DVC resort Bell Service, use them or not?

[CastAStone]

If you take a luggage cart and diy.
Make sure you bring some t back!!

The absolute fact that guests constantly leave the carts outside their room rather than take them all the way back to bell services can’t be ignored as well.

I stayed at Art of Animation a few years ago and to get a luggage cart, you needed to go to bell services, give them your name and room number, and “check it out”, with a threat of some negative thing (I think maybe a room charge? I can’t recall for sure) if you didn’t bring it back in I think it was 30 minutes.

LOVE. THAT.

 

[s.r.disney nut]

We're to the point now, we'll usually have BS bring it to the room. It's much simpler that way, and well worth a few dollars in tips. When leaving, unless we have too much stuff, we'll walk our own stuff down to the car - depending on timing, calling BS can be unpredictable when they can get to the room in the morning. In all the years we've done DVC vacations, I don't think I've ever used a cart to take the luggage myself. Depending where our room is located, I don't want to trek across the property with the cart, and then trek back to return it.

Problem is it's not just a few dollars. We've been driving lately so we pull up and have them unload the car (I always assist them because everything doesn't always go). I tip them, I try to do $1/bag which usually turns out to be $10-15. Even when I tell them our room is ready, we still have to call from the room or tell them at the Bell Services desk and give them our room number. When our stuff gets brought up to our room, we tip again, so it could end up costing us $20-30 total!

 

[Simba's Mom]

These are no reasons not to have them. Again, I would ask how does it seem to work just fine at VB and HHI?

I could be a wise *** and say "Because the guests who frequent HHI, at least, are much more considerate" (spoken as a guest who frequents HHI). But in all honesty, I do wonder about the reason.

 

[achinforsomebacon]

Always DIY and most places have let us use the cart. They just ask us to return it, which i always do. I like to have things loaded a certain way and it's easier to do it myself. I also like to just take it to the room with us so we have it and can put everything away without having to wait for BS to bring it. It's also not about the tip money either. I just like doing things myself and don't like people touching my stuff (don't get me started on valet parking).

I think I've only had one bad experience and that was at VGC. We pulled up with a full SUV load of luggage and groceries. I asked for a cart and BS gladly brought one over. Got the whole thing loaded up and ready to go and BS came to get it. I said I didn't need help and was told that it's a full service hotel and I couldn't take the cart. Probably should have just let them take it but I was really annoyed and didn't want to deal with them so I unloaded everything and carried it to the room. It wasn't a fun trek but to keep still better than having someone else do it.

Anyway, moral of the story is to make sure you can actually take the cart before loading it up!

 

[dioxide45]

I said I didn't need help and was told that it's a full service hotel and I couldn't take the cart.

They could've let you take it, they just didn't want to let you take it. They wanted to get a tip for the unwanted service they are providing. I get it, they live for tips, but this forced bell services annoys me. You also know they are constantly judging when you have a whole cart full of stuff vs. just a few luggage cases.

 

[CastAStone]

Always DIY and most places have let us use the cart. They just ask us to return it, which i always do. I like to have things loaded a certain way and it's easier to do it myself. I also like to just take it to the room with us so we have it and can put everything away without having to wait for BS to bring it. It's also not about the tip money either. I just like doing things myself and don't like people touching my stuff (don't get me started on valet parking).

I think I've only had one bad experience and that was at VGC. We pulled up with a full SUV load of luggage and groceries. I asked for a cart and BS gladly brought one over. Got the whole thing loaded up and ready to go and BS came to get it. I said I didn't need help and was told that it's a full service hotel and I couldn't take the cart. Probably should have just let them take it but I was really annoyed and didn't want to deal with them so I unloaded everything and carried it to the room. It wasn't a fun trek but to keep still better than having someone else do it.

Anyway, moral of the story is to make sure you can actually take the cart before loading it up!

Yeah Grand Cal is like a Four Seasons in that regard. It’s supposed to make things frictionless but if you don’t have cash ready it can feel very awkward.

 

[CastAStone]

They could've let you take it, they just didn't want to let you take it

This is not correct at Grand Californian.

 

[tidefan]

Again (and no offense), but I really struggle to see how these two thoughts can co-exist. Anyone who is driving to SSR isn't going to stop by the Carriage House just to drop off their luggage to be taken to the room they are then going to drive to themselves, no matter where the luggage carts are. They are just going to go straight to the building their room is in. Anyone who doesn't drive to SSR will be dropped off at the Carriage House and Bell Services will take their luggage to their room for them (using golf carts).

How is removing luggage carts going to get bellmen more tips? Do you really think someone is going to say "Darn, there's no luggage cart here at the building so I'd better turn around and go all the way back to Carriage House to drop off my bags (that likely all have wheel anyway) so Bell Services can bring it back here"? Not buying it.

My guess is they realized that the bellmen don't need luggage carts, and the guests really don't either, so they've just eliminated them. We live in an area where you can't even find luggage that doesn't have its own wheels anymore.

Well this is conflating 2 points. As to SSR, it’s the fact that they used to have the luggage carts at each building years ago, but took them away. Someone mentioned that Bell Services should be the ones having them, and I pointed out that BS at SSR doesn’t even use luggage carts.

As to the other, this gets back to a comment a couple of posts ago that it feels like “forced” on you.

Honestly, there are times I use it, mainly at Aulani. Just don’t use it at WDW because we always drive and most of the resorts we stay at (BLT, SSR, Poly, Kidani, and VGF1) it’s just easy to take straight from parking to your room.

I do wish though that instead of tips, they just had a Bell Services charge that you could charge to your room. Mainly because I hardly ever have much cash anymore.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I have always used bell services, both directions.
Not the only reason, but a significant one, is I want to support the employees (cast members) with a good tip.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I have always used bell services, both directions.
Not the only reason, but a significant one, is I want to support the employees (cast members) with a good tip.

Absolutely. I always give the bellman $20 for our two Owner's Lockers, drop off and pick up.

 

[dioxide45]

This is not correct at Grand Californian.

It is correct. They can let you do anything. They just won't let you. Perhaps they have a policy, but it doesn't mean they can't. The policy is that they just don't want you to be able to take it.

 

[BeachClub2014]

Problem is it's not just a few dollars. We've been driving lately so we pull up and have them unload the car (I always assist them because everything doesn't always go). I tip them, I try to do $1/bag which usually turns out to be $10-15. Even when I tell them our room is ready, we still have to call from the room or tell them at the Bell Services desk and give them our room number. When our stuff gets brought up to our room, we tip again, so it could end up costing us $20-30 total!

We follow the same routine. I wonder how many people only tip once to get their bags from the car to the room? We always tip each time someone handles the bags, as we thought/think that to be the "proper" etiquette.

Edited to add that I'm not judging people who only tip once. I am truly curious about the norm.

 

[muppets3d]

Unless I'm at Saratoga where I can park right in front of my villa, or if I flew on Frontier and only have a backpack, I use Bell Services.

 

[muppets3d]

We follow the same routine. I wonder how many people only tip once to get their bags from the car to the room? We always tip each time someone handles the bags, as we thought/think that to be the "proper" etiquette.

Edited to add that I'm not judging people who only tip once. I am truly curious about the norm.

The norm is to tip when the bags are delivered to the room, and for valet you tip when you pick the car up. You can tip at drop-off obviously, they'll never turn down the tip, but it is customary to tip at delivery.

 

[tidefan]

The norm is to tip when the bags are delivered to the room, and for valet you tip when you pick the car up. You can tip at drop-off obviously, they'll never turn down the tip, but it is customary to tip at delivery.

At Aulani, it’s easier because Bell Services actually unloads your bags and delivers them and it (or has been in my experience) the same person.

I believe at WDW it’s a separate entity (valet maybe?) that unloads and a separate person delivers.

 

[muppets3d]

At Aulani, it’s easier because Bell Services actually unloads your bags and delivers them and it (or has been in my experience) the same person.

I believe at WDW it’s a separate entity (valet maybe?) that unloads and a separate person delivers.

Typically the tips are pooled. I don't know about WDW specifically but generally speaking with valets/bell services.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I started a post a few months ago about bell services. In all our years with DVC (20+) I can probably count on one hand the number of times bell services approached us when we drove up to the resort. Most times our room is ready and we handle our luggage ourselves. But recently our last trip (May 2024) our room wasn't ready. When we pulled up, bell services was right there to help. Put luggage on a cart and went to eat lunch and then our room was ready. Did not wait long for luggage to arrive to room.

 

[BaymaxForever]

Everyone definitely has their opinions on this matter! I will say, when we arrived at SSR, the guard at the gate directed us to our building, not the Carriage House, so I guess that’s why I thought there would be a luggage cart there. My husband asked why we didn’t bring our own collapsible cart to move things. And then a luggage cart appeared! So I didn’t know until check-out that it was a no-no! It was not like arriving at AKL or WL with the portico and sense of valet and luggage services.

And to those keeping score…I had my son return it to the large open area left of the stairwell! It seemed like that’s where it should go!

 

[DisneyTeacher]

We always use bell services when we arrive and then again after a grocery run if we’re feeling lazy (and have a lot of soda). We usually arrive in the morning and don’t have a room and I don’t want to leave everything in a hot car.

When we leave we usually just roll our own luggage out to the car. It’s all business then, the fun is over. Everyone just grabs their suitcase and we quietly head out.

 

[BL2020]

We do both. If just traveling with DH and a few carry ons and our room is ready, we will head right to the room with luggage (we always fly). If our room isn't ready or we are doing split stays, we leave and usually pick up at bell services, tipping each way. Sometimes we'll have luggage or groceries brought to the room if we're not in a hurry or traveling with more people/grandkids and therefore more stuff. Always found Disney bell services to be responsive and delightful. Definitely deserving of good tips. Recently with a split stay had them transfer our luggage to the Dolphin, that place was a little crazy with the luggage pick-up and hold, still good service but seemed understaffed.