Tipping Mousekeeping didnt work for us!

[marijeff]

Well, we used the envelopes and tipped mousekeeping. The first day we got a small towel bird, but the next 5 days we got nothing. We were at POR/CSR/POR (don't ask...see my other post) and while walking from our lodge towards the food court, we passed whole units where the maids had opened the blinds and arranged all the kids stuffed animals and dolls with a large towel elephant (there was a ledge right under the window) to welcome the guests home. It was really neat to see rows of windows like this. My kids were fairly disappointed that we did not find that at our room. I suppose it depends on your mousekeeper and perhaps how busy they are. Just FYI.

[melindaandrob]

We didn't have much luck with Mousekeeping either. The first couple of days we had stuffed animals arranged on the beds. The kids loved it. I think the housekeeping person changed though because the room deteriorated the rest of the week! Garbages weren't emptied, it looked like they made the beds and that was it. There were 5 of us in the room so I was diligent about putting things away, if the room had been a wreck I could see how housekeeping wouldn't want to come in LOL.

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

We have NEVER had towel animals at ANY of the Disney resorts during ANY of our numerous stays :( ! And we have tipped. Did no good. We did see a display of them in the windows at a mansion room at PO. We finally figured out this room was unoccupied and they were just there to amuse us all:) !

[DisneyMim]

I know how disapointed kids can be when they look forward to something and also see other people's rooms looking so cute. From my own experience, MANY visits to WDW since 1970's, everywhere from value to deluxe. we always tip and have found that it really really depends on the CM from mousekeeping. Some trips we get tons of attention from them, other times nothing. This past April we stayed in AKL and tipped very well. We had one CM who was a doll, every day she left us little "surprises", tons of extra soap, towels, etc. Our room was spotless. Well, one day the room as not quite the same. We didn't think too much about it, have way too much fun!! LOL!!, BUT two mornings later our regular mousekeeper stopped us in the hall and apologized for the poor job the day before. She had the day off and another CM took her place. When she went into our room the next day (after her day off) she said she noticed things weren't done right and fixed them. What I'm trying to say and probably too long-winded (LOL!!!) is that this story really showed us is how much of a difference the right CM makes. Also if you are really unhappy you can call mousekeeping and ask for extra things. They have always been very accomodating with us. Sorry mousekeeping wasn't all you expected. I'm betting next time it will be different.

[Peter Pirate]

IMO, leaving tips for mousekeeping & having the little towel animals made are two completely differnt issues. Tip's should be left in gratitude for the mousekeepers good work in the cleaning of your room. Anything extra that comes your way is a bonus and should not be construed as something you "purchased" with your tip. (BTW marijeff, I'm not saying you had this specific mind-set, just in general)

These boards do a lot of good but they also lead us to expectations that are sometimes out of the ordinary, IMO. If someone gets something special, all of a sudden everyone EXPECTS it...
:cool: :cool: :bounce: :cool: :cool:

[wdwnutze]

We only had special things done by mousekeeping on our '96 trip. The kids loved coming back to the resort(CBR) to find what was waiting for them.
I will say that I was more disappointed that we never had them again on our other trips than the kids were. Reading these boards does raise your expectations. It does depend on who is cleaning the room and tipping has nothing to do with it. I am now just happy when I come back to a clean room and find everything in order. After all, that is their job, not making towel animals. Anything besides a clean room and fresh towels is a bonus. If you get them enjoy them and if not--oh well!

[DisneyDazed]

Back in December my boyfriend and I stayed at CBR over Christmas thru New years. We loved the resort and in the spirit of the season tipped generously. It went unappreciated by our reg mousekeeper. I got REALLY sick 4 days into the trip and had to have a doc visit the room only to tell me I had strep! The next 3 days I was in bed and totally did not want to be disturbed... we told the maid personally and called mousekeeping to also let them know. Despite all that AND the DO NOT DISTURB sign... she would kncock on our door very early in the morning...in the after noon and once again before she left! She even had the nerve to tell me I should get out and go get a bite to eat so she could clean! I found it irritatting and rude. Well I got better after 3 days and we still had 7 days left on our trip so we politely asked mousekeeping if we could have a different person and told them what happened. They were great apologized and gladly gave us a new person. WHo was fabulous and was appreciated greatly by us. Sorry so long. I guess I got long winded *S*

[BCV23]

Sorry for your disappointment, but what I tip for is a clean room done in a timely manner. The towel animals are so cute and certainly fun to get but I'd hate it if the towel animal thing prevented a tired family just arriving from getting in their room earlier or slowed down daily service so that our room wasn't serviced by the time we got back to it after lunch. Over many trips, mousekeeping has almost always accomplished the latter which is why we tip. It must have been very hard for your little ones to see all those windows, though.

[Poohbear123]

My last trip in February, housekeeping was horrible.. I arrived on Fri. and when I returned to my room on Sat. I tipped the girl in person, seeing she had just finished my room. The next day, Sunday, I came back, and my room was ONLY vacumned....that was it!:rolleyes: So, I put the DO NOT disturb sign out for the remainder of my stay, and DID NOT tip when I left!:o

[Ted and Holly]

Thank you Peter Pirate for so nicely putting my thoughts into words!! I do not like this thread!!

Housekeeping CM's are there to keep your room shiny and clean. I think they do a great job with that!! IMHO, they deserve to be tipped for good service, not because you expect something in return, whether it be extra soaps or towel animals. The CM's that do those things are not required to, and I HOPE do not do this on the basis of if and how much they were tipped!

Please do not go to Disney expecting all of the housekeepers to decorate your rooms if you tip them!

Holly

[Disney1]

"Housekeeping CM's are there to keep your room shiny and clean."

"Please do not go to Disney expecting all of the housekeepers to decorate your rooms if you tip them"

If this is the case, then housekeeping should not be tipped. I have never been to any other five star resort, paying these prices and had to pay extra for regular maid service. Regular Maid service is included in the cost of the room.

Please do not encourage Disney visitors to tip if they can not expect extra service.

Thanks

[Ted and Holly]

Disney 1: It is completely one's choice to tip housekeeping. I am simply saying that tipping is to reward good service. If you believe that and you tip, do not expect anything in return. Otherwise, it is no longer "tipping."

If anyone wants to hire someone to come make little towel animals while you are on vacation, I'd be happy to volunteer! Airfare and lodging a must!;)

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by Disney1
If this is the case, then housekeeping should not be tipped. I have never been to any other five star resort, paying these prices and had to pay extra for regular maid service. Regular Maid service is included in the cost of the room.

Please do not encourage Disney visitors to tip if they can not expect extra service.

Thanks

I know many frequent travelers who do not tip for maid service. The rationale is that it IS part of your expected services.

IMO, leaving tips for mousekeeping & having the little towel animals made are two completely differnt issues. Tip's should be left in gratitude for the mousekeepers good work in the cleaning of your room. Anything extra that comes your way is a bonus and should not be construed as something you "purchased" with your tip. (BTW marijeff, I'm not saying you had this specific mind-set, just in general)

My good friend Mr Pirate states it perfectly.

Tip for above average service but expectation can wreck your vacation.

IMO, get the towel animal and tip accordingly but to tip and expect something is way off base.

[marijeff]

I, too, agree with everyone that tipping is completely optional and should be in reward for a clean room. Our mousekeepers all kept our rooms very nice, so we did continue to tip. It was just a bit difficult to explain to our DSs, 5 and 8, why some rooms were so obviously displayed with items and ours was not. Perhaps mousekeeping shouldnt do that, but keep things inside for that particular guest's enjoyment. Point of the thread wasn't to blast mousekeeping, but just as an FYI to people. My kids seemed fine with the explanation that our mousekeeper was too busy and had too many rooms to clean and wouldnt want to hold people up. But....the question would not have even been asked if that one entire lodge hadnt been set up in that particular fashion.

[Bob NC]

LOL....My opinion is that it isn't 'magic' if it's a scheduled policy.

Memo: "Everyone will receive a towel muscrat in their room at 2 pm".

Lets not bring this down to the lowest common denominator of, "Unless everyone can receive the same magic, there will be none for everyone".

[dcgrumpy]

I don't think you should tip with the expectation of getting towel animals. I tip housekeeping whenever I stay at a hotel and never expect extras because of it.


Maybe not all of the maids are talented enough to make towel animals. Plus I am sure they are on some sort of a time schedule. If they spent all of their time making towel animals in every room, they wouldn't have enough time to clean.

[AllyandJack]

We got a cute towel animal that held our toothbrushes and we kept it for the entire trip. One day we ran into our maid in the hallway and she thanked us and said not many people leave a tip and she really appreciated it. That meant a lot because it's nice to know that, even though I don't assume all maids are poor and need tips, I was able to make someone feel appreciated for the work they do. However, my favorite was at YC. At the end of our trip our maid left us a note thanking us and wishing us a safe trip home. This was in November of last year and the wish for a safe trip home was really moving. We didn't get any towel animals, but we didn't care and we still have that note from the maid.

Having said that, we don't have kids who might look forward to it and I can see that it might be hard for the kids who see that other rooms have fun things from the maids while theirs doesn't. I'm sure they'll get over it though - they're in Disney, afterall and towel animals aren't exactly the main attraction!

[Ted and Holly]

Nice Story AllyandJack!

And good point, BobNC! Disney magic should not be scheduled or "paid" for!

Better luck next time on the towel animals!

Not to start a new debate, but when we have had male housekeepers, we do not get towel animals!

[Gagebre]

I don't really care about towel animals and such, although I think my kids would probably get a kick out of them. I also saw rooms with the open curtains with stuffed animals. I was just disappointed that they hadn't been to my room when I returned around 5:00pm to get ready to go out to eat.

[Disney-Kim]

Our mousekeeping was poorer by comparison to past years. I figured it was due to cutbacks.
At the CSR our room was never done before 4pm. this is pushing it imho. we had no animals or anything...room cleaned fine.

at the Polynesian I felt the mousekeeping was a little below par as I noticed they left fewer towels as the days went by. the last day we had no hand towels or washcloths.

last year at the CBR and the BC we got small animals and cards left on the bed saying have a great stay and stuff.......;)

[dtuleya]

I have a question about tipping. IF you are tipping for good service and IF you are tipping when you leave the room in the morning, you are basically tipping for services in advance, which I have a problem with. Since you aren't assured to have the same Mousekeeper every day, the person who might have done a great job cleaning your room the day before might not get the tip you left today.

I was a server (waitress) for many years and I took pride in a job well done. However, I can't say that for many of the people I worked with. Many of these people expected a tip. In theory, leaving a tip for Mousekeeping in the morning would be like adding 15% onto every check when a guest places an order (in a restaurant). Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I would think they made at lease minimum wage. When I waitressed, we were paid $2.35/hour (last year) and that basically paid my taxes for the week. That was my incentive to do a great job to make more in tips.

I don't mean to start a debate. I already have my Mousekeeping envelopes printed for our November stay and intend to use them for good service. This is just my .02.

[cruisnfamily]

Not at Disney and not anywhere else either. I feel like housekeeping is included in my room cost. Aren't they supposed to do a good job cleaning the room because that is their job?

I do tip at restaurants and for pizza delivery, porter services, my hairdresser, etc..The folks who are paid less than minimum wage and use tips as a part of their income and are taxed accordingly, that's who I tip.

I'm curious now to know whether most people tip maids at hotels? Am I in the majority or the minority? It really never entered my mind, EVER, that somebody might tip the maid at a hotel.

[Bob NC]

Actually, it isn't considered a 'tipped' position, therefore they are paid more than minimum wage.

Most people DO NOT tip housekeepers.

I frequently tip them if they go above and beyond, or if I ask for something extra. Otherwise, it is totally unnecessary.

I realize many DO tip, but, they are in the minority and I honestly can't figure out why they tip housekeepers but not landscapers, common area cleaners, and other folks who make their stay more enjoyable.

[dtuleya]

I guess I mistated my position earlier. I intend to tip for "above and beyond" service. I'm thinking positively in advance hoping for those "extras". We have many friends who travel frequently on business and when asked about this practice, many of them have never heard of/done it before. Maybe it is common only in the vacation/resort areas????

[Ted and Holly]

Wow, it took a while to get to the old "why tip housekeeping despite it not being a tipped position" discussion. This has been coverd a few times. There are people who tip and those who don't. Period.

Sorry you didn't get the surprises you hoped for marijeff. Maybe next time.

Ted

[Bob NC]

Wow, it took a while to get to the old "why tip housekeeping despite it not being a tipped position" discussion. This has been coverd a few times. There are people who tip and those who don't. Period.

Wow, I think every thread on these boards is in some way a rehash of past ones. As new readers come and go, you're going to see repetition sometimes.

Period.

[dtuleya]

I am a fairly new poster and I'm sure I'll post to subjects that "have been covered a few times". That's how those who are new to thse boards learn. Period.

[Peter Pirate]

Housekeeping may make minimum wage, but no more and their job is far less glorious than waitstaff - Who make much, much more in the final analysis.

It is not listed as a "tipped" position at WDW but IMO anyone who can afford the trip should be able to afford a little generosity to those who will clean their toilets & change their sheets... and comparing them to landscaping is ludicrous as the landscape staff has no direct contact or personal influence over your stay (and I am a landscaper, btw).

Just as many have expressed their opinion that housekeeping doesn't deserved to be tipped, it is my personal opinion that they do.
:cool: :cool: :bounce: :cool: :cool:

[animalcrackers]

i did housekeeping last summer and it sucked. Most housekeepers only get slightly above MW, and we have to deal with a lot of stuff, cleaning up after messy people, gross people *nothing is worse than finding a pair of briefs after a checkout that look like they were worn for a month*. And as Peter Pirate said, this is the only one of those jobs that you come ointo contact with. Since i have done that i now always tip.

[Disneyolic]

I usually tip a certain minimum amount every day and then add on for extras "niceties" or if I request something specific such as towels or extra soap, etc.

Mousekeepers are not mindreaders. If you really want towel animals, maybe next time you could leave a small note along with a tip. If you don't get them, then you will know not to give that extra tip (if you wish) for that service.

[bweagle]

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents on housekeeping. We left $2.00 a day (one each for DH & I) on our last trip at the Swan. We had fabulous housekeeping. We got turn down service every night and we were given the paper (even though we waived the resort fee), but it was left in our room and not outside the door. I didn't get any towel animals, but let me tell you....coming back to turn down service every night after a long day at the park was a wonderful surprise each night.......and the chocolates sure didn't hurt either! :D

[Ted and Holly]

bweagle, would that be 6 cents then? :)

Is it my fault for pointing out the fact that the discussion has moved away from the original topic to an arguement that can not be resolved?

I agree that new users will come and go. I also agree that much of the same content will be repeated. But sticking to topic and refraining from childish mockery is how places like this remain useful and retain members, new and old.

Back to topic. We have tipped on our stays. We had our bed turned down for us at CSR every day. We thought it was due to the tip. Who knows. We also got a little washcloth bird with a note this past trip. I have seen stuffed animals looking out the window waiting for their owners with signs. But without kids of my own to get disappointed when there is nothing "special" left, I can't say I really cared either way. We tip due to our belief in tipping housekeeping, not for special treatment. If we got bad service, we would think twice about tipping. We have not had to deal with that yet.

Ted

[Meagansmom]

In all of our past visits, we have never had any of the extra special "perks" in our room until this past visit. We have always tipped because we wanted to. I can tell you it was really fun to receive the extras. It seemed that maybe it only happened with a certain maid. The first couple of days, nothing, then for a couple more days, the room was decorated. The last few days, again nothing. I actually did not expect it. And I also did not tell my daughter for fear she would expect it or be disappointed if it did not happen. I guess all you can do, is be happy if it happens. I cannot figure out how the system works. Enjoy!

[Eeyore1954]

My DW and I stayed at WL May 14 - 21 this year. As a business traveler, I almost always tip housekeeping each day ($1 or $2 depending on the size of the room and the mess I leave behind). I also try to leave a little note saying "Thank you" for cleaning up after me.

We left mousekeeping envelopes each day. We did not have any expectation that the mousekeepers would do anything in return beyond cleaning the room. Our experience:

1 day we got extra towels
1 day we got extra shampoo and soaps; this day they stacked the soap boxes so it made a complete Mickey (kinda cute)
1 day my Tigger toy was wrapped up in a towel with a note saying "Thanks for taking me to WDW. I had a great time at the spa!"

Every day our room was immaculate, it smelled great, and the service was what we expected.

One morning my DW was feeling ill. Our mousekeeper quietly knocked on the door. I told her my wife was ill and asked if they might come by later in the day. By noon my DW was feeling better and we took off to go shopping. When we returned, our room was spotless again and our mousekeeper left us a note saying she hoped my wife was feeling better. She hoped we were having a "magical vacation" (her words).

Like others here, I look at arranged toys, extra towels, etc. as extras -- not expected, but nice if they appear.

[Disneylvr]

We used the Mousekeeping envelopes 2 weeks ago at the Caribbean Beach. The room was spotless but no towel animals or window displays extra soap/shampoo etc. Oh well. We have always considered that above and beyond the duties of the housekeepers but it was something nice to return to each day. However we tip because being a resort/motel/hotel housekeeper is a very hard job with low wages. I want to show my appreciation.

At ASMovies in December we came back to extra soap, towels, window displays, towel animals, and more each and every day. Neat!

I think it all just depends on the housekeeper.

[dreamflight99]

We have always tipped Housekeeping, not for any extras...just to reflect our appreciation for the day to day chores they perform. Any extras (towel animals, plushes arranged in a cute manner) are just "frosting on the cake" and seem to make our stay a little more magical. Yet, we always leave the full tip at the END of our stay, so the housekeeping has no idea IF we are intending to tip or not. Therefore, when they have done extra things for us, I believe it is never based upon whether or not they'll receive a tip. They presume they will NOT, and are always so DELIGHTED when presented with the envelope on our last day (nice surprise).

With this in mind, I'm sure there are familes on a "tight" budget, with children, staying in the value resorts-who truly can not afford any tipping. I believe the housekeeping staff is well aware of this, and still makes the magical towel animals and plush arrangements. It all depends on the housekeeper(s), and decidedly not the tip. IMOHO ;)

[Bob NC]

When I do tip I never save it up until the last day. I'm always afraid I'll leave the tip showing my appreciation for a weeks worth of housekeeping to the weekend housekeeper who only works that one day and has never cleaned my room before.

[Disney Debbie]

Until I started coming to the DIS, I'd never heard of tipping housekeeping either. But I don't mind doing it at all. I've had cute animals sometimes, sometimes not. I usually leave a note requesting extra towels (we like to shower a LOT at WDW!) and they always leave more then plenty.

Because I got "educated" on tipping here - when I stayed at a nice historic hotel in Americus this weekend it did actually occur to me to tip when the housekeeper washed out a plastic cup and spoon I'd brought in to have chocolate milk in before bed. I thought that was really nice of her and above and beyond - so I tipped there too!

[epcotfan]

Originally posted by Peter Pirate
IMO, leaving tips for mousekeeping & having the little towel animals made are two completely differnt issues. Tip's should be left in gratitude for the mousekeepers good work in the cleaning of your room. Anything extra that comes your way is a bonus and should not be construed as something you "purchased" with your tip. (BTW marijeff, I'm not saying you had this specific mind-set, just in general)

These boards do a lot of good but they also lead us to expectations that are sometimes out of the ordinary, IMO. If someone gets something special, all of a sudden everyone EXPECTS it...
:cool: :cool: :bounce: :cool: :cool:

I absolutely agree. When I leave a tip it is to show gratitude for the services they have rendered. I don't leave tips expecting extras. I would however leave a larger tip if Mousekeeping did do something extra, such as bring more towels or for turn down service, etc...

[disney4us2002]

Until I found the dis I didn't know anyone tipped housekeeping. I leave in more than a week and have already printed the mousekeeping envelopes and put a $5 in each as that is the number in my family. My dh thinks I'm absolutely nuts. He is a bit tight with his money but thinks it's absurd to pay someone for doing their job. We have honestly not ever tipped before this trip, at least not housekeeping. I have no idea what to expect so I guess I'll not be disappointed at least.

[dreamflight99]

Originally posted by Bob NC
When I do tip I never save it up until the last day. I'm always afraid I'll leave the tip showing my appreciation for a weeks worth of housekeeping to the weekend housekeeper who only works that one day and has never cleaned my room before.

I wasn't suggesting anyone do the same, Bob. I was merely stating the method we personally use. We stay on Disney Property for 26 days+ at a stretch...and always have the same two housekeepers clean our suite. On their days off...we only request towels, etc. be placed by the door. They even hang a bag w/ammenties on the door handle. I know these associates by name, and insure they receive the full tip. Of course, I would not tip a wait person after the first course of a five course meal, either...nor a limo driver after the initial hour, etc. (LOL) I prefer to wait until the completion of the stay/service.

Even when visiting other resorts (for the remainder of our Orlando Sojourn), Portofino BR, Disney's Vero BR, Peabody, we always leave the full tip on the final day of our stay. We have never had any complaints about housekeeping. They have always provided a wonderful service, and provided any extras we request.

You are also free to leave the tip w/the housekeeping supervisor or the resort manager, (if waiting until the last day). They will insure the person deserving of the tip will receive it.
OR, you may ask your housekeeper if she/he will be on duty/working on the day you intend to check-out.

I was merely pointing out the housekeeping staff still manages to exceed our expectations, even when they are unaware/not expecting a tip/gratuity. ;)

[mat2672]

Leave it to the subject of "tipping" to cause such a debate. Its an automatic every time. Youll never find a topic that will divide people like tipping always does. Some people wont tip someone who "is already being paid to do their job", then youll find someone who tips everyone they can find. I dont think there will ever be clear cut "rules" about tipping.

[Kitty 34]

I have kind of a cute/ironic story in regards to tipping that I would like to share.

Our first trip to WDW (ALL Stars) we left our tip in pretty little envelopes every day. Housekeeping did a very nice job keeping our room clean but we never had any cute towel animals left. Didn't bother us, tho.

However......That summer we went to a tiny little motel up at Mackinaw City for a couple of nights and also left a tip. You should have seen the gorgious towel animals....swans and turtles, to name a few, sitting on our beds!!! We took tons of pics, they were so cool!!!

[caitycaity]

how funny - the one time we didn't tip was the time we recieved towel animals for days on end!

it never occurred to me that the two might be interrelated.

[Bob NC]

originally posted by dreamflight 99

I wasn't suggesting anyone do the same, Bob. I was merely stating the method we personally use

I wasn't suggesting anyone do the same, dreamflight99. I was merely stating the method we personally use.

[WDW2002]

Originally posted by Peter Pirate
Housekeeping may make minimum wage, but no more
I read on another post that the mousekeepers at Disney make about $15/hr. I can not say whether this is true or not but $15 is much more then minimum wage.

[Captain Crook]

No offense, but that is silly. I guarantee that Mousekeeping IS in the minimum wage area...
:smooth: :smooth: :bounce: :smooth: :smooth:

[renessa]

Please do not hate me but here is my humble opinion:

Is the dissapointment yours or your childs? It is unlikely that unless children know about towel animals or see huge window displays (like the original poster) - they don't even expect anything from mousekeeping. Maybe it is the parents that expect too much magic? If your children really want stuffed animals in the window "welcoming them back"- then send one parent up first, make the arrangement, and then return as a family. This could be very easily done, after breakfast before entering a park, or while everyone is at the pool. I think that there is enough going on for everyone at Disney to be dissapointed about towel animals. Perhaps disney should teach a class at the Institute for towel animals! Ren

[Reflection]

Excellent point, Renessa. It seems perhaps parents are more upset about lack of towel animals than the children.

During our stays at the Yacht Club and BWV, the maids did make towel animals. After a brief glance at them, my daughter (age 7 during BWV trip; had just turned 8 during the YC trip) was off to another activity.

[dtuleya]

renessa -

I agree with you totally, that is why I won't mention the little "extras" to my boys. Hopefully our trip to Disney is going to have so many wonderful memories, whether or not we have mousekeeping extras won't make a difference at all. All I expect from mousekeeping is a clean room.

[mickey7861]

I read on another post that the mousekeepers at Disney make about $15/hr. I can not say whether this is true or not but $15 is much more then minimum wage.


Not unless they're counting in expected (hopeful) tips. My friend works for WDW at CBR...housekeeping is a minimum wage job like most park/resort service type jobs are at WDW.

[WDW2002]

Originally posted by mickey7861

Not unless they're counting in expected (hopeful) tips. My friend works for WDW at CBR...housekeeping is a minimum wage job like most park/resort service type jobs are at WDW.
Just relaying what i read on another thread.

[zurgswife]

I've worked at TDS and they started us at minimum $5.15 an hour and the yearly increase wasn't much more than a few cents...They seemed kinda tight with their money in the TDS section of the company and can't believe they would stray to far from this behavior at WDW and pay wages such as $15 for housekeeping....JMHO...

Kimball

[WLDDCD]

OK, can someone PLEASE explain a "Mousekeeping Envelope"?? I have no problem tipping (at the end of my stay, if the service has been good), but how much is appropriate? are we saying a dollar a day per person?

Help--we leave SOON!!!

Thanks

[CookieGVB]

Wendy:

Generally speaking, people tip $1-$2 per person per day for housekeeping. Some people on the DIS have created cute envelopes with Disney graphics/pictures on them for the Housekeeping staff - not sure where they're located - maybe someone else knows?

I know I've left a tip for the maids before at the S/D, and they didn't take it for DAYS...I finally left a note saying "Thank you for making our stay so clean and tidy! :) " and they DID take it then. Next time I think I'll bring the envelopes, so they'll know it's for them.

[Eeyore1954]

My DW and I just downloaded some Disney clip art from the Internet and printed it on the envelope. We added: "For Mousekeeping" or something like that. Then we put the tip for each day in the envelope.

Don't leave the envelope on the nightstands, tables, etc. Put it either on your pillow(s) on the bed or on the sink/vanity in the bathroom. Mousekeepers do not (or should not) move or take things on nightstands, tables, etc.

We usually left ours on the vanity. Some days we added a little note saying "Thanks for taking care of the room" or something like that. We tipped $3 or 4 a day -- mostly because we're kind of messy!

[Disneyolic]

I seem to remember the mousekeeper leaving some sort of folded card with their name on it. Does my memory serve me right? I think we left the tip on the table with the card on top.

[smjj]

Like on the cruise, the towel animals are just that little added touch people expect from Disney. I think when they don't get it, it tends to place Disney along side other resorts and removes just one more thing that made them special. Maybe with the cutback, the mousekeepers have more rooms to care for now or maybe the newer CM's don't this training as before or maybe it just depends on who you get, who knows...smjj

[tampafan]

We have been to Disney many time and stayed at many resorts. We always tip and sometimes we get extraordinary treatment and sometimes we get normal treatment. It is because sometimes mousekeeping just cleans our room and does not leave animals or arrange our children's toys that we find it especially magical when they do.

[imbe@aol.com]

Originally posted by BibbidiBobbidiBoo
We have NEVER had towel animals at ANY of the Disney resorts during ANY of our numerous stays :( !

Nope, we've never had any towel animals either! Well .. ok, maybe once ... one day of one trip.

[PeterPan68]

I think that housekeeping do know that a little extra "Magic", such as towel animals and arranging stuffed animals may be expected...Otherwise, why else would housekeeping have pre-printed cards that say "We missed you while you were gone and hope you had a good day"?

If Disney has these pre-printed cards for housekeeping to use...then they must know that guests enjoy these little "extras".

[corvair]

We will be in Disney in 10 days. We always tip housekeeping where ever we go. My question is, do I need to take my own envelopes? I thought that they always had the envelopes already there. When we have stayed at other places the envelopes were always laying on the dresser. Is it not like this at disney?? Should I take my own???? thanks,,,corvair

[hulabird]

I think it just depends on your mousekeeper, my husband and I stayed at CBR last year and we had no kids with us, but our mousekeeper made us 2 towel bunnies and even called us during the day to see if we needed anything, like extra pillows etc...we left her $2/day and than on the last day left an extra $5....she was a great mousekeeper and went above and beyond to make our vacation special. We never expected the towel bunnies, especially since we have no kids, but it was a cute "extra" and made the trip more magical knowing that our mousekeeper cared enough to take the time to make the bunnies (I still have them!)

http://www.disgalaxy.addr.com/Bambi/Thumper/anithumper.gif

[epcotfan]

I would rather have Housekeeping spend extra time on taking care of rooms than making towel animals for me (IMHO). I imagine at times they are pretty busy and the last thing on their agenda is making towels for every guest. I'm there to visit the parks and spend time relaxing. The towel creatures (or lack thereof) will not make or break my vacation. :o

[dBugged]

We were at WL for almost two weeks last year and tipped every day. Although we don't have kids, the mousekeepers didn't know it and they setup some funny things about five times. One day we found a stuffed animal wrapped in TP with a note on him saying that it wasn't his fault and that the other animals made him do it. After looking on the bed, we found another note saying that they didn't have anything to do with it. We had lots of funny things like this happen. If we had kids, they would have had a blast -- the mousekeeper was quite creative and had us wondering what they'd do next. The year before when we were at the BC, we didn't have much luck with mousekeeping. I think they did something the first day, but I cannot even remember what it was. I guess it depends on the type of mousekeeper you get -- a regular maid or a real disney mousekeeper. :D