Gratuities Prices

Do you ever think that perhaps people are at reception for other things not just to remove the tips?....

 

As people on this forum are aware, I`m against paying tips...

 

Have a great holiday - there is no holiday like a cruise holiday - its incredible !!

I don't think at all that people at Reception are there just to remove tips. I think they're there mainly to sort out my cruise card when my iPad or iPhone erases the info on it :D.

Each to their own as regards paying tips but at the end of the day if we don't pay tips we're only penalising the excellent staff who've worked their b***s off for us, not P&O who put the system in place so that's why we pay the auto -tips and add a bit more

I dont doubt the staff work hard to ensure we all have a fantastic time but why should we pay tips on top off the staff (in whatever capacity) receiving a wage from P&O, That is my problem !!

I dont doubt the staff work hard to ensure we all have a fantastic time but why should we pay tips on top off the staff (in whatever capacity) receiving a wage from P&O, That is my problem !!

Because if nobody paid tips they would be earning the minimum legal wage for maritime workers. Just over $600 dollars per month.

The solution is simple, include the 'tips' as a non itemised part of the cruise fare. That way everybody contributes equally to the running costs.

Seems this has stirred up a hornets nest lol.

The problem is that being British tips aren't part of our custom. We tend to think of them has an afterthought, or when we receive excellent service.

Therefore, I personally always find it difficult when we go abroad where customs are different and tipping is seen as the norm. Its difficult to know how much to tip and when. So although with cruiselines this is something I don't have to worry about, it always causes problems on boards like this.

Personally I take the term 'when in Rome do as the Romans do', although I do feel that gratuities on some cruiselines are overpriced, especially when children are charged the same as adults. Like some I tend to leave the gratuities on and tip extra for service above and beyond but would prefer if the gratuities were added as service received i.e bar bills, restaurant etc, rather than a pp rate.

Also since most cruiselines aren't British owned this is a problem that isn't going to go away. So each to their own.

Seems this has stirred up a hornets nest lol.

 

The problem is that being British tips aren't part of our custom. We tend to think of them has an afterthought, or when we receive excellent service.

 

Therefore, I personally always find it difficult when we go abroad where customs are different and tipping is seen as the norm. Its difficult to know how much to tip and when. So although with cruiselines this is something I don't have to worry about, it always causes problems on boards like this.

 

Personally I take the term 'when in Rome do as the Romans do', although I do feel that gratuities on some cruiselines are overpriced, especially when children are charged the same as adults. Like some I tend to leave the gratuities on and tip extra for service above and beyond but would prefer if the gratuities were added as service received i.e bar bills, restaurant etc, rather than a pp rate.

 

Also since most cruiselines aren't British owned this is a problem that isn't going to go away. So each to their own.

I agree with a lot of what you say here, with just one exception. One of my major bugbears is being charged an extra 15% for each and every drink I take. I believe it's now 18%? For this reason I no longer cruise with Cunard, Celebrity etc and this automatic charge renders me hesitant to try Princess also. By all means increase the price of my beverage and I will pay it in 'ignorance'; but don't add an obvious service charge on top, especially if you are a bar waiter that gave no eye contact because you were too busy chatting up the young ladies at the bar (as happened on Celebrity :mad: ).

I tend to rebel against the British attitude to tipping. I firmly believe that we Brits are renowned throughout the international tourist industry to be poor tippers, which means we often receive poor or mediocre service. It's our own fault. Having said that, we received dreadful service in an Italian restaurant in NYC on one occasion and declined to tip. There was a bit of a scene and we veritably ran for our lives that night :eek:

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I tend to rebel against the British attitude to tipping. I firmly believe that we Brits are renowned throughout the international tourist industry to be poor tippers, which means we often receive poor or mediocre service. It's our own fault. Having said that, we received dreadful service in an Italian restaurant in NYC on one occasion and declined to tip. There was a bit of a scene and we veritably ran for our lives that night :eek:

You must have gone to the same restaurant as we went to in NYC,. We also had such dreadful service we refused to tip and we were given evils as we left. I would have quite happily tipped if instead of standing chatting for the entire time we were there and ignoring us, not clearing our table etc, they had at least been polite.

But I must admit it took quite a while before I felt comfortable with tipping when I first started holidaying abroad. Just something I wasn't brought up with being from a low-working class family. Even now I think I may undertip sometimes:D

I believe that on P&O although you do not pay a service charge on a drink but it is there and rolled into the price of the drink. i have been told it is 12% and there is a tipping pool for each bar so the waiters share the 'tips' equally.

I believe that on P&O although you do not pay a service charge on a drink but it is there and rolled into the price of the drink. i have been told it is 12% and there is a tipping pool for each bar so the waiters share the 'tips' equally.

And that's exactly my point Dave - if I don't see it, I don't care, and the blood pressure remains healthy :).

With reference to added 15% service charge on Princess spirit measures are 40 ml compared to UK measures sewrved on P&O of 25 ml and mixers are free on Princess which they arent on P&O so makes spirits better value even with 15% addded service charge.

I have no problem with giving a tip, I just don't like it being compulsory. I will tip when and how much I choose. Now the fact is that I tip what is recommended, but I give it in an envelope, mainly because if I leave the autotip on, I then feel I have to give extra. Why I don't know.

we have just booked a cruise with Fred O where tips are included which in my opinion is great. However, I will still giv e a tip to my cabin steward, because I would feel awful if I didn';t.