Tipping is it really necessary??!!

[perdy1234]

I know that this is a heated debate but I was just comparing Disney's recommended tipping in comparison to other cruise lines and I was really surprised at the difference. We have cruised Disney before and I was not overly impressed with the service to validate tipping with the exception of our room steward. These people are paid a wage and I am paying more than enough for these cruises. I do not feel that we need to be paying for their wages. I work in a line of work where I also offer a service and I am not expecting other people to pay my wages. What is everyone else's opinons on this? Are you required to tip to everyone?? I would really appreciate some input on this!

 

[mommasita]

I personally think they deserve this and more. What they are paid monthly is nothing really in comparison with the services rendered.

If I could not or would not tip, then I would not cruise.

That is my personal opinion.

 

[Forever42]

I personally think they deserve this and more. What they are paid monthly is nothing really in comparison with the services rendered.

If I could not or would not tip, then I would not cruise.

That is my personal opinion.

Pretty much exactly this. They're paid a "tipped wage" and rely on tips to make up the rest of their wage. That's how it's done in the cruising industry, same as it's done in US restaurants.

If I wouldn't tip, then I wouldn't cruise, either.

 

[Olga]

Everyone can tip as much or as little as they like, it's at your descretion, no need to justify.
I don't mind tipping and those that do mind are not forced to do so.
Hopefully in the future, for the sake of the staff, tips will automatically be added as they do on many other cruise lines.

 

[perdy1234]

I somewhat agree with the previous poster. But I think that tips should be included in the price of the cruise. Disney cruise lines is charging more than enough with their prices to cover crew tips. It truly is a matter of opinion. I will still cruise regardless of whether or not I tip.

 

[lbgraves]

I have waited tables and bartended in the past to put myself through school so I know what it is like to be paid peanuts by an employer and rely on tips to pay the bills. Is it right, maybe not but it is a practice that has continued for decades and I honestly do not see it changing in the near future. Personally if the service was horrible enough to warrant not leaving a tip, I would talk to the dining room manager within a couple days and have the issues resolved or be moved to a different table with a different server. The same thing goes for our stateroom host/hostess. DCL advised the recommended tip amounts on their website and in the cruise documentation so it is not a hidden cost. I remember reading it in the DCL booklet that DH gave me for Christmas when we chose DCL for our first cruise. When planning a cruise we incorporate the total tips as part of the total cost of the vacation, along with trip insurance and excursions.

Personally, I would not like to have the tips added automatically as part of the fare because I would be concerned that the quality of service would not be as good as we have experienced on The Magic in the past. I am not talking about having it be a pre-paid tip issue since that could still be adjusted by the guest. I am refering to it simply be added to the total cost of the cruise.

 

[aristocats_lover]

I somewhat agree with the previous poster. But I think that tips should be included in the price of the cruise. Disney cruise lines is charging more than enough with their prices to cover crew tips. It truly is a matter of opinion. I will still cruise regardless of whether or not I tip.

While it may be true that Disney cruise line charges enough to cover a higher pay for the staff, it doesn't change the fact that these people are still paid a pathetically small amount per hour (average server in a US restaurant makes between $2.50 and $3.50 an hour). It is not fair to punish the server (the one working incredibly long hours for YOU) just because you think you pay a lot of money to cruise. If you do not like the policy, the most constructive thing would be to contact Disney cruise line with your displeasure. I don't think it's right to punish the innocent, hardworking server just because you dislike the policy put in place by their employer.

 

[Dizzyworld]

Hopefully in the future, for the sake of the staff, tips will automatically be added as they do on many other cruise lines.

I wonder if they would acutually make more money under the current system, than following other cruise lines in including the tips. The reason I wonder is in talking with a friend whose DH volunteers at a historical site said they tried charing a reasonable fee to visit the place and found the amount of money serverly dropped and they made more money when allowing people to just donate. It was an interesting point of view.

For our upcoming cruise in July, we went through an AAA package that includes the tip. You know AAA is using the guidelines and nothing extra. I guess I'll see how things go and where we add extra tip money. This will be a different experience for us.

 

[Mozart]

Per our server on the Magic 2 weeks ago, the people in the dining rooms are not paid a base wage. They are paid strictly on tips and tips alone.

 

[lbgraves]

I believe that the fact that the servers are provided with room and board on the ship, no matter what the quality of that is, may be considered as a form of payment. ????

 

[luv that cruise]

does anyone know a general pay scale for the various employees? I have heard that many make a small wage but are given room and board. I also heard that others in lower tipping jobs or non-tipping jobs make a higher wage.

I am wondering about all levels from officers, to day to day contact people, to the maintenance workers. We have been cruising for 10 years and during the first few cruises we were told by child care and concierge staff that they could NOT accept tips. Somewhere along the line this has changed because i have seen people post about tipping these people.

And with keeping with the theme of this thread - I tip the minimum plus, in cash. In palo's i tip based on 15-20% of what the bill would be in a similar restaurant. for music I will tip on the final night.

 

[Marinate]

We did the prepaid gratuities. I believe we will be getting vouchers to put in the envelopes instead of cash. Should we be paying extra in addition?

 

[luv that cruise]

extra tip is for services above and beyond. I think the tip recommended by disney is fair and generous. We travel in 2 rooms, boys/girls putting a teenager and parent in each room. This can be a challenge to the poor room attendant. Have only tipped music in sessions when we got to know the guy and came back every evening.

 

[Pansy]

Should we be paying extra in addition?

If you find that someone has provided outstanding service then Please tip a little extra. Mostly for us it is the cabin steward/es. They seem to dote more on their guest than a lot of others. However the servers in the dining rooms are good also.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Per our server on the Magic 2 weeks ago, the people in the dining rooms are not paid a base wage. They are paid strictly on tips and tips alone.

While I have no problems tipping, I think it is terrible that they do not pay their workers and rely on their customers to pay them. With what we pay for cruise fare they should be paid. Tipping should be a 'tip' not their wage. Same as any other place. If I get terrible service, there is a lower (or no) tip. I don't want to be made to feel guilted into tipping someone because I know it is their wage. If for some reason I got really crappy service on my cruise, I would find it hard to tip them. But I know I would, as I would feel guilty if I didn't (knowing its their only wage).

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

You can prepay your tips on Disney. I budgeted the recommended cost into my budget, and it was the same as what Princess had recommended (per day) on our cruise there last year. We prepaid for both. On the Princess cruise, we had an exceptional room steward, and gave him additional in cash. On DCL, we found our serving team to be exceptional, and tipped them additional in cash. I don't mind tipping, it's part of the expense of cruising. Just like tipping in a sit down restaurant. You can choose quick service restaurants or sit down, but everyone knows the expense involved.

Frankly, for the cost of the meals each day, I would have paid more in tax and tips eating that way at WDW! For example:

Our lunch at Coral Reef for 4 (DD11 counts as an adult, DS8 ate from the kids' menu) was $120, before tax and tip. The 20% tip is $24. That's $6 apiece right there, and I would wager my dinners on DCL far exceeded the cost and quality of that meal. My character buffet breakfast at AK was $85 for the 4 of us. Even giving that server just 10% (I didn't, I gave 15%), that's $8.50. Again, another $2+ apiece. Not including tax. Now, with just 2 comparable meals I'm already up to over $8 pp/day, and that's before the stateroom host, (who did far more in terms of cleaning, tidying up, turn down, etc than mousekeeping did at WDW) gets a tip as well! So I think it is exactly the right amount.

If I encountered poor service, I'd take it up with a supervisor right away, and give them an opportunity to make the situation right. The cruiseline wants their employees to genuinely give good service. That's what keeps customers returning, and that's the bread and butter of their business.

 

[emmah]

I'm from Australia and NZ and we find the whole tipping thing confusing and confronting. It seems wrong to me that someone working so hard would be dependent on the charity of others for payment. When I was living in Canada, I still remember one of my best friends coming to class in tears because the night before a big table of drunk patrons had not tipped her because the manager had cut them off drinks wise - the table bill had been over $1000 and she was still expected to pay whatever percentage of the tip she should have got, to the kitchen staff etc. She could not pay her rent that week and the whole thing struck me as outrageous.

Our wait staff etc are all paid at least the minimum wage (currently about $15 an hour) and tips are just that - there to reward excellent service. so we have the best of both worlds - an incentive to provide great service, and the comfort in knowing that our workforce are not in danger of not being able to pay their rent if someone chooses for whatever reason not to tip.

 

[hawaiian mickey]

I personally think they deserve this and more. What they are paid monthly is nothing really in comparison with the services rendered.

If I could not or would not tip, then I would not cruise.

That is my personal opinion.

aloha,
These people (servers/asst servers/head servers) work very hard. They not only work the main dining rooms they also work Topsiders/fast food stations on deck 9.
I don't like tips included with our payments. They go the extra mile when they know their tips are dependent on their service.
Our wait staffs and room stewards all go beyond the call of duty. We always pay above and beyond on tips. We reward great service.
They are paid low wages and they work hard for their tips. They are always working somewhere.
If you don't want to tip tell DCL you're are eating in Topsider the whole trip. That way they can assign another table to that server. That way they can earn a living.
These people know if they do a lousy job they won't be on the ship to long.

aloha

hawaiian mickey

 

[CruiseDisney]

Having sailed Disney a number of times I can say that when we went on NCL, who's tips were automatically added on when sailing in Hawaii, the service was dreadful. Now whether that was due to NCL's staff being just dreadful on this ship I'm not 100% sure of, but I know that there was little or no incentive to do a decent job as they had their "tip" in the bag already. At one time I too would have said just include it. After NCL, forget it. Pay it at the end if it is warranted.
I generally tip above the suggested, but never below. Tipping imho just gives the cruise line the chance to make their Suggested Retail Price lower much like not including taxes or port fees.
The crew staff generally work their rears off so I don't begrudge them the tips.

 

[lbgraves]

While I have no problems tipping, I think it is terrible that they do not pay their workers and rely on their customers to pay them. With what we pay for cruise fare they should be paid. Tipping should be a 'tip' not their wage. Same as any other place. If I get terrible service, there is a lower (or no) tip. I don't want to be made to feel guilted into tipping someone because I know it is their wage. If for some reason I got really crappy service on my cruise, I would find it hard to tip them. But I know I would, as I would feel guilty if I didn't (knowing its their only wage).

I don't think that anyone believes that a CM should be tipped the suggested tip if they give poor service. That is totally different than going on a cruise planning to not tip the servers before they are even given a chance to give any service at all. As I have told neighbors who will be going on their first DCL cruise next week...if you do not feel you are getting good service say something immediately to the dining room manager no later than Sunday night (on a 7 day). There is no reason for anyone to tollerate terrible servers, though they seem to be few and far between on DCL as their job security is dependant on customer feed back with emphasis placed on the end of cruise surveys.