Would you tip?

[Anonymous 1]

My family is going on a dolphin watching cruise this summer. We paid $150 for the 4 of us for 1.5 hours and the boat holds up to 30 people. Their website says it's customary to tip 20% so $30 for my family. Would you tip? Why or why not?
We aren't tipping. That's over $1000 for 1.5 hours and they have 5 trips a day of this type and multiple of other types as well. It's not a private boat or anything we will be crammed on with everyone else.
I'm just so over this tipping culture. It seems like everywhere I turn I'm being asked to tip. I do tip on the rare occasion we go out to eat because I know the waitresses and waiters depend on that money but I still feel like it should be the employers job to pay their employees not mine.

[Anonymous 2]

Of course I would tip.

Also, your math is WAY off. $150 for 4 people means $37.50 per person or $1125 for 30 people. 20% would be $225.

[Anonymous 1]

Of course I would tip.

Also, your math is WAY off. $150 for 4 people means $37.50 per person or $1125 for 30 people. 20% would be $225.

My math is not off. I said over $1000 in 1.5 hours (which $1125 is) and 20% of the $150 I paid is $30.

[KendallsMom]

We would.

An extra $30 isn't a big deal if we already spent $150. I'd walk away feeling pretty cheap if I didn't.

To each their own, though.

[Deleted User 1511]

I would tip for any service whether a restaurant or a boat tour. 20% is standard but you could decide to tip lower or higher depending on the quality of the service.

[Anonymous 1]

I would tip for any service whether a restaurant or a boat tour. 20% is standard but you could decide to tip lower or higher depending on the quality of the service.

Where do you draw the line? Would you tip a bus driver? A repairman that is fixing your dryer? How about your mechanic? A plumber? The hvac guy? Those are all services.
They also asked for this tip when we paid for it and we aren't going until July so it can't be based on the quality of service.

[Olioxenfree]

Yes, I tip any tour guide for a company like that. they’re supplying a service, it’s a lot of work, and it takes a lot of money to run a company like that. My husband has worked on similar boats when he was younger and I guarantee that the boat guides do not make a killing off of it. The company “should” pay a living wage, but that doesn’t mean that they do. It’s not my fault but it also isn’t the guides fault.

[MrsDavidB]

Yes of course. Any time we take an excursion we tip the guide. We usually base it on how great the guide was but also time is a big factor. This is a short tour. You could get away with just giving the guy a $20 and that would still be reasonable.

[mcginnisc]

It has always been customary to tip guides on tours. We have done so for decades when traveling all over the world. We would not even bat an eye at $30.

[Deleted User 1511]

I would tip for any service whether a restaurant or a boat tour. 20% is standard but you could decide to tip lower or higher depending on the quality of the service.

Where do you draw the line? Would you tip a bus driver? A repairman that is fixing your dryer? How about your mechanic? A plumber? The hvac guy? Those are all services.
They also asked for this tip when we paid for it and we aren't going until July so it can't be based on the quality of service.

Where to "draw the line" is a personal decision and I have been known to tip my plumber, lol.

Societal norms in the US include tipping hospitality, food service workers and tour guides. I've been tipping tour guides since I was a teen and I'm now 59. A gratuity is just part of the budget when booking a tour in the same way that it's part of the budget when dining out.

I would not prepay the tip but rather have cash to tip on the day of the tour.