Excursion tipping?

[RLM77]

I apologize in advance for my ignorance, but as an RSSC newbie and a first time cruiser to boot, I AM ignorant.

 

Is one expected to tip the tour bus driver, the float plane pilot, the captain of the whale watch vessel, etcetera? I understand the policy on board the ship, but does it extend to the shore excursions booked through RSSC?

 

My DH and I will be on the Mariner Alaska cruise June 15th. :D

 

Thanks!

[MarnaLou]

We always tip the bus driver, tour guides, boat operators, etc. However, we don't tip helicopter or airplane pilots, but I'm not sure I can say exactly why not. Maybe because we assume they are already highly paid. I'd be interested in other people's custom on this matter.

 

Have a great time in Alaska!

 

MarnaLou

[curiouscruiser]

We tip depending on the quality of the tour and the interaction with the guide. We've paid for the excursion, and if a tip is deserved we are happy to give one. We don't tip the drivers/pilots unless they are also the guide. Don't know if that's the right way to do it or not, but that's our practice.

[A J Theodore]

Almost all tours and excursions are operated by independent contractors and, therefore, those tips are not covered by the "all inclusive" price of Radisson. Because the tour operators are independent contractors, keep several things in mind as you plan your tours. First, all cruise lines (including Radisson) disclaim any responsibility for the acts or omissions of any independent contractor and you usually can't get anything out of the cruise line if there is a problem with the tour or excursion. First, Second, and more important to your question, the money you pay to the cruise line (after the cruise line takes its commission on the booking) goes straight to the company that operates the tour. Thus, you must make your decision to tip any individual employee based on your usual tipping criteria. Just as you have to decide whether and how much to tip at the beauty salon on the ship (which is run by an independent contractor and therefore not within the tips included policy), you will need to decide whether and how much to tip the individual tour guide, bus driver, etc. Hope that this helps.

[hvsteve1]

We will be seeing Alaska on the Mariner in June and are planning to book the tours through the ship. I guess somebody at the activities desk can answer questions about who traditionally gets tipped and how much.

[jhp]

I think Ngaire, a big booker TA with RSSC suggests $5 pp for an excursion that takes the day. If you are on an overnight excursion off the ship, more.

[curiouscruiser]

I have to say that Radisson is more than fair when an excursion doesn't go well. In Oslo we were on a bus and the heater malfunctioned leaving the temperature uncomfortably warm. There were several comments, and though I didn't complain, the next day I got a note from Radisson informing me that my account had been credited for almost half of the excusrion price since the excursion didn't meet Radisson's standards. I got a partial refund on another as well - can't remember why right now, but I was impressed in both cases.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Tips are not inlcuded in the Spa or Beauty Salon services either. Those people work for their tips and most people do not realize that the are leased departments so they are paid commissions and tips.

[jhp]

ChatKat. oh gosh, I always tipped for those services in the past, and then someone posted here a while ago that tips in the spa were included, so I stopped because the prices were steep, and I figured it must be so. What is your source for this info, (although I do not doubt it)?