Do you have to tip on excursions you already paid for?

[Cruise Raider]

Just now, CDNPolar said:

 

Yeah - we had similar experience in Puerto Vallarta.

Yes, it was PV where this happened.  I’m not trying to say I am a badxxx but worked in very sketchy parts of town at times in my life and you just get desensitized to being yelled at for no good reason.  

[clo]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

The worst experience we had with "kick backs" was in Cairo where just a short discussion with one of the guys in the shop ended with them being angry that I did not buy anything.  This is not the first time we have experienced this.

 

We are not ones to buy anything on a trip - not a souvenir of any kind.  No clothes, no anything.

 

Now when we are "taken" to any kind of shop that sells any product that has a demonstration or not, we look and then exit without talking to anyone.

Why even walk in?

[CDNPolar]

2 minutes ago, clo said:

Why even walk in?

 

Well, this particular time was our first experience with this kind of pressure and we were not anticipating it to be so blatant.

 

There was a stop and they just sort of shuttled us all in the store... no real explanation.

Edited May 13 by CDNPolar

[wcook]

Just my opinion - everyone should do what they feel comfortable with:

 

Any “bus sized” tour, or any tour arranged through the ship: No tip necessary, small tip ($5) if the guide or driver does a great job.

 

”Van sized” tour in a poorer country where guides rely on tips: Small tip almost always, larger tip ($20) for a great job. 

[Hlitner]

Frequent world travelers have generally learned about the different "tipping cultures" found around the world.  North Americans have generally embraced a tipping culture (which much of the world finds ridiculous) which has been enhanced by "tipping guilt."  The result is that tour industry workers, around the world, will often have their "hands out" for tips when they are dealing with North Americans and do not waste their time with folks from other cultures where tipping is kept to a minimum.

 

So getting back to the OP's question, nobody is obligated to tip guides on excursions or tours.  In fact, given the recent pricing of cruise ship excursions, and the quality of many excursions, one might make a case that guides should tip the participants :).  

 

We just returned from a 5 week cruise (mostly in various Med countries) and did notice that some folks, on excursions, did tip while many others tipped nothing.  If folks are "hung up" with their own "tipping guilt" than they get what they deserve, which is less money left in their pockets.  We are now in an era where even automated vending machines are starting to have tip options :).  Just 3 days ago, we were in a decent burger place (Innsbruck, Austria) where one ordered by computer terminal (like many fast food places in the USA) and,sure enough, on the final screen there was an option to tip (the machine) with the default being 5%.  Few Europeans would tip a kiosk, but that tipping option certainly generates revenue from North American tourists.  We wondered, at the time, whether any of that tipping money actually went to the workers!

 

By the way, we could not help but notice the recent post about tipping in Puerto Vallarta (where we live 10 weeks a year).  Many Mexicans, in the tourist industry, are underpaid and do depend on tips to make a living.  When we are in that country, we are generous with the staff who give us good service and only tip them directly (with Pesos) so we are sure they get the money.  If the Mexican is rude (unusual) or tries to rip us off (it happens too often) they will not get any tip!  For instance, a taxi that quotes us the correct price (after 18 years in that country we know the correct prices) we will usually give him/her a generous tip.  The driver that quotes the wrong price may get his price but will not get any tip (and end up with less than if he/she had been honest).  We sometimes will play the "bargaining game" and get a price down to a proper price, and then give the vendor an extra "bonus."   They do get the game and it usually results in smiles (and a new friend).

 

Hank

 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 1/10/2024 at 11:11 PM, 1412p0oi said:

and whether I will be prevented from going back on the cruise ship if I don't give a tip.

How would that happen?  You think the tour guide would maybe text back a list of names of people who didn't tip?  Does he know all your names?  And for some reason the cruise ship would want to punish you for what you did /didn't do with a separate company?  Really?  

On 1/11/2024 at 5:09 PM, 1412p0oi said:

It's obscene to be expecting me to pay 20% extra just for bringing my food to me? If you waive the 20% I'll go and grab my plate myself. 

Maybe you never worked in food service when you were young, but your wait staff does more than just carry the plate.  Your wait staff does a lot of stuff that "doesn't show":  Wait staff preps the table before service begins, including prepping all the tablecloths, silverware, glassware, etc.  Your wait staff takes your order, coordinates with the kitchen, then cleans the dining area after dinner.  It's not just carrying your plate.  

On 5/13/2024 at 6:20 AM, ecs66 said:

It seems that kick-backs are the name of the game when cruising.  The ship gets kick-backs from the tour operators.  The tour operators get kick-backs from the shops and sites they take you to.  It's life.  

One more reason to skip ship's excursions.  

On 5/13/2024 at 9:09 AM, CDNPolar said:

We are not ones to buy anything on a trip - not a souvenir of any kind.  No clothes, no anything.

We don't buy stuff on cruises either.  One more reason to avoid ship's excursions -- I don't like being herded into some straw market with nothing that interests me.  We cruise for experiences, not made-in-China tee-shirts and junk.  

21 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

He wasn’t going to continue the tour until everyone on the bus bought something from the shop he took us to ... he was made we didn’t buy any tequila there ... then he yelled at us for not giving him a tip! ... It was a terrible way of doing business ... 

I've not experienced that, but -- no -- it wouldn't fly with me either.  In fact, the effect would be quite the opposite.  

 

[CDNPolar]

3 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

We don't buy stuff on cruises either.  One more reason to avoid ship's excursions -- I don't like being herded into some straw market with nothing that interests me.  We cruise for experiences, not made-in-China tee-shirts and junk.  

 

 

We have been on 12 cruises now and done countless ship arranged excursions - probably over 100 - and only ever experienced this kickback and feeling that we were herded into a shop to buy in Egypt.   This cruise was with Uniworld.

 

Never in all our cruises with Viking have we ever been taken to or felt that there was any expectation to buy something on an excursion.

 

For us, we don't avoid ship's excursions but will be wary of Uniworld in the future if we sail them again.  Viking has never put us in that situation.