Magical Express

pigget74

DVC Beach Club Villas
Joined
Jan 12, 2003
Messages
2,966
Magiacl Express--who do you tip if anyone? Also, how much do you tip? We leave Saturday and I am trying to finalize our budget.
 
we usually tip the busdriver-we tip 1.00 per person.
 
I know that tips for luggage delivery inbound are paid by DME. If you are pleased with the service of your bus driver and especially if they handle your luggage, a tip would be nice IMO. I'm not sure about the people that work at the RAC to check you in and take your bags when you are outbound.
 
I usually tip $1 per person. Last month there were three of us and I didn't have any ones, so he got a $5.
 

Your mileage may vary, but here are the general guidelines:

BUS DRIVERS: Tips not necessary EXCEPT if they handle any of your bags, whether checked bags or carry-ons, in either direction. $1 per bag should be the minimum.

DME LUGGAGE DELIVERY TO YOUR ROOM: No tip necessary. The CM doing the delivery has already been "tipped" by his/her employer, Disney. HOWEVER, if you claimed your own bags, brought them to the bus, then left them in the lobby for Bell Services to bring to your room, then the Bell Services CM who brings them to your room should be tipped by you, as there is no "DME" tip involved there.

RAC EMPLOYEES: Tip them just as you would tip skycaps at the airport. RAC is basically curbside check-in, and RAC staff are NOT Disney CMs.
 
I have only tipped when I took my own bags to ME...otherwise when using ME luggage service I haven't tipped. I'd hate to be a bad tipper....did I miss something????
 
I forgot to add one category: If you use your resort's Bell Services to take your bags from your room to the hotel lobby, you should tip the person who did that, regardless of whether you are using RAC or not.

Also, if you have your resort's Bell Services store any of your bags for you, they should be tipped, as well.
 
Tip the RAC CM's?? Really? I had never even thought about that. I wonder how prevalent that is...now you've got me thinking.

Anyway....I tip anyone who touches my bags. I don't have to tip the person who delivers my bags to my room when they have been delivered by the luggage truck via DME. I don't have to tip the DME bus driver if I have only carryon bags that we keep with us, on the bus. But....I have tipped the bus driver on one occasion when I had no baggage to be taken out. The driver was so incredibly entertaining on the drive to WDW. He kept us all in stitches the whole way. Although there is signage in the buses stating that gratuities are gratefully accepted, this driver never mentioned it. I have had drivers mention, verbally, that tips are accepted. Those drivers get nothing from me!! I don't care if they move 15 bags out from underneath the bus for me. I will not feel 'forced' to tip.

The only time it really irked me was the time we took a towncar to the Polynesian. The CM who helped take our bags from the car (he took them from the driver, the bags never touched the ground) gave the distinct impression he would accept a tip. Then, the CM who took our bags on the luggage cart inside the lobby gave me the exact same feeling. That's two CM's with outstretched hands. Then, when we got to the lobby, and checked in, yet another CM came up, and asked if we would like help to our room. Ah no...it had already cost us close to $15 so far!!!!
 
I forgot to add one category: If you use your resort's Bell Services to take your bags from your room to the hotel lobby, you should tip the person who did that, regardless of whether you are using RAC or not.

Also, if you have your resort's Bell Services store any of your bags for you, they should be tipped, as well.
Agree 100%
 
Baggage handling can get expensive. There was one time I spent $50.00 to get my bags to and from Ft. Wilderness and back to Nashville, TN.

$5.00 BNA long-term shuttle driver to curbside
$5.00 BNA curbside checkin
$5.00 DME driver for helping load and unload my carryons and ECV.
(I was using DME inbound so tip was covered there)

On the way home

$5.00 Ft. Wilderness guy that picked up my luggage in the van at my site and took my luggage to storage.
$5.00 Ft. Wilderness guy that broght my luggage out of storage and loaded it on Magical Express Bus
$5.00 Magical Express Bus driver that took my bags off the bus when arriving at MCO
$5.00 MCO Skycap that helped me get my bags to curside checkin
$5.00 MCO curbside checkin
$5.00 BNA Skycap that helped me get my bags from the carousel to the long-term shuttle
$5.00 BNA long-term shuttle driver that helped me unload my bags from the shuttle next to my car.

Now, let me say that I was camping and flying with Southwest and had 2 footlockers and 1 large duffle weighing right at 50lbs each, plus my carryon, personal item, and ECV.
 















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