Mousekeeping

[KSBelle77]

DH and I spend a week in the All-Star Music Resort in December 2009. We made origami tips for mouse keeping but they didn't take them after the first day. We are coming back to Disney for my birtday in November and the Full marathon in January. We want to do the origami money again but want to make sure that Mousekeeping takes it everyday this time. Any tips or suggestions???

 

[figment_jii]

Maybe try putting them in or affixed to an envelope that says "housekeeping"...

 

[Tltorrez]

We had this problem on one of our trips to BWV. I had decorated envelopes, clearly labeled Mousekeeping. But we were there half the week before someone finally took them. At one point, I asked at concierge to see if I was doing something wrong but they were just as baffled as I was. Other trips we've had no trouble. I'll keep doing it though.

 

[Sue M]

I put my tip on the bathroom counter under housekeepers name card.

 

[Tltorrez]

I put my tip on the bathroom counter under housekeepers name card.

We tried that. We also tried putting in in the middle of the (totally unused) stove so it wouldn't be missed in the bathroom clutter. We had the envelopes sealed, unsealed (with money sticking out) and tried writing the days on it, etc. It was really baffling.

 

[AliceNWonderland]

I had this happen at POR. I could not understand why the maid would not take her tip, odd.

 

[kerplop]

I thought we were the only one! We left a tip for the first 3 days at Pop, but no one took it so we just stopped leaving them.

 

[PHLtoMCO]

I put my tip on the bathroom counter under housekeepers name card.

This is exactly where we put them as well

 

[KSBelle77]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with Mousekeeping. I forgot to mention that we had the origami in stockings that said mousekeeping on them. I might try a treasure hunt in November and see if I get a better reaction.

 

[minnie mum]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with Mousekeeping. I forgot to mention that we had the origami in stockings that said mousekeeping on them. I might try a treasure hunt in November and see if I get a better reaction.

Could you explain this? Do you want your housekeeper to go on a treasure hunt for her tips?

 

[lbv7]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with Mousekeeping. I forgot to mention that we had the origami in stockings that said mousekeeping on them. I might try a treasure hunt in November and see if I get a better reaction.

Housekeeping has to clean so many rooms in a specific amount of time. Do you really think that they have time to go on a treasure hunt? Can you imagine if a supervisor walks into your room and sees a housekeeper looking high and low for something, and not doing her regular job? This to me is a good way to either get fired, or be accused of trying to steal something from a room.

 

[NHKristy76]

Umm. You can't be serious. A treasure hunt? If the origami is clearly marked "mouse keeping" and they didn't take it, they don't want it!!

 

[figment_jii]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with Mousekeeping. I forgot to mention that we had the origami in stockings that said mousekeeping on them. I might try a treasure hunt in November and see if I get a better reaction.

The only other thought I had is that while we on the DIS (and other places) call it "mousekeeping", the CM may not have known that "Housekeeping" and "Mousekeeping" are the same thing. As others have said, something simple and obvious is the best. The housekeepers are really busy and don't have extra time to look for things and if they're not certain it's for them, they're not going to risk it by taking it.

 

[DznyCrzy11]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with Mousekeeping. I forgot to mention that we had the origami in stockings that said mousekeeping on them. I might try a treasure hunt in November and see if I get a better reaction.

Like a PP mentioned, if mousekeeping is caught having a treasure hunt while they are suppose to be working, that could cause potential issues. They are there to clean, not go on treasure hunts.

 

[AliceNWonderland]

Ours were in clearly marked bright yellow mousekeeping envelopes. They were never taken.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We have always put our cash under the housekeepers name card on the bathroom counter and they take it. I think most of them are taught not to read anything left laying around or really even look at items close enough to see what's written on them. They are under a tremendous amount of pressure to hurry up.

 

[Lynne M]

Well, I think most hotel housekeepers would rather err on the side of caution when it comes to picking up money in a room. If they're not sure it's a tip for them, they're not going to touch it.

Remember as well, that many WDW housekeepers speak very limited English, and they may not be sure what "mousekeeping" means, especially if they're new to Disney. Or they may not be sure that fancily-folded money - or money in decorated envelopes - is for them.

OP, I know you want to add a little fun to the housekeepers' day by doing a treasure hunt, but I don't think that's going to work out the way you hoped. Housekeepers are on the clock. They need to get the rooms turned around as quickly as possible, as guests are (impatiently) waiting to get into them. Just as a restaurant server wouldn't be able to take time out from waiting on tables to do a treasure hunt for her tip, a housekeeper just does not have the time to be searching a room for their tip. Rather than making it more likely that they'll pick up your tip, I think it will pretty much ensure that they won't.

In the end, it's up to the housekeeper whether or not to accept your tip. I think if you've made it clear that it's for them, then you've done all you can. I usually just fold a slip of paper around the money and write "For the housekeeper - thank you!" on it.

 

[TinkerMarie]

I don't mean for this to devolve into a "should you tip housekeeping" argument, but I've read several times here that housekeeping is not intended to be a tipped position. Sometimes posters say housekeepers could get in trouble if they were "caught" accepting tips. Maybe that's true and these housekeepers are sticklers for rules or desperately need the job, and don't want to jeopardize their income for a few extra dollars.

So ... maybe they really aren't "supposed to" accept tips and some of the housekeepers follow that rule. I'm not an insider. I don't know for sure.

 

[Dizzytime]

$5 per day as a rule, with a 'housekeeping-thank you!' note.

I'm sure it's okay for housekeeping to accept tips. Maybe not front desk and some other employees, but I doubt there is a rule forbidding HK from taking tips.

 

[minnie mum]

In over 35 years of going to WDW I've never had any trouble getting housekeeping to accept a tip. As some others have remarked: keep it simple and don't get too cute. A lot of these housekeepers speak minimal English and probably read less. I put the tip in a folded piece of notepaper labelled: For Housekeeping. Thank you. And put it on a pillow on the bed, where it won't be overlooked.