: You should not really have to, and you can choose not to. However, I would tip the bartenders if you want quick service and strong drinks. I tend to find one at the bar I would use the most and tip them like $5. It will be worth it. For the housekeepers, I usually leave $1 per person per day on the pillow, it will get you great looking towel animals and maybe more water in your mini fridge. Waitstaff I tend not to tip, unless I get really great service. Like many things in life, you get what you pay for. But if you are at the bar one day, and don't have a $1 bill, don't fret about it.

Have fun,

Greg

I always tip at an AI, so long as I get good service.

Maid: $2/day
Turndown/minibar: $1/day (most of the time)
Bellboy: $2-3
Bartenders: $1 every few drinks
Pool server: $1 every few drinks
(sometimes extra at end of trip)

Meals:
Breakfast - $1 if I get coffee without asking
Lunch - generally no since I do buffet, but if its sit-down, usually $2
Dinner - $2-5 depending.................

In the total scheme of what you've spent for a week at an AI, the extra doesnt really amount to much.

At an AI tipping is allegedly included, but I doubt that much of the money you pay to a hotel "trickles down" to the staff.

Also, when giving a TIP in a resto, I give it VERY DISCRETELY, to make sure the Bell Captain is not . . . uh. . . involved.

Also: for transfer driver (airport/hotel): usually $5

and yes, supervisors usually take the first, and biggest, cut. tim

We have always tipped at all-inclusive resorts, but last time we were at the IB* Lindo the tips came to an end mid-week. I found the service to be HORRIBLE even after we tipped the bartenders, maids, and a few other people. The service was so bad that by the end of the week I had words with one of the resort managers. We have chosen to not return to an IB* property since that visit.

At the Royal Solaris in Cancun we always tipped and the service was exceptional on all but one visit (we went there several times). The same was true at the Solaris in Cabos. In Jamaica we had to tip people on the sly because at Couples they get into trouble if they take a tip.

In the end, my new policy is that I’ll tip my maid mid-week, and I do go out of the way to make certain who my maid is and that if the maid changes I make certain that both get a tip. I’ll give a second tip at the end of the week. My tip is generally as much or more than I used to give when adding the tips up daily.

At the bar I’ll tip a guy who goes out of his way to give us good service, and I NEVER tip in front of a manager because they often take a portion of the tips.

I also give away baseball caps. I found a great site (www.hitrunscore.com) that has "authentic" major league replicas.......and they run about $8 ($1 less if you buy six or more).

This past April at Royal PDC, I gave another cap to the guy with the cart around the pool (now he has TWO), and I gave one to Pedro, one of the workers, because he saved a chair for me every morning (I also gave him $1/day).

This cap thing ORIGINALLY started when I went to Dom Republic a couple of years ago. I went out of my way to find out all the teams that had Dominican players and I bought caps from those teams. I am down to my last two hats, so for next year I will have to buy more.

That is a cool idea!

In Jamaica we tried to tip a young bartender who was great to us. He said he could not take a tip because it was against the rules at Couples Resort. I called the manager of the bar over and then asked the young bartender if he had a quarter. He pulled out the quarter and I took it, giving him a sony walkman radio in return. I turned to the manager and said; "I didn't give it to him as a gift or tip, I sold it to him. Is that okay with you?" He smiled and said yes.

Later that afternoon we saw our bartender walking home listening to his new radio. He had a big smile on his face -- and so did we!

That was so generous of you!

I'll bet he'll remember you forever.

They have American coins in Jamaica?!

: They have American coins in Jamaica?!

In Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay we saw more American Money than we saw Jamaican money, in fact the people at the "bend down" markets and "no problem" shops used only American money! If you ask how much something costs they give you the price in USD. I'm not sure, but they may even use USD as the basis for thier currency.

I've heard that in Mexico in many places, tips are all put together and the managers take theirs first. I know they did this on the pirate boats, and they gave the wait staff very little after they took their own tips. So, lots of times I pay by credit card and then slip a $20 bill into the hands of the waiters but write '0' for the tip on the bill. They deserve it, as far as I am concerned. I've never had really bad service except once in Cozumel and I didn't tip there but I think I still feel guilty about it (although I shouldn't because the waiter was a *&^%!)

I also try to get the housekeepers on the side and personally give them their tips, but I do it on the day I arrive and then a few days later. I usually give them $20 (or 200 pesos--whatever that is these days) and then more a few days later.

In New York, tipping is almost mandatory but of course, in other places, it is almost non-existent. For example, in France, the waiters are highly skilled and get paid very well. It is not a part-time job because to be a waiter, you need to learn all facets of the business. It is a profession. Some people say that is the reason French waiters are often rude. They don't work for tips--their salaries are good enough that they don't need to do so. On the other hand, when I was in Quebec a couple of years ago and had rude waiters I would laugh and joke with them and most became pleasant very quickly. I often think the rudeness is a part of their trying to live up to their reputation, but personally, I don't think most are really rude. I think of them more as 'standoffish'--if that is a word (which it probably is not!). I know that after one waiter gave us a hard time because both kids, my friend's kid and Maggie, each wanted a bowl of chocolate fondue and he said it was too much, that I told him not to worry about it and just go and get it and later I gave him a nice tip. Since we loved the restaurant, we returned a few times and he was a totally different person--friendly and funny.

My take is that most people who work at the Mexican resorts are not paid well, and even when they say that at AIs tips are covered, I still feel guilty because I know that it is really the owners and management who are raking in the big bucks. It feels good to stick it to some of them on occasion. Giving orders is alot easier than doing the actual work!

Fran in NY