Bonaire in 13 days and another question

[Pembina]

In the past we have always stayed at all inclusive resorts and you just add a percentage to the entire bill to be divided among all for a tip.

Who and how do you tip when staying on Bonaire and doing mostly shore diving?? We will be taking a few boat dives but will we even have the same DM and crew each time? What kind of tip do you leave for your room, what if there is not any type of "maid" service for the week? What tip is expected in restaurants (same as in the states?)

 

[Martha]

If I were you, I would tip the DM each time you do a boat dive, since you may not have the same person the next time. My husband and I now shore dive exclusively when we're on Bonaire, so no tips are necessary for the diving. If there is no maid service for your room, then I wouldn't leave a tip. If there is maid service, I would leave a tip each time they cleaned your room. We tip at restaurants the same as we do in the States (15-20%, unless the service is terrible, which hasn't happened to us on Bonaire).

 

[DiveMaven]

Agreed, if the boat service is worthy of tip, tip each time you do a boat dive. We had daily maid service (which was unexpected!), so we left a tip at the end of our stay. Restaurant tipping is the same as the US.

 

[DeputyDan]

One thing to keep in mind.

If there are dirty dishes in the sink - they do not wash them - they rinse them off and set to dry like they have been washed.

Just FYI:

 

[oly5050user]

In the past we have always stayed at all inclusive resorts and you just add a percentage to the entire bill to be divided among all for a tip.

Who and how do you tip when staying on Bonaire and doing mostly shore diving?? We will be taking a few boat dives but will we even have the same DM and crew each time? What kind of tip do you leave for your room, what if there is not any type of "maid" service for the week? What tip is expected in restaurants (same as in the states?)

when in Bonaire with a group I collect $75./$100. from every diver and present that to the dive manager to distribute among the crew..that covers any boat dm's and the guys in the back who fill the tanks,clean the area,keep the rinse tanks filled with clean fresh water, etc...Just because you do only shore dives does not mean that you do not leave a tip.Poor form and outright inconsiderate not to.If you are the type of person who needs more individual attention from a dm during a dive then you should contribute to the group tip and also take the individual dm aside and tip him/her personally also for the attention you received..
As to restaurants tip 15%/20% of bill, maid service is $5./$10. per day that they take care of room or condo(if service is only 2 -3 days then its usually $20. per bedroom for the week.)

 

[reefduffer]

... We tip at restaurants the same as we do in the States (15-20%, unless the service is terrible, which hasn't happened to us on Bonaire).

Check your bill to see if a gratuity has already been added. In December this happened to us at least twice (party of four), at Unbelievable (15%) and Papaya Moon (20%). Maybe others before we caught on and started checking. I agree with Martha on the target, just make sure you're not tipping twice.

 

[driftin' by]

Everywhere I've been it's customary to tip $5 per tank while boat dive... of course, you deviate from that depending on the level of service you receive. We're not planning any boat dive's but I still plan to take care of the guys in the tank room/drive-thru. The guys that fill and handle tanks day in and day out are truly the unsung heroes at any dive destination that are easily forgotten about. It's definitely a tankless job.... no pun intended. It's also been my experience that if you show your appreciation early on, they generally make it worth your while your entire stay.

 

[keytofreedom]

I second what Josh says about tipping the tank-fill people. If you're doing all shore diving, you shouldn't forget about these guys.

 

[Martha]

One thing to keep in mind.

If there are dirty dishes in the sink - they do not wash them - they rinse them off and set to dry like they have been washed.

Just FYI:

Ewwwwww!

 

[Martha]

Just because you do only shore dives does not mean that you do not leave a tip.Poor form and outright inconsiderate not to.

Really... that is just your opinion. Should I tip the guy that hands me the weights, the person that gave me the forms to fill out in the dive shop, the guy that did the orientation...? The list could go on and on.