Welcome to planDisney, Deborah! With the excellent service that is the hallmark of Disney Cruise Line, I am glad you are already thinking about gratuities and wanting to know what to expect for your cruise.
On your cruise, there are four people for whom Disney has established
standard gratuities. These can be pre-paid before your cruise, which is what I do when I book a cruise. Since they are standard, pre-paying them just makes them part of the overall cost and handled before we even board. You can pre-pay them when you book your cruise by telling your travel agent or by going to "My Reservations" on the
Disney Cruise Line site, under "Already Booked" once you have your reservation. If you do not pre-pay them, they will be added to your onboard account. Before the last night of your cruise, you will receive slips and envelopes in your stateroom to give to your stateroom host and three members of your dining team. You can add more than the standard amount, but that is solely at your discretion.
As detailed on the webpage for gratuities, there are some services onboard that have a gratuity added to your bill, such as alcoholic beverages and the spa. These are added to your bill, which you sign at the time of service.
Did you know
Room Service is included in your cruise? Almost everything on the menu is included at no additional cost, meaning your bill will be zero. Gratuities for room service are optional, but it is customary to tip your servers a dollar or two per item, depending on what you order and how you feel about the quality of the service. Given how much I travel on land and seeing how much room service costs in hotels, having it included feels like such a luxury. I love having a carafe of coffee delivered in the morning, starting my morning with caffeine and joy as I get ready for the day.
Speaking of what's included on a Disney Cruise, dinners are my favorite. If you can't decide between two tempting desserts, ask your server for both. On one cruise with my extended family, we just ordered one (or two) of every dessert on the menu to share across the table. After an amazing dinner, we had a buffet of delectable treats and enjoyed every bite.
Please come back to
planDisney with any other questions as you plan for a magical time at sea. With all that is included, it really is a carefree merry-time adventure.
Happy Cruising,
Jana