Tipping for Shore Excursions

[xynewbie]

How much do you usually tip an independent shore excursion operator in the Carribean? For example, how much do you add per person for a tip for a shore excursion that last 4-5 hours and cost $50.

[tawcat]

we as a couple usually tip the guide and the driver $10 each. i think tipping is one of those issues that sometimes gets out of hand. many folks are slammed because they don't tip, i think it is very optional. although we do believe in tipping, my feeling is this, we paid for the service, why is it necessary to add an additional gratuity? afterall if you go to a department store to buy a suit or new dress, you don't tip the clerk that helped you.

[Leela]

I agree with what you are saying, tawcat, but I just wanted to add that at high-end department stores the salespeople get a commission on what they sell, which of course is worked into the price of the garment. So, in a way, the are sort of tipped.

 

But I do agree with your points.

[tawcat]

we always give a tip regardless, ofcourse if the service, tour etc was over and above then we adjust a tip accordingly. it really burns my hind end when you experience an exceptional tour operator, bus driver, guide etc and only but a few tip.

 

much like stateroom attendants and restuarant wait staff. normally above half way through a cruise (if the service was extremely good) i will leave an envelope with $5 or $10 for the cabin attendant, and will slip the waiter and assistant the same. you'd be surprised of how many wait staff have told us the tip is not necessary. yep, those are the exceptional ones!

[xynewbie]

Tawcat are you saying you and your companion tip the driver $20 and the Guide $20? Or you together tip the driver $10 and the guide $10?

[MamaQuack]

I too am a big believer in rewarding exemplary service. Any excursion we take with guides/drivers/naturalists, etc. who exhibit far and above average knowledge and attention merits a tip. I do not tip for average "cattle call" treatment. However, for great guides with personality - especially if they treat my ds14 with respect - I always give at least $10 to each. On our last Carribean cruise in April we had a private charter. It was expensive but it was what we wanted. The captain told us flat out that she neither expected or wanted a tip. She said if we wanted to we could tip her first mate but he was also being well compensated. He spent a great deal of time with my son in the water snorkeling which otherwise I would have done - it was a bit chilly for me but the mate and my child snorkeled for over 90 minutes. For that alone, the tip went way up. As someone who put herself through college on tips I know first hand how much it means.

[nu2sea]

Thanks for starting this discussion!

 

I've always wondered what the "norm" is. We, like most, tend to tip based on performance on excursions. If the guide, or driver is very good we tip accordingly.

 

But they have to be very good, as we find it easier to not tip if the tour is below par. In a restaurant or hotel, we will always leave a minimal tip and have only refused to tip a couple of times in the past 24 years.

 

But on an excursion, we seem to apply higher standards. Perhaps it is because we see so few others tipping at all, regardless of quality. And perhaps it is because the price of the excursion should seem to preclude the necessity.

 

Susan

[spearmint]

Thanks for starting this discussion!

 

I've always wondered what the "norm" is. We, like most, tend to tip based on performance on excursions. If the guide, or driver is very good we tip accordingly.

 

But they have to be very good, as we find it easier to not tip if the tour is below par. In a restaurant or hotel, we will always leave a minimal tip and have only refused to tip a couple of times in the past 24 years.

 

But on an excursion, we seem to apply higher standards. Perhaps it is because we see so few others tipping at all, regardless of quality. And perhaps it is because the price of the excursion should seem to preclude the necessity.

 

Susan

 

Good points! What do you think when the driver/commentator comes right out and "suggests" that tour members leave tips? This seems to be quite common.

[RickandAnne]

Good points! What do you think when the driver/commentator comes right out and "suggests" that tour members leave tips? This seems to be quite common.

 

I'm with others in this thread about rewarding good service. Some occupations aren't well compensated by their employers and have to rely on gratuities to get by. An example of where this is commonly true is in restaurants in America. However, I learned in Brussels on one trip, when the head waiter of a very high end restaurant after very superb service advised me that my gratuitiy would not be accepted (I had left 20% on a $500 dinner). He had to explain to me that his wait staff averaged $50,000 a year (20 years ago) and were paid by him to deliver excellent service, which is more the norm in Europe.

 

But more to the point of spearmint's question, when directly asked to tip or when someone does something useless just to justify a tip, I begin to devaluate any additional gratuity I might leave them. I believe it directly detracts from the feeling of being served well.

 

Of course that's just MHO.

 

Rick

[MamaQuack]

Rick,

I completely agree with you. The minute tips are "requested" I close my wallet. A tip is something earned not requested. When such pleas are made it is usually, at least in my experience, the kind of yada, yada, yada tour folks who treat us all like cattle.

 

MamaQuack

[tawcat]

Tawcat are you saying you and your companion tip the driver $20 and the Guide $20? Or you together tip the driver $10 and the guide $10?

 

we tip together $10, however, to an above post, if the service is exceptional the tip goes. on our recent cruise, we hired a cab in grand caymen. many cabs wanted $20 per person and you were brought all around the island. we were a party of three and just wanted to go to three places. the cab we hired, george chollette, explained that the $20 was a standard rate set by the grand caymen government. but he was willing to take us to our three destinations, the butterfly farm, turtle farm and a rum cake outlet. he did an exceptional job and provided a very informative narration of grand caymen. he did not rush us, he brought us to each place and allowed us all the time we wanted. one of our group is a professional photographer, you can only imagine the photo opportunities. george was patient and understanding. we each gave him $30 for his service. so in this case he got a $30 tip!

[RickandAnne]

The minute tips are "requested" I close my wallet. A tip is something earned not requested.

MamaQuack

 

Right on!