Discuss Tipping in Europe here. KEEP IT NICE!!!

[edinburghlass]

What you fail to understand is the people going on an ABD trip are more than happy to appreciate their guides by way of a tip and as you are travelling independently will never have the need to tip a guide so please leave the subject alone, you are embarrassing yourself and other Europeans.

 

[sayhello]

Hi DisneyKevin,

I disagree with a lot of what you have just posted

You are looking at the structure as ABD person while I am along with my family are

independant holiday people & not attached to ANY Tour Co or Hotel .


Your Tip to the tour guides ........ at $ 4 per person ( assuming 2 guides

$ 8 divided by 2 ) per day is a very good earner for them

OK, it appears that you seem to have missed the point that this is a Forum where we discuss taking ABDs. Most of the discussion here is slanted towards people who are going on ABDs, and are both discussing their experiences on ABDs, and asking for input from others for their ABD tours. Occasionally, we discuss with folks the merits of ABD vs. independent travel. Your insistence on posting your opinions on tipping in Europe while traveling on your own is Off-topic. I'd appreciate you limiting your discussion to advice that will help people who are traveling on a European ABD. This is not the correct forum to discuss your independent travel if it does not apply to someone on an ABD.

Sayhello

 

[DisneyKevin]

Hi DisneyKevin,

I disagree with a lot of what you have just posted

You are looking at the structure as ABD person while I am along with my family are

independant holiday people & not attached to ANY Tour Co or Hotel .


Your Tip to the tour guides ........ at $ 4 per person ( assuming 2 guides

$ 8 divided by 2 ) per day is a very good earner for them

Hi Woodview,

As this is the ABD Discussion Forum, most conversations will revolve around ABD topics.

As you are not part of an ABD Adventure (or any other tour), deciding what is best for other people is inappropriate.

Many ABD guides are American and all guides work for the Disney Company.

Your assumption that $8 a day is adequate (or a very good earner) is misguided at best.

ABD suggest $6 - $9 per day, per person, per guide. I believe they deserve even more.

These guides work very hard to make your Adventure unforgettable.

Unless you are booked for an ABD Adventure or have taken one in the past, any guessing as to what the appropriate gratuity might be is just that.....guessing.

Thanks,
DisneyKevin

 

[carpenta]

I do believe that the guides do deserve more money per person and we always leave a higher tip. Yes the guides are mostly U.S. based and we treat them as we would a fellow citizen. Having worked in restaurants in high school and college I for one do appreciate the generosity of the customers and now am happy to "pass it on" as they say today.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

In 40 years of traveling in many countries in Europe & staying & eating in many Restaurants we have never been charged for BREAD or Water.

Bread is part of your Breakfast as is your croissant . AND Orange Juice & Coffee / tea

Bread is supplied for your soup & for the cheese board.

TAP Water is free UNLESS you ask for Bottled Sparkling water.you might be charged

Last week we were given a free bottle of wine at our dinner.

Remember to Book 1/2 board when staying at a hotel.

You have posted so much incorrect information in this thread that I'm wondering where you have really traveled,

An ABD guide from the US should be tipped as if you were in the US, at least in my opinion. I agree with the above poster, to "spread the wealth."

 

[Tozzie]

Hi DisneyKevin,

I disagree with a lot of what you have just posted

You are looking at the structure as ABD person while I am along with my family are

independant holiday people & not attached to ANY Tour Co or Hotel .


Your Tip to the tour guides ........ at $ 4 per person ( assuming 2 guides

$ 8 divided by 2 ) per day is a very good earner for them

OMG $4.00 a day seriously, you have never been on an ABD and have no clue as to how hard the guides work to ensure each and every guest has the most magical experience possible. First of all the guides are scheduled to work a 14 hour day and that is for the length of the tour, which can be as much as 12 days long, have you ever worked that many hours a day for that long without a day off? I have and it is not easy. The guides are incredible and they deserve more than the suggested tip not less.

You keep wanting to ram your statements down everyone's throat as though it were gospel yet many European posters have posted that you are wrong and you won't even acknowledge it. It is fine if you don't tip and don't feel it is necessary, there are some of us who do tip and if you would have bothered to read what others have posted or even the links I posted you would see that you are the one who is wrong.

 

[SingingMom]

This tipping rant brings back a funny memory......years ago on our first trip to Europe we ate at a nice restaurant and paid the bill and left a 20% tip.......OH Boy!!!!! .....The waiter became our best friend and kept asking about what else he could get for us....It was only after someone told me about the tipping policy. But we still tip as if we are from the U.S. Seems like we have a lot of "friends" that work in restaurants around Europe.

We had the SAME experience in Paris!!! The waiter came running after us, shaking our hands, asking our plans for the next day, suggesting some places to try - I said to DH "I think he was about to invite us home for brunch tomorrow!"

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[mgsquared]

You keep wanting to ram your statements down everyone's throat as though it were gospel yet many European posters have posted that you are wrong and you won't even acknowledge it. It is fine if you don't tip and don't feel it is necessary, there are some of us who do tip and if you would have bothered to read what others have posted or even the links I posted you would see that you are the one who is wrong.

THANK YOU!!
I have even gone around asking everyone here (Austrians, British, German, Spanish, etc. etc. who have all no ties to America) to see if I found anyone who thought it was ok to not tip anything at all. NO ONE. I do not know where Woodview gets this from!

We don't tip much in Europe. It is a round up type of thing. It's about the gesture not the amount. It is very rude to tip nothing though. It just is.

 

[mgsquared]

I will say this though, I think the ABD prices are outright outrageous and am surprised that tips for the guides are not included and only a nice extra gesture at the end but instead expected and with guidelines (ABD website suggested something like 20$/day/person).

 

[carmelhp]

Obviously you are much younger than I am. Forty years ago when I learned to tip 15% was generous and no one tipped 20%. I always feel pressured to tip and I hate the tipping culture of the US. I wish that price would just go by 20% and I never had to tip again. The tip jars that have sprung up everywhere are just more pressure. I expect to see them at every cash register. After all what's the difference between ringing up a food order compared to a shirt?

Yes, as late as the 1980's, 10% was considered standard and 15% exceptional.

 

[jon18uk]

THANK YOU!!
I have even gone around asking everyone here (Austrians, British, German, Spanish, etc. etc. who have all no ties to America) to see if I found anyone who thought it was ok to not tip anything at all. NO ONE. I do not know where Woodview gets this from!

We don't tip much in Europe. It is a round up type of thing. It's about the gesture not the amount. It is very rude to tip nothing though. It just is.

Yep, living in London I will always give a waiter/waitress a tip, often rounding it but aiming for 10% if service was good. Only time I don't tip is when service is truly awful. Generally though bar staff don't need tipping but if it waited service in a bar I will leave something (often just the small coins).

Although I didn't leave a tip once because the credit card machine didn't offer me the option to and I hadn't got any cash on me.

 

[sayhello]

I will say this though, I think the ABD prices are outright outrageous and am surprised that tips for the guides are not included and only a nice extra gesture at the end but instead expected and with guidelines (ABD website suggested something like 20$/day/person).

I agree the ABD prices are way up there. But if you can afford an ABD, adding the tip for the Guide shouldn't be that big a stretch. They REALLY do deserve it! And the suggested amount is between $6-$9/day/person, not $20! That would be too much!

Also, ALL the rest of your tips *are* included (except for stuff that you do on your own time). Bus driver, housekeeping, porters, servers, airport transport drivers, local guides, etc. Yes, it would be nice if the Guides' tips came out of the ABD fees, but they don't, and that's how they've always operated. In my head, I just include it in the cost of the trip.

Sayhello

 

[rseverhart]

So....after wading through all of this...we fully plan on tipping our guides for our upcoming Viva Italia trip. At least the recommended amount, maybe more if we feel they merit it. What I want to know is this: should I tip in euros or dollars?

 

[Tozzie]

So....after wading through all of this...we fully plan on tipping our guides for our upcoming Viva Italia trip. At least the recommended amount, maybe more if we feel they merit it. What I want to know is this: should I tip in euros or dollars?

There are about 100 different opinions on this as well so I am going to post what I do

If the guides are from the USA, I tip in US dollars, if they are from a European country I tip in Euro's, or that countries currency. I will use a currency converter (I have an app on my phone ) to figure out the approiate amount.

 

[Princess Leia]

I would leave a tip in a restaurant about 10%. I would reduce for really poor service. Often when in a large group they will automatically add a service charge so you should check before tipping. I would also tip taxi drivers although you don't have to. Common amongst Scots is to tell the driver or waitress to keep the change if it works out note wise. e.g. £9 taxi fare would give £10 note.

 

[carpenta]

So....after wading through all of this...we fully plan on tipping our guides for our upcoming Viva Italia trip. At least the recommended amount, maybe more if we feel they merit it. What I want to know is this: should I tip in euros or dollars?

We just returned from ABD Germany and we tipped 70% in dollars and 30% in Euros. It was a good way also to "get rid of" the Euros and since our guides were both native Germans they could use the Euros when they visit their families and dollars when they return to the U.S. At the end of the season.

 

[DisneyKevin]

So....after wading through all of this...we fully plan on tipping our guides for our upcoming Viva Italia trip. At least the recommended amount, maybe more if we feel they merit it. What I want to know is this: should I tip in euros or dollars?

There are about 100 different opinions on this as well so I am going to post what I do

If the guides are from the USA, I tip in US dollars, if they are from a European country I tip in Euro's, or that countries currency. I will use a currency converter (I have an app on my phone ) to figure out the approiate amount.

We just returned from ABD Germany and we tipped 70% in dollars and 30% in Euros. It was a good way also to "get rid of" the Euros and since our guides were both native Germans they could use the Euros when they visit their families and dollars when they return to the U.S. At the end of the season.

Any and all of these are appropriate.

I usually try to figure out where our guides are going after our Adventure and tip in the currency that is easiest for them.

If the guide is headed back to the States...we tip in US dollars.

If the guide lives in Europe or is staying on for another Adventure...we tip in euros (the equivalent amount to US dollars).

I usually tell my clients that bringing a couple of nice "Thank You" cards is a nice touch. ABD provides nondescript envelopes. but I think the cards are nicer. I suggest bringing them because it's sometimes hard to find them in whatever location you are in and you are usually very busy. It's just one less thing to think about.

 

[rseverhart]

Thank you! As this is our first ABD, it really helps to know what others have done. Thanks for the responses!!