please explain getting off the ship on last morning....

[ChicosWife]

Description of getting off the ship...

SAD!

 

[Tink1987]

Are they still waiting for the buses back to WDW to fill up completely before leaving PC? Think I read something about that a few months back? I want to be in MK ASAP

Thanks

 

[kiford]

Ack I just realized we're eating in Palo the last night. I know the tip envelopes are just a gesture, but is that awful if we don't see them and hand them to them?

If you aren't putting any cash in and are just using the vouchers, then they don't even need the envelopes. They get it automatically. If we want to increase what we give, we always go to Guest Services and put it on account so that we don't have to worry about not being able to find our servers or room attendant.

 

[bcwife76]

They know how many people have purchased the transfers, so they'll have enough busses. But yes, as one fills it will leave and another will fill. I wouldn't want to be the person/group that holds up the last bus though.

Thank you!

 

[Flossbolna]

No, your room steward gives them on the last night, however, I imagine you can ask Guest services for them ahead of time. Maybe? Maybe not?

In my experience this varies from cruise to cruise. On the Panama Canal cruise, we got the envelopes two day before the end of the cruise and on my 7-night cruises we always got them on the night before the last full day.

 

[cyndiella]

Typically you hand out the tip envelopes the last night. There's always a possibility that your servers may be unavailable the last morning, for various reasons.

I plan on pre paying the gratuities before the cruise. I like to get as much financial obligation out of the way before I go... even buying Disney gift cards to use for drinks, souveniers, and extras before I leave home. I also get the extra Visa card rewards from pre-paying everything I can - to use during this vacation instead of getting the rewards after I'm home and paying off the credit card.
My (dumb) question is.. Since tips will be pre paid and assuming I'm not giving out extra, what do I put in the envelopes?? a voucher with the amount they should get from what I pre-paid to DCL?? What do the voucher/payment coupons look like?? The servers and hosts WILL get their tips whether I see them or not... envelope or not... Right?
Thanks, PrincessShmoo! You've been so informative and patient answering and re-answering our questions!

 

[lanejudy]

Are they still waiting for the buses back to WDW to fill up completely before leaving PC? Think I read something about that a few months back? I want to be in MK ASAP

Thanks

As far as I know, buses to the WDW resorts do not leave port until 9:00am. The used to leave as full, but reports for several months now indicate waiting until 9am. A car service or rental may get you there sooner depending what time you actually get off the ship.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Tink1987]

As far as I know, buses to the WDW resorts do not leave port until 9:00am. The used to leave as full, but reports for several months now indicate waiting until 9am. A car service or rental may get you there sooner depending what time you actually get off the ship.

Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks so much!

 

[Quellman]

I plan on pre paying the gratuities before the cruise. I like to get as much financial obligation out of the way before I go... even buying Disney gift cards to use for drinks, souveniers, and extras before I leave home. I also get the extra Visa card rewards from pre-paying everything I can - to use during this vacation instead of getting the rewards after I'm home and paying off the credit card.
My (dumb) question is.. Since tips will be pre paid and assuming I'm not giving out extra, what do I put in the envelopes?? a voucher with the amount they should get from what I pre-paid to DCL?? What do the voucher/payment coupons look like?? The servers and hosts WILL get their tips whether I see them or not... envelope or not... Right?
Thanks, PrincessShmoo! You've been so informative and patient answering and re-answering our questions!

The envelopes just hold the voucher cards. My attached file shows the sheet with all the gratuities, there is only one sheet per stateroom. They show the position and the amount given. If you wish to add additional gratuities you can either put in cash, or go to guest services to add more. They will print you a new voucher sheet. If you add more gratuities before the last FULL day at sea, the voucher sheet they give you should be with the changes.

Yes, anyone who receives a tip from your stateroom no matter if you give them the envelope or not. If you feel like you need to decrease the amount of tips please be honest with guest services as to why so that they can try to correct the issues you are having. Just like if you add funds, if you decrease, it will be reflected on the voucher sheet.

 

[cyndiella]

The envelopes just hold the voucher cards. My attached file shows the sheet with all the gratuities, there is only one sheet per stateroom. They show the position and the amount given. If you wish to add additional gratuities you can either put in cash, or go to guest services to add more. They will print you a new voucher sheet. If you add more gratuities before the last FULL day at sea, the voucher sheet they give you should be with the changes.

Yes, anyone who receives a tip from your stateroom no matter if you give them the envelope or not. If you feel like you need to decrease the amount of tips please be honest with guest services as to why so that they can try to correct the issues you are having. Just like if you add funds, if you decrease, it will be reflected on the voucher sheet.

Cool!! and thanks!!

 

[mcd2745]

The best way I can describe it is, it is the saddest day of the year and rushes by so quickly, I absolutely hat it.

Agreed. It's really not an ideal way to end what is otherwise a great vacation (particularly for those who are not "morning people"), as it's just a hectic and rushed couple of hours. I always say (and I seem to be completely alone in this - feasibility aside) that I'd gladly trade not being able to board the ship until 4 or 5 pm on embarkation day if it allowed for a couple of extra hours before having to get off the ship at the end of the cruise so that it could end on a much more calm, leisurely, and enjoyable note.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I am very glad to have the longer first day and the shorter last day on the ship. Three hours later to board would make that first day seem very short to me, and three hours longer on the last day, though less rushed, would still be short.

What we did to account for this was to not fly out on that debarkation day. If you have the time, I strongly recommend that. At the same time, I knew that trying to pack a full day at a theme park or Cape Canaveral wouldn't work for us either as we were likely to be tired.

So what we did instead was book one night at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. It cost a little more, about $220 for the night, but to us it was worth it. It has great pools, plus free bike, canoe, kayak, paddle-boat rentals. So we were not so bummed to get off the ship since we had a fun activity to look forward to, but we also weren't rushing to get off the ship because it isn't like we had a packed day of activities planned.

It was nice in another way too. One of the only complaints my teen-aged sons had about their Disney Cruise was that the pools were small and crowded. (They loved the Aqua Duck and other activities, but they were bummed about the pools.) But I was able to remind them that their pool day was yet to come. And indeed when it did come, they got all of their "pool time" in. The pools are open 24 hours there, so even in the evening while DW and I repacked our bags that evening (little bit of a rush job packing on the ship) the boys were down at the pool swimming. (They were together and are good swimmers, so we felt OK with that.)

Last plug for this hotel, we had a room on the pool side and we could see the Disney Fireworks from our balcony.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I'd suggest, if you have pictures to pick up, you do so the night before, as Shutters is a madhouse in the morning.

For some reason, on my last cruise the person at shutters refused to give me my pictures the night before. He told me to pay for them, but said they wouldn't let me actually have them until the next morning. I told him I wanted to skip the madhouse, and he told me "Sir, the line is never longer than 5 minutes". The next morning, I waited in a ridiculous line. I had the same jerk. I told him "you said last night it wouldn't be long" and he replied "you didn't wait that long. do you want your pictures or not?". I wrote DCL about it after cause the guy was frankly rude, and I got a run around about shutters not being DCL.

 

[sammykster]

The last day really is the saddest day. I'm trying to fix it this year by going to the Christmas party the night we get back and flying out the next day. I'll report back on if it slows down the depression at all We have late dining for the first time and I'm still up in the air on doing Cabanas or not for breakfast that day. Since we won't have breakfast until around 8 anyways I might just go there and head right to the bus after! Far too many choices lol

 

[cyndiella]

last day, sad day ..... Well, just start planning your next Disney trip!!

 

[over50visits]

In my experience this varies from cruise to cruise. On the Panama Canal cruise, we got the envelopes two day before the end of the cruise and on my 7-night cruises we always got them on the night before the last full day.

We've always gotten ours during the evening turndown service the next to the last night, so we'd have them for the final night. What was kind of weird is on a 3 night cruise, you get on one day, and the very next day (evening) you get the envelopes for the end of cruise tips. Kind of reinforces what a short cruise (really only 2 days away from PC) it is.

 

[Flossbolna]

We've always gotten ours during the evening turndown service the next to the last night, so we'd have them for the final night. What was kind of weird is on a 3 night cruise, you get on one day, and the very next day (evening) you get the envelopes for the end of cruise tips. Kind of reinforces what a short cruise (really only 2 days away from PC) it is.

Yikes!! Not pleasant. I have not done anything shorter than 5 nights and don't think I want to. 15 nights through the Panama Canal was a nice length. I now find 7-night cruises to be short...

And I checked, we got the tip envelopes and papers on the Panama Canal Cruise on evening 12 (out of 15), so there were three full days before the end of the cruise.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I plan on pre paying the gratuities before the cruise. I like to get as much financial obligation out of the way before I go... even buying Disney gift cards to use for drinks, souveniers, and extras before I leave home. I also get the extra Visa card rewards from pre-paying everything I can - to use during this vacation instead of getting the rewards after I'm home and paying off the credit card.
My (dumb) question is.. Since tips will be pre paid and assuming I'm not giving out extra, what do I put in the envelopes?? a voucher with the amount they should get from what I pre-paid to DCL?? What do the voucher/payment coupons look like?? The servers and hosts WILL get their tips whether I see them or not... envelope or not... Right?
Thanks, PrincessShmoo! You've been so informative and patient answering and re-answering our questions!

The second to last night you receive the tip envelopes as well as a sheet of coupons. The coupons indicate the name, position title, and amount of the gratuity.


You separate each coupon and place it in the respective envelope


You keep the information part at the top of the page.