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Tipping on Oceania excursions


seachelt
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We have booked all our excursions through Oceania on our upcoming cruise. Are gratuities included, or are we expected to tip?

Of course we would tip guides and drivers on private excursions, just wondering if that’s included with O excursions.

thanks for your insight and experience.

terri

 

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These are private companies contracted by Oceania.  No real official guidance.  We generally give a small tip if the tour is particularly good.  Also depends on the country (ie. Japan would not) if tipping is a norm.

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Most of these tour guides are minimum wage people in their countries.  It's the flip for us. We give small tips to the guide---unless the tour is especially bad. Dollar or two American per person in local currency. Drivers not. Its always amazing to us how many our fellow travelers slip away without any proper thank you.

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31 minutes ago, SEASwim said:

Interesting. I would have assumed the standard tip for something like an all-day tour would be $20 minimum.

I'd have thought the same. And probably $5 for the driver.

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We always tip, except for the rare case where the tour guide is awful.  We usually tip $10 to $20 from the two of us, depending on the length of the tour and the quality of the guide.  I, too, am amazed by the people who slink away to avoid giving a tip, without even saying thank you.

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Doesn't it seem that the same people who do not tip also do not thank the driver and guide?

We always tip a minimum of $5 per person to the driver and $10 to $20 per person for a good guide and more for an exemplary guide in most ports.

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12 hours ago, alcpa1 said:

Doesn't it seem that the same people who do not tip also do not thank the driver and guide?

We always tip a minimum of $5 per person to the driver and $10 to $20 per person for a good guide and more for an exemplary guide in most ports.

So if everyone on a 50 person big bus tour tips like you the guide sure does have a good day. 

 

For big bus tours we have a little different scale than smaller ones, not necessarily private ones, private tours are a different thing. But that's not what the question is here I guess. 

 

I've seen the Hop On Hop Off tours sold as a shorex, I'm certainly not tipping on one of those. Lot's of variables in the answer to the OP's question.  

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2 hours ago, ORV said:

Lot's of variables in the answer to the OP's question.  

Not least the tipping culture in the country being visited. I'm aware that, for Americans, tipping is almost a way of life but that's not the case with we Europeans.

 

I would not tip on group excursions organised by O. And it would, as I say, very much depend on the country being visited whether I would tip for a private tour. I would if that was in America, as I know it's expected. I wouldnt in a European country

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9 hours ago, clo said:

Just saw this. Don't know anything about the site.

 

https://matadornetwork.com/read/tipping-guide-europe/

A useful website with good information. However, I suspect that when serving Americans abroad, EU servers by now probably are hoping for tips. I’ve never had my tips refused.

Once in France we inquired whether service was already included in the bill. The french servers vehemently (but politely) assured us it was not. We left a generous tip and left. Later reviewing the bill, we saw service was clearly itemized. But, they didn’t want to lose our tips. 
Money is money.

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21 hours ago, Harters said:

Not least the tipping culture in the country being visited. I'm aware that, for Americans, tipping is almost a way of life but that's not the case with we Europeans.

 

I would not tip on group excursions organised by O. And it would, as I say, very much depend on the country being visited whether I would tip for a private tour. I would if that was in America, as I know it's expected. I wouldnt in a European country

On the tours we’ve been on in Europe they certainly expect it. Most of them mention it on their websites or in correspondence. 

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On 10/12/2021 at 11:18 AM, Harters said:

Not least the tipping culture in the country being visited. I'm aware that, for Americans, tipping is almost a way of life but that's not the case with we Europeans.

 

I would not tip on group excursions organised by O. And it would, as I say, very much depend on the country being visited whether I would tip for a private tour. I would if that was in America, as I know it's expected. I wouldnt in a European country

I'm curious. Is most of the non-tipping in other countries mostly restaurants?

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11 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

A useful website with good information. However, I suspect that when serving Americans abroad, EU servers by now probably are hoping for tips. I’ve never had my tips refused.

Once in France we inquired whether service was already included in the bill. The french servers vehemently (but politely) assured us it was not. We left a generous tip and left. Later reviewing the bill, we saw service was clearly itemized. But, they didn’t want to lose our tips. 
Money is money.

 

One should still make an effort to tip according to cultural norms of the country. My eyes were opened when friends in Italy started to complain about how the "big tipping Americans" came in and upped the tip ante. This can lead to changes in tipping norms to the point where locals become compelled to tip at the same level in order to get good service. That should not be the case.

 

My goal as a traveler is to "be a good guest" and abide by local norms. It's not my country and I don't make the rules there, nor do I want my presence to be "felt" as anything more than a transitory passage.

 

On the Italy boards here on CC a few years back we had some fun times pointing out to travelers that some companies with websites in multiple languages would add info about "standard tipping practices" only to the English version....

 

 

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On 10/14/2021 at 12:19 AM, cruisemom42 said:

My eyes were opened when friends in Italy started to complain about how the "big tipping Americans" came in and upped the tip ante.

I play on a food forum where the subject of tipping crops up now and again. Based on my experience there, I reckon it is a minority of travellers who check local tipping customs for, say, restaurants and they continue to follow what would be their own national custom. It leads to stories of poor tipping Europeans visiting America. And, as cruisemom42, points out the reverse with Americans visiting Europe. Certainly I've read stories of UK servers in London absolutely loving American tourists - they don't understand that the 12.5% service charge takes the place of an old-fashioned cash tip, and then they tip at their national rate (the going rate when I was last in the States was 20%), so have effectively tipped twice and at a very significant amount. And, of course, no server is going to be foolish enough to reduce their income by pointing out the error or the over generosity.

 

To reply to an  earlier point, there is not a common custom across Europe. Countries have their own cultures and that includes tipping. So, you have the UK with its service charge fast replacing cash tipping. You have other countries where cash tipping remains the norm. And you have other countries, maybe most and certainly including France and Spain, where tipping is not required or expected, except for leaving a "rounding up" amount or a few coins.

 

By the by, I also check the online tipping guides when I'm visiting a new country. It's worth checking more than one. Reason for saying that is the  sites most often linked to are on American sites and, in my view, tend to take a more generous approach than is the relaity of the situation. FWIW, clo links ot a website guide at #14 - I've looked at the UK advice and would agree with the comments there (unlike some other guides I've read), so it may well be reliable for other countries.

 

As an aside, my brother in law drives a taxi here in the UK. When he started over a decade ago, tips were a very regular feature. Now, he can go whole shifts without a tip, not even of the “keep the change” variety.

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Last time we were in the UK  2018  I noticed is some place the  little tip jar by the register  seemed to be more prevalent

Times are changing

 It used to be the service charge was noted on the menu at the bottom but now  they seem to just see if people will tip or not

JME

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LHT - much depends on which part of the UK you're visiting. If its London, then it's all but impossible to avoid the service charge (always noted on the menu and ALWAYS discretionary). Elsewhere in the country, it's more mixed. Where I am in northwest England, only about half the places I go to add a service charge. And it's pretty much a given that high end places right across the country will have a service charge (except for the very small but growing number which have done away with charges and tipping -  the price you see is the price you pay).

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1 hour ago, Harters said:

LHT - much depends on which part of the UK you're visiting. If its London, then it's all but impossible to avoid the service charge (always noted on the menu and ALWAYS discretionary). Elsewhere in the country, it's more mixed. Where I am in northwest England, only about half the places I go to add a service charge. And it's pretty much a given that high end places right across the country will have a service charge (except for the very small but growing number which have done away with charges and tipping -  the price you see is the price you pay).

Not trying to avoid the service charge   we just make note if it is added or  not

 Years ago  it seemed to be added  but we were Southampton  some places it was noted on the menu as added other had no mention

some small shops had the tip jar at the counter ...like some coffee shops here 😉

 

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One of the places in my city  had a reputation for disreputable practices over this. The conversation went like this:

 

Waiter - "press this button (on the card machine) to add a tip"

 

Harters - "But there's a 10% service charge on the bill"

 

Waiter - "Service charge isnt the tip"

 

Harters - "I think you'll find it is , matey"

 

Waiter -  "Just push other button then"

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13 hours ago, Harters said:

they don't understand that the 12.5% service charge takes the place of an old-fashioned cash tip,

Are these people also paid anything approaching a livable wage? In the US it's been as low as $2 and a few cents an hour. I don't know what it is now. But I do know that in cities like SF and SEA it sometimes requires four people to live in one apartment or a two hour, one way commute.

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