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aussiedisneyfan83
11-22-2005, 04:08 PM
Hey Disney Fans, being down here in Melbourne Australia and never travelled to the US (before i go to Disneyland for 15 days in February) I have absolutley No idea about tipping. Do you tip people at the airport? I'm taking a shuttle from LAX do I tip the driver? I'm staying at HoJo do I tip people there? At Disneyland for giving information/at a disneyland resturant?
It is a custom most aussies arn't use to, is there a rough guide of how much to tip? I take it Fast Food outlets (Mcdonalds) you dont have to but for Dennys or IHOP do you? I'm very confused and a little scared by this tipping thing!!
Sorry about so many questions, but any info on tipping and how much everyone may suggest would be a great help, Thank You so much. :) :) :)

rentayenta
11-22-2005, 05:07 PM
I tip:


15% for okay sit-down restaurant service; more if the service is good. When in doubt you can double the tax and add a few more $$.

No need to tip at McDonald's or any fast food chain.

I tip anyone who handles my luggage $1 per bag, except taxi drivers; they get 15% of the cab fare.

Micmousetoo
11-22-2005, 05:14 PM
Wow, you will probably get a ton of different responses on this subject. This can be a hotly debated subject between people. Some may think us cheap but I will just be honest and will share with you what my husband and I do.

If we check our luggage at the airport we tip the sky cap person $1.00 per bag unless we bring our huge suitcase and then we tip $2.00 on that bag. My husband and I tip our airport shuttle driver $1.00 per bag and then a little extra if he/she is very friendly and helpful. I notice that some people tip more and others less if any at all. At our hotel we tip housekeeping if they are nice and the room (especially bathroom is very clean) usually a couple dollars a day(some people may think this cheap but we have never heard any complaints and the money is never refused. I have other family members who refuse to tip at the hotel except for specific services like someone taking the luggage to the room or room service delivering food.

You do not need to tip cast members at Disneyland for giving you helpful information(in this situation we tip with a smile and a big thank you). You also do not need to tip at the food vendors in Disneyland or DCA unless you are at one of the sit down and order restaurants like Blue Bayou or Napa Rose. At a tradtional sit down and order restaurant, if service is bad my husband and I don't tip over 10%. If we are really pleased with the service we tip 20%. If the service is just ok we tip somewhere in between 10 and 15 percent. Cost of living down in Cali is very expensive so locals may tip at a higher rate but I am not sure.

Per your question regarding Denny's or IHOP...yes you would tip the waiter/ress. I must admit the atmosphere and usually the service at Denny's and IHOP don't usually inspire us to tip more than 10% unless the waiter/ress are really friendly and attentive.

Some may think us cheap, but we do our best!:p

I hope this info helps and I hope other will respond espeicall locals or AP holders.

Michelle

Mermaid
11-22-2005, 06:31 PM
I agree with Micmousetoo that you will get a lot of responses but this is what I think is the norm, this way you won't feel like a cheap shlub but you won't be getting ripped off!!

At the airport: if you check your luggage outside or someone helps you carry it to your van- $1/bag. You don't have to do this if you carry your own luggage which is a way to save some money!!

Shuttle driver: I usually tip $5 but if you have a larger party or a lot of bags you may want to do $10. It is also a pretty good drive from LAX to DL so I think $10 would be more than enough for 2-4 people, maybe $15-20 for more people.

At the hotel: If the bellhop takes your bags to your room $1-2 per bag. Again, you can carry them yourselves and avoid this.

Resturants: Basicaly, if you get it in a bag or on a tray, you don't need to tip! The only exception might be a buffet where they bring your drink and then I do $1/person. I tend to tip 20% if I am at a sit down place, but my mom waited tables when I was a baby and she taught me to tip well to make up for people who don't. It's not for everyone, that's just what I do (it's easier math too!!) 15% is pretty standard here in the US and you won't go wrong with a 15% tip.
I hope this helps!

WITron
11-22-2005, 08:36 PM
I know most cast members are not allowed to accept tips from guests. There are exceptions at the sit down restraunts like Blue Bayou.

emmah
11-22-2005, 08:51 PM
greetings from another melbournite, heading to DLR in (drumroll...) five days.:D :D the whole tipping thing is a bit weird but i lived in canada for a couple of years and so now I just add the same amount as the tax listed on the bill and round up, and that seems to work fine.

but i do have a tipping question that mouseplanet people might be able to help with. An absolutely wonderful man at vacation planning has booked my tickets for tours, and the balcony for fantasmic and so on, and I was wondering if I should/could tip him for his friendly service. Is this done? and if so, how?:)

aussiedisneyfan83
11-22-2005, 11:42 PM
thanks for all the info coming through, one side note im confused on are 2 things:

1) Tipping the Shuttle Driver. I have already paid in advance for the shuttle when do you give him/her a tip? is this done at the end openly?

2) Does tipping 15% mean that if your bill say ends up being 30.00 you tip 15% of 30.00?.

Thanks again, all this info is priceless.
:)

emmah
11-23-2005, 12:02 AM
1) Tipping the Shuttle Driver. I have already paid in advance for the shuttle when do you give him/her a tip? is this done at the end openly?

you should be given the opportunity to pay the tip when you pay the shuttle fare (super shuttle always allows you to do this when you pay on the website) - otherwise the driver will expect a tip in cash.

2) Does tipping 15% mean that if your bill say ends up being 30.00 you tip 15% of 30.00?.

yes. the bill will show taxes and usually you just double it cos the tax is 7.5% or something like that. but sometimes there are both state and federal taxes - i can never remember but you'll be able to tell when the bill arrives.

Thanks again, all this info is priceless.
:)[/QUOTE]

SandraVB79
11-23-2005, 12:24 AM
OP, I had the same problem, since in Belgium tips (and tax) are always included in the price.

We tipped 15% at sit-down restaurants (except for those couple of waiters which were rude, we only tipped 10%, and one time he was extremly friendly (and sexy! ;) ) and we tipped 20%)

I had also booked and paid my shuttles upfront online. I tipped the driver $1 per suitcase when he dropped us off at the hotel/airport.

I must admit we somehow forgot to tip housekeeping... I think it's because we never "saw" them, we just didn't think about it, and since we aren't used to do that...

3894
11-23-2005, 01:27 AM
but i do have a tipping question that mouseplanet people might be able to help with. An absolutely wonderful man at vacation planning has booked my tickets for tours, and the balcony for fantasmic and so on, and I was wondering if I should/could tip him for his friendly service. Is this done? and if so, how?:)

How about writing a letter of commendation in care of Supervisor, Vacation Planning?

Drince88
11-23-2005, 03:47 AM
I agree with 3894 on the letter for the Vacation Planning person.

And on the shuttle driver (or any other baggage handling person, who I rarely use)- I usually have whatever I'm going to tip out in my pocket by itself, so I can grab it quickly and hand it to them after they pull my bags out of the vehicle. You don't have to be obvious about it, but you don't have to hide it, either.

Also, aside from the sit-down restaurants, I HOPE that those who you might slight (accidentally of course), would be understanding when they hear your accent, and not hold it 'against' you! :)

pisces
11-23-2005, 07:27 AM
I don't go by percentages.....I just go by dollars.

As a single diner, for sit-down meals, I customarily leave $3.00. If service was notably good, I'll leave $4.00.

For service that's below average.....I leave $2.00

And for service that's horrible.....I leave $1.00.......which I consider to be the same as a penny these days.....

SandraVB79
11-23-2005, 07:29 AM
Also, aside from the sit-down restaurants, I HOPE that those who you might slight (accidentally of course), would be understanding when they hear your accent, and not hold it 'against' you! :)

In San Francisco, we went 3 days in a row to the same restaurant, but had different waiters each time. We tipped the waiters 15% (rounded up for easy counting). The last one had the nerve to put a flyer with our bill that said something like: you as a foreign visitor are not used to tip us, but here it's a common thing to do, and you need to tip at least 15%.

I was like "WTF???" He only got 10%... OK, he couldn't know we had been there the previous day, but I thought the message on the flyer was rather rude and inpolite.

annieb727
11-23-2005, 07:31 AM
when i was looking at shuttle service...they were all about the same price, but ONE included the gratuity -- that's the one we went for. if you go to any of the character breakfasts (at least at goofy's kitchen i know this to be true, and I would guess all other character meals are the same) the gratuity is included in the price.

you guys are all so generous with tips! if i get BAD service - they get a penny! seriously -- if you leave nothing it doesn't necessarily say much, but if you leave a penny, it shows you deliberately left a tiny bit b/c the service is bad. I don't take it out on the server (tip-wise) if the food is bad -- that's not the server's fault. Now, when that happens, it usually means I will also speak with the manager because the service was so bad (which I have done many times at Olive Garden).

Obviously, if a place is totally packed and the server is running around like crazy -- they get a better tip -- as long as they are pleasant to me and nice and I can tell they're working hard. I believe a tip is EARNED -- and even if a server doesn't make minimum wage and gets most of their money in tips, well then all the more reason they ought to be pleasant and helpful. I start everyone out at 15%, and they can lose it if they are rude or too slow -- just a bit at a time it goes down -- if I don't get acknowledgement in the first few minutes after I'm seated (even if it's just a, "I'll be with you in just a few minutes" as they buzz past), not refilling water/drinks...I take tipping in restaurants VERY seriously -- the server has to EARN it from me -- or at least not lose it. They can earn more by their friendly attitudes and promptness (again, slack is given if it's really busy).

That being said, I don't think there's EVER been a time at DL that I have given LESS than 20%, and there are times I have given MORE even! DL service is WONDERFUL!

I did have a time at the Blue Bayou that started out looking grim for the server when they brought cold rolls and my husband politely asked if there were any warm ones, the server said, "that's all there is" as he hurried away (we had just been seated and we were one of the first tables at 11am)...he a few minutes later brought out warm rolls and was really nice the rest of the time. We just thought that the way he handled it was rude...but he made up for it. I mean, if there hadn't been any, and he said something like, "I'm sorry, this is all we have right now" that would have been different...but the rest of the meal proved better and he got a 20% tip from us.

Starch
11-23-2005, 08:22 AM
My thoughts:

- $1 a bag for baggage handlers, bellmen and the like is standard. If they provide some special extra service, you should throw in more. The easiest way to do it is to have the money separated in your pocket and just hand it to them without making a show of it or anything.

- 15% on the bill in a restaurant with table service is, in my opinion, a minimum expectation. You should only tip less if the server flat out failed to do his job. Service people in restaurants are paid a lower hourly rate in the expectation (not just the hope) that they will get tips. If you pay less, you're really cheating them ... that's warranted, I suppose, if they've "cheated" you, but not otherwise. Also note that, in many restaurants (practices vary), the tips are pooled, with a portion going to busboys, etc.

People often tip a little more (total of 20%, or even 25%) as a recognition for a good job.

Doubling the tax often works, though the tax is different in different states, and often in different places within the same state. A pretty easy way to figure it is to take 10%, then half-again that. You can just get close and round up to the nearest dollar.

- You don't ordinarily tip in restaurants where you get the food yourself: counter-service, like McDonalds or a cafeteria. You do tip at all restaurants with table service, including down-scale ones.

- Tipping practices for drivers (cab / van / shuttle) seems to vary. Fifteen percent is in the ballpark most places.

- You're generally not expected to tip other service people (there may be some I'm not thinking of). Sometimes people do. If there are non-obvious situations in which it is expected, somebody should make that obvious: preferably before you're committed to do it.

Vegitabeta
11-23-2005, 08:29 AM
We just give them whatever we think they deserve! lol But in airport shuttles and stuff there is sometimes a noticed pinned up in the vehicle telling you how much they would expect.

srfantasmic
11-23-2005, 08:42 AM
[QUOTE=aussiedisneyfan83]Hey Disney Fans, being down here in Melbourne Australia and never travelled to the US (before i go to Disneyland for 15 days in February) I have absolutley No idea about tipping. QUOTE]

One thing to keep in mind....if you go to a restaurant with a group of people (usually 6 or more) the tip will ALREADY be included in your bill. Keep an eye out for it (it will be a line on the bill that says "gratuity") or else you'll be tipping twice.

mi_mous
11-23-2005, 08:43 PM
At hotels, if I require any type of bell service, and they do a decent job, I usually give them the norm, which is $5. If you have a lot of bags, that can total to be $1 per bag, or $2 per bag. I never tip them less... think about how hard they work to bring your bags up, and they are also making minimum wage and rely on tips.
15% is what I tip in any sit down restaurant. I usually just double the tax though.
At the airport, I usually dothe norm, as has been stated, $1 per bag.

tod
11-23-2005, 09:32 PM
Twenty percent is a generous tip, and easy to calculate.

When you get your check, figure what 20% is, and then play with it. You have X dollars for a generous tip: Does th eserver deserve that much? Okay, there you go. Say 20% is $12: Did you get $12 worth of service? No? How about $10?

If you aren't used to tipping, I would use that as a guide.

--t

Bruce Bergman
11-23-2005, 10:04 PM
The root is allegedly "To Insure Promptness", but the true origins are lost in the mists of time...

If you are wondering why certain service jobs are tipped for giving good service, it's often because the employers aren't paying them a living hourly rate. In some professions like restaurant wait staff, they actually have a lower minimum wage for those positions assuming (yes, a dangerous word) that the tip income is part of their base pay and will make up the difference. The Internal Revenue Service has the employer add up the daily total of each waiter's tickets for the day and report it, and they assume they're getting tipped 15% or so for tax purposes unless the waiter keeps a detailed log and can prove differently...

(Hey, I didn't write the laws. :rolleyes: )

If the person is a lousy waiter or waitress, the lack of tips will get them to shape up or ship out far more effectively than the management having to do something.

And if the service is bad, don't feel pressured to tip the usual amount - the old way was to leave a penny or nickel - so they would know you were sending a deliberate message and not a oversight. A dollar and a note as to exactly where they messed up might be more effective. And if it appears that the kitchen staff were the ones who made the big mistakes, let the Manager know.

I am vehemently opposed to tipping where they haven't done anything at all for you, or they provide a useless service. Like a bathroom attendant at a frou-frou restaurant that takes a towel off the stack and hands it to you, then rattles the dish of change that serves as a Tip Bowl - it's an illusion of service. I've managed to use a restroom for years, turn on my own faucet, get my own soap and towel, and actually clean up around the sink after myself when done without being asked, and nobody's ever paid me to do it... :eek:

And don't get me started on Valet Parking... :mad: Paying to get your own car back, and on top of that they already pilfered all the spare change from the ashtray...

When they post a "Suggested Gratuity", that IS just a suggestion. Use your judgement whether they actually provided a service, and whether they hustled or just plodded.

And the same thing when they automatically add a gratuity onto the ticket for larger parties - you may have to see a Manager to get it adjusted down, but if the service provided was not as expected you have every right to.

:fez: --<< Bruce >>--

aussiedisneyfan83
11-24-2005, 03:25 AM
Wow thank you everyone so much! :) , this information is great!, however there is one last thing that hasn't been covered,
say you are at a resturant and the bill comes and its $20.00, if you are paying a 15% tip - which is $3.00 tip do you hand over $23.00 in total when you pay the bill?. Or do you pay the $20 for the food, then give the $3.00 to the waiter/waitress personally? How does the system work?
I can't thank everyone enough for all of the info :)

rentayenta
11-24-2005, 03:31 AM
Wow thank you everyone so much! :) , this information is great!, however there is one last thing that hasn't been covered,
say you are at a resturant and the bill comes and its $20.00, if you are paying a 15% tip - which is $3.00 tip do you hand over $23.00 in total when you pay the bill?. Or do you pay the $20 for the food, then give the $3.00 to the waiter/waitress personally? How does the system work?
I can't thank everyone enough for all of the info :)


If you are paying with cash, leave the tip on the table. If you are using your credit card there is a place to add the tip in.


I served for many years and the only time you want to actually hand your tip to your server is when its a generous tip. ;)

celinas mommy
11-24-2005, 04:48 AM
[QUOTE=Bruce Bergman]To Insure Promptness", but the true origins are lost in the mists of time...


And don't get me started on Valet Parking... :mad: Paying to get your own car back, and on top of that they already pilfered all the spare change from the ashtray...


This is a very unfair statement... Not all Valets do what you say they do "pilfering through your change"...

But I have a question what is the difference of tipping them when you leave your car and/or tipping them when you pick up your car. The person returning your car usually has to work harder to get your car back for you. They work in all kinds of weather be it hot cold rain or snow.

I will usually tip valet $5 for parking my car and $5 for picking it up. Especially if I have special requests IE leave my car upfront etc.

Bellpersons I generally tip $2 per bag.

Maybe I am a little generous but when you work in a "tipped" job you generally tip more because you "know how it works".

Sorry if these statements upset anyone.

Bruce Bergman
11-24-2005, 08:13 AM
[QUOTE=Bruce Bergman] And don't get me started on Valet Parking... :mad: Paying to get your own car back, and on top of that they already pilfered all the spare change from the ashtray...

This is a very unfair statement... Not all Valets do what you say they do "pilfering through your change"...

No, they don't /all/ do it - but it's almost predictable that a few will. One report put the odds at one in four, which may be a bit high - but one in ten or twenty is almost certain, even if it's only loose change on the floor. And even when you have iron-clad proof of theft (like videotape) the business owners will challenge it. After all, they put up big signs saying 'they are not responsible for anything that happens to your car or contents while the car is in their posession'.

The local CBS TV station investigative reporter (examples here in 2002 that made "48 Hours" (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/08/48hours/main528682.shtml) and again here in 2005 (http://archives.californiaaviation.org/airport/msg34000.html) )will rig up a car with hidden cameras and go out to restaurants and night-spots and test, and inevitably they get video of several light-fingered valets going through the car. The more bold even go through your CD music collection and pocket a disc that looks particularly interesting to them, or a pair of expensive sunglasses...

They repeated the test a few times with one restaurant valet and left increasingly larger wads of cash (marked) in the glovebox - each time, half of it gone. Inevitably they would confront them fifteen minutes later, and they denied everything - most of them with a quick "No Se Habla Ingles". (Gee, their language skills were just fine 10 minutes ago... :eek: )

The reporter pulled out a video player with the evidence, and only then they would admit it, and sometimes hand the cash back. Another valet who they had baited 18 plus times over a period of weeks paid them back with a personal check - which bounced.

Now I can see the need for a valet service where parking is limited and they have to stack cars in the aisles, or park the car in a commercial lot a few blocks away - but it often isn't that bad. Or in an urban area where they need to keep people from parking in their lot and going to another business - they are controlling access.

It's basically handing your second most expensive possesion, and everything in it, over to a total stranger and trusting they'll drive it carefully and keep their fingers off your stuff, and unless the interior of you car is totally sterile, nothing there to pilfer, the odds are going to catch up with you sooner or later.

I hate to appear overly-sensitive about this, but I'm an Electrician, so I carry a lot of expensive tools and equipment in the truck every day and theft is always a concern. Even when I'm on vacation, there are a lot of expensive goodies in the car that a light fingered valet might want to 'liberate' for their own uses.

If forced to use a Valet lot I'll have him point out a place to park, park it myself, lock it and keep the keys - but tip a few bucks anyways, he's monitoring the lot. Or hand over the keys, but follow and watch till I get my keys back. (The valet does NOT keep posession of the keys except in dire circumstances.) Paranoid? Yes. Ripped off? NO! :geek:

You are on vacation, so it's a rented car with nothing left in it. But then you throw your luggage in, and suddenly there are lots of good things to take - so the first step to not becoming a victim is as simple as being aware of the possibility. Take the really valuable stuff inside with you.

--<< Bruce >>--

Minnie66
11-24-2005, 06:24 PM
The last one had the nerve to put a flyer with our bill that said something like: you as a foreign visitor are not used to tip us, but here it's a common thing to do, and you need to tip at least 15%.

WOW, you are so much nicer than I am. That would have definately made me leave nothing.......or maybe 2 pennies so he would know I didn't forget. I am generally a 20% tipper for GOOD service, but I hate it when they just expect they deserve that, it's something they should earn, and a statement like that would have for sure put me on the defense. We once left a $50.00 tip for a $15.00 meal because our waitress touched me so much with how hard she was trying to do a good job so it's not that I am cheap, I just think sometimes they need to be a little more appreciative.