Is a Disney Cruise truly an all-inclusive vacation, or are there additional costs – like gratuities – to keep in mind? Here’s your guide to understanding how it breaks down.
When booking a Disney Cruise Line vacation, nearly everything is included. Your stateroom, room service, most food on board, most non-alcoholic beverages, many amenities, and more. But not everything is included. One of the most frequently asked questions vacation planners ask when booking a Disney Cruise is “Are gratuities included?” We’re here to answer that question!
Keep reading to understand how gratuities work on Disney Cruise Line vacations, and what you can expect when you join your first cruise.
Are Gratuities Included When Booking a Disney Cruise?
The short answer is about whether or not gratuities are included on Disney Cruises is it depends. in some cases, gratuities are included – but in others, they are not.
So, how do you know if you’ll need to account and budget for extra spending? It ultimately depends on different situations. Every Disney Cruise Line vacation includes an array of different activities, from dining to excursions to spa services, and that’s where the need to tip can vary.
In some situations during your Disney Cruise Line vacation, gratuities are automatically added to your stateroom account. In other situations, you decide whether to tip.
When Are Tips Included on a Cruise?
There are four positions where pre-paid gratuities are designated. These included tips go to your dining staff – the server, head server, assistant server – and your stateroom host.
Your server is responsible for taking care of the table service at your rotational dining restaurant. Disney adds $4.75 per passenger, per night in pre-paid gratuities to the cost of your cruise booking.
The assistant server assists the server in taking care of anything you may need. They are mostly in charge of drinks and cleanup. In pre-paid gratuities, Disney adds $3.75 per passenger, per night in pre-paid gratuities to the cost of your cruise.
Meanwhile, your head server acts as a maître d’. Disney adds $1.25 per passenger, per night in pre-paid gratuities for this position.
Finally, beyond dining, your stateroom host will have gratuities already paid for before your arrival. Your stateroom host is in charge of cleaning your stateroom every day, ensuring you’re stocked up on supplies, and providing you with anything else you may need, whether it be extra pillows, blankets, a new hair dryer, etc. In pre-paid gratuities, Disney adds $4.75 per passenger, per night for this role.
You Can Add Extra Gratuities or Tips for Dining Staff and Stateroom Hosts
If you want to show a bit of extra appreciation for your server, assistant server, head server, or stateroom host at the end of your Disney cruise, you can absolutely do so!
At the end of your cruise, your stateroom host will leave a sheet of paper and envelopes in your stateroom for you to fill out. The paper lists your dining staff and stateroom host on separate pieces of paper, which you can rip off and place in an envelope. Then, when you wish, you can hand the envelope to the appropriate Cast Member, showing your appreciation and gratitude for their hard work throughout your vacation.
If you wish, you can add extra cash in the envelopes if you feel your staff went above and beyond and you want to give them an extra tip.
Which Tips Aren’t Included on a Disney Cruise?
On Disney cruises, there are many other staff members you may think about tipping. For example, bar staff, bartenders, and drink runners may be Cast Members who you interact with often throughout your vacation. But are their gratuities already included in the price of your Disney cruise, too?
It depends on the situation. If you order an alcoholic beverage, or a soda or bottled water from a bar rather than using the drink machines, a tip is automatically added to your bill. That tip totals 18 percent of the bill. However, if you wish to add more, you can do so on the receipt.
Room service is also another big topic when it comes to tipping. While there’s no charge for the food you order with room service, a Cast Member does bring the food to your room. And that means it’s customary to tip the staff member who brings your order to your room. You can do this by adding a small amount onto the receipt, which will be charged to your stateroom.
To sum it up, you can simplify gratuities on a Disney Cruise Line vacation by planning to add a tip for any Cast Members who provide service on your trip outside of your server, assistant server, head server, or stateroom host. Unsure if the tip is already included? Just double-check your receipt when it arrives!
For more tips and information about Disney Cruise line vacations, click below:
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