Tips and drink pacages

[oldmancurtis]

Hi we have never cruised disney. so how much are the tips and do they have a drink pacge like royal

[1025cruise]

No drink package, but soda is available for free in the MDR and at beverage stations.

[Shmoo here]

18 hours ago, oldmancurtis said:

Hi we have never cruised disney. so how much are the tips and do they have a drink pacge like royal

No hard liquor packages, but there are wine packages.  And a couple of beer specials.

 

Gratuities: (automatically added to your onboard account) $14.50 per guest per day total. The $14.50 breaks out to Room Host ($4.75), Dining Room Server ($4.75), Assistant Server ($3.75) and Head Server ($1.25).

 

 

[oldmancurtis]

thanks

 

[PhillyTravelBug]

If I read correctly, it's like old school tipping with the envelopes handed to cast members?

[Shmoo here]

22 minutes ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

If I read correctly, it's like old school tipping with the envelopes handed to cast members?

You will receive a coupon sheet and envelopes in your room.  The sheet has the person/job/amount of gratuity in separate tear apart sections.  You put the coupon in the matching envelope and hand them out.

 

Or not.

 

The actual handing of envelopes give you a way to say thanks/goodbye in person, but if you don't give them the envelopes the proper people will still receive the indicated gratuities.

[OttawaJohn]

Curious, since Disney doesn't do packages like some other lines, do most of you pre-pay your tips or settle at the end of the cruise?

[1025cruise]

I always pre-pay, no matter the line. I will then give additional if desired.

[Shmoo here]

4 hours ago, OttawaJohn said:

Curious, since Disney doesn't do packages like some other lines, do most of you pre-pay your tips or settle at the end of the cruise?

We just have the gratuities added daily to the onboard account.  

[mommb]

Since I always to go Guest Services and add extra to the gratuities anyhow, I just let the gratuities go on my credit card with all my other charges at the end of the cruise. 

 

 

[OttawaJohn]

Thanks all for the thoughts!

[CarolynFH]

For our January cruise on the Magic, we prepaid the gratuities so they were included in the amount we paid off prior to sailing. Prepaying made it easier for us to budget, and also we didn’t end up with a large bill at the end of the cruise. When the time came, we gave additional cash tips to certain CMs based on our interactions with them. 

[PhillyTravelBug]

On 2/12/2024 at 12:50 PM, CarolynFH said:

For our January cruise on the Magic, we prepaid the gratuities so they were included in the amount we paid off prior to sailing. Prepaying made it easier for us to budget, and also we didn’t end up with a large bill at the end of the cruise. When the time came, we gave additional cash tips to certain CMs based on our interactions with them. 

That’s what I like to do as well,  but I’m not sure why I don’t see that option 

[CarolynFH]

18 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

That’s what I like to do as well,  but I’m not sure why I don’t see that option 

My memory is fuzzy, but I think the option to prepay gratuities appeared as an option during the booking/checkout process (as did the option to buy trip insurance through DCL) or as an option shortly after we booked. We booked via the DCL website, BTW, not sure if that makes a difference. The options to prepay gratuities and to buy insurance always showed at the bottom of the screen whenever I checked on our reservation, too, with an indication that we had done so. 

[mommb]

On 3/2/2024 at 8:10 PM, PhillyTravelBug said:

That’s what I like to do as well,  but I’m not sure why I don’t see that option 

I use a travel agent, so I can't pay through the Disney Cruise website. When I look at my upcoming reservation online, I do see a blurb about pre-paid gratuities:

You can also purchase onboard credit through the Onboard Gifts section, which would have the same effect as pre-paying gratuities.

[PhillyTravelBug]

Thank you! All paid for and one less expense to worry about.

[fantavet]

I prepaid gratuities and I'm sailing this summer. Do the staff consider the pre paid the "bare minimum"? I would like to add cash at the end but really have no idea what is considered acceptable. $25 in each envelope or for cabin staff maybe increase to $50 or is all that too much?

 

Tried watching youtube videos on cruise tipping and they are all over the place.

[1025cruise]

2 hours ago, fantavet said:

I prepaid gratuities and I'm sailing this summer. Do the staff consider the pre paid the "bare minimum"? I would like to add cash at the end but really have no idea what is considered acceptable. $25 in each envelope or for cabin staff maybe increase to $50 or is all that too much?

 

Tried watching youtube videos on cruise tipping and they are all over the place.

I personally consider the pre-paid the bare minimum. Things would need to be really bad for me to request that be changed. Anything extra is up to you. I normally will give the steward an extra $20, my waiter (when I have the same staff all cruise, as you will on Disney) an extra $20, and the assistant waiter $10. I personally don't believe the Maitre'D requires anything additional.