Private Dessert Party Tipping and breaking the surprise

[SSaddler]

Heading over soon from the UK and we have a small private Dessert party booked. There's only 6 of us and we are only just over the minimum spend, so it really is a small event.

Firstly, its all paid for now. I know there is already a service charge on the bill. Does this mean I am not expected to tip anyone at the event?

Secondly. The event is a surprise from.the rest of my party. Anyone have any good ideas to keep it secret until the last minute and then break it to them? The party is at Epcot and we have already planned to go that evening for Illuminations. Current plan is to get the planners to leave a note in our room a couple of days before inviting us to a special viewing of illuminations and leaving the wristbands we need. Then, we will go the agrees location before the planner announces that it's actually a private special event and taking us to the event location. Any thoughts on that, or ways to make the reveal even better

Thanks

 

[lurkyloo]

The service charge covers everyone you are expected to tip—you are not expected to tip anyone on the night of the event. One exception would be if you were using backstage transportation—then you might want to tip the driver(s).

I have done many of these events and several as a surprise. When you walk in, it's usually pretty anticlimactic. Your planner is not going to be the one meeting you, and s/he may not even be at the venue when you get there. Usually, you just meet an event guide at whichever Epcot entrance you told them you wanted to meet at. And the event guide is not like a themed entertainer who makes any kind of grand announcement. They just count heads and ask you to follow them when everyone is accounted for.

So usually the surprise of the event is revealed gradually as you are led to your location, and then people start to ooh and aaah when they realize you have a private viewing area. I suppose you could make it a little more dramatic if you just met the event guide at the venue instead of the gate, so it was more like, "Let's see.... where should we stand to view IllumiNations...? How about this private viewing area?" But for that to work, you'd need to all have your own admission to the park and enter like regular guests. Since your planner is sending you wristbands, it sounds like this is not the case and you are paying the per-person viewing fee.

Adding transportation might make it a bit more dramatic. In that case, you would lead your guests to the SUV ($42 each way) at your resort's porte cochere, and then they'd all marvel as you are driven backstage at Epcot. Then the event guide would meet you backstage to escort you to the venue and you could explain what was going on.

 

[SSaddler]

Thanks lurkyloo.

We all have admission but we are told we still need wristbands?

I think I'll go with the planners idea of a note being left in our room inviting us to a special viewing and then the rest of my party realising it's a private viewing with desserts when they arrive. I think that'll do it.

 

[lurkyloo]

The wristbands must just be so the event guide can ID you.