The Disney Tipping Info Thread *Updated 9.1.09*

[Goofy's apprentice]

It has been a while since we purchased this card...now that there is an automatic 18% gratuity regardless of party size, would you think it is still worth it?

 

[Pumbaa_]

my family is going Dec 2009, family meaning each family group will be meeting there and we are planning to gather at supper each night, each family group is planning on adding the DDP to there reservations. Now since each group has no more then three persons sharing there own rooms when we actually set down we will be a total of 10. but each "room group" will be handing the waiter there card will the "room group" get normal tipping or will they count it as a large group and bases the tip on the group rate?

If you are all sitting together then you will be a party of 6 and have the 18% autogratuity even though each room will pay for their own meals

 

[honeymo78]

It has been a while since we purchased this card...now that there is an automatic 18% gratuity regardless of party size, would you think it is still worth it?

Assuming you tipped with the old card or tip your waitstaff in general, you are still saving money, since you still would have added on a tip anyway.

We don't have a TIW card, but if we did, we would save even more money since we normally tip 20%. I guess if you don't tip at all or tip significantly less than 18% (like maybe 10%) you'll lose some savings. But if your bill is $100 before the discount and you would have tipped $18-20 back before the automatic grat, under the new rules, you're still tipping that same $18 and still getting a discount on your meal.

I really just don't understand how people think this lessens the value of the card

If your service is truely poor and does not warrant the automatic gratuity, please bring the matter to management's attention so that it may be corrected. The number of times where service at disney or elsewhere that has been so poor as to warrant speaking to a manager and/or not leaving a tip I can count on one hand. And this doesn't mean calling the manager because you would prefer to leave 15% rather than 18% - that's only a difference of $3 on a $100 meal.

 

[halld6479]

then when each group hands there room key for the credits to be removed does each group have to pay 18% or is it divided between each card to equal 18% or in fact as the waiter getting 18% for each card he removes the meals from. hope I have not confused you. I am only see that if 3 cards are used for the three groups paying there own way the waiter is in fact getting 18% x 3 groups. Not a bad days pay off one table

 

[ShhhQ]

then when each group hands there room key for the credits to be removed does each group have to pay 18% or is it divided between each card to equal 18% or in fact as the waiter getting 18% for each card he removes the meals from. hope I have not confused you. I am only see that if 3 cards are used for the three groups paying there own way the waiter is in fact getting 18% x 3 groups. Not a bad days pay off one table

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I had a similar situation when we went last month.... we had a party of 7 with 3 different room keys....
Each key card had a seperate tab... each tab had the gratuity figured for that tab alone. So the card that had 4 people eating had only the 18% gratuity for what they ordered, the card that had the 2 people on it had their own set gratuity... so forth and so on.... the total of the gratutity would be the same (for the waiter) if it was all on one as it was seperate, since it was based on the items ordered and not the amount of people or payments...
I hope that makes sense!

 

[halld6479]

I think I understand now thanks for you imput

 

[Marc A.]

My question is this and it may have been asked (my apologies if it has):
We are going on two trips, Nov and March (AP's). We are on the Deluxe plan in Nov and havent decided if we will do a plan in March. If I purchase a DDE card to use for mainly extras and drinks in Nov. how does that work with the DxDP for tipping???
Say we are at Cal. Grill and our apps, entrees and desserts are covered by the plan but we order a bottle of wine/glasses and an extra dessert or app, how do we figure it all out for tips???
Thanks

 

[pioneer89]

I thought I'd tack my recent experiences at WDW on the DDP from my trip (Sept 20-28).

I tipped cash every place I went. When my bill came, I simply put a line through the TIP blank on the bill, and filled in the total meal price in the TOTAL DUE area.

I didn't opt to have charges to room enabled on my card, so there was no chance for error.

Not one waiter questioned it, or even looked sideways at it (as far as I can tell.)

After the bill was settled, I placed my cash tip inside the little black folder that they bring the bill in, with a corner of the green $$ sticking out just so they don't miss it when clearing the table.

I tried to treat the whole process just like I do out in the 'real world' where I pay, wait for change, and then leave the tip as the last thing I do when leaving.

One exception, I did leave a tip at Wolfgang Express 'counter service' because they had waiters just as attentive as any of the 'sit-down' places I went. I handed him his tip because I might have been easy to miss when cleaning up our table after a 4yo and 6yo ate there.

One note: I did have two waiters make not-so-subtle hints about 'wife/kids at home' and 'daughter in college' which were pretty obvious tugs at my heart-strings not to forget the tip Not that I blame them, I figure going from a 100% sure tip to relying on forgetful people like me might have taken a toll.

 

[chrisann]

We will be on the deluxe plan and eating at CRT and Mickey's Barbeque, I thought I read somewhere that for those two meals, the tip was included. Is that correct? I just want to be prepared. Thanks!

Just wondering if someone could answer this for me. Thanks!

 

[Twende]

I received a phone call today from Disney regarding this post. My post was closed which makes no sense to me and makes it very difficult to share the response I received.

This is the original thread so that you understand the question.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1973598

It is concerning the cost of the Candlelight Processional package in EPCOT.
The cost of the package for an Adult meal, at the nicer places for the dinner seatings is $53.99.. Now the most expensive things on the menu do not add up to this price so the pricing of the package makes no sense since the seats are free to everyone with a paid entrance to EPCOT.

A Christina from LeCellier returned my call today and was very helpful and sweet. She said that she took this to the proper departments including the one who priced this package and they can not make heads or tails of it either.

She offered a solution for our family group that would include giving each family group a separate check based on what the actually ordered meal cost and not the cost of the package.

I told her that was nice, and a lot of extra work for her servers but that it was really not necessary. We were not complaining about the cost but just looking for a logical explanation of the cost.

She apologized over and over that no one seemed to have an answer.

She told me that they are still looking into it and an answer may appear one day, in which case she will let me know about it.

So I guess the official answer is the MOUSE has no idea!

 

[TPCShauna]

As I'm sure everyone knows, cost of living in California is sky high. DH and I dine out quite a bit and start calculating tips for good service at 20%, then adjust up or down accordingly for level of service.

Florida has a much lower cost of living. What is the standard tip percentage for good service in an Orlando restaurant outside of WDW?

 

[Pumbaa_]

personal tipping habits are not up for discussion. It just never ends well

What one person thinks is the 'standard', someone else will not agree.

Thanks

 

[TPCShauna]

OK. So then where would you recommend that I obtain this information? I am looking to ballpark for planning purposes and assumed this was the correct place to ask.

 

[Tricia1972]

I haven't heard or read anything that you would tip differently in Orlando than anywhere else in the country. Though costs of living may differ from region to region, so do base wages for servers, meal costs, etc.

It's up to you if you'd like to adjust for a region, that's entirely your call.

 

[TPCShauna]

I haven't heard or read anything that you would tip differently in Orlando than anywhere else in the country. Though costs of living may differ from region to region, so do base wages for servers, meal costs, etc.

It's up to you if you'd like to adjust for a region, that's entirely your call.

Thanks for that. I ask because we tipped 20% to a server at a restaurant in Idaho and she asked if we had made a mistake. Apparently, average tips for Idaho were 10 to 15%. It was the same in Portland. We left 25% for a really amazing server and he asked us to lower it as he felt it was far too much. (We didn't as he really was wonderful - obviously.)

It's been our experience that the cost of living in an area greatly influences the percentage of tip left. If it is customarily 12 to 18% in Orlando, I would plan for that and budget in a bit extra for exceptional service.

I just like to be one step ahead of the game as we are planning to eat off-site a few times over the course of our trip and I would like an accurate budget.

 

[smidgy]

I think the deal with the candlelight processional is:
even though it is FREE with epcot admission, there are often long, long lines. you could be in line and hear the whole show before you are able to sit and see the next show. with the dinner/processional, you are GUARANTEED seating for a certain show. (leave ample time, IF you prefer really good seats, just like the fantasmic dinner package)
the reason disney adds 18% to parties of 6 or more is because that is kinda an average between the national norm for tipping and large parties take up a lot of the server's time.
I always wonder about dinner shows (hoop de doo, etc). we went to a dinner show in a theatre in our home town. it was all one price. I was a little confused as to what to tip because: how much was the meal (and service) and how much was the play?

 

[zan65]

CRT is prepaid, so wondering how is gratuity handled? We have party of 9 on 12/9.

 

[AZ Navy Wife]

Your gratuity is already included in the price that you pre-paid for everyone. Each time my family has gone, we have given our servers additional gratuity because we felt the wonderful service was well worth it. Enjoy your magical time in the Castle!

 

[indigoxtreme]

Gratuity is included at Cinderella Royal Table (though you may want to supplement).

 

[caroline1851]

Yipeeee..it's included? I didn't know that!!! I wonder what % they figure in....18?