Valet tipping tid-bit of info.

[dumbo71]

Maybe that's the answer... maybe Disney should just do away with luggage services and go to cart rentals, then they wouldn't have to outsource anything.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

 

[psu4glory]

Rob,

Wouldn't it be easier to tip the 5 bucks and let the bellmen get your luggage?

1) You wouldn't make DVC'ers look like buffoons.

2) You wouldn't look like some moron you had never traveled before.

3) You would help keep the bellman in a job.

4) Your wife could finally stop telling all of her friends how cheap you are.

All of you non tippers: I'd hate to be on your Christmas list.

What goes around comes around. Those bellman and valets radio the front desk CM after you don't tip them or the valet and let them know to hold your room.

You see, I always tip and low and behold my room is always ready early.

funny....see, i always thought that when DVC'ers called each other morons that THAT'S what made us look like buffoons.....my bad, i guess.....

 

[DisDaydreamer]

They still need luggage services for people that want/need that service, and carts need to be dedicated to that. And some people, especialy those in wheelchairs, would need that service.

I would not want to see an airport style cart dispenser for "self-serve" in a DVC resort lobby.

Hey Chuck,

I know... there are people that need the service. And I wouldn't want to see those people deprived of the option. I was just trying to make light of the situation. Thanks for you civil tone and not flaming me.

 

[Sammie]

We park our own car never use valet as I am quite capable of finding a spot and 9 times out of 10 will get front row spots no matter where I am. Why pay somone to park my car when I am fully capable of doing it never could figure out why people do this.

Because when it is pouring down rain, or 100 degrees in the shade it is worth the cost to me, for someone to go get my car and bring it to me while I stay dry or cool. Also we have received damage to our cars in general parking due to people getting in and out of theirs and especially with luggage. Not a problem with that in valet.

I tip when I drop the car off and I tip when I pick it up. Heck when I am on vacation I tip everyone. I could care less about industry standards I do what makes me happy, and I have yet to have anyone refuse to take my money, so guess it's ok with them too.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Rob,

Wouldn't it be easier to tip the 5 bucks and let the bellmen get your luggage?

1) You wouldn't make DVC'ers look like buffoons.

2) You wouldn't look like some moron you had never traveled before.

3) You would help keep the bellman in a job.

4) Your wife could finally stop telling all of her friends how cheap you are.

All of you non tippers: I'd hate to be on your Christmas list.

What goes around comes around. Those bellman and valets radio the front desk CM after you don't tip them or the valet and let them know to hold your room.

You see, I always tip and low and behold my room is always ready early.

Dumbo... I am assuming that is not your real name.

No it would not be any easier to pay someone to push my cart for me. I am still fully capable of pushing my own cart. Someday it probably will be easier, but I am not there yet.

How am I making anyone look like a buffoon?

I am not too concerned about looking like a moron as long I am not one.

Wouldn't it just be easier to have room service bring you your meals instead of cooking it yourself or traveling out? It would help keep the kitchen staff jobs in demand!

I've been happily married for 31 years. My wife and I are of one mind, spirit, and thinking on most matters. This one for sure.

I think you need to take a deep breath and relax a bit.

Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

 

[Dean]

I'm another that hates to pay someone to do something for me that I can do for myself. I guess that I'm just too much of a cheapskate.

I don't mind saving a few $$$ but I just don't like people messing with my stuff plus I don't like relying on others more than I have to. So to me it's more of a control issue than a $$ one.

The reality is that if you want a cart to move your luggage yourself, then bring it with you. The hotel's amenities doesn't include carts for guests to use. No hotel with bell services intends to provide carts for guests to use -- no self-respecting bell staff would put up with that, nor should they. That's the nature of full-service hotels.

Maybe, maybe not. I can't say I've even had a cart from the resort that offered bell services. OTOH, almost all timeshares I stay at have carts for members to use. If I recall, VB used to have them as well in the out buildings.

I generally am a good tipper for certain jobs, but in general I'm starting to get tired of how many people are starting to expect or ask for tips. Seems like there are tip jars just about everywhere these days. Even fast food restaurants are putting the tip line on their credit card receipts.

I recently posted on this. My kids got a magazine from USAA recently aimed at teenagers. They had an article on tipping and one of the areas they addressed in the article was tip jars at counter service places. They said not to tip in that situation.

Standard practice according to who? You.

Sorry, just because many do this does NOT make it right or the correct way to tip valets.

Service workers rely on tips.

You can to what I did years ago and have done periodically over the years, usually when this issue comes up. Do web searches for tipping etiquette. If you do, I think you'll find what I did. That MOST listings say to tip on pickup and most say $1-2. If I recall last time I looked at this, 6 of 7 said tip only pickup. The prices were a little more scattered with the majority being $1-2 and a smaller number saying $2-3 and I seem to recall there was one outlier. If you disagree you can certainly follow your heart as tipping should ultimately be a personal decision.

 

[dumbo71]

funny....see, i always thought that when DVC'ers called each other morons that THAT'S what made us look like buffoons.....my bad, i guess.....

You must have misunderstood. I would never call a fellow DVC'er a moron. I stated he would LOOK LIKE a moron.

Sorry for the confusion. It was all in good fun by the way.

 

[dumbo71]

Dumbo... I am assuming that is not your real name.

No it would not be any easier to pay someone to push my cart for me. I am still fully capable of pushing my own cart. Someday it probably will be easier, but I am not there yet.

How am I making anyone look like a buffoon?

I am not too concerned about looking like a moron as long I am not one.

Wouldn't it just be easier to have room service bring you your meals instead of cooking it yourself or traveling out? It would help keep the kitchen staff jobs in demand!

I've been happily married for 31 years. My wife and I are of one mind, spirit, and thinking on most matters. This one for sure.

I think you need to take a deep breath and relax a bit.

Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

Rob,

It was a joke, albeit at your expense. Some of your comments in this thread made it seem to me that you could "take it like a man." Sorry I was wrong.

As for having someone cook for me, well I do that too on vacation, it is called room service and we utilize it often. You see vacation time is too precious to have either my wife or I cooking in the kitchen. We can do that at home.

As far as lightening up, I suggest you try that on your next vacation. Let the valet park the car, let the bellman haul your luggage, order room service and have breakfast in bed or a candlelight dinner. You may just be surprised how much you enjoy it.

My post was in good fun, sorry you didn't take it that way.

 

[dumbo71]

Dean,

I can't dispute you or your sources.

I just choose to take a common sense approach to tipping, I don't need a guide. If someone provides me with a service, I tip them.

I guess it just makes me feel good to treat service workers with the respect they deserve. Call me the classic over tipper.

 

[patsal]

And that is good money?????? Assuming a 40 hour work week that is $800 a week before taxes. Roughly $41,600 per year before taxes. Sorry but this hardly qualifies as good money.

Maybe you should try to support your family in todays world at that wage. Most are part timers so Disney doesn't have to give them health insurance.

When in doubt tip, it will make you feel godd and them feel good. Worth the couple of bucks x 2.

I call $800 per week good money, it is far more than I earn with a Master's Degree teaching fulltime.

 

[dumbo71]

I call $800 per week good money, it is far more than I earn with a Master's Degree teaching fulltime.

OK.......... You might want to look for work as a valet at WDW then.

Seriously a masters degree making les than 40K a year? You must really love what you do and if not see my above suggestion.

 

[Dean]

Dean,

I can't dispute you or your sources.

I just choose to take a common sense approach to tipping, I don't need a guide. If someone provides me with a service, I tip them.

I guess it just makes me feel good to treat service workers with the respect they deserve. Call me the classic over tipper.

There are valet's in some areas that earn 6 figures from what I'm told but it is second hand information. You questioned what was standard practice and I suggested a way for you to discern that easily for yourself. If you want to go your own way, it's no problem and your prerogative. I'm confident these guidelines take into account your concerns however. Valet's normally "share" tips on one of two principles. They either pool their tips (or a portion of them) or they rotate who picks up in some way thus sharing the wealth on a rotating basis. I am very much a rule follower so if I am presented with a situation and I know there is a standard, I am inclined to follow it. But then I adjust for any special situations like directions, raining, remembers our names, etc for valets. The other hot topic on DIS about tipping form time to time is housekeeping. WDW states formally that housekeeping is not a tipped position. They get paid appropriately to do their job. I only tip if they do more for us than that, you may do differently.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Silly, silly, silly...

If I had to come up with a "reason" why I tip the way I do, it would be about a million years before I would ever happen upon "overtipping because of feeling guilty for having DVC".

Giving more than a dollar tip at pickup only obviously makes many of you uncomfortbale. So avert your eyes if you see a blue minivan with NC plates at a valet stand, because if I don't have any ones, sometimes I (GASP!!!!!!) give the guy a FIVE DOLLAR BILL!!!!!!!!

I still haven't read through the whole thread yet, but am jumping to respond here.

I guess you can put us in the "over-tipper" category, but it has nothing to do with guilt or anything else. We are talking about the differnce of $1 or $2 here (in the case of valet). Once my DH said this to me (actually about tipping a restuarant server) and I have never forgotten it, and we both abide by it to this day....

When the issue is really only a dollar (or two), we give the extra dollar. Why? Because it means more to them than it does to us.

Now, I have to explain the context of this...this is not because we are "wealthy" and those who wait on us are "poor" or of a lower status or anything like that. It is because that tipped employee is likely counting percent (especially in the case of a server). That person will automatically think, "they left me 15%...that's good." That extra dollar can then make that tip go to "wow--they really left me a nice tip!" Obviously, this is assuming it is not a $500 meal, but you get my point.

Applying this to DVC-Valet terms...for us, our valet cost is $4 instead of $2. No big deal. For them, an employee who may not normall get tipped (the drop-off) feels great for getting a bonus tip. CMs provide us with so much magic, if this is a small amount of magic that we can give back, we're all for it.

 

[JimC]

Silly question here....what about tipping when the valet parking is free because there is no nearby handicapped parking? I know they do this at GF and YC....so basically you can't park your own car and have to use valet....you don't pay the daily fee...but should you still tip?

We do. We also tip at restaurants where we have gotten free or discounted meals (on pre-discount price), unless the gratuity is included in the coupon or discount.

 

[JimC]

Standard practice according to who? You.

Sorry, just because many do this does NOT make it right or the correct way to tip valets.

Service workers rely on tips.

I am not saying there is a correct or incorrect way of tipping. I am just passing on my experience having traveled extensively for both leisure and business. I have asked management, concierge, valet, bell, housekeeping and wait staff what the norm for tipping is in many, many locations domestically and internationally. I have, as Dean has done, researched it on the internet using keyword searches and sites/sources that I trust as authoritative.

All I can do when the question is asked is offer guidance from my experience and research. If you want to tip more that is fine. If you want to tip less that is fine.

The amount I tip is adjusted to the quality of the service and the conditions under which the service is rendered. I also find a smile and thank you is often appreciated as much or even more than the gratuity.

 

[bicker]

Are valets paid a wage for their job or do they work for tips?

They work for tips. They are tipped employees at WDW, and at every other resort I've been to in the United States, incidentally. Contrast this with housekeepers, who, at WDW, are NOT tipped personnel. You surely don't have to tip the housekeepers, but you are expected to tip the valets and bell staff.

They ought to just raise prices and pay the waitstaff a higher wage and be done with it.

That's not an uncommon refrain, but, as you can well imagine, if any resort tried to do as you suggest unilaterally, they'd suffer serious negative reaction from their customers. Customers will react to the publicized base price, regardless of whether they would or wouldn't be expected to tip the valets or bellstaff.

This isn't a hotel... it's DVC and I am an owner...

So am I. I don't want my fees going towards carts for member use. There are loads of things I'd rather seem my fees going towards instead.

As owners, through our MFs we have paid for those carts and we have the right to use them.

Incorrect. Regardless of whether we have paid for those carts or not (at BWV, VWL and BCV, at least, I believe we didn't), the carts were purchased for use by bellstaff, not by members. Individual members don't get to unilaterally re-purpose association assets.

 

[bicker]

Sorry, just because many do this does NOT make it right or the correct way to tip valets.

Jim was correct. Standard practice is to tip valets when you pick up your vehicle. There is no law against tipping them more than that, but no one should feel compelled to tip on drop-off, just because some other people choose to do so.

 

[nyjets53]

Love the convenience of valet and tip both ways...

 

[Pluto 2]

yes tip both ways , just think if it was your job wouldnt you want to be tip both ways