Excursion tipping etiquette

[atmuma]

I don't believe it's mandatory, but what is a good general rule of thumb for tipping for an excursion. I wasn't sure if a % of the cost is the right way to go or just a flat amt of money if you enjoyed your experience. We're going to Alaska and the excursions aren't cheap so I was thinking a % might get out of hand, but I also don't want to insult the tour operator.

 

Any advice? Thanks!!

[DocLC]

It really is at you discretion, but also keep in mind that the guides are getting paid, too, which is not always the case in the Caribbean. Personally, I lean on the $5-$10 for half day tours and $10-$20 per person for full day tours. Some may even recommend a percentage. For example, I'm taking a tour in Russia where it is recommended that we tip 10% to the tour guide and 5% to the driver. That's about $45-50 per person among the two, but this is for three full days of touring, so it's within the ballpark mentioned above.

[atmuma]

Great, thanks. Ours are all half day tours and your suggestions were about what I was thinking.

 

Thanks again!

[firegal2539]

I have sailed Alaska several times and it really depends on the excursion. I did a helicopter ride to a glacier, there was the pilot and two guides giving presentations. The guides were National Park Service Employees. To me $10 each is a lot of money, $30 for all three, so I just gave $20 to the two guides. I felt like the pilot got paid quite a bit to fly people out to the glacier. BTW, I would never do it again, I just knew my life was ending when I stepped on the helicopter.

 

I did a trolley tour in Skagway and I tipped $5 for a one hour transit of the little town. The trolley was full and I figured that if all 50 people gave $5 each, this couple got to split $250, not bad for 1 hour of work. Do three or four tours a day, you are making great tip money.

 

I think tipping is subjective. I did a Hop On Hop Off Trolley tour of San Francisco and the guide wasn't suppose to stop at all of the stops, but he did and he talked about each area, what had happened there, if we should get off or not. It was probably the most informative tour I have ever taken and I tipped him $20 just for the experience.

 

In Nassau, I took the shuttle from the pier to Atlantis and the two shuttle people actually announced they expected a tip since the ride was only $4. In other words give them the $5 bill so they had a dollar to split. What I learned is these shuttle people do approximately 50 to 100 shuttle rides a day, can you imagine how much tip money they make. They aren't loading luggage, helping you board the shuttle, they do nothing but drive you. But I also understand they don't get paid anything for their work, so a dollar wasn't going to kill me. I just don't like being told I have to tip them.

 

Candie