Tipping at Walt Disney World can be confusing. Is gratuity included on the Disney Dining Plan? Do you tip your bus driver? Is it okay to give money to Cast Members who make a magical moment? This post answers questions about when tipping is expected, appropriate, and how much to budget for tips at restaurants, resorts & beyond. (Updated April 26, 2025.)
Gratuities have come up in the comments with frequency, often by international visitors for whom tipping culture in the United States is very, well, foreign. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a topic I’ve been particularly eager to cover, since it’s so controversial among Americans.
It’s also an unnecessarily convoluted topic, with an emphasis on unnecessarily. For starters, there are a couple of important pieces of background information that will provide useful context in understanding gratuities at Walt Disney World.
First, Florida law allows certain positions to be categorized as tipped employees, which entitles the employer to a tip credit of ~$3 per hour. Stated differently, tipped employees can be paid $3 per hour less than normal minimum wage. Minimum wage in Florida is currently $13 an hour, and the required cash wage for tipped employees is $9.98.
As of September 30, 2025, the minimum wage is $14 per hour, and the tip credit is $3.02, resulting in a tipped minimum wage of $10.98 per hour. For the most part, minimum wages for non-tipped employees are not relevant in Central Florida; the labor market is tight and very few businesses are able to “get away” with paying the minimum.
Second, Cast Members in positions that are not categorized by Walt Disney World as tipped are required to refuse a tip three times before accepting. Even if you do decide to press ahead in this uncomfortable exchange, be aware that any tips given after refusal are required to be turned in to managers, and are not received by the Cast Member. It’s very well possible some just pocket the money (we hope so!), but you should not bank on that. (Note that this was accurate when this guide was originally published–I’m not sure what current policy is as of 2025.)
If you receive exemplary service from a Cast Member in a position that is not tipped, your best option is to go to Guest Relations and ask to leave a Cast Compliment. This isn’t just a way to say thanks, but is an important in receiving official (internal) recognition and can even be a factor in promotions.
Thankfully, it’s also now possible to do this digitally via the My Disney Experience app. We cover how to leave Cast Compliments via the app and why you should do it here. Making a point of doing this for under-appreciated roles like custodial, parking, etc., is a great practice. Praise is often heaped upon thoughtful princesses or superlative servers, but not so much for roles that traditionally have less guest interaction.
As you can probably surmise from the above, it’s awkward and unproductive to attempt tipping Cast Members who are not in tipped positions. Unless they are in some grey area or questions are anticipated, we won’t cover every position Cast Members can fill below. If they are not listed, assume tipping is not necessary or appropriate.
Tipping Grey Areas
Since we originally published this guide to tipping at Walt Disney World, gratuities have ‘expanded’ even further in the United States. Much of this began several years ago, but really proliferated during COVID. That made sense at the time, as dining establishments of all varieties were open for business and frontliner workers in the service industry were going above and beyond. Most consumers were okay with tipping on takeout orders; many were happy to do so and felt it 100% justified.
Fast-forward 5 years and the circumstances are different–and sentiment is shifting. It’s a topic I’m seeing come up again and again in mainstream media, with surveys reflecting evolving American attitudes and “tipping fatigue.” (See “One-Third Of Americans Think Tipping Is Getting Out Of Control, Survey Finds” in Forbes, “Nearly 9 in 10 Americans Are Fed Up With Tipping, According To a New Survey” in Food & Wine, as well as “Americans Are Tipping Less Than They Have in Years” and “Tipping Is Everywhere and Consumers Are Fed Up” in the Wall Street Journal.)
Only thing is clear when it comes to all of the new places offering the option to tip: there’s no clear consensus among Americans. This is especially true in counter service locations where you’re being handed an order. It’s a similar story in pretty much every place that has touchscreen ordering with a tip option almost as an afterthought. There is no “rule of thumb” or standard American etiquette when it comes to these venues. If you’re a foreign visitor (or even a domestic one) confused by these situations, welcome to the club.
I can only speak for myself, and I generally tip something in these scenarios–usually 5% or a few dollars. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t do so out of some ethical obligation, but out of guilt–and because the situation is awkward. In many of these circumstances, you’re expected to tip before your food or beverage has even been prepared. I want my order being done correctly and handled with care, so tipping a nominal amount is essentially a bribe to ensure that.
Like the majority of other Americans captured by recent survey data, I don’t really care for these scenarios. I usually do not return to businesses where there’s the option to tip for cursory service like this. Speaking of businesses I do not return to, the same goes for any with a non-optional service charge that’s separate from the gratuity and not advertised up front. I’ll pay this plus a gratuity exactly once. I won’t make a big deal about it or ask to speak with a manager; I will simply vote with my feet/wallet and never return.
In my view, there’s zero difference between this and a resort fee, which I hate. If it’s a non-optional percentage fee, it should simply be added to the menu prices. This is not done, of course, to obfuscate prices and so as to not lose business. With me, it has the opposite effect–I’d rather pay higher but transparent prices, whereas a business that tries sleight of hand to trick me into paying more. To each their own on that.
Fortunately, you won’t run into much of this at Walt Disney World. Very few counter service locations even offer the option to tip and, to the best of my knowledge, these are all run by third parties. Meaning that you’ll be much more likely to see this at Disney Springs or a handful of the hotels than anywhere in the parks & resorts that are owned and operated by Walt Disney World.
Point being, if you’re visiting the United States, you’re likely to run into these situations, especially beyond the Disney bubble. Although some advocates or critics may claim there are clear-cut rules about these scenarios, that is false. Americans are very much divided on the proliferation of tipping. You can read the above-referenced articles or surveys for more info–we’re just bringing this to your attention so you’re aware that there are now (many) situations beyond the more black-and-white ones below where you might be presented with the option to tip.
With that out of the way, here are the more obvious scenarios for tipping at Walt Disney World…
Transportation
- Mears Connect Driver – Yes, regardless of whether they handle your luggage. Base tip of $3-5 per party, plus $1-2 per bag. (Note that Disney’s Magical Express drivers are not Cast Members. They’re Mears–same as the taxis around property.)
- Lyft/Uber/Taxi – Yes. In their idealistic nascent stages, ride-sharing apps sought to eliminate tipping. As more has come to light about their drivers being under-compensated, the solution has been making them dependent upon tips, rather than paying them more and increasing base fares. We recommend tipping between 15% of the fare (longer rides) and 20% of the fare (shorter ride). Our rationale for this range is the proportionate sunk-time of the shorter ride (particularly true for ride sharing).
- Minnie Vans – Yes. These are now categorized as tipped positions by Disney, and these Cast Members can accept cash or in-app tips without following the “refuse three times” rule. Same tipping practices apply as for Lyft/Uber/Taxi.
- Valet – Yes. $2-5 to anyone who touches your car keys.
- Any Other Free Disney Transportation – No. Whether it be monorail, boat, or bus drivers, the answer here is no. Unlike Disney’s Magical Express drivers, these are all Disney Cast Members, and tipping is no more appropriate here than it would be to the Cast Member who operates Tomorrowland Speedway.
Hotels
- Bell Services – Yes, $2-3 per bag. As a general rule, you should tip anyone who touches your luggage in your view. This is also a good reminder that you should bring cash if you normally wouldn’t carry it, since most luggage-centric tipping situations will be cash-only.
- Concierge – No. While they may cheerfully provide great service and assistance in helping plan your day or make reservations for you, these are not tipped positions. (This is most definitely not the custom at off-site hotels, where you should tip the concierge.)
- Mousekeeping – It depends. This is probably the most controversial one on this list. While Mousekeeping is not classified as a tipped position, their workload and the personal service-oriented nature of their position leads many guests to leave them tips. At a minimum, we would recommend tipping if you leave a mess. In this case, $5 per day per room seems like a fair amount. (Even more if your kid pees the bed or other “labor intensive” accidents necessitate a deep clean.) If they are just changing the trash, making beds, and bringing fresh towels, consider tipping more of a polite gesture. Put a ‘thank you’ post it note over the money, or place it into an envelope addressed to Mousekeeping. Don’t want to hassle with a tip here? Leave the “Room Occupied” sign up.
- Personal Services – Yes. This covers things like spa services, golf caddies, rental boat operators, carriage guides, fishing guides, etc. This is also the one area that also extends into the theme parks, with locations like Harmony Barber Shop, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, all of which call for around the same tip as you’d leave in a table service restaurant.
- Tour Guides – No, if it’s a regular behind-the-scenes tour, like Wild Africa Trek or Behind the Seeds. If it’s a personalized or private experience, such as a VIP Tour, you do tip. The guidance for this is all over the place; some guests choose to tip a percentage of the overall cost of the tour (5% to 20% is the typical range), an amount per person on the tour ($50 to $100 per person, on average), the cost of one hour of the tour as the tip, or simply a flat amount.
Dining
- Table Service Servers – Obviously. It does not matter whether you’re on the Disney Dining Plan or paying out of pocket, you need to add a tip. (Gratuity used to be included on the Disney Dining Plan, but were eliminated over a decade ago.) Custom in U.S. cities is 18-22%. This might surprise those of you from smaller towns who are used to 15%, which may very well be the norm there, but in Orlando, it’s 18-22%. Be mindful that in some cases, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to your bill–review that to ensure you don’t double-tip.
- Buffet Servers – Yes. There is some sentiment that you can tip buffet servers less than traditional table service servers, which is likely predicated upon you doing part of the “work” by getting your own food. Just keep in mind these servers generally bring you drinks and clear more plates than a normal server would. Our rule here is no different than table service.
- Bars & Lounges – Yes. Either $2-3 per drink in cash to the bartender or, more likely, the standard 18-22% on a tab.
- Fast Casual Servers – I think so? Few things are more uncomfortable for me than venturing into a new fast-casual (read: fancy counter service) restaurant, ordering and paying, and then having an iPad flipped over to me to enter a tip. It’s always unclear whether this is a default feature of their software, or if they do provide some sort of ‘extra service’ that might cause their employees to be categorized as tipped. Usually, I’ll err on the side of caution and tip 10-12%, but this varies by location and is not a hard and fast rule.
- Counter Service Cast Members – No. There’s not even an option to leave gratuity at the register or on receipts.
- Outdoor Vending Carts – No. Even though this, in some cases, is basically just a mobile bartender, you don’t tip here.
All told, there are a lot of situations that necessitate tipping at Walt Disney World. How often and how much you need to tip depends on several variables, including how many people handle your luggage, how often you use paid transportation, personal services, etc.
When it comes to how much you should budget for tips at Walt Disney World, it’s really impossible for us to say. It could be as little as $40 if you don’t do any table service meals, or in the hundreds of dollars if you do a lot of sit-down dining. What we will say is that we’d recommend bringing at least $10-15 in cash for every night of your trip (so around $70-100 for a weeklong trip, give or take) in a variety of denominations.
We say this as people who rarely carry cash at home, and have been in the awkward position of scrambling to try to find money for tips while at Walt Disney World. It’s better to err on the side of caution and have too much cash than not enough. After running out of cash on a couple of trips and having to hassle with that, we now always bring more than the maximum (there have been too many times when doing split stays or whatever when we’ve made more trips to Bell Services than planned for luggage storage, transfers, etc).
Finally, regardless of your personal feelings on tipping, don’t take that out on service industry workers in tipped positions. It is a myth that gratuity is a reward or incentive for exceptional service. Under Florida law, employees in tipped positions have a lower minimum wage, meaning that their tips are literally an assumption built into their salary. It’s simply a burden that has been shifted from their employer directly to the consumer for some reason.
You may disagree with this approach, particularly if you’re an international visitor used to employees being paid a living wage and not dealing with these shenanigans (or if you’ve read up on systemic discrimination reinforced by tipping culture). That’s fine, but you cannot “opt out” of tipping just because you disagree with it as a matter of policy. You are not going to effect social change by stiffing a server who has zero hand in writing Florida laws or in dictating societal norms and mores in the United States. The only thing you can opt out of is scenarios where tipping is expected–so don’t do table service dining if you’re morally opposed (or whatever) to tipping.
Unfortunately, since these are mostly unwritten rules and norms, there is a lot of room for interpretation; tipping practices do evolve, and also vary by region and even city within the United States. This is in part due to differences in employment law, standards of living, and local custom. All of this makes tipping a particularly tricky topic to tackle, and in no way should our advice here be viewed as definitive. The above is our understanding of tipping at Walt Disney World and our personal practices, but your mileage may vary.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with any of our suggestions on tipping? Any supplemental information to add, or things we missed? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
