Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Balloons and Pictures: What to expect when dinning off property

Choosing to dine off Disney property can save you a lot of money and get you a better meal. For the cost of that same counter service hamburger at Disney World you might get you a steak at a local eatery. There is plenty of choices whether you are looking on Internal Drive, Iro Bronson, or other locations, almost every imaginable restaurant chain can be found (except Dicky's BBQ - you have to go clear out to the east side of Orlando. What's up with that?).

If you are dinning at a sit-down restaurant there are two things you need to be prepared for: Balloons and Pictures. You will find that these table side activities are tip based instead of fee based. That's because a tip is like a donation where sales tax doesn't have to be charged. That means the entire amount of money goes to the artist. If they are honest? They'll pay income tax based on their tips, but at least there won't be sales tax too. The problem with tips based activities is that it can be difficult to know how much to pay and it can be easy to insult the artist with a poor tip. Let me prepare you.

First, balloons. There is likely to be a balloon artist that will offer to make creations for your kids.

They don't do this for fun. They do it for the tips. They expect that if they bring a smile to your child's face, you'll bring a smile to theirs with a comfortable tip.These guys live off their tips and they put a lot into their costumes, supplies, and their craft. They can make anything from simple animals, hats, swords, to even more complex creations with different colored balloons all twisted together. Expect to tip $2-$4 per balloon art.

Next is the pictures. Like the balloon artist, photographers will come around to take your picture and then sell you the picture in a key chain, Christmas ornament (my favorite), or standard print outs. Expect to tip $5-$8 per key chain.


You might find other table-side entertainers (like a mariachi band) but that would be rare. These two are the most common and appear almost everywhere you'll go.



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