do i have to pay tips on ventura

this is mine and my familys first cruise and we have been told we don't have to sign up for the tips but can pay and go with tips can any one please shed some light on this as I don't fancy paying 100s in tips as we don't have that much money and we are family of 4 both children under 5 and how much money do we need spending on board as we not big drinkers :) we sail on the 23rd of nov 2016

Hi hulluk33.

We are on the same cruise as well you don't have to pay the auto tips you can opt out by going to the main reception desk and asking them to remove them for you you just sign a form and that's it. You can then just tip as you feel, with regard to how much spending money to take that's entirely up to you,you can only spend cash in the casino and you settle your on board account with either a credit card or debit card which you register at check in before you get on board. Hope this helps .. Humpy.

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As humpy said you can opt out of the auto-tips at reception. Children under 12 are NOT automatically opted in for auto-tips - for anyone over 12 it is £5.50 a day, so for you and your partner it would be £110 total. The only complication of turning them off is that if you turn them off, any tips in cash that you give the crew they have to hand in and aren't allowed to keep them (as you turned off auto-tips) I've read.

Whatever you do have a great cruise; out first cruise was a few years back and we haven't stopped!

Dan

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P&O do not charge tips for children so even if you left them on you would only pay £5-50pppd. If you do decide to remove the tips from auto and tip at the end of the cruise do not insult the staff by giving them a derogatory amount like £5-£10 they deserve much more than that. With regards to drinks only you will know how much to spend with the amount you drink, wherever you will sit on the ship you will be asked if you want a drink whether it be speciality tea/coffee, soft drinks or alcohol but there will be no problem if you just say no thank you. By the way alcoholic drinks on P&O are possibly one of the cheapest on any cruiseline.

As The only complication of turning them off is that if you turn them off, any tips in cash that you give the crew they have to hand in and aren't allowed to keep them (as you turned off auto-tips) I've read.

 

l]

This is not correct. There has been one of the constant recurring tipping threads

recently on the Cunard board and the correct policy, via a very well respected member has been put up as a sticky because posters were getting fed up with the multitude of theories about tipping. And the policy here is identical to the Cunard one.

Worth taking a look.

David.

well that's good just stressing us out as it our first cruise as been talking to friends who cruise and also got friends who work on cruise lines I really don't mind tipping just as long as it not going to cost £100s I just hoping its all going to be a smooth sailing for us

As was said earlier the total tips will be £110.00 so it's not a fortune and the staff do work hard for you especially your room steward. I think you'll like Ventura we have been on her a few times and are looking forward to being back on her in November

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This is not correct. There has been one of the constant recurring tipping threads

 

recently on the Cunard board and the correct policy, via a very well respected member has been put up as a sticky because posters were getting fed up with the multitude of theories about tipping. And the policy here is identical to the Cunard one.

 

 

 

Worth taking a look.

 

 

 

David.

This is not correct. There has been one of the constant recurring tipping threads

 

recently on the Cunard board and the correct policy, via a very well respected member has been put up as a sticky because posters were getting fed up with the multitude of theories about tipping. And the policy here is identical to the Cunard one.

 

 

 

Worth taking a look.

 

 

 

David.

Thanks for letting me know. I'd read it a while ago and I thought it sounded a bit dodgy which is why I hadn't said I was sure of it. P&O isn't always transparent with a lot of things and it really frustrates me!

P.S - don't want to get too attached with Cunard; always wanted to sail transatlantic return on the QM2 to New York but I don't trust myself to not book something stupid on a whim (done it before and don't want to do it again :rolleyes: ) or get a bit depressed [emoji6]

Hulluk33 I'm sure I you'll have a great time - as humpy said Ventura really is a magnificent ship! She also handle the waves well so there shouldn't be too much motion.

Dan

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Worry not and enjoy your cruise. Read up on the tipping issue as suggested, but do not stress about it....

Auto tips works out at £5 50 per person a day, which covers your cabin steward and your waiter. Personally I feel that takes out the worry for you about tipping - and these guys really deserve it.

But yes, you can remove the auto gratuities and tip according to your wishes. Some people would rather remove the auto gratuities and tip who they so wish directly but please don't see this as a way out of paying any tips at all or tipping a minor amount as this really would be an insult to those who really put themselves out to look after you on the cruise.

Enjoy!!

well that's good just stressing us out as it our first cruise as been talking to friends who cruise and also got friends who work on cruise lines I really don't mind tipping just as long as it not going to cost £100s I just hoping its all going to be a smooth sailing for us

There is no need for stress, particularly on your first cruise.

I get the impression that you really can't afford to pay the added tips, though to be fair the information was available for you before you booked.

So here is what you do. Some time during your cruise, probably best towards the end go to the purser desk and ask for the tips to be removed. You may be asked the reason. Say you prefer to pay staff individually. Then you are free to pay what you wish, or nothing if you wish. This will save you a hundred.

Probably best not to visit this board too often before you sail though, this is an emotive subject to some.

Enjoy your cruise.

David.