Do you have to tip on excursions you already paid for?

[1412p0oi]

I really want to know because I don't have any cash on me and my bank isn't a depository one either (and haven't used cash in almost a decade to pay for anything) and an article brought this to my attention. Second, it's frankly a gulling practice to me for people to be *expecting* tips from you as part of an excursion I already paid big bucks for. So I would really like to hear people's thoughts on this and whether I will be prevented from going back on the cruise ship if I don't give a tip.

[nhraformula00]

I would guess 1/3 of people tip on average. We give $5. You do NOT have to, as a lot do not.

[BlerkOne]

Most people, including me, tip tour people. It's the norm. Nothing gulling about it. Not all excursions are big bucks or even through the ship. I tip those, too.

[karatemom2]

There is no requirement to tip on your prepaid shore excursion. Choosing to tip or not is completely up you. Cash tips for the driver and tour guide are appreciated and in some cases they will have a little bucket or basket where you can drop a tip as you depart the tour. In most instances if you feel they have done great job and you enjoyed your excursion, it is nice to leave a tip. We usually tip - sometimes a nominal amount for a standard experience, sometimes more if the team has really exceeded expectations. But it’s a personal decision. You might want to take some cash with you in case you decide you do want to leave a tip. 

Edited January 11 by karatemom2

[Cruise Raider]

If tipping is part of the culture where you are touring, then I’d say it’s customary to tip for tours that you’ve purchased.  I would say, $5 per person for a half day tour and $8 - $10 pp for a full day tour plus a couple of dollars pp for a bus driver, if you have one is appropriate.  

[BlerkOne]

It is easy enough to obtain cash. If you don't have a debit card, proceed to a slot machine, charge an amount to your account (no fee), cash out to your account and cash out at cashier.

 

Death and taxes are still the only life requirements. 

[Leo37]

Always a sensitive subject. When you book the tour, you have 100% paid for the tour, the guide, the activity etc. It's fully paid, there's no requirement or need to tip beyond that.

 

But, as others have said, some do choose to tip more. Depends on geography (more common in some parts of the world than others) and how good the tour is. We sometimes tip if the tour guide is good, if they are more mediocre we don't.

 

It's personal choice. No wrong answer.

[dog]

3 hours ago, 1412p0oi said:

I really want to know because I don't have any cash on me and my bank isn't a depository one either (and haven't used cash in almost a decade to pay for anything) and an article brought this to my attention. Second, it's frankly a gulling practice to me for people to be *expecting* tips from you as part of an excursion I already paid big bucks for. So I would really like to hear people's thoughts on this and whether I will be prevented from going back on the cruise ship if I don't give a tip.

Entirely up to you.

you will not be barred from the ship!

[chrysalis]

The more that the tour guide reminds us to tip, the less I do....on one recent one, she must  have mentioned it at least 10 times during the relatively short bus ride to and from the destination. Small tip.

 

One guide in St Vincent handed out comment cards, and when we he collected them, proceeded to read each one....not very polite.

[SargassoPirate]

11 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

The more that the tour guide reminds us to tip, the less I do....on one recent one, she must  have mentioned it at least 10 times during the relatively short bus ride to and from the destination. Small tip.

 

One guide in St Vincent handed out comment cards, and when we he collected them, proceeded to read each one....not very polite.

I would've let the ship staff know about the multiple reminders to tip.  That's a shakedown.

[1965]

Don't worry about choosing to not tip. There are a lot of us who feel it's not necessary to tip everyone for everything. 

[skynight]

You don't say where you are going. Caribbean?, Europe?, Asia? Each of these locations have standard ideas regarding tipping. You should carry cash.

You mention excursions. But, there can also be extra tipping on board the ship. It has been my practice to provide an extra cash tip to the cabin steward. If you were to add an extra tip to your on board account that would go into the pool and not directly to the person you intended. Cash is the way to go. Some tip cash to bar waiters, bartenders, room service. It's all cash.

Of course tipping in general is up to you.  You will be allowed back on the ship if you fail to tip. 

[ontheweb]

You are never required to tip on excursions, and you will definitely NOT be barred from returning to the ship.

 

In some cultures, tips are expected and in others they are not. And not from personal experience but from what I have read actually on cc boards in some cultures (Japan for instance), they are even considered an insult.

[taxmantoo]

1 hour ago, chrysalis said:

The more that the tour guide reminds us to tip, the less I do....on one recent one, she must  have mentioned it at least 10 times during the relatively short bus ride to and from the destination. Small tip.

 

One guide in St Vincent handed out comment cards, and when we he collected them, proceeded to read each one....not very polite.

I've always said that anyone who asks for a tip really does not deserve one. 

On a recent cruise, after eating at a speciaty restaurant, the server handed us the bill in a leather binder.  She opened up the binder and procedeed to instruct me on where to write the tip amount on the bill I was to sign.  The meal was complimentary for us as a loyalkty perk from the cruise line so the total bill was $0.  I proceded to tip her exactly 100% of that amount 🙂 

 

[JF - retired RRT]

9 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

It is easy enough to obtain cash. If you don't have a debit card, proceed to a slot machine, charge an amount to your account (no fee), cash out to your account and cash out at cashier.

 

Death and taxes are still the only life requirements. 

If you don't "play" a little before you cash out, you could be barred from using the slots. It has happened.

[david63]

The title of this topic is "Do you have to tip on excursions you already paid for?" Are there any Princess organised excursions that you do not pay for in advance?

[ontheweb]

3 minutes ago, david63 said:

The title of this topic is "Do you have to tip on excursions you already paid for?" Are there any Princess organised excursions that you do not pay for in advance?

I do not believe there are. 

[Tonye60]

2 hours ago, 1965 said:

Don't worry about choosing to not tip. There are a lot of us who feel it's not necessary to tip everyone for everything. 

That's the free world we live in. 

[cruzsnooze]

I do not tip. It's gotten out of hand. On Princess excursions these are employees of a big tour company with benefits. On private excursions I do tend to tip. It looks to me like fewer people tip when I watch people get off the bus and hand a tip to the tour guide. My estimate is 50/50 tip to no tip. 

[dog]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

The title of this topic is "Do you have to tip on excursions you already paid for?" Are there any Princess organised excursions that you do not pay for in advance?

NO

[Leo37]

3 hours ago, chrysalis said:

The more that the tour guide reminds us to tip, the less I do....on one recent one, she must  have mentioned it at least 10 times during the relatively short bus ride to and from the destination. Small tip.

 

One guide in St Vincent handed out comment cards, and when we he collected them, proceeded to read each one....not very polite.

We had a tour guide in Turkey who spent 10-15 minutes telling us about the service culture, how it was ok to tip, how recognising good service was necessary etc.  Not very subtle!  They then detoured the bus to a rug / carpet place where I'm sure they got a kick back or intro fee.  We left the tour, headed back to the port on foot and didn't tip.  No hard sell is ever necessary!

[Citizenxnz]

As a New Zealander, the practice of tipping is completely foreign to us.  I find the only place in the world where this becomes a big thing to have to manage is America - and it's not just a small brief thing - it's a thing that takes far more cognitive effort than is really necessary.  What is it now for mediocre service - 22%. Ouch, something not quite right there.

 

How about we resolve on this board to fix this once and for all - if you are a business manager let's just ensure everyone has a living wage and don't require our staff to professionally beg. It'll be super duper easy to fix I hope 😉

Edited January 11 by Citizenxnz

[1965]

1 hour ago, Citizenxnz said:

As a New Zealander, the practice of tipping is completely foreign to us.  I find the only place in the world where this becomes a big thing to have to manage is America - and it's not just a small brief thing - it's a thing that takes far more cognitive effort than is really necessary.  What is it now for mediocre service - 22%. Ouch, something not quite right there.

 

How about we resolve on this board to fix this once and for all - if you are a business manager let's just ensure everyone has a living wage and don't require our staff to professionally beg. It'll be super duper easy to fix I hope 😉

This American completely agrees with you! We are being asked to tip on everything! And I do mean EVERYTHING! I've had enough of it.

[Torfamm]

Tipping is never compulsory. Whether it’s a shore excursion or a tour I booked privately is irrelevant to me as is whether I’ve prepaid or am paying at the time of the tour. I tip based on the customs of the region I’m visiting, the service I received, the length of time involved, and the size of the group.

 

In a region where tips are customary, I’d give a guide who provided a small group a terrific full day tour something more than a guide who narrates a 2 hour drive in a full motor coach.

Edited January 11 by Torfamm

[david63]

1 hour ago, Citizenxnz said:

As a New Zealander, the practice of tipping is completely foreign to us.

It might be to a native but I can assure you that most places in NZ willing accept and even encourage tipping.