Valet Parking

[Gail T AGAIN]

I had valet parking, it is 6 dollars a day, we went to AK to Bomas for dinner and used the same valet parking ticket that we bought at BWI. Valet is well worth the money, the walk for self parking can be horrible after walking the parks all day.

 

[DisneyLisa]

Hi Gail,

Do they just add the valet parking onto your bill...how do they keep track of where your car is? We plan to use the valet parking on our upcoming trip & I'm just wondering how it works (we've never used it before). Thanks.

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

We just paid the $.00 up front when we told them at the valet we would like valet parking. Then the surprise was when we went to AKL to Bomas for dinner, my son said "hey'this valet is for the whole day no matter where you go" I said "no way, jose" but again he was right. LOL we just tipped each guy when they brought the car back to us, it really is worth it, was worth it even more when we didn't have to pay but it it still worth it.

 

[betterlatethannever]

If you are staying on site, they just add the $6.00 on to your room bill.

Ed

 

[Eeyore1954]

Definitely use valet parking! The $6.00 fee is worth it. My DW and I used it at WL in May. We used valet parking at all the other resorts we visited without paying anything additional, except a tip to the person who brought the car back.

We had a bit of a laugh when we started to leave the last day. Our bill showed only 1 $6.00 charge. We were there for 8 days. I started to tell my DW about the "bargain", but decided to get it fixed at the front desk. The CM was surprised, too and commented on the "bargain" valet parking we almost got!

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Can't agree more. We ALWAYS use valet parking, it is so convienent. Especially at the Grand Floridian, where in order to get to the self parking you have to walk past the valet lot, cross Floridian Way, and then into the parking lot. It's quite a hike!

 

[DisneyLisa]

Thanks everyone...I guess we'll be using it for sure at the GF Cali-D. Just never thought about using it last year (but the BC self-parking was really close). I was thinking I wouldn't want anyone to see the inside of my van after a 3 day drive to WDW but I guess I won't worry about that.

 

[JudithM]

Little reminder - valet parking is complimentary at WDW resorts if you have handicapped tags/parking permit.

 

[dtuleya]

Wow, only $6/day for valet! We were in Niagara Falls, ON, for two days and valet was $19/Canadian per day, and we didn't even move our car once. I'll definitely be opting for this service!

 

[figment95]

One problem we encountered at WL when we were there in the beginning of June. We valet parked every day. The first time we went to another resort for dinner we valet parked and they gave us a hard time because you're supposed to have a tag hanging on your rear view mirror to let the valets know that you have already paid. WL never put one on our car so AKL wanted us to pay again. So if you're leaving your resort to valet park at another one, check and make sure you have your tag so you don't have to pay twice.

 

[the Legend]

Wow! I was going to use the Brotherly valet service ... thats where you bring your Brother on holiday with you and make him get the car, park the car, carry the bags etc.

But $6/day ALL DAY is great.

BTW. I was joking ... he's only carrying the bags

 

[Tikiman]

I use to valet every time but the Polynesian self park is very close to the entrance. I think the only time I will valet will be when we check in. It sounds like a good idea to valet for our stay over at the AKL. I guess $6 is not bad considering the Disneyland Hotel cost $10 a day just to self park and walk a half a mile.

Steve

 

[Bob NC]

$6 per day for valet isn't bad unless you pull a blunder like I did last night. We went from AKL, (Where we were staying and our car was in valet for the whole trip), to Narcoossee's at GF for dinner. I had my money clip in my left pocket and in my right pocket I had a $10 bill and two ones. I took the 2 ones out of my pocket and set them on the console of the car as that is what I was going to give the valet. We got out of the car at GF and I handed the guy the folded up money from my pocket....As we walked away from the car my wife says, "Did you mean to leave that money in the car"? I mistakenly left the $2 in the car and gave the valet a $10 tip.....lolol.....I told my wife he would probably be looking for me to retrieve my car after dinner....

 

[PieInYourEye]

I want to use the valet service... never have, (single mom, too cheap).

So once you've paid your $6, do you tip when the park the car or when they bring it back... how much should you tip?

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We always gave $2 when they'd take the car, then $2-3 when they'd bring it back around.

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

I have to be honest, I do not give money when they take the car, just when they bring it back. If I am paying 6 bucks to have valet parking I refuse to pay another 4 to 5 dollars for a tip, I always give 2 dollars when the car is brought bacl. Some might call me cheap bue, my 5 day 4 night trip must of cost me at least 2500.00 maybe more, I paid for concierge and better views, not tipping every Tom Dick and Harry when something is done for me. Geesh, I don't get tipped at work. I bet this will open up another can of worms.

 

[dtuleya]

I agree with you Gail, I don't want to open a can of worms either, but recently I read an article about tipping and they stated you should only tip the person who BRINGS you the car. I tried to remember where I saw it so that I could cut and paste it for everyone since it was very informative. I read the article before our trip to Niagara Falls, and I felt more empowered about tipping etiquette and appropriate amounts. I don't like to be a stingy tipper (I was a waitress for many years), but it can get quickly out of hand and cost a fortune if you're tipping everyone in the hotel.

 

[Bob NC]

It's the generalizations like, "...tipping everyone in the hotel...." that make the top on the worm can loosen. I've found that the only folks other than waitpeople I tip at Disney are valets, bellpersons and housekeepers.

That article was in USA Today and their rationale was that each valet would have about the same number of cars every shift, so if you tip only the person who returns it, then everything should even out among the bell people. I disagree with this, however, because I tip based on what services are performed for ME...I try to leave all the outside factors out of it...Like how many cars they have, what their rate of pay is, whether or not I feel that valet is a downtrodden job category that should not be 'begrudged' a tip.

If they take MY car to park ir for ME, I give them a buck or two. If they go to get it for ME, I give them a buck or two.

 

[Eeyore1954]

A couple of good points were made.

1) WL valet doesn't always put a tag on your car. When I was there in May, I got the tag on 1 day. The rest of the time I got a little slip -- like a mini-receipt. Fortunately, no other resort gave me a hassle about valet parking when I told them & pointed out my WL parking paper. Some CMs just smiled and nodded knowingly

2) I only tipped the fellow who brought my car each day. I don't consider that cheap. Often it was the same person. My tip was usually $2.

My FIL stayed at the Westin Grand Bohemian which does valet parking for all guests -- at $15/night. Unfortunately, he did not realize this until he got his car the next day. Being the generous sort, he tipped the fellow almost $15! When he found out he'd basically paid $30 to park for one night, he nearly exploded! After that he parked on the street for the rest of their stay!

 

[dtuleya]

Forgive me if my wording was too general. In defense of myself, I am not a frequent traveler who stays in upscale hotels. Neither DH or I travel for work. We usually rent condos or houses on our trips to the beach where we don't come across this, or we stay in hotels where there is only housekeeping and the front desk staff. To me, someone who is not familiar with tipping in the hotel industry, it seems a confusing practice, and one that I don't take lightly. However, I do feel, and reading some of the posts on this thread from those who have "overtipped", it is unclear who it is acceptable to tip and how much. My "generalization" was my own way of stating that I'm unsure who should be tipped. I feel we all know that waitstaff should be tipped after the meal for good service, but there are still some of us out there who are unfamiliar with tipping practices in upscale hotels.