Tipping on port excursions??

[4774Papa]

I usually tip the driver $5 per person and the tour guide (who should divide it up among the staff, if there is more than just the tour guide) $10 to $20 per person depending on how the tour went and how knowledgeable they were.

 

I've never done a excursion where there was lunch at a person's house, but I would assume that would be built into the cost of the tour.

Arizona tips a bit more than we do. However, we know people that never tip on any excursions or tours.

 

Our general standard for a half day tour is $5 for tour guide with perhaps a bit more if the guide was really good. $2 for the bus driver.

 

For full day tour, double that, but that is for a couple.

 

On many tours it is easy to see what the tips are. I would say about 2/3 of people give some tip. Most give about what we give.

[zqvol]

I think the difference between tipping at home and tipping when on Mexican/Carribean port cruise tours is the difference in income between those at home (US) and these other countries. The employees at home like the tips. These tour company employees need these tips...badly.

 

Why do you say something like that? You have no idea if they need them, and in fact they probably don't as in most places other than the US people are not paid sub standard wages in the service industries. Most of those employees are probably making more than the people on the tour.

[Nola26]

If I've booked an excursion through the ship I wouldn't consider tipping. Those prices are already inflated. For my family of 3 I happily paid $72pp for the Baths excursion through the ship. Booking directly with the vendor would have been less than $50pp. The excursion crew potentially makes more because they have a greater assurance of coming to work daily due to the booking stream the contract with the cruise line allows. If the owners don't pay a premium for the best staff, not really my issue.

 

I tip when I curbside check a bag, porters at the port, bellman and valet at pick up. I wouldn't say I'm a big tipper, but it is highly unlikely that I would provide no tip in those scenarios. I recently flew with an airline that charged a fee to curbside check a bag (and I was paying a checked bag fee) in that scenario I wouldn't tip, the service fee is my tip. I actually paid neither as I took my luggage inside and checked it, no help, no fee, no tip.

 

Many people don't realize that wait staff in the US are by law often paid much less than minimum wage/hr. They'll have a base hourly rate of say $3 the tips are expected to bring them to or over minimum wage, so that is the reason restaurant management might implement an auto tip, to ensure the servers get to at least minimum wage and probably more if they want to keep staff working at that location.

[4774Papa]

If I've booked an excursion through the ship I wouldn't consider tipping. Those prices are already inflated. For my family of 3 I happily paid $72pp for the Baths excursion through the ship. Booking directly with the vendor would have been less than $50pp. The excursion crew potentially makes more because they have a greater assurance of coming to work daily due to the booking stream the contract with the cruise line allows. If the owners don't pay a premium for the best staff, not really my issue.

 

I tip when I curbside check a bag, porters at the port, bellman and valet at pick up. I wouldn't say I'm a big tipper, but it is highly unlikely that I would provide no tip in those scenarios. I recently flew with an airline that charged a fee to curbside check a bag (and I was paying a checked bag fee) in that scenario I wouldn't tip, the service fee is my tip. I actually paid neither as I took my luggage inside and checked it, no help, no fee, no tip.

 

Many people don't realize that wait staff in the US are by law often paid much less than minimum wage/hr. They'll have a base hourly rate of say $3 the tips are expected to bring them to or over minimum wage, so that is the reason restaurant management might implement an auto tip, to ensure the servers get to at least minimum wage and probably more if they want to keep staff working at that location.

 

My view is that the tour guide and bus driver and not being paid more because the cruise line contracts with their company for tours. We tip the same for excursions as private tours, depending on quality of service.

[dd2355]

in fact they probably don't as in most places other than the US people are not paid sub standard wages in the service industries. Most of those employees are probably making more than the people on the tour.

 

Your comment is difficult to accept at face value given published wages and purchasing power parity figures. Could you explain it a bit more? Are you thinking in terms of European ports instead of Caribbean / Central & South American ports?

 

http://www.worldsalaries.org/mexico.shtml

http://www.wageindicator.org/main/salary/minimum-wage/honduras