USVI-On-Line

Capt. Phil always asks his passengers to tip his mate if they received good services. He also distributes recommendation cards to passengers before they leave his boat. These are left with restaurants, stating that this restaurant was recommended by Capt. Phil. A way for him to get the word out among staff people there, useful to him when customers ask wait staff for recommendations for day sails. If we go to one of the restaurants recommended by him, we leave his card with the paid check.

Our tipping breakdown:

We tipped 20% of the total charter cost when we went on NHII. We paid for the trip on a cc but tipped the crew in cash.

For restaurants, if the food and service are good we tip about 25-30% on the total bill, wine and tax included. We figure we are on vacation so why not share the love. At home we tip 20%. We leave the servers cash tips usually too.

Taxis get 15% of the fare, unless they are rude which does not happen hardly ever thankfully.

Ferry bag guys get $2/bag if we let them take our stuff. Villa cleaners get $40/week. At Caneel we leave $10/day for the staff, because if you leave less they don't take it!! We leave $20 at check out for a couple nights at Secret Harbour.

I think that's everything.

savvy wrote:Capt. Phil always asks his passengers to tip his mate if they received good services. He also distributes recommendation cards to passengers before they leave his boat. These are left with restaurants, stating that this restaurant was recommended by Capt. Phil. A way for him to get the word out among staff people there, useful to him when customers ask wait staff for recommendations for day sails. If we go to one of the restaurants recommended by him, we leave his card with the paid check.

Do you mind if I ask how much you tipped the mate? Did you give Capt. Phil anything in addition? On fishing charters that I have been on the tip goes to the Captain then he shares it with the crew.

The cards are a good idea for him. If he does as good a job as everyone says he does, I'll gladly spread the word!

hey liamsaunt, just curious about what you mentioned about Caneel. how do you know that? we always leave a tip in our hotel when we check out - we only stayed at caneel one night but I don't recall what we left.

mary beth wrote:hey liamsaunt, just curious about what you mentioned about Caneel. how do you know that? we always leave a tip in our hotel when we check out - we only stayed at caneel one night but I don't recall what we left.

It's just been our experience. The times we left less than $10 they leave the money, the times we leave $10 they take it. It happened every time we left less than $10--maybe three or four times? I don't know why.

so you were leaving it daily as opposed to when you checked out?

mary beth wrote:so you were leaving it daily as opposed to when you checked out?

Here's a different perspective that never occurred to me until my daughter worked at a large resort in Banff last summer, cleaning rooms. The staff there worked shifts, with different days off and whoever cleaned the room took the tip that was left there. So if the person that cleaned the room all week happens to be off the day that the customer leaves and the customer leaves a tip for the entire week that day, it is kept by the lucky cleaner for that day. I don't know if it works that way everywhere, but I can tell you when I travel I now leave a tip daily.

that's a good point. thanks.

mary beth wrote:so you were leaving it daily as opposed to when you checked out?

Right--daily. We figure that the same person doesn't clean the room every day, so you have to tip the staff each day to be sure that the one that actually does the work gets the tip.

John just reminded me that we tipped twice a day at Caneel, since they have turndown/beach towel replenishment service.