So, will you be tipping extra with the free dining table service meal?

[burberryplaid]

So, I don't understand - you are getting free dining and you feel you haven't spent enough already so you want to give away some of your money to servers who are being tipped automatically? Why did you want the free dining plan if you want to throw your money away doubling the server's tips? I dont get it. It doesn't make sense!

I just feel 17% is just the minimum. Where we live (Northeastern US) an ordinary tip is between 15-20%. If you have an exceptional person, you give more. If we do have someone who is absolutely wonderful we will give them more, whether we are at Disney or elsewhere. Why would I change what I normally do just because the tip is already included? To each their own though.. I don't begrudge anyone who doesn't give extra.

 

[LAWalz23]

We were there for free dining last summer and I deliberately brought extra $5 bills to give to the servers at the TS for 4 of us. And I will do it again this year even though we are paying for DDP in both June and Sept/Oct. Whether or not I pay or don't pay for the DDP, I usually tip about 20% unless the service is really poor when I go out at home so it is the same at WDW.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

To each his or her own. It is everyone's choice whether to give their money away. I prefer to keep as much of my hard earned cash as possible.

I am sure the waitstaff is happy to see free dining if so many people are willing to double the tips. Please keep in mind that WDW is full most of the year, not just at free dining time, and those servers work just as hard the rest of the year. I guess some people feel guilty because they get the free dining. I still don't get it.

 

[shondad]

I just normally left an extra $5.00 at each table service meal during our two free DDP trips. That may not have been a lot, but I just did not feel right leaving nothing, even though the gratuities were included.

 

[jcemom]

We normally tip 15%. I feel the tip included with the DDP is sufficient unless a server really goes above and beyond what I would expect. Disney restaurant prices are much higher than we pay at restaurants we frequent here at home, so even at 15% the Disney servers are getting more as a tip just because the bill is higher.

Last October for example, our dinner bill at Chef Mickey's for our party of 7 was somewhere around $180 before tax and tip. At 15% that's a $27 tip when we occupied the table for just over an hour. I'm pretty sure our server had more than one or two tables. That means he's making far more money per hour than my DH does. Just our tip alone put him at about my DH's salary -- not including hourly pay and any other tips.

So, if the DDP provides an 18% tip then I don't see any reason to give more in most situations.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you don't feel an 18% tip is enough for whatever reason, then there's no problem with leaving more.

If you feel an 18% tip is enough, then that's what you feel.

I understand some folks like to tip 25% or more, but that seems high to me unless the experience is fantastic.

 

[captinhookedondisney]

I will leave a tip if the CM is great. like tell jokes and make small talk.

 

[Katiebell]

Oops, sorry...I voted and missed the "free" dining part of the poll. But I my answer would be the same whether we were getting the DDP for free, or paying for it (as we are). We always tip 15% for just decent basic service. If the service really good, then we leave more, about equal to the 18% included on the plan. If it is exceptional service, then we plan on leaving an extra $5-$10 for our party of two. We'll make sure to carry extra $5's for this, because we have very often received absolutely wonderful service from the CM's at Disney.

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

Still don't get it-double their tips because it is free dining ...If you want to throw your money away, then do it. I would rather donate to foster children programs, or some other worthy cause, because I feel that the 18% is sufficient.

I wonder if the posters think that free dining means no tips included. Tips are included with the free DDP just as if you are paying for DDP. I hope everyone has a wonderful trip to WDW, I know I will. I love, love, love the dining plan.

 

[TravelinGal]

Nope - not unless the server is extraordinary. And the busier they are, the less attentive they are (as a general rule) so No.

We've never got a fun 'big sister' etc at Prime Time - so we never leave an extra tip. We've even flat out put our elbows on the table - refused to eat veggies etc. No playing for us.

Le Cellier has been the best, but still the service is average. (and we have never gone during free dining before - this will be our first time)

Rainforest at AK was the worst. We waited forever for our food. When it came out it was cold. Couldn't get our servers attention at all (nor any other server - they were always looking somewhere else etc). My DH and SIL ended up eating their cold hamburgers and fries (I had a salad so I was OK). When he finally came back to our table (food was gone - choked down) and we mentioned it (not trying to get a free meal - just informing him of the problem), he very rudely said that we should have told him right away. Well, if he'd been anywhere to be seen we would have! That was a cash meal and he did not get a tip. (drinks were NEVER refilled either)

 

[abeyst]

No extra tips from me, either. I normally tip 15% for b-fast, 15% for lunch, and 20% for dinner. 18% is a good average for the day. ESPECIALLY if it's a buffet meal where I'm going to get my own food, anyway. Don't see why wait staff needs such a big tip on a $20 meal when they only brought me drinks. Better yet, how 'bout giving ME some of that tip % for getting my own food !!

(That was a joke, DISers!)

 

[DebbieB]

It depends on what they do. When my 12 year old niece and I were there last year, they got about $10 for the 2 of us at character dinners. $10 is a good tip for refilling drinks and picking up plates.c Keep in mind Disney's prices are over-inflated. Your check is probably twice what it would be at home.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

No extra tips here either. Anyway, if I am at a buffet like CM or CP, why would I tip more? They are getting 18% for bringing my drinks and clearing old plates. So, I should give more money? I think 18% is a good tip. And, we have never had a rude waitress...bad food yes!

 

[mla973]

We will tip more for great service and did a few times last year during the free DDP. I would follow the same practice if we pay for it on our next trip.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't think very many people are suggesting doubling the servers tip. Originally,2005, servers were tipped 15%. I normally tip closer to 20% so I normally added a few extra dollars to the tip. I consider a 18% is a normal tip. 2006 I generally didn't add an extra tip.

Free dining as nothing to do with it, the answer should be the same if it's free dining or paid dining.

Still don't get it-double their tips because it is free dining ...If you want to throw your money away, then do it. I would rather donate to foster children programs, or some other worthy cause, because I feel that the 18% is sufficient.

I wonder if the posters think that free dining means no tips included. Tips are included with the free DDP just as if you are paying for DDP. I hope everyone has a wonderful trip to WDW, I know I will. I love, love, love the dining plan.

 

[clkelley]

I probably should leave a $1 or $2 extra, but don't know if I will or not.

Servers during free dining will actually get less from us than if we were paying a la carte. We have DDE for most trips and get the 20% discount on table service, so for us the amount of the tip is the amount of our discount. (Mainly because I'm lazy and don't want to sit with a calculator and figure an exact 18% tip on the non-discounted amount).

Also when we don't have DDE, I usually just triple the sales tax amount and then round it up to the next dollar, so that's what 6.5% which amounts to 19.5% - 20%.

Although, then again we probably wouldn't order as much food when not on DDP.

When not on DDP, I usually get a soup, then appetizer as an entree, hubby gets an appetizer, and entree, and I usually get a couple of bites of his entree. We don't have desert right then, we usually stop at a CS bakery a couple of hours later for desert.

 

[verchad]

Having been in food service, if the service is exceptional, I'll add a little extra to an included tip bill.

Generally, I'd treat it just like any other restaurant. Start figuring at 15% and go up or down depending on service. So they might get some over the included 18%.

Beware!
Used to be many places automatically added tip on parties of 8 or more. Now, I've seen places adding it on parties of 6 or more.

 

[clkelley]

Beware!
Used to be many places automatically added tip on parties of 8 or more. Now, I've seen places adding it on parties of 6 or more.

That happened to us at Planet Hollywood in May 06. We were a party of 6. They added an automatic 18% gratuity. I didn't know whether it was because of the party of 6 or because we were using the DDE card for a 20% discount.

They messed up. If they hadn't added the tip, I would have just duplicated our discount as the tip (and probably rounded up to the nearest dollar), so they lost some money there.

 

[verchad]

That happened to us at Planet Hollywood in May 06. We were a party of 6. They added an automatic 18% gratuity. I didn't know whether it was because of the party of 6 or because we were using the DDE card for a 20% discount.

They messed up. If they hadn't added the tip, I would have just duplicated our discount as the tip (and probably rounded up to the nearest dollar), so they lost some money there.

Reason I mentioned it, we got caught by it. My mother took myself, my sister, our spouses and kids out for dinner, total of seven. At the end, she paid the bill and I left the tip off the amount she told me. The next day, she asked how much I'd left because she read her CC receipt as she entered it into her checkbook program and saw the 18% tip on there. I told her I left 15%, server was okay. So he got 33% tip. Called the restaurant and they said yes they recently started the 18% on six or more, it should be noted on the menus, unless there were still a few old menus mixed in, YEAH RIGHT!

 

[RACHELSMOM1]

I don't think very many people are suggesting doubling the servers tip. Originally,2005, servers were tipped 15%. I normally tip closer to 20% so I normally added a few extra dollars to the tip. I consider a 18% is a normal tip. 2006 I generally didn't add an extra tip.

Free dining as nothing to do with it, the answer should be the same if it's free dining or paid dining.

I agree that free dining should have nothing to do with it, but most of the posters who said they will tip extra said it is because it is free dining - which I still don't understand what that has to do with anything. I suppose they have some guilt feelings, I don't know or care. But some of the ones posted here seem to think that free dining should equal extra tips. By the sound of some of these posts, yes what they are proposing as extra tips would come pretty close to doubling the tip amount. Call me dumb, but I don't get it!