Spoke with some servers during our DDP meals about their tips...

[maminnie]

honeymo78:

Thanks so much for the further clarification. This actually surprises me a bit as it really cuts into Disney's share of the profit on TS meals. I am very glad to hear this for the many servers at Disney. Therefore, inadequate tips cannot be an excuse for servers treating those on the DDP any different then those not on the plan.

We are hoping that service at Disney will be up to our expected Disney standards during our upcoming visit.

Thanks again,
maminnie

 

[Tjaleks]

I have used the ddp twice and had great service both times. As Bicker said if feel your service is lacking speak to a manager right away, not at the end of the meal. This way the problem can be corrected immediately. Personally poor customer service is one of my triggers and I will NOT tolerate it ever. With that being said I also acknowledge if the problem is with the kitchen or with the wait staff. I would never penalize a wait staff for something that was out of their control.

 

[drakethib]

Yes, this is true, but it is also a traveler's responsiblility to find out what the customs and cultures are of a country before they visit. We toured France last year at Christmas and before we left I did all the research I could to find out what is customary over there, from greetings to paying for taxis, to restaurant etiquette and tipping. I wanted to make sure my family was polite and respectful. Servers in Florida earn next to nothing, have to share it with hostesses, busboys, etc., and serving hoardes of people during high season can be pretty crazy. It always surprises me that people can extensively plan their itineraries for months but not check up on culture differences at all.

Well said.

I have noticed the little card in the "bill book" when you are done with your meal give a little history and/or tradional info on tips.

 

[arizonacolbys]

I used to wait tables during college & was paid $2.13 an hour. I never received a check other than my cash tips at the end of the night - the $2.13/hour was used to cover taxes. We also paid out a couple percent to hosts & the bar at the end of every night. This was based on your sales for the night, not the amount of tips you did/did not receive.

That being said, I really appreciate good service, but also get aggravated with really poor service, especially when it is apparent that the server really isn't trying to give you a good experience.

We had several disappointing meals in Sept while on the free DDP. The worst one for us was California Grill - we ate here for the first time the previous trip for our anniversary & fell in love with it, so we were even more disappointed in Sept to receive such poor service. I really feel like the server ignored us once he found out we weren't drinking alcohol & we were on the DDP, so his tip was set.

We had this same experience at Mama Melrose & Boma. Most of our dining experiences were very good, but the poor ones really put a bad taste in our mouth over the DDP.

 

[honeymo78]

honeymo78:

Therefore, inadequate tips cannot be an excuse for servers treating those on the DDP any different then those not on the plan.

We are hoping that service at Disney will be up to our expected Disney standards during our upcoming visit.

Thanks again,
maminnie

I think the reason that some servers treat DDP or other dining plan users differently is that since the tip is guaranteed, they don't need to work hard to keep you happy and therefore get a decent tip.

I do agree with that others have said about informing management if you receive poor serving DDP or not.

Personally we have always received great service while at Disney with maybe 1 mediocre experience per trip and its been a long time since we've gone without one of disney's dining plans.

 

[bicker]

So what you are saying is that you believe that the server gets an 18% tip on all those individual items added up? I can't imagine that is what Disney does.

Yet that has been consistently confirmed in every report of a DIS member asking a WDW dining CM how much they get tipped. The restaurant servers explained that this is why they encourage guests to order everything they're entitled to: appetizer, entree and dessert -- because they get tipped on every bit of the menu price for everything ordered, not just based on an arbitrary allocation.

My guess is that the server would get 18% of the value of what is allocated for that table service DDP meal.

Explicitly this is not the case. Perhaps you find that very surprising, but rest assured that Disney is very generous with their own restaurant servers in this regard.

 

[bicker]

We had several disappointing meals in Sept while on the free DDP. The worst one for us was California Grill - we ate here for the first time the previous trip for our anniversary & fell in love with it, so we were even more disappointed in Sept to receive such poor service. I really feel like the server ignored us once he found out we weren't drinking alcohol & we were on the DDP, so his tip was set.

I wouldn't attribute that to the Dining Plan. Look through the archives and you'll see I posted pretty much the same thing about one of our visits to California Grill, several years ago, before there even was a Disney Dining Plan like this one. A lot of servers are like that when they find out you don't drink alcohol.

 

[drakethib]

I wouldn't attribute that to the Dining Plan. Look through the archives and you'll see I posted pretty much the same thing about one of our visits to California Grill, several years ago, before there even was a Disney Dining Plan like this one. A lot of servers are like that when they find out you don't drink alcohol.

Hopefully severs as such are reported and disciplined are fired if this happens.

Not everyone needs alcohol to enjoy themselves or their meals.

Before someone starts with a rant, I do drink.