Private tour lunch & tipping etiquette

[lcccbeloeil]

When the private tour description says that the driver will take you to a restaurant for lunch, is the tour driver likely to sit and eat with you?

 

If he does, is it customary to pay for his lunch?

 

What is the appropriate tip to pay the driver at the end of the day?

 

Thanks!

[eh2zed]

Typically the tour guide will not sit at the same table. If it is a private tour we will usually skip a sit down lunch but rather get something on the fly in order to see more and/or get back to the ship sooner. We would normally tip $10 pp for an all day tour (8 hours).

[lcccbeloeil]

Thank you eh2zed. Much appreciated.

 

Anyone have a different experience?

[Susan-M]

We've done both ... had lunch at a restaurant recommended by the guide and asked to have 'lunch on the fly' to allow more sightseeing time. The guides we have had have not taken us up on our offer to buy their lunch (if it's a restaurant of their recommendation, I imagine the restaurant is taking care of the driver's lunch.)

 

For tips, 10 euros/day/pp ... but that varies depending on the number of people in the tour, and the services provided by the driver.

[chipmaster]

When the private tour description says that the driver will take you to a restaurant for lunch, is the tour driver likely to sit and eat with you?

 

If he does, is it customary to pay for his lunch?

 

What is the appropriate tip to pay the driver at the end of the day?

 

Thanks!

 

 

For 5/6 of our private tours last summer the guides ate seperately. For several ports the guides actually ate at the same place but seperately. We were a large party of 11-14 so didn't feel the need or interest in inviting them to join them nor pay for them. After 8 hours we more then had plenty of opportunity for conversation :D

 

Tipping is a personal choice, we tipped between 5-8 Euros/person/day. We felt more generous with some drivers/guides then others and were more generous too ;)

 

Since it is private you can decide if you want to do a sitdown or grab a quick bite instead. We found that being private enabled a very fast pace tour that the nice hour break in the middle was perfect. Most times we ate at places with spectacular views so a plus to :D

 

Enjoy

[rhumney]

When the private tour description says that the driver will take you to a restaurant for lunch, is the tour driver likely to sit and eat with you?

 

If he does, is it customary to pay for his lunch?

 

What is the appropriate tip to pay the driver at the end of the day?

 

Thanks!

 

The driver will not likely sit with you. If I enjoy their company I will ask them to join us and then pay for their lunch. Some will accept the offer, some will not.

Tipping - I do % of tour price - from 5% to 20%(exceptional)

[lcccbeloeil]

Thanks everyone! So great to have all of you when I have a question.

[carlmm]

As been discussed in several previous threats, tipping is not mandatory in Europe and much less customary than in the US.

 

From a European perspective, and the question here is about Europe, a few Euros as a token of appreciation are more than sufficient.