The Tipping Saga!

[mrshnn]

when you stay at a disney resort and they take your cases to your room how much should i tip per bag.

 

[Hilary]

when you stay at a disney resort and they take your cases to your room how much should i tip per bag.

$1 per bag is the amount usually suggested

 

[Boo Boo Too]

Stupidly (I think) in the US, tipping is not what I consider optional - UNLESS you have REALLY bad service... (I have never had service where I have considered not tipping and spend a lot of time in the US - probably 5/6 weeks a year)

Tipping is a bit like US sales tax - it isn't on the "price tag", but has to be added when you pay. So whenever we look at prices at a restaurant, we always think of it as "stated price" + "taxes" + "tip (min 15%, but often more for good service)".

Yes, service should be good (or at least 100% professional).

I agree that tipping can get excessive. Once we stayed at a hotel where the guy who took our cases out of the car and put them on a trolley had his hand out for a tip. We tip when the bags are delivered to the room (which we did). But we didn't tip this first guy (I think tipping twice for the same bags is mad) - he was very persistent and unsubtle about it though....

Boo

 

[jna]

There is a comment in the Brit's Guide that says that all service industry workers are taxed on the basis of receiving 15% in tips whether they receive it or not.

In one way you could say that is hard on the workers, but on the other hand it may therefore encourage a service level that will ensure a good tip is received.

 

[wayneg]

I was told off a while back on the boards on this subject because I had bad service and did not leave a tip. I was told by some members that even though the service was bad I should have left about 10% instead of 15-20%.
No way am I leaving any tip for bad service, they told me the server still had to make a living. My response was with service like she provided she should be in another job. If I provide a poor bouquet of flowers(I am a florist) or late with a delivery I give a refund on goods and service not just my service.
Another thing I disliked was when I revieved my bill at end of meal at Orlando Ale house, the server had written "tip not included and expected" in bold and circled. I always leave 15-20% for good service and would have done so but because he had done this I left about $3 which worked out about 9%.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

No way am I leaving any tip for bad service, they told me the server still had to make a living. My response was with service like she provided she should be in another job. If I provide a poor bouquet of flowers(I am a florist) or late with a delivery I give a refund on goods and service not just my service.
Another thing I disliked was when I revieved my bill at end of meal at Orlando Ale house, the server had written "tip not included and expected" in bold and circled. I always leave 15-20% for good service and would have done so but because he had done this I left about $3 which worked out about 9%.

I think that it is a circular problem being a Brit... a lot of Brits don't tip (through ignorance or otherwise), therefore a lot of servers in tourist destinations get frustrated by this, therefore (very wrongly in my opinion) they can get very unsubtle about it with British tourists... Unfortunately this tends to have the REVERSE result - it offends many tourists and makes them less likely to tip (or tip the "correct amount").

It is a difficult situation... . I think that restaurants should find a more discrete, but clear, way of communicating suggested tips...

We, personally, are generally lucky in that we tend not to go to touristy places that much (most of our time in the US tends to by in California and Colorado). So haven't notticed too many indiscrete tipping requests from restaurant servers...

Boo

 

[paulh]

I think that it is a circular problem being a Brit... a lot of Brits don't tip (through ignorance or otherwise), therefore a lot of servers in tourist destinations get frustrated by this, therefore (very wrongly in my opinion) they can get very unsubtle about it with British tourists... Unfortunately this tends to have the REVERSE result - it offends many tourists and makes them less likely to tip (or tip the "correct amount").

It is a difficult situation... . I think that restaurants should find a more discrete, but clear, way of communicating suggested tips...

We, personally, are generally lucky in that we tend not to go to touristy places that much (most of our time in the US tends to by in California and Colorado). So haven't notticed too many indiscrete tipping requests from restaurant servers...

Boo

Had a bad waitress once at rainforesst,meal cost $56.00 we paid with a $100.00 TC she nevever retuned with change.After 15min got a manager.server thought change was the tip.We would usaly tip 15% normaly
Paulh

 

[Boo Boo Too]

Had a bad waitress once at rainforesst,meal cost $56.00 we paid with a $100.00 TC she nevever retuned with change.After 15min got a manager.server thought change was the tip.We would usaly tip 15% normaly
Paulh

That is BAD! I would say that is verging on criminal! It is INCREDIBLY unlikely that any would leave a 78% tip!!!

The common thing for a server to do is say "i'll be right back with your change". If I intend to leave all of the change as a tip, I will say "no, that's fine thanks" and they will thank me. If I want some of the change I wont say anything (maybe nod) and expect a little tray with the change (and then will leave the 15%/20%/whatever on that tray). It would be VERY presumptuous/rude for a server just to not give/offer the change (especially 78%!)

Boo

 

[DaddyDon]

Just my 2 cent's from the USA,If the sevice is bad they don't get a tip,If i have to beg you for napkins,drink refills and the sort ,what claim do they have for compensation,This debate has gone on for year's in the US , this is how they make a living,they(the server's) know what happen's when bad service is offered,I have worked in the restraunt bussiness for 13 some odd year's i know what good sevice is and bad,The pirate show stinks....I have done all the dinner show's and it is with out a doubt in my mind the PIT'S.

 

[gavvy]

Had a bad waitress once at rainforesst,meal cost $56.00 we paid with a $100.00 TC she nevever retuned with change.After 15min got a manager.server thought change was the tip.We would usaly tip 15% normaly
Paulh

A good server will always ask if you need change, and will probably bring it back with a load of $1 bills so you can tip more accuratly.
I got flamed on here last time I spoke about tipping, but having worked as a server in Orlando myself I understand just how important tipping is, the IRS tax servers on the tip regardless if you get it or not.

If you get poor food, this is not the servers fault, its the kitchens and you should be asking to speak to someone about it.- you should tip on the service recieved not the food, unfortunally and understanably a lot of brits get this wrong and it does create a wrong impression of us as a whole.- If a server is being a bit pushy or blatent about tipping in Orlando, its probably because a previous british family dident tip- and they lost out.

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

If a server is being a bit pushy or blatent about tipping in Orlando, its probably because a previous british family dident tip- and they lost out.

They will lose out again if they directly ask me.

 

[gavvy]

They will lose out again if they directly ask me.

Thats the problem though, a lot of people do need it told to them- I think a lot of brits leave without tipping because they dont understand how things work out there.

Its understandably people getting upset or embarased when it is- I was chased on the way out of the Hard Rock Cafe in New York about 8 years ago by a server after i messed the tip up. He was upset and wanted to know if his service was that bad that I had only left a $5 tip. - I tipped him there, and belive me I havent made that mistake again.

 

[jdybnsn]

Its become my public duty to warn against the Pirates Dinner Show. I took great delight in handing back an empty tip plate. The entire show was a rip off.

Normally tip about a dollar for each of our group.

Hear, hear, ....could not agree more ...total money extracting machine IMO - and the Arabian Nights is as bad if not WORSE

 

[flortlebap]

The biggest tip we ever left was $36. That was at a nice restaurant in Disney with fantastic service (and the meal cost around $200, so it wasn't that much of a % tip for great service)

I did begrudge the man who stood and waited for 5 minutes listening to our conversation, expecting a tip, though. He showed us out of the airport, I can only presume he thought we'd tip him because we were from the UK and as a rule UK people don't tend to know who to tip on their first trip. He eventually gave up and walked off, but I found that rather rude

 

[flortlebap]

Oh the other thing that annoys me is that Disney restuarants add a 20% tip (I think that's the %, anyway) onto the cost of your meal if there are 10 of you or more. Fair enough, I would tip them, but to be EXPECTED to tip really gets on my nerves. And if the service is crap, it doesn't matter, because the waiter(ess) will know they're getting a large tip at the end of the meal regardless!!

 

[LondonMom]

I always tend to tip high, even over in the UK I generally tip 15%, because I I think they have a hard job to do and too many mean people leave hardly anything (Ive seen people in London literally leave 30p!!).

In the states we always have tipped 20% or even more if service is exceptional. Usually if somethings not up to par, it may be a long wait for food or food not up to scratch, neither of these are the servers fault.

We have eaten as a group of 8 or more in Disney restuarants many times where to 20% tip is compulsary, and i can honestly say that I would not have tipped any less if we DID have a choice, always recieved excellent service.

There are some situations that I wouldnt normally tip on and recently I went into Bob Evans and asked for a pie, when the lady brought it over I heard her (clearly) say to another memeber of staff "you watch, they wont leave a tip"!!! I was so shocked and peeved that she'd rudely made this comment she def wasn't getting one now!!.
I wouldn't have thought walking a pie from the fridge to till meritted one!? - Next time I probably would leave one, if its customary??

 

[UKDEB]

Another thing I disliked was when I revieved my bill at end of meal at Orlando Ale house, the server had written "tip not included and expected" in bold and circled

As others have mentioned, it's a vicious circle. Brits often don't tip because they don't know any better; server feels obliged to point it out, otherwise they effectively don't get paid for the job they do; Brit feels offended and doesn't leave tip...and so it goes on.

It is true to say that many US citizens feel just as peeved as us, but, like it or not, that's the way the economy works over there. I accept it and I have no problem tipping servers. I hate the way the whole thing is set up at hotels so that you are forced to tip more than once to have your car parked and your bags delivered to your room.

 

[Red-Snapper]

I am afraid over the years us Brits have got a reputation for not tipping which is why they now point it out to us.

When we first started going in the early 90's not that many Brits went compared to today and we never saw a tip reminder card or had it calculated by the server etc.

 

[Lisash]

I think a lot of brits leave without tipping because they dont understand how things work out there.

I'm not so sure about that. I think they understand perfectly well how it works it's explained in just about every piece of literature you read about America including booklets that come with your tickets etc. I think some people are just plain tightfisted!

Personally we always tip around 20% even on occasions when the meal/service hasn't really deserved it. Like many of the others have said it does drive me insane when servers feel they have to explain the tipping system to us

 

[traceycooper]

Can someone clarify for me please:
If we eat in Disney e.g. Boma, WCC, sci fi etc, is a tip included on the bill?
What about on i-drive?
& housekeepers is it $1 per person in room?
We did tip on our last trip but i cant remember how much & when it was included now, & after reading this thread i really dont want to offend!!!
Thanks