Tipping baggage handlers

Well, the three of you seem to be extremely fortunate to vacation as much as you do. Wow! I will only be able to go once a year but even that is fortunate.

As with anything, when you increase the amount of times you use, or experience something of course the likelihood of there being an issue is inevitable. That is a fact whether it is Disney or not.

Obviously, the three of you have more experience, as I said I just became a member. Your comments are not what I would hope to hear but, hopefully I will focus on the experience of being at Disney, which is amazing, rather than the hotel itself.

I find some of the examples given of bad service a bit trivial. But everyone has their own level of what they can and can't tolerate.

I stayed at POR last year, which we loved. The cm's and housekeeping were wonderful. However we did have a little problem. One morning we woke up with no AC. It was Sept. very hot and humid. 90+ temps. We called and were told someone would fix it, while we were gone for the day. We came back mid afternoon and it was still not working, but the top to the vent had been removed. We made another call and were told someone would take care of it.

Later that night we came back and it still did not work. The cm I spoke to said that the person, who came to fix it, had told them it was working. They apologized over and over and had someone come fix it immediately. I never became angry or irate. We still had a great day. Miscommunication can happen and sometimes employees make mistakes. The next day, they gave us a $50 gift card, which was completely unnecessary.

So, I guess it is how you look at things. Not having towels or other items replenished at the time they are supposed to, or not having a coffee machine fixed right away are low on my list of make or brake items. I could have been really upset about not having AC in 90+ temps, but why bother to. They took care of it and it did not ruin my vacation.

But, because the three of you have been used to a certain level of service and watched it decline I am sure that is frustrating.

My OP was merely about the wonderful service I have been fortunate to experience and I am thankful for. ;)
 
Well, the three of you seem to be extremely fortunate to vacation as much as you do. Wow! I will only be able to go once a year but even that is fortunate.

As with anything, when you increase the amount of times you use, or experience something of course the likelihood of there being an issue is inevitable. That is a fact whether it is Disney or not.

Obviously, the three of you have more experience, as I said I just became a member. Your comments are not what I would hope to hear but, hopefully I will focus on the experience of being at Disney, which is amazing, rather than the hotel itself.

I find some of the examples given of bad service a bit trivial. But everyone has their own level of what they can and can't tolerate.

I stayed at POR last year, which we loved. The cm's and housekeeping were wonderful. However we did have a little problem. One morning we woke up with no AC. It was Sept. very hot and humid. 90+ temps. We called and were told someone would fix it, while we were gone for the day. We came back mid afternoon and it was still not working, but the top to the vent had been removed. We made another call and were told someone would take care of it.

Later that night we came back and it still did not work. The cm I spoke to said that the person, who came to fix it, had told them it was working. They apologized over and over and had someone come fix it immediately. I never became angry or irate. We still had a great day. Miscommunication can happen and sometimes employees make mistakes. The next day, they gave us a $50 gift card, which was completely unnecessary.

So, I guess it is how you look at things. Not having towels or other items replenished at the time they are supposed to, or not having a coffee machine fixed right away are low on my list of make or brake items. I could have been really upset about not having AC in 90+ temps, but why bother to. They took care of it and it did not ruin my vacation.

But, because the three of you have been used to a certain level of service and watched it decline I am sure that is frustrating.

My OP was merely about the wonderful service I have been fortunate to experience and I am thankful for. ;)

I can agree to a certain extent. Disney claims to have exceptional customer service and they are not new to the resort or show business. Excellent service and rooms without issues should be expected at the price Disney charges. This isn't a motel 6, it's Disney. Cleaning schedules should be understood by all resort employees and the guest shouldn't have to school the employees on when the room should be cleaned. I have discussed this issue with management in the past, I have reported the problem to DVC several times and I will do so again. This happens every time we do a room change and it's almost a joke within our family on when they will show up.

We have also on several occasions had the laundry basket left outside our door at SSR. After a day or so we also helped ourself to fresh towels and supplies. The last time we called Mousekeeping and we were told that we were not scheduled for T&T, yet the basket was left outside the door on T&T day.

Yes this can be considered a minor issue in the grand scheme of things but it's an issue that should not happen repeatedly.

:earsboy: Bill
 
Well, the three of you seem to be extremely fortunate to vacation as much as you do. Wow! I will only be able to go once a year but even that is fortunate.
As with anything, when you increase the amount of times you use, or experience something of course the likelihood of there being an issue is inevitable. That is a fact whether it is Disney or not. ......
So, I guess it is how you look at things. Not having towels or other items replenished at the time they are supposed to, or not having a coffee machine fixed right away are low on my list of make or brake items. I could have been really upset about not having AC in 90+ temps, but why bother to. They took care of it and it did not ruin my vacation.
But, because the three of you have been used to a certain level of service and watched it decline I am sure that is frustrating.
My OP was merely about the wonderful service I have been fortunate to experience and I am thankful for. ;)

i actually agree with you, however we have owned since 01/1999 and go to WDW 2-3x a year (10-14 days each time).
i have traveled just a smidge (every state except for hawaii and alaska - lived in quite a few, canada for months at a time, carribean, PR, & mexico repeatedly, as well as europe). i don't believe we enjoy DVC simply because we are neither new to travel, nor unknowledgeable about the product.
hopefully, it's not just "koolade" (i.e., blind devotion) as i normally am considered rather intelligent, and fully capable of forming opinions independently, based on facts as well as experiences (and respectful of well thought out, opposing opinions, as some of the above are). IMHO, DVC is not perfect, but i honestly cannot recall a single vacation (out of many hundreds)anywhere , where there was not one minor inconvenience or annoyance (yes, even in "higher" end resorts & hotels).

simply, we still use and enjoy DVC after 14+ years, and i can only hope that others will attain that same level of enjoyment - if not, i would advise they sell and find something, somewhere that they and their family enjoy. life is too short to settle for less :)
i hope this doesn't sound antagonistic, but there are many DVC owners (including our many friends) who really are happy that they own.
 
Well, the three of you seem to be extremely fortunate to vacation as much as you do. Wow! I will only be able to go once a year but even that is fortunate.

As with anything, when you increase the amount of times you use, or experience something of course the likelihood of there being an issue is inevitable. That is a fact whether it is Disney or not.

Obviously, the three of you have more experience, as I said I just became a member. Your comments are not what I would hope to hear but, hopefully I will focus on the experience of being at Disney, which is amazing, rather than the hotel itself.

I find some of the examples given of bad service a bit trivial. But everyone has their own level of what they can and can't tolerate.

I stayed at POR last year, which we loved. The cm's and housekeeping were wonderful. However we did have a little problem. One morning we woke up with no AC. It was Sept. very hot and humid. 90+ temps. We called and were told someone would fix it, while we were gone for the day. We came back mid afternoon and it was still not working, but the top to the vent had been removed. We made another call and were told someone would take care of it.

Later that night we came back and it still did not work. The cm I spoke to said that the person, who came to fix it, had told them it was working. They apologized over and over and had someone come fix it immediately. I never became angry or irate. We still had a great day. Miscommunication can happen and sometimes employees make mistakes. The next day, they gave us a $50 gift card, which was completely unnecessary.

So, I guess it is how you look at things. Not having towels or other items replenished at the time they are supposed to, or not having a coffee machine fixed right away are low on my list of make or brake items. I could have been really upset about not having AC in 90+ temps, but why bother to. They took care of it and it did not ruin my vacation.

But, because the three of you have been used to a certain level of service and watched it decline I am sure that is frustrating.

My OP was merely about the wonderful service I have been fortunate to experience and I am thankful for. ;)
I think the thing you may have missed is that these are clear trends, not simply bad luck. OTOH, there are those that feel the need to be continually courted by DVC & Disney. If they're not throwing benefits and gifts at them they are not happy and to be honest, I think some of the declines (like the change to check in for AFTER 4 PM), are a direct result of DVC/DVD realizing they can't keep some happy so they've stopped trying to a degree.
 

there are many tipping guidelines when searching travel tips. Often I've read $1-2 per bag or $2 for the first bag and $1 for each additional bag. When switching resorts that requires a tip for both ends since you have two separate resorts handling your bags. We switched from OWK to BC one trip with 8 bags and tipped $20 when they picked up and tagged our bags at OKW. Once we got a room at BC we had to call for delivery (they will not automatically drop off your bags until you are in the room). Again we tipped another $20. However, when using RAC for our 2 bags we ALWAYS over tip the RAC folks and often $5 is standard for us for 2 bags. We love this service and hope it never goes away. We really appreciate having this wonderful perk. You would be surprised how many folks dont realize that the RAC position is a tipped position because these folks are not even CMs.
 
there are many tipping guidelines when searching travel tips. Often I've read $1-2 per bag or $2 for the first bag and $1 for each additional bag. When switching resorts that requires a tip for both ends since you have two separate resorts handling your bags. We switched from OWK to BC one trip with 8 bags and tipped $20 when they picked up and tagged our bags at OKW. Once we got a room at BC we had to call for delivery (they will not automatically drop off your bags until you are in the room). Again we tipped another $20. However, when using RAC for our 2 bags we ALWAYS over tip the RAC folks and often $5 is standard for us for 2 bags. We love this service and hope it never goes away. We really appreciate having this wonderful perk. You would be surprised how many folks dont realize that the RAC position is a tipped position because these folks are not even CMs.

I bolded the last sentence. I noticed this first hand last week when we were checking out of BWV. I didn't see anyone tipping the RAC folks which surprised me.

For us, we generally tip the skycaps/RAC folks $10 for four large bags and one or two smaller ones. We tip the same amount whenever the valet ever picks up our luggage unless we're having them store it in which case it's $5 when dropping off and $10 when it's delivered.
 
Ok so when I go to the airport and check my 4 bags at the inside SW counter and they get tagged , I do not tip anyone? At some airports you still have to wheel them to go thru security screening.
 
Ok so when I go to the airport and check my 4 bags at the inside SW counter and they get tagged , I do not tip anyone? At some airports you still have to wheel them to go thru security screening.

Only if you used a Skycap to help with your luggage.
 
Only if you used a Skycap to help with your luggage.

We never do, we are usually droped of that the door and we get to the airport WAY early(DH is nuts about that) and go inside to the airline counter so we can see the bags get put on the SW belt or cart . Don't worry as much about the bags now with the Bright yellow Disney luggage tags on them though. Figure they will eventually show up in our room. Going home don't worry as much. I know weird , but I would not be a good rich person, I do not like people touching my stuff or waiting on me, I like to do for myself. :eek:
 
there are many tipping guidelines when searching travel tips. Often I've read $1-2 per bag or $2 for the first bag and $1 for each additional bag. When switching resorts that requires a tip for both ends since you have two separate resorts handling your bags. We switched from OWK to BC one trip with 8 bags and tipped $20 when they picked up and tagged our bags at OKW. Once we got a room at BC we had to call for delivery (they will not automatically drop off your bags until you are in the room). Again we tipped another $20. However, when using RAC for our 2 bags we ALWAYS over tip the RAC folks and often $5 is standard for us for 2 bags. We love this service and hope it never goes away. We really appreciate having this wonderful perk. You would be surprised how many folks dont realize that the RAC position is a tipped position because these folks are not even CMs.
Switching resorts with baggage assistance is a fairly unique situations and likely a 2 step tipping process is the most reasonable for this situation as would more total tip that we've been discussing.
 
i actually agree with you, however we have owned since 01/1999 and go to WDW 2-3x a year (10-14 days each time).
i have traveled just a smidge (every state except for hawaii and alaska - lived in quite a few, canada for months at a time, carribean, PR, & mexico repeatedly, as well as europe). i don't believe we enjoy DVC simply because we are neither new to travel, nor unknowledgeable about the product.
hopefully, it's not just "koolade" (i.e., blind devotion) as i normally am considered rather intelligent, and fully capable of forming opinions independently, based on facts as well as experiences (and respectful of well thought out, opposing opinions, as some of the above are). IMHO, DVC is not perfect, but i honestly cannot recall a single vacation (out of many hundreds)anywhere , where there was not one minor inconvenience or annoyance (yes, even in "higher" end resorts & hotels).

simply, we still use and enjoy DVC after 14+ years, and i can only hope that others will attain that same level of enjoyment - if not, i would advise they sell and find something, somewhere that they and their family enjoy. life is too short to settle for less :)
i hope this doesn't sound antagonistic, but there are many DVC owners (including our many friends) who really are happy that they own.

Thank you for your reply. :thanks:

I am glad to hear after so many years you still enjoy your DVC membership. As a new member, it was a little disheartening to hear only posts which were about not being happy with the services. I am so looking forward to our first vacation at AKL. :yay:
 
I bolded the last sentence. I noticed this first hand last week when we were checking out of BWV. I didn't see anyone tipping the RAC folks which surprised me.

For us, we generally tip the skycaps/RAC folks $10 for four large bags and one or two smaller ones. We tip the same amount whenever the valet ever picks up our luggage unless we're having them store it in which case it's $5 when dropping off and $10 when it's delivered.

What is RAC?
 
It stands for resort airline check-in, it's the place (at the hotel you're staying at) where you can check your bags and get your boarding passes if you're taking DME back to the airport.

You do not need to be taking DME back to the airport to use RAC (but of course you CAN use it with DME). We never use DME; we always fly and rent a car. We take our bags to RAC on departure day. Since RAC also prints your boarding pass, all you have to do is get in the security screening line. We love RAC and always give a big tip. Note: Most, but not all, of the bigger airlines participate in DME.
 
It stands for resort airline check-in, it's the place (at the hotel you're staying at) where you can check your bags and get your boarding passes if you're taking DME back to the airport.

Okay. Did not know that was the name for the service they provide. I fully agree with you. :thumbsup2 I had been told by a friend to make sure I also tip them. I am so thankful for that service. Using RAC saves so much time and energy. ;)
 
So help me here for our trip to BC on Friday

No - airport unless we use a skycap
Yes - Magical express driver
No - to person taking luggage at BC if room not ready
Yes - to person who delivers luggage when room is ready
No - to bell services taking checked luggage for Magical Express return to airport day
Yes - magical express driver

Do I have that right?
 
Okay. Did not know that was the name for the service they provide. I fully agree with you. :thumbsup2 I had been told by a friend to make sure I also tip them. I am so thankful for that service. Using RAC saves so much time and energy. ;)

Actually it's "Remote Airline Check In" not resort. You can find it available at convention locations and resorts across the United States, not just at WDW.

:earsboy: Bill
 
So help me here for our trip to BC on Friday

No - airport unless we use a skycap
Yes - Magical express driver
No - to person taking luggage at BC if room not ready
Yes - to person who delivers luggage when room is ready
No - to bell services taking checked luggage for Magical Express return to airport day
Yes - magical express driver

Do I have that right?
Your personal choice of course, but that's about where I'd be. Maybe the only area I'd vary would be I'd likely tip Bell services on the way out since I wouldn't be tipping at the destination of the bags for the bags. I'm assuming that you weren't tipping the driver for the entirety of the bags and I would not be. I haven't used ME so I'm not sure how the bags are handled in and out of the bus and while that likely wouldn't affect my actual choices, it likely would affects my amounts and breakdowns.
 
Your personal choice of course, but that's about where I'd be. Maybe the only area I'd vary would be I'd likely tip Bell services on the way out since I wouldn't be tipping at the destination of the bags for the bags. I'm assuming that you weren't tipping the driver for the entirety of the bags and I would not be. I haven't used ME so I'm not sure how the bags are handled in and out of the bus and while that likely wouldn't affect my actual choices, it likely would affects my amounts and breakdowns.

I tip the driver when taking ME to the resort with my bags.

When leaving resort I give a tip then to the baggage company at the resort handling the bags but not the driver again if no bags
 
So help me here for our trip to BC on Friday

No - airport unless we use a skycap
I agree on this one
Yes - Magical express driver
I only Tip Magical Express driver if they are handling my bags
No - to person taking luggage at BC if room not ready
I would give whoever took my bags to store a few $
Yes - to person who delivers luggage when room is ready
I agree, but I don't leave anything for whoever delivers from DME to the room on Check in day
No - to bell services taking checked luggage for Magical Express return to airport day
I always tip the Bell hops who pick up my bags on departure day. I also tip whoever brings the bags out of storage for us if we have stuff that we didn't check in for the Airline but put in storage.
Yes - magical express driver
Again, no to Magical Express Driver if they are not handling any of my bags.

Do I have that right?

Everyone has differing opinions as you can see from our responses. Most if not all the Bell Hops I've encountered at WDW work very hard and while I don't give $2 per bag to each one they get a tip based on the effort I perceive them to expend depending on whether or not they are the only one handling my bags for check-in, storage or departure. I always tip the RAC personnel separately. I've seen DME Bus drivers refuse to handle baggage for some guest based upon the particular guests ethnic origins. I can only assume this is a result of cultural differences regarding tipping but I was appalled to witness such a thing. I've also had many DME drivers try to convince me I needed to stow my carry on Backpack under the bus which I always refuse to do. If I have to hold it on my lap I will but there is no way it goes out of my sight into the Bus luggage compartment.
 



















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