Come on bell boy I can take my own bag...

[jlsfagan]

My question is about tipping it will just be the two of us me and my DF soon to be DH and we are staying at BWI.

How much do you normally tip the bagage people (or bell boy) for bringing up your bags?

Because I saw something saying that you had use them I mean I am ok with taking my own bags to my room if this will save me some money, but apparently from what I understand it has to be done for you and you also have to pay for it. I am not sure if I have gotten this one correct I may just not unnderstand this one, so I was just checking.

 

[outahere]

My question is about tipping it will just be the two of us me and my DF soon to be DH and we are staying at BWI.

How much do you normally tip the bagage people (or bell boy) for bringing up your bags?

Because I saw something saying that you had use them I mean I am ok with taking my own bags to my room if this will save me some money, but apparently from what I understand it has to be done for you and you also have to pay for it. I am not sure if I have gotten this one correct I may just not unnderstand this one, so I was just checking.

I've never heard that you MUST use bell services. We've never stayed at BWI, but we have stayed at the Poly, WL and YC and have never HAD to use bell services. If we do use them, we typically tip about $2 per bag.

 

[Traveliz]

$1-$2 per bag

BUT I have never found that Disney made you use the bell men.

I have stayed at almost all of the Disney Deluxe hotels and I have only used the bellmen at the Poly and that was when I was by myself with three kids. Typically we transport our own luggage.

Liz

 

[rotlex]

You never HAVE to use bell services. We do, at times, depending on the length of our stay, and number of bags to lug around.

On our recent 10 night WL stay, we had a lot of stuff, and it was very handy to have all the bags, and beer , brought up to the room for us. We generally tip $1.00 per bag.

 

[HelenParr]

Are you using ME? So your bags may not be with you? I don't use ME so don't know how that affects the bell services situation.

But, we never use them. Have stayed at many resorts at WDW, and always have my bags with me and carry them myself. If I did have them carry them, I agree $1-2 per bag.

 

[nkereina]

In a lot of hotels, if you want to use a luggage cart, you must have a bellman load it up and push it for you. This is for liability reasons - to prevent injuries, damages to the cart/hallways/rooms, etc. and also so the luggage carts don't go missing. If you don't need a luggage cart, you can certainly roll or carry your own bags. You don't need to use the bellman for that.

FWIW, if you do use a bellman - I don't know about WDW but at the hotels I've worked at, they are paid like waitresses, below minimum wage. The majority of their salary comes from tips and they are required to report tips. A lot of them will combine tips at the end of the night and split the pot. I'd say $1-$2 a bag is sufficient. If you have them store your luggage, when they retrieve your bag, a tip is not out of line there either.

 

[Brian Noble]

You are on vacation---and staying at a very romantic resort! Let someone else lug the bags. The few dollars' tip will be worth it.

You don't have to, but trust me, you will be happier if you do.

 

[goofy4tink]

I love the Bell Service CMs at BW.....I see the same faces trip after trip. And they are incredibly helpful and pleasant. BUT......you do not have to use them. Compared to other resorts, they are pretty laid back. At some resorts, Bell Service CMs descend on you like vultures and make you feel very guilty about not using them. Not at BW.
But, if your room isn't ready yet, and you need to store your bags until you do get into your room, then tip the bellman about $1-2 per bag. The problem is that you have to repeat that when you get the bags...even if you just show up and take them to the room yourself. They have 'touched' the bags so they will expect to be tipped. But they will not make you feel like a cheapo if you keep your bags with you upon checkin.

 

[rotlex]

I love the Bell Service CMs at BW.....I see the same faces trip after trip. And they are incredibly helpful and pleasant. BUT......you do not have to use them. Compared to other resorts, they are pretty laid back. At some resorts, Bell Service CMs descend on you like vultures and make you feel very guilty about not using them. Not at BW.
But, if your room isn't ready yet, and you need to store your bags until you do get into your room, then tip the bellman about $1-2 per bag. The problem is that you have to repeat that when you get the bags...even if you just show up and take them to the room yourself. They have 'touched' the bags so they will expect to be tipped. But they will not make you feel like a cheapo if you keep your bags with you upon checkin.

As bad as it sounds, the bolded section does drive me nuts. I really like when I get to the resort, the room is ready, and the same person gets my bags from the car, and takes them right to the room. Not to be, or sound cheap, but, if someone just gets them out of the car, onto the rack and rolls them to storage, I usually give them $2-$3 total, knowing that the person that takes them from storage, up to the room, unloads them, and usually puts them where I want, is doing a bit more work, and will be tipped a buck a bag or so.

 

[MinnieTink]

No, you don't have to use them. My dear dear dear DH hates to gave to tip someone for something he can do himself. Lol. We usually just lug everything up ourselves. Last April at WL we asked to use a luggage cart but they said no, only bell services can use it. (naturally....we lugged...lol). At Pop the year before, they held my drivers license for the little while it took for me to borrow a cart, load it up, unload and bring it back to them.

 

[pattyw]

I know what you mean- it is a small amount regading the tipping, but if you can do it yourself, why not? We have lugged our own bags at deluxe resorts. We've done it at WL and CR, but we self-parked and brought our own bags in. I'm sure you can do it anywhere- just pull up, unload, and while one of you is with the bags, the other self-parks. A few dollars here and there adds up!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

the last couple trips our room wasn't ready so we needed to store our luggage with bell services. i've worked the tips into my trip budgets so i'm kind of used to it now--I try to take about $20 in $1 bills. we had the bright idea of bypassing bell services at saratoga springs in may.... he broke his carry on wheels and our room was quite a hike away--it was a mess--all to save a couple dollars we always have them come get them for check out--we're too tired by then to mess with it--and by that point... what's another $5

 

[KatMark]

We haven't used Bell Services except once in 20+ trips to DW (we drive and take our own luggage up to our room).

 

[michsig]

We always carry our own bags, I don't think it's mandatory to use a bellboy?

 

[nkereina]

But, if your room isn't ready yet, and you need to store your bags until you do get into your room, then tip the bellman about $1-2 per bag. The problem is that you have to repeat that when you get the bags...even if you just show up and take them to the room yourself. They have 'touched' the bags so they will expect to be tipped.

This is great to the people who do it but I have to say in the hotels I've worked in, most people don't tip when the bellman stores the bag and only tip when they pick up the bag. Now, of couse it could be a different bell person when you pick up the bag but this is why the bellmen pooled their tips in the hotels I worked at - so they can all help everyone to provide best service, and not have any of them get shafted on tips if one does more work or if someone only tips on one end. I don't know if the bellmen at Disney pool tips, though.

 

[BabyFu18]

I don't think you have to use bell services, but I have found that most will bring a luggage cart over to your car instinctively (at the resorts we've stayed at) so if you don't want them to take your luggage you may have to tell them you'll get it yourself.

Personally, it saves us time and the hassle of lugging our very heavy bags around, so I much prefer to just let bell services do it for me. We usually tip between $2-3 a bag or more if our luggage is extra heavy or we have an excessive amount of luggage. We usually tip more when we are leaving because the bellman that has our bags and is packing them back in our car has their work cut out for them as we like things arranged a certain way.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

For us, it all depends on what time we arrive (we drive), if it is early in the morning, we will leave our luggage with bell services, but I always give the person about $5. The last couple of trips, our stuff has been in our room when we get there, so there is no one to tip and this was at Pop. It was nice, because we had spent the entire morning at the parks and dragging heavy luggage was not what we wanted to do.

When we stayed at Sog, we left our luggage because of where parking is and we just called and it was brought right up to us.

If we arrive late at night, Bell Services is usually not available then, so we drag up what we absolutely have to that night and then bring in the rest the next day.

 

[goofy4tink]

As bad as it sounds, the bolded section does drive me nuts. I really like when I get to the resort, the room is ready, and the same person gets my bags from the car, and takes them right to the room. Not to be, or sound cheap, but, if someone just gets them out of the car, onto the rack and rolls them to storage, I usually give them $2-$3 total, knowing that the person that takes them from storage, up to the room, unloads them, and usually puts them where I want, is doing a bit more work, and will be tipped a buck a bag or so.

I get what your point is. BUT....I have yet to hand over my bags when arriving by car...either mine or a car service. If it's my own car, we leave the bags in the car until our room is ready, then bring them up ourselves. If it's a car service, then my dh handles the bags and brings them into the lobby.
When we check in next month, at BWV, our bags will go with us. We arrive around 4:30, so our rooms should be ready. If not, they will most likely just go into storage.

Nothing has ever been as bad as our arrival at the Polynesian. We arrived via towncar. A luggage person was right there, before the trunk was even opened. He had that luggage out and onto a rolling cart so fast your head would spin. And of course, his hand was out. Okay, so dh crossed his palm with $5...we had about 4 bags between the 3 of us. The rolling cart was moved closer to the valet stand, where yet another CM took it into the bldg for checkin...another crossing of the palm ceremony. Then, a third CM comes up to bring the bags to our room...you guessed it, another few dollars gone. My dh finally lost it...he went back to the front desk and asked to speak to someone about the 'over care' we got. Now, there was nothing that could be done, but I'll tell you, we've never made that mistake again. DH has actually taken bags off a rolling cart now...he just smiles and politely says it's how he gets his daily exercise.

 

[rotlex]

I get what your point is. BUT....I have yet to hand over my bags when arriving by car...either mine or a car service. If it's my own car, we leave the bags in the car until our room is ready, then bring them up ourselves. If it's a car service, then my dh handles the bags and brings them into the lobby.
When we check in next month, at BWV, our bags will go with us. We arrive around 4:30, so our rooms should be ready. If not, they will most likely just go into storage.

Nothing has ever been as bad as our arrival at the Polynesian. We arrived via towncar. A luggage person was right there, before the trunk was even opened. He had that luggage out and onto a rolling cart so fast your head would spin. And of course, his hand was out. Okay, so dh crossed his palm with $5...we had about 4 bags between the 3 of us. The rolling cart was moved closer to the valet stand, where yet another CM took it into the bldg for checkin...another crossing of the palm ceremony. Then, a third CM comes up to bring the bags to our room...you guessed it, another few dollars gone. My dh finally lost it...he went back to the front desk and asked to speak to someone about the 'over care' we got. Now, there was nothing that could be done, but I'll tell you, we've never made that mistake again. DH has actually taken bags off a rolling cart now...he just smiles and politely says it's how he gets his daily exercise.

You know, in all the times we have driven, I never even though about just leaving the bags in the car until the room is ready. That's a great idea actually, and something that I need to remember on our next trip.

We got really luck a few weeks ago at the WL, as we drove up at 10am, and the room was ready right away.

Thanks again though, good points on all that.

 

[francie57]

You don't have to use them but for us its part of being on vacation. I personally don't want to have to lug my luggage through the halls. Depending on the time you arrive for check-in you will more than likely have to store your luggage since the room may not be ready. We usually arrive at the BW about 9:30 in the morning so the room usually isn't ready. I am also one that uses the valet parking since I am on vacation so they unload the car and take and store the luggage. We give them a tip, both the car valet and the bellman. When we get the call that the room is ready we head to the room and then call for the luggage. They deliver, we give a tip and then enjoy the rest of our vacation.