Tipping, tipping everywhere

[Yippee]

Forgive my cluelessness but we're coming from Europe.
In checking out boards, it seems there are a lot of places expecting tips, including some I wouldn't have thought:

• Restaurants: 15-20%. That one I knew about. But not at counter service surely?
• Taxi driver: also 15%.
• Magical Express person who unloads your luggage: it would not have occurred to me to give this person a tip
• Green Grocer delivery person whom i won't even see
• person from hotel who brings deliveries to room?
• Do we carry our own luggage to the room? If someone else does, is that also a tip?
• Cleaning service at hotel - every day? I usually leave some money at the end of a trip but it seems it's done every day at DW.
• How about other activities at the hotel? Are you supposed to tip anyone involved in an activity, like the night vision person or storytelling person?

am I forgetting anyone?
Obviously I need to stock up on dollar bills!

[vicki_c]

I think you have covered all of the traditional tipping areas @ WDW - you wouldn't tip anyone at the hotel other than bell services people and the valet parkers, if you used valet parking. Or someone at a spa.

The reason why tipping housekeeping daily is recommended is because you may have a different housekeeper on different days.

As for the luggage, if you ride Magical Express, they will deliver your luggage to your room, and the tip is already included - they will deliver even if you are not there. For other bell services, a tip would be expected - like bringing up your groceries. And they won't deliver those unless you are in your room.

For Garden Grocer, which I have never used, I thought the tip was paid when your ordered on the order form, but perhaps someone else can clarify that.

[mdsd8700]

For Garden Grocer, which I have never used, I thought the tip was paid when your ordered on the order form, but perhaps someone else can clarify that.

We always tip the driver on the order and it is included in the total bill that we pay for by credit card. I have heard of people tipping the driver when they get there, but then you need to be present when the order is delivered. For us we never know where will be, so we always just include the tip with the payment.

Enjoy your trip

[Yippee]

Thanks for your replies! About Magical Express, we'll be picking up our luggage and taking it with us on the bus since we're arriving internationally. So I don't think they bring it up to the room for you, but I could be totally wrong!
1 week from today and we'll be on the plane!

[Tinkerkell]

Thanks for your replies! About Magical Express, we'll be picking up our luggage and taking it with us on the bus since we're arriving internationally. So I don't think they bring it up to the room for you, but I could be totally wrong!
1 week from today and we'll be on the plane!

You have a good list of who to tip. If you carry your own luggage from ME and to your room, that'll save a little in tip money. A good general rule is that whoever carries your bags for you gets about $1.00 per bag. I always have extra tip money in hand on arrival and departure dates.

I tip Garden Grocer when I place the order. If they carry the food to the room when I am there, I tell them that I tipped when I paid (otherwise, that would be paying a double tip).

[blyday]

How about other activities at the hotel? Are you supposed to tip anyone involved in an activity, like the night vision person or storytelling person?

No....you don't tip for these things.

Basically, the way that I've heard it said once is that if you are personally being served by someone (such as luggage being carried, personal food delivery, room being cleaned, etc) then you tip but if it is more of a group or general activity, then you do not tip. So.....even if you show up at the Storytelling and are the only ones there....it still isn't a personal service because it falls under the "general activity" area. But someone taking care of your luggage is serving you directly so you tip them.

With ME.....since you have to get your own bag, then the driver will need to load and unload your luggage onto the bus. So...generally we tip about $1 per bag. If they are smaller bags....probably less. So for example....let's say you have 4 large suitcases and 4 backpack size bags....I would tip $5.00 total. In the end.....the tip is not necessary here (the same with mousekeeping) but is just a nice gesture for someone giving you personalized service.

And like mdsd8700, we just add on the tip for Garden Grocer when we put in our food order. We like to have our food waiting for us when we arrive at the resort so this allows us to thank our driver for getting and deliverying our food safely to us while still having our food there when we arrive.

[2boysmel]

How much do you all typically "tip" for Garden Grocer?

[AmeliaPond]

We don't use the ME baggage service. We pick our bags up at the airport and bring them to the bus. The driver loads them under the bus and takes them out at our hotel. We tip $1 per bag. We just take our own bags to our room. On one trip this bell services (?) guy offered to take us (and our bags) to our room with his golf cart. We said okay. He even gave us info about the resort (Port Orleans Riverside) on the drive to our room. So we definitely gave him a tip.

We never tip housekeeping. I'd never even heard of doing this until I started visiting WDW forums. I've never considered housekeeping to be a 'tipped profession' like a server in a restaurant. So it just isn't something I do. (Then again, we typically leave the DO NOT DISTURB sign up our entire trip.)

Oh...and you don't need to tip anyone at Counter Service food places.

[blyday]

How much do you all typically "tip" for Garden Grocer?

We usually do 10-15% depending on how much we order. The more we get....the higher we tip because it is a lot of work for them to get everything together for us and then deliver it. We also tip Bell Services about $5 for delivering it our room. Of course.....we typically have a lot since we travel with large groups and even just some snacks and breakfast items add up really fast!!

[josh]

The best part of being "foreign" is not tipping!

[vatmark]

How much should you tip the valet guy and do you tip when dropping off the car and picking up the car?

Ann

[DoctorK]

The best part of being "foreign" is not tipping!

Your accent doesn't fool anyone, you know...

[fizboBunny]

How much should you tip the valet guy and do you tip when dropping off the car and picking up the car?

Ann

I tip $2 - 3 bucks and I do it when I'm picking up and dropping off if it's on separate days, like check in a hotel one day and then leave to go somewhere the next. If it's for a restaurant with valet, I just tip when I'm leaving. I've never done valet in Disney though.

[peachygreen]

We never tip housekeeping. I'd never even heard of doing this until I started visiting WDW forums. I've never considered housekeeping to be a 'tipped profession' like a server in a restaurant. So it just isn't something I do. (Then again, we typically leave the DO NOT DISTURB sign up our entire trip.)

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I never tip housekeeping at a hotel. The cabin steward on a ship - yes but housekeeping? The last time I checked I thought they earned at least a minimum wage. I travel a lot for work and have never heard of tipping housekeeping until I started following Disney boards.

I also typically do not stay in places that have a turn down service either. that might change my opinion.

[AmeliaPond]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I never tip housekeeping at a hotel. The cabin steward on a ship - yes but housekeeping? The last time I checked I thought they earned at least a minimum wage. I travel a lot for work and have never heard of tipping housekeeping until I started following Disney boards.

I also typically do not stay in places that have a turn down service either. that might change my opinion.

I've never done a cruise so I don't even what what a cabin steward is...haha. And yeah...we only stay at regular hotels like Holiday Inn and whatnot so I've never done a turn down service. I'm too cheap for that kind of thing.

[vicki_c]

Personal preference, we always tip the housekeepers even when we just stay on quick overnight visits while driving to Florida (literally arrive at 11 PM, leave at 7 AM). That's what my parents always did everywhere, and I follow suit.

[AmeliaPond]

Perhaps it's a regional thing. I've asked around and I have yet to find anyone (not from a WDW forum) who tips housekeeping.

[nolarookie]

Perhaps it's a regional thing. I've asked around and I have yet to find anyone (not from a WDW forum) who tips housekeeping.

I've never heard of it outside WDW info sources either. I feel a little guilty about it now

[Janine]

Same with Vicki. It's something my parents always did, so I figured that's what you're suppose to do.

[fizboBunny]

I've always tipped housekeeping. My parents always did it and I've continued. I guess I feel like they are cleaning up after me and cleaning a toilet I've used, so they deserve a tip.

[vicki_c]

Even though I've been in these conversations before, I just decided to Google and see what common etiquette sites say. So here's what I found from a few sources:

Good Housekeeping - http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/fami...-tipping-apr05
CNN - http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/tipping/
CNN - interesting article - http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-24/t...e?_s=PM:TRAVEL

NYTimes - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/07/bu...pagewanted=all
Travel & Leisure - http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...-tipping-guide

I saw one of these saying this was a more recent phenomenon (tipping housekeeping) but since my parents were doing it in the 1960s, I'm not sure that's really true!

[fizboBunny]

We usually leave the housekeeping tip stuck in the mirror frame. I never thought about them not taking it for fear of being accused of stealing. I generally don't leave money lying around, so it never occurred to me. I don't even leave it lying around at home or little man "finds it" and then thinks it belongs to him. LOL. I guess next time I will bring an envelope.

[drj898]

What if you're not physically there when Magical Express drops off your bags in your room?

lol

[nolarookie]

I've always tipped housekeeping. My parents always did it and I've continued. I guess I feel like they are cleaning up after me and cleaning a toilet I've used, so they deserve a tip.

All of our vacations were camping when I was a kid - I guess that's why I never knew about it. My kids are coloring their mousekeeping envelopes. (Gets them all excited to get ready for the trip!)

[AmeliaPond]

Well...I've never been one to care much about what's considered "common etiquette" I guess. It's not something my parents did. Probably because we rarely went on vacation and when we did it was a motel 6 kind of place.

I guess I'm just different. And I'm okay with that. I tip people in professions that rely on tips. If I started tipping everyone who did something "for me"...the tipping would never end. I'd have to start tipping the cashier at the store, the person bagging my groceries, the bank teller, the person who holds the door open for me, the lady at the front desk of the hotel, the person who puts the chemicals in the hotel pool, the guy at McDonalds who handed me my food, etc. I just don't get it. I mean, everyone is free to do as they please, of course. But I'm not going to tip someone for simply doing their job...unless said job relies heavily on tips.

I don't know...maybe this is all so strange to me because I've always been lower/lower-middle class.

ETA - Sorry to go off on a tangent...haha. Back to your regularly scheduled advice....