Tipping for non-cruise sponsored shore excursions

Hello cruisers! Can anyone share with me what the tipping practice is for excursions not sponsored by the cruise line? We are taking two private tours (thanks to other responses to my questions about tours for Santorini and Sicily!) and need some guidance as to what the expectations are for tipping the drive and guide. Your help would be greatly appreciated!

For a half day tour, we each generally give the guide $5, and if there is a separate driver, he also gets $5. **

Full day tour …. $10 each for the driver and the guide.

If the narration was exceptional, and/or if the driver was especially helpful, we may add a few extra $$s apiece.

** - if these tours are in countries where the Euro is the currency, instead of $$s we give Euros of the same denomination.

1st find out if tipping is an acceptable practice in Italy! Some countries don't tip...some do!

There are no "norms" tho...if you tip, you should tip what it's worth to you, and what you can afford.

for a half day tour, we each generally give the guide $5, and if there is a separate driver, he also gets $5. **

full day tour …. $10 each for the driver and the guide.

If the narration was exceptional, and/or if the driver was especially helpful, we may add a few extra $$s apiece.

 

** - if these tours are in countries where the euro is the currency, instead of $$s we give euros of the same denomination.

thank you!!!

1st find out if tipping is an acceptable practice in Italy! Some countries don't tip...some do!

 

There are no "norms" tho...if you tip, you should tip what it's worth to you, and what you can afford.

Good advice...thank you!

1st find out if tipping is an acceptable practice in Italy! Some countries don't tip...some do!

 

There are no "norms" tho...if you tip, you should tip what it's worth to you, and what you can afford.

When I left a tip in a rather high level French restaurant, the waiter told me “No need here, we are properly paid here, unlike in America”

When I left a tip in a rather high level French restaurant, the waiter told me “No need here, we are properly paid here, unlike in America”

We had a private tour guide in Glasgow (just 4 of us and him), tipped him the equivalent of $50, he seemed happy.

Hello cruisers! Can anyone share with me what the tipping practice is for excursions not sponsored by the cruise line? We are taking two private tours (thanks to other responses to my questions about tours for Santorini and Sicily!) and need some guidance as to what the expectations are for tipping the drive and guide. Your help would be greatly appreciated!

If in a tipping-culture country, for a full-day, small-group (16 or less) excursion, I would tip $5 per couple to driver and $10 per couple to guide - regardless of whether the excursion was ship-sponsored or independent. And more like $2 to driver and $5 to guide for a larger group excursion.

We had a private tour guide in Glasgow (just 4 of us and him), tipped him the equivalent of $50, he seemed happy.

Agreed, they always seem happy. Regardless if tipping is the norm or not, their culture or not - all of the recipients we've ever tipped were pleased, and thanked us. In other words, no one turned us down. ;)

Agreed, they always seem happy. Regardless if tipping is the norm or not, their culture or not - all of the recipients we've ever tipped were pleased, and thanked us. In other words, no one turned us down. ;)

Same here ….. handing out tips produces smile and thank-yous from drivers and guides no matter what part of the world I have been in. I've read that what once were non-tipping culture countries are changing their expectations about tips. Maybe in response to American travelers making tipping seem a new norm to them?

In Italy tipping has become somewhat expected. So many people from America travel to Italy and they do tip therefore the Italians have gotten used to the practice. Generally, tip your driver around 5 euro - your guide should get twice that amount. Of course, always tip on the basis of your experience.

Agreed, they always seem happy. Regardless if tipping is the norm or not, their culture or not - all of the recipients we've ever tipped were pleased, and thanked us. In other words, no one turned us down. ;)

With all due respect, you do realize that your post comes across as a bit of 'noblesse oblige' right?

Hey, who cares about what the culture of this country is, our culture is clearly better and the locals should be happy that we are spreading our wealth around! Yay! Happy faces for all!

:rolleyes:

Hello cruisers! Can anyone share with me what the tipping practice is for excursions not sponsored by the cruise line? We are taking two private tours (thanks to other responses to my questions about tours for Santorini and Sicily!) and need some guidance as to what the expectations are for tipping the drive and guide. Your help would be greatly appreciated!

I wonder why you focus only on private excursions? I think the discussion could be broader to include ship’s excursions. The drivers & guides on those also deserve a fair tip for a job well done. We have a friend who works part time as a tour guide on the New England coast. Her experience is that she and her colleagues receive an average tip of about $1.25 per couple when conducting ship’s excursions. This is really pitiful! Like servers in restaurants, these people rely on tips as a major part of their income. True in other countries as well as the U. S.

With all due respect, you do realize that your post comes across as a bit of 'noblesse oblige' right?

 

Hey, who cares about what the culture of this country is, our culture is clearly better and the locals should be happy that we are spreading our wealth around! Yay! Happy faces for all!:rolleyes:

Wow.

No I didn't realize that and that's not what I meant or how my heart feels or thinks at all. In fact at this difficult time in my life I do not feel at all entitled or superior in any way - quite the opposite. I was simply replying to OP with my experiences.

. . . This is really pitiful! Like servers in restaurants, these people rely on tips as a major part of their income. True in other countries as well as the U. S.

This is simply untrue. In most countries neither guides nor servers rely on tips at all.

In the US, there are only certain employers that can pay less than minimum wage. While the US guides may want you to think that they rely on tips that is not true.

Agreed, they always seem happy. Regardless if tipping is the norm or not, their culture or not - all of the recipients we've ever tipped were pleased, and thanked us. In other words, no one turned us down. ;)

Of course they were happy, who doesn't want more money?

But why pay extra for someone doing their job when they already get a salary from their employer? The "tip" is already included in the price for the excursion in many countries because every person involved in the excursion (driver, guide etc.) get a salary based on "no tip".

There are a few countries where you will be turned down if you offer a tip.

So many people from America travel to Italy and they do tip therefore the Italians have gotten used to the practice.

Not true since US people only make up a small part of Italy's tourism. Many people from all over the world flock to Italy.

Oddly, Italy and France (and good old Blighty) are known for being Europe's smallest tippers but saying that Europeans can and will tip either by rounding up to the next 10 pounds or Euros etc or adding around 10% give or take some.

As tours are a little different in tipping terms it is up to you. You could do what you normally do stateside or see what others do. We do a lot of things ourselves so I can't comment on what we would do on tours I'm afraid.

We just booked tours in Italy by ourselves through an Italian company and the invoice/conformation information mentioned that we should tip 10-15%. Is that the norm? That would be like 50euros(our tours are all day for a group and are ~500 euros). Seems a bit much. I was thinking 2euros/person.

We tend to tip more for private tours than for excursions with the ship.

Whatever ... we always tip!

We just booked tours in Italy by ourselves through an Italian company and the invoice/conformation information mentioned that we should tip 10-15%. Is that the norm? That would be like 50euros(our tours are all day for a group and are ~500 euros). Seems a bit much. I was thinking 2euros/person.

It is not the norm in Italy, but unfortunately Italian tours that deal mainly with American tourists prey on this and recommend "American" sized tips.

I'm very sure such a company would never say such a thing to fellow Italian tourists....!

We just booked tours in Italy by ourselves through an Italian company and the invoice/conformation information mentioned that we should tip 10-15%. Is that the norm? That would be like 50euros(our tours are all day for a group and are ~500 euros). Seems a bit much. I was thinking 2euros/person.

In our experience, tipping is not normal, or expected in Italy and in many places a service charge and/or cover charge is already added to the bill. However, many are jumping on the North American bandwagon.

Personally, I will leave a tip for an exceptional guide that goes above & beyond, but certainly not 50 Euro.

When I left a tip in a rather high level French restaurant, the waiter told me “No need here, we are properly paid here, unlike in America”

And he had to make that last point didn't he

How arrogant of him

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In my experience, if I have organised a private tour anywhere around the world, they have generally stated that it includes the tip or not.

If it doesn't include or even suggest a tip, then depending on the country it is probably not required.

When it mentions a tip, they often also provide a suggested amount. If it doesn't, I figure around 10% is generally enough (i.e $10 tip on a $100 tour).