Newbie to Carnival and excursions- Family of 4

[tadpole2018]

Hello everyone! We are a family for 4, two adults and two young teens. So excited about our first cruise on Carnival. Second cruise ever, pre-pandemic! We are sailing out of NOLA, and the cruise with be at the end of July. It will be our first time doing excursions.
We will be doing 3 excursions with Carnival: Belize, Cozumel and Roatan. My question is how much do we bring for a tips when we finish the excursions? We are Canadian, so we will have to take out US funds in cash as well. So just trying to ensure that we don't doing wrong, and have enough. What is an average reasonable amount to tip the guides, especially if there are more than one, etc. 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

It really depends. For one, the number of guides for your tour can vary a lot, from a single bus driver, to 5-6. Also, it could be a 2 hour tour or a full day.   

 

And. even on the same tour, the range of tip amounts people give is huge. 

 

Just plan on giving what you feel is right.  Take lots more cash than you think you need, and bring home what you don't use. 

[Sabalon]

It kinda varies by how well it goes.  Were they full of information or just getting us from A->B?  etc.

 

It's not a simple answer, but a tip (see what I did there? 🙂 ) 

 

Have a number of smaller bills on hand so you can easily adjust as needed.   Don't want to be getting off the bus and only have a $20 on hand for a lackluster 20 minute drive.   But you can always double/triple up on a few $5's.    

[mz-s]

There isn't really a customary amount for an excursion like there is with baggage handling or table service restaurants etc. It's whatever amount you feel is earned, from $0 on up. A good average is probably $5 per person for a standard cruise excursion I'd say.

[jsglow]

I agree with the above poster.  Bring different denominations and note that you can get change at Guest Services.  Obviously a dedicated day long tour guide gets a different tip than a bus driver of a large coach that you spent 10 minutes on.  If you're asking for a 'rule of thumb', we most typically tip about $20 per couple for our guide on an extended tour.  We've only NOT tipped once.... when we were returned 10 minutes past 'last call' simply owing to the guide's negligence. Instead she caught a public earful from me.

Edited March 28, 2023 by jsglow

[tadpole2018]

Thank you everyone for your great responses. Very much appreciated. 🙂 

[pe4all]

For our family of 4 we usually tip a total of $20 - $5 pp.

[Oceansaway17]

remember to tip the driver and tout guide separately.  I think $2 per person for guide and $1 per person for drive is enough unless they did extra things like stops and gave great information, 

[ninjacat123]

I agree with the lower denominations plan.  A bunch of fives and singles and you're good to go.  Have a wonderful cruise with your family!!

[gtouch]

There is an actual formula for this. Number of people times length of tour divided by day of the week multiplied by Canadian to Dollar exchange rate equals......whatever you feel is right. Have a great trip.

[ninjacat123]

8 hours ago, gtouch said:

There is an actual formula for this. Number of people times length of tour divided by day of the week multiplied by Canadian to Dollar exchange rate equals......whatever you feel is right. Have a great trip.

I must have missed that day in math class🤣 I agree, whatever feels right👍