Dme....luggage only.....don't want to ride the bus!!!!!

[goofy4tink]

I have a pretty close relationship with the owner of Owners Lockers. He asked me, about 6 months ago, if I knew of any reason guests at BWI didn't tip Bell Services for locker deliveries to the rooms. I told him I had no idea, a d asked why. He said the Bell Services at BW had told him that guests were not forthcoming with a tip for locker delivery! Evidently, from what John said, that wasn't the case at all the resorts. So it would see. That many people don't understand the practice of tipping. In Great Britain it isn't the norm...so that may apply to other countries.

As far as the posters nephew goes, it would seem he needs to take up the issue with his employer. This is not info that is 9 yrs old. I'm sure the nephew would like better tips. But....Disney guests are told they do not need to worry about tipping if they utilize DME for their luggage transfer. The guest, generally, has little thought as to who is truly moving their bags. They are told, by Disney, that they do not need to worry about their checked bags.....they tag their bags and say goodby to them at their home airport, and the will, magically, appear in the resort room, 3-4 hrs after resort checkin. And that the guest does not need to be in the room to receive the bags...they are free to head to the pool or to a park to start their fun! The vast majority of people aren't in the room when these bags are delivered. Now......if, for some reason, the guest is in the room when these bags are delivered, they can tip. If they choose. My experience has been that the luggage person has refused my offer of a tip. Why, you may ask, would I offer a tip if I feel the tip has been taken care of already. I do it because I am uncomfortable not offering a tip. But...only one time, out of about 5 times, has my offer been accepted. The CM usually thanks me, saying it has been taken care of.

When my bags are delivered, after tagging them with the yellow tags, to my room, what would you have me do? Disney has told me to go to a park, I don't need to be there to get my bags. So, I head off, returning hours later. Should I now stop at Bell Services/Luggage Assistance and offer a tip to whoever is there? Sorry, not going to happen. But.....if I have arrived with my bags in and, and my room isn't ready, I have to leave my bags with Bell Services. When my room is ready, I have to call down and ask to have my bags brought to my room. Bell Services always asks if I'll be there because they can not deliver bags to an empty room. Their words, not mine.

So, long story short? Disney has told me, as recently as last fall, that bags that were tagged as I rode the DME bus, will go to my room and no tip is needed. But if my bags arrive in my hand, and have to be brought to my room by Bell Services, I have to be there, in the room....which will necessitate a tip. I top $1-2 per bag, and $5 for OL delivery. More if its very speedy. If a CM feels they aren't being tipped appropriately, they need to speak to their boss about restructuring the system. Or, they need to look at the service they provide....the guest may not feel the service provided warranted a tip.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Okay, I got a response to my question, copied here in its entirety except identifying information (and I'll be happy to forward the entire e-mail to goofy4tink for authentication):

Dear [kaytie],

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

Disney values all our guests. Our cast members are there to assist you with anything you may need. Tips are not expected or required.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

[Representative] eCommerce Sales and Service Team

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and should be confirmed just prior to your visit.

Original Message Follows: ------------------------

In the initial stages of planning a trip budget and expect to utilize the amazing Disney's Magical Express. Can you please let me know if I need to be in my room to tip Bell Services when they deliver my yellow-tagged luggage? Or is it true what I've heard, that Disney tips these wonderful Cast Members on our behalf?

Thank you in advance for your response.

Reservation number: [kaytie]

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay, I got a response to my question, copied here in its entirety except identifying information (and I'll be happy to forward the entire e-mail to goofy4tink for authentication):

Well, that's interesting. Thanks for checking on it and letting us know.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm so glad you brought the question here, betterbutter. I've been intrigued ever since you mentioned it in response to me on ThemeParks. And I can't believe I missed the discussion for so many days!


For me, my bottom line is that I have ONLY had bags from DME delivered when I'm not in the room. (I have only had bags-from-the-airline delivered to a villa, I believe) If they are going to do that, my assumption is that there is no tip expected on the part of the deliverer. And bags that I have left at Bell Services (which I've only done at moderates and villas) have ONLY been delivered to me once I call them. I totally forgot about my Owner's Locker last month and had it delivered, finally, at the end of our second day there. There was NO automatic delivery of it. That was at SSR.

However, at Pop last January, again, I totally forgot about the OL. We had a rental car and had brought all our stuff. We drove to "our" parking lot and struggled with all of our stuff (not sure if Luggage Services was there at that time or not) all the way up to our room, to find the OL just sitting there. I was *shocked*.

And I did not go seek someone out to give them a tip. If it's being delivered while I'm not there, no one should be expecting a tip.

If Disney, or the contractor for which the luggage personnel work, chooses to not pay or forward the prepaid tips to the CMs, as someone else said their issue is with the entity issuing their paychecks.

I can't help but wonder if it IS included in compensation, but perhaps not every employee reads their contract?

I looked on the Careers section of BAGS but compensation isn't mentioned.

But Disney wants us DME users out of the room spending money .

The people who pull the bags and drive the trucks make a lot more than the ones who deliver the luggage at the resorts. By the way, at Art and Pop, they will deliver all luggage regardless of how it got to the resort whether the guest is in the room or not.

So now it starts to get interesting. First off, I'll take the job on the truck, please.

But then I wonder if the Values are, basically, doing it wrong? It would make sense that they are different, since they are Luggage, not Bell, Services. But I wonder if someone somewhere decided on the Disney side to just do it altogether, and no one thought to mention that that's not how it was supposed to be done?

But then one wonders HOW everything all ends up together? It can takes hours for the airport bags to get there. OL is delivered rather early in the morning to the resorts, or at least we always get our email from OL pretty earlier telling us it has been delivered. Bags left by a guest could be left at all sorts of times during that checkin day. How do they gather them all up? How do they know they have it all?


Our Pop experience makes sense with the OL, though, now.

But I actually didn't much like it. What if the room had been full of mildew like our first room at SSR was? What if there was some reason I needed to change? What if I had requested something different when at the front desk? What would happen to the OL in my room? Or did some luggage services person rush over in a cart and deliver it while DS and I struggled with everything? (that one hurts my heart since I was getting super-sick at the time and all I knew was that it was all exhausting me FAR more than I normally would have)

By the way, according to my nephew, about half of incoming guests and over 90% of outgoing guests see the person delivering their luggage.

He says it's usually the people who only have a bag or two who are the best tippers. Last week he and another guy delivered two full luggage carts full of suitcases, groceries, and owners lockers bins (over 25 pieces total) to one suite and the people were in the room and didn't offer them a thank you let alone a dime.

How is he getting this estimation?

I see the person delivers my bags most of the time, because I've left my bags with Bell Services and have called down or stopped by to request deliver. I expected to see the delivery person with the OL at Pop. At SSR we tend to ride over with our luggage, LOL, in their cart.

But the two times (one family trip and one running-buddy trip) I've had bags delivered from the airport, I don't see them at all. Nor do I expect to.

HOW did they get all the airline-delivered bags together with everything else? How did they know they had everything? How did they know the people WANTED their stuff right then? What happens if they go to do one of those combined delivers and there are groceries; do they put them away for the guests if the guests aren't there? The guests are likely expecting the airline bags to just be there magically; but they are also likely expecting groceries to be delivered upon request.

There is NO Disney paid tip. Period. Please stop spreading this unfounded and untrue rumor.

If your nephew is reading his contract right, if his resorts haven't started doing something hinky that wasn't supposed to happen, and if he is reporting all this correctly to you, what you are stating is that there's no tip at the Values. That's as far as you can take it, though.

Nobody on this thread has said that Bell Services should not be tipped when guests arrive by car, taxi, car service, or limo -- or if guests seek assistance beyond DME's basic inbound service.

Until Disney publishes tipping guidelines suggesting a tip for inbound DME luggage service and provides a mechanism to convey the tip money to the right person even when guests are not in their room, I will not feel guilty when my wife and I return to our room after a day at a park to find two yellow-tagged suitcases waiting for us.

Agreed.

 

[goofy4tink]

bumber is correct!! Here's my issue with her experiences. Disney resort CMs tell us nothing can be delivered to your room until you have have checked in, and received your room number. Now....you can check in at 9am, yet not get a room number until 2pm! So, that's 5 hrs that they aren't supposed to go into that room. We are told, again, that the room you are assigned at 9am, may very well not be the room you end up in at 2pm! Something could happen to change that. So...if bags or OLs are delivered before you 'officially' get your room, there could be a huge issue. Someone else could end up in that room. There could be a housekeeping issue and you are given a different room.

So, if you enter your room to find an OL in there, right after you have checked in, I'm going to assume that it was put there before you checked in. And that's wrong. Yes, the OLs are delivered before noon....pretty much anyway. And luggage service at the values is notoriously slow. I have had the absolute worst luggage service at Pop....checked in at 10am, room was ready, but no bags until close to 5pm!!! And yes, we were in the room due to my idiot dd's not packing what she needed in her carry on. Pop luggage people do not deliver 'on demand'...they deliver when there are enough bags to make it worthwhile.....at least that's my take on it. You can call down to have someone come help you with your bags upon checkout and it can take up to an hour for them to get there! Not good.

So, we know what Disney is telling its' guests...not going to argue that anymore. It was true when DME first started, it's still true.

 

[kamik86]

I know personally I have only been in the room once when DME brought our bags... and that time I was asleep as that was the only time we had a late flight in (my husband stayed up to wait for the luggage).

I have used bell services for other reasons and was in the room during those luggage deliveries but almost never for DME.

 

[betterbutter]

I have a pretty close relationship with the owner of Owners Lockers. He asked me, about 6 months ago, if I knew of any reason guests at BWI didn't tip Bell Services for locker deliveries to the rooms. I told him I had no idea, a d asked why. He said the Bell Services at BW had told him that guests were not forthcoming with a tip for locker delivery! Evidently, from what John said, that wasn't the case at all the resorts. So it would see. That many people don't understand the practice of tipping. In Great Britain it isn't the norm...so that may apply to other countries.

As far as the posters nephew goes, it would seem he needs to take up the issue with his employer. This is not info that is 9 yrs old. I'm sure the nephew would like better tips. But....Disney guests are told they do not need to worry about tipping if they utilize DME for their luggage transfer. The guest, generally, has little thought as to who is truly moving their bags. They are told, by Disney, that they do not need to worry about their checked bags.....they tag their bags and say goodby to them at their home airport, and the will, magically, appear in the resort room, 3-4 hrs after resort checkin. And that the guest does not need to be in the room to receive the bags...they are free to head to the pool or to a park to start their fun! The vast majority of people aren't in the room when these bags are delivered. Now......if, for some reason, the guest is in the room when these bags are delivered, they can tip. If they choose. My experience has been that the luggage person has refused my offer of a tip. Why, you may ask, would I offer a tip if I feel the tip has been taken care of already. I do it because I am uncomfortable not offering a tip. But...only one time, out of about 5 times, has my offer been accepted. The CM usually thanks me, saying it has been taken care of.

When my bags are delivered, after tagging them with the yellow tags, to my room, what would you have me do? Disney has told me to go to a park, I don't need to be there to get my bags. So, I head off, returning hours later. Should I now stop at Bell Services/Luggage Assistance and offer a tip to whoever is there? Sorry, not going to happen. But.....if I have arrived with my bags in and, and my room isn't ready, I have to leave my bags with Bell Services. When my room is ready, I have to call down and ask to have my bags brought to my room. Bell Services always asks if I'll be there because they can not deliver bags to an empty room. Their words, not mine.

So, long story short? Disney has told me, as recently as last fall, that bags that were tagged as I rode the DME bus, will go to my room and no tip is needed. But if my bags arrive in my hand, and have to be brought to my room by Bell Services, I have to be there, in the room....which will necessitate a tip. I top $1-2 per bag, and $5 for OL delivery. More if its very speedy. If a CM feels they aren't being tipped appropriately, they need to speak to their boss about restructuring the system. Or, they need to look at the service they provide....the guest may not feel the service provided warranted a tip.

If they can't leave bags in an empty room, then why do they have pass keys?

My nephew had a rotten night on Monday. He made a whopping $8 in tips with 200 pieces of luggage delivered. Most people were in their room due to the thunder and rain. He was blamed for the tarmac delays at the airport, the rain, and the fact that there were no holiday decorations in the room. He was even blamed for someone's pizza arriving cold--as if he had anything to do with that. He can only go so fast, and when luggage is delayed coming in from the airport, there's nothing he can do. It's unfortunate that some guests are angry at the world and take it out on him.

 

[betterbutter]

I can't help but wonder if it IS included in compensation, but perhaps not every employee reads their contract?

He is paid an hourly wage slightly above minimum. That's it.

So now it starts to get interesting. First off, I'll take the job on the truck, please.

He can't do that due to his school hours.

But then I wonder if the Values are, basically, doing it wrong? It would make sense that they are different, since they are Luggage, not Bell, Services. But I wonder if someone somewhere decided on the Disney side to just do it altogether, and no one thought to mention that that's not how it was supposed to be done?

At the Values it's all done by the same people.

But then one wonders HOW everything all ends up together? It can takes hours for the airport bags to get there. OL is delivered rather early in the morning to the resorts, or at least we always get our email from OL pretty earlier telling us it has been delivered. Bags left by a guest could be left at all sorts of times during that checkin day. How do they gather them all up? How do they know they have it all?

Everything is tagged and scanned. It's all in the system that ties in with Disney's System. When Owner's Lockers are dropped off they are entered into the system. Same with Garden Grocer, flowers, FedEx deliveries. The dispatcher assigns a room to a luggage person who knows how many pieces they have broken down by all the possible variables, for example five suitcases, one Owners Locker, seven bags of groceries with two in the fridge, and an item in the cage which needs to be signed out by a manager.

Our Pop experience makes sense with the OL, though, now.

But I actually didn't much like it. What if the room had been full of mildew like our first room at SSR was? What if there was some reason I needed to change? What if I had requested something different when at the front desk? What would happen to the OL in my room? Or did some luggage services person rush over in a cart and deliver it while DS and I struggled with everything? (that one hurts my heart since I was getting super-sick at the time and all I knew was that it was all exhausting me FAR more than I normally would have)

When there is a room change, luggage assistance is notified and dispatched.

How is he getting this estimation?

He works there.

HOW did they get all the airline-delivered bags together with everything else? How did they know they had everything? How did they know the people WANTED their stuff right then? What happens if they go to do one of those combined delivers and there are groceries; do they put them away for the guests if the guests aren't there? The guests are likely expecting the airline bags to just be there magically; but they are also likely expecting groceries to be delivered upon request.

They put refrigerated items into the fridge. See above for other answers.

 

[betterbutter]

bumber is correct!! Here's my issue with her experiences. Disney resort CMs tell us nothing can be delivered to your room until you have have checked in, and received your room number. Now....you can check in at 9am, yet not get a room number until 2pm! So, that's 5 hrs that they aren't supposed to go into that room. We are told, again, that the room you are assigned at 9am, may very well not be the room you end up in at 2pm! Something could happen to change that. So...if bags or OLs are delivered before you 'officially' get your room, there could be a huge issue. Someone else could end up in that room. There could be a housekeeping issue and you are given a different room.

So, if you enter your room to find an OL in there, right after you have checked in, I'm going to assume that it was put there before you checked in. And that's wrong. Yes, the OLs are delivered before noon....pretty much anyway. And luggage service at the values is notoriously slow. I have had the absolute worst luggage service at Pop....checked in at 10am, room was ready, but no bags until close to 5pm!!! And yes, we were in the room due to my idiot dd's not packing what she needed in her carry on. Pop luggage people do not deliver 'on demand'...they deliver when there are enough bags to make it worthwhile.....at least that's my take on it. You can call down to have someone come help you with your bags upon checkout and it can take up to an hour for them to get there! Not good.

So, we know what Disney is telling its' guests...not going to argue that anymore. It was true when DME first started, it's still true.

They deliver on demand when they are able. If they have a lot of deliveries they go into a queue and are delivered as fast as they can get to them. They do try to work with specific requests as much as possible.

 

[DizDragonfly]

My nephew had a rotten night on Monday. He made a whopping $8 in tips with 200 pieces of luggage delivered. Most people were in their room due to the thunder and rain. He was blamed for the tarmac delays at the airport, the rain, and the fact that there were no holiday decorations in the room. He was even blamed for someone's pizza arriving cold--as if he had anything to do with that. He can only go so fast, and when luggage is delayed coming in from the airport, there's nothing he can do. It's unfortunate that some guests are angry at the world and take it out on him.

Clearly your nephew dislikes his job ... or at least _you_ do. Perhaps you should help him look for a position that would suit him better and cause you less heartburn on his behalf?

 

[goofy4tink]

Alrighty then. Why can't they deliver to empty rooms if they have pass keys? Are you deliberately misunderstanding? They don't deliver 'non-DME' bags to empty tokens simply because they are hoping for a tip.....plain and simple.
As far as they knows the number of bags to be delivered? Seriously? Bell Services/Luggage Assistance have no possible way to know, exactly, how many bags the guest left home with. The guest is never asked how many bags were checked. Yes, they grab, and scan, each tagged bag, multiple times. But....if a bag is misdirected by the airline, DME/RAC workers won't know that...so aren't looking for the correct number if bags.

Here's the thing....a tip is not a guaranteed thing. By definition it means 'to insure promptness'. A guest is never obligated to tip. Many people don't tip, based on principal, others don't due to cultural differences. Some, heaven forbid, don't tip because they felt the service was lacking. I can only be held responsible for myself. I tip. I tip more for good service.

I have stayed at Pop about 8 times, All Star Music 3 times and AoA twice. I've spent a fair amount of time at the values. Luggage service there is not terrific. It is certainly not remotely close to Bell Services at the deluxe resorts or the DVC resorts. The moderates have pretty decent service......it's always been good for my stays. It would seem that the values don't have the same expectations. I will say that if I have to wait 5-6 hrs for my bags to get to my room, which was ready when I checked in, I am going to be less apt to be generous in my tipping.

Let me relate an experience. I moved from BCVs to POR. I handed my bags to Bell Services at 7:45am. I checked in at POR around noon. Room was not ready until 3:00ish. No problem. I stopped to see if my bags were there....nope, not yet. Again, no biggie. I got into my room and relaxed for a bit. Around 4:30 I called to see about my bags. Not there. I was told to check in 30 mins or so. I did....no bags at 5. They called BCVs to see. Oh, they had been to busy to move bags that day. However.....nothing out of the ordinary was going on over there. POR luggage people told me they would get the bags. Evidently they called a second time.. ...nope not yet. Finally the bags got to me around 6. The CM called to say he was bringing them to me. When he got to my room, I tried to tip him. He refused! He said he was not taking a tip for such bad service! He ended up getting something better though.....I stopped at the front desk and gave him a glowing report.

 

[betterbutter]

Clearly your nephew dislikes his job ... or at least _you_ do. Perhaps you should help him look for a position that would suit him better and cause you less heartburn on his behalf?

Not at all. He enjoys it, enjoys the guests. He just wishes that people would realize that he is paid just above minimum wage and works hard for the guests, and it would be nice if they offered him a tip for his hard work--particularly when he is delivering large loads that aren't even DME bags--and not blame him on things like the weather.

Yesterday a family checked in. He helped them get their bags from their car, took them to their room (he actually walked them to their room) answered questions, pointed out some of the resort amenities, unloaded everything, and they said thanks as they shut the door without even offering him a dollar. They were not foreign, they were just cheap. Fortunately another family gave him $10 for three suitcases and two cases of water which helped ease the pain. My nephew and the father share a favorite sports team.

 

[betterbutter]

Alrighty then. Why can't they deliver to empty rooms if they have pass keys? Are you deliberately misunderstanding? They don't deliver 'non-DME' bags to empty tokens simply because they are hoping for a tip.....plain and simple.

They can deliver to empty rooms. I never stated differently. That was another poster insisting that bags can't be delivered to empty rooms.

As far as they knows the number of bags to be delivered? Seriously? Bell Services/Luggage Assistance have no possible way to know, exactly, how many bags the guest left home with. The guest is never asked how many bags were checked. Yes, they grab, and scan, each tagged bag, multiple times. But....if a bag is misdirected by the airline, DME/RAC workers won't know that...so aren't looking for the correct number if bags.

Any bag that comes off the plane is scanned in. Any bag/box that is delivered to the resort is scanned in.

If the airline loses a bag, that is not a luggage assistance problem/fault, although they will bend over backwards to try to help the guest.

Here's the thing....a tip is not a guaranteed thing. By definition it means 'to insure promptness'. A guest is never obligated to tip. Many people don't tip, based on principal, others don't due to cultural differences. Some, heaven forbid, don't tip because they felt the service was lacking. I can only be held responsible for myself. I tip. I tip more for good service.

I have stayed at Pop about 8 times, All Star Music 3 times and AoA twice. I've spent a fair amount of time at the values. Luggage service there is not terrific. It is certainly not remotely close to Bell Services at the deluxe resorts or the DVC resorts. The moderates have pretty decent service......it's always been good for my stays. It would seem that the values don't have the same expectations. I will say that if I have to wait 5-6 hrs for my bags to get to my room, which was ready when I checked in, I am going to be less apt to be generous in my tipping.

Sometimes bags are delayed on the tarmac due to weather. Perhaps you don't realize that if there is lightning within 10 miles, tarmac operations stop at MCO. I am amazed that you would would compare personalized bell services at a deluxe with luggage assistance. Both groups work as hard as each other--if anything luggage assistance works harder as there are fewer of them.

Let me relate an experience. I moved from BCVs to POR. I handed my bags to Bell Services at 7:45am. I checked in at POR around noon. Room was not ready until 3:00ish. No problem. I stopped to see if my bags were there....nope, not yet. Again, no biggie. I got into my room and relaxed for a bit. Around 4:30 I called to see about my bags. Not there. I was told to check in 30 mins or so. I did....no bags at 5. They called BCVs to see. Oh, they had been to busy to move bags that day. However.....nothing out of the ordinary was going on over there. POR luggage people told me they would get the bags. Evidently they called a second time.. ...nope not yet. Finally the bags got to me around 6. The CM called to say he was bringing them to me. When he got to my room, I tried to tip him. He refused! He said he was not taking a tip for such bad service! He ended up getting something better though.....I stopped at the front desk and gave him a glowing report.

In my opinion the bellman should have taken the tip. It wasn't his fault or anything under his control.

 

[maxiesmom]

Not at all. He enjoys it, enjoys the guests. He just wishes that people would realize that he is paid just above minimum wage and works hard for the guests, and it would be nice if they offered him a tip for his hard work--particularly when he is delivering large loads that aren't even DME bags--and not blame him on things like the weather.

Yesterday a family checked in. He helped them get their bags from their car, took them to their room (he actually walked them to their room) answered questions, pointed out some of the resort amenities, unloaded everything, and they said thanks as they shut the door without even offering him a dollar. They were not foreign, they were just cheap. Fortunately another family gave him $10 for three suitcases and two cases of water which helped ease the pain. My nephew and the father share a favorite sports team.

I have to agree with the previous poster. It sounds like your son is getting upset not getting a tip. And tips should not be expected in a position that Disney states is not tipped by the guest. If he thinks he has a rotten night because he is not getting tipped, maybe he could transfer to another department? Otherwise at some point he needs to accept that he is not going to be making huge tips and be ok with it. Otherwise he is just making himself miserable.

I want to add that in the above I would think a tip was due. However, a person shouldn't time themselves up in knots over not getting them. Not healthy.

 

[kaytieeldr]

They can deliver to empty rooms. I never stated differently. That was another poster insisting that bags can't be delivered to empty rooms.

DME luggage - and apparently other items for those guests - can be delivered to rooms without those guests being in the rooms. Other guests must be in the room for their belongings to be delivered. If Luggage Assistance is doing it differently, that's not the guests' responsibility.

Any bag that comes off the plane is scanned in. Any bag/box that is delivered to the resort is scanned in.

Okay.

If the airline loses a bag, that is not a luggage assistance problem/fault, although they will bend over backwards to try to help the guest.

Been that way since DME started. That's in everything you can research abiut DME. Surprising that the only thing purported to have changed in nine years is Disney tipping the Cast Members for DME deliveries.

Sometimes bags are delayed on the tarmac due to weather. Perhaps you don't realize that if there is lightning within 10 miles, tarmac operations stop at MCO. I am amazed that you would would compare personalized bell services at a deluxe with luggage assistance. Both groups work as hard as each other--if anything luggage assistance works harder as there are fewer of them.

Well, first, most of us are aware of tarmac safety delays. You're talking as if nobody posting here has ever traveled before . Frankly, it seems you have some difficulty understanding what poster are saying. How is "I've spent a fair amount of time at the values. Luggage service there is not terrific. It is certainly not remotely close to Bell Services at the deluxe resorts or the DVC resorts. " comparing Luggage Assistance to BellbServices (except negatively, which appears to be the goal?

In my opinion the bellman should have taken the tip. It wasn't his fault or anything under his control.

That's your opinion. The opinion of the person providing the service and declining the gratuity clearly differs.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Yesterday a family checked in. He helped them get their bags from their car, took them to their room (he actually walked them to their room) answered questions, pointed out some of the resort amenities, unloaded everything, and they said thanks as they shut the door without even offering him a dollar. They were not foreign, they were just cheap.

betterbutter: Please recognize that we're talking about two different things here.

I think everyone who has participated in this part of this DME thread would agree that it's appropriate to tip for the type of personal assistance that you wrote about here. If guests avail themselves to traditional service from a bellman and get good service, but those guests don't tip, then shame on them.

However, DME luggage delivery is something completely different. Numerous people on this thread agree that Disney says DME luggage delivery is complimentary and guests don't have to be in their rooms. Most guests never see the bellman who quickly goes down the hall dropping off bags to multiple rooms. If your nephew does not feel properly compensated for DME bag delivery, then he needs to take that matter up with his employer.

 

[betterbutter]

I have to agree with the previous poster. It sounds like your son is getting upset not getting a tip. And tips should not be expected in a position that Disney states is not tipped by the guest. If he thinks he has a rotten night because he is not getting tipped, maybe he could transfer to another department? Otherwise at some point he needs to accept that he is not going to be making huge tips and be ok with it. Otherwise he is just making himself miserable.

I want to add that in the above I would think a tip was due. However, a person shouldn't time themselves up in knots over not getting them. Not healthy.

Correction, it's my nephew, not my son. Not getting tipped means no gas in the tank and tuition for college. He lives with us as his father passed away when he was an infant and his mother passed on two years ago. He is working his way through college. We can't afford to pay for it for him, and unfortunately his mother's illness cost every dime of her savings and he was 18, just graduated high school, and homeless if we hadn't taken him in.

 

[betterbutter]

betterbutter: Please recognize that we're talking about two different things here.

I think everyone who has participated in this part of this DME thread would agree that it's appropriate to tip for the type of personal assistance that you wrote about here. If guests avail themselves to traditional service from a bellman and get good service, but those guests don't tip, then shame on them.

However, DME luggage delivery is something completely different. Numerous people on this thread agree that Disney says DME luggage delivery is complimentary and guests don't have to be in their rooms. Most guests never see the bellman who quickly goes down the hall dropping off bags to multiple rooms. If your nephew does not feel properly compensated for DME bag delivery, then he needs to take that matter up with his employer.

Many have stated that was the policy, however no one has been able to point to anything that states that Disney says people shouldn't tip for DME luggage other than try to make inferences. Please show me something that states that Disney provides a tip or other compensation to baggage services for delivering DME luggage as many have stated.

 

[maxiesmom]

Correction, it's my nephew, not my son. Not getting tipped means no gas in the tank and tuition for college. He lives with us as his father passed away when he was an infant and his mother passed on two years ago. He is working his way through college. We can't afford to pay for it for him, and unfortunately his mother's illness cost every dime of her savings and he was 18, just graduated high school, and homeless if we hadn't taken him in.

Anyone who has worked at a tipped position knows that sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't. If he can't put gas in his car, or pay for college, then he does need to find another job. I know that can be easier said than done, but getting worked up and upset over something you can't control isn't healthy.

 

[sam_gordon]

Many have stated that was the policy, however no one has been able to point to anything that states that Disney says people shouldn't tip for DME luggage other than try to make inferences. Please show me something that states that Disney provides a tip or other compensation to baggage services for delivering DME luggage as many have stated.

Alright, please tell me what you (or your nephew) thinks should happen here...

My family flies to Orlando, and uses DME for transportation and luggage delivery. Our flight arrives at 1:30p. We collect our carryons and go to DME. We get dropped off at our resort at 2:45p. We're checked in and allowed in our our room. We leave our carryons in the room and go to a park.

We stay late and get back to the room at Midnight. Our DME bags have been delivered.

Now, WHO do we tip? Are we supposed to go to luggage/Bell Services and give money to whoever is there? The next morning are we supposed to go to luggage/Bell Services and give money to whoever is there? Do we leave it in an envelope addressed to "whoever delivered bags to room #1234"?

BTW, Kaytiee's email specifically says tips from guests are not necessary or expected.