Tipping Daysail people?

[Ming_Driver]

I posed this question to Alanna and generally liked her answer, but figured that I would take a survey. Background: We are booked for a daysail with Rumbaba Charters during our stop in St. Thomas on our Christmas cruise. Karen and Bobby have been great so far and made sure to provide us with every detail necessary to connect with them on the day of the sail. We are already paying them for the day - do we tip them at the end of the day? If so, how much? How does everyone else handle this? Please advise. Thanks!

 

Lauren

[Jerkins]

Having used to work in the day sail business I know that tips are very much appreciated and that is a big part of the crews income just as it is in the resturant business. On a regular 1/2 day sail a $5 tip per person is reasonable. For a full day I would say a $10 per person would be reasonable. However if you charter the whole boat, I would say that a 12-18% tip is reasonable depending on how much you enjoyed your day. Hope this helps and remember don't be cheep. These people work very hard to make you have a wonerful day in paradise and they could use all the income they can get as living expenses on islands are way higher then they are in the states.

[moondoggie]

The mate(s) get tipped, not the captain! The mate does the harder work, and he/she is paid a small salary by the captain and expects to be tipped.

 

We tip $20 from each of us for a single 'mate' on a 5-8 hr daysail, and a bit higher if we are the only couple on the trip. This is for a smaller boat (max of six) where they basically make the itinerary fit your desires, not a pre-planned 'ship's shore excursion'.

 

And, we LOVE Captain Max of the s/v Lou in St Thomas--each year we try to sail with her. Our goal is to fly to STT and sail with her every day for a week!!!!

[excalwop]

The mate(s) get tipped, not the captain! The mate does the harder work, and he/she is paid a small salary by the captain and expects to be tipped.

 

We tip $20 from each of us for a single 'mate' on a 5-8 hr daysail, and a bit higher if we are the only couple on the trip. This is for a smaller boat (max of six) where they basically make the itinerary fit your desires, not a pre-planned 'ship's shore excursion'.

 

And, we LOVE Captain Max of the s/v Lou in St Thomas--each year we try to sail with her. Our goal is to fly to STT and sail with her every day for a week!!!!

 

moondoggie,

how good is cpt'n max?

will be sailing with her 18th dec. so far it will be just my wife and myself had two others comming along but they died in a car accident . then had a another couple wanting to go some ass told them that it was hard to get to the ship so they drop.

so what is your ideal of a tip for them.

and what area do you think is the best to go to? the best way to get there any speical taxi or just get one out side the dock?

paul & rosellen

[Snorkuba]

I have worked also in the daysail business, the tip should be at least 15 % - if you go to a restaurant you think nothing of tipping 15 % but the people that work on the boats not only serve you all day long but flush the head! Anything less is an insult.

[MrsPete]

Since the day sails run $125/person, a 15% tip would be almost $20. As a family of four, that'd bring the total cost for a day sail to $580 (and the taxi rides to and from Red Hook put us well over $600) -- way out of my budget for a seven-hour sail.

 

I think we're going to have to do something else.

[Snorkuba]

That is the difference between Chucky cheese and a Steak house! You can do Mc"D for 6 dollars but when you spend $125 per person at a restuarant but not 15% on a day sail... Stay home..

[taminark]

we are also going out with chris and bobby on march 21st. i cant wait !

[Heatherco]

I agree that tipping on a daysail is probably very much appreciated by the crew. However, I do understand that when you are paying on average a $100-$125 a person for this, a $20 per person tip does add significantly to the cost - ESPECIALLY when you are paying for 4 to 6 people!! I don't think the idea of "just stay home" is very nice. People save a long time for a cruise and excursions and the idea of a "tip" should not decide whether they do the excursion or not.

 

While we will definitely tip on our daysail in May, I just wish the charter companies would simply add it to the cost of the day and say "no tipping allowed." That way you know exactly what the cost is and whether you can afford it or not. In addition, the companies listed in St. Thomas seem to be operated by the owners.

 

I have to be honest, when we booked one for May, I didn't even think about a tip at first since the day was expensive to begin with.

 

The whole idea of tipping has gotten out of hand. It is now expected by a lot of people whereever you go. And it also puts people in an awkward position not knowing how much to tip without going overboard or looking cheap.

 

This is not meant to get anyone mad...just my opinion.

Happy cruising!

Heatherc

[AZPam]

Between the extra tip and the cost of getting to where we were to meet, we decided it was cheaper to do the ship excursion. Will still need to tip, but will save us in the long run.

 

I agree with the statement that the tip should be added to the cost and "no tipping" policy adopted. Would be easier to budget for.

[AllenF]

To me the cost of a day sail is justifed I prefer small private excursions and being able to avoid large crowds and really get a personalized view of the islands. If the 1st mate is average I tip the accordingly if is way above and beyond in his service I increase accordingly. My wife and I are fairly fit and do not need some of the special attention some folks do. So if I am with 2 other couples and the 1st mate spends most of his time helping them I expect them to tip him well but it does not mean he will not get at least 20 bucks from me. For example 1st cruise we ever did and are very 1st stop in GC we used Captain Crosby as our luck turned out it was just me and my wife that day. We talked with 1st mate very much just getting to know him Burt was just a super nice guy he and the Captain sang and played Guitars for us gave us a super tour for only 64 dollars total it was awesome. Burt had a tip jar and he put it up I mean it was just me and my wife when they were going to have 25 plus the next day so I guess he figured he would make his money tomorrow. Needles to say I slipped Burt a 100 Bucks when we got back to the dock. He ended up giving us a ride back to the tenders. Best tip I ever gave and will be willing to tip like that again if the situation ever happens again. In all my private tours every guide has been good or better and I tip them all.