How much do you tip

[jann1033]

after reading another thread I just wonder how much others tip at WDW. I read somewhere it is generally a bad place to get tips for some reason( maybe people think they all ready are spending a lot , who knows) but wonder how much and to who !

usually we give 18-20% for meals, bad service ( not to start another arguement) less ( if we are sure it's the wait person's fault like crabby attitude or what ever) and $ 2-3 a night to maid and we handle our own luggage.

is this in line? anyone else we should be tipping?

 

[GoofysPrincess]

That's very close to what we do. Also $3-4 dollars for valet. We do sometimes give 'over the top' servers an 'over the top' tip. Makes us smile to think how it will make them smile... We tip at WDW the same as everywhere else.

 

[nasmith]

I tip about the same - usually at least 20% - more often more than that - because Disney servers usually go out of their way to make you happy. Plus, I usually feel guilty if they have had to deal with my crabby preschooler or husband

 

[Eeyore2U]

We start at 20% and go up or down from there. If we are sharing we base the tip on what two would have eaten and we NEVER penalize a server for the fact we spilt a meal.

As far as valet it is $2 or $3 in and out depending on the single situation and for bags it is $1 a bag plus more for above and beyond.

 

[married@wdw]

We usually tip 15% -- rarely less unless the server is absolutely horrible, but often up to or exceeding 20%. We may tip a little less at buffets if the server doesn't really do anything but bring us drinks.

We tip valets $2 at drop-off and pick-up.

Since we're DVC, we usually leave envelopes for the maid staff on the day they come in -- $3-10 on trash & towel day and $5-$20 on full cleaning day, depending on how big our room is.

 

[jann1033]

does anyone know if the maids at the hotles rotate rooms..in other words, would it be ok to leave a tip periodically through your stay or every morning or at the end. thanks

 

[Lesley]

Full service restaurants 15-20% (generally on the higher end because WDW servers are usually very good....and sometimes higher if the person really goes above and beyond) Buffets we generally tip a little below 15%.....because the server really only brings us drinks....but we've been known to tip higher even at buffets when we've had particularly excellent service (twice at Chef Mickey's we were very, very impressed by the efforts of our server).

Valet...$1 or $2 at drop off and pick up (generally $3-$4 each time the car is parked and brought back total....) The industry standard is apparently to tip only at pick up....but since I know many tip both ways we sort of divide it out.

I generally leave $5 for housekeeping when at a regular hotel...nightly. At DVC we leave a few dollars for trash and towel...we've never stayed long enough to get the full cleaning.

Bell services...$1-$2 a bag depending on size and number (for a few big bags we tip about $2 each...lots of small ones more like $1 each)

 

[Disneyolic]

Just wondering what the majority of you all tip on (in restaurants)...before tax or after?

We usually tip on tax.

 

[jann1033]

we always tip after taxes and before any coupons or discount

 

[Kapp]

20% unless the service is really bad and always on the final, taxed amount. $1-$2 a bag (depending on how many and how heavy!) and $3-$5 housekeeping.

 

[gillis95]

If you here about people saying WDW is a bad place for getting tips it is probably due to the very hig volume of foreign tourists. Most European countries include tip in your bill so you never have to really tip in Europe "just a few coins in your pocket to show appreciation" (from our Europe guide books). I'm sure there are really rude Americans who don't tip but I'm hoping my theory is correct..just ignorance on our customs.

With my Dh being a waiter in his past we tip very well and being on vacation we kind of go crazy with tips too. I had never tipped at hotels/housekeeping and I feel bad. I never knew so now we do tip.

 

[mrsltg]

We start at 15% and usually go up from there. I look at 15% being the average tip for the average job. A person who is generally friendly, happy, and tries (doesn't have to be perfect) gets 20%. Be crabby with me, and watch the numbers go down!!!

I tip $1-2 per bag for the bellman depending. When we arrive, I don't count bags and multiply, it's generally a standard $10-$15. The valet gets $2, and everybody else gets a smile and a "thank you".

Erin

 

[jann1033]

another site said that if you tip housekeeping each morning(instead of once a stay) they'll do cute little things in your room!

 

[GeekChic]

Let me start by saying I am, in general, a good tipper. I believe that people are working very hard to make my vacation magical and once a year, I can splurge, and that includes on how much I tip. (Not that I tip badly at home, just more to the 'normal' level)

I think how much depends on where you're eating/staying.

This is what I have planned for our trip (I know people will think me crazy, oh well! LOL)

We're staying SLC at GF, with four of us in the room. For a deluxe hotel, I don't think 2 dollars per person per day is outrageous, and I'm rounding up to 10.00 per day to save myself the trouble of bothering with all those singles. It makes a 10 dollar difference overall during our stay to do so, but will make a BIG difference to me, in the joy I will have leaving that envelope.

I'm leaving another 5 for turndown service. Yes, that's per day. If they're leaving chocolate on my pillow, they deserve a gratuity.

Maids do rotate at WDW and if you only tip at the end of your stay, your regular housekeeper may have the day off and will miss out on the tip for your whole stay.

I plan on tipping 10.00 to the bellservices gentleman every time they handle our bags: myself and others in my party have lifting restrictions so they will be carrying all our bags, which I figure will number 5 small suitcases (rolling type) and a couple light duffels. Might kick in a bit extra if they're particularly nice.

Towncar driver will get ten bucks, each way, to and from the airport.

I don't know about them doing 'cute things' like towel animals and stuff depending on how you tip, I've heard stories of people who don't tip that get them sometimes and those who tipped every day, didn't. It depends entirely on your housekeeper.

I always try, above all, to speak with the staff and make them laugh at least once a day, that goes a long way to making my stay more pleasant and hopefully, their day a little brighter.

My family isn't rich by any means, we're working class people, but I figure the tipping in as part of the cost of a WDW stay. It is a world class resort, with world class CM's (in most cases) and so I like to reward them.

OH! Almost forgot. In restaurants, we start at 20% and if the service is exceptional, we go up. If the service is bad, we complain LOL. Once it's resolved to our satisfaction, we'll tip 15%.

I can hear the jaws dropping already LOL But this is part of my fun on vacation. As I've said before, I'm weird

Tomorrow we surprise Dad with GF Sugar Loaf Concierge...first time ever!!!

p.s. A side story...my DD did the cutest thing last time we were in WDW. We were heading from the North wing of the CR to the main building for breakfast, and a group of about 8 housekeepers was walking past us, happily chatting away in Spanish. My DD, who is interested in the language and learning it, smiled and said "Hola!" they all laughed, waved and said hola in return. They had a big smile as they went on their way. A little kindness and attention to the 'behind the scenes' folks at WDW made our whole day better, and left us all smiling.

 

[ilovefh]

I get 20% off when I eat in WDW, so I always make sure to ask the server for a receipt with the pre discounted total, as well as the discounted total (which sometimes they automatically add 15%). I always leave at least 20%. I've been a server for a while, so I know how it is, so 15% is normally the smallest amount I leave. (Unless there is extenuating circumstances, like he/she curses at me, etc).

On the other hand, I do not tip the housekeepers in WDW. My reasoning is, I tip servers because they make $2/hr but housekeeping makes a minimum of $6/hr (6 is for college program, more for pt and ft cms). So if they are being paid the same that everyone else is, if I tip them for cleaning my room, I should tip the custodial guy for cleaning the bathroom and emptying trashcans, and the lifeguard for keeping me safe in the pool, and the quick service girl for putting my burger together and guest relations for booking me a PS and the list goes on. Well I can't afford to tip every CM I come into contact with, therefore I tip only the ones that are tipped positions. (According to Disney Housekeepers are not listed as a tipped position.) So that is my unpopular theory!

Elena

 

[Alice28]

I usually tip about 20% ( a former waitress here!) unless the service is very, very slow or bad in general, then I go down to 10-15%. For mousekeeping I did $5 a day on our last trip (family of 4 and we kept our room pretty clean in the first place) and this time I will do $2 a day and my mom will probably chip in another $2. For towncar we did $10 each way; we did $1 per bag and threw in an extra buck or two; this time I will not ask for help with baggage cause we ended up with 2 different valets last time and felt obligated to tip twice- one guy got the stuff out of our car but didn't take it to our room. The front desk had to call for our stuff and then someone different came and brought it- it seemed odd to me (we checked in at 4:30- our room was ready!). When we checked in at the WL several years ago, the same guy who greeted us outside was the one who brought it to our room a few minutes after we checked in. Anyway, I digress...I gave a maintainance guy a few bucks because I dropped a picture behind our dresser in the Contemporary- this was a HUGE dresser and he came and got my picture for me.