The Art of Tipping- (Utila all inclusive)

[susan6868]

Hi Gang-
Here's an etiquette question for you veterans out there. I will be at Laguna Beach Resort Feb 18th through 25th and would not only like to have a good time but would like to be a good guest. Tipping, tipping, tipping! I want to do the "right" thing by these folks.
Because it's an all inclusive and we will be doing a number of dives each day, maybe a night dive or two if I can work up the nerve, it's impossible for me to use a percentage of the dive cost upon which to base my tips.
Also, we'll be going out at least twice a day, and there might be different dive masters or boat captains, and well, is there a crew hauling our stuff on land? In addition, thre will be someone maintaining our room and serving our meals, the list goes on......
I don't want to carry a roll of bills everywhere we go and have to worry about having missed someone on each and every dive, or meal for that matter. In addition, we tend to go overboard with the tipping so that everyone is happy (approval seekers I guess).
In short, how much for whom and based on what, when do you give it to them, etc. I'm looking for the baseline here and of course I know you throw in more for added effort on anyone's part.
I know this is a mundane question, but you have all said so many wonderful things about this island that I want to make sure I'm welcomed back. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who wondered who to take care of and when in a situation like this.
Thanks- I very much appreciate the guidance!
Susan

 

[booth22]

I was looking for an answer to that question as well... and please post a trip report when you get back, we'll be there in March!

 

[susan6868]

I will Booth, I promise! In the meanwhile, I'm hoping to get someone to answer "our" question. You'd think a really savvy dive operator from Utila wouod respond with some outrageous figures.....(ha, just kidding)
Someone, anyone, can you help?

 

[hdtran]

In Mexico, I'd tip between $5/10 per 2-tanks to the DM. Typical 2-tank boat dive runs $70/90, so figure it's close to 10%. The places I've gone to in Mexico, the DM or boat captain share the tips with everyone, so you rarely need to tip individuals (unless, of course, you've received above-and-beyond service, and feel like thanking them for it in a nice fashion). We once tipped the boat driver for a trip where the motor died before we ever left the dock, because we felt bad for him.

If you run a search on Utila dive shops, it looks like your average 2-tank trip runs about $50, so a $5/2-tank should be close to 10%.

If you wait a day or two, I'm sure RoatanMan or one of the other Honduras Bay Island experts will get back with a more definitive answer!

 

[UTLgirl]

Hi Susan6868,

Most all inclusive operators will tell you their general policy on tips in your orientation, and leave it to you to tip as you wish. I'm sure if you e-mail your question to them direct, They'll be happy to send you this same info ahead of time.

Not sure about everywhere else, but several all inclusives in the Bay Islands tend to work so that you don't have to carry a lot of cash, or worry about tipping every day. Most have a 'tip pool' when you go to check out. The tip pool is divided among the staff (see the specific resort info for how it's split) that includes not only the obvious staff like the Divemaster, maids, etc, but some of the behind the scenes staff such as laundry, grounds keepers, cooks, dishwashers, etc that you may not see every day, but contribute to the overall experience just the same.

Most folks leave between 10-20% of their land package (hotel/meals/diving) price. Some just leave it in the general pool, some may put an additional amount in the envelope earmarked for their Divemaster or other, and some prefer to tip specific staff directly, any option you choose is fine, after all, it's your tip, given for service you consider well done.

Again, e-mail Laguna & I'm sure they'll respond & let you know how they generally do it at their resort specifically.

Have a great time. Utila is a wonderful little slice of paradise!

 

[gratefuljames]

I start with the 10% rule. If an op does not allow specific tips, then I put 10% of whatever my dive costs were and tip that to the staff. If they do, I start with a pool of 10% of my dive related costs. I give part of the tip to the captain on every trip, and part to the DM. Sometimes the Capt. is the DM so he/she gets 2 dips in that instance. I have a formula. For example, if 10% of your dive cost is $8.00 on a 2-tank trip, I would tip $3.00 per dive to the DM and $2.00 to the Captain. This is a start, then I add in for people that take care of your equipment or a few buck to the person that works the desk. I don't give anything to the people that didn't do anything for me (I mean, it is a TIP we're talking about). It may not sound like a lot at first, but it adds up over a whole week. Last trip I did 26 dives, which was 13, 2-tank trips, and my tip out at the end was like $150.

James

 

[Hawk]

My best advise on this is to follow that given by UTLgirl. Believe me when I say that she knows more on this subject than anyone else you could get an answer from.

BTW, Hi UTLgirl!

Later, Rob, I mean Hawk.

 

[susan6868]

You're right Rob, thanks UTLgirl. I did email LBR and they responded immediately. I'm relieved to know you can even tip on your credit card and that's ood because I don;t want to leave a lot of cash lying around while we're blowing bubbles..........
Thanks again!
Susan

 

[RockyHeap]

Best thing we do on a dive vacation is take along 100 $1 bills, and 20 $5 dollar bills.

We always carry a bunch of them so you always can tip right on the spot....

Works great for trinket shopping and bartering too.

 

[UTLgirl]

Yes, small cash on any island is always appreciated. It makes it easier to shop or make small purchases when you're out & about on the island, and helps out if you happen to be somewhere with a less then favorable exchange rate but they have something you really want.

If you find yourself with a bunch of 1's or 5's left over, check with your hotel desk & see if they want to change them for bigger bills (keeping in mind to hold back enough for your departure tax, coke at the airport etc). Banks don't carry a lot of US dollars here & sometimes it's hard to maintain an inventory of small bills to give back as change when guests settle their bills. We almost always have 20's & 10's we're willing to swap out to get smaller bills.

Credit Cards are accepted at most hotels & dive shops, rarely at the smaller gift shops or eateries. Sometimes Traveler's Checks may be a better option then using your credit card in a foreign country due to c.card fees, 'foreign exchange' fees your card may charge etc. Traveler's Checks are accepted the same as cash at most places.

Have a wonderful trip!