Here is another thread on tipping. Post #6 has some interesting info.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3102209
Bill
Yep...that's a good post, full of good info.
Disney does not consider it's housekeeping dept to be a tipped position. They do not expect their housekeepers to be tipped. Housekeepers are not poorly paid at WDW. In fact, they are actually paid more than my 34 y/o dd was when she was a preschool/daycare teacher!!
You will actually find some housekeepers who will not take the tip. I have, upon getting really excellent care, left a tip. That tip sat there for the entire stay!! I asked the housekeeper about it..she was appalled. Said she didn't accept tips for doing her job the best way she knew how. I did go to the front desk and let them know about this special CM!!
When someone comes in, empties the trash, and replaces towels and toiletries, I don't see the need to pay them extra. They are in my room for, maybe, 8 mins. If that housekeeper has, let's say, 10 rooms to do each day (but it's most likely a lot more obviously). If each room had a $5 tip in it, each day, that would mean that housekeeper is getting $50 a day in just tips. Times 5? $250 a week just in tips!! Add that to the, average, $11 an hour they get??? (could be less but is also likely to be more depending on how long they've been there). That's $440!! Now, we have $440 plus tips. I know where I want to work when I retire to Orlando and work for WDW!!!
Yes, some of these housekeepers work very hard. Others? Not so much. I have come into a room being readied for me (DVC and had been told the room was now ready), only to find a housekeeper sitting on the couch, watching TV, with her mop next to her, on the floor!!! There was trash on the master floor, behind a table in the living room and the toilet didn't flush!!! And you know what she told us??? She was hanging out there for a bit until her shift finished!!! I have returned to my 'regular' resort room at 3pm only to find it not made up yet!! I watched, from a distance, as the housekeeper finally got to our room, spent about 20 mins in there. Now.....the beds had already been made, there was nothing to clean. We had left our towels hanging up since we don't mind reusing them (trying to be green!!), and the vanity is always swiped down in the morning!!! So, what the heck was she doing in there for 20 mins?? When I got to the room, I certainly couldn't figure it out either. The vanity hadn't been touched...the swipe marks I had left behind were still there. There were new towels hanging up, even though we hadn't wanted them, and there were no new soaps and shampoo left, even though we had used what had been originally left! Go figure.
Yes, there are some wonderful housekeepers out there at WDW. They are not all as I described above. I have had great service there...mostly all the time in fact. I would much rather have something nice and complimentary put into a housekeepers employment file...much longer lasting than the few dollars I might leave each day!!
Oh, and towel animals are not dependent on tipping. I have tipped and had no TAs. I haven't tipped and had many TAs. It's pretty much the luck of the draw..
Please, don't misunderstand me....I think there are times when housekeepers have to deal with some really nasty stuff. I have seen some rooms look like cavemen have stayed there...with cows and sheep, and had huge parties, with no cleanup. I can't imagine what these CMs go through. But I'll be darned if I pay the price for some animals. I leave my room nice and tidy.
If you want to tip, go right ahead. I'm sure your housekeeper will love it. I just want to be sure everyone realizes what Disney will tell you if you ask. They do not consider housekeeping to be a tipped position. Bell Services? Yes. Valet? Yes. Tour guides? Yes. Servers? Yes.
If you feel better when tipping, that's fine.