Paying for Tips *** DCL Makes a Change ***

[PrincessTrisha]

The policy has been in effect on the Magic for nearly a year already, there hasn't been a change for that ship at all. The fact that you are expected to tip hasn't changed. You also are able to go to GS and reduce the gratuity if the service you receive isn't acceptable.

If it's been in effect for the past year on the Magic, why didn't DCL add it to their website? Why aren't they sending out emails or at minimum putting it somewhere in your cruise contract (like other cruise lines do). Again, seems a little underhanded to tell me once on board - "BTW, even though it says on the DCL website, we recommend the following gratuity, we're going to go ahead and just charge you that amount". Oh, and if you want to change it, please feel free to spend part of your vacation lined up at our Guest Services desk so that you can explain why.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. The policy states the customer can pay when booking, pay when making the final payment OR not pay at all and the tips will be charged to the onboard account (and a letter will be in the stateroom that explains the charges). I don't see anything back handed about that. Nothing that I have seen implys that people have to prepay them at all. They can wait until they board the ship and then they will be applied to the account the first day.

Quote from the OP:
Clients can add pre-paid gratuities at the time of booking or when processing final payment. If the pre-paid gratuities have not been added prior to boarding, your Clients will receive a letter upon check-in explaining the automatic charge to their onboard account. Your Clients still have the option to modify or add additional gratuity amounts, or pay in cash, by stopping by the Guest Services Desk onboard.
As a reminder, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to any bar, beverage, wine and deck-service receipt.


I like to prepay mine anyway, so no worries there. But if I want to use my OBCs to pay the tip, then I just don't prepay them and let DCL charge them to my account the first day (and since OBCs are applied to the balance first, I won't need to do a thing).

What's backhanded is that DCL is just charging them to my on board account without telling me ahead of time about the policy. If DCL wants the service charge then they need to be upfront about charging it to your account. Other cruise lines are at least upfront about expectations and when / how these charges will be levied - when I book Carnival, it's in my cruise contract, online where I view my cruise manager, and in the general information on their website.

 

[mkel34]

My gut reaction is negative.

And I think that's because gratuity should feel like something you are giving to show appreciation, not something that is being taken from you because it's standard practice. It may seem like a minor distinction. But psychologically I'm not so sure it is minor. Our minds and emotions are annoying like that. (Interesting. But annoying.)

But once I think about it logically...
We haven't been on a cruise yet (our first is next month) but from what I've read about the logisitics of tipping on the ship, this does seem like a sound decision on Disney's part.

I have to agree. Tips are something that is earned and this prepayment just sounds like an entitlement . Same reason I don't like going to restaurants with large parties when the 18% auto gratuity is added, you just don't get the same level of service as someone who needs to earn their money.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

If it's been in effect for the past year on the Magic, why didn't DCL add it to their website? Why aren't they sending out emails or at minimum putting it somewhere in your cruise contract (like other cruise lines do). Again, seems a little underhanded to tell me once on board - "BTW, even though it says on the DCL website, we recommend the following gratuity, we're going to go ahead and just charge you that amount". Oh, and if you want to change it, please feel free to spend part of your vacation lined up at our Guest Services desk so that you can explain why.



What's backhanded is that DCL is just charging them to my on board account without telling me ahead of time about the policy. If DCL wants the service charge then they need to be upfront about charging it to your account. Other cruise lines are at least upfront about expectations and when / how these charges will be levied - when I book Carnival, it's in my cruise contract, online where I view my cruise manager, and in the general information on their website.

Are you most likely to pay the full gratuity amount?


Ex Techie

 

[torontodisneyfan]

Use this from the FAQ sticky to check:

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

And dont be lazy, set an example to your kids......

Ex Techie

I notice on the link that the amount for Dining Manager is not filled in. What do you generally tip them or is it optional?

 

[MomsOf2boys]

I don't want to get blasted, but I agree with those not thrilled about this change. I probably will always leave the suggested amount for each of our servers and stateroom host, but I want the option. When we cruised last week on the Fantasy, I didn't feel the service was up to Disney standards. No, I didn't say anything because I didn't want anyone to get in trouble and I know that doesn't do them any favors, but there were some issues. Our stateroom host got blasted one day by his superior, so I knew things weren't going well for him. Our assistant server was adorable and sweet but by mid-dinner, she disappeared. If tipping is now mandatory, then standards need to stay a step above.

Wow... your whole dinner did not equal the $4. of tips? That is harsh since that is their total pay. Just go down and leave less money on there. Perhaps they are trying to find out why people are not paying because people are still eating...

 

[sissy_ib]

If it's been in effect for the past year on the Magic, why didn't DCL add it to their website? Why aren't they sending out emails or at minimum putting it somewhere in your cruise contract (like other cruise lines do). Again, seems a little underhanded to tell me once on board - "BTW, even though it says on the DCL website, we recommend the following gratuity, we're going to go ahead and just charge you that amount". Oh, and if you want to change it, please feel free to spend part of your vacation lined up at our Guest Services desk so that you can explain why.



What's backhanded is that DCL is just charging them to my on board account without telling me ahead of time about the policy. If DCL wants the service charge then they need to be upfront about charging it to your account. Other cruise lines are at least upfront about expectations and when / how these charges will be levied - when I book Carnival, it's in my cruise contract, online where I view my cruise manager, and in the general information on their website.

You don't have to explain anything. Just let them know you want it changed. If they ask you why you can tell the you don't want to discuss it. Before you HAD to go to GS and let them know you wanted to pay it. So this eliminates a trip for most cruisers. And as I said before. If I am changing the amount I tip it is for a good reason and I would be at GS anyways letting them know why.

 

[srferson]

DCL call it a gratuity, as do other cruise lines.
It is "traditional" that on a cruise you pay a gratuity/tip/service charge to your servers.
That is the way it has been for a long long time, and thats the way it is on most cruise lines, not all. (Some higher end cruise lines DO include the gratuity/tip/service charge and there are none to be paid)

It is also "traditional" to pay a gratuity to the server at your local restaurant, a cab driver, and the person who cuts your hair. That's why I referred to it as standard practice in my original post. I certainly hope you don't think I was arguing against tipping on the cruise. That wasn't my point at all.

As long as you receive great and attentive service, just think of it as part of the cruise price.

Yes, one can look at it that way. But if we choose to view it that way, I suppose I agree with the earlier poster, Freiden.

I have come to the opinion that they should stop calling these charges/expectations, "gratuities," start calling them "service fees," and just add them to the total cruise cost at booking. Then, if someone wants to then go above and beyond, it is truly discretionary..
From my admittedly limited observation, I think the whole point of gratuities, and the expectation of these gifts for exceptional service, is being lost..
eta: I guess my issue is with verbage.

And as I said in my original post, I do think Disney's decision here makes sense.

But this manner of handling the gratuity does make it feel a little less like a gift of appreciation and more like a mandatory fee.
(And yes, I am logically aware that it is not mandatory and the cruiser can change the gratuity at their discretion.)

Also, when I wrote my first post I was not aware you'd still have something to hand to your server. That at least will make it feel a little more traditional I think.

 

[MomsOf2boys]

I think it will make the line on the last night much shorter... except for those who are not wanting to pay their tips.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

I notice on the link that the amount for Dining Manager is not filled in. What do you generally tip them?

Nothing.

As you probably noticed the website isn't just for DCL but many other cruise lines as well.
Some may suggest a gratuity for a Dining Manager, DCL do not and therefore it isn't part of their suggested gratuities. You can tip them if you wish to though!

Just the Dining Room Server, Dining Room Asst. Server, Dining Room Head Server and Stateroom Host/Hostess

HTH's!

Ex Techie

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Are you most likely to pay the full gratuity amount?


Ex Techie

Whether I do or not is not the point. The point is, if DCL has been doing this on the Magic for a year - why isn't it in my cruise documents, on their website, or somewhere for me to see ahead of time.

Changes that are made should be made with enough time for people to cancel without penalty.

I only go to guest services if I absolutely have to - I only wait in lines on vacation if I absolutely have to. I spend enough time in "real life" dealing with stuff like this, I don't want to deal with "bureacracy" when on a cruise.

Now if I want to change the amount, I have to stand in line OR accept that I am paying full tips for lackluster service.

And DCL isn't telling me until I step on board.

They can send emails reminding me to spend, spend, spend (book excursions, book spa appointments, don't forget the bon voyage gifts!) but can't tell me that that the recommended gratuities will be charged to me automatically.

 

[lark]

It would really be nice if all the cruise lines could get together and decide to simply do away with this silly artifice of tipping. Just pay your employees the same amount and price the cruise accordingly. This dance that they have to do instead -- making it be a virtual requirement and just adding it to the bill -- is silly.

The problem is that it could never work unless every cruise ship does it. The problem is the same with baggage fees on airlines. In the days of orbitz and travelocity and other on-line services, nobody can afford to drop to the second page. You have to make your pricing appear consistent. If the price of your 4-day cruise is $699 plus tipping per person, it's hard to bite the bullet and make it $740, when your competitors don't do the same. If anyone can do it, it's disney, since they are already so much higher priced than their competition by virtue of no casino, etc.

My instinct is that the first cruise to adopt "tip free cruising" would get a marketing edge, but I suspect millions have been spent on answering that question and the answer is that, in fact, no it wouldn't. But I really think it's all just a marketing issue. Sure, there's some segment of the cruising population that feels strongly about reducing tips and often does. I doubt it's a very big segment though, to the point of negligible. I think the actual difference in service would be zero.

 

[sissy_ib]

Whether I do or not is not the point. The point is, if DCL has been doing this on the Magic for a year - why isn't it in my cruise documents, on their website, or somewhere for me to see ahead of time.

Changes that are made should be made with enough time for people to cancel without penalty.

I only go to guest services if I absolutely have to - I only wait in lines on vacation if I absolutely have to. I spend enough time in "real life" dealing with stuff like this, I don't want to deal with "bureacracy" when on a cruise.

Now if I want to change the amount, I have to stand in line OR accept that I am paying full tips for lackluster service.

And DCL isn't telling me until I step on board.

They can send emails reminding me to spend, spend, spend (book excursions, book spa appointments, don't forget the bon voyage gifts!) but can't tell me that that the recommended gratuities will be charged to me automatically.

You would really cancel over something so petty as spending 5 minutes at GS in the unlikely event you get bad service? And I will say it one more time on this tread, if the service is so bad why aren't you at GS already reporting it?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

You don't have to explain anything. Just let them know you want it changed. If they ask you why you can tell the you don't want to discuss it. Before you HAD to go to GS and let them know you wanted to pay it. So this eliminates a trip for most cruisers. And as I said before. If I am changing the amount I tip it is for a good reason and I would be at GS anyways letting them know why.

They will ask you why - and they will ask several times (learned from experience on our 3 day cruise).

DCL could give people a choice - like first or second dinner seating - charge tips to your on board account or give you a tip envelope for cash.

Or at minimum - tell everyone ahead of time what the new policy is.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

You would really cancel over something so petty as spending 5 minutes at GS in the unlikely event you get bad service? And I will say it one more time on this tread, if the service is so bad why aren't you at GS already reporting it?

Yes.

 

[lark]

And DCL isn't telling me until I step on board.

Well, you know now. If you have a cruise in the penalty period scheduled, I bet you actually could get a free cancellation if you made an issue of it. For all other cruises, you can cancel without penalty and there's no issue.

 

[sissy_ib]

They will ask you why - and they will ask several times (learned from experience on our 3 day cruise).

DCL could give people a choice - like first or second dinner seating - charge tips to your on board account or give you a tip envelope for cash.

Or at minimum - tell everyone ahead of time what the new policy is.

YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE! You just have to let them know, which for some reason you are still not happy about. Do you just not pay tips on a cruise?

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

It is also "traditional" to pay a gratuity to the server at your local restaurant, a cab driver, and the person who cuts your hair. That's why I referred to it as standard practice in my original post. I certainly hope you don't think I was arguing against tipping on the cruise. That wasn't my point at all.

Yes, one can look at it that way. But if we choose to view it that way, I suppose I agree with the earlier poster, Freiden.

And as I said in my original post, I do think Disney's decision here makes sense.

But this manner of handling the gratuity does make it feel a little less like a gift of appreciation and more like a mandatory fee.
(And yes, I am logically aware that it is not mandatory and the cruiser can change the gratuity at their discretion.)

Also, when I wrote my first post I was not aware you'd still have something to hand to your server. That at least will make it feel a little more traditional I think.

Unfortunately in the cruise industry it is traditional to pay a service charge called a tip or gratuity.

I wasn't arguing with you either, just pointing out that although not mandatory, it's a cost involved with cruising that traditionally is paid. (if you receive good or great service)
Any cash above the suggested is kind of thought of as a gift or a token of appreciation.
(That is meant from someone who wasn't in a tip position and from my POV).

Ex Techie

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Well, you know now. If you have a cruise in the penalty period scheduled, I bet you actually could get a free cancellation if you made an issue of it. For all other cruises, you can cancel without penalty and there's no issue.

My cruise leaves in 9 days (April 30th) DCL has had this policy onboard the Magic (which I'm sailing) for A YEAR - and they didn't bother to tell me. Even if DCL refunded me the cruise money, I would lose other travel costs that are now non-refundable.

And I only know about this because I read it on a message board - no email from DCL, no email from my TA.

YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE! You just have to let them know, which for some reason you are still not happy about. Do you just not pay tips on a cruise?

I don't "just have to let them know". I have to line up to tell someone at guest services that I want to remove my tips, and will be asked for an explanation.

It's not about them charging the tips - it's about them not being open and clear that they are going to do it. If they have known about it for A YEAR, with all of the other junk emails they've sent me, why wasn't this in at least one of them. Other cruise lines are open about their tipping policies, DCL is not being open.

 

[disneywonderfun]

Probably Disney should have simply made it another form to fill out during the online check-in process instead of what they did. Then, if somebody wanted to, they could check a box to "opt out" of the auto-tip program. Certainly, that would not have been difficult at all for them to do.

It does make me wonder if the concierge team tip will plummet with this in effect. Since there is no tip added automatically for them, you now have to go to the concierge staff to have them put their own tip into the computer. So uncomfortable already.

DWF

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Whether I do or not is not the point. The point is, if DCL has been doing this on the Magic for a year - why isn't it in my cruise documents, on their website, or somewhere for me to see ahead of time.

Changes that are made should be made with enough time for people to cancel without penalty.

I only go to guest services if I absolutely have to - I only wait in lines on vacation if I absolutely have to. I spend enough time in "real life" dealing with stuff like this, I don't want to deal with "bureacracy" when on a cruise.

Now if I want to change the amount, I have to stand in line OR accept that I am paying full tips for lackluster service.

And DCL isn't telling me until I step on board.

They can send emails reminding me to spend, spend, spend (book excursions, book spa appointments, don't forget the bon voyage gifts!) but can't tell me that that the recommended gratuities will be charged to me automatically.

Have you read your cruise contract word for word?

Because I'm pretty sure there is a line or two that says they can change this that and the other at any point before or during your cruise.

I'm guessing you accepted the terms and conditions of that contract right?

So it is what it is and you most likely will have great service deserving of your suggested gratuity.

Ex Techie