Do we tip bus, DME and boat drivers?

[sbeets]

Just curious if tipping is common. I will bring tip money for mousekeeping but I wasn't sure about drivers.

 

[wilkeliza]

Magic Express is up to you. Some tip and some do not. I persoanlly don't tip DME but that is usually because I've just gotten off a plane and don't have access to cash yet.

Bus and boat drivers on property are not tipped positions and they should actually deny any tip offered them.

 

[Alesia]

You tip DME drivers if they store your luggage under the bus (or even if they don't, if you're so inclined.) The others are not allowed to accept tips.

 

[sbeets]

thank you

 

[Tozzie]

Magic Express is up to you. Some tip and some do not. I persoanlly don't tip DME but that is usually because I've just gotten off a plane and don't have access to cash yet.

Bus and boat drivers on property are not tipped positions and they should actually deny any tip offered them.

Seriously you don't carry cash? I tip and if other people tip that is great if not that is their option but a cop out that you don't have cash is just ridiculous, I guess I was raised in a different generation

 

[wilkeliza]

Seriously you don't carry cash? I tip and if other people tip that is great if not that is their option but a cop out that you don't have cash is just ridiculous, I guess I was raised in a different generation

I honestly don't carry cash. Sorry that you think that is wrong but if my credit cards are stolen I can get the monet back. Cash is stolen and it is gone for good. If I have cash I tip DME but I would say 99% of the time I do not carry cash.

 

[sbeets]

I honestly don't carry cash. Sorry that you think that is wrong but if my credit cards are stolen I can get the monet back. Cash is stolen and it is gone for good. If I have cash I tip DME but I would say 99% of the time I do not carry cash.

I was thinking of international travelers too! Airport exchange is horrible.

 

[wilkeliza]

I was thinking of international travelers too! Airport exchange is horrible.

If I get cash before my trip it is usually in 20s. I fly super late and super early so there aren't usually shops open yo break the bills. My friend and fiance had cash this trip but we got in so late we had no where to break the money.

We did tip housekeeping as well as all our servers. ME was the only time we didn't tip and it usually is because of the lack of cash or small bills if we do have cash.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It's customary to tip anyone you encounter who handles your luggage - $1-$2 per bag. It's not hard to prepare in advance to tip Skycaps, bellhops, and bus drivers. Travelers who won't be using such services from these or any similar people can tip or not as they choose.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Magic Express is up to you. Some tip and some do not. I persoanlly don't tip DME but that is usually because I've just gotten off a plane and don't have access to cash yet.

Bus and boat drivers on property are not tipped positions and they should actually deny any tip offered them.

Then how do you obtain cash after landing? I usually bring $80 in cash. $20 of that in singles for tipping . In case CC machines are down I would hate not to have some cash. We stay DVC and tip a $20 when we leave.

 

[wilkeliza]

Then how do you obtain cash after landing? I usually bring $80 in cash. $20 of that in singles for tipping . In case CC machines are down I would hate not to have some cash. We stay DVC and tip a $20 when we leave.

An ATM on site usually but when you land at 11pm and just want to get to the bed you paid to sleep in stopping to grab cash isn't always the first thing on our minds. Also when we do get it from the ATM it is all in $20 and that late at night not much is open to change to smaller bills. Usually the next morning we get coffee and break the big bill at that transaction.

 

[nkereina]

I don't see the big deal in not having cash. I frequently don't have cash on me either. If I know I'm not going to have the DME driver store my luggage, it's not an issue. If they are going to store my luggage, then I'll make sure I have a couple bucks on me. No biggie.

FWIW, housekeepers in tourist industries like Orlando are unionized. I believe this includes Disney housekeepers. Because of this, their wages are higher than industry standard and therefore they are technically not tipped positions. Can you tip if you think their service was excellent and/or you are requesting something extra? Of course. But its not as customary as these boards may lead you to believe.

 

[cranbiz]

It is not a requirement to tip Disney bus drivers and boat crews. They are not supposed to accept tips and if they do accept one, it is supposed to be turned in to a manager.

However. If a bus or boat CM does something extremely special and you feel that you must reward them, there are ways to make sure that they receive any gratuity you may wish to give them. Almost all front line managers will look the other way about this too.

I know of several instances where a guest felt the need to offer a gratuity to a bus driver, including myself. One driver returned a lost wallet to a guest at the Swan with several thousand dollars in cash, the reward was substantial and his manager insisted that the driver take the reward. I, myself accepted small tips from guests where I did something really special for them. My managers always "looked the other way" on those.

Tips are really appreciated but again, totally not required. My reward was always making a guest as happy as possible. I loved that part of the job and before the "nanny computer" in the buses, that type of magic was much easier to provide to a guest.

BTW: I almost never have cash on me either, at home or traveling. Only if I know in advance I'm going to be in a position that I will need cash will I have cash on me. The amount of cash I would then carry will be minimal.

 

[wilkeliza]

I don't see the big deal in not having cash. I frequently don't have cash on me either. If I know I'm not going to have the DME driver store my luggage, it's not an issue. If they are going to store my luggage, then I'll make sure I have a couple bucks on me. No biggie.

FWIW, housekeepers in tourist industries like Orlando are unionized. I believe this includes Disney housekeepers. Because of this, their wages are higher than industry standard and therefore they are technically not tipped positions. Can you tip if you think their service was excellent and/or you are requesting something extra? Of course. But its not as customary as these boards may lead you to believe.

I've tried not to let them handle my luggage when we get in super late because I know I don't have cash on me and some of them won't let you put the bags in yourself. That happened this past trip. We tried to put it in ourselves and they stopped us and when we tried to take it off ourselves (last on the bus and last off) the driver stopped us again. So IDK what we are suppose to do in that situation.

 

[nkereina]

I've tried not to let them handle my luggage when we get in super late because I know I don't have cash on me and some of them won't let you put the bags in yourself. That happened this past trip. We tried to put it in ourselves and they stopped us and when we tried to take it off ourselves (last on the bus and last off) the driver stopped us again. So IDK what we are suppose to do in that situation.

In that instance, if they handled your bags and you don't have cash on you, then it is what it is. I wouldn't worry about it. Tipping is discretionary and not rule of thumb, except for maybe at a restaurant with a server. Last time we rode DME, we were the only people out of maybe 10 families that handed the driver money after we took our bags out from under the bus. While everyone here on the boards might tip the DME driver, it's probably in the minority.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I've tried not to let them handle my luggage when we get in super late because I know I don't have cash on me and some of them won't let you put the bags in yourself. That happened this past trip. We tried to put it in ourselves and they stopped us and when we tried to take it off ourselves (last on the bus and last off) the driver stopped us again. So IDK what we are suppose to do in that situation.

The reasonable course of action would be to expect that the bus driver, for whatever reason, needs to prevent guests from accessing the luggage compartments and to be prepared with two to five singles for tipping.

 

[Accident]

If you want to make the others feel special, ask them for the transit card (trading cards of the different transportation vehicles).

 

[joelkfla]

It is not a requirement to tip Disney bus drivers and boat crews. They are not supposed to accept tips and if they do accept one, it is supposed to be turned in to a manager.

However. If a bus or boat CM does something extremely special and you feel that you must reward them, there are ways to make sure that they receive any gratuity you may wish to give them. Almost all front line managers will look the other way about this too.

I know of several instances where a guest felt the need to offer a gratuity to a bus driver, including myself. One driver returned a lost wallet to a guest at the Swan with several thousand dollars in cash, the reward was substantial and his manager insisted that the driver take the reward. I, myself accepted small tips from guests where I did something really special for them. My managers always "looked the other way" on those.

Tips are really appreciated but again, totally not required. My reward was always making a guest as happy as possible. I loved that part of the job and before the "nanny computer" in the buses, that type of magic was much easier to provide to a guest.

BTW: I almost never have cash on me either, at home or traveling. Only if I know in advance I'm going to be in a position that I will need cash will I have cash on me. The amount of cash I would then carry will be minimal.

I appreciate when a Guest offers a tip (most often for help handling a scooter), and always thank them, but always politely refuse it, because -- those are the rules. That's just who I am; I follow the rules, unless I have a really good reason not to. The only times I've accepted tips are when a Guest has offered me their hand to shake and "palmed" a bill and immediately walked away, or stuffed it in my breast pocket, or literally dropped it in my lap; I'm not about to go chasing after them with the money in hand.

So feel free to offer a tip to a bus driver, but don't be surprised or offended when it's refused. The proper way to show your appreciation is to get the name off the nametag (and hometown if you can), and the bus number (optional), and send an email or note to Guest Communications with the driver's name, the bus number, the location, and date and time. That goes for any cm at WDW.

 

[cranbiz]

And you have just explained the only times that I took a tip. I always did the same things that you have done. When I had a guest do exactly the same thing to me, I reported it to a manager. The reaction was always one of appreciating that I was following the rules but was always told to keep it.

I never actively sought out a tip from a guest, I was just happy to be spreading the magic. A smile and a heartfelt thank you from a guest was always my best reward.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have to say that I truly think a nice comment to Guest Services is better than a tip! That comment goes on the CMs record....if I can believe what I've been told on many occasions. So, if I see a driver doing something out of the ordinary, I try to get the bus number, the driver's name and note the time. Then I can give the pertinent details to GS later on.