Tipping

[ronscuba]

The cost-value of liveaboards varies greatly depending on the location. I've done liveaboards in the Caribbean, Socorro, Red Sea, Maldives, Indonesia, Galapagos.

I generally tip 10%-15% based on quality of service and the value of the liveaboard. A high value experience gets a higher tip %. For example, my Maldives liveaboards were cheaper than Caribbean. Maldives diving blew away the Caribbean. The quality of the boat, food and service in Maldives also far exceeded the Caribbean.

Forgetting about the diving, my tip % in Maldives was much higher than Caribbean because of the value.

 

[CWK]

Clearly I hit a nerve that you went to ramble on for so long.

Not really a nerve. I had a 5 hour transit in Amsterdam with little else to do.

I presented the alternative that liveaboards just charge a flat service fee, but that doesn't seem acceptable either to you.

To the non-tipping world wages are included in the price which is a flat fee. I is quite acceptable, and is already in place. There is no real need to separate out items of a LOB cost such as wages, fuel, depreciation, etc....

People don't need charity if their jobs paid enough. Nobody is becoming rich in the dive industry just from some tips, but I see no problem if tips make the pay decent enough that the crew can conceivably raise a family, pay a mortgage, send their kids to school, etc based on it. Else, you will get poorly paid and inexperienced crew as the industry races to the bottom.

Based on the LOBs that I have sampled, I think LOB staff are appropriately remunerated. In general, I think labour markets are efficient in pricing.

.... but maybe think also about the people that helped you get there in life.

Not too many winters ago, I was walking through Kensington Gardens in London where I came across someone sleeping rough on a park bench. I was at the lowest point in my life and as I gazed upon this person, I wondered if I was having a vision of my own future. Thankfully that was not to be my future. Soup kitchens have a special place for me as I think of what might have been.

In my life, I have worked as a hotel security guard, dishwasher at a holiday camp, postman, silver service waiter, and casual farm labourer. I think most LOB workers are in a better place than some of the places that I have been.

 

[CWK]

Wow. Ok then, I didn't mean to or plan to start a political war spanning continents with this question, I simply was looking for a guide for what to tip next week.

Let's please all keep it at least pleasant, and CWK I wish you nothing but the best of luck, you will be in my thoughts as you go through this procedure

Thanks for the well wishes. I don't think of it as a war, just a vigorous exchange of views.

 

[CWK]

I understand all the arguments against setting wages based on expectations of tipping, and I acknowledge that several have merit.

The question is what to do about it if you think the system of tipping is wrong.

If you go to a restaurant or participate in an experience where tipping is the norm and then you don't tip, you're not doing anything to change the system you deplore. You're not striking a blow for fair wages. You're not punishing the meanie employer who doesn't pay a decent salary. And you're definitely not helping the employees exploited by the system.

You're simply paying less for the meal or experience than everyone else.

I'll award virtue points for forgoing the experience because one disapproves of the system, not for participating in the experience and then citing one's objections as a reason not to tip according to the norm.

I accept your point. There is an expectation amongst Americans that a tips form part of the wage. This is not the case in non-tipping cultures where the wage is already included in the price. I jump on a LOB every month and have literally traveled the globe this year. The majority of LOBs that I have been on have tip guidance below 10%. I suspect that LOB wages are appropriate for the different skill sets employed on board.

 

[mikeycanuk]

I tip here in Cozumel but for purely selfish reasons. I like one particular DM (Out of many) who we tip well and because of this we had him our entire trip. So all concerned were very happy.

But on the Bilikiki 10-15% would have been like a $1600-$2500US tip. I literally rent a house down in Cozumel for 2 weeks over Christmas for less. To me that’s insane. I did tip but asking for that kind of cash isn’t going to happen.

as for waiters I can count on one hand the # who were truly masters of their craft and got tipped accordingly. Most got the standard 10% as they were ok at their job.

 

[DrMack]

Using this cost of living calculation, USD100 in the US is equivalent to the purchasing power of USD187.34 in Belize. So a USD500 tip in Belize is equivalent to USD936.69 in the US.

 

[runsongas]

But on the Bilikiki 10-15% would have been like a $1600-$2500US tip.

well you could always pick a cheaper liveaboard

 

[chillyinCanada]

Not dive-centric, but this is very interesting to me:

What is America's standard tip amount? It depends on which generation you ask | YouGov

 

[Peter Bomberg]

I will defer to my Scandinavian heritage and say the more we tip the less incentive any industry has to pay fair wages, as several Europeans have stated tipping is not common and can be both considered an insult or a crime depending on where. I had a friend almost get into trouble when an undercover police stepped in after he tried tipping a state employee on a train.

My 0.02 (and only my opinion) reward people when they have done something other than their job, and yes living in Canada I tend to get the cheapskate look, but I have no clue why I would tip the MacDonalds staff, the airline staff, the bus driver, etc so why would I tip the mechanic or boat captain, again unless they did something special.

Yes I also believe all costs and taxes should be included in the advertised price and yes I also believe that everyone should be paid a "fair" salary but tipping is NOT the solution, it's a big part of the problem

 

[STIDVC]

I will defer to my Scandinavian heritage and say the more we tip the less incentive any industry has to pay fair wages, as several Europeans have stated tipping is not common and can be both considered an insult or a crime depending on where. I had a friend almost get into trouble when an undercover police stepped in after he tried tipping a state employee on a train.

My 0.02 (and only my opinion) reward people when they have done something other than their job, and yes living in Canada I tend to get the cheapskate look, but I have no clue why I would tip the MacDonalds staff, the airline staff, the bus driver, etc so why would I tip the mechanic or boat captain, again unless they did something special.

Yes I also believe all costs and taxes should be included in the advertised price and yes I also believe that everyone should be paid a "fair" salary but tipping is NOT the solution, it's a big part of the problem

I agree to this

Not really a nerve. I had a 5 hour transit in Amsterdam with little else to do.


To the non-tipping world wages are included in the price which is a flat fee. I is quite acceptable, and is already in place. There is no real need to separate out items of a LOB cost such as wages, fuel, depreciation, etc....



Based on the LOBs that I have sampled, I think LOB staff are appropriately remunerated. In general, I think labour markets are efficient in pricing.


Not too many winters ago, I was walking through Kensington Gardens in London where I came across someone sleeping rough on a park bench. I was at the lowest point in my life and as I gazed upon this person, I wondered if I was having a vision of my own future. Thankfully that was not to be my future. Soup kitchens have a special place for me as I think of what might have been.

In my life, I have worked as a hotel security guard, dishwasher at a holiday camp, postman, silver service waiter, and casual farm labourer. I think most LOB workers are in a better place than some of the places that I have been.

I totally understand your POV as we come from the same country and can fully support your take on tipping. Hope all is well for your biopsy. All the best.