Liveaboard gratuity in Thailand

[ahplee]

My husband & I are planning a liveaboard in Thailand for 10 days. We are trying to figure out our budget for the trip and we had a question that hopefully someone can help answer. What should the gratuity be?? Thanks...

Is the gratuity done by a percentage of the trip price??

OR would it a fixed amount? Especially if trip prices vary so much...

Thanks.

 

[ssra30]

In Thailand, technically there is no automatic 10-15-20% tips like the US.
Generally for a 4-5 days trip, I think 1000-2000 bahts for the diveguide ($25-50) and the same amount to the rest of the crew is about average, more if you think they really take good care of you. Of coure the crew may be accustomed to, and expect a bit more from foreign visitors but it really depends how you feel about the service.

 

[Batfish]

I think you said you're going on the Viking for 10 days..you should be very well looked after. For such a long trip on such a boat, I reckon 1,000 - 2,000 Baht from each diver for the crew is about right. And then something for your DM (if they were good!) and maybe something for your tour leader/cruise director. As a former liveaboard tour leader, I used to push people to give tips to the crew (who are not paid very much), and then just hope for a tip for myself. Crew on Thai liveaboards are pretty much always very friendly, very helpful, and the cooks do wonders.

Have a good trip

 

[Zippsy]

ahplee - I hope you have you answer now. These two guys seem to be very knowledgable of the customs in Thailand. Therefore, I hope you don't mind if I steal your thread

Someday I wish I'd I read on a website or on the bottom of a bill, etc.: "Please do not tip any of our staff. One of the reasons why our prices are a little higher than our competitions' is because we pay our staff well. We work hard to make sure they provide outstanding service for you. If, however, you feel that we did not meet your expectations for superior service, please talk to the manager before you leave. She has the authority to return up to 15% of the cost of the diving to you, depending on the circumstances.

 

[Otter]

ahplee - I hope you have you answer now. These two guys seem to be very knowledgable of the customs in Thailand. Therefore, I hope you don't mind if I steal your thread

Someday I wish I'd I read on a website or on the bottom of a bill, etc.: "Please do not tip any of our staff. One of the reasons why our prices are a little higher than our competitions' is because we pay our staff well. We work hard to make sure they provide outstanding service for you. If, however, you feel that we did not meet your expectations for superior service, please talk to the manager before you leave. She has the authority to return up to 15% of the cost of the diving to you, depending on the circumstances.

I appreciate your position, but prefer that I HOLD the tip money rather than counting on the customer service mentality of the manager to return a portion to me.

As for tiping on liveaboards, we had an absolute aweseome time on the Big Blue Explorer last week. The standard tip is 10% of the liveaboard fee and is split among the entire crew (including DMs for the other divers). In addition to that, we gave direct tips to our two DMs, our tender driver/captain, and the bartender/butler totalling nearly another 10%. Their service was exemplary. They were all up before us (6 a.m.) and were still up when we went to sleep (10 p.m.).

 

[Batfish]

Otter - please come on a trip with me!!!

Seriously. I think Otter has it right. You have the right NOT to tip if you feel that the service was not good. I must say that some people do take Zippsy's approach even without a "tips included" policy and will think they've paid quite enough, and surely the staff get paid, right? Well, when I was tour leader on a liveaboard in 2000/1 here in Phuket, my salary was 27,000 baht (about 650 U$) per month. Not a huge salary (compared to previous life) and tips were greatly appreciated in order to live a lavish lifestyle. But a HUGE salary compared to the Thai crew. I think the captain got about 9,000 baht a month. The cook something like 5,000 baht a month. And they all had families who they only got to see a few days a month. They worked their a**es off, always helpful, and if I saw a customer putting 20 Baht in the tip jar after 4 days on the boat, I would think "what a ****** cheapskate".

 

[Zippsy]

I understand both your positions. I was thinking more that staff should be paid a fair wage to start with and the boat owner should not make them dependant on the kindness of strangers. I've seen well paid staff under these circumstances who work their asses off just to keep their well paid jobs. But that's a little harder HR work for management. As I said, I also know where you both are coming from and it's all good.

 

[Otter]

I understand both your positions. I was thinking more that staff should be paid a fair wage to start with and the boat owner should not make them dependant on the kindness of strangers. I've seen well paid staff under these circumstances who work their asses off just to keep their well paid jobs. But that's a little harder HR work for management. As I said, I also know where you both are coming from and it's all good.

From my experience in the non-diving world, generally after some period of time (varies by individual), many folks start perceiving their fixed compensation (.e.g, salary) as an entitlement. Try as they might, becomes increasingly difficult to justify going the 'extra mile' for 'nothing extra'. I will be the first to admit this has been (1) US experience [spoiled as many of them are] and (2) in a field where compensation historically has been quite sufficient (IT).

Take an individual who has been out of work, personally experienced the lifestyle associated poverty, and/or who was raised in a culture where hard work is the norm and I think you will see people who appreciate having a well paying job.

Despite literature that suggests that the crew is being paid well and/or that the tips are pooled and divided equally among the crew, I like the idea of making sure MY money goes to the people who are personally helping ME AND at the same time, I was willing to trust the system for behind the scenes crew. What is a 'few bucks' to me goes a lot further over there.

Your point about seeing their family also came into play. In casual conversation with our DMs it became clear that some of them see their wife/kids every few months.

 

[ahplee]

Thank you all for the advice. I hope that this trip will be well worth the trip $ and if my expectations are met and exceeded, I'll be sure to show my appreciation with more than a "thank you" and "goodbye". I always feel if they take good care of me, it's only fair to show appreciation with a good tip.

Take care!

 

[RSdiver]

I have been to Thailand 12 times, on 4 liveaboards and numerous day trips. You will probably notice a happy and reserved attitude from the Thais on board which I found to be a comfortable trip. If you have special foods that you especially like mention it and I'll bet you see them at a future meal. I would tip 4000B total as a typical amount for a week.