Tipping at Disney?

[janeyb]

It's been a few years since my last trip and I was trying to remember how much to tip bell boy/ housekeeping/ waiting staff etc...

I know it also depends on how happy you are with the service, but what is the general rule of thumb? Do you tip a certain percentage in restaurants and an amount per day to mousekeeping?

 

[Miffy2003]

I tip $1 per adult per day for mousekeeping

As far as tipping in full service restaurants goes, I tip 15% going up to 20% if the service has been excellent

Buffets some people tip less, but depending on how hard the server works I tend to tip 15% in these as well.

 

[Frances999]

We tip $5/day for mousekeeping and $2/day for turndown service. DH usually tips a small amount to the room service CM as well, even though they add a service and delivery charge.

For the CMs who handle our luggage, we will generally tip $1 per bag. In restaurants we tip up to 20% for excellent service.

 

[Shane]

I read in a guide book i had that you should tip 5 or 10% of the overall charge to the waiter

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

We tip $5/day for mousekeeping and $2/day for turndown service. DH usually tips a small amount to the room service CM as well, even though they add a service and delivery charge.

For the CMs who handle our luggage, we will generally tip $1 per bag. In restaurants we tip up to 20% for excellent service.

Excuse the dumb question, but what is "turndown service"?

 

[Frances999]

Excuse the dumb question, but what is "turndown service"?

In some resorts, in the late afternoon/early evening a CM will come into your room and dim the lights, play some soft music, turn-down the bed covers and leave a gift/chocolate on the pillows. They also do a general tidy-up and check to see if you need any more towels etc.

It's so wonderful to come back to the room when it's been turned down

 

[misskrystal]

We rarely tip anyone who handles our luggage when we travel, but it's not us being frugal; I go mad buying American sweets and spend all of our change before we leave the airport. I always feel like a complete idiot when we get to the car and can't tip the driver!

In restaurants, I tip according to level of service, usually starting at about 10%, going anywhere up to 50%.

I won't tip for bad service, though.

 

[UKDEB]

We tip a minimum of 20% at all restaurants, including buffets. As a minimum I think you are supposed to tip 15% (that's the basis upon which service staff are taxed). We apply the same logic to taxi drivers and bar staff. My understanding is that if you tip 10% (with the exception of buffets), you are effectively sending the message that the service is poor. Remember that the tipping culture really is different in the US - it isn't a case of agreeing with it or otherwise; it's part of the economic make-up. I just think of it as another tax - I don't necessarily want to pay it, but I accept it. Also, I tend to be extravagant in all areas of my life, so why make an exception with tipping?

We leave $5 a day for the maid, although that's clearly on the generous side as sometimes they don't take it, suggesting that they're not sure it's for them. I usually leave $2 for turn-down, although I don't worry too much if I forget.

We give $10 to the bell-hop regardless of the number of bags we have. Again that's erring on the generous side given that we never have anywhere near 10 bags!

I get a bit confused/stressed over the whole checking-in and valet issue. You end up having to tip the guy who takes away the car, the guy who takes your luggage from the trunk and the guy who takes the bags to the room. To me, it does seem to be deliberate (i.e. a racket!), but we still end up tipping them all. And, of course, you end up doing it all over again when you check out. It got very expensive during our trip this last April/May when we were checking in and out of hotels every other day. I'm never sure what to do about the Concierge, either. Do you tip them at the end of your stay, or each time they do something for you? And do you tip them just for being helpful, or just if they do something like get you a cab or restaurant reservation?

 

[Frances999]

I get a bit confused/stressed over the whole checking-in and valet issue. You end up having to tip the guy who takes away the car, the guy who takes your luggage from the trunk and the guy who takes the bags to the room. To me, it does seem to be deliberate (i.e. a racket!), but we still end up tipping them all. And, of course, you end up doing it all over again when you check out. It got very expensive during our trip this last April/May when we were checking in and out of hotels every other day. I'm never sure what to do about the Concierge, either. Do you tip them at the end of your stay, or each time they do something for you? And do you tip them just for being helpful, or just if they do something like get you a cab restaurant reservation?

We end up tipping all those involved as well. It's very cleverly arranged how they ensure somebody different is used for each "stage". We tip concierge staff only when they actually do something, such as make a dining reservation etc. If we just ask a question and get a response then that doesn't really warrant a tip in my opinion.

 

[Disney owl]

Bad service - if it wasn't bad enough to complain about , we've left a tip of just pennies or $1! That way the server knows that we've not just forgotton

 

[Goofyish]

This trip we tended to leave between 15 and 20% for meals, $1 per bag to the bell staff, and $1 per adult for housekeeping ($4 per day).

The one cab we took I gave a $5 tip - although the fare was only $20. But he did help us with our bags.

I didn't realise you had to tip the turndown person. We got chocolate and a nice weather forecast card every evening as well