How much do you tip Mousekeeping?

[buckeyebill1995]

I tipped $20 on our T&T day on our recent first trip 'home' in a studio. I should mention we're neat freaks on vacation, so there wasn't even much to do. My DH thought it was way too much, and it didn't even secure us a washcloth animal. So I am just curious what is customary?

 

[bobbiwoz]

That's more than I leave. For a studio, I've left $5 on trash and towel day, and $5-10 when we leave.

I also will say that recently we've gotten a towel animal about 90% of the time on checkin, and about 80% of the time on T&T day. Maybe your mousekeeper was really having a bad day.

Bobbi

 

[patsal]

Wow, you're a generous tipper. I tip on full clean day $5.00-$10.00 and $2-$4. on TT days, sometimes nothing if Ive already removed the trash and recycling and put the towels in the dryer becasue I've forgotten it is T$T day. Tipping just says thank you it doesn't secure a towel animal. Recently I have found towel animals upon arrival in the villas.

 

[buckeyebill1995]

Tipping just says thank you it doesn't secure a towel animal.

I know, and it's not why I tip generously, those people work their butts off, but one can hope it doesn't hurt, right? My DD was used to a different animal every day at Caribbean Beach before we bought DVC, so it was one of the things she missed.

So I didn't short change them?

 

[patsal]

Heck no, you didn't short change anyone, mousekeeping isn't even a tipped position and what I stated as my tip in a previous post is for a 1BR. We really don't leave any messes so no one has to work their butt off anyway, my tip is a thank you for running the vaccume so I didn't have to while on vacation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We don't leave any tip, unless we make a big request of housekeeping or make a big mess. We usually do neither.

As for towel animals, I have usually found a small one in the room when we arrive. I'd much prefer the housekeepers spend their time cleaning the rooms rather than making animals out of towels that we pay for with our dues.

They usually give classes in how to create a towel animal at the BCV.

 

[TIGGER81582]

That is a big tip. But if you feel that you enjoyed the trip that much I say go for it. At least you know you someone's day. That is the disney way.

 

[Eventer98]

In the past we have left $4 on full days and $2 on T/T days. I must add that we have never had a towel animal in 3 WDW hotel stays.

 

[disney54us]

I leave a tip at the end of stay. Norm would be $2p/day we were there and then I will round up (ie 4 day stay leave $10). I do have to say as Mousekeeping has gone down I will adjust that amount. If we come in and the place is immaculate I keep that in mind. If I find things I have to call about, sorry your tip is slowly going on the negative scale.
I guess with DVC since we don't get daily service the basis is how clean is your room when you get there. We were only there once for T&T day. Though sometimes we have stayed longer we have switched where we are staying
When we take our summer vacation at the beach, I leave $35 to $40 for 7 days. We stay at the same place and have had the same housekeeper for 15 years. I know most people leave her about $15 for the week. Though she has a few days off while we are there I know she always takes care of us. Remembers the little things, extra towels etc. always no problem. I also make sure she never has a mess to clean up as I know some of the other rooms she has. I tidy b/f hitting the beach. She is a hard worker and deserves to have people respect her and not leave chaos.
In the tipping industry those need to heed the advice of service with a smile and you get more with honey then vinegar.

 

[disney54us]

Towel animals??? I remember them on the member cruises, maybe I'm getting old. Oh wait I think there is one on the shelf when you go into a 2 b/d at OKW with the tip envelope

 

[SamSam]

I leave $5 on trash and towel day and $10 on full cleaning day. We usually are in a studio, but I would probably do the same for a 1-bedroom because it's just 2 of us and we keep things pretty well picked up.

 

[gobofraggle]

It never occurred to me that people tip housekeeping... We're from UK where we only tip in restaurants (and even that didn't used to happen a couple of decades ago - tipping is pretty rare in Europe still, and our French friends have to remember to tip in restaurants when they come here) - when we come to US I remember to tip bell services and ME driver. Who else are we supposed to tip?! I'd really like to know!

For people who tip at end of stay: do you assume that it is the same person who has done the housekeeping for T&T during your stay? Couldn't it be different people?

Also, this is terribly basic I'm sorry, but where do you leave the tip - if it's during your stay how do they know it's for them and not just your money on the table? Do you put a note on it?

 

[MinnieLee]

It never occurred to me that people tip housekeeping... We're from UK where we only tip in restaurants (and even that didn't used to happen a couple of decades ago - tipping is pretty rare in Europe still, and our French friends have to remember to tip in restaurants when they come here) - when we come to US I remember to tip bell services and ME driver. Who else are we supposed to tip?! I'd really like to know!

For people who tip at end of stay: do you assume that it is the same person who has done the housekeeping for T&T during your stay? Couldn't it be different people?

Also, this is terribly basic I'm sorry, but where do you leave the tip - if it's during your stay how do they know it's for them and not just your money on the table? Do you put a note on it?

We usually tip $5 on T&T and $10 for full cleaning. In a DVC I leave the tip the day of T&T. If we were staying at another resort - not DVC - we leave a tip every day rather than at the end in case the person doing the room has a day off or shift change when we check out. As far as towel animals, we did have them when we checked in at BCV last October but not at SSR in May.

 

[buckeyebill1995]

Thanks so much for your replies! We really didn't know what was customary since it's not traditional hotel housekeeping. You were very helpful!

Oh, and I bought a book on how to make towel animals!

 

[castleri]

On our non Disney (Princess cruise to Alaska this May my granddaughter agee 21 was disappointed about no towel animal so her mother mentioned to the room steward that she really likes towel animals - that night there was a towel dog with sunglasses on it. Two days later DDG dismantled it and made an elephant( I had gotten her the towel animal book on a previous cruise) and then a couple of days after that we came back to find the elephant gone and a monkey in its place. Needless to stay the steward got a somewhat better than usual tip at the end of the trip. We don't expect towel animals at WDW for our DVC stays but they are fun if they do show up.

 

[patsal]

It never occurred to me that people tip housekeeping... We're from UK where we only tip in restaurants (and even that didn't used to happen a couple of decades ago - tipping is pretty rare in Europe still, and our French friends have to remember to tip in restaurants when they come here) - when we come to US I remember to tip bell services and ME driver. Who else are we supposed to tip?! I'd really like to know!

For people who tip at end of stay: do you assume that it is the same person who has done the housekeeping for T&T during your stay? Couldn't it be different people?

Also, this is terribly basic I'm sorry, but where do you leave the tip - if it's during your stay how do they know it's for them and not just your money on the table? Do you put a note on it?

Housekeeping at WDW is not a tipped position. People tip if they feel they want to but it is not necessary. As per WDW 's own website, Housekeeping pay starts at $7.75 per hour. Tips are appreciated I am sure, but not a requirement.
Basically you can leave it witha note or in an envelope marked for them. Most tip each time a service is scheduled as you never know who may be working on which day.

 

[janni518]

We always tip but I have to say that I have never been aware of having gotten better service because of it. We've gotten many towel animals but also many days we didn't. The best service we ever got as far as that was concerned was a stay at ASMo. Different towel animal every day. They even wrapped the glasses to make toothbrush holders.

We've had less luck at the deluxe resorts. One time our "towel animal" was a larger towel in a circle on the bed with two smaller circles made from washcloths on top for ears.

I guess it's the thought that counts.

 

[dgaston]

Yes, I got the standard Mickey towel arrangement on the bed at both VWL and AKV concierge in July. But the daily mousekeeper at AKV took a washcloth and wrapped my hairbrush so it looked as if it were wearing a shirt! I tipped $5 when we left our VWL studio after 3 days, and $2 per night at AKV. It was just DH and me in a studio and I made him pick up!

 

[peemagg]

We have personally started not tipping Housekeeping. Before any one gets on us for this let me explain how we came to this decision.

We have stayed at SSR twice now, and both times our room has not been clean when we arrived. The first time we had towels left from the previous people and found a spoon on the floor. That time we complained and got our room cleaned fully for free. This past time all looked well when we came in the room, and we did check things well after the last time. We did however miss the fact that hardly any of the dishes were clean. The coffee cups had coffee left in them. The glasswear had lipstick on them and my little nephew found a lid to a pot with a noodle stuck still in it. On this trip because of all of the hassle we had just getting down there and in our room we didn't say anything and just washed all of the dishes we used. We decided after this that Housekeeping doesn't deserve a tip if we have to do their work for them. We will also wash all of our dishes in the dish washer as soon as we get there so that we know they are clean.

 

[daisyduck123]

They usually give classes in how to create a towel animal at the BCV.

They did that almost every day during our BCV in summer 2007.

We just got back from 10 days at BCV, & sadly they were not doing that all anymore.