Tipping in all-inclusive resorts

[nimoh]

I always tip 50 pesos per tank. I ask the DM if they split it with the boat crew because some do not. Last dive trip I tipped the boat capt 50 pesos and the DM 50 every day and was treated like a king.

I prefer to tip in local currency as it is easier for them to spend.

I also tip,
10 pesos to the guy at the airport who wants to take my luggage
20 pesos to the bus driver
10 pesos each day to the room cleaner (may not be the same cleaner every day so I do not wait until the end of the week)
10 to 100 pesos per evening to the girl who brings me drinks in the bar
20 to 100 pesos per day to the bartender if I am at the beach bar.

I am not rich but I can afford this for a week vacation and it makes a difference to the lives of the people there. And it can make a BIG difference in the service you get.

I agree, but I don't tip that guy until I get my luggage back

 

[theduckguru]

I usually tip $10-15 (US) per tank dive if on a boat IF the service was good ...more if it was great ...and nothing if it sucked :thumbdown:.
~Oldbear~

I am interested in what divers qualify as great service, good service and service that sucks on a 2 tank charter.

 

[nimoh]

I am interested in what divers qualify as great service, good service and service that sucks on a 2 tank charter.

for me, it's mostly about if I had a great time on the dive, and is commonly related to:

1. they picked a good spot
2. they are excited to be there with me
3. they don't criticize my gear (such as telling me my long hose is an entanglement hazard)

this criteria I think changes from time to time, and from site to site, but the general idea, is if I had a good time, great time... (I have never had a bad time on a dive lol)

 

[Oldbear]

I am interested in what divers qualify as great service, good service and service that sucks on a 2 tank charter.

Here are a few examples that I have had:

Good Service = the majority of the time I would say I get good service when the boat crew/guide does any of the following: helps me get my gear on-board; are friendly; provides a nice pre-dive briefing; shows me a good time & nice dive experience; after the dive askes how I enjoyed the dive and if not what can they do differently; offers water and a snack; helps me change out my bottle if I want, talks with me or other passengers during the surface interval.


Great Service = Good Service and goes out of their way to ensure that the majority of the good service criteria have been met; the guide goes out of their way to find a seahorse for you or helps get that great camera shot; takes a genuine interest in their guests.


Sucky Service = None of the Good Service criteria have been met; the boat crew only talks to you for the bare minimum required efforts; ignores you during the surface interval; the Training Instructor leaves you and the group during a low air situtation and heads his butt back to the boat, this happened to me during my AOW - Deep Dive

... no soup (tip) for that guy.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Tip in Pesos. At the resort, tip at each meal what would be about 10% of the tab if it was cash and carry. For the maid service, about $2.00 per day ( currently 25 pesos.) For the dive operator, if you are diving several days, I would say $5.00 per dive. That'[s currently 60 pesos, but 50 pesos is ok. Tip every day because the boat crew changes. Tip the boat directly if you can. If not, tip the shop. I like to hand the tips to the boat people directly. Some boats, if larger, will have a tip jar. On small boats ( 1 DM plus captain, give half to each. That is all you need to know. For more tipping tips and other important etiquette tips, check out The Scuba Snobs' Guide to Diving Etiquette, and The Scuba Snobs Guide to Diving Etiquette Book 2
DivemasterDennis

 

[gopbroek]

I usually tip $5-8 USD per bottle in Peso's (65-100 MP), provided your bank isn’t ripping you off (0-1% foreign transaction fee plus 29MP ATM fee to BAMEX) your cost to get Mexican Peso’s is pretty low at a Bank ATM provided you get a couple K MP at a time. For the local Mexican’s to convert low denominations back into Peso’s they get a poor exchange rate and in Cozumel I see the maids and waiters and DM’s lined up till late in the evening to exchange at Azteca on Juarez, every day.
I have seen that the 5-8 USD rate per bottle is a pretty standard in the Yucatan area for diving. The maids and waiters and bartenders are paid almost nothing and live on tips. I always tip for good service, in local currency, with what you spend to get and stay there 20-30 USD a day is not going to break you. The exception is the taxi mafia in Cozumel and Cancun, don’t tip them over their already exorbitant rates, use exact change in pesos (they never seem to have change).

 

[KeithG]

The OP was British. So the correct answer is no tip is required. The staff will detect the accent and give him crappy service since they do not expect he will tip.

Now if he is sharp enough to give a bit of a tip up front, then he can command better service and SHOULD then be obliged to tip like an American.

 

[Altissimus]

The OP was British. So the correct answer is no tip is required. The staff will detect the accent and give him crappy service since they do not expect he will tip.

Now if he is sharp enough to give a bit of a tip up front, then he can command better service and SHOULD then be obliged to tip like an American.

Buying love....ain't it grand?

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

Hi all,

Being a Brit, and as such not knowing anything about tipping, looking for a little advice please.

We're staying in an all-inclusive resort in May, but clearly there is a tipping culture in Mexico. Any experience as to the expectations of tipping in-resort? Is this regarded as necessary or unnecessary? If the former, what is considered an average tip? Pesos or USD?

We're also diving with an LDS off-resort. Paying a set rate for a number of days' diving. Is tipping expected over and above? Daily? For the whole experience? Per tank? How much?

Lastly, it would be nice to know how much I have to budget for tips over the whole vacation (2 weeks).

Many thanks,
A.

check with the resort. I have stayed at one where it was stated tipping was not allowed. Which is also the the best I have stayed at, all the services were excellent!

Also how do you tip when when you go trough a dive shop, that sends a guide, but the boat is owned by someone else with a DM and captain?

---------- Post added March 17th, 2013 at 08:20 AM ----------

The OP was British. So the correct answer is no tip is required. The staff will detect the accent and give him crappy service since they do not expect he will tip.

Now if he is sharp enough to give a bit of a tip up front, then he can command better service and SHOULD then be obliged to tip like an American.

Just what kind of service would you like? What determines crappy and great? Me personally if I detected this, that would be a dive op that I would never use again.

 

[theduckguru]

You have just highlighted a big problem with tipping. Service is predjudiced by the tip the server thinks they will receive. A dive op wants everyone to be properly served, not just the ones the crew thinks will tip well.

The OP was British. So the correct answer is no tip is required. The staff will detect the accent and give him crappy service since they do not expect he will tip.

Now if he is sharp enough to give a bit of a tip up front, then he can command better service and SHOULD then be obliged to tip like an American.