Do you tip Mousekeeping?

[DaisyD]

Actually after speaking to management at the Poly, mousekeepers are in fact allowed to keep tips. I would love to tip the custodians in the bathrooms too but have yet to see one! Guess that shows why most of the bathrooms have been a mess lately.

 

[daisy112878]

Dh and I both travel for work and have never tipped housekeeping at any hotel. We've never heard of people tipping housekeeping until I read it on here. I even asked my dad who travels every week and has been traveling almost every week since before I was born says he's never heard of this either.

 

[HelenParr]

We always tip, for all of the reasons other folks noted. With only one exception, our experience with room cleanliness mousekeeping has been excellent, and they are always friendly and helpful.

The exception was an SSR trip. We were upgraded from studio to 1-brdm, but the 1-bdrm was not cleaned when we entered and there were cigarettes and garbage everywhere. But, pathetic as it sounds, we did not ask to be moved and we didn't complain too vocally because we (well I) didn't want to be moved and risk the return to studio. We called to have it cleaned and got ready to head to the parks. Mousekeeping came right away and cleaned, and sprayed for smoke smell. After half a day it was fine, and we enjoyed our upgrade tremendously. We choose to believe the error was poor coordination by front desk knowing which rooms were ready rather than poor mousekeeping. I can see that if we were not WDW regulars we would have freaked out.

 

[EPCOTDUDE]

I leave a tip each day based on the service.

 

[Maine-iac]

I leave a tip in a mousekeeping envelope each day (that I want service) before I leave the room. There is a chance you will have more than one housekeeper on your vacation so I feel it is better to tip daily. >>I would hate to have one not get tipped because another did not do a good job<< There are some trips where I actually never get to see the housekeeper because she comes while we are gone.
Now there are some days I do not need any housekeeping so I put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door.

 

[blu3d3vil]

Almost never unless we request special service.

 

[tinkandonaldfans]

just to play devil's advocat

i know housekeepers work hard and get little in return but do you tip your garbage men, nurses, paramedics, etc?

why is it it that we tip housekeepers when we don't to the people who save lives?

 

[beattyfamily]

just to play devil's advocat

i know housekeepers work hard and get little in return but do you tip your garbage men, nurses, paramedics, etc?

why is it it that we tip housekeepers when we don't to the people who save lives?

Well, then why do we tip waitresses and bell service and valet service when we don't tip those people who save lives?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Housekeeping staff are traditionally very poorly paid for very hard work.

1) What is considered poorly paid?
2) Per the contract, maids at WDW earn up to $12.47/hr, plus incentive pay.

 

[scrappindad]

just to play devil's advocat

i know housekeepers work hard and get little in return but do you tip your garbage men, nurses, paramedics, etc?

why is it it that we tip housekeepers when we don't to the people who save lives?

Actually, I know a lot of people that give gifts to those people. I never tipped my mail carrier or garbage men each time they performed their services, but I did give them gifts at the holidays. And when my Mom was in the hospital or when I delivered my boys we brought things like donuts and bagels for the nurses.

Oh, and we always tip housekeeping.

Debbie

 

[ols386]

Until I came to this board I never even considered tipping a hotel housekeeper. We tend be good tippers for just about everything so I began to wonder if I was in the minority of those who didn't tip for this service and should start doing so.

So I am wondering how many people actually tip.

You don't have to leave your name if don't want to. I am just interested in finding out what the honest percentage is.

I'm like you. Until I came to this board I had never even heard of tipping mousekeeping either. Many individuals do say that tipping mousekeeping is the 'right' thing to do and that's fine for them. I will make my own decision about whether it's the 'right' thing for me to do or not. I haven't stayed in a hotel since I started reading these boards about tipping, so I'll decide before my next stay at Disney if I tip mousekeeping or not. I do believe it's an individual choice.

 

[Boo Bear]

I always tip. Housekeepers are underpaid sometimes and often unappreciated. I usually leave $2-3 each day and then the last day we were there in Aug I dropped our room service tray all over the doorway and SO had pancakes that day. I flagged ours down as she was entering a room next to ours because there was glass and I didn't know what to do. She smiled and gladly cleaned it up. I left her $10. My bad

 

[perla75]

just to play devil's advocat

i know housekeepers work hard and get little in return but do you tip your garbage men, nurses, paramedics, etc?

why is it it that we tip housekeepers when we don't to the people who save lives?

Yes, sort of along the lines of what I am saying! Housekeeping (according to Disney) is a NON-tipped position. Same as thousands of other workers at WDW. and probably just as "glorious" as cleaning park toilets scared: that's gotta be the worst!), cleaning the fat vats in the kitchen, CM's who mop up vomit & urine accidents, etc... I highly doubt the average Disney traveler tips those people.

I think along the way, people just started tipping houskeeping on their own & assumptions got made that they are in "tipped" positions. Some resorts probably bend the rules, but some resorts don't. I once had a mousekeeper chase me down the hall to return my tip at CBR because she said she wasn't allowed to accept it. I think it's very nice to give something extra and tip these people when you have extra money to share, but it's certainly not a mandatory part of your budget in a WDW vacation.

& this poster is correct-why is vacuuming a room considered more important than a paramedic, garbage man, etc...For years, I worked as a teacher's aide in a hospital school for children and young adults with severe medical, cognitive, & physical handicaps. Aside from changing diapers of students aged 3-21 years old, I won't go into the "glorious" details of my job responsibilities, but I got paid much less than what Rusty quoted as the mousekeeper's hourly wage. I did not receive or ever expect tips. I chose that job & enjoyed that job. My DF, on the other hand, is a server in a high end restaurant. He receives & expects tips because he IS in a tipped position. He receives LESS than minimum wage because it is expected that patrons will tip him, if he does his job correctly.

I think people get confused as to what the company defines as a TIPPED vs a NON-TIPPED position-because this is actually defined by a company, not defined by a patron.

And again, if people can afford to give extra and are willing to, that is a beautiful & kind thing to do. But for those who are actually making the same or less than what the mousekeeper makes per hour, they should not be expected to give extra when they don't have the extra to give. Tipped positions, of course, are always the exception. I would never plan a vacation if I could not budget a tip for every single tipped-position worker I will come in contact with

 

[RickinNYC]

We only tip for "fine" and "great" service. Thankfully, we've received nothing but "good" to "awesome" at Disney. I consider us pretty lucky in that regard based upon some stories I've read here, LOL.

 

[RustManFan]

I never thought of tipping either but on my next trip (Nov. 2009) I definitely will as long as the service is better than just good.

Also may wait until end of trip and tip once.....

Also a good way to try my hand at DISigning some mousekeeping envelopes!!

 

[jcapizzi]

Tipping mousekeepers isn't really much different than tipping your room steward when sailing on the Wonder/Magic - we always tip.

 

[ols386]

Tipping mousekeepers isn't really much different than tipping your room steward when sailing on the Wonder/Magic - we always tip.

Yes, except that when you go on a cruise, they do give you envelopes for your tips, which to me says that I'm obligated to tip, which I do.

 

[perla75]

Yes, except that when you go on a cruise, they do give you envelopes for your tips, which to me says that I'm obligated to tip, which I do.

Sounds like cruise stewards are in tipped positions (make less than minimum wage). Different than mousekeepers at the resorts.

 

[declansdad]

Yes, except that when you go on a cruise, they do give you envelopes for your tips, which to me says that I'm obligated to tip, which I do.

I don't think you should ever feel obligated to tip.

 

[parrothead928]

If someone is living in Florida and able to find a full-time housekeeping job that pays over $12.00/hour plus benefits, then, they should not expect tips! That is an extraordinary wage compared to waiters, servers, hosts, bellmen, etc...