Let's talk tipping

[ghost1000]

How do you tip on Disney Cruise Line???

I've spoken with a friend who cruises frequently. She said some cruise lines will automatically add a tip to you bill and distribute it for you. She said this came about because people wouldn't go to dinner on their last night to avoid tipping the wait staff. She actually likes this method because she and her husband don't have to worry about having the exact change with them.

But it appears different cruise lines handle tipping differently.

I know we can go to the Purser's desk to get information about tipping, but I want to be prepared in advance.

So how does DCL handle the tipping situation? And what is normal? My friend says she and her husband plan on $7-10 per day for each of them (i.e. a total of $14-20 per day), and they distribute it among the staff as they see fit. She also said that sometimes she doesn't tip the head waiter because they don't even see him during their trip (thereby distributing the head waiter's tip between the others).

[ghost1000]

I should note that even though Doug and I took a cruise 10 years ago, it was a specially themed cruise and we were specifically told NOT to tip. All tips were included in the price we paid.

So I know nothing about tipping on a cruise. Talk to me like I'm a baby.

[Stimpy]

DCL is very good about telling guests about tipping LOL

They do give you a recommended amount per person, per day for the room steward, head server, server and asst server. They leave 4 envelopes out the last night for tipping.

You can put the tip on your credit card (via room charge) by going to the guest services desk....try not to wait until the last day to do this! The line is enormous on the last night. We usually do it the day before that but we go on the 7 day so we pretty much know by then how we will tip anyway. (But we have added extra in cash if the CM has done something extra special after we paid on the card). If you put it on your room charge, they give you a slip of paper to put in the envelops or you can just do cash.

BTW, the last DCL cruise we went on the Head Dining Room Server was extremely attentive and really took time to talk to us. They had just switched menus and we had a hard time with the new meals. She went out of her way to put in special requests, get menus for upcoming nights so we could plan ahead etc.

Found this at castawayclub.com: (this is per person in your party)

Position 3 day 4 day 7 day 10 day

Resturant Server $11.00 $14.75 $25.75 $37.00

Resturant Assistant Server $8.00 $10.75 $18.75 $27.00

Head Server $2.75 $3.75 $6.50 $9.50

Stateroom Host(ess) $10.75 $14.50 $25.25 $36.25

Room Service At your discretion

[carolina_yankee]

It works pretty much as Kimberly said. It's all very easy. Your stateroom steward will leave the envelopes in your room on the second to last night (since last night will be too late). You can take it from there. Either charge at guest services, or put cash in the envelopes and give them directly. We chose the cash route and direct delivery. On our cruise, the tipped positions all basically hovered (attentively and politely) until they knew what we were going to do. The exception was the head server who couldn't be found anywhere because of a problem she was attending to. We just left her gratuity with another CM who was collecting them for her.

If you won't eat in the dining room on your last night (bedcause of Palo or because you're stuffed!), let your server know you won't be there and then be sure to charge the gratuity or give it to your servers earlier. That way, they'll know you're not trying to stiff them.

We found that everyone does work very hard and is deserving of at least the minimum. We usually rounded up to the nearest $5 or $10 amount based on the level of service we got.

Dirk

[ghost1000]

Kimberly, if I understand what you found on castawayclub, the following is the average amount that Doug and I (together) should tip in total for the three-night cruise:

Restaurant Server - $22.00
Restaurant Assistant Server - $16.00
Head Server - $5.50
Stateroom Host(ess) - $21.50

I say average, because we can tip more or less depending on the individual circumstances.

So in average, tips should run about $11 per day for each of us.

[carolina_yankee]

Kimberly, if I understand what you found on castawayclub, the following is the average amount that Doug and I (together) should tip in total for the three-night cruise:

Restaurant Server - $22.00
Restaurant Assistant Server - $16.00
Head Server - $5.50
Stateroom Host(ess) - $21.50

I say average, because we can tip more or less depending on the individual circumstances.

So in average, tips should run about $11 per day for each of us.

Actually, $10.50 per person per day total for all tipped positions. Sorry, I couldn't resist!

Dirk
"No one likes a math geek, Scully" - Special Agent Mulder to Special Agent Scully on X-Files when she corrected him after a New Year's Eve kiss that 2000 was not the start of the new millennium.