Tipping on Princess Shore Excursions

[dog]

9 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Same with us.  We only travel in Canada or Europe, so we tip as usual at home and in Euros or British Pound Sterling when away.  10-15 Euros or Pounds for a nice half day tour and more for tour guides who exceed our expectations.  Once in Brussels we left no tip.  Lots of the bus passengers got off half way through the tour and took cabs back to the ship.  We felt sorry for the tour guide and stayed on.  Long story short……it was just awful.  Celebrity credited everyone’s OBC the cost of the excursion.  Only time we didn’t tip.

The only tour I ever wanted to leave was in Istanbul.The guide gave the driver the worse dressing down I have ever seen. It was a Princess excursion.

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

 

That's it?? So it's not 10% split between driver & guide?

[Bobbiegentry]

2 hours ago, AZjohn said:

Princess should pay these people a very decent wage from what they are charging passengers.

I feel tips should then be zero. Why should passengers feel responsible adding tips if Princess is not paying them decent pay??

@AZKaah, it’s the Princess (and nearlyall others) Way!!

The idea is that they can tip shame their pax into covering costs that should rightly be paid by the cruise line. 

[malba2366]

If the guide does a good job for a  I will usually give $10 each as a tip at the end of a tour.  If they are just mediocre, reading off a script, and doing the bare minimum needed I may drop a couple dollars in their tip jar on the way out.

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

@JimmyVWinethanks for the summary.  But there is no mention of Japan.  The Diamond is returning there.  I have read that the Japanese consider it rude to tip.  What about Korea?   and China when it opens up again?

I think these are the 5% I alluded to earlier. From the same source:
 

In China, Myanmar, Singapore, and Taipei, tipping is deemed unnecessary; however, a few trendy restaurants in China are starting to accept tips, so who knows what the future holds? Other Asian countries, like Japan and Nepal, strictly believe good service is simply part of life, so tipping should only reward good service.

[JimmyVWine]

Bottom line:

 

”I can’t believe that a guy in my tour group today tried to stuff a $5 bill in my hand at the end of the tour. I sure gave him a piece of my mind. I’m going to contact Princess and demand that they notify passengers to stop this behavior.”

 

…..said no tour guide anywhere, at any time. 
 

We are on vacation. One that we are fortunate and blessed enough to afford. The collective $60 that the guide receives means way more to her and her family than the $5 that you parted with means to you. My wife’s favorite saying is: “Be the reason that someone else smiles today.”  I think it fits here. 

[Lady Arwen]

5 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Bottom line:

 

”I can’t believe that a guy in my tour group today tried to stuff a $5 bill in my hand at the end of the tour. I sure gave him a piece of my mind. I’m going to contact Princess and demand that they notify passengers to stop this behavior.”

 

…..said no tour guide anywhere, at any time. 
 

We are on vacation. One that we are fortunate and blessed enough to afford. The collective $60 that the guide receives means way more to her and her family than the $5 that you parted with means to you. My wife’s favorite saying is: “Be the reason that someone else smiles today.”  I think it fits here. 

Nailed it…..thank you!

[voljeep]

we will tip the tour guide - well, if deserved ... he/she can 'tip-out' the driver at their discretion.

[KLM3164]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Maybe we run in different circles. I’ve never taken an excursion (Princess or private) where anyone ever asked me for a tip let alone begged. Tipping has always been discreet and initiated by the customer. I have had tour guides on bus trips mention that the bus driver appreciates tips. But never a guide who pled for their own. 

This actually did happen to us last year on a shore excursion in Belize. The guide mentioned many times that tips weren’t included in our shore excursion and should be extended. After a couple of times I was annoyed. This along with a couple of other missteps on his part resulted in us extending no tip. I normally tip something but couldn’t do it that day.

[bjkTX]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

I always research the tipping culture before I go to a country where I am unsure. The funny thing is, 95% of the time I learn that tipping is appropriate. The number of foreign cultures that don’t tip is a very, very, very (did I say very?) small subset. 

We took a British Isles cruise a couple of months ago and I spent quite some time reading different opinions and facts about tipping.  The majority of advice I was given was tipping isn't necessary or expected.  Fortunately I brought tipping money because on the 11 day cruise pretty much everyone had a hand out or was obviously expecting a tip.  Didn't bother me - I just wanted to do what was expected.

[KLM3164]

Thank you everyone for your comments today. We had a very good tour in PV today and we will definitely be tipping more than what is recommended on the Princess website. 

[Guest ldtr]

6 hours ago, AZjohn said:

Princess should pay these people a very decent wage from what they are charging passengers.

I feel tips should then be zero. Why should passengers feel responsible adding tips if Princess is not paying them decent pay??

1. the guides do not work for Princess they work for the tour companies

 

2. Just like with restaurants in the US, cruise line employees, those business are built and price with US customers in mind. As a result many of the guide positions get a large share of their total compensation from tips. Atleast in the Caribbean and Mexico tours.

[Guest ldtr]

4 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

Same with us.  We only travel in Canada or Europe, so we tip as usual at home and in Euros or British Pound Sterling when away.  10-15 Euros or Pounds for a nice half day tour and more for tour guides who exceed our expectations.  Once in Brussels we left no tip.  Lots of the bus passengers got off half way through the tour and took cabs back to the ship.  We felt sorry for the tour guide and stayed on.  Long story short……it was just awful.  Celebrity credited everyone’s OBC the cost of the excursion.  Only time we didn’t tip.

What happened on the Brussels tour? I assume it was the one from Zeebrugges. We are signed up for that tour in May.

[Guest ldtr]

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Bottom line:

 

”I can’t believe that a guy in my tour group today tried to stuff a $5 bill in my hand at the end of the tour. I sure gave him a piece of my mind. I’m going to contact Princess and demand that they notify passengers to stop this behavior.”

 

…..said no tour guide anywhere, at any time. 
 

We are on vacation. One that we are fortunate and blessed enough to afford. The collective $60 that the guide receives means way more to her and her family than the $5 that you parted with means to you. My wife’s favorite saying is: “Be the reason that someone else smiles today.”  I think it fits here. 

Except in China and some other Asian locations where tipping is considered to be an insult.

 

We will usually tip a guide $5 to 10 each as well as a couple of dollars to the bus driver.

[darinscruising]

I  tip everytime, evensome I don't think they deserve it, that way I walk away a happy  person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dog]

17 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Except in China and some other Asian locations where tipping is considered to be an insult.

 

We will usually tip a guide $5 to 10 each as well as a couple of dollars to the bus driver.

Well, in Yokohama, Kyoto, Tokyo the hosts, guides graciously accepted our gifts. Tips

[dog]

3 hours ago, voljeep said:

we will tip the tour guide - well, if deserved ... he/she can 'tip-out' the driver at their discretion.

Usually do this. On cruise to Havana we took a cultural tour that lasted almost 2 hours longer than expected. Guide and driver were excellent. She did mention that they are allowed to accept tips and NOW they get to keep them. We tipped guide & driver individually!

[JimmyVWine]

4 minutes ago, dog said:

Well, in Yokohama, Kyoto, Tokyo the hosts, guides graciously accepted our gifts. Tips

Yup. Never turned down. 

[PTMary]

44 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Except in China and some other Asian locations where tipping is considered to be an insult.

 

 

That is a myth. In those places they may refuse tips, but often they will happily accept them. 

[Guest ldtr]

34 minutes ago, dog said:

Well, in Yokohama, Kyoto, Tokyo the hosts, guides graciously accepted our gifts. Tips

In Japan yes, China not so  much. A friend of mine got a lecture from a Chinese taxi drive that was thoroughly insulted when he tried to tip him, when he was there for a conference. Though back when I was traveling to Japan on business I did have  cash tips returned in a number of establishments.  Especially outside of tourist areas. They treated it as mistake and  an over payment.

 

When in areas that service a large numbers of tourists the norms change vs more remote areas.

[waltd]

Only time anyone in Japan refused a tip was a very nice young lady helping us with  wheel chair assistance at the airport.   We understood and thanked her.

[cruzsnooze]

Many countries are not tipping cultures like Japan and China and Australia and New Zealand. I follow the guidelines of the country not what a cruise company suggests to  me. Americans appear arrogant with their handing out money so freely. 

[malba2366]

3 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

This actually did happen to us last year on a shore excursion in Belize. The guide mentioned many times that tips weren’t included in our shore excursion and should be extended. After a couple of times I was annoyed. This along with a couple of other missteps on his part resulted in us extending no tip. I normally tip something but couldn’t do it that day.

I wouldn't have tipped either in that circumstances.  It is one thing to discreetly say that tips are appreciated or something like that, but to keep repeating it is not ok.

[dog]

1 hour ago, dog said:

Well, in Yokohama, Kyoto, Tokyo the hosts, guides graciously accepted our gifts. Tips

 

20 minutes ago, waltd said:

Only time anyone in Japan refused a tip was a very nice young lady helping us with  wheel chair assistance at the airport.   We understood and thanked her.

 

33 minutes ago, PTMary said:

 

 

That is a myth. In those places they may refuse tips, but often they will happily accept them. 

I see some have found the same as me. thanks for sharing. Done here.

[PTMary]

16 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

Many countries are not tipping cultures like Japan and China and Australia and New Zealand. I follow the guidelines of the country not what a cruise company suggests to  me. Americans appear arrogant with their handing out money so freely. 

 

It's because Americans are generous. Especially when someone helps us enjoy visiting their countries. Nothing arrogant about generosity. I have never had anyone refuse a tip, no matter where. If they thought it was arrogant, they would have refused the tip.

 

But I do agree with researching the cultural ways of countries being visited. It shows respect. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by PTMary