Tip the pilot or captain?

[Grumpy1]

Since I thought this thread was going to be about tipping the ship's captain, I am curious if anyone has ever tried. susana.

 

 

Semper ubi sub ubi.

That was my first thought also, when I saw the title of the thread. I think most captains would be offended if offered a tip, but if, in conversations with him, I learned of a particular wine or liquor that he really enjoyed, I would definitely consider presenting him with a bottle.

[trubey]

Over here we tip cows, but I've never tried it on a pilot or captain. Good thought, though.

Lane

[trubey]

Over here we tip cows, but I've never tried it on a pilot or captain. Good thought, though.

Lane

[kryos]

Curious as to what peoples thoughts are on this one. If you take a tour...a helicopter glacier tour, or a Misty Fjords float plane tour...do you tip the pilot?

 

What about a whale watching tour or going fishing...do you tip the captain?

Actually, I would say the answer is yes. Not that I always do it ... but technically you should.

 

I'll be honest, this one floored me. I did a Warbird Adventures flight down in Kissimmee ... actually did a couple of them. The owner of the company was our former jump pilot (skydiving) out at Skydive Cross Keys in Jersey and I was dying to take one of his flights.

 

This flight was not cheap ... in excess of $500 bucks for an hour in a T-6 trainer. He sits in back and you in front ... he "trains" you to fly all the aerobatic maneuvers.

 

About mid-way through the flight I noticed a plaque on the instrument panel in front of me. "Tips are never expected, but always appreciated." I almost crapped myself. I would have never thought to tip him, but of course I did. He gave me an awesome flight.

 

I've also been on cruise line excursions ... bus tours, boat trips like whale watching or parasailing, etc. ... and at the end everyone passed a "hat" around to give something to the tour guide or the boat captain and his mate.

 

I don't know. The bus driver I can see. He doesn't make much. But I have a real "problem" tipping the person who owns the excursion vehicle ... the boat, the airplane, whatever. To my way of thinking, tips should be a supplement for those people who don't make a whole lot of money for what they do. If they really extend themselves to ensure I have a great time, then I need to tip them in order to ensure they make a decent wage for the day. But when someone owns the operation ... the airplane or the boat, and makes a nice income by using that vehicle to give tours everyday ... then to my way of thinking, they are already making a nice profit and it shouldn't be considered "proper" for me to have to grease their palm with something additional at the end of the day.

 

The way things are going with tipping, I see a day not too far off when we will be expected to tip our garage mechanic, our doctor and our accountant. What? I go and have my taxes professionally prepared, the preparer informs me that I am getting a $2,000 refund (yeah! Another cruise!) ... does that mean I should slip him $20 bucks for a job well done? Along the same lines, why don't we slip the captain of the cruise ship and his first officer a $20 for a smooth ride?

 

I had an "incident" just the other night. I ordered a pizza ... something I rarely do. The pizza shop charged me a $2.50 "delivery charge." So, I tipped the driver accordingly ... he was not happy. I guess he wanted another $5.00? With that way of thinking, I'd be paying $25 bucks for a small pizza!

 

I think tipping is getting way out of hand, but unless everyone says enough is enough, it's just gonna continue ... and there isn't much any one person can do about it, unless they want to be labeled as a cheapskate.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[pltwannab]

H'bout the airline pilot (captain) that get's you to your cruise embarkation port safely as he/she stands by the cockpit door ;)

 

with the salary cut the NW pilots are taking it wont be long before they put out their caps :D

[Buffettfan 225]

I totally believe in tipping, especially when I know the person providing the service may not be paid as well as I am, doing their best to provide enjoyment for me, and I believe in supporting others that do not have it as well as we do.

So yes for excursions, ferry boat crew, taxis etc.

I did learn once when we tried tipping after checking in and they provided superior service salaried or "officers" are not supposed to accept tips.

Am I correct in this?? As a previous post--a small gesture of a gift I am sure is still appreciated. Often a note of Thanks and to "their boss" goes a long way too.

[Navy_Chief]

Tip? Don't run aground or crash the plane! (a little levity never hurts unless you can't stop laughing) :)

[Captain Crunch]

Qui dedit benificium taceat; narret qui accepit

[as41shots]

I ALWAYS tip.

Which just goes to prove that "budget" does not have to mean "cheap." :D

[dakrewser]

Qui dedit benificium taceat; narret qui accepit

 

Beneficium non in eo quot fit aut datur consistit sed in ipso dantis aut facientis animo. (which definitely applies to "pre-tipping"! :rolleyes: )

[sail7seas]

I don't mind saying that I would have enjoyed this thread more if I spoke various languages. Seeing as I am limited to English, some Spanish and some French, I missed out. It's great that others are more literate than I and I applaud (and envy) you but how about translating if you must post in languages other than English? That way we can all participate in the conversation. My sorry brain would be appreciative. :)

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

There have ben times when we did tip and times when they did not need to be tipped. One time I can think of that we all tipped nicely was when we did a scenic cruise in Cabo in Nov. 2004 and it turned into a wonderful whale watch. The tour itself then lasted at least an hour longer because the captain of this scenic cruising boat had us following the pod of whales. It was great. We practically held up the Ryndam being the last tendor to get back to the ship.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I agree, Sail ... especically since Google Language Tools doesn't do Latin:) !!! Now if everyone wants to switch over to German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese or French then I'm good to go!!!:D

 

or .... Maintenant si chacun veut se orienter vers allemand, italien, espagnol, portugais, japonais, coréen, chinois ou Français alors il est bon m'aller!!!:)

[dakrewser]

Heather, Sail - mea culpa! (oops, I did it again :rolleyes: )

 

Crunchie said: "Qui dedit benificium taceat; narret qui accepit" which means "Let him that has given the benefit conceal it; let him that received it disclose it." to which I replied: "Beneficium non in eo quot fit aut datur consistit sed in ipso dantis aut facientis animo," or "A benefit consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer."

 

Both are quotes from Seneca, the Roman philosopher, statesman, orator, and playwright.

[Captain Crunch]

Beneficium non in eo quot fit aut datur consistit sed in ipso dantis aut facientis animo. (which definitely applies to "pre-tipping"! :rolleyes: )

Qui gratus futurus est statim dum accipit de reddendo cogitet

[babyher]

[quote name='ekerr19']Geez, if my Dad were still alive he'd LOVE you guys, lol!!! He tried to teach us Latin when we were young... not much took, unfortunately - but I can follow Catholic Mass when the priest speaks Latin... :)[/quote]


*LOL* I remember my wifes father used to always talk about the Latin mass and he would joke the priest would say something like

"My pop plays dominoes , your pop plays dominoes forever and ever "

and when its time to take the collection he would tell the usher

"Hey Dominic go frisk em"

*LOL*

[dakrewser]

[quote name='Captain Crunch']Qui gratus futurus est statim dum accipit de reddendo cogitet[/quote]

That is, "Let the man, who would be grateful, think of repaying a kindness, even while receiving it." (more Seneca)

As it was in the beginning, is now, and forever shall be, world without end...

:)

[Cruiseoften]

[quote name='krewzin']Curious as to what peoples thoughts are on this one. If you take a tour...a helicopter glacier tour, or a Misty Fjords float plane tour...do you tip the pilot?

What about a whale watching tour or going fishing...do you tip the captain?

*my bad...meant to post this in the Alaska forum...I'll repost over there but am still interested in the responses![/QUOTE]

Assume you're talking about cruise EXCURSIONS/TOURS - definitely YES.
OMG - I thought for a moment you were talking about the Captain of the Ship
:eek: :D

[ekerr19]

[quote name='babyher']*LOL* I remember my wifes father used to always talk about the Latin mass and he would joke the priest would say something like

"My pop plays dominoes , your pop plays dominoes forever and ever "

and when its time to take the collection he would tell the usher

"Hey Dominic go frisk em"

*LOL*[/quote]

babyher -

That's cute! Thanks! :)

[kryos]

[quote name='Grumpy1']That was my first thought also, when I saw the title of the thread. I think most captains would be offended if offered a tip, but if, in conversations with him, I learned of a particular wine or liquor that he really enjoyed, I would definitely consider presenting him with a bottle.[/QUOTE]
You might want to save your money ... at least if the information I've been given is correct.

I heard that there are certain officers onboard ship that are NEVER permitted to consume alcohol, whether or not they are on duty. These, of course, would include the captain, first officer and a few others I cannot remember right now. Apparently, the reason for this rule is the necessity for them being "clear headed" at all times in case there was an emergency onboard ship requiring their expertise.

I was told that when you see an officer "drinking," it's just social "show," and what he actually has in that glass is water or a soft drink.

Wonder if this is true?

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Steamboatin]

With the way the Major Airlines are cutting their pilots salaries maybe the airplane pilots may start passing the hat to make up for their lost income.:D :D

[krewzin]

[quote name='Cruiseoften']Assume you're talking about cruise EXCURSIONS/TOURS - definitely YES.
OMG - I thought for a moment you were talking about the Captain of the Ship
:eek: :D[/quote]

Trying to tip the ships captain....now that would be an awkward moment!

[serendipity1499]

[quote name='kryos']You might want to save your money ... at least if the information I've been given is correct.

I heard that there are certain officers onboard ship that are NEVER permitted to consume alcohol, whether or not they are on duty. These, of course, would include the captain, first officer and a few others I cannot remember right now. Apparently, the reason for this rule is the necessity for them being "clear headed" at all times in case there was an emergency onboard ship requiring their expertise.

I was told that when you see an officer "drinking," it's just social "show," and what he actually has in that glass is water or a soft drink.

Wonder if this is true? Blue skies ...--rita[/quote]

Have never heard of that rule:confused: ..Have been at the Captain's table on several occasions & the Captain was drinking from the same bottle of wine that we were...On another cruise had a first officer join us & he too was drinking from the same bottle of wine we were ..Perhaps it could be true at Cocktail Party's & Ships Bars but it's certainly not true at Dinner on HAL or NCL..

Happy cruising everyone.:) .Betty

[Grumpy1]

[quote name='kryos']You might want to save your money ... at least if the information I've been given is correct.

I heard that there are certain officers onboard ship that are NEVER permitted to consume alcohol, whether or not they are on duty. These, of course, would include the captain, first officer and a few others I cannot remember right now. Apparently, the reason for this rule is the necessity for them being "clear headed" at all times in case there was an emergency onboard ship requiring their expertise.

I was told that when you see an officer "drinking," it's just social "show," and what he actually has in that glass is water or a soft drink.

Wonder if this is true? I would think that an officer worthy of the position would know when to switch to water or soft drinks

Blue skies ...

--rita[/quote] I would think that an officer worthy of the position would know when to switch to water or soft drinks. I've shared wine with the Captain, poured from the same bottle, unless the steward is very accomplished at slight of hand... Same with a Ship's Engineer, shared wine and shots, poured at the table. I would only be concerned if I saw ALL of the officers in one lounge downing shot after shot:eek: Every position on the ship has a "backup" and once an officer's shift is over he's entitled to relax and enjoy a libation or two if that is his preference.

[Sunshine91]

[quote name='kryos']I don't know. The bus driver I can see. He doesn't make much. But I have a real "problem" tipping the person who owns the excursion vehicle ... the boat, the airplane, whatever. To my way of thinking, tips should be a supplement for those people who don't make a whole lot of money for what they do. If they really extend themselves to ensure I have a great time, then I need to tip them in order to ensure they make a decent wage for the day. But when someone owns the operation ... the airplane or the boat, and makes a nice income by using that vehicle to give tours everyday ... then to my way of thinking, they are already making a nice profit and it shouldn't be considered "proper" for me to have to grease their palm with something additional at the end of the day.
[/quote]

[FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=3]Rita - Thank you for your post. You said everything so eloquently. John & I firmly believe in tipping the tour guides & mates - the ones who do the work & make our experiences so much more enjoyable. But the one who owns the boat - no. He's making a handsome profit from the excursion fee.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=3]On Grand Turk we did a snorkel trip & at the end the captain put out a bucket & said that the crew worked for tips - we fully expected that. We put in our tip but were appalled that less than half of the folks on the boat did not. Those dive guides were in the water to keep us safe & make sure we enjoyed the beauty of the reefs. [/SIZE][/FONT]