dumb tipping question

[jnrrt]

I realize this is kind of a dumb question, but how much do you tip for valet parking? Since it's free for DVC members, I don't know how to figure out a percentage to tip on.

Thanks in advance.

 

[IndianaDVCMember]

I give $2 each time we pick up or drop off. I think this is standard. If not, I guess I'm on the naughty list.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Since it's free for DVC members, I don't know how to figure out a percentage to tip on. .

Unlike the tip for many other services, a tip for valet parking is never based on a percentage of the price. It doesn't matter if you're somewhere with complimentary valet parking (such as many restaurants throughout the U.S.), a nominal fee, or a high fee (such as big-city hotels).

For at least 20 years, the "standard" tip for valet parking has been $1-2 only when you pick up your car (with a tip when you drop off your car only when if you want a special favor). By 2005 standards, that seems awfully stingy.

I tend to tip $2 at drop-off and $2-3 at pick-up. I tip more for particularly pleasant service or extra attention.

Keep in mind that valet parking at WDW is free for DVC members only at VWL, BWV, and BCV. The usual charge applies everywhere else that has valet parking.

 

[mfortis]

I too tip $1-2 bucks. However, I tip $1 per bag when I am checking in and out.

 

[jimh13432]

$2 in - $2 out.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I tip $5 on pick up. You should only tip when service is completed. Do not tip when you arrive.

 

[JimC]

$1 to $2 when the car is delivered is the norm. If the weather is particularly bad or if they assist in other ways we increase the tip.

 

[DizneyNutz]

Can anyone shed a light on tipping housekeeping? Our first stay will be for five nights, we will get housekeeping one night---we ALWAYS tip housekeeping AND clean up, to include stripping the beds...so, how much will keep us off the naughty list? Sure don't want to give the impression of being a "Bad DVC Member" right to start with! Many thanks guys!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I tip $5 on pick up. You should only tip when service is completed. Do not tip when you arrive.

It's true that a tip at drop-off is optional, while a tip at return is customary and expected. But there is nothing wrong with tipping at drop off. I would not tell anyone, "Do not tip when you arrive," just as I would not tell anyone not to tip a generous $5 at return, when $2 would do.

 

[Dean]

Can anyone shed a light on tipping housekeeping? Our first stay will be for five nights, we will get housekeeping one night---we ALWAYS tip housekeeping AND clean up, to include stripping the beds...so, how much will keep us off the naughty list? Sure don't want to give the impression of being a "Bad DVC Member" right to start with! Many thanks guys!

Disney considers mousekeeping to be a non tipped position.

As for valet parking, tipping on pickup is the industry standard. If you do a search on tipping etiquette you will find most say on pickup and $1-2. I did find one that said both ways and a couple that said $2-3 when I looked last time this came up but the majority was as I stated. Of course additions (or subtractions) may be in order for certain situations. Maybe they do more, it's really raining, they remember your name, etc. The argument that the one getting tipped isn't the same as the one at drop off really doesn't hold water. The idea is that it will even out in the long run as they drop some off and retrieve others The two ways most commonly used to even things out are pooling tips and rotating pickups. IMO, a valet is an entry level position and not a job one would or should expect to be able to raise a family on.

In general it is your decision but I am concerned about todays option becoming tomorrow's standard and we all know the extra money would go to the business and not the employee if this happens.

 

[MikeyNS]

It's true that a tip at drop-off is optional, while a tip at return is customary and expected. But there is nothing wrong with tipping at drop off. I would not tell anyone, "Do not tip when you arrive," just as I would not tell anyone not to tip a generous $5 at return, when $2 would do.

I had my first valet experience at the BWV and felt kind of stingy only handing over a few dollars at pickup.. I remember reading somewhere on the boards that tipping on drop off was optional, so I didn't but I did feel weird not giving the guy any cash, but did make up for it on pickup. I think I did $4-$5 mainly due to the fact of having watch the valet run back and forth to the valet parking spot from the dropoff.

 

[murcor]

Hi MickeyNS nice to you again. Nice day in Nova Scotia


Ive never wanted to undertip so I have tipped both times.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I also tip $2 in and $2 out. That seems the most fair and I don't get any disgruntled looks.

From a pragmatic point of view, though, if you want to get your car fast, it seems that saving the whole thing for pick-up may get you better service once the valets get to know you.

The best option is to stay at OKW and park right at your door.

 

[d-r]

"Disney considers mousekeeping to be a non tipped position."

Certain jobs are considered tipped positions - like a waiter or a waitress. This means that they can be payed a percentage below minimum wage, and must claim their tips (I would guess that most claim some amount of tips but probably not all) on their taxes.

It doesn't really matter as far as I'm concerned that Disney considers Housekeepers to be a non-tipped position (meaning that they will have to pay them minimum wage). I'm not sure what the industry standard for hotels is, but if it was me, I would tip Housekeepers at a disney resort just like I would tip Housekeeprs at any resort anywhere. It is the customary thing to do. If I was at a Hilton or whever I wouldn't think to ask what if Hilton classifies the Housekeepers as tipped or non-tipped. I would just assume that you tip them at you normally do in the USA.

One thing that is weird about tipping at DVC, to me, is that they don't come in every day, and they have the light days for just trash and towel, and the room sizes can change. So we usually play a little by ear, tipping more than we would for a standard hotel room because it is fewer days, and more if it is a larger room, but sliding back if it is just trash and towel. Again, it would slide depending on service too. You just have to go by the feel of it. We usually go around $20 for a 2-bedroom and $10 for a one, because I think it is more time consuming to clean those accomodations. I think about that when I tip someone - am I taking up their time and keeping them from getting a tip from someone else.

About Valets. I don't know if Disney considers them "tipped positions" or not, I suspect they don't but I will tip them. I usually tip them at both drop off and pick up at a hotel; I know that it is customary to tip only at pick up, and I would do that at a restaurant or something like that, but at hotels I tend to tip both ways because I might never see the guy again because I may pick up the car on a different day. It is a different situation to me. That's just me though, ymmv. They usually appreciate it if you tip when you drop off.

I tip a shuttle driver a couple of bucks if I don't have bags or if he doesn't help with them, and a buck or two a bag if he does, whether in Orlando or any other city. If I take a town car or some kind of private driver I'd start out with 10% and think from there based on the service. I'd be in that neighborhood for a cab, with a consideration for help with luggage.

You tip a different guy for the bags than the parking valet. I tip the bell boy in the room for the bags. There are sometimes weird situations where the bellman might pick up the bags and you are checking them to pick up later if you have a meeting or something before going to the airport, so I'd tip the bellman when he picked them up, and the guy at the bell stand when I picked them up later. Again, I don't know if Disney classifies bell services or valets as "tipped" or "non-tipped" positions in terms of their tax status, but I don't really care and tip them like you are supposed to (assuming good service, of course). Basically, I'm saying I tip them at Disney like I would expect to anywhere, I don't see why Disney should be any different.

But that' just my opionin.

 

[jmminarik]

I give $2 each time we pick up or drop off. I think this is standard. If not, I guess I'm on the naughty list.

Who says you aren't on the list anyway.

While I strive for the same $2in/$2 out, it really depends on what I have in my pockets. Since I've gotten married I don't bother worrying about how many one dollar bills I carry, so sometimes the valets get $1 buck, sometimes they get a $5 or a $10. Sometimes they get an apology for not having any money....but that doesn't happen much.

-Joe

 

[d-r]

I do some of that too, Joe.

 

[jnrrt]

Well, thanks, I feel better. Apparently we're pretty good tippers! The only time I've ever really used valet is when we lived in NYC and there are places you really can't park (although, really, we hardly ever drove - it makes no sense in Manhattan!) and if you're paying $30-50 to park your car, tipping $2 seems silly. So I never really knew what to do with it at Disney. We mostly just parked ourselves, and then if we used valet, we went by how far the guy had to go to get our car and what we thought was fair.

I waited tables during grad school, and I never want to undertip after that!

Thanks for all the specific "this is the norm" stuff.

 

[Rpsemont]

We tip $3-4 at pick up only.

 

[disneyberry]

[SIZE=+0]I'm pretty sure that the parking valets are an officially tipped position.

We always used to give $2 at pickup only, more if the weather is bad or the service extra good. If it happened to be horrible weather conditions at dropoff, we would probably tip at dropoff too. However, I think that due to tip-inflation and lots of families either afraid to appear cheap or who don't know the industry standard and overestimate just in case, many valets now expect a tip at dropoff every time. A couple times, we got some disgruntled looks from the valet who took our car at dropoff.

It is frustrating that what was yesterday's optional tip has indeed become today's mandatory tip. We'd rather avoid the disgruntled looks, so we'll probably be succombing to peer pressure in the future and tipping $2 also at dropoff. Oh well.

BTW, if you use the FRB's CPI calculator, $1.00 20 years ago is equivalent to $1.82 today. So $1-$2 20 years ago is $1.82 - $3.64 today.[/SIZE]

 

[ladyandtramp]

The only concern about the "tip position" vs. "non tip position" I heard is that if a CM in the "non tip" position DOES receive a tip, they are required to turn it into the manager, who does who knows what with it (some say they use the money towards something for "all the CMS in that line of work at that particular place).

I've asked around quite a bit, but no one can confirm for me whether mousekeepers get to keep their tips. I think they should - they earn it!