Gratuities -- Pay in Advance or Not?

Tink316

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
We are doing our first cruise next month. I read on Disney site that you can pay your gratuities in advance of the trip by calling them. I'm thinking of doing that -- pay for as much in advance as I possibly can.

But then I wondered -- do the crew members (servers, hosts, etc) prefer that or is cash better? And what if I pay in advance, but then want to give more $$ because of exceptional service? Is that easy to adjust on board (I know you can, but is it easy?). And if cash, how is that done?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
The gratuities will be charged to your account regardless of it you pre-pay them (prepaying is really just putting credit on your account to cover the standard grats). You can always add to the grats at Guest Services OR put additional cash into the envelope you’ll get.

Leaving them in place means they will go to the CM as the CM has set it up (most have direct deposit) without them having to get a chance to go and deposit the cash.
 
I'm a fan of prepaying. My first few cruises I didn't know it was an option. Once I discovered that you could it was the greatest thing ever.
 
I always do - paid our tips last night for cruise #10. It also allows me to use the target purchased gift cards to save that little bit more on the cruise and it's one more thing to *not* have to pay at the end :)
 


We also prepay by adding it to the cruise fare. I then put the total amount due on my Disney visa and pay it off in 6 months with no interest. I bring a rewards card or Disney gift card for the cruise and try to have a zero balance when we get off the ship. On special cruises with expensive port adventures I also prepay by giving myself an additional onboard credit to cover port adventures. With Alaska I gifted myself $1000 to cover port adventures. The Alaska dog sled helicopter excursion was worth every penny..
 


Another vote here for pre-paying tips. As everyone is indicating, adding cash to envelopes or increasing amounts at Guest Services is easy. No worries there!
 
Last edited:
Guess I’m different. We don’t typically pre-pay. I guess I’ve just always felt that the Service was Better... they have no idea How much Xtra I’ll leave... and won’t be lax cause tip already in their hands.
That being said.. hubby is a very good tipper, so I’m comfortable with it. And yes... it Can be a Shock... with that final
Tally.. but it’s Vacation after all!
( no disney Cruises .. not my choice lol)
 
We Pre-pay and then add extra cash in the envelopes. I prefer to pay as much upfront as we can, that way our onboard charges are our actual purchases.
 
Another vote for pre-paying! I prefer spreading out trip expenses so DH wouldn’t get shocked when the credit card statement comes in. He doesn’t like to travel, so it’s usually DD and me on the trips. Trips to Asia are usually a shocker as hotels are mostly paid upon arrival.
 
I don’t pre-pay because my philosophy is why give them my money any sooner than I have to, but it’s just a personal preference.

It is easy to adjust onboard either by adding cash or going to guest services to adjust the payment. They prefer account payments over cash as they are limited to how much cash they can keep in their rooms, the purser has limited hours they have to visit to get it added to their account if they have cash and that cuts into their very tight free time, and it’s easier to send the money to family through their accounts.
 
Remember you aren’t really prepaying anything specific, you’re just preloading your account with a credit to be used at the end of the cruise to settle. Consider it prepaying drinks, photos, excursions, whatever you want. All expenses, including gratuities, are added to your bill, and if you want a credit balance when you start the cruise in order to have a smaller balance due at the end, then enjoy. You’re just giving Disney money earlier than the “due date (end of cruise)”
 
We don't prepay either. Let the money sit in the bank longer and gain what little interest it can.
 
I don’t pre-pay because my philosophy is why give them my money any sooner than I have to, but it’s just a personal preference.

I suspect others like my family use discounted gift cards to pay for the tips. In that case we have already paid money in advance and are just moving the credit to our onboard account. It's not hard to save at least 10% that way. You can buy the gratuity paying gift cards close to the trip.
 
I suspect others like my family use discounted gift cards to pay for the tips. In that case we have already paid money in advance and are just moving the credit to our onboard account. It's not hard to save at least 10% that way. You can buy the gratuity paying gift cards close to the trip.
Can you explain discounted gift cards?? Thanks!!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!














Top