Hello everyone. I have a quick question concerning the tipping with the new DDP. I know they are no longer included with the DDP, but is the 18% that is printed on the bill mandatory or suggested? We are going in July, and on the DDP, but may not have an extra $500-$600 just for tipping. I hate to seem like a tightwad or a penny pincher, but not everyone can afford tips like that...especially after already paying for the DDP. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks. :)

From what I have seen... if you have a party of 6 or more, its auto-added. If you want it reduced, you are going to have to talk to a manager.

Also from what I have seen, if you are in a party of 5 or less, it prints out for you what 18% is, and you fill in the blank yourself.

Not sure for how long you are going or where you are eating or how many table service places you are going, but I think you may be way overestimating how much you are going to need along the lines of tipping.

If two adults and two children ate dinner at Chef Mickey's, the tip should be between about $15 if service was good (more if it was exceptional and less if it wasn't on par with what it should be).

How many people are there in your party? What restaurants will you be dining at? Maybe I can help you figure out how much tips may cost you. This will help you plan your budget for the trip.

Just do 20%; not only is it a pretty good tip, it's also really easy to figure out: just take 10% and double it. Just move the decimal point over one spot to the left: $48 becomes $4.8 (then double it, rounding up to $10, or round up first). $99 becomes $9.9 (or $10), then double it. Easy huh? Usually I'll add a few more bucks while at Disney, not only because I always give 20%, unless the service is just plain horrible, even when I'm at an IHOP or something, so at Disney, where the quality and service are much higher, I tend to tip a little higher too.

We are going to be there for 9 nights/10 days. With about 2 table service meals a day (breakfast and dinner). We thought it would be a good value for our family of 3.

That is a lot of table service dining over the course of your trip. That takes up a lot of touring time, considering the average TS is 45 mins to an hour. And of course, if you go with the basic plan, 1/2 of the table services you choose (if you do 2 a day for your entire trip) will have to be out of pocket anyway.

Is the third party in your group a child or an adult?

But back to the orig. topic of tipping... Like mentioned, it is a reasonable amount if you are just doing 1 TS a day. Yes, the amount grows fast if you add more TS choices to your plans. The thing is that you are going to find that, for the vast majority of the time, the service will be very good to excellent and will warrant the suggested 18% tip. This is something that you really should include in your overall travel budget.

In essence, if your food budget does not have the provisions for the gratuities for the extra TS meals, you might want to consider some alternative, yet excellent, CS dining choices. Besides, after about the 5th or 6th day, you are probably be tired of all the food - especially if you go during the hotter months. (Been there, done that, and I am a person who loves to eat!)

I hate to seem like a tightwad or a penny pincher, but not everyone can afford tips like that...especially after already paying for the DDP.

Keep in mind that tipping of waitstaff shouldn't really be an option. American waitstaff are paid way under minimum wage - something like $2.01 an hour. They count on tips to make their weekly wage. Good service should receive at least 15%, even on the dining plan.

We are on the Deluxe Dining plan. And the 3rd person is my 12 y/o daughter.

Just a suggestion, but you might consider downgrading to the regular dining plan & with the price difference, plus not having to tip for one of your meals, it would more than pay for your tips. We had the basic DDP last Dec & found it hard to eat all the food included(and we really like to eat alot at WDW). I can't imagine having that much food, I would probably explode:D