Tipping in 2008

[iloveftwilderness]

We just got back from Disney in September and we were on the free dining plan. We ate at California Grill and we wanted to leave the server an extra tip. I asked if I could charge it to my room and she said I couldn't. We had to leave it in cash.
I agree with the other posters, that the waitstaff is going to lose a lot of money. WDW is the main destination in the US and it attracks a lot of foreign visitors, that don't understand our tipping policy. In some places the tip is included and they think that is the case here too. Then you have the people that are on a budget and they don't understand paying $100 for a buffet and then tipping $15-20 in tips for the server bringing their beverages and taking their plates.
I don't think Disney thought about the big picture when they decided to nix the tip in the DDP. It seems like they will be paying more money in training new employees, due to the turnover that is likely to occur.

 

[fakereadhed]

"What is not included in the 2008 Dining Plan is the gratuities, so you will have to carry cash."

That was not well thought out. Very few people carry cash these days and the servers will be the ones to pay. What we will be seeing next is mousekeeping type printable envelopes for DDP tips so everyone has the cash with them. Since nothing about a trip is spontaneous anymore anyway, you could just choose your menu items ahead of time and set the tips aside before you go. (sarcasm) Another reason for me not to use DDP in 2008.

As far as buffets, I am so sick of people not wanting to tip at buffets. Yeah, some of the servers just bring your drinks. But we had a great one at Chef Mickeys that spent a lot of time at our table, singing with us, entertaining our toddler, and making sure we had what we needed. All character meals and buffet servers are not the same and should be tipped accordingly.

 

[kimsuenew]

We just got back from Disney in September and we were on the free dining plan. We ate at California Grill and we wanted to leave the server an extra tip. I asked if I could charge it to my room and she said I couldn't. We had to leave it in cash. I agree with the other posters, that the waitstaff is going to lose a lot of money. WDW is the main destination in the US and it attracks a lot of foreign visitors, that don't understand our tipping policy. In some places the tip is included and they think that is the case here too. Then you have the people that are on a budget and they don't understand paying $100 for a buffet and then tipping $15-20 in tips for the server bringing their beverages and taking their plates.
I don't think Disney thought about the big picture when they decided to nix the tip in the DDP. It seems like they will be paying more money in training new employees, due to the turnover that is likely to occur.

That is pretty much what my reply said... that we would need cash. I really hope that Disney re-thinks this before the 2008 plan is initiated. I know there are people who do not wish to charge via their KTTW card but I also know there are many (me, me, me) more that really would love it! I would rather pay the bill off (the cc that we secured the KTTW card with) when we get home than to have to carry tip money for 12 TS meals! Let's cross our fingers they are looking at this issue now and will make it easy for all (a choice would be nice)!

 

[Colleen27]

That is pretty much what my reply said... that we would need cash. I really hope that Disney re-thinks this before the 2008 plan is initiated. I know there are people who do not wish to charge via their KTTW card but I also know there are many (me, me, me) more that really would love it! I would rather pay the bill off (the cc that we secured the KTTW card with) when we get home than to have to carry tip money for 12 TS meals! Let's cross our fingers they are looking at this issue now and will make it easy for all (a choice would be nice)!

And if they aren't going to allow tips to be charged to the room, they better start getting that message out! We *never* travel with enough cash for the tip on 23 TS meals. And while I'm sure I'll know one way or the other thanks to the DIS, I'm sure there are many, many travelers who are just as dependant upon debit/credit cards who don't read these forums and won't know to bring a few hundred extra dollars in cash for tips. It really would suck to see servers getting stiffed because Disney didn't bother telling people that tips are the (HUGE) exception to their highly-touted perk of room charging privledges.

 

[TANYABETH]

What's wrong with tipping $10 bucks for a table service meal? Does it have to be a percentage of the bill? If a server waits 5 tables for an hour and everyone tips $10 or more, that's $50 per hour. In my book, that's a pretty good hourly wage.

In most restaurants the servers have to "tip out" which means they have to give a percentage of their tips the bus boys and girls, bartender, hostess, meal runners etc. Not sure if this is the case with Disney, but that can eat up a big chunk of your tip.

 

[Nancyg56]

Couldn't have said it much beter than Stefffe. To which I'd only add "calculated mean" to those folks who are uninformed about tipping. Lots of folks out there who actually ENJOY stiffing wait staff out of any tips.
"Who cares? I'll never see them again"

ITA. Many years ago I was waiting tables, I was the sole support of my family. It was Mother's Day and I got a party of 17. They took up 2/3 of my station and stayed my entire shift. They really took some perverse delight in making me run, one request at a time. Then they left three dollars, I could hear them laughing that they weren't coming back, who cared?????

Me, that's who. I gave up my day with my children and worked to make their day happy and was treated as though I did not count. I understood that not everyone who came into my station was going to want to or be able to tip the 15% and really had no issues with that. People who choose to go in and leave little to nothing because there are no consequences to them make me ill. These people usually look for reasons to leave nothing.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I think the difference with the CG experience is that there was no charge to put through to add a tip on. I hope they resolve that issue for 2008.

How do you tell a party of 6 with a $300 bill to cough up $54 in cash?

 

[Nancyg56]

In most restaurants the servers have to "tip out" which means they have to give a percentage of their tips the bus boys and girls, bartender, hostess, meal runners etc. Not sure if this is the case with Disney, but that can eat up a big chunk of your tip.

I imagine that it is. The resorts that my son worked at had the tips all figured out and added into the pay checks. He may have had 18% charged onto the bill but he never got that much, it was gone to the people who worked with him before he ever saw it.

 

[sandym718]

We won't be going again til 2009, but assuming the plan is the same (no tip included), I REALLY hope they allow you to just charge the tip back to your room. I don't typically carry much cash (maybe $5) even at home and definitely don't want to bring that much cash along on vacation. Weren't we told for years NOT to travel with any significant amount of cash??? Wasn't that the point of Traveler's Checks?? Which I believe have now been done away with - due to the prevalance of using credit/debit cards.

I don't want to be carrying cash around the parks, seems to just be asking for trouble!

Plus, a big part of what I liked about the DDP plan in 2007 was having it all paid for in advance, that was so nice. Obviously that won't be the case now, but I'd love to use a prepaid gift card or whatever to just pay for all my room charges, including tips, that way it's all paid for in advance still.

I understand the dilemma of running the card (either a credit card or room card) with no amount to charge, but it has to be possible. Isn't this what they do at the gas pumps? The pump gets an authorization, then later the full amount is charged? Seems like it must be possible to make this work.