Med cruise shore excursions-tips in US $ ok?

[Hazelnut1106]

I have several shore excursions planned during my 21 day Mediterranean cruise this summer. I usually plan to give any tour guides a tip at the end. Will providing any tips to the tour guides in US $ be acceptable?

[riffatsea]

Usa$s are not used In Europe!

There's no difficulty in getting euros

Just use your atm card to withdraw them

[Lady Arwen]

Yes, we’ve tipped in US dollars and Euros while on Med cruises.  Our tour guides readily accepted both. US dollars are easily exchanged at banks.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Lady Arwen

[gottagocit]

1 hour ago, Hazelnut1106 said:

I have several shore excursions planned during my 21 day Mediterranean cruise this summer. I usually plan to give any tour guides a tip at the end. Will providing any tips to the tour guides in US $ be acceptable?

Of course they’ll happily accept USA $’s if that’s what you have. I usually try to order some of the currency ahead of time for any country were visiting if possible but any tour guide will appreciate a tip in any currency and certainly won’t consider it rude or ugly. Sorry but that’s just nonsense. They are quite used to exchanging it. 
Guides in some countries we’ve visited prefer tips in USD regardless of what some want to believe or might say. This is not the case in Europe but in Africa, the Middle East and some countries in South America it’s not uncommon. 
People who work in the tourist industry across the globe deal with this every day and it’s not an issue. 
I would recommend getting some euros before traveling to Europe or once there if possible but if you aren’t able to or run out of them no one will think twice to take $’s or British points or Canadian $’s. You can usually order them from your bank for a small fee. 
Now as for what might be considered ugly or rude or otherwise particularly frowned upon is a loud obnoxious opinionated foreigner who wants to impress everyone in the room but that’s a whole different discussion. Lol. I’ve visited nearly 60 countries and I can tell you THAT will turn people off faster than anything. 
Safe travels

Edited January 16, 2023 by gottagocit

[atobols]

Most of our private tour guides for our Med cruise asked to be paid at the end of the tour in cash and in euros.  It's really easy to go to a bank ATM and grab some euros when you get to Europe.  I'm sure you can get by without having any euros but it can also be a PITA if you don't have any.  You really don't want to need to use the bathroom and find out you need some change just to get into the bathroom or to leave a tip for the attendant once you're done.  You'll also use euros for small purchases at stores and tips at restaurants/cafes.

[Ombud]

@Hazelnut1106 it is easy to withdraw € at ATMs (just don't use the ones on Princess .... yes they're there .... as they have a 6% surcharge plus transaction fees). In fact your bank may refund both foreign transaction fee & ATM fee.

 

Here's what I do: take # of anticipated tours ×2 × tip = 1 withdrawal. 1 fee to be reimbursed (usually €£¥$3.00) that way if it's not reimbursed it's so miniscule it's irrelevant. Extras evaporate or get given to favorite crew as extra tip

[Thrak]

We put most things on a credit card but do try to get local currency. I think I still have CAD $30 and €30 sitting in a drawer. I could trade them in at my local bank but figure I'll need them in the future. If our cruises this fall actually happen I'll need to snag some AUD and NZD. (I know not to try using Australian dollars in New Zealand.)

 

I once tried booking a private excursion in Mexico only to find they didn't take credit cards. Fortunately we were with another cruiser (Renmar) who had a pile of Mexican Pesos. That's the last time I will make that error.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Thrak

[milolii]

This is probably not the best idea.  Would you want to be tipped/paid in Euros in the US and then go to your bank to exchange them?  
 

Although in some places guides may be pleased to receive US dollars, Europe is not one of them.  

The company we are using this summer in Iceland, while accepting credit cards, has a notice that payment made in foreign currency would be charged  a fee 2,5% on top of the exchange rate.  Not the tips, but you get the idea is to discourage foreign currency. 
 

It is easy to get €s and you will need coins for the toilets anyway. Enjoy.  Sounds like a nice cruise. 

Edited January 16, 2023 by milolii

[phabric]

My friend drove the airport shuttle.  He was tipped in Canadian $ and US $.  He saved his US$ until he had enough to exchange.

 

Anyone working in the tourist industry, will save the money until they have enough to exchange.

 

One cruise, we visited 4 different ports with all different currencies.  I purchased a small amount in each currency.  I never used any of it.  I lost money with the 2 exchange rates as I had not planned on going to those countries again.

 

 

[Lady Arwen]

30 minutes ago, phabric said:

My friend drove the airport shuttle.  He was tipped in Canadian $ and US $.  He saved his US$ until he had enough to exchange.

 

Anyone working in the tourist industry, will save the money until they have enough to exchange.

 

One cruise, we visited 4 different ports with all different currencies.  I purchased a small amount in each currency.  I never used any of it.  I lost money with the 2 exchange rates as I had not planned on going to those countries again.

 

 

The OP’s question was regarding tips to tour guides.  We tipped in the country’s currency, but occasionally ran low, so dipped into our US money.  To be very honest, more than half of the folks on our tours tipped zero, nothing, zilch.  We figured that US dollars are better than no dollars and the tour guides were happy to receive it.  All of our excursions were ship sponsored and paid in full months before sailing.  Thank you for sharing your experience, as I was sternly lectured by one of our CC members for using US $ to tip.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Local guides and drivers should be tipped in the local currency, so they don’t have to pay to convert their tips to Euros. On the ship, you can choose to tip crew in Euros or USD because both are useful to them. 

[malba2366]

18 hours ago, Hazelnut1106 said:

I have several shore excursions planned during my 21 day Mediterranean cruise this summer. I usually plan to give any tour guides a tip at the end. Will providing any tips to the tour guides in US $ be acceptable?

Tip in US $ if it is more convenient for you.  Tipping is not an obligatory custom in Europe as it is in the US...surely the guide would rather an American gives them US$, than follow the European custom and give nothing.

Edited January 16, 2023 by malba2366

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, malba2366 said:

Tip in US $ if it is more convenient for you.  Tipping is not a custom in Europe as it is in the US...surely the guide would rather an American gives them US$, than follow the European custom and give nothing.

Nailed it!

[Thrak]

I always wonder why the tour guide needs to be tipped. Princess tours are usually more expensive than the private tours. Don't they pay the guides well? Do the private tour guides not receive a decent salary? Why is tipping, tipping, tipping such a big thing?

[Ron the Rev]

Please don't offer a tip in Japan or Croatia It's one of their cultural no no's 

[Thrak]

34 minutes ago, Ron the Rev said:

Please don't offer a tip in Japan or Croatia It's one of their cultural no no's 

 

Our next booked cruises are a B2B2B in Australia/New Zealand. Thanks to this forum I know not to tip. I don't doubt the tip would be accepted and probably even appreciated but I also understand how the folks who live there do not want the stupid US Tipping Culture" to infect (yes, I said infect) their homeland.

 

(I said US because soooooooo many people say "American" - meaning the USA - when Canada and Mexico are both "American". Don't even get me started on all of the South American counties who are also 'American". It seems arrogant to just assume that "American" means US citizens.)

[lissie]

On 1/16/2023 at 4:29 PM, Thrak said:

We put most things on a credit card but do try to get local currency. I think I still have CAD $30 and €30 sitting in a drawer. I could trade them in at my local bank but figure I'll need them in the future. If our cruises this fall actually happen I'll need to snag some AUD and NZD. (I know not to try using Australian dollars in New Zealand.)

 

I got home to NZ in November - it took me a month to get around to  putting some currency in my wallet!  You don't really need any 

[antsp]

12 hours ago, malba2366 said:

Tip in US $ if it is more convenient for you.  Tipping is not an obligatory custom in Europe as it is in the US...surely the guide would rather an American gives them US$, than follow the European custom and give nothing.

I'm sure its something to do with people in Europe being paid properly and not having to rely on tips to get by. Welcome to civilisation 

[cr8tiv1]

Disclaimer:  I was in Canada (BC).

 

I did a "free" tour that accepted "tips" at the end as payment.  We were offered the following:

 

Canada $

US $

Credit Card

 

But Vancouver is a border city and the US $ is worth more to the Canadians than their dollar is.  

 

I do try to use local currency.  Getting it is a different story.  What to do with the leftover is also a problem.  If the ship is going to continue visiting the same countries after you get off, then the crew would appreciate your local currency when you leave it behind.  

 

I agree:  Tipping in US is better than not tipping at all.   And thanks for the lesson on Japanese culture.  

[Bobbiegentry]

On 1/15/2023 at 4:46 PM, Hazelnut1106 said:

Will providing any tips to the tour guides in US $ be acceptable?

Yes. Should you decide to do so.