Do you tip shore excursions guides

[unklez]

..........I'm curious why people don't tip for ship arranged tours? .......

 

Because the ship arranged tours _usually_ do not provide individualized service.

[printingchick]

There is another thread on this topic, started by a tour guide. You clearly know his stance on the tipping question.

 

At the risk of being blasted, I ONLY tip if I consider the guide to have gone above and beyond. It's not like going to a restaurant, where your BILL covers the food and your TIP covers the service. I consider it more like the purchase of any other service. Do you tip your veterinarian for your dog's rabies shot? Do you tip your exterminator for spraying for bugs? Do you tip your carpet cleaner for doing his job? No, you simply pay for the service that was provided.

 

Maybe if my vet made a house call, my exterminator came after hours for my convenience or my carpet cleaner got that stain out of my couch while he was there ... well, yeah, that's above and beyond.

[themaxydog]

Depends if the "tour" gave us more than expected, or if it was what we paid for! We've had some excursions that simply take you there, and bring you back....not "tippable" IMO! We've had some excursions that really went out of their way to give us a great time...and we did tip those guides!

Base your decision on your experience. You don't HAVE to tip...you won't be considered rude or cheap....and if they think that, that's THEIR problem---you won't see them ever again! Tip if it's worth it.

 

 

I cant agree more "cb at sea". Coming from a country where tipping is not the norm we often get looks from service providers overseas for not tipping. It is not because we are cheap its because it is something we dont often do, therefore dont remember to do.

I was interested to read "chriskwarren" where he said the wages were $8.25 an hour. Since our dollars are roughly the same it may interest you to know when I sold my hotel 4 years ago I was paying waitresses in the dining room then $17.00 an hour, and they would complain if they didn't get a tip.:cool: Most now recieve $20.00 per hour and the service we get sure doesnt reflect this wage.

My tipping policy is based on the wages that staff recieve in the country I visit and the service I recieve. I was on a shore excursion through NCL in Hawaii and we had had a great day. I would even say that is was the best shore excursion I have had to date. We decided to give a tip to the driver and asked for advice from an American couple that we had got to know. I had the money in my hand and was willing to hand it over but when I came to the front door of the bus I noticed that the driver had his hat out to recieve the tips. Now I am not sure if this is the normal thing to happen but I found it offensive, IMO. Consequently I put the money in my left hand, shook his hand, and walked away.

I think a tip is a personal private thing and those who try to increase their tip by publicly advertising how much individuals give or the fact that they are expecting a tip should get nothing.

Tipping is for people who go beyond what their employer asks of them. It is a reward for enjoying what you do and being able to convey your passion to the customer to highten their experience. It seems that has been lost over the years and its now considered the norm. :(

 

Cheers

[SeaTeach]

We usually tip, with the standard amount ranging from $5- $10. The exception --a bullying session in which we are repeatedly reminded to do so.

[BND]

The OP asked what people do, not for you to call people cheap. It's answers like yours that discourage people from giving an honest answer to the question. Why do you need to to force your opinion on others, why not state what you do and let it go. If asked my opinion I would say people who over tip are insecure and try to buy recognition- but I wasn't asked my opinion :D

 

If you have a problem with people giving opinions that you think aren't asked for, why did you give yours? I'm far from the only one who insinuated the same thing. I also wasn't talking to the op, but to those that had already pushed their opinion about not tipping cruise tour guides and drivers. Not to mention, MY OPINION is that it comes across as cheap. Who said anything about "overtipping" BTW, what in your "opinion" is overtipping? Just asking...

 

And a smiley face used the way you did could be interpreted to show passive agressiveness.

 

I do have to ask, have you ever worked for tips? I was a waitress in college and we were paid a lot less than minimum wage and tips were expected to make up the difference. That's how it works, just in case you haven't ever worked for tips.

Edited July 16, 2009 by BND

[G'ma]

If you have a problem with people giving opinions that you think aren't asked for, why did you give yours? I'm far from the only one who insinuated the same thing. I also wasn't talking to the op, but to those that had already pushed their opinion about not tipping cruise tour guides and drivers. Not to mention, MY OPINION is that it comes across as cheap. Who said anything about "overtipping" BTW, what in your "opinion" is overtipping? Just asking...

 

And a smiley face used the way you did could be interpreted to show passive agressiveness.

 

I do have to ask, have you ever worked for tips? I was a waitress in college and we were paid a lot less than minimum wage and tips were expected to make up the difference. That's how it works, just in case you haven't ever worked for tips.

 

It's not popular to have a strong and opposing viewpoint here sometimes...particularly if your response is thoughful and straight to the point. Some are easily offended by a well-thought out response from someone who has a fine grasp of the language and some experience to back up their opinons.

 

Just ask me, I'll tell ya...............:p:p

[SamFritz]

There is another thread on this topic, started by a tour guide. You clearly know his stance on the tipping question.

 

At the risk of being blasted, I ONLY tip if I consider the guide to have gone above and beyond. It's not like going to a restaurant, where your BILL covers the food and your TIP covers the service. I consider it more like the purchase of any other service. Do you tip your veterinarian for your dog's rabies shot? Do you tip your exterminator for spraying for bugs? Do you tip your carpet cleaner for doing his job? No, you simply pay for the service that was provided.

 

Maybe if my vet made a house call, my exterminator came after hours for my convenience or my carpet cleaner got that stain out of my couch while he was there ... well, yeah, that's above and beyond.

 

Part of the reason I'm continuing this discussion is because I want people to understand that tips ARE an essential part of the guide's income. Companies pay tour guides minimum wage or less because they assume that they will make up for it in tips. This is EXACTLY the same situation as waiters in a restaurant. The trouble is that most people know that about waiters, but they don't know it about tour guides.

[amybeth4]

Part of the reason I'm continuing this discussion is because I want people to understand that tips ARE an essential part of the guide's income. Companies pay tour guides minimum wage or less because they assume that they will make up for it in tips. This is EXACTLY the same situation as waiters in a restaurant. The trouble is that most people know that about waiters, but they don't know it about tour guides.

 

Unfortunately your blanket statement isn't ALWAYS the case. On my last shore excursion (through RCI), I kayaked in Key West. Our two guides were the two owners of the whole kayaking company. And they both "reminded" us at the end that tips are appreciated, guilting 20 people to hand over about $5 each...

[BonnieLark]

We have booked all our shore excursions through RCCL. I know we could have done it much cheaper but being our first cruise, peace of mind is worth it for me.

 

Do we tip our guides? How much?

 

Cozumel - Sea Turtle Snorkel

Grand Caymen - Reef and Wreck Snorkel

Jamica - Chukka ATV Safari

 

Thank you for your help?

 

We tipped all our guides on our ship sponsered shore excursions. From a good source we were told the excursions only receive about 40% of the amount we pay for the excursion. They were all such good, friendly, informative guides we felt we should show our appreciation with a tip. The amount would probably depend on how much time you are with your guides and what they do for you. For our Lamanai excursion in Belize we gave $20 US for the guide and $5 for the bus driver. They would probably appreciate anything. Most of the countries we visit are very poor and depend a lot of the tourist trade. We aren't rich by any means but for what we pay for a cruise we felt we could give a bit for the ones who make it such an enjoyable experience. Just my opinion is all.

[mochuck]

It is proper to tip tour guides $10 or 15% of the tour price. Here is a linke to an Orbitz Guide for tipping:

 

http://www.orbitz.com/App/ViewTravelWatchArticle?headline=Tips+on+tipping

 

And here's the quote from it:

Tour Guides and drivers: For extended tours, $1-$2 per person per day; for day trips, $10 or 15 percent of the tour cost per person.

 

 

During the summer months I work as tour guide in Niagara Falls. The tours I give cost $75.00 for a five to six hour trip. I both drive the bus and give the tour. I receive an average tip of $6.61 per person. I get paid minimum wage by my company. Some companies just give their driver/guides a flat fee of $40.00 no matter how long the tour takes. I am given a small commission from the one gift shop that we are contractually obligated to visit; it usually works out to about $12.00 per tour. My total hourly income with all of these revenue streams put together comes to about $23.00. Without tips it would be $9.00 and I wouldn't do it.

 

Tip your tour guides!

 

Actually I'm doing a Niagara Falls day tour from Toronto next month. Do the same priciples apply for tipping Canada as the US?

[SamFritz]

Actually I'm doing a Niagara Falls day tour from Toronto next month. Do the same priciples apply for tipping Canada as the US?

 

Yes they do. While the tipping guide suggests 15% of the ticketed price we typically receive about 9% on average. If your tour has both a driver and a guide, then give a few dollars to the driver (he is paid a living wage) and the bulk of your tip to the guide (he is not). You will have about a 90 minute drive from TO down to the falls. Once there you will have a wonderful time. It's been a cool summer so far, so the flowers are bright and plentiful. Do you know that name of the tour company that you will be using? Is your tour staying on the Canadian side or is it also crossing to the US? Enjoy, and wave to me if you see me.:)

[mochuck]

I booked it through King's Tours and we are staying on the Canadian side I believe.

[SamFritz]

I booked it through King's Tours and we are staying on the Canadian side I believe.

 

I haven't heard of King's Tours, though I may have seen their bus once or twice. You are sure to have a wonderful day. Lots of great things to see and do on both sides of the falls, thoug the Canadian side is much more built up as a tourist area.

[stephanie1]

On my December Navigator cruise I went on the Cancun Shopping Spree

(a note to anyone thinking about that: don't.)

 

At any rate at the end of the "tour" the guide said the usual "Tips for

your guide (him) and your driver (he named the name) are always appreciated." First of all this guy did nothing except smile and chat

and told us where we passing on the bus. The driver drove.

 

I did not feel that a tip was in order for either of them. However, as

everyone around me was dipping in their pocketbooks I did not want to

stand out so I did give them a few bucks each.

 

These people are doing their job and personally I think its rude to ask

people to give tips. I do not feel that way because I thought the

Cancun excursion was overpriced and not worth the 8 hours and $58.

It was okay and I would never do it again nor recommend it.

 

I just think tipping in this instance is something you should want to do,

not something you are embarrassed into doing,

[steveru621]

We usually tip $5 or 5 euros for a couple, but rarely tip the bus driver.

[cruiselvr04]

$2 for the driver. $5 per couple for a half day, up to $10 for a full day that we have really enjoyed. We are not wealthy but giving a few dollars to the guide is not going to break me and I think most of them can use it. I budget for tips for everyone on our vacation from the bellhop, cab driver and guides. If I get poor service from anyone they don't get tipped. (Except on the ship - I never give less just not more.)

[SamFritz]

$2 for the driver. $5 per couple for a half day, up to $10 for a full day that we have really enjoyed. We are not wealthy but giving a few dollars to the guide is not going to break me and I think most of them can use it. I budget for tips for everyone on our vacation from the bellhop, cab driver and guides. If I get poor service from anyone they don't get tipped. (Except on the ship - I never give less just not more.)

 

What is different about being on the ship versus off of it?

[Gonzo70]

What is different about being on the ship versus off of it?

 

For me it comes down to this: The people on the ship who are tipped earn about $50 per month in salary. I kind of view the suggested "tips" on a cruise more as a surcharge than a tip. Unless the person was downright awful (which so far has never happened to me) and their performance remained poor after attempting to rectify the situation I would still tip my room steward and waitstaff the suggested amount. I consider the extra amount I add to the suggested amount the true "tip" and do this when I receive great service (which has been about 75% of the time).

 

Some land based people who are sometimes tipped earn substantially more than $50 per month, so I do not feel the need to tip them unless they do something extra that I was not expecting or do a great job. For example the Longshoremen who are acting in the role of a porter as you turn over your luggage just prior to boarding a cruise ship earn $40 to $90 per hour in U.S. ports without a dime in tips (and also receive great benefits). They would really have to blow my mind away for me to consider tipping them. A land based tour guide earns far more in salary than my room steward on the cruise, but far less than the Longshoreman; my expectations for them to earn a tip is therefore at a higher standard than I have for my room steward but lower than the Longshoreman.

Edited July 17, 2009 by Gonzo70

[gxchan]

Whether booked with the ship or directly, I tip the guide $10 and assume (hope) the guide shares with the driver. For extraordinary excursions (glacier trek/ice wall climb in Alaska) or when I got my scuba cert, I tip 10% of the cost of the excursion/classes. I can't imagine doing any of these jobs so when people do them well, I like to show my appreciation.

Edited July 17, 2009 by gxchan

[SamFritz]

For me it comes down to this: The people on the ship who are tipped earn about $50 per month in salary. I kind of view the suggested "tips" on a cruise more as a surcharge than a tip. Unless the person was downright awful (which so far has never happened to me) and their performance remained poor after attempting to rectify the situation I would still tip my room steward and waitstaff the suggested amount. I consider the extra amount I add to the suggested amount the true "tip" and do this when I receive great service (which has been about 75% of the time).

 

Some land based people who are sometimes tipped earn substantially more than $50 per month, so I do not feel the need to tip them unless they do something extra that I was not expecting or do a great job. For example the Longshoremen who are acting in the role of a porter as you turn over your luggage just prior to boarding a cruise ship earn $40 to $90 per hour in U.S. ports without a dime in tips (and also receive great benefits). They would really have to blow my mind away for me to consider tipping them. A land based tour guide earns far more in salary than my room steward on the cruise, but far less than the Longshoreman; my expectations for them to earn a tip is therefore at a higher standard than I have for my room steward but lower than the Longshoreman.

 

 

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but just so you are aware. Even in the States tour guides are typically not well paid. I am fortuntae to work for a company that pays minimum wage, but most others pay a flat rate per tour that usually comes out to about $5.50/hr. Their pay is based on the expectation that you will tip them along the lines of a restaurant waiter.

[Goldryder]

Part of the reason I'm continuing this discussion is because I want people to understand that tips ARE an essential part of the guide's income. Companies pay tour guides minimum wage or less because they assume that they will make up for it in tips. This is EXACTLY the same situation as waiters in a restaurant. The trouble is that most people know that about waiters, but they don't know it about tour guides.

 

You lost your argument fair and square on the original thread that you posted...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1023409

 

You chose to become a tour guide, since you have discovered that leaving a sign with 15% tip required at the front of your bus, another sign at the back of your bus and a spiel that reminds people to tip you as they get off your bus really is ANNOYING to the majority, not to mention rude, disrespectful, discourteous and completely UNPROFESSIONAL, perhaps you should stick to being a teacher and leave the tour guide work to those who know how to do it properly.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

No they make enough by getting backhanders when they take you to certain cafes and toutist shops

 

 

I agree with this, we refused to enter the "cameo factory!!!" yeah right, it was a shop with expensive cameos, where the factory came into it I dont know. And the rug making factory in Turkey, LOL, a rug shop with intensive sales men, again we walked. And they all shook hands with the tour guide ;)

[SamFritz]

You lost your argument fair and square on the original thread that you posted...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1023409

 

You chose to become a tour guide, since you have discovered that leaving a sign with 15% tip required at the front of your bus, another sign at the back of your bus and a spiel that reminds people to tip you as they get off your bus really is ANNOYING to the majority, not to mention rude, disrespectful, discourteous and completely UNPROFESSIONAL, perhaps you should stick to being a teacher and leave the tour guide work to those who know how to do it properly.

 

Now, either your didn't read my post or your are lying about me. The sign does not say "15% required" it says "customary". And I tell people that they will have the opportunity to "be the judge of my service." I NEVER tell them that a tip is even expected, much less required. So get it right.

[Goldryder]

Now, either your didn't read my post or your are lying about me. The sign does not say "15% required" it says "customary". And I tell people that they will have the opportunity to "be the judge of my service." I NEVER tell them that a tip is even expected, much less required. So get it right.

 

hmmm...that makes around 90 people who...in your own words on the other thread...'need to get a life' for being critical of your methods.

[Yvonne]

We usually tip a few dollars, unless the guide/driver keeps mentioning tipping. Then we give either very little, or nothing at all. Now if there is a tip sign on the bus/van but the driver never says a word about tipping he will get more from us.

 

I used to be a server in a restaurant, and we don't "beg" for our tips so why should a guide/driver "beg" for them? Tipping is not mandatory, whether it's a restaurant or a cruise ship excursion.