Hiya David,
Welcome back to planDisney! We are honored to help you navigate the
Disney Dining Plan and your upcoming vacation to the Most Magical Place on Earth!
I come from a family of great tippers; both of my parents had jobs in the service industry when they were younger, so they always taught my brother and me how important it is to tip well. As I’m sure you’ve seen from your research, gratuities are not included with the dining plan (the exception to this is when dining at
Cinderella’s Royal Table or
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue), so you will need to pay for that separately. When you are given your check, there is an option to write in how much of a tip you would like to leave. At this point, you can provide a credit/debit card or cash for a tip or ask that the tip (and any additional items not included with the dining plan) be charged to your room through your MagicBand. The default in most cases is to charge back to your room, so if you prefer to pay using a credit/debit card or cash, you will need to let the Cast Member know.
I hope this was helpful, David. Before I let you go, since you are visiting during my favorite festival,
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, I hope that you save some credits for the outdoor kitchens. We took the afternoon to EPCOT for lunch during our last visit. We had one parent sit with the littles in the playground while the other grabbed snacks at the booths and had a fun little “picnic.” Our daughter loved running around and playing, and we got to enjoy food with a two-year-old interfering. Have a fantastic trip, and please come back and see us if you need anything else.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.