Tipping on liveaboard.

[MikeM_scuba]

How much is typical to tip on liveaboard?
How much to tip to DM, to crew, to cleaning crew.
If you ask one of the crew members to dive with you how much to tip him/her?

Thanks

 

[FredT]

Total tip should be at least 10% of trip cost, more if you work them hard or they provide "special services" like rescuing you from a significant screw-up. Most boats do a pooled tip the crew divides, but tips given for special services are generally not pooled. If you have serious questions on protocol on a shared charter ask the ship's captain to distribute the tip based on % of workload.

On trips I've organized I add a 10% crew tip to the charter price, and suggest the diuvers bring up to 10% more in cash for indicental (t-shirts, drinks ashore, etc.) expenses and to cover any special services that need exceptional tipping.

FT

 

[deepstops]

I agree w/ Fred, 10% of the retail price of the trip is a good starting point. The crew on most liveaboards works pretty hard and has to do multiple jobs on the boat.

 

[Doc]

How much is typical to tip on liveaboard?
How much to tip to DM, to crew, to cleaning crew.

Above advice is fine, but where in this world the ship floats is an issue. I have been on some where I was cautioned to "not tip like an American" lest the crew be embarassed.

If you ask one of the crew members to dive with you how much to tip him/her?

If you're a girl and he's interested in snorkeling (or vice versa), maybe nothing... or a lot.

Otherwise, if you are "asking a crew member to dive with you", sounds like you're hiring a private DM to me. $50 for a one/two dive deal, or for the whole five day thing, maybe $150. They may well have posted prices for this service- a lot of people consider private DM's for many reasons.

 

[cstreu1026]

I will be on Mike ball's Spoil Sport in 17 days. The shop I am going with told us to plan on $150-200 per person for the week.

 

[Trwmodela]

I was on the Nekton Rorqual in the Cayman Islands for one week. At the end of the cruise I tipped 15 percent of the fare. This amounted to $250.00 and you could pay in cash or credit card. The crew worked very hard to please us during the week. BTW....the money goes into a pool and is divided equally to the crew.

Tim

 

[dmblack58]

My last liveaboard I gave the crew 15% of the charter price as a ti. The guests also took the crew out on our last night and helped raise their blood alcohol level by another 15 to 20%. ;-)

 

[Maule]

How much is typical to tip on liveaboard?
How much to tip to DM, to crew, to cleaning crew.
If you ask one of the crew members to dive with you how much to tip him/her?

Thanks

Above advice is fine, but where in this world the ship floats is an issue. I have been on some where I was cautioned to "not tip like an American" lest the crew be embarassed.

Im not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying you should tip more than most Americans or less?

 

[Fordan]

Im not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying you should tip more than most Americans or less?

There are some locales where tipping isn't generally appropriate or expected. Australia is one that leaps to mind, since I've been there recently. Tipping there earns you the enmity of the locals who do not want the tipping habit to start there, and may embarrass the person you're tipping.

On the other hand, enough of us tip-happy Americans are visiting Australia that some places put up tip bowls and the like to gather up tips from ignorance.

 

[Gator Diver]

I think 10-15% is a good guide. Great service give more. Poor service
give less.