Mousekeeping tips?

[aubriee]

When you are traveling solo how much do you tip mousekeeping? Since most people tip $1.00/person/day I thought about maybe $2.00 (no way I'm tipping just a dollar), however $2.00 also seems like a cheesy tip. I went solo in May '05 and had the same problem deciding. I finally tipped $2.00/day but then also put a little gift in each envelope. This time I just don't have the time to go shopping for a little gift to go along with the cash. I'm not a messy person, am seldom in my room, and always make my bed myself, so all housekeeping has to do really is just leave a couple of towels and take my old ones away. Sorry for rambling, :blush: but what do other solos do as far as tipping mousekeeping?

[MidgeD79]

Good Question! I leave in 48 hours and I just thought about that yesterday. This is my first solo and winter trip and I will only be at WDW for 60 hours (2 nights). I am also very neat and pick up after myself. I think $2 a night would be appropriate.

[Corwin12]

I only plan on tipping $2 for DW and I. We are extremely neat. I think only a small percentage of people tip at all so that $2 is a lot better than the alternative.
Also, think of it this way: So far, three people replied to this post and are going to tip $2 a day. Let's assume the same person cleans our room and works 5 days a week. At the end of the week, she or he pocketed an extra $30.00 tax free. If at least 3 people continued to tip $2 per room all month, it would be an extra $120. At the end of the year, those cheesy $2 tips equal $1,440.00. Not a bad little addition to the income, is it?

[bicker]

Not a bad little addition to the income, is it?Especially for a non-tipped employee!

My plan is to take half the money I'd tip housekeeping, and find a way to tip the theme park rest room custodians. They get paid about the same amount, and the custodians have the unenviable task of cleaning up other people's poo in the heat and humidity of Florida! :eek:

[cassie]

I'm also a very neat person, and I tip $2 a day.

[ducklite]

Especially for a non-tipped employee!

My plan is to take half the money I'd tip housekeeping, and find a way to tip the theme park rest room custodians. They get paid about the same amount, and the custodians have the unenviable task of cleaning up other people's poo in the heat and humidity of Florida! :eek:

You know, you are soooo right! I never thought about it. We'll be there in January, and I think I'm going to figure out a way to tip them.

I go to a lot of shows at Hard Rock Live and House of Blues, and there is an attendant in the ladies room at both. It's almost always the same woman (well, two women, one at each place) and I don't always have change to tip. The last time I was at each place I handed each of them a $20, figured it would make up for all the times I didn't leave them anything all year. They seemed very grateful, the one tried to make change for me! :rotfl:

Anne

[lovethattink]

I usually tip $5/day each day, sometimes more. I find the more I tip, the more special attention we receive. The special attention has been anything from a thank you note to a huge towel animal.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b122/lovethattink/100_3002.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b122/lovethattink/100_3043.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b122/lovethattink/100_2543.jpg

Lol, before anyone asks...No, I didn't keep them.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

If you're going to tip your housekeeper, I recommend you do it daily during your stay because there is no guarantee the person who cleans your room on your final morning is the same person that had been cleaning it all the other days. It would be a shame if the person doing a great job all week has a day off on your final morning and some other person gets the windfall.

On mainstream cruise lines the daily gratuity is usually recommended to be $3.00 per person per day. You typically pay at the end but on a ship you nearly always have the same steward every day. But cruise workers are paid a pittance and depend on gratuities. Housekeepers at Disney are paid above minimum wage but not a lot.

BobK/Orlando

[flying_babyb]

They get paid about the same amount, and the custodians have the unenviable task of cleaning up other people's poo in the heat and humidity of Florida! :eek:
My mother is a custiodan. They really do appreacate the tips but just stoping and saying "Your doing a great job or thanks for cleaning up after the pigs or I love how clean the park is, you must work hard" Will work too. Just let people know you appreacate them.

[Care]

I have some small lapel pins with the Canadian flag on them. Do you think that the mousekeeping staff and other parks staff would want some if I brought them along on my trip?

I was planning to tip $2 to $3 per day for mousekeeping.

[flying_babyb]

I say take um with. I know when I go places, I carry a pound of cow seeds to give out in little baggies as a gift. People seem to really get a kick out of them. I know that when I was in D.C they loved getting the little goodies. The nice part is the cowseeds are a cheap way to show some added apprecation!

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

OK, ok.....I'll bite. What are cowseeds?

BobK/Orlando

[Quacktatty]

I'm staying for 7 nights and I'll be tipping $2 a day for the first 6 nights with a $5 tip for the last night. I do tend to be kind of messy at home, but for Mousekeepings sake I am going to try and keep things clean!!! :laundy: I also made envelopes for each day - they are all different. I love having 4 different colors of sharpies!

[flying_babyb]

http://busyfingerscrafts.com/cow-seeds-bag.jpg

[Care]

http://busyfingerscrafts.com/cow-seeds-bag.jpg

That looks adorable, and so much fun. Wherever do you get them?

[flying_babyb]

around here, everywere. It seems to ba a very local wisconsin thing. Sometimes when I get desprate I make my own

[jodistar]

I thought of bringing trinkets for Mousekeeping this trip, but had decided to go light on the luggage. Are there things that I could get in the Disney area that they would still appreciate? I mean in addition to the Mousekeeping tip?

[Care]

What other kinds of trinkets do people bring/leave with Mousekeeping along with their tip? Also, do you leave a trinket every day in case the Mousekeeping staff changes?

[aubriee]

What other kinds of trinkets do people bring/leave with Mousekeeping along with their tip? Also, do you leave a trinket every day in case the Mousekeeping staff changes?

I usually leave something from my home state. I've done Texas mugs with candy in them, Texas magnets, Texas bluebonnet seeds, Texas pens, and decks of cards with Texas on them. Of course, these are in addition to the mousekeeping envelopes with cash in them.

[flying_babyb]

What other kinds of trinkets do people bring/leave with Mousekeeping along with their tip? Also, do you leave a trinket every day in case the Mousekeeping staff changes?

I did when I was in D.C. I know its not Disney but still useful. I also ended up giving a small trinket to our concerage (who was such a sweetheart, He was telling us all the "secret" good places).

[korbbec]

So how do you suppose it saves money to leave trinkets? Why not just leave the extra dollar and let them choose how they want to spend it. I may be way off base, but how many trinkets could a person possibly want, use or need? I wonder if they have a trinket exchange program for the mousekeeping staff.

[kimis]

:dance3: We (dh and myself) tip $2 a day. However there is very little they have to do because I make sure everything is clean and tidy before we leave. I make my envelopes up before we leave so I am not running around like a crazy woman :idea: looking for tip money. One last Feb. I forgot to put it out but we got back to POR in time to find the woman who cleaned our room and I gave it to her. We haven't had towel animals:( for the last two trips. They have left us extra coffee and bathroom goodies.popcorn::
I love the idea about tipping the bathroom attendants. I am going to do that! Enjoy:dance3:

[flying_babyb]

So how do you suppose it saves money to leave trinkets? Why not just leave the extra dollar and let them choose how they want to spend it. I may be way off base, but how many trinkets could a person possibly want, use or need? I wonder if they have a trinket exchange program for the mousekeeping staff.

I left $3 a day AND the trinket

[bicker]

So how do you suppose it saves money to leave trinkets? Why not just leave the extra dollar and let them choose how they want to spend it. I may be way off base, but how many trinkets could a person possibly want, use or need? I wonder if they have a trinket exchange program for the mousekeeping staff.I agree. While guests shouldn't feel obligated to leave anything, since housekeepers aren't tipped personnel, but if you are going to leave something, cash is preferred.