QM2 gratuities

That assumes Uncle Sam is the taxman for the world. If the crew are Indonesian, Thai, Australian, Uk or any other country, taxable income would be paid in that country I would think, not to Uncle Sam :D After all, the Carnival Corp has many cruise lines, some of which pay in Stirling not dollars. P & O UK pay £, not sure about P & O Australia, may be in Aus $

Of course. As an example, I was speaking of workers earning money in the U.S.

Although Cunard is not specifically mentioned, this Bloomberg News article published today titled "Cruise lines raise tips to keep crews afloat" might be of interest: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/may/25/cruise-lines-raise-tips-keep-crews-afloat/?f=business

Although Cunard is not specifically mentioned, this Bloomberg News article published today titled "Cruise lines raise tips to keep crews afloat" might be of interest: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/may/25/cruise-lines-raise-tips-keep-crews-afloat/?f=business

Great article - thanks for linking it.

They are not permitted to simply remove the HDC just because they want to, they are required to give their reason. I have overheard the beginnings of such conversations several times-- as soon as it gets down to the nitty gritty, the complaining passenger is asked to step into an enclosed area. The reason for which passengers are permitted to remove the charge is dissatisfaction with service.

I'm always impressed when someone writes/speaks with such authority. No matter how wrong they tend to be, it sounds impressive.

I'm always impressed when someone writes/speaks with such authority. No matter how wrong they tend to be, it sounds impressive.

His authority comes from HAL's website. See Post #50.

I'm always impressed when someone writes/speaks with such authority. No matter how wrong they tend to be, it sounds impressive.

Careers have been made on style over substance.

His authority comes from HAL's website. See Post #50.

Presumably accurate, pertinent, germane, apposite and applicable to HAL, but this is a Cunard thread on QM2 gratuities, so it's not really relevant.

Although Cunard is not specifically mentioned, this Bloomberg News article published today titled "Cruise lines raise tips to keep crews afloat" might be of interest: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/may/25/cruise-lines-raise-tips-keep-crews-afloat/?f=business

Thanks for the link. interesting article for someone in UK. I found these links which go some way to explaining the different approaches to tipping between USA and UK. They are from Trip Advisor, but then so is Angus Struthers.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g186216-s606/United-Kingdom:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

I'm always impressed when someone writes/speaks with such authority. No matter how wrong they tend to be, it sounds impressive.

My thoughts on many posts.

I have talked to Cunard crew about a few issues and the answers they give do not always coincide with the definitive answers given on this forum. There again, who am I to say I've been given the correct answer by a member of staff?

Talk/write with authority, especially if you're a layperson and you too can be a bluffer.

Fro the topic at hand, I can only confirm that in February this year, on the QM2, I asked the purser's office to remove the Autotip from my bill, and they complied immediately, with no question asked. It is my intention to do the same this Summer on the QV.

Hope that it makes you happy that other passengers are then paying the background staff with their Auto-Tips and at the bottomline these are getting less money.

This is what really happens:

Of course, it can be claimed to be a protest against what is seen as an unfair system of pay - but it is hard to justify such a protest which penalizes the supposed victims of the system rather than the perpetrator.

Fro the topic at hand, I can only confirm that in February this year, on the QM2, I asked the purser's office to remove the Autotip from my bill, and they complied immediately, with no question asked. It is my intention to do the same this Summer on the QV.

So no questioning in a darkened room then.

Disappointing.

David.

Hope that it makes you happy that other passengers are then paying the background staff with their Auto-Tips and at the bottomline these are getting less money.

Not at all, no, that part does not make me happy, but sparing myself an unpleasant conversation with my wife definitely does. She really wants to hand out 'real' tips herself, and I do not want to pay tips twice.

You say that your wife has a cultural background where tipping is common, so it's hardly understandable that she won't comply to the Auto-Tips for the mentioned reasons.

It all sounds just like an excuse to get around the auto-tip to me

Nope, cold cash in an enveloppe is the only form of tip she recognises. Sorry that this does not meet your approval, but somehow, the approval of the person actually sleeping with me matters much more to me.:)

Presumably accurate, pertinent, germane, apposite and applicable to HAL, but this is a Cunard thread on QM2 gratuities, so it's not really relevant.

True. However, the poster you were quoting is from Connecticut, and I (perhaps mistakenly) understood that he was referring to HAL, since there had been previous posts comparing the gratuity policy of the two lines.

True. However, the poster you were quoting is from Connecticut, and I (perhaps mistakenly) understood that he was referring to HAL, since there had been previous posts comparing the gratuity policy of the two lines.

I'm puzzled. I responded to a comment made by yourself, which supported previous comments relating to HAL policy, which does not seem relevant to this thread. I'm also puzzled what relevance any poster's location has to content.

Because a 'guest' (read customer) chooses to tip ship's personnel based on their personal experience does not mean they are "willing to short change anybody any time they can". We've always kept the auto tips and tipped extra for butler or exceptional individual service. However, as a principle, it should be a choice according to service received - or not; OR included in the cruise fare. Different cultures have different attitudes to this issue. We would prefer crew to be paid well by their employer, with tipping reserved for exceptional service on occasions. Azamara and Seabourn do it well.

Last year I travelled Sydney to Southampton on the QM, we removed the auto tip from our account and were told by the pursers desk that they quite understand the Australian and NZers do not like the tipping culture, and a lot had done likewise. We then individually handed tips to those members of the crew who we had most contact with.

Many times I have read that cash tips have to be handed in to the tips pool.

Surely this ignores the human element and the quite reasonable attitude that if I get a tip for giving good service it's into my pocket it should go, rather to the idle guy further along the corridor who gets no tips.

So are all the hotel staff on the ship ideal team players who dutifully follow the rules?

I doubt it.

David.

Many times I have read that cash tips have to be handed in to the tips pool.

 

Surely this ignores the human element and the quite reasonable attitude that if I get a tip for giving good service it's into my pocket it should go, rather to the idle guy further along the corridor who gets no tips.

 

So are all the hotel staff on the ship ideal team players who dutifully follow the rules?

 

I doubt it.

 

David.

It is hard to believe that the rules are followed but I believe that they are, the result of pocketing the tip is non-renewal of the contract which clearly has far reaching consequences for the individuals and their families. Life on board is like living in a small village where most things that happen are widely known and well discussed by the crew.

I was on the last leg of QV's world voyage - the transatlantic. I was a bit baffled when I received my first two statements (one I had asked for, the other was the usual interim one) and the auto-tips were not mentioned. I even phoned to ask what was going on, and was assured that they were down to my account. (I was also asked if I wanted to remove them. I said no.) This charge only appeared on my last statement, the one left out at midnight on the last day.

I wonder if this is current practice, to make it more difficult for people to remove the auto-grats, or if it was just a case of staff being too busy to post it earlier.

We have always left the auto-tips on,but on this cruise I wondered if our waiters in the main dining had been told we had removed them(we left them on).From night one they seemed rude sometimes nasty dont know how as we wished them good evening when we went in always said please and thank you,needless to say they never got any extra tip the last night.We had a great cruise though as there was a lot more good than there was bad.

We've just returned from our 5th TA Crossing and where highly embarrased to hear that on these usually around 20% of the passengers opt to take off the Autotips. We would have assumed 5% or such.

So many of the people on board are working basically for free for every 5th passenger unless they are awarded by a personal gratitude directly which may not always be handed over to those that are working behind the lines.

Those told us, that they will not get information, who in particular opted to waive the Autotips, they only get the large number.

We've just returned from our 5th TA Crossing and where highly embarrased to hear that on these usually around 20% of the passengers opt to take off the Autotips. We would have assumed 5% or such.

 

So many of the people on board are working basically for free for every 5th passenger unless they are awarded by a personal gratitude directly which may not always be handed over to those that are working behind the lines.

 

Those told us, that they will not get information, who in particular opted to waive the Autotips, they only get the large number.

I think it's obvious that the staff would not be told what is confidential information about passengers accounts.

20% doesn't really surprise me. Auto gratuities are a bad idea, particularly with Europeans, many of whom have never accepted having to virtually pay part of the wages of the staff. Personally I would like to see the percentage rise to a level where the cruise lines have to abandon the practice.

And we can be certain I think that those cancelling have no intention of giving anything but a token amount in the last night envelope.

David.

 

And we can be certain I think that those cancelling have no intention of giving anything but a token amount in the last night envelope.

 

David.

Yep, that crossed my mind as well :(