New Gratuity Policy

Stolen from another WDW news site:
Disney Cruise Line is instituting a new procedure for gratuities on all their ships. On embarkation day, guests' folios will automatically be charged for the suggested gratuity amounts for Server, Assistant Server, Head Server and Stateroom Host/Hostess. Guests can still add pre-paid gratuities at the time of booking or when making their final payments. If this isn't done, a letter will be given at check-in explaining the automatic gratuity payments. Modifications to the amount can still be made at the Guest Services Desk.

My travel agent just emailed me today about this and I'm shelling out an extra $360 now ($60 per person x 6 people). Sheesh.

I really wish they would eliminate the word gratuity on these and just call it a surcharge.

A friend just came back from the Fantasy and had a horrible cabin steward, no gratuity was warranted IMHO. With this new policy, you need to "fight" for a lower amount? That's just insane...

My guess is they better be ready at the pursers desk for complaints. I know I'd be there every time something isn't right.

The income for my profession is about 80% tips, and I can't stand auto-gratuities in any form.

I can't stand forced gratuities. We tip well for good service and did so on our cruise a few months ago on the Dream. What's the incentive to provide good, or above average service?

Do that many people really skip out on the tips?

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Originally Posted by DVC2004

Do that many people really skip out on the tips?

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Unfortunately my guess is yes.

I'd bet that more skip out on the tips than provide extra. I know when a surcharge for service is added, my wallet shuts instantly.

I've had way too many cruises where I never saw the head waiter until the last night, basically walking around with his/her hand out. I've noticed bickering between crew in the dining rooms, etc. Stuff that shouldn't happen in front of guests.

I've heard of issues with cabin stewards from others who have cruised (yes, even on Disney ships).

I know there are some people who skip dining rooms and eat elsewhere to avoiding having to tip. And actually I'm not sure a tip is warranted in this case really.

We'll see, I'm usually a pretty big tipper for tipped positions. Provide excellent service and you will be compensateed. With these surcharges however, I expect to be at the pursers desk when ANYTHING doesn't meet my expectations. Adjusting tip was a "nice" way of keeping everyone honest without impacting their performance appraisals.

Live by the sword, die by the sword...

Yeah I've never met the head waiter on any of my cruises until the last night dinner when they are coming around looking for the little envelope. :(

Just came back from week to st marteen st Thomas castaway. The auto tip was done our our cruise. As 1st timers it seemed normal to us like dining in wdw. The table mates at dinner were both 10 + cruisers. Seemed odd to them but no real fuss. Hard part was the cash tips in envelopes , since there was no guideline in precruise reference sites or books it was a make it up as we go. We had excellent service from all host-Romeo , waiter-darma,asst wait-Israel and head waiter -Roberto, Our table mates all agreed they were perfect, we didn't share what we CASH tipped but I'll share with you what we did...........$20,15,15 & 10 respectively and this is above the auto tip. Not to mention jessica from Peru in Palos $60 cash. Brent the cruise director did a nice prerecorded show for the stateroom TV that told how to go to guestsvc and adjust + / - anytime since guestsvc was open 24/7
I do realize the auto tip could be bad for service below par, but think about how many times you have seen a waiter or staff run ragged to be under rewarded. As Disney guest and consumers we should all remember the excellent service we receive more times than not and keeps all of us come back is based on reward system....cash, future career or a shot at breaking into a entertainment field. Adjust the tip if needed but remember to plus the tip if warranted too.

I am not sure if I understand this procedure. Disney is now charging the tip automatically from the start of the cruise? And then they are also handing out the envelopes for additional tips?

This basically means that the tipped staff got a raise in base salary on the cruisers dime. And they still expect cash tips too. Wow. Forget great, The services they provide better be EXCEPTIONAL now.

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Originally Posted by waymickey

I am not sure if I understand this procedure. Disney is now charging the tip automatically from the start of the cruise? And then they are also handing out the envelopes for additional tips?

This basically means that the tipped staff got a raise in base salary on the cruisers dime. And they still expect cash tips too. Wow. Forget great, The services they provide better be EXCEPTIONAL now.

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On the second to last night of the cruise they will put envelopes in your state room for the positions that get tipped. You will also get vouchers that indicate how much you paid through your room account or through prepayment. For each position Put the voucher in the envelope, give it to the person who's name is on the envelope, it is up to you if you want to add extra cash. They are not gettng double the tips.

We have always prepaid and topped up with cash for cast members going above and beyond so his is no big deal for me. I like it, it means I don't have to go to guest services to charge tips to my account or bring more cash than necessary. The tips are the major portion of the salary for these folks who work hard to give us a nice trip. I'm sure the reason for this is many people do skip out on tipping. I know there are people who go to dinner every night except the last just to avoid the tip.

I asked because I wasn't sure, but the staff doesn't need to get the vouchers to redeem their tip, so handing out the envelopes will be wasted on me. As stated, once you turn gratuity into a surcharge, you're done, that's all you get. Depending on the envelopes provided, I might take them home, probably rip them up and put them in the suggestion box with my comment card.

The better thing to do would just roll it into the fare, but with DCL fares already out of whack with the rest of the industry, this turns into a hidden surcharge.

I just got off the Magic on 4/25. I had Guest Relations cancel the auto gratuity and I simply used the cash envelopes and handed them out personally. I don't like the auto system as I feel it is important to speak to each person and letting them know how much we appreciated their attention during the cruise. We received a lot of positive feedback this way.

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Originally Posted by tinkman

I just got off the Magic on 4/25. I had Guest Relations cancel the auto gratuity and I simply used the cash envelopes and handed them out personally. I don't like the auto system as I feel it is important to speak to each person and letting them know how much we appreciated their attention during the cruise. We received a lot of positive feedback this way.

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Excellent news and a great idea. As long as its possible to cancel, I'll be happy. I like having that control, kindof like a carrot on a stick.

While I am not a huge fan of these recent changes, as pointed out, the rules are still flexible enough to allow something similar to the previous tipping policy.

Now, in contrast, I will point out that the Disney Cruise Line way of doing tips is still far better, more transparent, and less like a surcharge than other cruise lines (other than luxury lines) that focus on the US market. Yes, Disney is expensive, but it is still thousands of dollars less than the luxury lines, so I won't compare them to Disney.

Royal Caribbean and its Celebrity sub-brand (the world's 2nd biggest cruise line) also try to get people to pay tips before they board, but also allow tipping in cash on board.

Carnival brands (the world's biggest cruise line) add the tips to your on-board account for payment at the end of the cruise. With these lines the total amount can be adjusted up or down, but it is hard to impossible to do for individual departments (i.e. give the dining room staff more and cabin cleaning staff less, if that was what was earned).

I have not cruised NCL (which, along with parent Star lines, is the 3rd biggest in the world), so I can't compare them.

I agree that it should be possible to adjust tips based on actual service provided, so pre-tipping makes no sense.

That said, it has been standard practice for decades in the USA for cruise lines to charge lower fares and expect tipping. I haven't seen this changing, and I doubt it will. It is a sales method that works too well for all the companies to give up. Don't blame Disney; they are just following their larger predecessors.

True, Disney could buck the trend and raise fares in order to eliminate this tipping. But then, people are already complaining about the high fares and might just complain more and/or not book any more cruises if Disney were to try this.

Also, I know many people who felt that WDW (in Florida) restaurant service levels dropped when the dining plan, with tips included, were introduced. Many people said service was great for those paying and tipping in cash, while poor for those using the dining plan. When WDW took the included tips away, service seemed to improve. Perhaps Disney Parks and Resorts is afraid the same thing would happen on DCL if there were no tipping at all.

Pre-paying was tested on the Magic last year and it worked fine. I did not observe anyone complaining (aside from the usual - some people are never happy) nor an increase in lines at Guest Services. Also, I usually add a bit more over the base to signal service that the service went beyond my expectation.

We have completed 4 cruises with Disney and have received some outstanding service.

Our dining room servers last time around were outstanding. Also, our head waiter came to our table every evening and became a familiar face.

Room stewards work hard to clean staterooms. Have you ever walked past a room being cleaned that looked like a bomb went off in it? I observed once the steward wading through piles and piles of clothes to get to the bed to make it. Unreal.

The base pay of cruise personnel at the line level is small in comparsion to minimum wage here in the states. Most service personnel are from other countries and send most of their earnings home to help their familes.

If you receive less than expected service, certainly call it out but I believe that is more the exception than the rule.

Jeffybob (Boardwalk DVC Owner since '98) :mickey:


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We did our 1st ever cruise earlier this month and went with the pre-paid gratuities, but we were so impressed with the jobs done by our stateroom host and server that we gave them some extra $$.
The amount allotted to the head server was a joke considering he spent about 5 seconds at our table. Except for the last night of course. ;)

I really don't have a problem with the new policy...I don't find it anywhere near as ludicrous as the forced 18% "tip" everytime we use our Tables In Wonderland card at WDW.

I don't have a problem with this because I have always gotten excellent service. I am more likely to add to the tip.

I think that if you don't agree with the tip, you can change it, but this makes it easy if you don't want to think too hard. Sounds like you won't have to stand in line to get the vouchers and that would be nice.

I will say that Disney is one cruise line where the head server was actually around once in a while.