Stupid Guest Tricks

This is going to be our first visit to Disney World. My Daughter will be celebrating her 4th Birthday in September 2009, we're visiting during her birthday. I don't want to be a stupid guest, so here are some questions about tipping for housekeeping.

1. Would the housekeepers get tremendously upset if their tip was in Disney Dollars rather than cash?

2. Is it possible to charge a tip to the room each day, or should I leave an envelope with money in it? How does it work?

3. What's the appropriate amount per day?

We're staying at Animal Kingdom Jambo House in a one-bedroom villa.

If you can provide guidance, I'd appreciate it.

johnlal wrote:This is going to be our first visit to Disney World. My Daughter will be celebrating her 4th Birthday in September 2009, we're visiting during her birthday. I don't want to be a stupid guest, so here are some questions about tipping for housekeeping.

1. Would the housekeepers get tremendously upset if their tip was in Disney Dollars rather than cash?

It would be annoying, as most mousekeepers -- make that most cast members -- don't spend much time or money at work. Cash would be much better.

2. Is it possible to charge a tip to the room each day, or should I leave an envelope with money in it? How does it work?

Mousekeeping is a non-tipped position at WDW, so you cannot charge it. An envelope clearly marked "For Housekeeping Cast" or some such would be necessary, as they aren't permitted to just pick up cash left on the pillow.

3. What's the appropriate amount per day?

Seeing as it's a non-tipped position, the correct answer is "nothing".

Strict adherence to Company policy would be to leave the envelopes in the room (no matter what they said). If left behind at the end of your stay, the money should be turned over to management who are supposed to use it for cast activities like free pizza or a barbecue. As the Company already has a budget for such things and a policy of not revealing the accounting of such funds, the net benefit to front-line cast is viewed as being essentially zero.

I trust others will pitch in with their own opinions.

Thanks, Zazu. That's very helpful.

Just an FYI, I leave an envelope marked "Mousekeeping" in our room every day we are at WDW. And about half the time, its still there when we get back after a day at the parks.

(I also leave a tip when I stay at other hotels.)

I just think that anyone that "cleans up" after myself and DW deserves SOMETHING, even if its only enough to get a couple of starbucks Mochas, or something like that.

Zazu wrote:Seeing as it's a non-tipped position, the correct answer is "nothing".

Oh thank goodness... I was starting to think I forgot to tip someone who was supposed to be tipped! I would have left one anyway if I'd had exceptional service, but my Mousekeeper, the first 4 or 5 days, would turn my room thermostat down to 58 while I was out, which really annoyed me, since I'd turned it to 74 before I left because I learned after the first night that I'm always freezing when I get back to the room from the parks at night and I wanted to come back to a nice warm room. I nearly complained, but then it stopped on it's own.

8^S

I generally tip $1 per person staying in the room per day, although sometimes I forget to do it consistently and end up leaving it all at the end of my stay.

CMs will take cash or Disney Dollars. As Zazu said they prefer cash but they can use the Disney Dollars to buy stuff in the parks and I used to buy them with my ATM/debit card to save bank fees. I would buy a $10 certificate then get in park some popcorn and have $5 cash in my purse. The Disney Dollars are treated just like buying candy and you do not have to pay all them banking fees for using an ATM outside of your whatever.

Cash is such an easy way to acknowledge good service and performance. To paraphrase the old AMEX commercial, "Cash. Don't leave home without it."

I'm a little confused...does Disney want us to leave a tip or not. If I am not sure that the money will get to the rightful person...I think I am a little concerned, especially if we aren't supposed to leave one.

I always felt that the "weekly" tip stood a good chance of not getting to the person that had done all the work. If a housekeeper worked all week then had the day off that was the same day as your leaving, that person would get nothing and the "substitute" would get it all. Daily would give it to the person actually doing the cleaning, but it would be in advance of actually knowing if they did an exceptional job or not.

I am going on the 4th of March for a week at Pop. Since this is the first time I have stayed on-site, I am truly concerned about what the right thing to do would be, in this case.

Goofyernmost wrote:I'm a little confused...does Disney want us to leave a tip or not. If I am not sure that the money will get to the rightful person...I think I am a little concerned, especially if we aren't supposed to leave one.

Officially, you don't have to leave anything. It is a non-tipped position, and they're paid accordingly (they get paid at least the Florida Non-Tipped Minimum Wage of $7.21, rather than the Tipped Minimum Wage of $4.17).

Unofficially, you can choose to leave something, and they'll probably take it, but it's like if you were paying them cash-in-hand.