Last night (Wednesday) the kids and I had dinner at Jiko. When we checked in we were asked if we were on a Disney dining plan. I told the person at the Podium I was using the DDE card, and not the DDP (Disney Dining Plan.) This information is relayed to the server who explains what is included on each plan.
We started with one apple flatbread to share (which was fabulously different and the kids liked it.) I ordered the scallops, DS (age 13) had the beef shortrib from the adult menu, and DD (age 11) ate the fruit cup and filet mignon from the kids menu. Desserts were the Celebration for DS, and DD ate the kids sundae. I also had a drink from the bar.
My first receipt would be for a cash paying guest, which is pretty much the same as what a DDP guest will see, except no credits are removed from the account.
My pre-tax total was $112.44.
Tax was $7.31.
Amount due of $119.75.
Then it says SUGGESTED TIP.
Under that is a percentage of 18% and 20%.
18% - $20.24
20% - $22.49.
Then there is a line where the guest is to write in the tip. It says "OPTIONAL TIP ________________. Under this it has "Not Included with Dine Plan."
It is pretty clear that there is no tip included for dining plan guests.
The guest is supposed to write in the tip and then add it up and put the total on the TOTAL line. They can either charge what is not covered back to their room or pay for it either with a credit card or cash.
If you are on the dining plan it will remove credits. Total for what you would pay out of pocket though will be printed on the receipt. On the DDP there will be an 18% autogratuity added to the bill for alcoholic beverages--this is not a change from past procedures.
Since I'm a passholder with a DDE card I had her run my discount.
Discount was $21.04 for food and $1.45 for bar (had to have that Kilamarita.)
Subtotal: $89.95
18% Gratuity: $20.24
Tax: $5.85
Amount Due: $116.04
I charged it back to my room so there also was yet another piece of paper for me to sign for the room charge.
On that receipt I had the $116.04 for the dinner with tip, and a line to add in more of a tip. I didn't add any more to charge back to the room, but I threw a few bucks into it so she got 20%.
I tried to take a photo of the receipts but they're not photographing well (too much glare). When I get home I'll scan it.
Bottom line for dining plan guests: you are not getting an autogratuity of 18% added to your bill if you're on the dining plan. But you are getting a spot to add in a tip and then either pay it or charge it back to your room. Suggested tip of 18% and the dollar amount is printed on the receipt so you don't have to do any math. You do not have to pay the 18% as it is not billed. You get to write in your amount, whatever it may be.
If you have a party of 6 or more you will be charged an autogratuity of 18%. This is a service charge and printed on the menus, thus no surprise--the autograt has always been on there, they just dropped the party size to six people. All DDE cardholders also receive an autogratuity of 18% regardless of party size. As a DDE cardholder if you receive poor service and want this adjusted you need to speak with a manager. (Autogratuities are common even outside of Disney.)
Tonight I sat in a really nice restaurant for two hours, eating fabulous food which was beautifully presented, with great service by at least four different people. We had a question about one of the sauces for the shortribs so they brought out a small amount for DS to taste. I have no problem paying a tip for good service and am generally a good tipper, and my server earned her twenty three bucks from me. Only difference for me is that I did not leave cash--normally I leave a cash tip and charge the rest back to the room.
Couldn't figure out how to do this with the autogratuity, but I'm going to ask tomorrow when we go to Spoodles.
Disney continuously evolves processes, and what we see on January 2 may not be what they're doing in a couple of weeks or months. I didn't see the old tip card in the folio with my tickets, but we'll see what happens tomorrow when I go to Spoodles on the Boardwalk. Jiko is "Signature Dining" and two credits on the DDP while Spoodles is less upscale and only one credit.
We started with one apple flatbread to share (which was fabulously different and the kids liked it.) I ordered the scallops, DS (age 13) had the beef shortrib from the adult menu, and DD (age 11) ate the fruit cup and filet mignon from the kids menu. Desserts were the Celebration for DS, and DD ate the kids sundae. I also had a drink from the bar.
My first receipt would be for a cash paying guest, which is pretty much the same as what a DDP guest will see, except no credits are removed from the account.
My pre-tax total was $112.44.
Tax was $7.31.
Amount due of $119.75.
Then it says SUGGESTED TIP.
Under that is a percentage of 18% and 20%.
18% - $20.24
20% - $22.49.
Then there is a line where the guest is to write in the tip. It says "OPTIONAL TIP ________________. Under this it has "Not Included with Dine Plan."
It is pretty clear that there is no tip included for dining plan guests.
The guest is supposed to write in the tip and then add it up and put the total on the TOTAL line. They can either charge what is not covered back to their room or pay for it either with a credit card or cash.
If you are on the dining plan it will remove credits. Total for what you would pay out of pocket though will be printed on the receipt. On the DDP there will be an 18% autogratuity added to the bill for alcoholic beverages--this is not a change from past procedures.
Since I'm a passholder with a DDE card I had her run my discount.
Discount was $21.04 for food and $1.45 for bar (had to have that Kilamarita.)
Subtotal: $89.95
18% Gratuity: $20.24
Tax: $5.85
Amount Due: $116.04
I charged it back to my room so there also was yet another piece of paper for me to sign for the room charge.
On that receipt I had the $116.04 for the dinner with tip, and a line to add in more of a tip. I didn't add any more to charge back to the room, but I threw a few bucks into it so she got 20%.
I tried to take a photo of the receipts but they're not photographing well (too much glare). When I get home I'll scan it.
Bottom line for dining plan guests: you are not getting an autogratuity of 18% added to your bill if you're on the dining plan. But you are getting a spot to add in a tip and then either pay it or charge it back to your room. Suggested tip of 18% and the dollar amount is printed on the receipt so you don't have to do any math. You do not have to pay the 18% as it is not billed. You get to write in your amount, whatever it may be.
If you have a party of 6 or more you will be charged an autogratuity of 18%. This is a service charge and printed on the menus, thus no surprise--the autograt has always been on there, they just dropped the party size to six people. All DDE cardholders also receive an autogratuity of 18% regardless of party size. As a DDE cardholder if you receive poor service and want this adjusted you need to speak with a manager. (Autogratuities are common even outside of Disney.)
Tonight I sat in a really nice restaurant for two hours, eating fabulous food which was beautifully presented, with great service by at least four different people. We had a question about one of the sauces for the shortribs so they brought out a small amount for DS to taste. I have no problem paying a tip for good service and am generally a good tipper, and my server earned her twenty three bucks from me. Only difference for me is that I did not leave cash--normally I leave a cash tip and charge the rest back to the room.
Couldn't figure out how to do this with the autogratuity, but I'm going to ask tomorrow when we go to Spoodles.
Disney continuously evolves processes, and what we see on January 2 may not be what they're doing in a couple of weeks or months. I didn't see the old tip card in the folio with my tickets, but we'll see what happens tomorrow when I go to Spoodles on the Boardwalk. Jiko is "Signature Dining" and two credits on the DDP while Spoodles is less upscale and only one credit.
