Tipping in Ireland

[Harmon]

If anyone has been to Ireland
This is the 2nd go round in Ireland, first time was 2017 and I drove with family around the country, very nice experience.
This time we're going on a bus tour with a company for 5 days. The company suggests a tipping amount for the driver, Seamus. They "suggest" 25.00$ a day per person for the duration. I've got 4 people on the tour so do the math. Not trying to sound like a cheapskate, but does that sound correct?
Its unny because tipping in restaurants is not expected at all.
Any thoughts

 

[Thornton69]

After my mother passed (cancer, 4 years ago), my father was struggling to keep himself busy with the void in his life. Their retirement plans went out the window.
In 2021, he started driving charter buses for National for 5-7 day runs with groups of 20-30. They start in Alberta and spend a couple days in the Rockies. Then several more in the larger more popular places throughout BC with a final destination of Vancouver Island where they board an AK cruise ship. He then books it back to Calgary for a reset and to grab the next group.
He loves telling stories and doesn't run out of jokes in that period. This makes him very popular with the tour company and the groups along with his extensive knowledge of the area.
He is not living his dream but enjoying his time with this.
The tips he receives on those runs are $15-2200 for the sake of comparison.

 

[Stee6043]

If anyone has been to Ireland
This is the 2nd go round in Ireland, first time was 2017 and I drove with family around the country, very nice experience.
This time we're going on a bus tour with a company for 5 days. The company suggests a tipping amount for the driver, Seamus. They "suggest" 25.00$ a day per person for the duration. I've got 4 people on the tour so do the math. Not trying to sound like a cheapskate, but does that sound correct?
Its unny because tipping in restaurants is not expected at all.
Any thoughts

Generally tipping in the EU is not expected. They pay a much different wage for those types of jobs than we do here in the USA.

I think you're being bamboozled. A $500 tip? That driver probably has a better pension than any of us do

 

[alnav]

Not sure why these companies do this; outrageous in my opinion. You should tip based on what you think of the service. I would think 10 Euros or so per day for your whole group would be very generous. I would scale back from there if the driver turns out to be less than great (which is unlikely).

 

[Harmon]

Thanks folks, i thought it seemed a bit presumptuous to throw those numbers out. Well we're going with a group of 15 family members, varied tiers of income. Thats a tip of 1875.00, im wondering if they supply Guinness. Prob is the wife will cave to the peer pressure. " if Gary is paying x then we have to as well"

 

[techmitch]

Thanks folks, i thought it seemed a bit presumptuous to throw those numbers out. Well we're going with a group of 15 family members, varied tiers of income. Thats a tip of 1875.00, im wondering if they supply Guinness. Prob is the wife will cave to the peer pressure. " if Gary is paying x then we have to as well"

Just because the wife caves doesn't mean that you have to.

 

[mrsrobinson]

I was a waiter for 5 years in college. "Back then" TIP meant "To Improve Performance". It's taking on a whole new meaning these days. Every time I swipe my Credit Card I am asked to tip. I am waiting for it to happen at the gas pump, grocery store checkout, or "Do you want to add a tip to your tip?", etc.

I agree with the replies here, maybe ask some local folks what is customary once you get there.

 

[Blueone]

I tipped a dock hand last weekend $20 bucks at a transient slip…..he tied a fender which came loose during the night and disappeared….that was $120 gone. I get more and more frustrated with tipping…. Tip how you feel and who cares if they don’t like it

 

[mrsrobinson]

I filled the tanks last weekend at my home marina. Gave the girl a $20 tip, even though she did less than she normally does, literally just stood at the pump, I had to move the hose around. Took her about 15 minutes to make the walk from the office to the pump dock as well, it's about a 2 minute walk. I told her I wanted a pump out too, then realized the cap was on the other non-dock side. She grumbled and sighed as she started to undo the hose so I told here we'd pump out on the way home, no extra tip though. On the way home we stopped for the pump out. I ask if she's working "Yes" but she won't come out. I jokingly say "She got your tip" thinking he'd go get her. He did not, so reluctantly I gave the guy a $10 tip to not piss him off. $30 in tips to fuel up and get a pump out.