Things not going well with the DDP changes

[Annabelleasb]

I am really torn on this one. I don't have much sympathy for the servers. The managers had to have some kind of feedback from their employees before they came up with such a brilliant plan. I think they have brought this on themselves.

Your absolutely right!!!!!!! If I were a waitress/server busting my a** & putting on a happy smile (you know ALL of those Disney employees can't possibly be THAT happy all of the time) I would rather be handed $$$ then a "18%" tip.They probably complained about the $$ their NOT making....now they can complain about getting nothing at all!!!

 

[GreatLakes5]

how do`s that make him a tell lies
Paulh

It doesn't - that's why I said that "not saying that makes his articles a bunch of lies...." I was simply pointing out why some of the posters were questioning the source.

 

[grimgrinnin]

His lies and "made up stories" (calling them rumors implies he has sources!!!) are the reason I will never again by the Unoffical Guide.

The Unofficial Guide is written by Bob Sehlinger, not Jim Hill. You've been boycotting the wrong author

 

[FDV]

The Unofficial Guide is written by Bob Sehlinger, not Jim Hill. You've been boycotting the wrong author

Now THAT's funny.

 

[ghost1000]

The Unofficial Guide is written by Bob Sehlinger, not Jim Hill. You've been boycotting the wrong author

Jim Hill has rumor factoids throughout the book.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

I don't believe Carol said that he wrote the UG, just that he is paid to contribute.

FWIW, it has always been my experience that the information Carol gives us through her posts is quite accurate.

Not to say, though, that folks aren't upset about the new plan.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Jim Hill has a tendancy to sensationalize and as such .. sometimes in the process of 'sensationalization" .. a few facts get bent, twisted and sometimes even just created out of thin air.

His correct vs. incorrect percentage has started slipping tremendously in the past 24 months and I have arrived at the point where I don't read his stuff anymore because most of the time - I just don't believe it.

In this case, I suspect there were a few upset guests ... I don't know if its as bad as he makes it out to be. Might be, might not be.

In any event, Disney did a poor job at communicating this change in my opinion.

Knox

 

[petrymom]

The plan changed with no warning for most. We found out about it on this board about 2 or 3 months ago.

This may have been previously posted as I didn't finish reading the thread, but felt compelled to add my thoughts. I booked our March 2008 trip the end of August when the plans first came out. It was already on the Disney Website at this time. I knew full well when I booked that I would be loosing the appetizer and having to pay the tip. I wonder how these people did not know this information. Did they not do their research prior to booking?

 

[deide71]

I think if you read it carefully it says Guests ages 3-9 for the appetizer.

Oh yeah...thanks for the heads up .

 

[NHWX]

For a very short time today, I held a package reservation. (I thought it over, crunched some numbers and went back to room only.) The CM who booked the package didn't tell me that it had changed since last year nor that I would be expected to pay at tip at the end of the meal. Now I understand that they probably send information prior to your trip but if you're really busy, you might not read it. He did say something very close to "All your meals will be covered!"

So... if the WDW-DINE folks are telling people about the changes when they make their reservations, that's good. But they should also mention it when you agree to buy the plan.

NHWX

 

[TLSnell1981]

This may have been previously posted as I didn't finish reading the thread, but felt compelled to add my thoughts. I booked our March 2008 trip the end of August when the plans first came out. It was already on the Disney Website at this time. I knew full well when I booked that I would be loosing the appetizer and having to pay the tip. I wonder how these people did not know this information. Did they not do their research prior to booking?

Up until a couple of days ago, the FAQ sheet on Disney's website STILL showed the appy and grat included in the DDP..

 

[msee1991]

When we bought our package we were told that we would only be responsible for tipping for a party 8 or more, since our party is only 4 I didn't think anything else about it, however from what I can tell now we are suppose to tip. How do we tip if we don't leave cash on the table do they give us a bill for the tip or do they charge it to our room? Do I have to sign something when it is charged to our room. We arrive Sat. the 19 so I need some fast feedback. Thanks

 

[stitchlover]

It sounds like they will ask you how you want to take care of the tip. You can either tell them how much to charge back to your room or pay cash. We have already set aside what we think will cover up 20% tip at each of our TS. So we will just tell them charge the bill to DDP and we will pay cash for the tip.

Hope this helps.

 

[Pumbaa_]

When we bought our package we were told that we would only be responsible for tipping for a party 8 or more, since our party is only 4 I didn't think anything else about it, however from what I can tell now we are suppose to tip. How do we tip if we don't leave cash on the table do they give us a bill for the tip or do they charge it to our room? Do I have to sign something when it is charged to our room. We arrive Sat. the 19 so I need some fast feedback. Thanks

The 2008 plan does not include gratuities and you will be expected to tip. You will receive a bill showing zero for your meal and a second one showing what the tip would be for 18% and for 20%. You are free to tip a different amount if you are a party with less than 6 people.

You will be able to charge back to your room, pay cash or credit card.

We arrive the same day as you! Have a great time!

 

[CanadianGuy]

An interesting thread from July of 2007 ... which specifically mentions a major UK tour operator announcing that the 2008 DDP would not include Tips or the appetizer. That post is dated July 20, 2007. So at least some UK travel agencies were alerted to the changes before booking could be made.

http://www.disboards.com/archive/index.php/t-1520514.html

Knox

 

[chimo2u]

Maybe I'm not understanding this.

Are you saying you aren't going to leave a $20-$30 tip even if that's the correct tip amount?

I wasn't going to chime in on this thread, as I feel tipping threads get out of hand with too many opinions, but I just can't keep silent when I read something like this! Who is to say what is "the Correct" tip? Last time I understood, "gratuity" meant just that.... a thank-you, or "gratious gift" a giving of something, not a pre-determined something, to show gratefuleness for a job well done. It is up to the person giving to decide what they wish to leave as their gift... not society. End of my rant! I will go to disney, on the DDP even though my travel agant informed me of the tips being included when I bought the package....and figure out what I want to leave each server based on the level of service I recieve. It will however, be a gift to supplement their wage, not 20- 30 dollers/ meal as the OP said! I serve the public too in my job (Teacher Assistant) and am never tipped, I have a hard time with the whole tipping thing. I think a person goes into a job (at least in Canada) getting a decent wage and a tip is just something extra that not every field of work is privy to. I work just as hard as any wait staff. Anyway, this will probably be my last time posting on this toipic I just wanted to really get my point of view out there that "gratuity" really means "gratious giving" and is determined by the giver. Thanks for listening!

 

[chimo2u]

Sorry if my above post was more geared to "tipping" than DDP! I just finished all the pages of this thread and when I replied to that, I was back at page 15. Anyway, my point is my travel agent told me when I bought my package in November that this dining plan included gratuity. I have never been informed differently, and we leave in 1 day! Now I'll have to change our plans on carrying cash to restaurants because I will leave a tip, but as I posted above, it will be a "gracious gift" for service well done. Nothing more, nothing less and hopefully all will still go well on this "once in a lifetime" vacation for us! I know for our family, this cost us close to $7,000.00 and we will probably never be able to afford such a vacation again! We saved a LONG time for this, and we are really looking forward to it!
Take Care

 

[robinb]

I think a person goes into a job (at least in Canada) getting a decent wage and a tip is just something extra that not every field of work is privy to. I work just as hard as any wait staff.

Here in the US servers make well below minimum wage and rely on tips to bring their wages up. I think their salary is about $2.15 per hour ... someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I have no clue how much servers make in Canada. Here in the US the standard tip is 15-20%. Not giving the standard tip for good service is not right, IMO. If you need to save money to go to Disney ... that's fine. Just don't do it on the backs of the hard working servers.

I'm sorry, but your misunderstanding is exactly why I think it was better when the gratuity was included. I would rather have had them ADD $5 to the price of the plan and left the gratuity intact. That $5 increase would cover an 18% gratuity on the average TS meal of $28.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I'm sorry, but your misunderstanding is exactly why I think it was better when the gratuity was included. I would rather have had them ADD $5 to the price of the plan and left the gratuity intact. That $5 increase would cover an 18% gratuity on the average TS meal of $28.

Seems like such an easy solution -- too bad Disney didn't think of it! Actually, I really feel like the changes to the DDP had nothing to do with pricing, but had everything to do with punishing the servers that took advantage of the plan and padded the bill to receive a higher gratuity. I think removing the gratuity was a slap on the wrist!

 

[VacationDad]

Who is to say what is "the Correct" tip?

It might be different in other countries, but in the United States, wait staff mostly work for tips. I don't agree with some around here who think anything less than 20% is what lower class folks leave for a tip, but I also think if you can't afford a 15-20% tip for good service at an expensive restaurant, then you have no business eating there.

Just my opinion.