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We are going to WDW Oct 28-Nov 1.
We are actuallyTWO families, DW & I,and our Friends, a family of four. We are both on the DDP. We will be eating dinners together.
So there will be a total of 6 of us at the table, but using two separate dining plans, one for DW & I, and one for our friends.
Are they going to whack BOTH parties for an 18% tip???
I'm curious because even though there are 6 at the table, we are actually two separate parties.
Your server should determine how many are one one dining plan and how many on the other. Each group will get the tip added to the expenses related to that group. I don't see this as getting hit for the tip twice. After all, it you were all one party, the 18% would be on the total bill which would be the sum total of all members of the party.
Well, I ask because during our trip this past April, ( same grouping, two & four, two DDP's ) both got whacked with an 18% tip added on, because we "were a party of 6" even though we were actually two separate bills. This happened twice, once at Cape May, and again at Tusker House.
The tip doesn't bother me, I usually tip 20% anyway if the service is good, I just had an issue with the automatic 18% on each bill.
I thought they always automatically added on the tip when you're on the dining plan - regardless of party size?
It doesn't seem that way. I do know that they will add 18% for parties of 6 or more. But when your bill comes, it always shows the amount of the meal charged to the DP then the tip separately.
Maybe I'm confusing it with the Tables in Wonderland card. I know that always adds in the 18% but I guess I also thought I remembered having the 18% added on the dining plan as well.
The tip was not added on to our bill last December. We are a party of 3. They do have the suggestions for tip amounts on the receipt; but it wasn't already added.Quote:
Originally Posted by faline
I think you should address it with your server when you sit down. They'll check your card to see which dining plan you are on and how many children/adults are on the plan. Let them know that you want two separate bills.
I honestly don't know the fine points of the policy for the automatic tip on parties of 6 or more--hopefully someone else can help with that.
Also, I know that you can talk with the manager and have a part or all of the tip removed if the server didn't provide good service.
Thanks, this is exactly what I thought, I just remember that they did indeed add 18% to my bill after the DDP and 18% to our friends. We always let the server know beforehand that we are two separate DDPs. I am going to make sure we explain it again this time, and I was also thinking the same way, that I could speak with a manager if I needed to. I know for sure it happened at Cape May, because I distinctly remember DW having the discussion with the server.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2MuchWDFun
I don't think I am following...
Did you get charged 18% on the TOTAL bill for all six people or for 18% on your share of the bill for six people?
In other words - assume the table bill was $200. Yours was $100 and your friends was $100. Was your bill $118 or $136?
If it was $118, it is in line with the policy. You are a party of six or more guests at the table, regardless of how you split the bill.
If $136, then they are "double tipping" and a complaint to the manager is in order.
Oh, and I think that this is a "Disney Dining" policy, not a "Disney Dining Plan" policy. We have not used DDP in several years and even before getting Tables in Wonderland, we were charged 18% gratuity on our checks (larger parties), regardless of how many were paying.
OK, thanks. each party had 18% added. It makes sense the way you put it. Thank you.
This policy is one of those "not so clear" ones with Disney - I just went through this with Disney a month ago as our 2 year old (who is free otherwise) is going to be our "6th person" - what it boils down to is exactly what the poster above said. You will be charged 18% of YOUR total of the bill if your party is 6 or more (including infants in party, etc). Just tell the server you want to split the bill before service and they should divide your portion and only charge you 18% on your part. Hope that helps.
Whenever we travel we are 10-12 people on 2-3 different plans. This is how it has always been done for us:
1. The server asks you upfront if you are on the dining plan later he/she takes your card as it has information on it about the amount of adults and children in your room.
2. Each party gets a bill
3. Each bill has the 18% added to it. You can sign it and charge it to your room or you can pay it in cash.
Hope this helps!
I've noticed that some people (not yourself) think that because they have a child under 3 that they don't count towards the party size. But just because they're small doesn't mean that they aren't as much or more work for the servers. We always need extra napkins, straws, plates, etc. for our little guy.Quote:
Originally Posted by NokOnHarts
However, we also frequently order off the adult menu for our DS, instead of him eating off of our plate, so the server does get fairly tipped. Once was at a very upscale restaurant without a children's menu (not at WDW), and we were wishing for a children's menu. Thankfully, it was early enough in the evening to still order from their 3 course prix fixe menu and his meal only cost us $30 before tax & tip. Ouch!
We had a similar experience at all dinners- 3 rooms, so 3 different plans, 8 people. Always the 18% added because we were a party of 8.
Quote:
Originally Posted by diz_girl
Well, I think the problem with all children being included in the party size (even those under 3) is that it seems inconsistent to the policy of "children 3 and under are free" at Disney, so guests get confused and then frustrated. I agree with you that children in the party usually equal work for the server but I think it causes a lot of guest confusion as to why they are charged more tip if a baby can be the 6th person when they are free in every other way. I called about 5 times regarding the issue and got a different answer every time. The first person said "no way, your child shouldn't count towards party size, they're free" the next would say the opposite. They just really need to clarify the policy within their own staff so guests aren't so confused when inquiring about it.
Just a little advise...tip with a credit card. We had 6 people at our table, but only 4 of us were on the plan. We received 2 separate bills. I told the waitress that the tips for both bills were in the wallet with the non-plan bill. I figured it would be easier to have all of the cash together. We'll after we got home we saw a charge for around $13 for the tip! I don't know if the server has to input tip amounts in a computer, and she put it all in for the one bill or what? Why she thought that she got a $24 tip for the $40 non-plan bill is beyond me. It was never resolved, because we tipped with cash, so the server got a $37 tip for a bill that was around $120! I'm not saying anything sneaky went on, but now we use a credit card for mandatory tips...so there's no problem later on down the road.
We just got back last week and had the same situation. We had two groups of four on two different cards. They told us in advance at each restaurant that we would automatically be charged the 18% gratuity because of our group size.