chaswill Posted April 30, 2013 #1 Share Posted April 30, 2013 We are signed up for private as well as ship's tours on an upcoming cruise and I am not quite sure how to handle tipping the tour guides. I have always tipped our guides when using private tours, but on past cruises, I have noticed most people did not tip their tour guides when using ship's tours and exciting the bus. Could use some opinions on if to tip and how much. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted April 30, 2013 #2 Share Posted April 30, 2013 That is a tricky one. Some cultures tip and others do not. While in the South Pacific we found several countries where tips were not expected and some where they were. If you have exceptional service, then tip. Do what you feel comfortable with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wristband Posted April 30, 2013 #3 Share Posted April 30, 2013 $10 per person for the guide, $3-5 for the driver. Assuming the tour service provided was to your satisfaction. If it was not, don't tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted April 30, 2013 #4 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Wristband, If you're talking about ship's tours I think you'll find very few people who adhere to your guidelines. And very few of their guides who are worth that. jmo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marky63 Posted April 30, 2013 #5 Share Posted April 30, 2013 if I enjoyed myself and I normally do I tip ship or private. Private I tip more usually at least $20 for all day ship $10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted April 30, 2013 #6 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Right or wrong, I agree that ship tour guides don't get tipped as often or as much but maybe that is because the passengers have paid such a high price for the tour. We sometimes tip ship guides, I think I have always tipped a private one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
true45 Posted April 30, 2013 #7 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Generally we do ship tours and do tip a few dollars. The only time I did not tip was when the guide was awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Caroldoll Posted April 30, 2013 #8 Share Posted April 30, 2013 You should tip each one something. These people, no matter what the culture need the money in most cases. If you have a horrible guide--then don't tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2travelers Posted April 30, 2013 #9 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Last year my husband and I did the overnight Oceania tour to Morocco. One of the staff from Oceania went with us. We tipped all the guides, who were wonderful. When we went to tip the Oceania staff person, she absolutely refused to take it. Let me add that my husband uses a walker to go the distance, and this woman was with him constantly making sure he was OK throughout. We felt terrible that she refused to be compensated for what we felt was a superb job. We did let the tour director know and did write a glowing report at the end of the cruise. Since this was the first time we ever did a tour with O, I am not sure if that was the norm. So, do what you are comfortable with and let the guides decide to accept or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted April 30, 2013 #10 Share Posted April 30, 2013 We did a taxi tour of St. Lucia some years ago with a young French couple. The driver made it clear that he needed a tip. (We'd gotten a very low rate by bargaining but due to the technicalities of drivers, he wasn't in the "in" group so had to take our low rate which according to him was less than it cost him to take us around the island.) The french couple gave him zip, so we doubled our tip. He'd done a great job. We also have noticed that many people on ship's tours tip not at all (and unlike Wripro, while we don't usually do ship's tours we have done some, and 95% of those have been quite good even though we would prefer a smaller group). But I've seen some people on private tours not tip as well, although that isn't nearly as common as it is on ship's tours. My take. If you liked the guide, tip. It's up to you to decide how MUCH. I've never seen a guide who didn't appreciate a tip. If the guide is the owner, then you don't need to tip. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted May 1, 2013 #11 Share Posted May 1, 2013 There were eight of us on a private tour from Monaco. We paid for our guide's lunch, which was only about $14 divided by the eight of us. That served as an excuse for two of the ladies on our tour to provide no tip at the end. We (and the wonderful woman who organized the excellent tour) were so embarassed by this behavior. I will never forget this incident (from 2009). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted May 1, 2013 #12 Share Posted May 1, 2013 The thing is -- I think -- that many people don't realize that tour guides (and especially the drivers if you have two people) don't get much in salary. They live off their tips as do waitpeople in U.S. restaurants. We used to think that $2-3 was sufficient for the guide on a ship's tour, somewhat less for the driver. That was 10 years ago or more. We have severely upgraded that amount in recent years. And for private tours, we tip significantly more. But as I have already said -- we gauge our tips on the service. We have never NOT tipped, but we have reduced our tips for inadequate service and increased it for superior service. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted May 1, 2013 #13 Share Posted May 1, 2013 There was six of us who formed a regular group of private tours on our South Pacific cruise. We all tipped and the others that joined us did too. Mind you with the exception of one tour guide they all went out of their way to give us an exceptional tour. We saw more than if we would have if we had been with an Oceania tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wristband Posted May 1, 2013 #14 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Mura's advice is good. Tip for the service provided and realize guides depend on tips for a living - the bulk of our tour fee goes to the operator and, w/ ship sponsored tours, as a profit center for Oceania. Nothing wrong with this but the actual guide who provides us service and oversight deserves recognition for their kindness, knowledge, patience and effort. I also realize other cultures/countries have a mindset that refuses to tip (UK, Australia). In my case, I "over" tipped on a small group of 6 - 8 where half tip and half stiff. That is not fair to the guide and, frankly, embarrassing holding on to your prejudice in a foreign setting. You paid $10,000+ for the cruise and you refuse to cough up $10 for an 8 hour tour where the guide is waiting on you hand and foot? Come on! Cheap, cheap, cheap. A lousy example for everyone. I recently was on small group tours in Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan. Most especially in Vietnam, a poor country, several in our group failed to tip on the basis of "principle" from their home - not to recognize the excellent service provided all day for a FULL DAY. Shameful & disturbing to see. On the other hand, I have been on small group tours where others were far more generous than I with tips. And I have had several O ship tours that were horrible due to a numbskull "guide" (speaking broken English, uninformed & disinterested in guest questions). So I tipped zippo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairbourne Posted May 1, 2013 #15 Share Posted May 1, 2013 [quote name=wristband;38210495. I also realize other cultures/countries have a mindset that refuses to tip (UK' date=' Australia). . o.[/quote] Wristband - no not a mindset that refuses to tip, merely of the opinion that it is not always necessary to do so. A tip is a bonus, not a given! There are many, many long and boring discussions on tipping on CC and quite frankly your "realisation" is just downright wrong! Just read the pages and pages on CC from US cruisers who want to know how to "stiff " - dreadful word btw - the crew. So that makes a mockery of your statement somewhat. Any savvy traveller, from any country, will hopefully do their research on the countries they are to visit and make their own minds up. And if they don't, well I for one would not worry about them as they would not be the sort of people we would wish to travel with! For the record, my DH is a generous tipper, but only when and where service goes above and beyond. Why would you tip if you receive dreadful service? On your example of $10 pp for the tour guide - what if it's a 50 seater coach? simple maths would make that $500! I wish I got paid $500 a day! OK that may be an extreme example but this is how things can get out of hand! And that was the advice you gave! I also think many of you make an awful lot of assumptions that everyone involved in the tourist industry "needs" or "depends" on tips to make a living! It's so disrespectful to assume that because someone, in your eyes, is doing what you think might be a "lower paid" job, that you have to come across as Lord Bountiful and throw your dollars around. This, sadly, is how some come across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 1, 2013 #16 Share Posted May 1, 2013 On your example of $10 pp for the tour guide - what if it's a 50 seater coach? simple maths would make that $500! I wish I got paid $500 a day! OK that may be an extreme example but this is how things can get out of hand! And that was the advice you gave! . I do not know why people have to "do the math" for the whole bus or ship You should tip what you feel is fair & not worry what the rest of the ship or bus is tipping So what if the guide gets $500 according to your example that maybe be his only tour that week & he may share with the driver or others None of your business what he does with it I see many of theses threads on tipping & people give the examples of if everyone on the ship gives the suggested tip then the room steward/waiter etc get so much so why do they need to tip People should do what they think is best for them We do tip for ships tours & private tours according to the service we get YMMV Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairbourne Posted May 1, 2013 #17 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I do not know why people have to "do the math" for the whole bus or shipYou should tip what you feel is fair & not worry what the rest of the ship or bus is tipping So what if the guide gets $500 according to your example that maybe be his only tour that week & he may share with the driver or others None of your business what he does with it I see many of theses threads on tipping & people give the examples of if everyone on the ship gives the suggested tip then the room steward/waiter etc get so much so why do they need to tip People should do what they think is best for them We do tip for ships tours & private tours according to the service we get YMMV Lyn Quite Lyn - "if by some people" you mean me, I quoted that extremely silly example as that's exactly what wristband suggested! It is just a silly example and nothing to get worked up about! I was trying to make the point that each should do what they wish, not always follow some well-meaning advice on a public forum! As for relating it to the other example of crew tips on board, well that of course relates exactly to my referral to other long debates on how to "stiff" the crew. Before I read these posts, I did not even know people did such things! Of course we have only sailed on all-inclusive lines and it would not even cross my mind to try and add up or even guess how much a crew member gets in tips - why would I care? Why would I even be interested? Sailing on Oceania will be the first time we have ever had tips paid separately. That's fine too! Thank goodness we agree on two things: firstly, what people do with their money, be it tips or anything else, is their business! and secondly, what people do with their money in sharing it around, they should do what they think is best for them, that's their business too! That was my whole point in writing the original post! But I do still stand by my comment of not descending like Lord or Lady Bountiful, that can be extremely uncomfortable for all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 1, 2013 #18 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Quite Lyn - "if by some people" you mean me, I quoted that extremely silly example as that's exactly what wristband suggested! It is just a silly example and nothing to get worked up about! I was trying to make the point that each should do what they wish, not always follow some well-meaning advice on a public forum! Not directed at anyone in particular just using your comment for my rant Yes some people like to appear to be part of the Rich & Famous crowd Sadly I have witnessed some that remove the tips (not on O) to spend more in the casino If you shop around you can get gratuities included on Oceania ...they do have some promotions & some TA's include them ...then it will feel like you are on the inclusive ships .(somewhat) Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairbourne Posted May 1, 2013 #19 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Not directed at anyone in particular just using your comment for my rant Yes some people like to appear to be part of the Rich & Famous crowd Sadly I have witnessed some that remove the tips (not on O) to spend more in the casino If you shop around you can get gratuities included on Oceania ...they do have some promotions & some TA's include them ...then it will feel like you are on the inclusive ships .(somewhat) Lyn Lyn - ah well that's another thing we shared today - a bit of a rant! ;):) Well we did get some OBC for our first cruise on O, but that won't quite stretch to all I would like it to! Will have to use the DH's "OBC" for everything else! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palmetto Lady Posted May 1, 2013 #20 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I wish that it was not customary to tip guides. Most of the guides that we have had over the years are university educated. They are knowledgeable in their history, art and other aspects of their culture. Often they are better educated that their guests. I feel that it is demeaning that they must depend on tips for most of their income. To me it is like tipping a doctor, dentist or university professor. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to anything to do about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted May 1, 2013 #21 Share Posted May 1, 2013 ? Thank goodness we agree on two things: firstly, what people do with their money, be it tips or anything else, is their business! and secondly, what people do with their money in sharing it around, they should do what they think is best for them, that's their business too! That was my whole point in writing the original post! I definitely do not agree with the above opinion if you are part of a small group sharing a private tour. In that case, refusal to tip at all is very embarrassing, particularly to the person who did all the work organizing the tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted May 1, 2013 #22 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I wish that it was not customary to tip guides. Most of the guides that we have had over the years are university educated. They are knowledgeable in their history, art and other aspects of their culture. Often they are better educated that their guests. I feel that it is demeaning that they must depend on tips for most of their income. To me it is like tipping a doctor, dentist or university professor.Unfortunately there doesn't seem to anything to do about it. Unfortunately as well, these guides are not paid anywhere near as well as a doctor, dentist or university professor, so tips are an important part of their income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted May 1, 2013 #23 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I definitely do not agree with the above opinion if you are part of a small group sharing a private tour. In that case, refusal to tip at all is very embarrassing, particularly to the person who did all the work organizing the tour. Suggestions on how to get the people to tip ...short of standing there with your hand in their wallet/purse or asking them LOUDLY where is the $$ for a tip :confused::confused::confused: When I organize a tour I usually take the money for the tour to pay in a lump sum if the tour was quoted as 1 price for the vehicle If it is quoted PP then I leave it up to the guide to collect the proper amount I let people tip as they please & I do the same Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted May 2, 2013 #24 Share Posted May 2, 2013 We are signed up for private as well as ship's tours on an upcoming cruise and I am not quite sure how to handle tipping the tour guides. I have always tipped our guides when using private tours, but on past cruises, I have noticed most people did not tip their tour guides when using ship's tours and exciting the bus. Could use some opinions on if to tip and how much. Thanks How can you be sure someone has not tipped the guide? It's very easy to conceal money in a handshake or when one is assisted down the stairs of a bus: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wristband Posted May 2, 2013 #25 Share Posted May 2, 2013 From Fairbourne: "On your example of $10 pp for the tour guide - what if it's a 50 seater coach? simple maths would make that $500! I wish I got paid $500 a day! OK that may be an extreme example but this is how things can get out of hand! And that was the advice you gave! I also think many of you make an awful lot of assumptions that everyone involved in the tourist industry "needs" or "depends" on tips to make a living! It's so disrespectful to assume that because someone, in your eyes, is doing what you think might be a "lower paid" job, that you have to come across as Lord Bountiful and throw your dollars around." ARF! I must admit, when I read Fairbourne's cranky comment above, I literally spat my coffee out onto the computer screen as I was laughing so hard. She truly made my morning with that goofy post! Thanks for the comic relief! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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