dirty trays and plates just disappear and food and cutlery magically appears for you...

Oh yeah I Forgot. Disney pays cast members a salary or hourly pay. Not all tasks are tipped. So now I suppose that the people sanding the wood floors on the deck you tip all them. Do you have an envelope for the captain of the ship? This is ridiculous now. Tip what you want to tip to who you want to tip. Please tip the person checking you in at the terminal too. I don't care. I tip fairly. I tip Palo very well, Stateroom very well. MOST bartenders above the automatically included tip. My coffee at Cove Cafe above the automatic tip. Rotational Dining what it comes down to is I don't tip for the days I am not there. I still give $200 or so (maybe a little more) to the Rotational Dining staff. Feel free to give more. Geez.

 

[Chernabog#1fan]

Oh yeah I Forgot. Disney pays cast members a salary or hourly pay. Not all tasks are tipped. So now I suppose that the people sanding the wood floors on the deck you tip all them. Do you have an envelope for the captain of the ship? This is ridiculous now. Tip what you want to tip to who you want to tip. Please tip the person checking you in at the terminal too. I don't care. I tip fairly. I tip Palo very well, Stateroom very well. MOST bartenders above the automatically included tip. My coffee at Cove Cafe above the automatic tip. Rotational Dining what it comes down to is I don't tip for the days I am not there. I still give $200 or so (maybe a little more) to the Rotational Dining staff. Feel free to give more. Geez.

How is this even a comparison you are trying to use? Yes Disney has salary and hourly pay for non-tipped positions. I would not tip those people. The wait staff on the cruise are in a tipped position, not a salary or hourly position. And they work all food areas of the ship for all 3 meals.

 

[undertheradar]

Oh yeah I Forgot. Disney pays cast members a salary or hourly pay. Not all tasks are tipped. So now I suppose that the people sanding the wood floors on the deck you tip all them. Do you have an envelope for the captain of the ship? This is ridiculous now. Tip what you want to tip to who you want to tip. Please tip the person checking you in at the terminal too. I don't care. I tip fairly. I tip Palo very well, Stateroom very well. MOST bartenders above the automatically included tip. My coffee at Cove Cafe above the automatic tip. Rotational Dining what it comes down to is I don't tip for the days I am not there. I still give $200 or so (maybe a little more) to the Rotational Dining staff. Feel free to give more. Geez.

Why would you penalize the servers when it is you who chooses to dine somewhere else? Your table is still reserved for you and your servers are still there waiting to serve you. Sorry, being cheap reducing gratuities is not justified by using the excuse that you dined somewhere else.

 

[bbel]

Oh yeah I Forgot. Disney pays cast members a salary or hourly pay. Not all tasks are tipped. So now I suppose that the people sanding the wood floors on the deck you tip all them. Do you have an envelope for the captain of the ship? This is ridiculous now. Tip what you want to tip to who you want to tip. Please tip the person checking you in at the terminal too. I don't care. I tip fairly. I tip Palo very well, Stateroom very well. MOST bartenders above the automatically included tip. My coffee at Cove Cafe above the automatic tip. Rotational Dining what it comes down to is I don't tip for the days I am not there. I still give $200 or so (maybe a little more) to the Rotational Dining staff. Feel free to give more. Geez.

Wow...calm down.

Errr, where did the deck team or the captain come into this?

I was referring to you saying that you tip less because you use the buffet/ quick service.
Who do you think keeps those services going - yes, your exact same dining team.
But whatever...

 

[Notyourtypicaldisney]

Wow...calm down.

Errr, where did the deck team or the captain come into this?

I was referring to you saying that you tip less because you use the buffet/ quick service.
Who do you think keeps those services going - yes, your exact same dining team.
But whatever...

Wow you all are amazing people. Again, feel free to tip/overtip all you want. It is not only the servers that clean up the Buffetts and stock the cups/drinks. Obviously this is a hot topic as it seems a few of you are rather emotional. As I posted earlier my brother got to know many cast members as he was one of three responsible for booking the travel for the crew and handles special request for living arrangements. Some of these servers have amazing stories and may be amazing people. Keep in mind many are playing to your sensitivities with made up stories and bend stories to play toward a better tip. They laugh and make fun of your special request. Food allergies etc... These jobs are coveted. I tip according to custom and on what is appropriate. Like any business your going to have situations that overpay you and those tasks that don't pay. Feel free to overtip. Feel free top tip your Palo servers and Rotational Dining even though not present at dinner.

 

[bbel]

Wow you all are amazing people. Again, feel free to tip/overtip all you want. It is not only the servers that clean up the Buffetts and stock the cups/drinks. Obviously this is a hot topic as it seems a few of you are rather emotional. As I posted earlier my brother got to know many cast members as he was one of three responsible for booking the travel for the crew and handles special request for living arrangements. Some of these servers have amazing stories and may be amazing people. Keep in mind many are playing to your sensitivities with made up stories and bend stories to play toward a better tip. They laugh and make fun of your special request. Food allergies etc... These jobs are coveted. I tip according to custom and on what is appropriate. Like any business your going to have situations that overpay you and those tasks that don't pay. Feel free to overtip. Feel free top tip your Palo servers and Rotational Dining even though not present at dinner.

Not as emotional as you.
As an ex DCL CM - just realistic!
Sorry you don't like it.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Back to Palo. It definitely not a $250-300 meal for two unless half of that is bar tab.

To me Palo is maybe at the very tippy tops $100/pp but I hestitate to rate it that high. I do admit I'm a little salty about Palo after finding out their pasta (like pre made with the sauce) is brought on shore in a bag (or at least two of them are).

We tend to just tip 20% on the bill they hand us and round up rather than trying to guess "what would we pay on land" (which has always seemed weird to me).

 

[TestingH2O]

Some of these servers have amazing stories and may be amazing people. Keep in mind many are playing to your sensitivities with made up stories and bend stories to play toward a better tip. They laugh and make fun of your special request. Food allergies etc...

In my opinion, you come across as emotional because you are not willing to discuss the business model or economics. Instead, several of your posts have been defined by stories of character flaws among the people working.

Since you have family who worked for DCL, I'd be interested to know exactly what a server/assistant server wage is before tips. This information would be even more interesting if it was possible to compare it to other wages on board of a similar level of crew. Perhaps maintenance crew who do not need specialized training to maintain HVAC or mechanical systems. This would give a much more quantitative comparison and allow anyone to clarify what exactly the $12 per person per day service charge is for. Does that amount make the salaries comparable? Or, as you assert, is the $12 really just all extra money that thousands of cruisers are foolishly throwing away?

Please notice I'm just referring to the base amount. I would never suggest to anyone that they add above that $12 unless specific experiences were personally moving enough to warrant that decision.

 

[Notyourtypicaldisney]

In my opinion, you come across as emotional because you are not willing to discuss the business model or economics. Instead, several of your posts have been defined by stories of character flaws among the people working.

Since you have family who worked for DCL, I'd be interested to know exactly what a server/assistant server wage is before tips. This information would be even more interesting if it was possible to compare it to other wages on board of a similar level of crew. Perhaps maintenance crew who do not need specialized training to maintain HVAC or mechanical systems. This would give a much more quantitative comparison and allow anyone to clarify what exactly the $12 per person per day service charge is for. Does that amount make the salaries comparable? Or, as you assert, is the $12 really just all extra money that thousands of cruisers are foolishly throwing away?

Please notice I'm just referring to the base amount. I would never suggest to anyone that they add above that $12 unless specific experiences were personally moving enough to warrant that decision.

Not at all emotional about it. Just trying to be the voice of reason. I had heard from a bartender the breakdown of what they made. Not much but their living arrangements and food is covered. They do make plenty in tips. MY brother is now with DVC so no special insight anymore. Look as I said you obviously are going to tip what makes you feel good. I will too. The main point of this thread is how much to tip at Palo. I tend to tip about $60 and I reduce the tip for Rotational Dining as I am not tipping twice. I still give about $200-$250 total in dining room. Just the way I do it. Again Disney would love to have me back and we are extremely easy to wait on. I would imagine there have been servers that find my family a relief over what's i have seen and read other families put them thru. HEck they don't even have to make mundane small talk with us

 

[AngelDisney]

I have only tried Palo brunch and dinner. For dinner, it's not comparable to a 1 or 2 Michelin Starred restaurant, both foodwise or service-wise. The brunch is amazing and on par with some high end buffets. I am going to try Remy in August, and looking forward to some Michelin starred dining experiences.

Last time I tipped $15/pp for brunch and $20/pp for dinner. We don't need a lot of attention. We just want to enjoy the food and each other's company.

Yet I am still deciding on how much to tip at Remy.