a question for the residents of the US

[mickey scouser]

Hi I have finally decided to pay for me and my family wife and 2 boys to go to wdw Florida now this is our first time not just to Edwards but to America in general. The query I have is about tips. How much? And to who? What I mean by the last question is to what services the people provide who receive my tips I do not want to offend any one while visiting your country as I know it is a part of your culture and is very different to how we give tips in the UK.

Thanks for the replies in advance.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

To wait staff: 18-20%

To Mousekeeping: well, I confess I'm not really good at remembering to tip hotel maids, and I've always stayed off-site. I would say $2-$3 a day? Somebody else may have to answer that.

 

[Maggie Lizer]

For housekeeping/maid service, tips are not expected (it is a full salary position) so feel free to tip at your own discretion or not at all.

For wait staff, 15 - 20%; 18% is the standard for large groups.

For people handling your luggage, like bell hops or people at the airport, I usually do $2 per bag.

For taxis, if you have bags the driver assists you with, I usually do $1 or 2 per bag. If we are just passengers with no luggage/bags, I generally do not tip. At least, that is what I do here at home in DC. I don't think I have ever just taken a taxi without luggage in FL.

For limo service or Magical Express if you have bags you received assistance with, I tip them the same amount as I do taxis.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi I have finally decided to pay for me and my family wife and 2 boys to go to wdw Florida now this is our first time not just to Edwards but to America in general. The query I have is about tips. How much? And to who? What I mean by the last question is to what services the people provide who receive my tips I do not want to offend any one while visiting your country as I know it is a part of your culture and is very different to how we give tips in the UK.

Thanks for the replies in advance.

When you are presented with a bill at the table service restaurants in Disney itself, your receipt will have tips calculated for you printed on the bottom - 15%, 18% and 20%. The tip is based upon the pre-tax totals.

Other tipped positions would be luggage handlers (skycaps at the airport, bellhops at the resorts) and also valet parking. Some people also tip housekeeping at their hotels.

In general, the customary amount would be:

• Skycaps - $2-$3 per checked bag with a larger amount for heavier bags
• Bell Services - $1-$3 per bag, including any small carry-ons and grocery bags
• Valet - $2-$5, I give them more if they help unload my bags or if they have to retrieve my car in the rain.
• Housekeeping - $1-$2 per night per person in the room. More if you have a big mess for them to deal with such as someone got sick or your kids spilled something on the carpet.

 

[mjkacmom]

For taxis, if you have bags the driver assists you with, I usually do $1 or 2 per bag. If we are just passengers with no luggage/bags, I generally do not tip. At least, that is what I do here at home in DC. I don't think I have ever just taken a taxi without luggage in FL.

For limo service or Magical Express if you have bags you received assistance with, I tip them the same amount as I do taxis.

I have to disagree here! Taxi and limo drivers get tipped, regardless of luggage (when getting rates for hiring a car, the rate stated will say plus tolls and tip). If a doorman calls a taxi for you, he gets tipped, as well. Bartenders get tipped, about $1 per drink. Salon workers get tipped. I think you can just tip 15 - 20% for everyone.

 

[wiigirl]

To wait staff: 18-20%

To Mousekeeping: well, I confess I'm not really good at remembering to tip hotel maids, and I've always stayed off-site. I would say $2-$3 a day? Somebody else may have to answer that.

 

[mickey scouser]

Thank you all great advice there I will keep to this advice as I am normally a good Tipperary here in the UK any way the taxi part is something I always do as I know the crappie wages they are on as I did that job while going through college the bar tender will come natural aswell as that's something some people including my self do here will have to remember to do the rest as we have a saying here which is when in Rome do as the Romans which mmeans honour the culture of the country you are visiting its all down to respect.

 

[hlg22]

For taxis, if you have bags the driver assists you with, I usually do $1 or 2 per bag. If we are just passengers with no luggage/bags, I generally do not tip. At least, that is what I do here at home in DC. I don't think I have ever just taken a taxi without luggage in FL.

I am also in DC and this is just wrong. I have never heard of someone not tipping a cabbie. Taxi drivers customarily get tipped 15%+ here (and everywhere else in the US). I usually tip 20% for good service but if I am going to/from the airport and have heavy bags or lots of them, I will tip a little extra.

To the OP, I think it's awesome that you're investigating this before your trip - my BIL is a waiter, and has mentioned that often visitors from other countries where tipping is not common do not tip at all - either because they don't know they're supposed to or, more frequently, because while they know it's customary here, they disagree with it and refuse to do it. This causes him to actually lose money, since he still has to tip out to the bartenders, bus boys, etc. on the amount of the check.

 

[midwestdee]

We always tip housekeeping $5 a day. I've realized many people must not (and I mean in some ritzy establishments) because I have thank you notes from maids from California to New York! My DH was in the U.K. for business (1st time there) and he emailed me what should he tip housekeeping! If it isn't typical in the U.K., they must have been thrilled!

 

[chimilady]

I think the standard for hotels is $1/per person per night. There's 4 of us, so I just tip $5/night.

As for salaried position, they are salaried at minimum wage. My friend was a CM and a housekeeping supervisor and said they absolutely work their tails off more than most CMs and is surprised at the whole "don't tip Mousekeeping" attitude here on the Dis. (She's still a CM btw, just not in that department)

 

[ilovemk76]

Buffets - minimum of 10% on the pretax and pre-discounted order (for good service we do 15% on the total)

Sit down restaurants - minimum of 15% on the pretax and pre-discounted order (for good service we do 20% on the total). Split meals are tipped even higher.

Hotel housekeepers - $1/person for a very neat room. More as you are messier.

Valet - $5 to park or get your car.

Sky caps and bell services - $1 for small bags and $2 for larger bags.

 

[pearlieq]

Thank you all great advice there I will keep to this advice as I am normally a good Tipperary here in the UK any way the taxi part is something I always do as I know the crappie wages they are on as I did that job while going through college the bar tender will come natural aswell as that's something some people including my self do here will have to remember to do the rest as we have a saying here which is when in Rome do as the Romans which mmeans honour the culture of the country you are visiting its all down to respect.

I can only imagine how confusing the tipping culture must be in the States! It's really different.

I was just in the UK last month and while everyone seemed pretty used to Americans in the touristy parts of London (except for the one hotel concierge who tittered and looked embarrassed when I tried to tip her for storing and retrieving my luggage) it got very different the moment we left.

I had the darndest time trying to tip the hotel maids in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Belfast. I would leave a couple of pounds each day when I left, and every time I returned I would find it neatly stacked on the bedside table. I couldn't talk them in to taking my money!

I usually tip the following:

20% on the pre-tax restaurant bill
20% on any bar bill
20% of taxi/car fare, rounded up to the nearest whole dollar
$1/person for the hotel maid, plus $1 extra, so $3/night for DH and I
$3 to valet upon retrieving the car (no tip when dropping off)
$1/small bag and $2/large bag for luggage assistance at the resort or airport.
$2 to hotel doorman if they have to work to get a taxi for us (nothing if they just wave forward the next cab in line)

Depending on how you were intending to get cash, you may want to see if you can get some $1 or $5 bills before you go. Most ATMs in the US will give you $20 bills. You can always buy something small at the airport to break a few $20s, or, worst comes to worst, most people in tipped position will understand and help make change for you.

I hope you have a lovely visit!

 

[Sagginit]

Depending on how you were intending to get cash, you may want to see if you can get some $1 or $5 bills before you go. Most ATMs in the US will give you $20 bills. You can always buy something small at the airport to break a few $20s, or, worst comes to worst, most people in tipped position will understand and help make change for you.

I hope you have a lovely visit!

This is a great point. I went to Canada once and we had valet parking at our hotel (mandatory) as well as a bell hop. Thankfully we were in a group so it was appropriate to tip $5 for the luggage but it was the only small bill we had and I get really embarrassed when this happens.

one suggestion is some wait staff or bartenders would love to unload small bills at the end of a shift. if you ask nicely your first day if you eat a late lunch or dinner, one of they may happily give you small bills so its less for them to take to the bank. my friend was a waitress and loved when this happened.

while on the point of cash our bills are a bit longer than yours so to avoid a major pain measure this out with your wallet. i have international wallets and use them when abroad as other countries have bills that are taller. when i went to france in college no one told me this and i got stuck using a coin purse as the bills would not go into my wallet without hanging out.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

For the guy who handles our luggage when we were leaving our resort last October I gave him $10 for 7 bags (duffle bags) This was the guy at the hotel resort airline check in desk.

I have never heard of anybody NOT tipping a taxi driver just because you didn't have luggage, so for the OP if you take a taxi tip them a few dollars.

Housekeeping, if it is just Dh and myself we tip $5 a day. If it is the whole family we tip $10 a day. Make sure you leave a note or an envelope that says FOR HOUSEKEEPING or they might not take it. They can't just take money unless they are sure it is for them. (Some ppl will tell you not to tip housekeeping but it is the polite/right thing to do)

We usually tip 20-25% post-tax amount on food service. But we usually tip high. Most ppl will tip 18-20% pre-tax on restaurant tabs.

If you take the Magic express bus from the airport and the man handles some of your bags you should tip him $1-$2 per bag.

 

[lauradis]

I usually tip the following

10 - 20% on the pre-tax restaurant bill, never less then $5.00
$1.00 a around at any bar
$2.00 - 5.00 taxi
$1/person for the hotel maid, normally leave $5.00 out check out
$5 to valet upon retrieving the car (no tip when dropping off)
$1/bag for luggage assistance at the resort or airport.

If not at Disney I normally give desk clerk 20 for good room assignment