Tiping in Cozumel

[INTRUDERDIVER]

My wife and I only have less then 48 hours before we will be in Cozumel. We recently just finished our Open Water Certification and our first real dive will be Friday Morning and I can't wait. I do have one thing on my mind and right this minute it is not really all about diving. The question I have is for anyone that has been to Cozumel recently and stayed at an all-inclusive resort. We are staying at the Reef Club Cozumel and diving with Sand Dollar sports. What I am looking for is how much to tip everyone? I was told that 5 dollars a day for housekeeping is pretty good, and I have not heard how much you should tip your DM if he is good. Does anyone have any advice on this?

Thanks in advance.

IntruderDiver :bang:

 

[parrotheaddiver]

The usual tip IMO for good service is 10.00US for a 2 tank dive pp. I am sure you will get various opinions about this. Use the search bar for 'tipping in coz' for more opinions.

 

[HammerNoMore]

We are staying at the Reef Club Cozumel and diving with Sand Dollar sports. What I am looking for is how much to tip everyone?

It's probably too late but unless you are a new diver, I'd look into other dive operations like Blue Angel or Christi. Most will pick you up at the Reef Club pier. Sand Dollar is pretty good for newbies but more experienced divers will find them frustrating.

Tip bartenders well on the first drink and (hopfully) you'll get better drinks from then on out. As parothead said $10 per day per diver is the norm for DM's. IIRC Sand Dollar will have a tip jar on the boat you can thow it into. I think they split it with the boat crew. I never tip the crew separately.

In addition, I never tip houskeeping. As far as I'm concerned cleaning is part of the price you pay for the room.

 

[INTRUDERDIVER]

It's probably too late but unless you are a new diver, I'd look into other dive operations like Blue Angel or Christi. Most will pick you up at the Reef Club pier. Sand Dollar is pretty good for newbies but more experienced divers will find them frustrating.

Tip bartenders well on the first drink and (hopfully) you'll get better drinks from then on out. As parothead said $10 per day per diver is the norm for DM's. IIRC Sand Dollar will have a tip jar on the boat you can thow it into. I think they split it with the boat crew. I never tip the crew separately.

In addition, I never tip houskeeping. As far as I'm concerned cleaning is part of the price you pay for the room.

James,
So are you saying that Sand Dollar Sports is good for a new diver? If this is true then I am glad that we choose them because my wife and I have never dived before in the ocean. We did our open water certification just two weeks ago in New Mexico at the Blue Hole. So this will be our first real dive.

 

[HammerNoMore]

James,
So are you saying that Sand Dollar Sports is good for a new diver? If this is true then I am glad that we choose them because my wife and I have never dived before in the ocean. We did our open water certification just two weeks ago in New Mexico at the Blue Hole. So this will be our first real dive.

Yes, they are an excelent choice for new divers in that they tend to babysit a little more. As a new diver you did choose correctly. When you get so addicted to Coz that you go back in a few months you will not want quite as much babysitting and more input into where and how long you dive. Check back with us then to get some recomendations .

 

[dnhill]

Tipping - I tend to tip housekeeping from 3-5 dollars a day. It does not help if you do it at the end. Tip each day and the service is much better. Diving, I also tip each day as the captain or DM often change from day to day. My tips for for the crew are from 10-20 dollars per day. I give the tip to the DM, but try to give it to him when the captain is looking.

dnhill

 

[Moodiejeff]

I never tip houskeeping. As far as I'm concerned cleaning is part of the price you pay for the room.

Don't skimp on tipping the housekeeping crew... even if it's only $1 a day. They don't make very much (no matter how much the resort charges) and every little bit helps.

Ya leave 'em some money and hopefully they'll leave you a couple extra bottles of water. When you're spending $2000 and more on a trip what's an extra $5-$10?

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah - if the employees do their jobs well, tip the housekeepers at least $2 a day, the Dive Guides $5 a tank, etc. Be sure to tell the Dive Guides that you've never dived the ocean so they can watch for you...

The only ones I would not tip are the cabbies, as they have a strong union and will abuse customers. If I want to go to a cafe that does not give them a kick back, they'll take me to the wrong place and tell me it closed.

 

[ggunn]

The only ones I would not tip are the cabbies, as they have a strong union and will abuse customers. If I want to go to a cafe that does not give them a kick back, they'll take me to the wrong place and tell me it closed.

I have had them try and overcharge me, and there's the "I don't have change for 100 pesos" on a 60 peso fare scam, but I've never had one try to take me somewhere else besides the place I asked to go. I don't tip them, either, though, unless they go above and beyond the call to (for instance) help me carry rented tanks and weights ino a dive shop. It has happened.

 

[HammerNoMore]

The only ones I would not tip are the cabbies, as they have a strong union and will abuse customers. If I want to go to a cafe that does not give them a kick back, they'll take me to the wrong place and tell me it closed.

I know the general rates and tip the ones that don't overcharge. I also tip based on friendlyness. Some cabbies are nice an talkitive, some give back 1 word responses. Never, ever, ever, take a cab to/from Punta Langusta, you'll be charged double.

I'll start tipping houskeeping when I start tipping the guy who hands me my sandwich at subway...i.e. never.