Iceland - Norway NCL Cruise: Tipping Tour Guides

[EdNottingham]

Greetings,

 

Counting the days (well, maybe hours) until we head to Copenhagen on 22 May for our 14-day Getaway Norway/Iceland cruise!  So excited!

 

I've been researching tipping tour guides and finding generic info such as tipping in Iceland is not really expected.  Likewise (I think) Norway.  We are hoping to NOT have to "buy" a lot of different currency to use. Just curious the experience of others in terms of tipping tour guides in Norway, Iceland, and Scotland.  We do have tours scheduled in each port.

 

Thanks so much.

Ed Nottingham

[Deeliteful]

Whilst Europe is not as tip crazy as the US, I always tip a tour guide in any country I visit.

 

have a fabulous cruise.

[EdNottingham]

Thanks so much.

[bedfordmom]

When I was in Iceland recently for a land vacation, I tipped our guides in US $. Iceland is basically a cashless society using credit cards for everything. Even the free walking tours took either $;  euro or credit card for their tips. The guides seemed pleased to get US $ because of the favorable exchange rate.

[EdNottingham]

Perfect!  Thank you so much.  This is a huge help in that we may not have a chance to get purchase any Icelandic Krona.

[sjbdtz]

21 hours ago, EdNottingham said:

Greetings,

 

Counting the days (well, maybe hours) until we head to Copenhagen on 22 May for our 14-day Getaway Norway/Iceland cruise!  So excited!

 

I've been researching tipping tour guides and finding generic info such as tipping in Iceland is not really expected.  Likewise (I think) Norway.  We are hoping to NOT have to "buy" a lot of different currency to use. Just curious the experience of others in terms of tipping tour guides in Norway, Iceland, and Scotland.  We do have tours scheduled in each port.

 

Thanks so much.

Ed Nottingham

 

 

In North America, we tend to tip because we know certain industries - particularly service industries - are on the very low-end of the pay-scale. 

 

The same is not true, in Iceland or Norway. 

 

 

Would you tip the car valet if you knew he made $50,000 / year as a base salary PLUS tips?   Probably not, unless he also detailed your car, or did something above & beyond parking & fetching the car. 

 

Same goes with employees in Iceland (tour guides, hairstylists, restaurant servers, etc.)    Societies like those have higher prices for everything, and they incorporate paying employees a livable wage, with benefits. 

 

 

So if you really feel the need to tip, go ahead.... but when they say it isn't necessary or expected....they mean it. 

 

Be prepared for the cost of things though.   We bought two hamburgers, two fries, and one chocolate shake to share at a fast-food outlet (I think it was called American Burgers....looked vaguely McDonalds-like)....total cost in USD?     $60 !!!   No tip required.

 

Stephen

 

 

[EdNottingham]

Thanks so much Stephen.  

 

I LOVE CruiseCritic!  Appreciate all the helpful input members share.

Ed

[4774Papa]

We have been to Iceland and Norway and tipping your tour guide is generally done.

[cloud_nine]

Don't know about Iceland or Norway but if you are going to tip in Scotland, you should tip in pounds as the dollar to pound exchange rate is terrible at the moment.

[Deeliteful]

Difference in earnings in Norway is that they pay little or no tax on their wages but everything else is taxed hence why it is so expensive.

 

[careyayn22]

We spent ten days in Iceland last summer. We literally went on one tour. We did not tip, but we also just rode a boat out into Jokarlson for a half hour and got a basic spiel about glaciers and icebergs. 

 

If I did a half day plus tour of various sites with a good guide, I’d tip——like others have said, Iceland is as close to cashless as possible, so I , personally, would try to give ISK and not USD.