Mousekeeping Tipping

[goofygonewild]

:mickey: I read on another forum that they would leave a tip envelope for Mousekeeping every morning when they leave. Is this common even in value resorts and what is an appropriate amount to leave. I am not up much on gratuity for services and would appreciate any suggestions on what other guests do. Thanks!!

[McLiberal8]

I usually leave $2 a day at Pop. I love the mouskeeping there - they will make fun towel animals and set up scenes with your other souvenirs :)

[nfrustaci]

i usually leave a $1 a day per person in our room. we also decorate the envelope with disney stickers and a disney thankyou card, i get them from the local party store usually out of the discounted - discontinued bins.... around a dollar for a pack of 8 - 10 cards. i also address the card to mouskeeping and a personal handwritten note saying thank you so much for keeping our room clean. and i sign it The Frustaci Family. not sure if that makes a difference but it made me feel good. we have a 2 year old and they always arranged our sons toys on the bed for him. we got towel animals 3 times in 8 days. we stayed pop century on our last visit.

[Jillirose]

Check out info central (http://intercot.com/infocentral/money/tipping.asp) information on money and tipping at Disney. There was also another chat (http://intercot.com/infocentral/money/tipping.asp) on this theme that you can also check out.

Personally, tipping mousekeeping was part of the magic. It felt good to express gratitude to them for their hard work. We organized it ahead of time like others mentioned and put the money in envelopes. My kids were in charge of leaving the tips. We left a buck per person, per day.

[gardenia]

Most people don't tip housekeeping because it's not a tipped position at WDW, <snip>

[eam]

:welcome: to Intercot!! We generally tip the day we leave, but never a set amount. Have fun!

[DizneyRox]

Dean Wormer's response when asked about house cleaning tipping at WDW: Zero point zero...

In the 15 plus years of frequenting WDW and 40+ someodd trips that's exactly what I have left. Never had a problem with them not performing their jobs, never had anything go missing on me, nothing.

[brownie]

:welcome: Welcome to INTERCOT!

We'll leave a tip of $1 per person in the room each day.


We generally tip the day we leave, but never a set amount. Have fun!

You might have different housekeepers each day. I like to tip each day to try to make sure I get all the people who take care of our room.

[gauvin4]

We always leave $1 per person per day in a disney decorated envelope just like some of the other posters. Mousekeeping may not be a tipped position, but in high school I worked as a housekeeper and not only is it hard work, the job doesn't pay well either. I know what the job entails and I tip no matter what when I stay in ANY hotel.

[mouseketeer mom]

I respect Mousekeeping and we tip daily. We make mousekeeping envelopes before we leave. My kids decorate them with Disney themes, and we leave $5.00/day when we leave in the am. There are five in my family. Staying club level, we also leave envelopes in the evening with 2 bucks in them for the turndown mousekeepers in the evening.

[sorcerer fan]

we always tip $5 a day and we get envelopes on line for disney mousekeeping. they have them for all yearly occations. we leave the envelope on the sink every morning when we leave for the parks. if you wait till the end of your trip to tip you probably won't be tipping the person who's been in your room all week, as they rotate their days off.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We leave $1 per day per person

[dbright]

We always tip...on our last visit each of my twin granddaughters suffered a stomach bug...on different days. At least one comforter had to be changed for each bout and the mousekeeper, a very nice gentleman, happily responded! When we were able to get them out of the room, we returned to a toy for each girl on the days they were sick. We got towel animals every day of that visit and they'd would frequently rearrange the kids toys. It was a lot of fun and his cheerful smile and well wishes for the girls made a potentially bad situation bearable. I tipped VERY well that trip, but I typically leave the tip at the end of the stay. In my experience we had the same mousekeeper the whole time.

[BrerGnat]

Tipping is a very personal thing. I do it because I appreciate anyone who does a job that I would not do. I'm happy that while on vacation, I don't have to be responsible for cleaning a bathroom, doing linen changes/laundry, vacuuming, etc. My tipping is an expression of my gratitude to those who work for a very low (in my opinion) hourly wage.

Some things to keep in mind if you decide to tip:

1. You may not have the same housekeeper every day, so it is appropriate to leave a daily tip, before you leave the room in the morning.

2. Leave the tip on your pillow on the bed. A nice simple note of "Thanks!" along with the money assures the housekeeper that the money is for her/him.

3. A good rule of thumb is, $1 per person in the room, per day.

4. The housekeepers at WDW *sometimes* make cute towel animals and arrange your children's toys, but this is NOT to be expected. Tipping should not be done in order to expect this special service. Not all housekeepers know how (or have time) to do these fun things. If your housekeeper does fun things, consider it a "magical moment".

5. The housekeepers at ALL levels of resorts are paid on the same pay scale, so the services at the Value resorts should be the same as those at the Deluxe resorts. Ideally.

[AllDisney]

We tip $1 per person per day. This way we are tipping the person who actually was there for the day.

[kemps@wdw]

it's not that mousekeeping won't do their job and do it well, but tipping daily will make them feel more appreciated. These are hardworking people with families to support also, so any extra is welcome. And common sense will tell you that anyone that feels and is told often how much they're appreciated will obviously respond to the praise. I LOVE coming back to a cool, clean room, and the wonderful little towel animals they make. $5 daily for our tip, in an envelope with our mousekeeper's name on it. Rarely, have we been disappointed. :thumbsup:

[Pop Centurion]

We tip $2 per day.

[JPL]

I usually tip dailly around $2-$3 per day. I just find it the right thing to do since I know how poorly they are paid for their hard work.

[WDWdreamer87]

If you really enjoy the service the housekeeper provided, also leave a note thanking them. These notes can be put on their record card, which in turn shows their hard work to the superiors. I've kept all my little "thank you notes" from guests since I started working at ASMu.

[Ramblingman]

We have always left $1 per person per day, and we have always tipped daily because of housekeeper rotation.

The last few times we have decorated the envelopes with stickers. My daughter has them all prepped for our trip.

This year we are adding a little special treat. Each envelope will also have a $1 lottery scratcher ticket with the money.

I hope one of them hits a big payday.

[jimsgal05]

okay I do tip everyday...but we also leave gifts from our homestate..I get postcards and write on the to "mousekeeping"..thanks and such..I have left Blueberry jam..not homemade Stonewall kitchen made here in maine...different Lobster treats.. funny stuff... Like I said I do leave $.... But it was fun to have them safe thank you for the sea dollars and shells from Maine.

well just remember If you were working in thier shoes what would you like for a tip

[McLiberal8]

okay I do tip everyday...but we also leave gifts from our homestate..I get postcards and write on the to "mousekeeping"..thanks and such..I have left Blueberry jam..not homemade Stonewall kitchen made here in maine...different Lobster treats.. funny stuff... Like I said I do leave $.... But it was fun to have them safe thank you for the sea dollars and shells from Maine.

well just remember If you were working in thier shoes what would you like for a tip

Awesome tip! I love Intercot - it reminds me that nice people like you still exist, and think about your fellow (wo)man!

[renecat]

Last Oct. when we wer there we stayed at Beach Club. There was 4 of us all women. We always needed extra wash clothes. Our Mousekeeper was great she gave us extra shampoo and conditioner plus bath gel and lotion. We had made our envelopes up for every day ahead of time. The day we checkexd out we happened to run into her. Each one of us
gave her an extra amount because we wanted her to know how much we appreciated all the extras. I also called housekeeping to tell them what a great job Sally did for us. I know you don't have to tip it is just something I feel like doing. I think it lets them know you appreciate the extra thing they do.

[JoF]

I have never tipped mousekeeping and have always had good service - even had the towel animals made on the beds and my neices toys arranged nicely:mickey:
Mind you I do not like tipping full stop. No one tips me for my work! Sorry if that makes me a mean person :blush:

[Janmac]

No one tips me for my work! Sorry if that makes me a mean person :blush:

I don't think it makes you a mean person. It's simply different personal experiences. I have also had the housekeeping experience in younger years, and know first hand the wonderful feeling a tip produces. Thus, I tip. Unless the service is rotten. And then I most definitely speak to a manager.

I have also worked in food service and as a store clerk. While I don't tip those people I do try to treat every person whose job involves customer service with friendliness and courtesy.

When we have daily Mousekeeping, we also use decorated tip envelopes. To us, it's part of the fun of staying at WDW. Like decorating our room in December.

Jan

[brivers222]

I printed of some nice envelopes i found online and added my own personal touch. when they unfold it to find the money there will be a picture of a Bride/Groom - Minnie/Mickey with the saying "thanks for making our honeymoon Magical" time consuming cutting and pasting the individual disney letters to say it.... but it looks great.

we have budgeted $2 a day (omitting first day) into our trip budget.

[McLiberal8]

Mind you I do not like tipping full stop. No one tips me for my work! Sorry if that makes me a mean person

Tipping for service jobs is not common in the UK, is that correct? I remember trying to tip my bartenders when I lived over there, and I would always get :scratch:

[TammiMcMan]

Tipping for service jobs is not common in the UK, is that correct? I remember trying to tip my bartenders when I lived over there, and I would always get :scratch:Tipping in some countries can be viewed as offensive. I know that was the case in Ireland.

We met a lovely couple one evening in Jiko's. They were from the UK. When the bill came following their families dinner, they asked my husband to help with the tip as it was something they weren't used to doing. They were quite surprised to hear that it was customary in the US to leave between 15-20% for good service.

[JoF]

It is usual to tip in a restaurant - usually about 10% for good service.
It is not common to tip bar staff (unless they bring drinks to your table), hotel domestic staff, bell hop, bus drivers etc.
I do think tipping in general is becoming expected more and more - I remember the first time visiting the US, we seemed to be chucking money around left, right and centre! My mum and dad still can't cope with the fact that restaurants expect 18-20% :spend:

[Melanie]

Tipping in some countries can be viewed as offensive. I know that was the case in Ireland.

True in Japan as well.

[AvaNellMouse]

I start putting $1's and $5's in an envelope marked "tips" months before we go to WDW. I also start collecting spicy dip mixes, salsa, UNM t-shirts, post cards, NM magnets and other packable and not completely cheesy souvineers from home.
I leave AT LEAST $1 per person each day for morning and evening mousekeeping. Anyone we find to be exceptionally helpful or friendly gets goodies, this includes CM's and other AKL guests. All mousekeepers that we see around the room get goodies, whether they work in our room or not.
I guess I feel like if they are making magic for me during my stay, I can bring some :party: from home to share.
They say that people that have worked in tipped positions are the best tippers. Having carried my share of :marg: & :beer: in my much younger days, I would have to agree.

[Mickey91]

It is usual to tip in a restaurant - usually about 10% for good service.
It is not common to tip bar staff (unless they bring drinks to your table), hotel domestic staff, bell hop, bus drivers etc.
I do think tipping in general is becoming expected more and more - I remember the first time visiting the US, we seemed to be chucking money around left, right and centre! My mum and dad still can't cope with the fact that restaurants expect 18-20% :spend:

The only thing I can say in defense of an 18 - 20% tip is that wait staff, not necessarily at WDW, but most places around the US, make about $2 -$3 an hour. The tips make up the rest of their salary. So, when deciding not to tip, please think of the fact that they aren't being paid on the same scale as a store clerk. But, on the other hand, if it is a nice restaurant, they make very good money on tips. And, I expect my waiters to be attentive and do their job. My tip is given accordingly.

As far as mousekeeping, we try to tip $2 - $4 a day. But again, if the room is not well maintained, or we repeatedly have to ask for enough towels and wash cloths for the number of people in our room, the tip goes down or becomes non existent. I do not believe a tip, in any position, is a right. It is an earned amount and I have the right to decide if that amount has been justified.

[JoF]

[QUOTE=Mickey91;2172585]The only thing I can say in defense of an 18 - 20% tip is that wait staff, not necessarily at WDW, but most places around the US, make about $2 -$3 an hour. The tips make up the rest of their salary. So, when deciding not to tip, please think of the fact that they aren't being paid on the same scale as a store clerk.


I do not think that it is my responsibility to subsidise someone else's pay just because they are in a poorly paid job. Sorry that's just the way I feel.
However, I do always tip in restaurants for good service and when I am in WDW I try to go along with what is the norm.
I am really not a mean person - just careful :cool:

[WDWdreamer87]

This year we are adding a little special treat. Each envelope will also have a $1 lottery scratcher ticket with the money.

I hope one of them hits a big payday.


I like this idea a lot!

[DisneyaHolic]

We always leave $1.00 per person, with a minimum of $3.00 (that is what my work reimburses for business travel, so I figured that is the standard).

I do try to make the envelopes before I go, so I don't have to worry about having the correct change each morning. I don't seal them, however, in case I decide to add more for exceptional service.

[dismommy]

I always tip mousekeeping, but I believe this is a personal choice. I do not believe that it is required or expected by the staff, but I do it because I would not want to get up every day and go clean up after others. There are days that I don't want to clean up after my own family. Also last year during our trip to the world I became very sick and had to stay behind in the room, the mousekeeper was so nice to me that day (I forgot to put up the do not clean sign), she offered to get we water or soda and even when I declined brought me a sprite and made sure I had ice. She really went above the call of duty.:tink:

[Genie1953]

Most people don't tip housekeeping because it's not a tipped position at WDW

I think most people DO tip the housekeepers. I rarely hear of anyone who does not.