quick question about Rainforest Cafe...oh ...and tipping

[frazzle]

Thanks to everyone for the info on tipping

Kiwianna, we are flying out of Auckland at 9.30pm on the ANZ flight. Like you we'll have priority baggage so hopefully we'll get through quickly as well. I'm guessing you were in business class? How was it for the kids? Did you order kids meals?

I'm thinking we'll have to play everything by ear but "if" the kids sleep well on the plane we might be able to go out for dinner or visit the park for an hour or two. Chances are that my kids (like yours) will just need to rest. But I do like to plan!! Maybe it'll just be a trip to In and Out burger, early to bed and an early start in the park.

We are in transit as we are moving to Europe so we will have an awful lot of bags with us. I'm thinking the Disneyland Express will be easier than trying to pack everything into a rental car/van.

 

[Caroline NZ]

Hi Frazzle,
We flew premium eco and the extra space was fantastic. We didn't order kids meals but we had already eaten before we got on anyway. The inflight entertainment kept the kids 100% entertained. It's worth its weight in gold.

If you would like a park map for DCA & DL I can post a set to you if you like as I have a spare set that we bought back last year. Send me your address through private messages if you would like them.

 

[AmyPond]

I know - I was just kidding. I always wondered why they put those little cards out with the housekeeper's name on it - how dumb I've been!

Our family actually lived in a hotel for nine weeks between moves last summer and I never tipped them once - yikes! Good thing we're pretty clean people.

We typically don't even have housekeeping come in our room at all on vacations. We just hang our towels and reuse them. If we want more, we ask for them (although at WDW, just about every day, they left a bag with extra towels and soaps on our door.) So we don't really need housekeeping every day. Which is a big reason we don't tip.

 

[jtown]

It's been a few years since we've flown international, so I'll let someone else answer with a more current "guesstimate" on getting through customs.



Tipping:
Restaurants and bars - 15-20%

Taxi - We tend to give 10-20%. 20% if they help with bags, etc....

Housekeeping - We leave $1-$2 per day per person staying in the room. We tip daily since staffing could differ day to day.

Porters/Bell Staff - $1-$2 per bag, more if heavy LOL

Of course opinions may vary on these, but this is what we do.

I would add that restaurant tipping depends considerably on the style of service. Generally, anything with a counter is non-tipping. If you place your order at a counter, get a number, then go up to the counter to retrieve your food when your number is called then there's no obligation to tip. Though they may have a tip jar on the counter and you certainly can tip if you feel the food was good. Same for cafeteria style where you slide your tray along a counter, filling it with what you want, then pay at the end of the line. These two cover the vast majority of the food options at Disneyland.

A couple exceptions to that are pizza and buffets (outside of Disneyland). If you eat the pizza in the restaurant, it's standard to leave a small tip even though it's a standard "counter style" scenario. If you order the pizza to go and pick it up at the restaurant, no tip. If you have it delivered, big tip. And a small tip is normal at a buffet where drinks are delivered by servers and dishes are cleared promptly, even though it's very similar to "cafeteria style".

Seems complicated but, basically, if you're seated by a host/hostess, your order is taken, and your drinks and food are brought to you, it's a tipping situation. If you're doing all the work, it's not.

 

[Kiwianna]

Thanks to everyone for the info on tipping

Kiwianna, we are flying out of Auckland at 9.30pm on the ANZ flight. Like you we'll have priority baggage so hopefully we'll get through quickly as well. I'm guessing you were in business class? How was it for the kids? Did you order kids meals?

I'm thinking we'll have to play everything by ear but "if" the kids sleep well on the plane we might be able to go out for dinner or visit the park for an hour or two. Chances are that my kids (like yours) will just need to rest. But I do like to plan!! Maybe it'll just be a trip to In and Out burger, early to bed and an early start in the park.

We are in transit as we are moving to Europe so we will have an awful lot of bags with us. I'm thinking the Disneyland Express will be easier than trying to pack everything into a rental car/van.

No, we were in premium economy, but get priority luggage and I think the meals are the same as business class. We didn't order kids meals as they seemed to be more suited to younger children. I think there is a sample menu on the Air NZ website.
We prebooked on the Disneyland Express online because there was a slightly cheaper rate for 5, and we were 3 adult and 2 child fares. I'm not sure if it would be worth it if there were more children than adults in the group.