Pre-Paying Gratuities - How?

MrsInsG

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Hi All-

I'll start by saying I promise I really did use the search function and could not find what I was looking for. That said, we'll leave on our 7-day Fantasy in just 15 days! I would like to prepay gratuities, but I don't know how. I know I can buy onboard credits but, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the gratuities are still charged at the end of the cruise. I would prefer to have the paid ahead of time so the money I have put in OBC is "fun" money and not in anyway obligated. How do I do this?

Many thanks for your help!
 
Hi All-

I'll start by saying I promise I really did use the search function and could not find what I was looking for. That said, we'll leave on our 7-day Fantasy in just 15 days! I would like to prepay gratuities, but I don't know how. I know I can buy onboard credits but, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the gratuities are still charged at the end of the cruise. I would prefer to have the paid ahead of time so the money I have put in OBC is "fun" money and not in anyway obligated. How do I do this?

Many thanks for your help!
You can't actually "pay" the gratuities ahead. What you do is put credit on your onboard account. Then the daily gratuities are charged against the account.
 
Hi All-

I'll start by saying I promise I really did use the search function and could not find what I was looking for. That said, we'll leave on our 7-day Fantasy in just 15 days! I would like to prepay gratuities, but I don't know how. I know I can buy onboard credits but, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the gratuities are still charged at the end of the cruise. I would prefer to have the paid ahead of time so the money I have put in OBC is "fun" money and not in anyway obligated. How do I do this?

Many thanks for your help!
I usually just call and tell them I want to prepay my gratuities. I've never actually looked if they put it as a credit at the beginning of the cruise, or how they actually do it. I just know it is paid before I go and don't worry about it while I am on the ship.
 
Hi All-

I'll start by saying I promise I really did use the search function and could not find what I was looking for. That said, we'll leave on our 7-day Fantasy in just 15 days! I would like to prepay gratuities, but I don't know how. I know I can buy onboard credits but, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the gratuities are still charged at the end of the cruise. I would prefer to have the paid ahead of time so the money I have put in OBC is "fun" money and not in anyway obligated. How do I do this?

Many thanks for your help!


I call ahead and pay over the phone. Give them a call today 😊
 


To clarify, you prepay dollars into your onboard account to get a “credit”, and then on your cruise your charges, including gratuities, will be deducted from your credit.
 
From - http://mickeyblog.com/2019/03/18/can-i-pre-pay-gratuities-on-my-disney-cruise/

How Do I Go About Pre-Paying Gratuities?

If you booked via a Travel Agent, reach out to them and they will be able to set this up for you. If booking directly with Disney Cruise Line you can get in touch with them directly at 1.800.951.3532. Gratuities can be pre-paid from the moment your book right up until 3-days before your sailing.
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We pre-pay when we make the reservation. While on board, you receive a paper with each of the gratuities on a separate perforation, specifying the person and amount. There are also envelopes for each. We look it over to make sure the person listed is correct. We separate the slips, put them in the envelopes, and usually add some cash. Giving the person the envelope and slip helps them make sure they are getting the correct amount. I've seen posts where the incorrect person was listed on the paper. Mistakes happen, this helps them get corrected.

We also bring cash to tip for room service - $1 per item. We found we like to have coffee and danish / muffins in the morning while we wake up and are getting dressed - two coffees, danish, muffins - $4, We're looking forward to cake of the day and Mickey bars for an evening snack on our next cruise. Also heard the cookies are good.

I'm reasonably sure gratuities were added when we purchased specialty coffees and drinks. You will want to have a credit card on file on your account. It also helps for purchases in the shops. If it is the Disney card, it will be noted on your account for the discounts.
 


Thank you, all, for your information and your time! Have a lovely weekend!
 
There’s really no such thing as prepaying gratuities, although it is convenient to think of it that way. You can just deposit money in your account ahead of time, and your account has a credit balance when you start the cruise. Then as you spend money your obligations start to build up...near the end of the cruise the gratuities are added to that obligation list.

Then at the end your bill is reduced by whatever you paid in advance, and the balance is then charged to your payment method. So you can deposit quite a bit if you expect to spend a lot (say a cabana or shore excursions, photos, spa) in addition to the gratuities, and you can “think” of is as prepaying the cabana, for example.

In the end you spend the same amount of money. Doesn’t matter but it might make you feel better.
 
Seventeen DCL cruises. Prepaid gratuities for all of them. I have NEVER had a credit posted to my shipboard account in the amount of the prepaid gratuities followed by a charge for same. We always get the (green) slips noting the recipients and the corresponding amounts. I’ll see what happens on the next five cruises. I’ve already prepaid gratuities for the first three of them.

The only credits I ever see on the guest folio are the (soon to be gone) $200 OBC (non-refundable), my additional OBC purchased in advance with gift cards (if any, and refundable), and any gift cards I post to the account in during the cruise. The gratuities certainly exist in the accounting system, but certainly do not show up on my guest folio at the end of the cruise.
 
When I paid mine I just went on the help chat and asked about prepaying and the next thing I knew she sent me a revised bill with the tips added to the balance.
 
While on the phone with DCL booking this last cruise I was asked if I wanted to prepay gratuities. When I answered yes, gratuities were added to the balance owed by paid in full day.
 
i never pre-pay as I want to feel that those that I tip are really worth their keep - sounds cheap but let's be honest how much does the Head Server do for you ? I appreciate a good wait staff and stateroom staff alot more
 
...let's be honest how much does the Head Server do for you ?
The Head Servers manage the dining experience. Much of the time their work is behind the scenes, but they can make up for undertrained servers and assistant servers if you have a problem.

Also, our experience managing a food allergy has demonstrated that the HS is the one who assures the food safety of what’s served to the allergic person. This is true in Cabanas and at the quick serve stations as well, since at least one of the Head Servers is on duty while food is being prepared and served in these venues. Need a special allergy order at the pizza counter, a HS will write up the order and might even deliver the pizza to your table when it’s been properly prepared. Need a plate of allergy safe food brought from the kitchen to avoid cross contamination, a HS will facilitate this process.
 
i never pre-pay as I want to feel that those that I tip are really worth their keep - sounds cheap but let's be honest how much does the Head Server do for you ? I appreciate a good wait staff and stateroom staff alot more

If you do not understand why tipping at least the minimum amount is important you have no business going on cruises.
 

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