Should I consider not tipping?

[CastleCreations]

Do you know that they can speed up your dining time? If you tell your waiter that you need to be done in an hour, they can do it for you. They will also bring out the children's meals first so they have something to keep them busy while you are waiting for your meals. The dining rooms are a great experience and i would hate for you too miss them.

IMO, if your child "refuses" to sit for an hour, who is in charge? It seems to me that you are the parent and you can teach them to sit for 1 1/2 hour at dinner. My questions is what do you do when they have to sit for other things and you don't have the option of getting out of them?? Like is said, just my own opinion.

My children are not in charge. ...they are just two excited little girls, who would rather be in the pool, or hugging Mickey, to be sitting and eating. To them it's just something that is taking away from their fun. At home, during church, plays, and at other times when needed, they sit without complaint.

 

[Mrsjvb]

Bottom line: the people who serve you in the dining room are ALSO providing you a service in the Buffets and alternative dining venues. so if you intend on eating anywhere on the ship.. than you should consider keeping the tips as suggested.

Spa and KC employees are contracted, they are not strictly working directly for the cruiseline. I have no need to tip the KC counselors as we do not have children and therefore they do not provide any sort of service directly to us. But even if I were to avoid the dining rooms( we won't we hate buffets) The sushi chef certainly deserves a tip.

Yes, it sucks that the American mentality is to make the consumer pick up the slack and help pay the wages of food service and housekeeping staff. But when Americans insist on getting everything at the lowest cost possible while still making high demands, the employer has no choice but to pay lower wages and hope that the consumer tips accordingly.

In Japan it is considered a HUGE insult to a restaurant or hotel owner if you try and tip his employees..it implies that he doesn't pay them enough. But this isn't Japan.

Now I don;t know how Disney does it, but the gratuities on other cruiselines are pooled.. Housekeeping and waitstaff alike. the Head HK/Waiter gets the tip and they pay their helpers a portion of that tip. That tip covers EVERYTHING that the waitstaff handles..serving your dinner, cleaning up the tables in the buffet area, restocking the trays and cutlery and the all important dessert area.

If you wish, you can choose to tip on top of the suggested price of what, Ten bucks per person per day or something like that? In fact our wait team on our last cruise more than earned their salary tip and an additional gratuity from us and we were happy to give it to them.

 

[sandgrace]

I would suggest that the OP try dining the first night in the dining room with her 2 little angels, and talk to the servers about the situation with her girls and how dinner needs to be finished for them within an hour. If this approach doesn't work well, then just tip for the one night, and don't go to the dining room again...that way at least the servers get a chance to try to prove that they can make the experience enjoyable.

 

[only1mouse]

It's amazing how cruel some can get to those for just asking a question, while everyone is allowed their opinion, to personally attack people is just out of line. I typically don't repsond but this one really hit a nerve.

To the OP you shouldn't feel guilted into Tiping, it is your choice. For those who are talking about how low DCL pays the wait staff, the only thing I can add is that these individuals accept this job knowing the base pay, it really isn't sprung on them. While they know they will be getting Tips to help compensate for the low base wage, they shouldn't ever be depending upon getting 100% from each passenger. This is a problem across a lot of careers but the only way to make change is work with your supervisor, not depend on passengers.

 

[CastleCreations]

Thanks everyone for your input. Even though it went a little OT, I appreciated it. I think what I may do, is tip a portion of the total requested, and of course, if anyone goes above and beyond, I will tip appropriately.
I think I may also ask the girls and see if they are interested in eating in dining room. Now that they are a little older, they may want to. I guess I forgot to ask them.
Thanks everyone!!

I'm requesting that this thread be closed now...I think we all got our points across.

 

[mmouse37]

Yea..a cheerleader for me...no I'm not a trouble maker, nor am I cheap...I was just wondering and hoped for a wide variety of answers. I have seen both sides, and plan on contacting DCL for advice.

Hey, I'll be the first to admit when I am wrong and I apologize.....I was not trying to attack you, it is just that I have seen you on the cruise board often ("Can't miss that great pic of cutie Brent"!!!) and thought you had a better undertanding of the tipping debates.

I think you sure did get a variety of answers here and contacting DCL, as you stated, is the best option.

Have a great cruise with your girls!

P.S....I did check out the disboutique thread and your creations are beautiful!!! The diser's on that board are quite talented!!!

 

[Skuba2]

Thanks everyone for your input. Even though it went a little OT, I appreciated it. I think what I may do, is tip a portion of the total requested, and of course, if anyone goes above and beyond, I will tip appropriately.
I think I may also ask the girls and see if they are interested in eating in dining room. Now that they are a little older, they may want to. I guess I forgot to ask them.
Thanks everyone!!

I'm requesting that this thread be closed now...I think we all got our points across.

Before it is closed, I just wanted to say Castle---you seem like a person who is always smiling. You took something from each post and took it all to heart and threw away the junk. Good for you and good luck to you and your girls. I hope you get a really nice table on the aisle so your two girls can high five the characters as they go by.

DG

 

[mom2my3kids]

I feel you should still tip, as a server I will tell you people will make up things so they don't have to tip or tip very little. Just my 2 Cents!!!!

 

[vossjemi]

I just read page 1 and page 5. I can imagine what all is in between. I think you should do what you are comfortable with. Tipping is really a personal decision. I know my husband gets ticked off when we go on vacation because everyone has their hand out. My dh doesn't make a whole lot of $ (I'm the breadwinner). He's an electrician, and he doesn't hand a bill to a client and then say "tips are accepted if you liked how I did your lighting". He just gets paid a salary from the company he works for. He gets so frustrated that tour guides and the like all expect tips, and especially hates it when they ask for it. He'll give one if he's satisfied with the service and/or felt like they deserved it because they went over and above their job description.

That being said...we always pay probably more than the recommended to the wait staff. We don't miss dinner in the dining rooms, but my dh does have a hard time giving $ to the head guy who you never see until the last night with his hand out. We do, but it irks him to no end. I think we gave extra not to our main waiter, but to his helper last cruise because he was phenomenal. Our main waiter wasn't very good. I kind of treat it like a restaurant...pay if you get good service, less if you don't.

Like I said, pay what you feel comfortable paying, and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

 

[dursin]

I feel you should still tip, as a server I will tell you people will make up things so they don't have to tip or tip very little. Just my 2 Cents!!!!

So, how many times as a customer come in, handed you a tip and said "We were planning on dining here tonight and even had a reservation, but we changed our mind and since we know you work for tips, here's the gratuity that we would have left had we eaten here tonight".

 

[Gillian]

My kids were 5 & 2 on our last cruise and they loved the dining room! DS wanted to order every shrimp dish they had, and DD loved her daily giant bowl of rainbow sherbet. It was fun for them, but it does get long. We were also seated with just our family which made it more relaxing than sharing.

 

[mom2my3kids]

So, how many times as a customer come in, handed you a tip and said "We were planning on dining here tonight and even had a reservation, but we changed our mind and since we know you work for tips, here's the gratuity that we would have left had we eaten here tonight".

I actually don't work on a cruise ship, I work at a local breakfast establishment. I agree you should tip based on good service, but on a cruise its a one price deal. You know going into it that you are required to tip, just part of it. I understand why someone would ask this question, but really do you think someone paying for the service as a whole would not dine in at least one restaurant on the ship?? But to answer your question, only a couple times after they sat waiting for people for over a hour..

 

[dursin]

I actually don't work on a cruise ship, I work at a local breakfast establishment. I agree you should tip based on good service, but on a cruise its a one price deal. You know going into it that you are required to tip, just part of it.

Absolutely incorrect. On DCL you should tip, but are not required to.

 

[cats mom]

So, how many times as a customer come in, handed you a tip and said "We were planning on dining here tonight and even had a reservation, but we changed our mind and since we know you work for tips, here's the gratuity that we would have left had we eaten here tonight".

You're missing the point many people have tried to make on this thread.


On DCL you do not tip at breakfast, you do not tip at lunch, you do not tip if you eat dinner at Topsiders/BBB rather than in your assigned dining room, you do not tip at CC, you do not tip at the midnight dessert buffet, etc, etc.

You may not have your assigned dinner servers at any of these occasions, but you WILL have servers waiting on you, and your assigned servers rotate through these positions. They are waiting on someone.

Rather than tipping every time someone serves you, you just leave one lump sum at the end of the cruise.

The suggested tip amounts cover the service you receive at ALL meals, not just at dinner.

 

[lovmy2girls]

Well, the other posters are right, the tip is for a service and if they are not providing the service....why pay.?. I see their point ....

But I also see the point of view that they are assigned so many tables per cruise and that is their income...they do work really hard when you are sitting at their tables...

This is going to be up to you and your conscience.

 

[lovmy2girls]

You're missing the point many people have tried to make on this thread.


On DCL you do not tip at breakfast, you do not tip at lunch, you do not tip if you eat dinner at Topsiders/BBB rather than in your assigned dining room, you do not tip at CC, you do not tip at the midnight dessert buffet, etc, etc.

You may not have your assigned dinner servers at any of these occasions, but you WILL have servers waiting on you, and your assigned servers rotate through these positions. They are waiting on someone.

Rather than tipping every time someone serves you, you just leave one lump sum at the end of the cruise.

The suggested tip amounts cover the service you receive at ALL meals, not just at dinner.

Yes excellent point! We were one of the first families on the ship and we ate lunch at Parrot Cay.....That server took care of us.....lots of drinks, mustard , ketchup etc......I felt bad not leaving a tip....when I put money down on the table, he told me no no at the end of the cruise you pay your servers. We had breakfast each morning at the buffet on deck. One of the servers saw my husband get up from his table to go get some butter, he stoped my husband and said, "Sir what do you need I will get it for you?" and he was just cleaning up the tables on deck. I have never seen anything like the servers on that ship!!!!!

 

[pennilessinpa]

I have read these posts (yes, all 5 pages) with great interest. I am cheap. My DH and I look for every possible way to get more bang for the buck each time we head to WDW.

I have wanted to do DCL since it began, but our budget, with 3 kids, would never permit it. Now I have my dream teaching job (and up here, they are very hard to come by) and our vacation season is suddenly limited to 3 short months.

My DH and I have checked into DCL every so often. In fact, I'm sure Dreams Unlimited is ready to block our inquiries. We look at the cost for a family of 5 and think, OMG. (And I sadly gaze at the lower priced September prices that are no longer available to me). Then I add in the cost of the tips.

I wish they'd just include that in the initial price. It's not like it would cause much more "sticker shock" than it already does.

It's not that I don't believe these people deserve the money. It's the point of actually seeing this money "leave my pocket." If it was a hidden cost, I believe fewer people would question it.

I guess my final point is that I would pay the tips. Even though I feel that if and when we finally go on my cruise, my 3DK will rarely use the actual dining room (because that is just not their thing - not a behavior issue, but a personal preference for their own vacation). So, likely it will be my DH and I in the dining room. And yes, we will tip whatever they suggest (even though it will kill me to do it, lol.)

I guess I try to justify it as a basic cost of the trip - and I just do it and not look back. I (someday) will have a great time, so I look at that and not what services I received. If my future cruise is anything like my DVC and WDW vacations, I know it will be great - great time/great service - so it will be worth it.

Hope the perspective helps.

 

[PCH]

So, how many times as a customer come in, handed you a tip and said "We were planning on dining here tonight and even had a reservation, but we changed our mind and since we know you work for tips, here's the gratuity that we would have left had we eaten here tonight".

If I had reserved the server's table for the entire evening, and knew that no one else will be seated at the table as a result of my reservation, then I would tip the server the amount he/she would have made.

On the other hand, if I am just canceling the reservation which I assume happen quite often at restaurants, and other diners will take my table throughout the evening, then I would just call and apologize for the cancellation.

 

[aristocats_lover]

Why doesn't the restaurant owner pay the waiter/waitress a salary so they don't have to depend on tips to make a living.

Once again, why is it that the customer has to pay the majority of the servers salary?

Why not tip the cook and the dishwasher too.

Because unfortunately that's the system. If someone doesn't agree with the system, that's understandable, but that shouldn't be taken out on the people who have to work in it.

Sadly, no matter how much people dislike it, it's not going to revolutionize the dining industry. And if it did, can you imagine the price hikes in food?

And BTW, the cook and the dishwashers make more money...$8 - $15 an hour in our area, so they really don't need tips.

 

[PCH]

Absolutely incorrect. On DCL you should tip, but are not required to.

Yes, just like when your child has a birthday party, the guests "should" bring a birthday gift, but are not "required" to.

Let's not define the term "tip" so loosely. If we all had your attitude about tipping on board, I wonder how many dining room servers would provide the level of service you are accustomed to, let along choose to work on the ship.