You may already be familiar with tipping if you live in the United States. Basically, there are certain places that provide services where customers are traditionally expected to add on a tip.

Tipping is also a thing in Disney World, but it might not be exactly what you think. There are certain places and people that are customary to tip, but you can’t tip everyone. Don’t stress – we’ve got you covered with the ULTIMATE guide to tipping in Disney World!

Tipping is Customary

In the United States, tipping is considered customary at table service restaurants and select locations around Disney World. A tip is typically expected to be around 15-25% of your total bill.

Table service restaurants include places where you’re seated by a host and your food and drinks are served to you. In Disney World, this also includes buffet restaurants because you still get a server who brings you drinks.

It’s generally expected to tip at bars and lounges, too, even though you order at a counter or a bar and take your drink with you. It’s customary to tip a bartender $1 per beer or glass of wine and $2 per mixed drink.

If you visit a place where you can tip, you’ll see the option to tip on your receipt, so don’t worry too much about forgetting to tip!

Click here for the top 16 bars and lounges in Disney Word!

You Can’t Tip Everyone

Only certain Cast Members can accept tips depending on where they work, so not everyone can be tipped. For example, you can’t tip Cast Members in quick service restaurants, drivers, parking attendants, tour guides, or many others.

If you can’t tip someone but you want to show appreciation, you can opt to compliment the Cast Member by submitting a “Cast Compliment” in the My Disney Experience app or by visiting Guest Relations. This helps Cast Members get recognized for their hard work so you might not be able to give them a tip, but you can still give them a shout-out!

How to submit a Cast Compliment for a Cast Member in Disney World!

How to Tip

Generally speaking, you CAN tip Cast Members in hotel housekeeping (also known as Mousekeeping), luggage handling, spa treatments, childcare services (when offered), club level concierge services, and some recreational activities like boat drivers, tennis instructors, waterski instructors, and such. If you’re on one of Disney World’s golf courses, you can also tip golf instructors and caddies.

If you want to tip your housekeeper, make sure you leave the tip in a designated area in your hotel in a labeled envelope so that the housekeeper is able to distinguish it from something you just accidentally left out. Tips of this nature are generally expected to be $1 per person in the room per day. Right now, housekeeping isn’t taking place every day in many hotels, but you can still leave a tip for the days that your room receives a cleaning.

For housekeeping, make sure to tip daily rather than at the end of your stay, since you will likely have different Cast Members cleaning your room from day to day during your trip.

And when it comes to dining, most Disney World receipts actually calculate the amount for both 18% or 20% tips so you don’t have to do TOO much math or guessing games. If you want to tip 25%, you can increase your tip amount.

And if you’re not used to tipping, make sure you budget accordingly for Disney World because it can really add up depending on what your plans are! If you plan on making any dining reservations or visiting a few lounges, we recommend adding 25% onto whatever you would otherwise be budgeting.

Small price increases that make a BIG difference to your Disney World budget!

Gratuity May Be Included

Table service restaurants may apply gratuity depending on where you are and the size of your party. Parties of six or more have an 18% automatic gratuity added to your receipt, but if so desired you can typically choose to increase your tip.

If you’re traveling with a group of more than six this knowledge can make it easier to plan AND budget, and if you want to avoid automatic gratuity we suggest booking smaller groups for dining. Booking larger parties can make it more difficult to find reservations at certain restaurants, so smaller parties may have an easier time. Plus, this gives your group the freedom to visit the restaurants they like, rather than be forced to do everything together.

That said, automatic gratuity can make your life easier (no math necessary), so it’s really up to you and your group.

The mistakes everyone makes when booking dining in Disney World!

Tipping customs apply to many areas in Disney World and it’s not a bad idea to be prepared just in case. Bring some extra cash or build tips into your budget before getting caught off guard. Keep following DFB for more Disney World tips and tricks!

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2022 at checkout for 25% off!

The ULTIMATE Disney World packing list for 2023!

What’s your favorite thing to do in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!