Hello Lisa and welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
It sounds like you will be dining with royalty while visiting the Walt Disney World resort. Congratulations on obtaining some of the most difficult to secure reservations.
When utilizing
Disney Dining at
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, your gratuity is not included. It is customary to tip at this location based on what the cost would have been if you had been paying directly. If your group is larger (6 or more guests), an 18% gratuity will be added automatically, and you will pay this at the end of the meal. This need to tip is true at the vast majority of locations when using the Disney Dining Plan. Exceptions are the dinner shows (currently Hoop-dee-doo Musical Revue and Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show), in-room dining, and Cinderella's Royal Table.
When you reserve
Cinderella's Royal Table, you will need to provide a credit card guarantee, but if you are booking through the account that holds the resort reservation that includes the Disney Dining Plan you should not be charged unless you fail to attend your scheduled reservation. Please note that this dining experience requires two table service credits for each member of your party. But, again gratuity is included for this experience.
I know you will have a magical time dining with the Disney Princesses!
See ya real soon,
Anne