GalapagosDiveOperator
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Web Monkey:
Thanks Terry.
That is the wisest statement made by anyone so far on this entire thread and is great advise.
Sorry another tipping question
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Thanks Terry.
That is the wisest statement made by anyone so far on this entire thread and is great advise.
baitballer
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I am a brit and I have worked and been on liveaboards all over the world and the facts of life are that people from the UK (my fellow brits!) do not tip well. I know when they were on various vessels I have worked on it was a joke among the crew that no matter what we did the tip at the end would still be tiny if any at all.
On a trip where I was a customer in the rea sea I ended up taking the tip that my fellow brits had contributed and I tripled it out of my and my wifes pocket since we were so embarresed about it. A group of ten divers all from the same dive club left a total of $30 US for a week! Yes, $3 each. (My wife and I now deny being British on liveabaords since as a nation we have such a bad reputation for tipping on them!!)
I am looking at going to the Galapogos islands and I have chatted to Deep Blue about it. I am looking at a group of 6/8 of us going next year. They are coming from all over the world and I have no problem booking it with Deep Blue and even though 4 of us will be brits I know that if the crew meet are expectations they will get a very good tip from us.
If you do not like the rules as others have said, go to another company and another boat. BUT, if you book with other that are charging more and you give a good tip you will have paid the same cost twice. i.e. the extra cost and the same tip.
On a trip where I was a customer in the rea sea I ended up taking the tip that my fellow brits had contributed and I tripled it out of my and my wifes pocket since we were so embarresed about it. A group of ten divers all from the same dive club left a total of $30 US for a week! Yes, $3 each. (My wife and I now deny being British on liveabaords since as a nation we have such a bad reputation for tipping on them!!)
I am looking at going to the Galapogos islands and I have chatted to Deep Blue about it. I am looking at a group of 6/8 of us going next year. They are coming from all over the world and I have no problem booking it with Deep Blue and even though 4 of us will be brits I know that if the crew meet are expectations they will get a very good tip from us.
If you do not like the rules as others have said, go to another company and another boat. BUT, if you book with other that are charging more and you give a good tip you will have paid the same cost twice. i.e. the extra cost and the same tip.
Scared Silly
Contributor
Interesting thread. Some random thoughts.
First I will admit not being the best tipper. I usually ask my wife for suggestions because she worked her way through college waiting on tables.
When traveling to new countries very early on I try to learn what some of the local customs are no matter how confusing - this includes tipping. If you are not doing this then you should not be traveling. Period.
That said, so where does the 10% suggested tip come from as it seems to be the standard.
This past spring my wife and I did a live-a-board in Micronesia. They suggested a 10% tip yet the local tipping reccomendation was far different. I recently inquired with a live-a-board in the Caribbean and they figured in the tip also at 10% in with the quote. (Not sure if we paying that up front or they were just figuring it in so we could plan accordingly). However, the interesing part is that the tip was based on a deeply discounted price and not the full price.
In the States the standard for resturants is at least 15% with the top end being 20%. And with that the question of do you tip that on just the food with a flat amount for each botttle of wine or on full bill is now coming into play? Further, if you come with a group of 6 or more you are almost always required to have the tip (15% or 18%) included into your bill.
IMHO the tipping situation in the USA is a bit out of control and unfortunately it is being exported. Quite frankly I wish everyone would be paid a decent wage and if you thought the service was exceptional you left a "little" extra. To me a tip should be a bonus not part of the basic wage. And unfortunately, anymore sometimes it is and sometimes it is not - it all depends on the industry and the dive industry seems to be pretty mixed.
Going back to the live-a-board. One thing that I think some people have a hard time with is that the tip is figured on the total bill because it is all inclusive. Yet when one does land based diving you typically tip for diving and some of the meals but rarely for the lodging. So perhaps what would be better is to suggest a per day tip.
One other thought - perhaps the dive ship owners should make it very clear to their clients on how their crew is paid. For instance, if the crew's tips are part of their wages this should be made known. However, if crew's tips are for exceptional service then this should also be presented.
First I will admit not being the best tipper. I usually ask my wife for suggestions because she worked her way through college waiting on tables.
When traveling to new countries very early on I try to learn what some of the local customs are no matter how confusing - this includes tipping. If you are not doing this then you should not be traveling. Period.
That said, so where does the 10% suggested tip come from as it seems to be the standard.
This past spring my wife and I did a live-a-board in Micronesia. They suggested a 10% tip yet the local tipping reccomendation was far different. I recently inquired with a live-a-board in the Caribbean and they figured in the tip also at 10% in with the quote. (Not sure if we paying that up front or they were just figuring it in so we could plan accordingly). However, the interesing part is that the tip was based on a deeply discounted price and not the full price.
In the States the standard for resturants is at least 15% with the top end being 20%. And with that the question of do you tip that on just the food with a flat amount for each botttle of wine or on full bill is now coming into play? Further, if you come with a group of 6 or more you are almost always required to have the tip (15% or 18%) included into your bill.
IMHO the tipping situation in the USA is a bit out of control and unfortunately it is being exported. Quite frankly I wish everyone would be paid a decent wage and if you thought the service was exceptional you left a "little" extra. To me a tip should be a bonus not part of the basic wage. And unfortunately, anymore sometimes it is and sometimes it is not - it all depends on the industry and the dive industry seems to be pretty mixed.
Going back to the live-a-board. One thing that I think some people have a hard time with is that the tip is figured on the total bill because it is all inclusive. Yet when one does land based diving you typically tip for diving and some of the meals but rarely for the lodging. So perhaps what would be better is to suggest a per day tip.
One other thought - perhaps the dive ship owners should make it very clear to their clients on how their crew is paid. For instance, if the crew's tips are part of their wages this should be made known. However, if crew's tips are for exceptional service then this should also be presented.
samui13
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Its just that other things like nitrox systems, stabilizers, larger zodiacs, etc were of higher priority.
I am sorry but the zodiacs, ribs, pangas what ever we are calling them are in a dreadful condition also. The pull up handles that you needed to use were either missing or they were torn. I agree that they are probably newish, but they need to be maintained. I did not want to put too much info into my thread as I do not want to put other people off from going to the G I. Another thing that i thought was quite rude was the fact that the guides would go up and serve themselves dinner or lunch before all of the customers had served themselves. surely they are supposed to wait for us. or is that just another american thing. shall i carry on.......................
I am sorry but the zodiacs, ribs, pangas what ever we are calling them are in a dreadful condition also. The pull up handles that you needed to use were either missing or they were torn. I agree that they are probably newish, but they need to be maintained. I did not want to put too much info into my thread as I do not want to put other people off from going to the G I. Another thing that i thought was quite rude was the fact that the guides would go up and serve themselves dinner or lunch before all of the customers had served themselves. surely they are supposed to wait for us. or is that just another american thing. shall i carry on.......................
Scared Silly
Contributor
samui13:
No not an American thing ... this is a reflection on how the Captain runs the boat. The crew should make sure that the guests are informed that the meal is being served then they should wait an appropriate amount of time for main body of the guests to arrive. Then they should get their meal. The crew certainly should not have wait until each and every guest gets their meal. Some guests are lolly gagers, some may be out on a dive, etc. If the crew needs to eat before hand because of their duties, they should have the cook make them a plate and eat in the kitchen or wait until later.
As a foreigner living in the US, I've grown acustomed to the 10-15% tip for OK service, and on rare occasions, less (10% or less) for subpar service, more (15-20%) for excellent service. Excellent service can mean doing emergency fixes on my dive equipment, making extra effort to locate the critter I want to photograph, loaning me a back-up when mine fails etc; in short, going the extra mile to make my dive more enjoyable. I won a free trip on Nekton a few years ago and tipped over 20% the cost of the trip because serice was excellent and the ship was only half-full (less tips, but more room for everyone else). I also extend this to trips to Mexico and the Caribbean as there are so many Americans at these places, it has become the norm to tip at the same level. I usually prepare a large stash of $1s and $5 bills for use as tips on these trips for the porter, waiter, bartender, cab driver and DM etc. However I would be angry if they charge me beforehand, before i experience "the service".
That said, I do have some reservations tipping at this level in the Indian Ocean/Asia region, as tipping is not always expected, particularly in rural areas. It also depends on how much the service personnel make and I'll still tip, but lesser, like 5%. On a dive trip to Bali, I was the only diver to give the DM $5 for a US$80 boat dive. My fellow divers (from India and Netherlands) did not tip.
Ultimately, tipping can reflect how one has enjoyed the trip, or how badly one thinks the service person needs the tip, one's economic abilities and how stingy/generous one is, so tip the appropriate amount you deem is reasonable.
That said, I do have some reservations tipping at this level in the Indian Ocean/Asia region, as tipping is not always expected, particularly in rural areas. It also depends on how much the service personnel make and I'll still tip, but lesser, like 5%. On a dive trip to Bali, I was the only diver to give the DM $5 for a US$80 boat dive. My fellow divers (from India and Netherlands) did not tip.
Ultimately, tipping can reflect how one has enjoyed the trip, or how badly one thinks the service person needs the tip, one's economic abilities and how stingy/generous one is, so tip the appropriate amount you deem is reasonable.
"If you can afford the trip, you can afford to tip."
I tip but then I'm american and am used to it.
TeamWaldenDiving
Registered
As a crew member on a liveaboard I appreciate the tips I get. Most of us, and some don't, bust our humps to get the food ready on time, and get anything else that a guest asks for if we have it. I've had people praise the galley crew about how good the food and service was, but when it came time to tip, nothing. You may not know but we do watch, we try to be inconspicuous about it, but wedo watch who tips. It is something of a let down to watch someone guzzle soda and beer all trip, tell you how great everything was, buy 2 shirts, a hat and a koozie, then not tip a penny. We do our best to take care of you, so please take care of us.
mlkco
Contributor
Maybe they should charge a little more and then pay their help a little more and then leave the tip to your discretion. 20% for superb service and 10% for average or below. Mandatory tips make me never go back and leave scathing reviews.
That being said, when I have a mandatory tip it is usually less than I would have left on my own.
My tipping philosophy in a hotel or anywhere is to tip the first day and every day thereafter ( at a daily rate). It has taken me 23 years of marriage to convince my wife. she tips on the last day. when I tip we get extra towels and products in hotels. She gets treated like a deadbeat and then leaves a big tip. I'm sure the maids after the last day say they would have given better service.
That being said, when I have a mandatory tip it is usually less than I would have left on my own.
My tipping philosophy in a hotel or anywhere is to tip the first day and every day thereafter ( at a daily rate). It has taken me 23 years of marriage to convince my wife. she tips on the last day. when I tip we get extra towels and products in hotels. She gets treated like a deadbeat and then leaves a big tip. I'm sure the maids after the last day say they would have given better service.
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