Disney Dining Experience Changes

[Sam02]

Okay I'm confused about the math and what is discounted or not.

Example 1: $100 - 20% (discount) = $80 + $18 (tip on pre-discounted food) = $98

Example 2: $100 + 18% (tip) = $118 - 20% ($23.60 off total price b/c after tip has been added) = $94.40

I get the first example, but some of you have been saying the tip is added first then the DDE discount applies. So does this mean the discount applies to the entire bill, tip included like example 2 or would the discount only apply to the food total once again giving you the same amount as in example 1?

If it is example 2 then wouldn't the DDE members be saving even more money? Thanks for any clarification.

 

[brkgnews]

Seems Disney is not finished tweaking its Dining experiences:

(from Jim Hill)

I'm serious, folks. Starting this Sunday, November 18 and then stretching all the way through 'til Saturday, November 24th, WDW is bumping up the price of buffet-style dining at on-property eateries like the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom and Boma over at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge by at least $4.00 per-person.

I saw that. Now i wonder if there's going to be a big uproar. When we found out the 18% was just DDE, most folks sat down and were quiet because "it only affects DDE." This ought to be fun to watch now that a ton more people are going to be affected. I personally don't care, since it only affects people who go during peak holiday season, and I don't.

By the way, per JHM, this will affect ALL future major holiday weeks.

 

[Mommeee]

Someone is missing the point - and it may be me. I'll attempt to clairfy:

I was attempting to point out that the 18% is added to the check BEFORE the DDE discount is applied. In DisneyJoe's example, the DDE discount is applied and THEN the 18% is added. See the difference now? It's a minor (close) point as the math works out the same either way. :wave:

But DisneyJoe said:

With DDE, your bill before discount is $100, they then remove 20% giving you $80, and you tip 18-20% bring you back up to $98-$100.

Without DDE, your bill is $100, you get no discount, and you still tip 18-20% bringing your total to $118-$120.

In his example the gratuity is clearly based on the pre-discounted price of the meal because $18-20 is, obviously, 18-20% of $100, and 18% of the discounted price of $80 would have been $14.40...so I'm not sure why you were saying he was "close" but not correct. He was exactly correct. I don't know which math you're saying "works out the same either way"...?

In the most literal sense, that 18% will be added to the check on a line AFTER the discounted price, i.e. it will show:

Original Price
Less 20% DDE
Service charge (calculated, as we all know, on the original price)
Total
Sign here <g>

And yes, that example ends up $2 less than the un-discounted pre-service charged bill, but there's a principle here. I'm not dumb enough to say I refuse to use the card at Disney TS restaurants and will, to make a point, cost myself more. But the fact is that this ticks me off and I plan to try Universal and see if they appreciate their loyal customers any better than Disney does.

 

[shoppingnut]

But the fact is that this ticks me off and I plan to try Universal and see if they appreciate their loyal customers any better than Disney does.

It ticks me off too and my plan is to go outside when the mood strikes. I will continue to use my DDE card, but maybe now not as often and the services will only be getting an 18% tip rather than the 20%+ I used to give.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Seems Disney is not finished tweaking its Dining experiences:

(from Jim Hill)

I'm serious, folks. Starting this Sunday, November 18 and then stretching all the way through 'til Saturday, November 24th, WDW is bumping up the price of buffet-style dining at on-property eateries like the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom and Boma over at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge by at least $4.00 per-person.

Yep. I am sure I have read about Holiday pricing in a number of places. I thought one of them was All Ears net, which is very reliable in terms of information like that. Belle

 

[MickeyTigg]

It is for all dining (at this point we think table service), regardless of whether you are paying regular cash, DDE or DDP.

I didn't have the time to read the entire thread (so I apologize if this has been stated already)...it is only for those using the DDE card and this if for all table service restaurants....including buffets.

 

[sy278]

Just tell them to take it off the bill, If I want to leave a tip I will and at a rate I choose, not disneys choosing.

 

[LouDisney]

I apolgize if this has been mentioned...I went through several days of post and tried to find mention of this and could not.

Did anyone listen to WDW Today podcast on Wednesday? Len Testa and the guys were talking about these changes. Len explains why the 18% gratuity isn't mandatory and I believe they called Disney to confirm this. They were saying to let your server know you would like to tip something different than the 18%.

 

[JimboJones123]

I apolgize if this has been mentioned...I went through several days of post and tried to find mention of this and could not.

Did anyone listen to WDW Today podcast on Wednesday? Len Testa and the guys were talking about these changes. Len explains why the 18% gratuity isn't mandatory and I believe they called Disney to confirm this. They were saying to let your server know you would like to tip something different than the 18%.

Bet that will go down nicely.

"Here's why you are only getting 10%".

Didn't think you would have to "sell" your tip?!?!?

 

[LouDisney]

Exactly!! Maybe they meant let the manager know...LOL He said to just say you didn't want to pay that and you would like to pay or add something else. I also want to correct what I said, he said one of the listeners wrote to Disney and asked them and got the answer, I said they called...sorry.

 

[jerzyzkat119]

it sounds like none of you have worked in a resturant before!! ha -- oooo if you only knew what happened in resturants!. First of all, I live in NJ, and my hourly wage as a server is $2.13 AN HOUR! i will email everyone of you my paycheck if you don't believe it. when you hear the phrase "servers depend on their tips" its the truth. i am almost pretty positive that the only place in the US where servers make minimum wage is California. so my 2.13 an hour sucks, when i am busting my behind to make my customers happy. and then they dont tip at all (ohh thats the icing on the cake)

let me also say that if i work 40 hours a week that is an 85.20 dollar paycheck -- you know where that goes?? the IRS! at the end of the night i have to claim my tips made for that night, and the government still gets the taxes. you know what my paycheck was last week?? $5.18 yepp --- you read that correctly 5 dollars. how am i going to pay my bills on that.

another thing people need to realize is that most of those workers in disney are students, there on the disney college experience. they aren't there because that is going to be their job forever, but because disney has placed them into those jobs.

I also think most of you dont understand that at the end of the night, i have to tip out. tip out means 3% of my total sales (food and LIQUOR) must be handed in from MY tip money. you know what that money is for???? let me tell you -- its for the host - that sat you down, its for the bartender that made your drink (even if you didnt get any alcohol) and its for the busboy that cleaned your table when you were done. Almost none of which you had contact with, but because they provide ME, as a waitress with service, then i have to pay them, too. (now this isnt all resturant chains, but i work in a TGI Fridays, in an area with not the best clientel)

i dont think this will make service worse, either -- let me tell you why -- on the DDP in the past, (not for 2008 i know) but since it has began, gratuity was always added (18%) -- and the server always recieved it -- no, it wasnt coming out of your pocket that night of the sit down -- but they still were getting the money regardless -- so was your service bad on the DDP? mine was only one time in the past two vacations we have used it. and my third vacation with it is in 32 days and i cant wait. 18% -- great -- but we will also throw down another 5 or 6 dollars just as a thank you. people in disney, the guests, arent always the easiest people to deal with -- and you dont know what else is happening elsewhere in that resturant!!

if you made 2.13 an hour -- how would you survive? so i am so glad to see this go into effect, FOR EVERYONE. my thought on it is, who wants to tip on vacation when they could spend their money elsewhere -- well when you dont tip or only leave a minimal amount, that person that waited on you for an hour, lets say, is the one suffering. my boyfriend and i tip 25-30% everytime we eat out no matter how good or how bad the service was because i know what happens behind the scenes. work in a resturant -- you will be more grateful than ever to your next server! sometimes what happens to you is not the servers fault, sometimes it is -- but we are all human and we all make mistakes and 18% is standard. 20% is good -- so think about it --

 

[bgula]

it sounds like none of you have worked in a resturant before!! ha -- oooo if you only knew what happened in resturants!. First of all, I live in NJ, and my hourly wage as a server is $2.13 AN HOUR! i will email everyone of you my paycheck if you don't believe it. when you hear the phrase "servers depend on their tips" its the truth. i am almost pretty positive that the only place in the US where servers make minimum wage is California. so my 2.13 an hour sucks, when i am busting my behind to make my customers happy. and then they dont tip at all (ohh thats the icing on the cake)

let me also say that if i work 40 hours a week that is an 85.20 dollar paycheck -- you know where that goes?? the IRS! at the end of the night i have to claim my tips made for that night, and the government still gets the taxes. you know what my paycheck was last week?? $5.18 yepp --- you read that correctly 5 dollars. how am i going to pay my bills on that.

another thing people need to realize is that most of those workers in disney are students, there on the disney college experience. they aren't there because that is going to be their job forever, but because disney has placed them into those jobs.

I also think most of you dont understand that at the end of the night, i have to tip out. tip out means 3% of my total sales (food and LIQUOR) must be handed in from MY tip money. you know what that money is for???? let me tell you -- its for the host - that sat you down, its for the bartender that made your drink (even if you didnt get any alcohol) and its for the busboy that cleaned your table when you were done. Almost none of which you had contact with, but because they provide ME, as a waitress with service, then i have to pay them, too. (now this isnt all resturant chains, but i work in a TGI Fridays, in an area with not the best clientel)

i dont think this will make service worse, either -- let me tell you why -- on the DDP in the past, (not for 2008 i know) but since it has began, gratuity was always added (18%) -- and the server always recieved it -- no, it wasnt coming out of your pocket that night of the sit down -- but they still were getting the money regardless -- so was your service bad on the DDP? mine was only one time in the past two vacations we have used it. and my third vacation with it is in 32 days and i cant wait. 18% -- great -- but we will also throw down another 5 or 6 dollars just as a thank you. people in disney, the guests, arent always the easiest people to deal with -- and you dont know what else is happening elsewhere in that resturant!!

if you made 2.13 an hour -- how would you survive? so i am so glad to see this go into effect, FOR EVERYONE. my thought on it is, who wants to tip on vacation when they could spend their money elsewhere -- well when you dont tip or only leave a minimal amount, that person that waited on you for an hour, lets say, is the one suffering. my boyfriend and i tip 25-30% everytime we eat out no matter how good or how bad the service was because i know what happens behind the scenes. work in a resturant -- you will be more grateful than ever to your next server! sometimes what happens to you is not the servers fault, sometimes it is -- but we are all human and we all make mistakes and 18% is standard. 20% is good -- so think about it --

Sorry, no sympathy from me. I'll be the first to say it, but not the last - you knew what the wage was going into the job. If it's too low, then find another job. I'm there to pay for my meal, not to subsidize your wage. People go into these jobs because they EXPECT to earn tips. If you don't, for whatever reason, don't come crying to me.

 

[jerzyzkat119]

ha its funny -- because if i wasnt there - you wouldnt be able to go out and eat

 

[Mommeee]

if you made 2.13 an hour -- how would you survive?

Your hourly wage is not my responsibility!

Regardless of what I make at any given job, I know my salary going into it, and I do not expect other people to subsidize that for me.

I've worked as a server several times - sometimes I had to tip out, sometimes I didn't but usually would anyway - but the truth is, with a two buck base rate my income averaged $20/hour or more. And that was amost twenty years ago. Granted, it wasn't Bob Evans, but it wasn't Ruth's Chris or Jiko either.

Frankly, I'd rather cook for myself than be served by someone with an expectation that I owe them their wage. Yes, tips are a reasonable expectation for servers in the U.S. But don't bank on them until they're in hand...if you can't live with that, get a different job.

ha its funny -- because if i wasnt there - you wouldnt be able to go out and eat

I would if I wanted to. Because if you weren't there, someone else would be. Always.

 

[jerzyzkat119]

let me just strighten something out -- im not complaining about my job -- i love to serve because i love people -- i have worked retail and telemarketing -- and right now im trying to put myself through college to become a biology teacher -- i know my income isnt your responsibility and my income is fine. trust me i have though about quitting but i love it.
i just hate to hear people complain about tipping servers. you know when you go out a tip left on a table is appreciated. a lot of people in this world dont realize that servers only make 2 dollars an hour so i am an advocate for talking about it especially when i hear that people want to lower the average 18% -- even when they havent sat down to eat yet. on any given weekend night i bring home about 100 dollars/night (for 8 hours of work) sometimes more sometimes less -- and again im not complaining -- disney isnt making any money off this deal -- so i dont see why people are getting so angry.

im just sticking up for those who work in the same business i do. someone has to do it -- and i chose to be that someone -- yet you know just as well as i do what we make an hour as you say you have worked in a restaurant before -- so if no tip is left sometimes that hurts. dont tell me you have never been stiffed. i'm not asking you to subsidize my paycheck just trying to make people realize they say tip 18% for a reason, not because it makes my income more than a doctors or lawyers -- it just makes it average (about 10 dollars an hour). and that goes for almost anyone working on a tipped wage.

 

[ThreeCircles]

I agree with the other posters: Your wage isn't my problem.

Why are the cooks not paid $2.13 and then dependent on tips? Why not the bar staff? Why not the valet staff and the managers?

You decided on your job so, um, deal with the wage. Or, even better, write your senators and representatives and get them to change the laws so that servers are paid minimum wage. Then you won't have to worry about tips.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey Kat, First off let me start by saying I routinely would tip at 20% or slightly above depending on the service I have received. The problem that most people including myself seem to have with this policy is that the tip is automatically added to our bill. I wouldnt be near as upset if Disney as a service to the servers would print tip amount suggestions on my bill. If the service warrants it, I personally choose to tip well. If the service doesnt, I may not tip as well or at all. Either way it is my choice based on my experience.
Going one step further, if you do a search on these boards ( Im sure others have it as well but I KNOW we do) you will see a ton of posts that all say that when the 18% tip was included in the MYW DIning Plan that service was lackluster at best. I personally have never gotten that feeling, however I havent been in every restaurant in Disney with every server so I cant comment with 100% accuracy on that one. Many people feel that by guaranteeing an 18% tip, there may be a problem as service that we got at one point may decline. This was stated within this thread by a former CM. The CM discount for meals is exactly the same as this with 20% being offered with a mandatory 18% tip added on. He had stated that this resulted in service problems.
In closing I am not saying to tip at all, nor do I have a problem with a suggested amount, however to have a mandatory tip added to my bill is not a cool thing. As many have said, now I wil tip at the required 18% with very few exceptions. Belle

 

[duck_daddy]

let me just strighten something out -- im not complaining about my job -- i love to serve because i love people -- i have worked retail and telemarketing -- and right now im trying to put myself through college to become a biology teacher -- i know my income isnt your responsibility and my income is fine. trust me i have though about quitting but i love it.
i just hate to hear people complain about tipping servers. you know when you go out a tip left on a table is appreciated. a lot of people in this world dont realize that servers only make 2 dollars an hour so i am an advocate for talking about it especially when i hear that people want to lower the average 18% -- even when they havent sat down to eat yet. on any given weekend night i bring home about 100 dollars/night (for 8 hours of work) sometimes more sometimes less -- and again im not complaining -- disney isnt making any money off this deal -- so i dont see why people are getting so angry.

im just sticking up for those who work in the same business i do. someone has to do it -- and i chose to be that someone -- yet you know just as well as i do what we make an hour as you say you have worked in a restaurant before -- so if no tip is left sometimes that hurts. dont tell me you have never been stiffed. i'm not asking you to subsidize my paycheck just trying to make people realize they say tip 18% for a reason, not because it makes my income more than a doctors or lawyers -- it just makes it average (about 10 dollars an hour). and that goes for almost anyone working on a tipped wage.

Why has the become expected of people though? You say you work for an hour serving a customer, right? I am a Lab Tech, after I collect you blood sample, I could easily spend an hour working to obtain your lab results, all the while I treat you as a customer. Why , because your medical bills pay my salary. This makes you a customer and a patient. Now after I finish my lab work-up on you, should I expect a tip? I, in essence have provided a service for you that you would not have been able to have done if I was not around. So shouldn't I get a tip? Laboratory Sciences is one of the lowest paying jobs in the medical field, I knew that going in. Why do I do it? It's simple, I like it and it interests me. I too like human contact, I like to help people. However, just because my wages are lower than an RN's does not mean it is the general publics responsibility to compensate me. I work two jobs in order to live the life I want (and take trips to Disney). Ten dollars an hour, with tips, at the end of the night is not something someone without a college education should complain about. We aren't saying we mind tipping, and as a general rule many of us tip very well. We are simply saying it should not be forced upon us. If the service is good, your gonna get a good tip, If the service is bad, your not gonna get much.. If I don't perform to the standards set upon me at work I lose my job. If you don't perform as a server, you lose money. Think of it as an incentive plan. Here at the hopital, it's work or get fired. At a restaurant, it's work or don't get payed. Sorry no sympathy here!

 

[mkt]

Got a problem with your job? Get a better one.

I've been there, and I've done my part to get a better one. So no pity from me.

 

[slowbee]

Kat, please remember what the issue is before this turns into a blood bath. The ISSUE is being required to tip a set amount based on something that is generally based on performance.

I have all the appreciation for people in the service industry, I did it, didn't like it, but it also has allowed me to respect what the people in the service industry go thru.

With that being said, a Tip is nothing more than a guest who appreciated the service given. If given good to great service, Tips are generally reflective of that. If the service is average on down to poor, then the tip will reflect that as well. We are as a whole, upset over this being 'forced' on us when we've paid for a membership with an expected benefit, not reduced half way into that membership.