I tried to tip mousekeeping...

[iluveeyore]

I never know what to leave for a tip either - so when we went to POP last December, I had a Christmas card for each of the five days we were there and inside I put a Christmas ornament from our Canadian Dollar Store of either a snowman, moose, etc. (Canadian looking wintery ones), with a little note of thanks inside each card. On the envelope, I wrote "A little thank you for our housekeeper", and they were taken each day.

 

[BadgerBruce]

We tip daily, using a sheet of note paper from the little note pads they leave by the phone. I always fold the paper around the tip, with the date on it: ex:
"For Housekeeping 12-07-07, thanks".

I do this all the time, at WDW and other places we stay, and they have always taken it.

 

[Bell30012]

Not this last trip but our 2006 trip, I left a tip in an envelope that clearly said mousekeeping and had a picture of Minnie Mouse in a maid outfit. The envelope was opened but left with the money on the desk.

When I asked at the desk if I could include a tip for mousekeeping I was told unconditionally, "NO." On our 2007 trip, we left several tips for mousekeeping (some money but a couple of gift cards). It was always taken and a towel animal left in its place.

 

[Bobo912]

I was at POP for 4 days last January and left a tip everyday. Two times housekeeping took it and two times they left it.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

I am just surprised that when traveling with gen X, they think not to tip. She explained to me that the maid is doing her job. I said yes, picking up after our messes!

I don't understand why not tip for a job well done. I don't want to clean while on holiday.

 

[Ember]

I didn't realize it was a non-tipped position. But that might explain it. It seems odd that we tip for some things and not others at, what seems to be, random... But that's another discussion...

Anyway, it's over and done with now. I just felt weird about the whole thing, like maybe I was insulting them or something.

 

[monkeygirl]

I never knew that they were not suppose to be tipped I would feel funny not leaving something.

 

[mbcary]

I never knew that they were not suppose to be tipped I would feel funny not leaving something.

Same here. I didn't realize that they weren't taking tips. They have always taken them on our trips. If you keep a fairly clean room, I thought it was $1 per person, per day. But who knows?!

 

[tinkerone]

i always just leave it on the pillow. 2 or 3 dollars per room. i never leave more than that because one time i did (10 on the pillow) and my room was not cleaned. instead they left a note saying that because money was left out in the open they were not allowed to come in. now this was not at wdw but it sticks with me. im not a slob but i do not make my own bed when on vacation.

 

[BabyPiglet]

Interesting...

We usually just left a couple dollars with a note saying thanks and requesting extra towels. They've always taken it and been very nice with our room.

Many days we came back with towel animals in there or thank you notes from the mousekeeping.

 

[brightvalleyjrts]

We just got back from POP and I left a decorated envelope everyday labeled "mousekeeping". There was $5 in each envelope. Our mousekeeper took it everyday. She was super sweet and came to thank us twice. She didn't speak good english, but we understood her. She left us lots of extra towels and soaps. LOL!!

 

[dreamalittledream]

We have always tipped at WDW, I use envelopes and on the 1st day I add a note asking if we can have the room done in the am due to coming back for naps. they were taked each day.
On the last trip we had 2 different mousekeepers, you could really tell the difference when the "regular" one was not there. The first one was fine but the other one gave us extra toiletries, towels and towel animals. I guess she apppreciated the tip or had more time.
We don't vacation anywhere else and stay in a hotel for more than 1 night here or there so I don't have any idea if this is the norm or not. I just got the idea here on DIS.
I just realized that sounded pretty sad. We do go on vacation, we just stay with family or friends. We also went on a cruise where we were provided with nice little envelopes at the end for tipping.

 

[preschoolmom]

Mousekeeping was kind of dismal (just being honest) - and we had to keep requesting extra towels - because there were five of us - and we never had enough

Finally, the third morning, we left $10 with a note that just said, "For Mousekeeping, please leave 5 bath towels"... LOL - The room was immaculate - and we had towels galore!

We tipped five dollars each night after that... I'm guessing the previous guests were not tipping - or there was a staff change at some point...



I always tip housekeeping when I travel... Generally $5 - unless one of my kids gets sick (it has happened) - then I leave $10. (I always clean up if my kids get sick, but I just feel for the housekeepers).

 

[bicker]

Housekeepers are one of the few positions where you do your job practically in private, so you are almost assurely not going to be caught violating the "don't take tips" policy.

Also note that the "don't take tips" policy says that any non-tipped employee is to refuse a tip three times, and then take it (and turn it into management). This helps prevent customer dissatisfaction from customers who simply must give a tip.

 

[fla4fun]

I always leave my tip in the open, on the bed pillow, and it's always taken.

My feeling is, a tip should always be at my discretion, for whatever, whoever, and whenever. Even if the Mousekeepers are technically a "non-tipped" position, if they are going above and beyond what I would want to do myself, I feel they deserve a tip. It's hard cleaning those rooms in the time allowed, even when the guests are neat (and we know they aren't all neat). I wouldn't force a tip on someone if they were concerned about being fired, but I might find some other way to show my appreciation (like chocolate or something like that).

 

[Yarna]

My general practice is to leave $10 per person/per week on the nightstand with a nice thank-you note upon check-out. My partner and I are fairly neat persons, but we appreciate the freshly-made beds, organized vanity, and nicely stocked towels.

I've been thinking more and more about this practice and have thought that maybe this year we will leave tips on a daily basis. My thinking was that this might insure that the mousekeeping staff would be more inclined to provide these little nicities that we've come to value. But after reading that some of the mousekeeping staff refuse the tips, and that in general it is Disney policy for the mousekeeping staff to not accept the tips, perhaps I'll give it try and see what happens. If they refuse the tips at the beginning of the week, I'll know then to just leave one large tip at the end of the week. And since I'm checking out, they can't refuse it.

 

[Disney Ella]

My general practice is to leave $10 per person/per week on the nightstand with a nice thank-you note upon check-out. My partner and I are fairly neat persons, but we appreciate the freshly-made beds, organized vanity, and nicely stocked towels.

That's what I used to do, but then someone pointed out that you won't necessarily have the same housekeeper every day so if you wait until the end of your stay, you may be giving all of the tip to someone who only cleaned your room one day.

My tips have always been taken every day and I just leave them on a note that says "Housekeeping."

 

[storzo]

That's what I used to do, but then someone pointed out that you won't necessarily have the same housekeeper every day so if you wait until the end of your stay, you may be giving all of the tip to someone who only cleaned your room one day.

My tips have always been taken every day and I just leave them on a note that says "Housekeeping."

Ditto.

On one trip we returned to our room as the maid was cleaning it and I asked if she would be our maid for the entire time (I was tipping daily but thinking of waiting until the end and leaving a big tip) and she said no.

 

[Gerweniel]

For our last trip we stayed at CBR, I made "mousekeeping" envelopes and left a tip every day. Half of the time, the tip was taken, the other time it was left. I thought it was curious, but left the envelopes with the tips anyway.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

I think with the service being a non tipped position and the exposees on TV and the hidden cameras catching maids not cleaning properly has made alot of service people gun shy. People need these jobs and doing something they agreed not to do pre-employment and getting caught and fired has made everyone think twice. I've chased down our maid last rip to give her a tip for outstanding service only to be told she was just doing her job and thanked me for offering but couldn't accept. That has made my conviction firm on not tipping non tipped positions, could get the person in trouble, its like trying to tip the front desk CM for the free or better up grade, a no-no.

There was a thread about tipping a few months ago. I'll post again a copy of Tipping Guidelines for travel from the Emily Post website. Tipping is an individual choice - and these are simply Industry Guidelines.

My husband and I have always tipped. the $3 or $4 we leave each day seems minor when we are staying in a room which costs $325 p/day in Value Season (or even $125 p/day).

We leave the tip on the mirror tucked behind the Mousekeepers card. We also make a point of introducing ourselves on day one and also finding the mousekeeper each morning with a cheerful HELLO. Now that Disney has cut mousekeeping staff and they are often still cleaning rooms late in the day....ours is always cleaned when we return in the afternoon.


Ok, here is the list.....

TRAVEL:

Skycap
$2 first bag, $1 per additional bag

Doorman
$1-$2 for carrying luggage
$1-$2 for hailing cab
$1-$4 beyond the call of duty

Bellhop
$2 first bag, $1 per additional bag

Housekeeper
$2-$5 per day, left daily

Concierge
$5 for tickets or reservations, $10 if hard to get; no need to tip for answering questions

Taxi driver
15% plus an extra $1-$2 if helped with bags

SALON/SPA:

Hair Dresser
15-20%, ask to be split among those who served you

Manicurist
15-20%

Facial, waxing, massage
15-20%