Tips for tour guides in Alaska

[Face Like Fizz]

We’re on the Wonder next week and have a few excursions booked in Alaska. What would be an appropriate amount to tip tour guides? We’re British so a bit clueless about tips and don’t want to do it wrong and cause offence.

 

[dvcdisney]

I'm not sure if my post would be helpful or not. But I'll let you know what we do. It's difficult to suggest an amount since every tour is different...some guides are very interactive while others just drive and take you from one place to another with some commentary.

For us, it really depends on whether we received an immersive/interactive experience or not. A good example of the former would be when we took a jeep tour in Cozumel. Our guides were very personable, entertaining and were still able to provide interesting cultural insights. At every stop they had provide a personal touch and allowed us to have time on our own to explore. These guides were experienced in what they did and what they knew. And most of all, they always made sure we were safe and comfortable in everything we did. Other than the extra touches like bottled water, bandanas to cover our faces during the dusty part of the journey, they made the tour fun for every age. With this type of tour, we did provide a good gratuity. But there were no expectations of gratuity as some did not. The guides showed no negative reaction when all they received was a high five.

On the other side of this is an experience we had on a tour during our British isles cruise - transportation and self guided tour in Edinburgh, Scotland. We had a wonderful time exploring on our own which was what we were looking for. However, the guides/driver were there to provide some commentary and personal reflection during our drive, but that was it. So, although we did tip the driver and guide, it was not a substantial amount and was meant to let them know we appreciated their help. Again some didn't tip nor did the guides appear to expect it. We were, likely, one of the first ones to tip since our guide was very surprised when my husband handed it to her...she was very gracious.

For us, tipping is based on the service and not an expectation. It depends on the tour and the experience we receive and generally the way the guides conducted the tour - were they personable? did they ensure our safety and comfort? did they add some interesting facts and made it a fun day?...all these play a part on whether we tip and the amount. As some may suggest a percent of the tour cost, I only take this into account when it's a private tour. With DCL tours, I believe the cost is much more than it should be and base it on other tours we've done.

The fact that you are inquiring shows you want to do the considerate thing and I'm sure you will.

Have fun on your Alaskan cruise! It's absolutely one of our favourite cruises. We are going again next year.

 

[clten]

As the PP said, how much an appropriate tip is really depends on the tour. Here's what we do - if we are on a big bus tour and the tour guide was okay and we got at least the tour we expected, we tip about $3-$5 per person. If that same big bus tour was fantastic and the tour guide went above and beyond (goes through the bus to talk to every guest, customizes the tour based on what they learned by talking to the guests, etc.) we will up it to as much as $10 per person. On the other side if that big bus tour was not good and the tour guide could have cared less if people were on the bus or not, we are not concerned what they will think of us when we walk away tipping nothing.

Now if we are on small group tours (10-20 people), we start those tips at about $10 per person and adjust up or down by $5-$10pp depending on how great the tour was. If it is a private tour (just my group), I calculate it like I would a restaurant tip - got the tour advertised but it was just okay maybe 10% of the tour price; a good tour 15-20%; a memorable/great tour 20-25%.

Now I don't know if I'm in line with others or not; as I said this is just how we handle it. But I don't believe I've offended anyone who provided value on my vacation.

 

[GPaLarry]

We usually look at length of trip, number in our party and personal touch/knowledge when considering a tip. During our Alaska cruise last year (March), we had extraordinary service in Juneau during a boating whale watching & science excursion. We gave $10 each, but that was rather unique. Usually we look at $3-5, sometimes each person or total, as the norm. Don't know if they will take Euros, however. You folks will love it.

 

[Face Like Fizz]

I'm not sure if my post would be helpful or not. But I'll let you know what we do. It's difficult to suggest an amount since every tour is different...some guides are very interactive while others just drive and take you from one place to another with some commentary.

For us, it really depends on whether we received an immersive/interactive experience or not. A good example of the former would be when we took a jeep tour in Cozumel. Our guides were very personable, entertaining and were still able to provide interesting cultural insights. At every stop they had provide a personal touch and allowed us to have time on our own to explore. These guides were experienced in what they did and what they knew. And most of all, they always made sure we were safe and comfortable in everything we did. Other than the extra touches like bottled water, bandanas to cover our faces during the dusty part of the journey, they made the tour fun for every age. With this type of tour, we did provide a good gratuity. But there were no expectations of gratuity as some did not. The guides showed no negative reaction when all they received was a high five.

On the other side of this is an experience we had on a tour during our British isles cruise - transportation and self guided tour in Edinburgh, Scotland. We had a wonderful time exploring on our own which was what we were looking for. However, the guides/driver were there to provide some commentary and personal reflection during our drive, but that was it. So, although we did tip the driver and guide, it was not a substantial amount and was meant to let them know we appreciated their help. Again some didn't tip nor did the guides appear to expect it. We were, likely, one of the first ones to tip since our guide was very surprised when my husband handed it to her...she was very gracious.

For us, tipping is based on the service and not an expectation. It depends on the tour and the experience we receive and generally the way the guides conducted the tour - were they personable? did they ensure our safety and comfort? did they add some interesting facts and made it a fun day?...all these play a part on whether we tip and the amount. As some may suggest a percent of the tour cost, I only take this into account when it's a private tour. With DCL tours, I believe the cost is much more than it should be and base it on other tours we've done.

The fact that you are inquiring shows you want to do the considerate thing and I'm sure you will.

Have fun on your Alaskan cruise! It's absolutely one of our favourite cruises. We are going again next year.

As the PP said, how much an appropriate tip is really depends on the tour. Here's what we do - if we are on a big bus tour and the tour guide was okay and we got at least the tour we expected, we tip about $3-$5 per person. If that same big bus tour was fantastic and the tour guide went above and beyond (goes through the bus to talk to every guest, customizes the tour based on what they learned by talking to the guests, etc.) we will up it to as much as $10 per person. On the other side if that big bus tour was not good and the tour guide could have cared less if people were on the bus or not, we are not concerned what they will think of us when we walk away tipping nothing.

Now if we are on small group tours (10-20 people), we start those tips at about $10 per person and adjust up or down by $5-$10pp depending on how great the tour was. If it is a private tour (just my group), I calculate it like I would a restaurant tip - got the tour advertised but it was just okay maybe 10% of the tour price; a good tour 15-20%; a memorable/great tour 20-25%.

Now I don't know if I'm in line with others or not; as I said this is just how we handle it. But I don't believe I've offended anyone who provided value on my vacation.

We usually look at length of trip, number in our party and personal touch/knowledge when considering a tip. During our Alaska cruise last year (March), we had extraordinary service in Juneau during a boating whale watching & science excursion. We gave $10 each, but that was rather unique. Usually we look at $3-5, sometimes each person or total, as the norm. Don't know if they will take Euros, however. You folks will love it.

Thanks so much. This is all very helpful.

 

[dvcdisney]

Sorry, forgot to mention that our tipping range for our family of 4 has been from $20 to $80....again depending on the experience and service.

There were a couple of times that we didn't tip, but that was when there was no guide, just a driver and the driver didn't say anything more than "please remain seated". In both instances, no one else tipped either. And they weren't like Magical Express drivers who like to stand outside as you leave the bus...they never left their seats and, although they were friendly, they didn't provide any additional service. We were fine with this since we knew what service we were getting. No issues...just didn't warrant a tip.