Tipping Expectations on Excursions

[Gampy1967]

I believe the the tour guides & bus drivers usually reside at the location of the excursion and are not employees of the cruise line. Therefore, they should be tipped separately.

 

Of course they are not employees of the cruise line, however they are employees of the tour provider that NCL is contracting with and your are paying a premium for. If they just provided a minimal service then I would consider it part of what I already paid for. If they went above and beyond and provided something extra, then I would tip extra. I never said they were employees of the cruise line but they have already been paid in full by the cruise line.

[Trimone]

Of course they are not employees of the cruise line, however they are employees of the tour provider that NCL is contracting with and your are paying a premium for. If they just provided a minimal service then I would consider it part of what I already paid for. If they went above and beyond and provided something extra, then I would tip extra. I never said they were employees of the cruise line but they have already been paid in full by the cruise line.

Remember all trips booked through NCL are vastly more expensive than local competitors, and 99% of the time they are the same people.

[April42749]

Rule of thumb....if guide/driver starts telling us how many kids he has, shows us pictures of the family....the tip goes down.

 

 

In general, for a trip sponsored excursion DH tips each person (driver & guide) $5. If we book a private excursion, then about 20%. Also, depends on the level of service. Anyway, we try to get off last, or near the end, so we can observe "what others" are doing; surprisingly many do nothing.

 

 

I'd rather over tip than under tip because of karma.

[erdoran]

Thanks, that's what I needed to know. Very helpful.

 

I do want to clarify - excursion staff off-ship are NOT covered by DSC. If you would ordinarily tip but choose not to because you think DSC has their tip - it doesn't.

[Trimone]

Rule of thumb....if guide/driver starts telling us how many kids he has, shows us pictures of the family....the tip goes down.

 

 

In general, for a trip sponsored excursion DH tips each person (driver & guide) $5. If we book a private excursion, then about 20%. Also, depends on the level of service. Anyway, we try to get off last, or near the end, so we can observe "what others" are doing; surprisingly many do nothing.

 

 

I'd rather over tip than under tip because of karma.

Those fake $50 notes normally taped by the drivers mirror is a giveaway?

[cb at sea]

There is no need to tip everyone you see...IF we tip on an excursion...we tip the "guide"...and it's up to them to share or not. And, we only tip if they have somehow enhanced the experience. If it's simply a bus ride, heck...we PAID for the bus ride...no need to tip then. If the guide gives you info, or somehow makes the trip enjoyable, then we tip!

[RaiderDuck]

We almost never tip shore excursion employees. For the price charged for these excursions, the companies are more than capable of paying their employees adequately.

[sanger727]

We almost never tip shore excursion employees. For the price charged for these excursions, the companies are more than capable of paying their employees adequately.

 

 

 

Except that NCL is the one pocketing the premium price, not the tour company. You are very often dealing w a local company who provides both independent and ship excursions. The premium you pay for the ship excursions goes to NCL, not them. So there’s no reason to believe a tour guide on a NCL excursion is better paid than an independent one.

 

 

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