Tipping

[Schwob]

Why should my tip be based on such items for example as fuel, ...

I think that's an interesting thing to wonder about. E.g. who of you tips your air carrier (not that there is any real comparison at all)?

 

[ontdiver]

...and do you tip when you buy something at the counter (such as coffee, or take away food such as pizza) vs table service? I have been lucky on the half a dozen boats I have been on and have always tried to be objective and fair when considering my tipping - even when considering the exchange rate between $C and $US.

 

[markmud]

How much do you usually tip on a Liveaboard? Last year did Blackbeard's with my son's and tipped $500 for the 3 of us. That amounted to about 12% of what I paid for the trip.

Heading out to Socorro with my oldest right after Christmas and trying to plan to have the cash to tip but trying to determine the right amount. If I stick with the 12%, I'd be pushing $1000, which seems excessive so looking for some guidance. Don't want to be the cheap ass on the boat, but also am not made of money.

Thanks

Hi tfleming,

Yeah, if the crew does a good job, you should be prepared to pay a 10 to 15% tip. If you can't afford the tip, you shouldn't buy the trip.

How many tanks will you use? At 5 to $10 per tank how much will that add up to.

How many meals will they serve you? 15% per meal unless the food and food service is crap.

Stateroom service? Is the vessel clean and sanitary everyday? Is the navigational crew professional? How about the engineers (if the lights aint burn'n, and the screws aint turn'n, then decrease your tip).

I bet if you calculated your tip piecemeal, the tip would total close to $1000.

I believe the people who serve us, and serve us well, should make a decent living. The tip system is an incentive for good service. The cheapskates from certain parts of the world (including the US) don't help the system.

Be prepared to pay $1000 for really good service.

markm

 

[runsongas]

I think that's an interesting thing to wonder about. E.g. who of you tips you tips your air carrier (not that there is any real comparison at all)?

I would be happy to tip if the airlines provided a bed and edible food on flights

 

[runsongas]

...and do you tip when you buy something at the counter (such as coffee, or take away food such as pizza) vs table service? I have been lucky on the half a dozen boats I have been on and have always tried to be objective and fair when considering my tipping - even when considering the exchange rate between $C and $US.

table service yes, take out generally no unless if you have a complex order or special requests.

 

[runsongas]

I did leave 10% of total trip costs last time (also my only liveaboard, so far), quite painful to be honest, especially as a Scandinavian I guess. It did wind up to only ~20€ a day, so guess I was a cheap bastard.

It's just not in my DNA that everything I do costs 20% more than the price your given.

Well for the red sea, beer/wine is not always included and I didn't see too much griping about paying for that separately. So I don't buy the argument that the tip is an unexpected expense that can't be afforded when you have guests with a larger bar tab at the end of the trip.

 

[mcohen1021]

Both of my LoB experiences, I gave $150. If you had 24 divers tip 150 pp all year for 10 crew members, it averages out to $19k in tips per crew member over a year… What do they make working for the LOB, no idea but I bet it’s equal to or more than the tips they make. When I’ve been to an AI resort, haven’t I paid for everything in advance? Food, room, activities? Why is the LoB different?

 

[runsongas]

Your math has the crew working every single day of the year for 53 weeks...

24 divers is a fairly packed liveaboard, most seem to be closer to 16, at least for the ones that aren't just converted fishing boats where the tips run closer to day boat levels.

 

[ontdiver]

As most would expect, the crew's wages will vary considerably around the world - even though the cost of the trip may be similar. But those of us in North America should also remember that there is a considerable range for minimum wage at the federal and state/provincial level. More importantly though, the folks on the boat are looking out for your safety and well being, which can not necessarily be said about the hard working folks at the AI resort.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I generally do 10% rack rate. most Americans seem to also hold close to that. people from non-tipping countries generally will tip less.

I am from Italy, where tipping is not only quite uncommon, but can easily become a crime (if you tip a public employee, which I am...).
So generally I do not leave any tip. Only when travelling in the US, some service people or taxi driver did explain me that they were expecting a tip, as this is their wage, as they are not paid for doing their service job or driving the taxi.
This caused some problem, as when travelling for job I am reimbursed of the expenses only if I provide formal receipts for them. And in many cases you do not get any machine-printed receipt for a tip, so I materially cannot pay them...
I see this "mandatory tipping" as one of the strange things peculiar to US, and luckily not followed in any other place of the world.
So in the end I only leave tip when requested by people who are really needing it for being paid for their work. And only if I get a written receipt for it!
In all other cases, I find it substantially absurd: if the service I receive includes additional costs, these should written in the bill, and I will pay them without problems.
Why money has to be paid which is not written in the bill?