Please shoot me: Yet another tipping thread...

[Maistre Gracey]

Okay, I have read every tipping thread known to mankind, plus a few extra just for good measure.
I have always had my own tipping guidelines (for the most part VERY generous), but I just read on the DIS tipping guidelines that $3 per bag is the appropriate amount for bellmen.
I can justify ten bucks for three bags, but I travel with four people, involving 15 bags (including small ones). Should we really be tipping 50 clams for the amount of bags that fit on one cart???

What are your thoughts? Perhaps a typo on DIS guidelines???

 

[Canadian Tom]

Holy Smokes: 15 bags, wow! My wife and I travel and we only use the carry-ons. If it won't fit in the bag, you can't take it. So we just drag(roll) our bags in by ourselves.

 

[Granny]

Maistre G....I think any tip guidelines need to have some common sense applied to them. $3 a bag might be fine if you have a couple of bags, but obviously is a little over the top for your example.

I usually look at a few factors when tipping bell services. Not only the quantity of baggage but what types of items. We drive to WDW, so our "baggage" is often lots of boxes, sacks, non-perishable groceries, etc. So handling our "bags" is a lot different than just putting a few suitcases on the trolley!

My guess is that you have been tipping a pretty good amount, and that it is appropriate. If you have 15 bags that fit on one cart, $45 is exhorbitant, IMHO.

 

[CRobin]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
I just read on the DIS tipping guidelines that $3 per bag is the appropriate amount for bellmen.

I'm with Granny on this one. I usually go for about $10-$15 for the whole cart. And that's on top of what I give the guy who unloads the car, which is usually another $10.

$3 a bag is probably appropriate if you have a couple of bags. But a volume discount does apply here.

 

[Disney Doll]

I must be a cheapskate, because I do a $1 or maybe $2 if it's a REALLY heavy or weird thing that they have to carry. For 15 bags I'd probably give them $20-$25.

If one of the bellpersons was really good, or extra helpful ro whatever, obviously that would change what I tip.

 

[Terry S]

Can someone please post a link to the guidelines?

Just a thought here, but does the $3 include getting them out of the car and bringing them up to the room. In this case I would be safe since I tip $1.50 (small bag) - $2.00 (big bag) per bag to both the person who takes them out of the car and the one who brings them up to the room.

 

[Nanajo1]

The bellman who takes our luggage from the car to the desk gets $1-$2 per bag with a $5 min. Usually the limo driver has gotten the bags out of the trunk. The bellman who delivers the bags to the room gets another $1-2 per bag. If we have groceries plus 2 medium size suitcases it usually totals $25-30 just to get the bags to the room. It is an expense we figure into our budget. Like tipping skycaps.
Some day I'll be such a great packer we will just have carryons!

 

[Terry S]

Well I think just found the ones on the DIS. Here is what it says:

Bellman should normally be tipped $3 per bag when delivering bags to your room.

So I think that I would be okay, since I tip the guy that helps the town car guy take them out of the car and then stores them $1.50 - $2.00 per bag and then I tip the guy that actually brings them up to the room $1.50 - $2.00 per bag. Well, if that is not okay, than I guess I am cheap. I had thought I was being generous. I always go to the bank and get $200 in $5s and $1s before we go and I go through all of them with tipping different people for our luggage.

 

[Laurabearz]

Interesting.....

We tip 2 bucks per valet..... 5 bucks for our first luggage trip, then 10 bucks to the person who brings it to the room..... give or take.... we always have STUFF since we have kids....

Our next trip we will tip the guy/gal who brings our stuff to our room a bit more, since we will have, waiting for us, a lot of baby stuff... swing, excersaucer, potty seat, etc..... so 20 bucks will pass thru our hands.....

Never really thuoght about this much.... I do know when I go to the bank I request a lot of singles and 5's....... lol

 

[zulaya]

I guess I must be the only one who takes care of my own luggage and groceries. I don't like relinquishing control of my stuff.

 

[palmtreegirl]

When we were leaving the YC this past trip we had a cart load full of stuff and we tipped the bellmen, well it was actually a bellwomen, 20.00.

 

[Lyndarella]

Everyone I travel with brings just one bag plus a purse/bag to carry. (This includes grocery items. We don't need a lot of clothes since we have a washer/dryer while we are there.) There are only 2 or 4 of us in our group. We arrive by shuttle (we love the long ride -- it's the only time we see anything non-Disney) and tip the driver $5 TOTAL to help unload the bags. After that we prefer to control the bags ourselves. Since we each have just one, it's no trouble.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Thanx everyone! I am happy to see that my tipping practices are in line with the majority of folks here.
Thanx for also answering my next tipping question, which was how much do you tip the person taking the luggage from the car.

Ya, I know... 15 pieces of luggage.
My MIL travels with us, and I swear she brings a suitcase with eight purses, and another with eight pairs of shoes.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Frankly, I think the Disney process of having 2-3 bellmen handle your luggage before it gets to your room is annoying. I think $10 (one cart) from the trunk to the room (whether is get stored or not) should be plenty. It takes less than 10 min for a round trip luggage delivery, and I can't see paying 2-3 persons $10 each. Often times, we do our own luggage...I like the set up at HH where you push your own cart.

On our last DVC trip, when I called for luggage to be delivered from storage, a grandmotherly bellperson showed up at the door with the cart. It felt really strange watching her unload the cart, I thought she may code lifting our big bags so I ended up doing the heavy ones by myself.

 

[jmminarik]

I just treat the guy who hauls up our stuff at OKW to a couple of pints at the Rose and Crown.

-joe

 

[crisi]

Boy, if everyone tipped $3 a bag, I'd want to be a bellperson at a DVC resort.

Lets see, average number of people in a party = 4
Average number of bags in a party = 6 (seems reasonable for four people to have six bags - we already know some people really skew the mean, and anyone with just a couple bags doesn't use the bellhop)
3x6= $18
For what, about fifteen minutes of work (unless you are way down the hallway at BWV).
With multiple carts in action and teamwork during busy times, one hop unloading, one taking you to your room, you can get enough efficiency in the system to keep a continual cycle. $72 an hour in tips.

I have a problem paying anyone handling my bags more per minute than I make. I'm pretty generous, but at that point it becomes worthwhile for me to handle my own bags and just make a couple trips.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

ncligs: Please oh please read the title. Maistre Gracey is screaming out for some animation on this one!

HBC

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by Happy Birthday Cat
ncligs: Please oh please read the title. Maistre Gracey is screaming out for some animation on this one!

Please shoot me...........

 

[Maistre Gracey]

You guys are too much!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

My faith has been restored!!!!

HBC