Tipping in advance????

[monty]

I am unusure what this practice is called but for want of a better name I will call it tipping in advance. I have seen on some TV shows and I witnessed it in Las Vegas some years ago, people "giving" money to people at the door of the restaraunt and suddenly the "full" restaraunt has a "spare" table or a "better" table available.What I am wondering is : if asking for a room upgrade or nice view, etc when checking in at your resort, does it help, or in fact is it expected, to tip in advance. If so how do you go about it? And how much? What about at the park restaraunts? If you want a nice table do you tip for a table request?

 

[nasmith]

Monty - The room assignments are usually made out in advance - --- You can ask for an upgrade or change of room when you check in- but the CM behind the desk has to go into a back room (To another person - the Room assigner) and get it changed - They can't do it themselves.........PlUS, they would get fired for taking the "Bribe" or "Tip in advance" as you call it........

As for restaurants - it's called tipping the Maitre d' --and it's customary in some restaurants in the larger cities in America - but not at WDW - they too would get fired if caught........

 

[goofie4goofy]

A tip is for services, what you mean is a bribe - LOL!

It does work in many hotels, but not in WDW. In some hotels, you can ask the person that is checking you in if there is any suites available, tell him or her it is a special occasion of some kind, and shake a $100 into their hand and voila, you are in a grand suite. There are many codes they can use in the computer and put you into a great room.

However, WDW is different. This cannot be done. Most rooms are accounted for and I'm not sure if they CAN do it, without a good reason ie: the first room checked into that was reserved had a problem of some kind and an equivelent is not available.


As far as restaurants, money talks. It is true. For example: If you are going to the Cali Grill and you would like a table by the window, after giving your name, ask if there is a window table available and discretely give the person a $20, OR the person that seats you once in the restaurant upstairs. If there is more than 1 person there it can get tricky but men know how to handle this. Since window tables are not reserved, they are requested at check in....well someone has to get the window table. I was just using the CG for an example and in no way stating that this is done by the CM at the restaurant.

What you saw on TV about Las Vegas is true WDW has a "tighter" hold on their hotel reservations. Comparing LV to WDW is like apples and oranges....but both are great fun.

 

[disnut8]

I have seen people in the parks trying to tip the beer vendors. Those Cast Members cannot accept tips. I wouldn't think the front desk people or the seaters at the restaurants can accept tips either. A kind word or a big smile would work a lot better, I would think.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I never thought of doing such thing... especially in Disney! I would never do it. I think it's tacky. And even if you're trying to bribe the server to get a better table ..you hand the server $20.. and then the server hands it back to you and say sorry the table you want is not avaialable... isn't that kind of tacky? Same thing as far as trying to get the room you want, it's hard to bribe someone when what you want is is not available. And especially if you're trying to upgrade yourself to a better room (or view). I say pay the room or the view that you really want and you are guaranteed you will get what you want. And you don't have to bribe.

I think you can also call it "under the table." I heard this term before. You hand the money secretly to bribe and sometimes you hand it under the table so no one will see it.

 

[monty]

There was an episode of Seinfeld where they were waiting forever to get a table in a Chinese restaraunt and I seem to remember Elaine giving the Maitre d' some money which he put it in his pocket....and they still had to keep waiting for a table!

 

[MelodyMack]

LOL!!! This thread is cracking me up, and making me think of my Dad. We alway tease my Pop because he ALWAYS tips EVERYBODY, and tries this tactic ALL the time, and most of the time it works (never in WDW of course).

My Pop's from Brooklyn....it's like a requirement to live there or something to be a good tipper...and he always seems "to know a guy"....he just can't seem to stop himself!!!