Who, What, When, How of Tipping on DCL

[Aanna]

There have been a number of threads on tipping lately, many with conflicting information about when a tip is expected and how much that tip should be. Anyone interested in exploring the etiquette of DCL tipping?

Here are the times and people that I've seen mentioned with the information I have on them. These numbers are given as a baseline of what other DIS folks have tipped but do not pretend to be "The Right Answer." Adjust as you see fit.
[Updated as information is gathered in-thread]

Automatic gratuities include:
1. Stateroom attendant and MDR servers' gratuities ($12/person/night) are automatically added to your onboard account the last day of the cruise. Envelopes with tip amounts are given to cruisers to give to these servers, and additional cash tips can be added to these envelopes for exceptional service.
2. Beverages purchased on-board already have a 15% gratuity added.
3. Spa treatments also have a 18% gratuity added automatically.

Gratuities that are not automatically included, but can be paid with your KTTW card:
(N.B. Tips added to your KTTW card may be pooled by the wait staff. If you want to make sure your server gets the entire tip, it is wise to tip in cash)
1. Room service orders should be tipped upon delivery. These tips can be charged to your room if your server presents you with a tab or can be paid with cash. Opinions on these tips run from $1-2 per delivery to $1 per item.
2. Tips for servers at Palo and Remy can be added to the final bill. We are discussing a range from $6 to $30 per person. Note that alcohol purchased during the meal is assessed an automatic 15% gratuity, and $5.50 of the $30 Palo up-charge goes to the serving team.
3. If one brings one's own wine to the dining rooms, it is appropriate to add a 15-20% tip to the corkage fee bill.

Gratuities that need to be paid in cash:
1. Porters should be tipped $1-2 per bag when you give them the bags.
2. Excursion guides should be tipped at the end of the excursion (range from $5 for 1/2 day to $20 for full day). Both local currency and U.S. dollars seem to be acceptable.
3. Cabana hosts at Castaway Cay can be tipped in cash ($10-$30 has been mentioned depending on level of service). There have been conflicting experiences with the ability to add tips to your beverage tab and thus charged to your onboard account. Concierge guests may notice that they are being served by their own concierge staff -- in this case it is considered acceptable to simply add extra to the tips you give the concierge staff at the end of the cruise. (See #4)
4. Concierge hosts are tipped via envelope at the end of the cruise [$20-$25 per night has been suggested]. Note that, unlike MDR server tips, these are not automatically added to your account. Other positions concierge guests might consider tipping are bartender and concierge food servers. Some feel that the increased space and exceptional service they receive in concierge merits increasing tips by 2x-4x across the board.

Positions that will not accept gratuities:
1. Nursery and Kids Club staff. They may accept small, non-cash gifts, however.

Being praised by name on the final Disney comment card is always appreciated.

Tip Advisor has information about tipping customs in different countries you might visit:
http://www.gocompare.com/travel-insurance/how-much-should-you-tip/#usa

What am I missing? What amounts should be adjusted? Thanks

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There have been a number of threads on tipping lately, many with conflicting information about when a tip is expected and how much that tip should be. Anyone interested in exploring the etiquette of DCL tipping?

Here are the times and people that I've seen mentioned with the information I have on them:

Automatic gratuities include:
1. Stateroom attendant and MDR servers' gratuities ($12/person/night) are automatically added to your onboard account the last day of the cruise. Envelopes with tip amounts are given to cruisers to give to these servers, and additional cash tips can be added to these envelopes for exceptional service.
2. Beverages purchased on-board already have a 15% gratuity added. Is this considered sufficient?
3. Spa treatments also have a 15% gratuity added automatically.

Gratuities that need to be paid in cash:
1. Porters should be tipped $1-2 per bag when you give them the bags.
2. Excursion guides should be tipped at the end of the excursion (how much???).
3. Room service orders should be tipped $1-2 cash upon delivery.

What am I missing? What amounts should be adjusted? Thanks

Spa auto gratuity is 18%.
All auto gratuities are sufficient. However, it's not unusual to tip additionally, if you feel the service was "above and beyond".
Generally, as a base, excursion guides and/or drivers are tipped anywhere from $5 for 1/2 day tour to $20 for a full day tour. Could be more or less, depending on how you feel they did.

 

[Aanna]

Spa auto gratuity is 18%.
All auto gratuities are sufficient. However, it's not unusual to tip additionally, if you feel the service was "above and beyond".
Generally, as a base, excursion guides and/or drivers are tipped anywhere from $5 for 1/2 day tour to $20 for a full day tour. Could be more or less, depending on how you feel they did.

Updated

 

[Aanna]

Spa auto gratuity is 18%.
... excursion guides and/or drivers are tipped anywhere from $5 for 1/2 day tour to $20 for a full day tour. Could be more or less, depending on how you feel they did.

For clarity: would you consider this ~$5-$20 per person or per party?

 

[anricat]

Personally, for room service orders, I tip $1 per menu item. So, for example, on our most recent cruise, we ordered three sandwiches, a salad, and a plate of cookies and I tipped $5.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

For clarity: would you consider this ~$5-$20 per person or per party?

It can be $5 for two on a half day tour, or $5 per person, depending on how you feel the guide/driver did. Also, often the tip may be split by the guide and driver, or each gets their own. We've only had one excursion in all the ones we've taken that we actually did not tip the guide. She basically just sat in her seat in the front of the bus, facing forward and read from a script. No inflection in her voice, didn't answer questions, and was less than organized for those times we were off the bus. The driver did get a little tip.

 

[Aanna]

Personally, for room service orders, I tip $1 per menu item. So, for example, on our most recent cruise, we ordered three sandwiches, a salad, and a plate of cookies and I tipped $5.

Regarding per item tipping: my TA recommended that I order a dozen green apples immediately upon embarkation so that I will be sure to have one each morning for my motion sickness. My impression was that this would be considered a single room service order, and that the dollar or two was just a thank you for running up the stairs to my room. What are your thoughts?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Regarding per item tipping: my TA recommended that I order a dozen green apples immediately upon embarkation so that I will be sure to have one each morning for my motion sickness. My impression was that this would be considered a single room service order, and that the dollar or two was just a thank you for running up the stairs to my room. What are your thoughts?

If it's a single order of 12 apples, I'd probably tip a couple of dollars. If you order 6 apples now, and 6 apples later, I'd say a couple of dollars each time.

 

[PlanoNana]

For Palo am I correct that you would tip like you would at a restaurant anywhere or is there an autogratuity?

 

[Sytrace]

For Palo am I correct that you would tip like you would at a restaurant anywhere or is there an autogratuity?

There is no auto gratuity in Palo or Remy. There is a line for "Additional gratuity" that implies the servers get a tip already, but that is incorrect.
So, yes, you could tip like in a restaurant if you would like.

 

[Aanna]

There is no auto gratuity in Palo or Remy. There is a line for "Additional gratuity" that implies the servers get a tip already, but that is incorrect.
So, yes, you could tip like in a restaurant if you would like.

I recall hearing somewhere that the sommelier should be tipped separately if one gets the wine pairing?

 

[mmouse37]

Regarding per item tipping: my TA recommended that I order a dozen green apples immediately upon embarkation so that I will be sure to have one each morning for my motion sickness. My impression was that this would be considered a single room service order, and that the dollar or two was just a thank you for running up the stairs to my room. What are your thoughts?

I tip per visit, not specifically per item. That can get nuts if you order a lot.

MJ

 

[mmouse37]

For Palo am I correct that you would tip like you would at a restaurant anywhere or is there an autogratuity?

My feeling is that dining on a ship is different than dining in a land based restaurant. I don't tip on what I "think" the meal may cost on land. I always add an additional amount but it is usually a flat amount and not based on what the meal may cost on land. The last thing I want to do while dining is figuring out what each item may cost on land and then add it all up in my head and tip that way.

MJ

 

[mevelandry]

There is no auto gratuity in Palo or Remy. There is a line for "Additional gratuity" that implies the servers get a tip already, but that is incorrect.
So, yes, you could tip like in a restaurant if you would like.

I wish they would add a line with suggested gratuity amounts. The service we received in Palo and Remy was by far far the best we've received anywhere else.

 

[Aerin75]

My feeling is that dining on a ship is different than dining in a land based restaurant. I don't tip on what I "think" the meal may cost on land. I always add an additional amount but it is usually a flat amount and not based on what the meal may cost on land. The last thing I want to do while dining is figuring out what each item may cost on land and then add it all up in my head and tip that way.

MJ

I'm sorry - I couldn't resist. My first thought was....but that would be fun! But that's because I'm a total geek and do math puzzles to relax.

 

[Aanna]

My feeling is that dining on a ship is different than dining in a land based restaurant. I don't tip on what I "think" the meal may cost on land. I always add an additional amount but it is usually a flat amount and not based on what the meal may cost on land. The last thing I want to do while dining is figuring out what each item may cost on land and then add it all up in my head and tip that way.

MJ

On what do base your flat amount? On the amount that will be charged to your room? Or perhaps more of a "flat" tip as one would an excursion guide?

And you made me laugh, Aerin75! I can totally see my mom gleefully estimating how much she would pay at various restaurants for the same meal! I suppose it would be hard to base a tip on that, though, considering how prices for the same dish can vary by region and restaurant. Still funny

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

There is a line for "Additional gratuity" that implies the servers get a tip already, but that is incorrect.

There is some debate on the above. It has been reported repeatedly that the server receives part of the Palo dining fee as a built-in gratuity. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been anything posted conclusively disproving this.

 

[Aanna]

I tip per visit, not specifically per item. That can get nuts if you order a lot.

MJ

This was my impression, too. My feeling was that a simple order would call for, say a $2 tip, though perhaps a very large or complicated order might call for a few dollars more.

 

[Aanna]

As an aside, I did hope that the Disney Cruise Line might be nice and give us some guidance on these matters. Not so much

Snipped from https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/onboard-services/gratuities/
Q. Is there an expected amount for gratuities, and how should I pay them?

A. It is customary to give gratuities in recognition of exceptional service, which you’ll receive in abundance aboard the ship. The following amounts are provided as a suggestion, but the gratuity you pay is always at your discretion:

Per Guest per cruise 3-Night 4-Night 7-Night
Dining Room Server $12.00 $16.00 $28.00
Dining Room Asst.
Server $9.00 $12.00 $21.00
Dining Room Head
Server $3.00 $4.00 $7.00
Stateroom Host/
Hostess $12.00 $16.00 $28.00

Dining Manager: Your Discretion
Room Service: Your Discretion
Palo: Your Discretion
Remy: Your Discretion
Senses Spa & Salon: An 18% gratuity will automatically be applied to all spa services
Vista Spa & Salon: An 18% gratuity will automatically be applied to all spa services
Babysitting Gratuity: not expected
Port Adventures: Optional; not included in Port Adventures price

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

If you are concierge there are also tips for the hosts!