On all my trips with Explorer Venture boats I've left about 15%.
Tipping on a liveaboard
- Thread starter divekraz
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You've probably got enough different views here to confuse you. Let me try one more. On a trip that costs $1000/day (extravagant imo), I'd pay between $5-10/tank just like back home. With 5 dives a day that means around $25-50/day. Add the meals. If you eat out, I'd expect to pay $70-100 total for food. 15% brings you another $15-20 or so per day. Some people don't tip hotel staff but I do. I would tip about $5-10 a day on average. Grand total is around $80/day if you like the boat or $45 if you don't.
For me, on a trip that costs $1000/day, I'd assume the best of diving, amenities, or both, so go with the high value. On a week long trip then, it's between $315 to $560. Call me cheapskate but I could see going with any value between the two based on how well the staff did in meeting your needs and how much you've got in the bank.
For me, on a trip that costs $1000/day, I'd assume the best of diving, amenities, or both, so go with the high value. On a week long trip then, it's between $315 to $560. Call me cheapskate but I could see going with any value between the two based on how well the staff did in meeting your needs and how much you've got in the bank.
We inquired about tipping practices on a liveaboard in SE Asia in 2010. This was a European-owned boat with Euro and American divers. The cruise director suggested 50 Euros per person. At the time, that amounted to just under $300 US for the two of us for a 12-day liveaboard. Granted, this was not a gold-plated liveaboard, and we actually chose to pay more than suggested, but I'm just confirming that tipping does indeed vary not only in different locations, but on different boats.
Way back when I worked on a live aboard in the Caribbean, most of the crew had a salary of $100 a week. We averaged about 17% for tips though, so the pay was a living wage. Another live aboard I went on as a guest recommended “similar to a restaurant”. Since I wasn’t really impressed with the dive crew, but food was good and diving was decent, I went with 15%.
Here's the Discussion on the subject from The Scuba Snobs' Guide to Diving Etiquette:
PLEASE TIP
Tipping is good manners and expected on every liveaboard. It is part of the income on which the crew depends. But is it just us, or do the expectation comments on the live- aboard brochures suggest really high tips? You should tip, and you should note in calculating your tip that you have been served all your meals, had dive deck services, maid service, and perhaps some medical care and photo/video services or equipment to use. Not only that, a qualified person drove the boat and you didnt sink or get lost. However, we dont think you necessarily need to tip the amount the brochures suggest, although you certainly can if you wish.
Ten dollars a day plus ten dollars a dive is pretty much our cap, absent extraordinary services. Do what you want, but do tip. Unless you were abandoned at a dive site by the boat. In that event you are excused from tipping.
PLEASE TIP
Tipping is good manners and expected on every liveaboard. It is part of the income on which the crew depends. But is it just us, or do the expectation comments on the live- aboard brochures suggest really high tips? You should tip, and you should note in calculating your tip that you have been served all your meals, had dive deck services, maid service, and perhaps some medical care and photo/video services or equipment to use. Not only that, a qualified person drove the boat and you didnt sink or get lost. However, we dont think you necessarily need to tip the amount the brochures suggest, although you certainly can if you wish.
Ten dollars a day plus ten dollars a dive is pretty much our cap, absent extraordinary services. Do what you want, but do tip. Unless you were abandoned at a dive site by the boat. In that event you are excused from tipping.
mruseless
Contributor
We've done a fair number of liveaboards, and our tip usually starts at $100 per crew member. So, 8 crew would be $800. We go up from there depending on the quality of the service, whether or not the DM's were good and attentive, if they paid attention to special requests, etc.
scubastingray
Contributor
That seems pretty high, but I guess it depends on the number of crew and number of days you're sailing. I guess price of the live aboard is also a factor. If you're on a $1500 trip with 6 crew members a 40% tip seems incredibly generous.
mruseless
Contributor
We tend to do higher end liveaboards like the Aggressor boats, where $100 per crew member ends up being about 20-30% give or take. Yes, we are generous but I feel the crews deserve it if they are good. On a budget trip I'd target 20% as a tip.
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