There is a very controversial subject among Disney visitors should you / do you Tip Mousekeeping at Walt Disney World?
Let me tell you what I think….
We always tip Mousekeeping. Yes they do make an hourly wage and you don’t HAVE to tip them. But I am all about spreading the magic to someone else. The rule of thumb is that you tip $1 per person plus an extra $1. So we are tipping $5 each night of our stay. And let me tell you….. it’s really paying off for us too! Our Mousekeeper has left us surprises every day!
Arrival Day – Towel Animal in room (everyone gets this)
Day 1 – Elephant Towel Animal
Day 2 – Hidden Mickey on the bed made of towels
Day 3 – Elaborate towel display on the sink
We also have sooooooo many extra towels. Plus I ran into Mousekeeping in the hall and he had the biggest grin on his face when he saw me enter our room. It is so nice to be able to make someone’s day!
So when you consider your budget for Disney, you might want to include tips for Mousekeeping if that is something you wish to do. It is definitely not expected of you and you will still get excellent service from the Mousekeeping staff.
What do you do? Do you tip Mousekeeping?
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We always tip $5 per day, and here is why. It really isn’t about the extra nice things they give, or not, and its not about feeling bad about minimum wage… that $5 gets them to look at the questions we leave them every morning. We want to get to know those who are helping us make our vacation magical. We ask things like “where are you from?”, “how long have you worked for the Mouse?”, “what is your favorite dessert?” and we tell them little bits about us too. We have meet mousekeeping from all over the world, so cool, and that extra $5 we tell them to buy a snack or drink on us. We find it super fun and it really just makes the trip awesome. Not every mousekeeper writes back but hopefully they find happiness in the extra $.
We leave a tip as well. Where did you stay that you got so many towel decorations? We’ve only gotten them at Coronado Springs. We’ve stayed at Carribean Beach and Animal Kingdom and didn’t get any. It was very disappointing.
we stayed at Art of Animation and had amazing towel art every day
We stayed at DLH in 2016, tipped $5/day per room, regardless of room occupants (large family trip multiple rooms). Our rooms were immaculate and toiletries always replenished generously.
We had one day with a wonderful surprise on my daughter’s bed, her disney themed Build a Bear, Mickey blanket and princess pajamas were artfully arranged.
We don’t tip expecting extras, we tip because minimum wage stinks and some else is dealing with our mess. Regardless of hotel or resort.
It makes me a little sad to read all the posts from people who were so disappointed that their tips were not reciprocated with “extras”. Housekeeping at all hotels work very hard for little money and the tip should be given as a thank you, without expecting anything in return. If you do get something, wonderful! If not, it doesn’t change anything. Consider it good karma and leave it at that. If the room cleaning was subpar I would take it up with management and if it continues to be an issue, then consider not leaving the tip.
Enjoy your WDW trips and don’t sweat the small stuff :)
We just got back this month from WDW. The only thing lacking was housekeeping. They did not even take out the garbage or make the beds. I literally came back with the blanket crumpled at the end of the bed. I guess I don’t think I should tip when less then minimal was done. On a good note they did replace towels.
We just got back. We tipped everyday but no extras were given. We were at Art of Animation (value resort). When we went two years ago we also tipped daily and got extras. This was a a moderate resort. Wonder if the resort matters?
I just got back from four nights at the Grand Floridian. I tipped Mousekeeping every morning, and I didn’t necessarily expect anything in return. The bedroom and bathroom were extremely clean and the housekeepers deserved a tip. But, as others have said, don’t expect anything for your tips. I never received anything extra and my toiletries weren’t replenished, either.
I wonder if the hotels are so huge that the housekeepers just don’t have time to do special things anymore and still keep up with their work.
We just stayed at pop century and left a good tip and got nothing. There wasn’t anything extra when we arrived, either. :(
We were really looking forward to the towel animals when we arrived. We left cute hand made envelopes with the mousekeeping money in then clearly labeled with thank you mousekeeping on them. However we did not receive any surprises during our 8 night stay. :(
Left special mousekeeping envelopes every day, never got anything but clean towels
I think you might want to check. I have been told by a reputable source that they are not allowed to keep any tips, and can get in trouble if they are caught keeping it.
On our first visit back in 2001, I made special *Mousekeeping* envelopes and tipped every day. We did not get a single towel animal the entire trip and we were staying at the Contemporary (in one of the wings). I’ve never tipped since. I will say, that 99% of he time, we do get towel animals any way.
I actually had the same thing happen to us in September last year, We stayed at Coronado Springs and we didn’t have anything special in our rooms. We actually brought extra stuffed animals so that maybe they would do something. It discouraged me not to tip. Its the little things that make it special.
We were at WDW in October. I printed out cute little envelopes that I found on Pinterest and tipped every day. Of the 6 nights we stayed, we found the boys’ stuffed animals arranged on the bed once when we got back to the room after a long day. The boys were kind of disappointed since we had heard so much about Mousekeeping. My son had even forgotten his birthday button on the table one day and a note he had gotten from the “tooth fairy” and there was no acknowledgement.
All that said, the room was beautiful and they did a nice job cleaning it. Just a little disappointing.
I went to more trouble to create the special “Thank You Mousekeeping” Mickey/Minnie shaped envelopes & tips than the the Mousekeeping did with our room during our last trip in Oct 2015. My daughter was even celebrating a birthday that week & this time there wasn’t even a Mickey photo to greet us upon arrival like there was that last time we had been there. I expressed my disappointment is the loss of this perk when I completed my Disney Experience survey.
I stayed for the first time at a Disney hotel on October 2015. We were a party of four so the first day I left a $5.00 tip, a chocolate from my country and a nice note for our Mousekeeper, thanking him/her for taking care of our room….what did we get? nothing. The toiletries were not replaced and no special towel arrangement was done (not even on the first day at our arrival). That was it, I ate the chocolates I bought for them and saved my dollars on the following days.
We just returned from Disney. We did not get any towels animals or anything special at all, other than a clean room. We tipped every day AND I made sure both rooms (we had 2) were picked up & straightened before we left for the day (l do that wherever we stay, even at restaurants I “clean up” the table before we leave).
Tipping is a good practice to be in, especially for people who are doing a service for you, like House (or in this case, Mouse)keeping. Tip what you can, and what you feel is fair for the service recieved. I do like the $1 per person plus $1. More people is more difficult. lol However, the towel things…everyone gets those…Will it give you extra “perks?” Physically perhaps not, but karmacally and emotionally for sure. :)
ok, correction, it seems not everyone gets the towel decorations, but we didn’t tip until our last day, and we did get them every day. It probably depends on the person taking care of the room.
Do mousekeepers do the Cabins at Fort Wilderness? That is where we are staying in winter and I would like to be prepared with envelopes if they do. Thanks!
Yes, they do!
I always buy thank you cards and write a little note inside letting Mousekeeping know how much we appreciate all the work they do.It is also a good way for us to let them know if there is anything we may need. We also tip whenever we have anything brought to the room. We had our main Mousekeeper actually chase us down to thank us for the notes.
Last year we tipped $10 a day for 4 people at AoA, we were staying in a Cars suite. I too wanted to spread the joy and magic and also I’ve had that job once upon a time. Tips always made my day and were far less frequent 20 years ago!
Color me surprised when We barely even got the basics of their job completed. We tipped $10 for 2 days and got shorted towels, trash that was NEVER emptied in any room/bathroom regardless of food in it, they never vaccuumed regardless of crumbs or foot powder which had spilled being on the floor. It took hours to get a few extra blankets, it was horrible. Needless to say we stopped tipping promptly for the remainder of our week long trip. Things actually got a bit better after that but not much.
To be honest I was infuriated. Disney took care of it after the fact but still. I say wait to see how well they do before tipping them on their job.
Three days ago I returned from a wonderful vacation of 12 days in Walt Disney World. I tipped and did NOT get anything special. Not that I tipped to get the extra towel animals, but it would have been fun to get them, Regardless, I will continue to tip every time we go to the Happiest Place on Earth. Planning my next trip.
I would not of thought of tipping either and totally going to remember this! Thanks!
We always tip. My husband writes a Thank You note and puts the money under it.
We have stayed four times in the last 4 years and always tip mouse keeping by the above rule and have never received animals but see them in the windows of others. :( still tip regardless. We also tip the driver of magical express $1 per bag for loading and unloading them as well as the bellman at the end when they come to our room and help bring our bags down $1 per bag.
After ten years in the hotel industry we ALWAYS tip! Housekeeping makes minimum wage at every resort, hotel, or motel so it makes a difference. If its just my husband and I, the room is generally spotless so I usually leave $2 or $3 /day. With my kids IF the room is clean I leave $5, but if they went crazy and I don’t have time to clean I leave $10. When we traveled across the country with pets AND kids I left $20!
We will be staying at a deluxe resort in a club level room for our 10 year anniversary in a few months. Do you tip the same amount no matter what resort and room type you stay in?
we were just at Disney and did tip mouse keeping using the same rule as above. Our room was always left clean, but we never really got any extra touches.
I do tip, and I love the animals but some are so cute I would love to take them home… I didn’t but would love to sometime when it is a real cute one… Has anyone ever taken them home with them??
Yes, we have brought 1 or 2 home.
On arrival @ 1am my daughter threw all of our soap and shampoo in the toilet !
Mouse keeping brought us more that night. We tipped our entire stay !!
They had lots of fun arranging my kids stuffed animals and special blankets :)
We have been to Disney World several times and on each trip we tip everyday of our stay. We have only gotten a towel character once which is the first day of our stay but this is the one everyone gets. One day of our stay on one of our trips we did get extra soaps and a few other things but we were very sad not to receive other towel animals. We saw them in the windows of other rooms. There is only 3 of us and I always left more than a $1 from each person each day. But it is still a good thing to tip even though you don’t receive anything in return. They work very hard.
We will tip when we we go on our first trip. Staying at a studio on rented points points and still trying to figure out how much since it is not daily mouse keeping.
Our tips at the Beach Club last April were pointedly ignored and left unopened…even in their cute little “Mousekeeping” envelopes… In addition we had no towel animals. I don’t think you should say “everyone gets this” because the service is very uneven and luck of the draw. We stopped leaving tips after the 4th day…would have loved a little pixie dust…
We always tip mousekeeping a few dollars a day; it teaches my boys about budgeting spending money and thanking others etc etc…
Before leaving my son helps me decorate blank business cards we buy at office depot – we use alot of the free Disney stickers we get from the movie club through the year and also from birthday parties. we go ahead and write little thank yous on them and hand them out with tips at restaurants and in our room throughout our stay. we love every part of WDW – and each cast member makes our stay so magical we want to always show our appreciation.
I used some punch out printable business cards i got free at some point…used free clip art off the internet and made up different cards that said “thanks for the mousekeeping” and then set it with the cash by the sink. i had one with disney princesses, several with mickey mouse, one with woody & buzz, one with goofy, one with donald, etc…turned out super cute !
We got back from Disney World a few weeks ago and were disappointed that we go NO towel animals in our hotel room! Our whole vacation was spectacular, but as we came back to our room in the evenings, we began to notice everyone elses towels animals in the windows! We tipped and were even staying on property, but not a one towel animal! I thought about asking for them, because my kids loved the ones we saw in other people’s window, but I decided against it. It’s not as magical if you have to ask for it.
I never really thought of it, unless our room is actually clean. This last time we went I found a Hoodie from a prior guest. I was a little worried. But there is only 2 of us and if my room is clean then I leave a few dollars.
We are headed to Disney in December with some friends and have been reading various sites for tips. Since we still have 6 months until our trip, we are creating special Christmas envelopes for tips using our cricut and mousekeeping envelope ideas on the dis boards – a creative and admittedly dorky way to pass time. ;) I have to admit that I am having fun trying to “share the magic” with folks who spend their days cleaning up our messes. Our last day is one week before Christmas, so we are still working on creative ways to say thanks!
Aww you’ve got a great heart, I’m glad you’re making them so happy! Also something for me to consider next time we go.
I tip daily, just like I would for a hotel stay… I usually put the cash and a quick jotted Thank You (“Thanks for making our room so nice to return to!” etc.) on the side table or on top of the bedspread. That way they know it is for them.
Great idea to tip mousekeeping!
I have never tipped before but I am beginning to think maybe I need to be!
I always tip the Mousekeepers! My husband and I went to Disney for our Honeymoon. I took chocolates we had made for the wedding and left some everyday! I hope they enjoyed them as much as I liked the Mickey soaps!
That is soooooo sweet of you! I have never been before. I will keep this in mind!
We always tip Mousekeeping, too, but we have never received ‘extra touches’ because of it. I certainly don’t expect it but extra towels are always nice… :0)
One of my favorite things when we cruise is the towel animals. So glad you’re getting so many of them!
Thanks for the link, these are great! I’ll definitely use these next time we’re there!
It was expected that you tip on the Disney Cruise, so it makes send that these hardworking lower paid workers also receive a tip. They work so hard to make your stay a pleasure.
We tip when we go. We have gotten the cutest towel animals too.
We tip at every hotel we stay at. They have such a hard job and although we might be nice-you know there are some disgusting people out there. I even go so far as clean up the room and pull the sheets for them. I know I am such a dork. LOL!
We tip housekeeping daily at all hotels.
We tip 95% of the time. Another thing to think about that we did the last time just because we did not have enough room in our suitcases (they were packed to the limit from too much shopping) and we were flying leave all your extra snacks, paper goods, etc. When the bellman came to our room, he was thrilled by the boxes of cereal, pop tarts, and some personal items etc that we were leaving behind.
My BFF and I are going to WDW in June. I made cute little notes with Disney characters and fun sayings–like a Chip and Dale pic with a “Thanks for cleaning up while we have a Best Friends play day!” We’ll be putting them on the vanity mirror with the tip attached. I’m so excited!
We’ve stayed at Disney 8 times and have only had a towel “arrangement” once when we arrived. We always tip and were very disappointed during our last stay in March. They barely did anything special. Our kids noticed and were disappointed. My daughter was also disappointed when her build-a-dino was missing from the room (it was in her bed when we left) when we back from a day at the park. I called mousekeeping and it was never found. :(
We have been to WDW several times. We also tip (read up on it before hand and did the recommended suggestions) and I make special envelopes and we have even done special cookies we attached them. We rarely ever got anything extra special, maybe one towel animal at the beginning of our trip. Occasionally they would arrange the stuffed animals, but that only happened at port orleans. This last time we stayed at the Art of Animation, one towel animal, that was all, they did the bare minimum to clean our room (we kept asking for more towels), and we tipped with money and special chocolates we had made. Honestly I am not even sure why we tipped, nothing extra like others always share about.
They are towels made into the shape of animals so you can use the towel or leave it as it is, but you wouldn’t take it with you.
This brings tears to my eyes. Hubby and I were on our honeymoon and never really traveled and haven’t since. We were on a two week honeymoon, one week in New Orleans and one week on a cruise. They also did towel animals and would use things they found. After being gone a week I was missing my family and we had gotten a dog with my sunglasses on. It was so cute and we did get others every night, but that is the one I remembered. We did have a package that did have gratuity and we also tipped on the last day and they were very greatful.
I always tip–last time I went there(7 years ago)
they lined up my stuffed animals–facing out to the window holding a sign that said”WE MISSED YOU”
how cool is that
do you keep the animals??? or are they left at the hotel?
I think this is a great idea! And you always know it is appreciated no matter what the amount.
CUTE! And I think its totally worth it too!
We do tip mousekeeping we do 5 a day. and they lady always had are room cleaned right after we left. it was great!
We always tip too, we actually have a lot of fun making the envelopes for Mousekeeping.
We always tip them also. The little animals are called special touches by Mousekeeping. If you see one that you like in another part of your hotel, I was told where we always stay at the Music that you can get a hold of housekeeping & let them know what you are looking for & maybe where you saw it at that they will try & see if they can get one for you. But you must give them a few days as the one that makes them may be off that day. It may be different at the Pop though. I have started a collection of them & now have quite a lot of them. They are as much fun to collect as the pins.
I got some cute disney envelopes off ETSY.com.
We got great service with our Mousekeeper….extra towels and shampoo and soap daily..
Where do you leave the tip? I have seen designs where you can print envelopes for this purpose.
We tip if the housekeeping does a good job.
how cute…never heard of the term “mousekeeping” until this. we always tip, believe me, I wouldn’t want to have to clean up after people…so if there are those out there willing to do it (I have heard of horror stories of hotel rooms housekeeping has had to clean), then I think they deserve some extra bucks!
We always tip our housekeepers because they leave you goodies ie: chocolate, towels, free shampoo and sometimes won’t charge for the refillable mugs in your room.
Thanks for bringing this up. I will be printing off some labels for envies and putting our tip in them each day!
My mother was a hotel maid for years so we ALWAYS tip our housekeepers! Just leave it on the bed or a side table and they’ll know its for them-trust me. Its often a thankless job and very hard work so a couple bucks is greatly appreciated.
i do the same because my kids love those towel animals! they’re also trying to guess what animal is coming next!
since you said this i will so tip like a poster said who else do you tip? aalso my kids will decorate the envie that says mouse keeping for a nice touch from us!
We always tip, in Disneyland they gave us extra chocolates on our beds, along with fun towels!
We tip!
I feel like an idiot! I have never even thought about it. We have only stayed once, but still. Who else do you tip while there?
Hi there
We always tip our Mousekeeper as well. We use the same rule of thumb….$1.00 per each of us in the room. We always come back to a clean room with “little touches” here and there. I print off little evelopes that say Thank You Mousekeeping on them. I got them off of another website
http://disney-kingdom.com/printables/printable-disney-envelopes/printable-disney-envelopes-mousekeeping/
Hope it’s ok that I posted that!
We ALWAYS tip at hotels, assuming the service is decent. Usually, I will leave $5 on the counter by the sink along with a quick “Thanks for everything!” note and a smiley face. We always end up with great service. :)
I had the same thought…how do you tip…do you leave it somewhere or hand it to them…I’m always confused about tipping housekeeping.
We tip, too. I usually put the tip on the pillow or next to their introduction name card. I’m curious to see where everyone else puts it.
I was wondering the same thing, where do you put the money so they know it’s a tip?
put it on top of the housekeeping card and write “thank you” on it and leave the tip on top of the card.
I personally work a job where tips are greatly appreciated, but I never thought to tip the last time we went to Disney. :( Next time I will though. Does this rule apply to any hotel you stay at?
I worked housekeeping and tips are greatly appreciated everywhere. And do it everyday because it won’t be the same mouse keeper/ housekeeper every day.
How does mousekeeping know that the money you left is a tip for them and not just your change you left out?
They don’t!! They are not supposed to take any money from your room but if you want them to have a tip, write it on the card that’s in your room and leave the tip next to or on top of it. That’s what the guests do at our resort. It’s always best to not leave your money laying around… all the rooms have safes and you should use them.
We made special MOUSEKEEPING envelopes and left them on bed or counter. They were clearly labeled and kids had fun when it was their day to use their special envelope.
Great idea! I’m definitely doing this!
We did it… Made cute envelopes & nothing… Clean room yes but no extra’s… 2nd Day I went ahead of my family & faked a Mickey out of towels… We stayed at CBR. We continued to tip & I continued to make the magic appear… Just a heads up… Be prepared.
Great info!
Great post! Makes me think about tipping more often
If we are satisfied with our room we always tip the Mousekeeper daily.
I just got back from Disney a week ago today, we stayed at All Star Movies. We tipped, Mousekeeping always did a wonderful job cleaning. They also set up my sons stuffed animals which he loved.
We tip! Love your new site!!
you know, I probably would never have thought of tipping mousekeeping, but after reading your post, we will be putting money in the budget to do this. Thanks, it made me smile when I read it, very thoughtful!
Totally agree…
We tip!!