Great Lakes Shore Side Tipping

[dwlmg]

We leave in two weeks for the Great Lakes Collection. I am interested in what the norm is for tipping shore side (i.e. tour guides, bus drivers, baggage handlers).

[duquephart]

Does Viking not make recommendations as they do for ocean/river?

[dwlmg]

I found some on line guidance but it seems somewhat dated. Do we tip zodiac and special ops boats drivers?

[OneSixtyToOne]

20 minutes ago, dwlmg said:

I found some on line guidance but it seems somewhat dated. Do we tip zodiac and special ops boats drivers?

They are part of the crew, so no. That is part of the gratuities you pay (either added on your invoice for US, Canadian pax, or included for Brit. Oz, Kiwi pax). As always you may feel to give a special tip to a crew member but not when you are boarding / unboarding  the special ops equipment. 3rd party operators are a different matter. Tip the bus drivers, tour guides what ever you like, if they warrant it.

[ropomo]

We were on this cruise in June. Quite frankly, some of the excursions and guides were so poor, that we skipped our customary tips. Otherwise, we tipped a "reasonable" amount based on the quality of the service provided in our judgement. Regardless, tipping is a personal choice and you should just use your judgement as to the value they added to your experience.

[CDNPolar]

To a non Viking bus driver or tour operator, we tend to tip $1 PP to the driver and $2 PP to the tour operator.  Basically we are suggesting that we give $6 total per excursion.

 

As others say, it is up to you and your preference.  We see people that we are on multiple excursions with that never tip.

[dwlmg]

I asked Viking Guest Services. Here is there reply:

 

Local Guides & Drivers cannot be pre-paid and are cash only. We suggest $2 for guides and $1 for drivers. It appears boat drivers are included in the gratuity pool.