The Disney Tipping Info Thread *Updated 9.1.09*

[goNsoon2WDW]

What is the "appropriate" tipping practice for a buffet, such as Crystal Palace or Hollywood and Vine? We are planning to eat at these as well as other table service locations and am not sure what to plan for a gratuity. Thanks for your help.

 

[Disney8704]

Many are gonna say the 15%-20% for buffets, but I disagree....if you do a search on the internet, you will find the common tip for buffets is 10%, and thats what DH and I go by.

What is the "appropriate" tipping practice for a buffet, such as Crystal Palace or Hollywood and Vine? We are planning to eat at these as well as other table service locations and am not sure what to plan for a gratuity. Thanks for your help.

 

[goNsoon2WDW]

Is there / should there be a difference in the tip amount for character buffet meals vs. non-character buffet meals?

 

[sconnell]

Thanks for the great thread! After 10 pages I'm finished!
We're going (again) with friends and all together we'll be 4 adults and 5 kiddos ages 6 and under. 18% will be added to our bill and we are eating mostly buffets (or family style...)
In my experience at WDW the servers at buffets work very hard and do a lot more than drop off a drink. They remove plates, talk to us and will bring out things that might not be on the buffet (like mayo for my DH ) With all of those kiddos, we have them hopping! lol.
So glad that pps asked about pre-tax and post-tax auto tip. That's exactly what I was looking for.

 

[bicker]

... the common tip for buffets is 10%, and thats what DH and I go by.

Yes, I totally agree. 10% is the national standard for buffet service.

Is there / should there be a difference in the tip amount for character buffet meals vs. non-character buffet meals?

No. Characters are non-tipped employees.

 

[dbriggsq]

I'm still concerned about our upcoming trip.

We will be a party of 10 - our 5 children and 3 of their friends to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.We will obviously be paying for most of these.

I've booked 5 buffets for our 12 day stay mainly for speed, choice and the fact that the price is known beforehand.

However the 18% compulsary gratuity is a killer for us. For example at Boma we would be billed $27 each - $270 plus maybe $30 for drinks and would have to pay a tip of $55 on top of that.

What happens if we feel the service has not been worth that - it may have been satisfactory in that drinks were brought and plates cleared which is really all I expect - but $55? Should we ask for the manager - wouldn't that be very embarrassing. Can we just adjust it on the bill - presumably not. And what do we do if the service is really bad

Yes I know we can avoid TS restaurants and eat at counter service but that's not very special for an anniversary.

What is the procedure for having the tip adjusted for a party of 10? And would it be worth hassle.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation.

 

[bicker]

What happens if we feel the service has not been worth that

The key is notifying management at the time you experience sub-standard service -- i.e., at a point in time when management can "make it good", so you never get to the end of the meal having received sub-standard service.

Should we ask for the manager - wouldn't that be very embarrassing.

It shouldn't be, if your concern is legitimate.

Can we just adjust it on the bill - presumably not.

No. With parties of six and larger, what you can affect is the quality of the service you get (as I indicated above), generally not how much of a gratuity you are assessed.

 

[dbriggsq]

The key is notifying management at the time you experience sub-standard service -- i.e., at a point in time when management can "make it good", so you never get to the end of the meal having received sub-standard service

Hmmm - I agree with that but what I think I'm trying to say is - we may not get sub-standard service as such (we don't expect much service at a buffet) but would we get service worth $55 over, say, an hour of dining. At a buffet I would normally tip 10% so in this case it would be $27-30. What if I honestly feel that the service is not worth a total of $55 would the manager agree in this case.

 

[bicker]

Hmmm - I agree with that but what I think I'm trying to say is - we may not get sub-standard service as such (we don't expect much service at a buffet) but would we get service worth $55 over, say, an hour of dining.

The amount that good service is worth is dictated by Disney for parties of six and larger. The way to address your concerns about that is with WDW Guest Communications (see below). It wouldn't have any impact on your specific vacation, but you can express your disappointment with the prices WDW charges, including the gratuity rate assessed for buffet service for parties of six or larger, and perhaps they'll change the gratuity rate sometime in the future.

At a buffet I would normally tip 10% so in this case it would be $27-30. What if I honestly feel that the service is not worth a total of $55 would the manager agree in this case.

No, for the reasons mentioned above. If you really feel strongly about your valuation of buffet service, then your option is to avoid WDW restaurants.

Here's the address:

Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

 

[Disney8704]

Drinks are included in the buffet price, unless your talking about alcoholic drinks.

I'm still concerned about our upcoming trip.

We will be a party of 10 - our 5 children and 3 of their friends to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.We will obviously be paying for most of these.

I've booked 5 buffets for our 12 day stay mainly for speed, choice and the fact that the price is known beforehand.

However the 18% compulsary gratuity is a killer for us. For example at Boma we would be billed $27 each - $270 plus maybe $30 for drinks and would have to pay a tip of $55 on top of that.

What happens if we feel the service has not been worth that - it may have been satisfactory in that drinks were brought and plates cleared which is really all I expect - but $55? Should we ask for the manager - wouldn't that be very embarrassing. Can we just adjust it on the bill - presumably not. And what do we do if the service is really bad

Yes I know we can avoid TS restaurants and eat at counter service but that's not very special for an anniversary.

What is the procedure for having the tip adjusted for a party of 10? And would it be worth hassle.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation.

 

[TDC Nala]

With a party of 6 or more you are relegated to paying the 18% automatic gratuity assessed by Disney. If you consult a manager and you tell them you don't think a buffet is worth an 18% tip, it's doubtful they will reduce the size of the tip for that reason. Service issues might get it reduced, but not that.

 

[dbriggsq]

In that case they need to change the name of it to a service charge or a price supplement for large parties - it certainly isn't a 'gratuity' in the true sense of the word.

Just another question - when booking our ADRs I was told that it may not be possible to seat our party together - if that is the case and we are 2 tables of 5 would the automatic gratuity still apply?

 

[peach3es]

In that case they need to change the name of it to a service charge or a price supplement for large parties - it certainly isn't a 'gratuity' in the true sense of the word.

Just another question - when booking our ADRs I was told that it may not be possible to seat our party together - if that is the case and we are 2 tables of 5 would the automatic gratuity still apply?

Good question!

 

[Tricia1972]

Just another question - when booking our ADRs I was told that it may not be possible to seat our party together - if that is the case and we are 2 tables of 5 would the automatic gratuity still apply?

If you have the same server you will be charged the 18% and if you have different servers you will not be charged the 18%.

 

[OneBadApple]

Not sure if this is the place to ask this, but here goes.

IIRC, at the Pepper Market they add in a 10% gratuity. Is this included in the DDP or do we need to pay oop for that?

 

[dbriggsq]

If you have the same server you will be charged the 18% and if you have different servers you will not be charged the 18%.

But if we have 2 separate tables and each table pays their own bill then presumably they can't apply the automatic gratuity.

 

[TDC Nala]

But if we have 2 separate tables and each table pays their own bill then presumably they can't apply the automatic gratuity.

If you are booked as one party, and that party is then separated into two tables due to the size of that party, and each table has the same server, then your party will get the automatic gratuity applied no matter how you're billed.

If you're booked as two separate parties of 5 people or less, you won't.

 

[robin09]

I've read a few of the pages and I haven't seen an answer to this question.. sorry if it has been asked already...

Can we tip with Disney Dollars? We have a couple of hundred saved (it's the only way we can save without dipping into the cash!).

thanks in advance.... getting sooooo close.. the only thing we are missing is the fantasmic package for the 27th... we keep calling and trying..

 

[Tricia1972]

Yes you can tip with Disney Dollars.

 

[robin09]

Yes you can tip with Disney Dollars.

Wow Tricia, That was quick, thankyou sooooo much