Tipping Info Thread for Disney Dining (Updated for 2017)

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What are folks' opinions on tipping the chef. I know the rules for this board are not to discuss amounts or percentages. My questions is more a qualitative and temporal one:

Chef is not normally a tipped position. You can absolutely choose to tip. The Chef may decline the gratuity. Whether accepted or not, get the name and file a compliment from at Guest Services.
 
We have the DDP. Does paying tip with a gift card or credit card take much longer than paying cash? We are getting a good deal on some gift cards so I'd like to use those but we are doing a lot character meals with my 1 and 6 year old. I understand those can take a while so when we are done I really want to be able to get out of there ASAP so wondering if I should just plan for cash to save time.
 
We have the DDP. Does paying tip with a gift card or credit card take much longer than paying cash? We are getting a good deal on some gift cards so I'd like to use those but we are doing a lot character meals with my 1 and 6 year old. I understand those can take a while so when we are done I really want to be able to get out of there ASAP so wondering if I should just plan for cash to save time.
Charge it to your room, when you sign for the meal.
Pay the balance off at the front desk before it charges to your CC. I think it is still $500, $1,000 or $1,500 for value/mod/deluxe, but I could be wrong.
 
Thank you for this thread.
Being from the UK where tipping is 10-12.5% and certainly not expected, I was worried about what/how to tip at Disney, particularly as we will be on DDP.
This has made it really clear, thank you!

Also good to know we can still order alcohol and just pay for it separately. Depending on how busy the parks are I may just need that glass of wine at lunchtime ;-)
 


We have the DDP. Does paying tip with a gift card or credit card take much longer than paying cash? We are getting a good deal on some gift cards so I'd like to use those but we are doing a lot character meals with my 1 and 6 year old. I understand those can take a while so when we are done I really want to be able to get out of there ASAP so wondering if I should just plan for cash to save time.

Charge it to your room, when you sign for the meal.
Pay the balance off at the front desk before it charges to your CC. I think it is still $500, $1,000 or $1,500 for value/mod/deluxe, but I could be wrong.

I agree with HeidiGW. It's faster and easier.

The limits for room charges have been increased. Value/mod $1500 and Deluxe $2000.
 
Can you tell I don't actually pay the bill? lol.
Thanks for the information; it is great to know!
I agree with HeidiGW. It's faster and easier.

The limits for room charges have been increased. Value/mod $1500 and Deluxe $2000.
 
Hey! Been searching for a thread like this not to start a new one with the same question. So, just to be very clear as we are sending our two teenagers to a sit down dinner or two my themselves, as long as we have given them charging privileges on their magic bands and we have the DDP, the server will scan their magic bands and then they can authorize the tip for the server to be charged to the room, correct? I'd prefer NOT to give them too much cash and I don't want to bring much either. On the DDP, unless we order alcohol, all will be taken care of so I just want to be sure we can just have the tip charged to the room. Thank you!
 


Just curious - how does tipping work on the Standard Dining Plan if you have two people dining, in which one is using one table service meal on the dining plan and the other is having something smaller (example: soup, appetizer) and paying out of pocket? Are they able to have both items on the same bill?
 
Just curious - how does tipping work on the Standard Dining Plan if you have two people dining, in which one is using one table service meal on the dining plan and the other is having something smaller (example: soup, appetizer) and paying out of pocket? Are they able to have both items on the same bill?
DDP will be on one bill and out of pocket will be on a separate bill.
 
If you have a reservation for 6,but only 4 people show up, are you still charged the automatic 18% gratitudity (only 4 people at the table).
 
DDP will be on one bill and out of pocket will be on a separate bill.

I'm not sure that's necessarily true. They could be on the same check, it's just that the portion covered by DDP entitlements would be zeroed out after DDP is applied as a partial payment.
 
We are on the DDP, but I'm a little unsure of how much to budget for tipping. We will be there for 6 days. Anyone have a good rough estimate?
 
Best bet is to review the menus, get a rough idea of what you might order and go from there
 
I love the automatic calculation for tipping for large parties. Last time we brought 6 and this time we're bringing 7. I think most of the sit down places we went last time, it was between $30-$40 on average. That's what we have calculated into the budget this time.
 
As we begin 2017, it’s time to do a general update to the restaurant board tipping thread. Same rules as we’ve had in the past and roughly the same information. This is just an updated thread for the new year.

Tipping threads on the Restaurant Board often result in arguments between posters regarding tipping habits and other issues. Please remember to be courteous and respectful to your fellow disboard members.

Often posts on the tipping thread tend to be closed as a result of debates, so again, BE NICE! The restaurant board moderators have created this thread where tipping questions can be asked and answered, especially by members who may be planning their initial trip to Walt Disney World. THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR DEBATES.

Here are the basic guidelines:

1) No fighting, name calling, or debating on individual’s personal tipping habits. This includes but is not limited to:

A) I will not tip by server more than I tithe the Lord

B) I will not tip a server more than I make an hour

C) Everyone knows that servers make 100K a year, why should I tip them?

D) Servers should be paid a living wage and should not have to depend on tips to support
themselves.

E) I should not have to contribute to the general operation of the restaurant by tipping.

F) It’s a buffet restaurant and I have to get my own food; I should not have to tip 18%.
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2) No flaming any disboard member for any reason.
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3) Any post deemed off topic or in any way is against the posting guidelines will be deleted without comment and the poster will receive an infraction.
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4) Any other thread started on the restaurant board which asks about “tipping” will be closed with a note to refer to this thread.
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5) No personal tipping habits are to be discussed. Generally speaking, what you tip at Disney is entirely up to you. To determine the total cost of your meal, please refer to this link to Walt Disney World menus on the boards. Disney does provide 18% and 20% calculations on the your dining receipt. What you actually tip is up to you with the exceptions below.

A) Parties of six (6) or more are automatically charged an 18% gratuity. This includes everyone sitting at the table, including children under the age of 3. If you are dining with another group and are paying separately, you will still be charged the 18% gratuity if there are 6 or more people at the table.

B) If you are using a Tables in Wonderland discount card (TIW), a gratuity of 18% will be
added to you bill irregardless of the number of people in your dining party.

C) If there is a concern about a set gratuity and the level of service provided, your option is to discuss your concerns with the manager of the restaurant. Only the restaurant manager can adjust a mandatory gratuity. Speak to the manger during the early portion of the meal in order to receive improved service than wait until the end of the meal to complain about the service.

D) Disney does not differentiate between the types of table service restaurants, i.e. buffets, all you care to eat meals, and a la carte. All restaurants, with the exception of quick service, are treated equal by Disney and will carry the same mandatory gratuity if it applies.
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6) You may pay your gratuity by the following methods:

A) Disney Visa

B) Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, American Express, Visa, JCB (Japanese Credit Bureau)

C) Disney gift cards

D) Disney Visa reward cards

F) Magic Bands or Key to the World Cards (KTTW)

G) Cash

H) Disney Dollars (Disney is no longer issuing Disney Dollars but if you have any
from a previous trip, they are still accepted).
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7) The gratuity is included for the dinner shows at Fort Wilderness Campground
(Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue) and the Polynesian Village Resort (Spirit of Aloha).
The gratuity is also included with reservations at Cinderella’s Royal Table in
Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom.
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8) For dining plan guests, the gratuity is included for private in-room dining and pizza
delivery to your guest room when using dining plan credits to pay for these meals.
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9) Gratuities are not accepted for Wishes dessert parties and other dessert parties such as
Happy Hallowishes Premium Dessert Party, Star Wars Galactic Spectacular Dessert
Party, etc.
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10) Gratuities are not included for guests who use the Disney Dining Plan. Your dining
receipt will include the total value of the meal with a suggested gratuity of 18% and
20%.
Note: If you use your dining plan credits for the Hoop-De-Do Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness
or the Spirit of Aloha show at the Polynesian, the gratuity for the dinner show will be included (refer to #7).
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Please abide by these guidelines so everyone can discuss the information they need regarding tipping at Walt Disney World. We do not want to ban this topic from the Restaurant Board.

Thank you and we appreciate your cooperation.

The Restaurant Board Moderators: Pumbaa_, Crazy4wdw, Vettegirl


We are going on the private "cruise" for illuminations. its $370ish after tax, is a $50 good, or should I do 20% off the cost?
thank you
 
we don't discuss personal tipping habits, what you choose to tip is up to you

I can tell you that on the last one we did, the captain said no tipping. Granted, it was very long ago, YMMV
 
Since I've never done DDP before, just to clarify from the first post, the ONLY place that we do not need to tip would be CRT, correct? We should tip for any other TS restaurant? We will be doing H&V Minnie's Seasonal Dine and something TBD at Epcot.

Also, are there any QS restaurants where tipping is typical or do most people tip at both QS and TS at WDW?
 
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