Palo automatic gratuity

[dcassetta]

Had a new experience on the Wish last weekend. We went for dinner and ordered a la carte. Did receive the $45 discount for platinum. But there was also a 18% automatic gratuity added to the bill even though we did not order any alcohol. We tip anyway, so not really an issue, but it was surprising. Is this a Wish thing or has anyone experienced this on another ship or at brunch?

 

[dina444444]

Palo automatically adds 18% to the a la cart menu.

 

[Kennywood]

If it's mandatory, that's not a tip. That's a surcharge.

 

[dcassetta]

Palo automatically adds 18% to the a la cart menu.

They did not on the Magic in January or the Wonder in June, that's why I asked if it was new or just the Wish.

 

[Trera]

18% is a lot less than I normally tip when using my platinum benefit so no issue on my end.

 

[CamillaF]

We had the prefix at Palo on the wonder in August. We had a glass of wine each. The waiter let us know that an 18% gratuity was automatically added to the whole bill. That the money was split between everyone. The kitchen staff and wait staff. If we wanted to leave a bit extra for just her she was appreciative but it was not required.

 

[Disneygirlxo91]

We had the prefix at Palo on the wonder in August. We had a glass of wine each. The waiter let us know that an 18% gratuity was automatically added to the whole bill. That the money was split between everyone. The kitchen staff and wait staff. If we wanted to leave a bit extra for just her she was appreciative but it was not required.

I would not enjoy a server saying that to me, maybe others don’t share that opinion but that would make me uncomfortable.

 

[CamillaF]

I would not enjoy a server saying that to me, maybe others don’t share that opinion but that would make me uncomfortable.

I was happy that she pointed out the 18% gratuity and explained where it went. She was an excellent waiter. It was very natural and not pushy. I would be uncomfortable if it was not brought up and I had to ask about it or discover it after I paid my bill.

 

[NAB]

We had the prefix at Palo on the wonder in August. We had a glass of wine each. The waiter let us know that an 18% gratuity was automatically added to the whole bill. That the money was split between everyone. The kitchen staff and wait staff. If we wanted to leave a bit extra for just her she was appreciative but it was not required.

We were told this on the Wish as well.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Had a new experience on the Wish last weekend. We went for dinner and ordered a la carte. Did receive the $45 discount for platinum. But there was also a 18% automatic gratuity added to the bill even though we did not order any alcohol. We tip anyway, so not really an issue, but it was surprising. Is this a Wish thing or has anyone experienced this on another ship or at brunch?

What does alcohol have to do with anything?

If you have a case of water delivered to your room, 18% gratuity. If you get a cooler of water or a smoothie at Castaway Cay, 18% gratuity. Pretty much every onboard purchase other than merchandise has gratuity automatically added.

You can see or modify the amount on the app afterwards if you'd like.

 

[CamillaF]

What does alcohol have to do with anything?

If you have a case of water delivered to your room, 18% gratuity. If you get a cooler of water or a smoothie at Castaway Cay, 18% gratuity. Pretty much every onboard purchase other than merchandise has gratuity automatically added.

You can see or modify the amount on the app afterwards if you'd like.

A automatic gratuity on alcohol has been on for a while. The auto gratuity on food at Palo is new. They were just making sure we understand that they did not just get drinks.

 

[dcassetta]

A automatic gratuity on alcohol has been on for a while. The auto gratuity on food at Palo is new. They were just making sure we understand that they did not just get drinks.

This. I would have expected the auto gratuity if we ordered cocktails or wine, the gratuity for Palo food was new.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

I wonder if this has to do with DCL wanting to make the tipping culture more automatic for people from other cultures where tipping large amounts isn't the norm? Tipping to the % amount Americans do it not customary in many other places. I know Aulani adds an 18% gratuity onto everything - including spa services like DCL does. I've always assumed this was to make sure service staff were compensated automatically due to many visitors from outside the USA who would not know that a service members livelihood is directly dependent on your tipping.

 

[Lauri]

On our recent Magic cruise, our server in the main dining rooms told us that she is upset that people no longer tip. Her view was that the gratuity was automatic, and is tip is something given above and beyond that. We usually increase the automatic gratuity but felt that she was off base in telling us that people no longer tip. I believe DCL started adding the automatic gratuity when European cruises started, as Europeans do not routinely tip the way those in the US do. Having the 18% automatically added makes it easier in calculating a tip, and you are always free to give more if you choose. Even though Palo has the Platinum benefit added, we still feel that it is fine to add the 18% to the bill. We did not have that added automatically to our bill on the Magic in September, and we had both brunch and dinner there.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I always remember the 18% auto grat being there all along but I've never had any issues with service in the 10+ times we've eaten there. I'm always looking to add more tip if possible on the ships for recognizing good service.

Auto Grat has never bothered me unless someone purposefully put it on there. I (normally) wont fight it. But I also won't pay any more than that either.

 

[dcassetta]

I always remember the 18% auto grat being there all along

I think it has always been there if your meal included wine or cocktails, but not if it was just the food. Of course, the a la carte pricing is new also.

 

[tink1970]

I think it has always been there if your meal included wine or cocktails, but not if it was just the food. Of course, the a la carte pricing is new also.

I don't actually mind since I never exactly knew how much to tip in the old days. IIRC the guideline was "tip as you would an upper end restaurant at home." That involved 1) guessing how much that would be (we don't eat in super nice restaurants at home-more mom and pop places) and 2) feeling like I should overtip since I wasn't paying for the meal and 3) since we live in a fairly LCOL area, adding even more since a meal out here v. NYC is quite different. Now there are some guidelines..hooray!

 

[NAB]

I think it has always been there if your meal included wine or cocktails, but not if it was just the food. Of course, the a la carte pricing is new also.

I think its because people see the 18% on the bottom of the whole bill and think they don’t need to tip the server and that is why the server told us where the tip goes .

 

[Kennywood]

On our recent Magic cruise, our server in the main dining rooms told us that she is upset that people no longer tip. Her view was that the gratuity was automatic, and is tip is something given above and beyond that.

She thought that she should get the automatic gratuity AND a tip on top of that?

 

[CamillaF]

On our last cruise on the wonder we were not impressed with our servers in the main dining room. We decided to leave the automatic gratuity and give them a good review (they were nice, trying and overwhelmed), we gave extra gratuity to our room attendant and Palo server. They went above and beyond!