Bellman Tipping

[emmasammy]

"Bellman should normally be tipped $3 per bag when delivering bags to your room. It is customary to tip both upon arrival and departure."

I thought this was a little high. What are everyone elses thought about tipping.

 

[cmonroe]

$1 per bag for luggage. $1 - $2 per night for housekeeping.
That's what I use...

 

[BCV23]

Seems high to me , too. May I ask what source you're quoting?

We checked into our very favorite WDW resort about a month ago. I did explain to the first bellman who approached that we were going to be in a concierge building which at that resort means you bypass the front desk. He still unloaded our few bags onto a cart and told me another gentleman would be along soon to drive us to the concierge building. So of course, the second man had to unload the bags from the cart into the trolley.

Goofy to me. The first guy who performed an extraneous duty IMO received only $2. Do all of you think this was too cheap of me? The second gentleman who actually moved our bags and us to our room received a much better tip.

 

[emmasammy]

BCV23

MY source is ...............
The DISBOARDS under RESTAURANTS & DINING

 

[emmasammy]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining.htm

Scroll down the page to tipping guidelines

 

[BCV23]

Well, perhaps I'm once more behind the times. I've always done the $2/bag and then added a tip. Don't tell my husband.
BTW, before I'm flamed, the transfer to cart involved one large bag and two backpacks on wheels...one small and one barely middle sized.



I do really feel for bell sevices lately. In November at the Polynesian, I saw a guy trying to cart out many large black plastic garbage bags on his dolley. A young woman ran up to him with yet another and said she'd forgotten it. How do you handle garbage bags on a dolley? Yet he was doing his best with grace.

 

[Mad4Mickey]

Well I have been flamed for this before but here goes it . I think $1.00 a bag is normal but that is not what I tip . The reason is because my bags are never what I call normal LOL.
My bags are heavy , everytime I go I cant get control of my packing .

This last trip to the WL Concierge I gave the guy who brought our bags up a $20.00 tip and I felt as though I cheated him . He was lugging all my bags , my nephews car seat and his bags and a all my friends stuff . I think she gave him a few doallars also .

( putting on my husbands bunker gear now so I wont get to burned on this flame)

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by Mad4Mickey
Well I have been flamed for this before but here goes it . I think $1.00 a bag is normal but that is not what I tip . The reason is because my bags are never what I call normal LOL.
My bags are heavy , everytime I go I cant get control of my packing .

This last trip to the WL Concierge I gave the guy who brought our bags up a $20.00 tip and I felt as though I cheated him . He was lugging all my bags , my nephews car seat and his bags and a all my friends stuff . I think she gave him a few doallars also .

( putting on my husbands bunker gear now so I wont get to burned on this flame)

Don't feel bad. I always tip $20 for the person taking my bags up to the room. He usually has to carry 3 large suitcases, and two twelce packs of soda. I also tip $10 to the guy that just takes it out of the van and puts it on a luggage rack. I figure they are saving my back from another round of pain to it is worth every penny.

 

[GailT]

I carry my own luggage, just a carry on and a bag with my eccentials. I do tip the made service but ( Ok flame me for what I am going to say) I am lucky i can afford to do disney, 6 days this November is costing me over 4 grand so I feel why do I have to tip every Tom Dick and Harry I don't get tipped at my job and I work just as hard in brain power

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by GailT
I carry my own luggage, just a carry on and a bag with my eccentials. I do tip the made service but ( Ok flame me for what I am going to say) I am lucky i can afford to do disney, 6 days this November is costing me over 4 grand so I feel why do I have to tip every Tom Dick and Harry I don't get tipped at my job and I work just as hard in brain power

Its' costing over $4000 for a six day trip to WDW? Wow! I thought I was bad. I am paying $3800 just for our room but that is 10 nights at the Poly. Where are you staying at? I guess I feel the opposite. To me if I can afford to go on a luxurious trip then I can certainly afford to tip. I do use the luggage service so I am more then happy to tip. Since you don't use them then of course you shouldn't tip. At least you tip the maids which I have read a lot don't.

 

[WhispyPixie]

We usually do a dollar a bag..no matter what the size of the bag..and then add on additional tip to that. They always seem happy!

As for mousekeeping....we do $5 a day.....guess we are over there, but I figure..it is worth it!

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by WhispyPixie
We usually do a dollar a bag..no matter what the size of the bag..and then add on additional tip to that. They always seem happy!

As for mousekeeping....we do $5 a day.....guess we are over there, but I figure..it is worth it!

We always tip mousekeeping $5 a day for two adults and a kid. That reminds me I have to print out my tip envelopes. I leave in 7 days. Yipee!!

 

[WhispyPixie]

Ok. I had this question....The Bellman thing always confuses me.

If your Bellman gets it from the car......and your luggage is being held...and a new bellman brings it to you...do you tip the man that took it out of the car and is holding it...or do you tip the man that is bringing it to you...or do you tip both!

Same thing for leaving and when the luggage is being picked up?

Color me clueless!

 

[Tess]

What you are describing is what we have fondly come to call "The Bellman Hustle".

Invariably one guy meets you at the car with a cart and unloads your luggage. While you're checking with bell services captain if concierge or checking in if not, your luggage is palmed off onto someone else or stored.

If your room is ready, a totally different bell person will take you to your room. If your room isn't ready, a totally different bell person will bring your luggage. It doesn't matter that you've already tipped the person retrieving your luggage from the car and placing it on a cart--that second guy will have his hand out as well when the luggage is brought to your room.

You are, in effect, tipping for the same service x2 coming and going. Don't forget, if you've used a town car service or taxi, you're also tipping that person for the same service.

We allow for this extra tipping stuff in our budget. Not that we like it, but it's just a fact of life at the Polynesian. My husband did refuse to tip one person in a fit of angst over being palmed off to the 3rd bell person at check-in one year. Twice is excessive but 3 different bell staff members with their hands out over the same suitcases is ridiculous.

I will say, one year at BWI we schlepped our own luggage because the bell staff there didn't bother to even try and take our luggage. Ditto the AKL last year--we had a ton of luggage and had to seek out a cart and bell person to help us upon our arrival.

 

[BCV23]

I don't have a problem tipping two different guys if one takes the bags and puts them in storage and then another brings them to us....although we usually prefer to just keep them in our rental until the room is ready. What got me this time was that first guy tells me room is ready and I tell him I'm doing self park. Instead of leaving my bags in the car until the fellow with a trolley returns and can just follow me to a parking spot and then do bags, 1st guy puts the three bags on a luggage cart and walks away. So I stood outside my car to keep an eye on our bags for the few minutes until the gentleman with the cart returns. Next time, I'll just say no when but I thought he was going to load them on a cart that WAS there. The whole thing was strange. Had never happened to me before.

But Tess is right...at least someone was there to help.

 

[Trekker]

I always find it annoying when you have 2 - 3 different folks help you with your bags.

I do 1 of 2 things.

Scenario 1:

I always plan to tip $2 a bag - including back backs and carry ons - so for my family of 4 there is usually 4 medium to large cases, 2 small to medium cases, 4 small carry ons. So I'm tipping $20.00

If one guy takes them from the car and drops them at bell services - iknow someone else is bringing them to my room. - They each get $10.00

Same thing when leaving. (If some how there are more than 2 involved someone gets nothing - 'cause it is excessive)

Scenario 2:

I tip the guy that brings them to my room on arrival, and the guy that picks them up from my room on departure. IMO they are doing most of the work.

From the car to bell services or from bell services to the car is just pushing a cart out the door. They guy bringing them to/from the room does most of the work.

I have not decided which of this is a better approach?

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Originally posted by Trekker
I always find it annoying when you have 2 - 3 different folks help you with your bags.

I do 1 of 2 things.

Scenario 1:

I always plan to tip $2 a bag - including back backs and carry ons - so for my family of 4 there is usually 4 medium to large cases, 2 small to medium cases, 4 small carry ons. So I'm tipping $20.00

If one guy takes them from the car and drops them at bell services - iknow someone else is bringing them to my room. - They each get $10.00

Same thing when leaving. (If some how there are more than 2 involved someone gets nothing - 'cause it is excessive)

Scenario 2:

I tip the guy that brings them to my room on arrival, and the guy that picks them up from my room on departure. IMO they are doing most of the work.

From the car to bell services or from bell services to the car is just pushing a cart out the door. They guy bringing them to/from the room does most of the work.

I have not decided which of this is a better approach?

I use what is essentially scenario 1. We always have a rental car and valet park (at the BoardWalk), so it's the parking valet who actually unloads the trunk onto a luggage cart and gives me the luggage claim check. I have no idea and no contact with the person who actually moves this cart into the luggage storage room, so there is no need for me to tip this person. The luggage (almost always) gets brought to the room by a different person who gets tipped at delivery. The only exception to this was last January when we arrived at about 1 am. The valet who unloaded and parked the rental car (and who I tipped $10) was the same person who later delivered the luggage to our room. I tried to tip him a second time. He refused the tip . He said: "You already tipped me." I said, but that was for unloading and parking the car, not the room delivery service. He still refused, so I made it a point to spread the extra $10 around in tips over the next few days.

Ralph

 

[CarolA]

My personal fav is when they come up to me while I am standing at the desk trying to check in and want to help me with my luggage! Where were you out front? After I dealt with it up to now why would I need your help?

And the worst bellman experience at Disney goes to....... Grand Floridian. After a LONG wait, I unload my own luggage. Go to valet desk and give them my car keys. (They viewed the act of taking my keys as a great effort that was above thier normal job description.). I then took my luggage to the front desk to check in. As I am checking in bellman walks up and says "May I help you?" NO! You could have helped me out front where it is HOT and crowded, but now that I have done the hard part you don't deserve a tip! (My luggage is a 22" rolling suitcase and a carry on, I can roll this to my room!) Bellman acts like I am too cheap! LOL!

 

[crz4mm2]

I have always used $1 per bag as a good rule. More if the person has to do more (heavier bags, longer way, from car to hotel and then on up to room etc). This trip, a very nice young man helped load bags out of the town car and into the hotel (I thought he would be the person to take them to the room). Then we were passed off to another nice young man to take us up to the room. THe first man got $5. Second guy was very nice, chatted with us and he actually was from the town near us! He set our luggage up in the room, gave us the grand tour, told us how things worked, got ice for us and was above and beyond what I have ever had a luggage person do before. He got $10.00. When we left, we did our own luggage. ON the way out of the hotel (the town car was waiting for us out front) a bell cap tried to assist us, but we really didnt' need him, so just the town car driver was tipped.