Tipping

If you ever want to stick your head into the lion’s mouth on a Disney message board or social media group, make a bold proclamation about the One True Way to Tip. People will rush at you with tar and feathers before you manage to blink.

The gist of the subject is that most guests expect Disney to pay its cast members a fair wage, at least when it’s helpful on the topic of tipping. Some people don’t want to tip Magical Express drivers. When they hear Bell Services employees indicate that they get tipped $5 or $10 a bag, these guests taste bile.  

Since park visitors pay a great deal of money on a Disney trip, they feel like the other expenses should be paid by someone else i.e. The Walt Disney Company. It is a discussion that does go hand-in-hand with the cast member salaries debate.

Image: DisneyPeople fear that cast members getting paid more will lead to higher admission prices and more expensive hotel rooms. BUT… the same folks don’t want to foot the bill directly when certain cast members rely on tips to make a living wage. It’s a tricky subject to be sure, and there are complex underlying economic principles at play.

I look at the situation in its simplest terms. Cast members are the greatest people on the planet, generous sorts who pass on more lucrative career opportunities in order to bring happiness to strangers. I’ll root for them to get the highest wages possible in negotiations, and my family carries cash on trips to tip everyone. I’m fine with paying a bit more to return the kindness of these dutiful Disney employees. I understand that others don’t feel the same way, though.