How Much Should I Tip for a Meal at Disney World?

July 27, 2016

Q: How much of a gratuity should I leave for a meal at Disney World?

A: When it comes to dining at one of Disney’s World’s many table service restaurants whether it be at the theme parks, at a resort or at Disney Springs, it is customary to tip somewhere between 15 – 20%. As a matter of fact, the suggested tipping amount at Walt Disney World restaurants sits in the middle of this range at 18%.

For food court, counter service or quick service dining, tipping is not necessary.

What about buffet meals? Even though you are helping yourself to a buffet, it is still considered a Table Service dining experience. Wait staff will visit you during your meal to bring you drinks/refills as well as clear the table of empty plates and provide any other assistance you may require. For this reason staff should be tipped the same as you would with any other table service dining experience.

Are there any restaurants where tips are already included? Though Disney can’t technically force you to leave a tip for those dining experiences listed above, when it comes to dining parties of 6 people or more, your reservation will automatically include an 18% gratuity.

Disney’s dinner theater experiences also have an 18% gratuity included in the cost. They are as follows:

Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Cinderella’s Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Disney’s Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review and Campground

A caution to guests at the restaurants listed above. When you are presented with you bill at these dinner shows, even though the gratuity has been taken out, Disney will still provide you with a bill with a line where you can enter your gratuity. This line DOES NOT replace the gratuity you already paid for but rather is in addition to. Be careful. Filling it out means that you will leave a double tip!

What if I’m on the Disney Dining Plan? Gratuities are not included with any of the Disney Dining Plans. You will need to leave a tip the same as if you were paying out of pocket.

I’m a member of Tables in Wonderland. Do I have to tip? The Tables in Wonderland card available to Florida residents and annual passholders functions a bit differently. Guests on the scheme are entitled to 20% off food and drink (including alcohol) at Disney Table Service restaurants. However, under the system a mandatory 18% gratuity is added to the cost of your bill.

What are the payment methods I can use to make a tip? Gratuities can be paid in cash and credit card. However, there are also two additional options making it easier for guests on the Dining Plan that don’t want to carry around their wallets just for tipping. Disney Gift Cards are an acceptable form of gratuity. As a matter of fact I usually buy a stack of discounted gift cards at Sam’s Club solely for the purpose of paying for miscellaneous things like gratuities. For those staying on-site with a MagicBand, you can also set up an account at your resort, using a valid credit card that allows you to use your MagicBands to bill charges to your resort room.

So when it comes to planning you Walt Disney World vacation, you should set aside a hefty chunk to cover the costs of tips for all those amazing meals you’ll be having. It definitely pays to do a bit of math before hand. For instance, my family of 4 had a character meal last time we were at the parks which set us back $185.00 before gratuities. This meant we tacked on an additional $33.00 for the 18% tip. And that’s just for one meal. You can see how this might quickly add up.

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How Much Should I Tip for a Meal at Disney World? 1

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