Tipping on a LOB in Indonesia

[Dan]

Have the higher end boats gone down in price in Indonesia? Or are Galapagos that much more yet again?

Well, you'll be the judge. Check them from the same source: Liveaboard.com: 193 Liveaboards. 9100+ Diving trips.

 

[Dan]

As another cheap American, I have not found diving in Indonesia or the Maldives as terribly low cost adventures.

Worth every penny, but still, it takes a whole pile of pennies to get there, and dive there.

With the cheap fuel & competition among airlines, the fares have come down. 3 months ago I went there (Houston-Denpasar roundtrip) with Singapore Airlines for $850. Got 2 seats next to me in Boeing 777 empty. I flipped up the hand rests so I could lie down flat & had a good sleep.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Thanks, the site I was looking at was in US dollars and the way prices were expressed there, the top boats in Indonesia seemed very close in price to Galapagos but even the most expensive was about $100 less.

 

[Dan]

It is hard to compare the high-end Liveaboards, where money is not the limiting factor for those divers. Compare the low end to average liveaboards. I've been pretty happy with this locally run Grand Komodo liveaboard: Schedules & Rates

I had 3 out of 5 liveaboard trips to Komodo & Raja Ampat with them. The owner is a Balinese. You'll have a taste of a real Indonesia Liveaboard in a Phinisi boat.

 

[Diving Dubai]

I despise the expectation that you will tip 10-15% per person. I've been on some high end LOB and that would be a stupid amount of money

Just come off a 12 day LOB in Indonesia. My wife and I tipped as one. We gave $15 per day to the guide, and the same in the crew kitty. The boat gave guidance.

One LOB in a different area, gave me guidance that looked very much like an invoice, it came accords as a demand rather than a request, needless to say that was reflected in the final tip.

 

[Dan]

Fortunately, I have not seen or have been in one of those liveaboards that Diving Dubai is referring to. All of the 5 liveaboards I have been in were happy to get whatever you gave them & did not have any such "invoice" given back to me. 2 of them just have a lock box with a slot to put your tips in. They won't know if you give tips or not. It's an honor system.

 

[gypsyjim]

Tipping is only something I do for real service, when I feel it is deserved, not simply owed.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's ok Lorenzoid, as an American I'm used to being blamed for almost everything else.
If we are going to be blamed for giving a little extra for good service, to those barely scratching by, and raising expectations just a little, I can live with it.

Well, you've heard the argument before in these tipping threads: That someone appears to us to be underpaid by his employer is not our job to correct. I do tip "a little extra" for exceptional service if I receive it, but I try to resist the temptation to take into account that the poor fellow lives in a small concrete block house with his wife, child, and parents. Practically everyone I deal with as a tourist in Indonesia lives a less privileged life than I do, and I don't give every one of them money. If I want to do something charitable to help people struggling in less-developed parts of the world, there are ways. In summary, I try to keep tipping for good service and charity for the poor separate in my mind.

 

[Dan]

...And from where did Indonesians acquire this ability to characterize what is "generous" and what is "lousy"? The only reason Indonesians receive any tips at all is because Americans have brought the custom to their country. I feel ashamed as an American that just because I may want to tip an Indonesian as much as I would tip someone back home in America that Europeans, Australians, and others are now apparently derided as "lousy tippers" simply for having a different custom than Americans. I don't wish to be the economic imperialist, shaming others around the world into tipping as we Americans do. I hope each person tips as he sees fits, and doesn't feel pressured to be more American.

I suspect that the suggested 10 percent tip reflects a compromise between American-sized tips and European/Australian-sized tips.

Forgive me for using that crude word, "lousy". That's the word crossed my mind at the time. I should have paused & thought of a better word that would not give a negative canotation. It was not the actual word(s) used by them. When I chatted with them in Indonesian, they use the word "cuma sedikit", which mean only small amount. I was a bit disappointed about the lack of appreciation for their good services and used the word "lousy" for "small amount".

In general, they are nice people & will be happy for whatever you give them. I think they are happy & proud for being the crew & would do their best to make us happy. Unfortunately some of us are just too accustomed to our own custom and just don't want to bother to learn the local custom to the point of imposing our custom without realizing the impact or impression of us on them, good or bad. I'm guilty of that.

 

[Clernix]

but I try to resist the temptation to take into account that the poor fellow lives in a small concrete block house with his wife, child, and parents. Practically everyone I deal with as a tourist in Indonesia lives a less privileged life than I do, and I don't give every one of them money.

That's actually a really good point Lorenzoid.