Tipping at resort

[2ndcruiser]

Hi everyone. Can anyone give me guidance on who we should leave a tip for and recommended amounts? Also, some input on how to leave the tips, for example leaving it on a nightstand. Thanks in advance!

 

[busymommy2pink]

I don't think tipping threads are allowed...not 100% sure lol..but this is what we do. Not sure what tipping you are referring to so I'll answer all of them lol.

Mousekeeping $5 a day (may not be same housekeeper your whole stay, so we like to leave it every day). Before our trip, our girls make mousekeeping envelopes with stickers and they write thank you on them or make drawings on them. Gives them something to do to be involved and keeps them excited and they learn about appreciating others.

Valet..we had a rental car the first time we went and we stayed at AKL. My souvenier to myself was valet LOL. I hated walking in the rain (august) to and from the car, so after day 1 we paid for valet. I tipped the valet $2 each time they got my car and brought it away.

Dinner...we tip 15-20% depending on our experience. Realistically, it's Disney, so more often than not it's 20%. Usually averages out to $20 for our family of four. We do not tip quick service obviously.

I think that's all? hehe..

 

[Pakey]

For daily housekeeping, I leave $5 for 2 people. For turndown service (if you are staying club level), I tip $2 for 2 people. I leave this tip daily. I don't do cute envelopes or anything like that. For room cleaning, I leave the tip on the vanity area where the little card is from the housekeeper. For turndown service, I leave the tip on the bed by the pillows.

For bell services, I tip $1 per bag for removing/loading the car and $1 per bag for delivery/pickup from room.

This is all I tip at the resort.

 

[DisneyFan2013]

For restaurants....we just do like 10%.

Are you from the US? For table service, the minimum tip is 15%, but I think most servers expect 20%. Not that you're obligated to tip a certain amount.

 

[cjsm&d]

Mousekeeping is a non tipped position... blah blah blah. Somebody may even type out a couple of paragraphs on why you shouldn't ever tip....

You shouldn't feel you need to tip mousekeeping, but if you choose to...

...Anyway, we tip $5 a night to our mousekeepers.

I've never tipped the check-in CM, but maybe that works?

I tip the same as I would anywhere else for restaurant service, 20% for good service, more for exemplary service.

For buffets, if the service was nice, I tip 10%

 

[gibbow]

I have never heard of tipping the check in CM, how do you go about doing so, in the beginning of the check in? Sounds like its worth a try.

$5 is the standard daily mouse keeping tip from my understanding. And for table service dinners, they're usually quite busy and working hard, 20% is my standard.

 

[OceanStateKelly]

Mousekeeping I leave 5.00 under the card, restaurants I leave 15% 18% and 20% depending on how good they were.
bag handlers at hotel and airport a dollar a bag

 

[DisneyFan2013]

Yes...U.S. and i tip 10% at restaurants.. I just feel 20 is too much and 10% is easy to calculate.
Of course...i have HAD to leave more..if i am eating with a lagre group...then tip is usually added on bill....so you dont get to choose.

I think 20% is too much also, but I eat out a lot and don't want anyone to spit in my food so I tip 20% anyway. I guess you don't have to worry about server retaliation at Disney though because who's going to remember you anyway? lol

 

[lbv7]

.You arent supposed to tip the "check in" CM either....but throw them 10-20 and youll get an upgrade everytime!! (within reason) probaly not during a peak time....so maybe just ask politely...thats another thing...you can get alot by just asking.

I hope you are joking. Any CM at check in caught accepting cash tips will be fired, and immediately escorted off property.

 

[lililoo12]

Mouskeepers make a lot more an hour than waiter's . I tip valet, bell hop and waiters.

 

[Lynne M]

I have never heard of tipping the check in CM, how do you go about doing so, in the beginning of the check in? Sounds like its worth a try.

While slipping the check-in person some money is acceptable at some vacation destinations like Vegas, it's not going to work for you at Disney resorts. The front desk CMs aren't permitted to accept tips, and I don't think any of them would be willing to risk their jobs for 20 bucks.

Asking outright for a free upgrade isn't recommended, either. We've had numerous current and former front desk CMs post here that asking for an upgrade is the best way to ensure that you won't get one. If they've got a choice of which customer they can give an upgrade to, the one who walks up and asks for a free upgrade is going to lose out every time to the nice friendly family who isn't trying to pry free stuff out of them.

 

[lililoo12]

I dont know the rules of a CM....but it happens...listen to wdw today podcasts...and look up the menu of them....on i tunes.. youll see a whole pod cast about the art of tipping at WDW..But, if not...thats ok too. Im not saying to do it or not...im just saying what works for us.

When do you give them the tip?

 

[grimley1968]

I dont know the rules of a CM....but it happens...listen to wdw today podcasts...and look up the menu of them....on i tunes.. youll see a whole pod cast about the art of tipping at WDW..But, if not...thats ok too. Im not saying to do it or not...im just saying what works for us.

No thanks. I think I'll stick to things that don't carry the possibility of the CM being terminated, and which absolutely cannot affect room assignments, since those are not done by front-desk CMs.

As for the OP leaving tips that don't carry the possibility of having the CM terminated: we in the past have generally tipped housekeeping $1 per day for our family of 4, so $4. I think $5 per day sounds very reasonable. I would leave it on some area you know housekeeping will clean, like the nightstand, or maybe the bathroom vanity. Make sure to leave a separate tip daily rather than combining it all at the end of the trip. Leaving it daily ensures that whoever is cleaning your room that day gets the tip.

- As for restaurants, I feel that leaving less than the customary 15% is an insult. I've done that (or not left a tip at all) when I feel the service has been terrible or non-existent (this has never happened at WDW for us). But normally we leave at least 15%, or 20% if the service is what I consider good.

- We've never valet-parked, so I don't have any advice there. Other posters have commented on that.

- For bell services, $1 per bag is reasonable, though I very rarely use this.