Hi Brenda,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am delighted that you brought this dining plan question to us!
When you use either of the
Disney Dining Plans, you will receive a receipt that indicates how much the meal actually cost if you were you not using dining plan entitlements. Your dining plan entitlements will cover the eligible portions of the meal. When dining with a party of six or more, the gratuity will be included on the receipt. I normally charge the gratuities back to the room, but I have used a credit card or gift card to cover the gratuities at the restaurant. Just keep in mind that you will need to pay those gratuities separately.
When we have traveled with a larger group, we have split the gratuity according to the meals we each received. So, when I traveled with my mom, my twin girls, my mom's sister, her daughter (my cousin), and my cousin's daughter, we all were on the
Disney Dining Plan. I paid the gratuities for my mom, my girls, and me while my cousin paid the gratuities for her daughter, mom, and herself.
Brenda, before we arrive, we always review the menus at each restaurant so that everyone knows what they will order when we arrive. Although we could always decide to choose something else to eat when we get to the restaurant, it helps us to make sure each dining location has something that everyone can eat and, it gives us a sense of the prices so that I can estimate the total amount for gratuities. The first time we chose the
Disney Deluxe Dining Plan over the Disney Dining Plan, I did not consider the additional gratuities we would pay for all of those additional table-service meals. Be sure that you check the menus, so that you can have an idea!
Happy dining!
Magic and memories,
Donyell