I’m confused on how to tip for Remy or Palo. First, I don’t want this to become the usual decades long debate about tipping 20%, 30%, 40%+ just because “they do such a good job!”. No, I already have “my” number and I will not change it no matter what anyone says.
However, what I really want to know is what should be the base for tipping. It is clear that dinner at either restaurant is somehow subsidized. There is no way a similar experience would cost $40 or $125 on land. From my research an equivalent dinner on land (excluding some absurdly price bottle) should cost about $80-$100 at Palo and $200-$250 at Remy (per person).
Do you think using these as base for tipping are reasonable? Should I just say “screw those stuck-up french waiters, Disney should pay them more not me” and tip on sticker price?
This is what TP says which is along the same line but not specific enough:
Palo and Remy Tips are Included in the Price. Kind of. – This is one of those vague tipping situations. Brunch and dinner at Palo cost $40 per person. Brunch at Remy is $75 and Dinner is $125. Disney is clear as mud on whether that includes a tip for your server. From what I am told, there is a small portion of that cost that goes to your server. And when I say small, I mean maybe $5 split between several people at Palo. If you’ve ever experienced the level of service you get at either restaurant, you’ll know that they easily “deserve” more than that. Personally, I’d recommend tipping based on the value of the meal you received. You’ll find at Palo especially, that meal would have cost much more on land and you can tip accordingly.
Adding 18% to your bill must be a change that happened since 2018. I believe the TP info aligns with my experience : flat rate and no info about if/how much of that flat rate included a tip.
" If you did not get a chance to pre-pay before boarding the ship, we will automatically charge your onboard account the suggested gratuity amount. Once on the ship, you can adjust the amount of your Pre-Paid Gratuities by using your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app to book an appointment with the Guest Services desk prior to the end of your cruise."
This is not the food and bev piece I’m talking about. This is your gratuities for your room host, head server, assistant server, and maitr’d. Those were prepaid, AND I adjusted them (to include additional) at the last night of the cruise.
I’m talking about bar tabs, restaurant upcharges like Palo and Remy, and the like. There is an automatic 18% gratuity added to all food and bev receipts on the ship at this time. You can leave it at that and sign away or you can add additional gratuity beyond that and sign away.
I thought the whole gist of his question was, this should cost more than $40, so do I don’t want to tip 18% of $40, I want to tip 18% of the “real price.”
I thought he was showing the price for the whole shebang for 2 people which would be $250
Yes, I definitely tipped over the included 18%. I was trying to look up my folio earlier - i saved it to my phone - and I couldn’t find it. I’ll try tofind it later and will update
It’s even more unclear if you are platinum & Palo is free! The 18% is additional gratuity on beverages.
I think @SneakyPete estimates of what the meals would cost on land are probably pretty accurate & I would personally tip based on those prices. I think some will tip more & others will tip less or none.
