Removing auto gratuities

If one wishes to remove auto gratuities for the whole of the cruise (and make individual tips) do you have to do this on the first day or can you leave it a few days but then have the auto gratuity removal backdated.

Here is what the Cunard website says -

During your cruise, you will receive service from many members of our staff in a variety of locations. Additionally, many more crew behind the scenes support those who serve you directly. For your convenience, a Hotel and Dining charge will be automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis.

The Hotel and Dining charge will be shared amongst those staff that helped provide and support your cruise experience, including the restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and accommodation staff, buffet stewards and others. Casino personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilise this service.

Please be assured that 100% of the amount goes to the crew on board. This charge is automatically charged to your on board account (including children of all ages). If you wish to amend the charge in any way you can do so by contacting the Purser's Desk once on board.

For bar, wine and salon services a charge is automatically added to your on board account for each purchase, which is shared amongst the beverage staff. Naturally, you are free to tip any member of the crew over and above these amounts, at your discretion.

I was thinking about doing this and my intention was to have it removed the 1st day then tip appropriately before leaving the ship .

I'm not 100% sure about Cunard but on most lines if you remove the auto gratuity people you tip are required to turn in any tips they receive from you to be placed in the pool. Stewards may also face questioning about what was unsatisfactory about their service.

Unless your finances are really tight I would recommend leaving the auto gratuity in place and giving extra to the people you want. In that case they can keep it.

Roy

If one wishes to remove auto gratuities for the whole of the cruise (and make individual tips) do you have to do this on the first day or can you leave it a few days but then have the auto gratuity removal backdated.

It has been reported here many times...

If you remove the Auto-Tip ALL tips you give in person have to be put into the general pool to be shared amongst all crew anyway... (which rather defeats your objective)

If you leave the Auto-tip in place then ALL additonal tips are allowed to be kept by the person to whom you give them (which I believe is your objective).

I'm not 100% sure about Cunard but on most lines if you remove the auto gratuity people you tip are required to turn in any tips they receive from you to be placed in the pool. Stewards may also face questioning about what was about their service. Unless your finances are really tight I would recommend leaving the auto gratuity in place and giving extra to the people you want. In that case they can keep it. Roy

As others have said on several different boards, if you remove the surcharge, you will punish those who serve you and, mostly, the ones you may tip with cash as they have to give it up and may be fired if it is perceived that they were derelict in their duties.

I have never met the persons who clean and press my clothes or wash my towels and sheets, those who cut the flowers, or those who wash the dishes I eat from.

These and all the hard working folks you do see (room stewards) need their jobs and will continue to serve you even if you remove the tips. Why punish them?

If you can afford a cruise, you can afford the grats. (My 2 cents)

Cheers!

Our tips were taken in one bulk block on about day 3 of the cruise. How anybody could remove the tips for the excellent service we received on QE I do not know. We tipped extra and IMO the staff we had really deserved the extra.

If one wishes to remove auto gratuities for the whole of the cruise (and make individual tips) do you have to do this on the first day or can you leave it a few days but then have the auto gratuity removal backdated.

I always leave my auto tips in place. I like to think that the behind he scenes staff are given something as well as the staff you see. I understand that if you take the auto tip off and then tip them, they have to hand this tip in anyway. If you leave the auto tip on, anything extra you may give they are allowed to keep.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise

This comes up so many times........each to their own but I agree everyone on the ship should be rewarded, perhaps behind the scenes staff even more so.......they don't get the bonus of extra tips like the front of house staff do and they surely work just as hard

We always calculate the auto-gratuities as part of the holiday cost so that it in effect we haven't tipped anyone.......we then tip as we feel appropriate , sometimes during the cruise, sometimes at the end depending on the situation and the service received.

I must say that without exception all tips have been discreetly and very gratefully received .......sometimes we have had table mates who have chosen not to tip the waiters and sommeliers additionally( which is their prerogative ) and it has not been made apparent they are thought any less of.

I

Wish people would stop using this thought of thread as a guilt complex ! or a get out of jail card. Stop trying to keep up with the Jones'es. Do what you are personally happy with and enjoy your time onboard.

... We always calculate the auto-gratuities as part of the holiday cost ...

... we then tip as we feel appropriate , sometimes during the cruise, sometimes at the end depending on the situation and the service received ...

Happy sailings :)

Thanks for explaining how the auto gratuities work .

I must agree with Pennbank here. Its a personal choice which everybody is entitled to make and act upon as they seem fit. The use of the words "Punishment" "Guilt" etc., is ridiculous.

To read some of the comments which regularly appear when this subject is raised you wouldn't believe that EVERYBODY on the ships are paid employees and receive a salary................

David

To read some of the comments which regularly appear when this subject is raised you wouldn't believe that EVERYBODY on the ships are paid employees and receive a salary................

You may not approve of that but it's a fact of the arrangement.

Wish people would stop using this thought of thread as a guilt complex ! or a get out of jail card. Stop trying to keep up with the Jones'es. Do what you are personally happy with and enjoy your time onboard.

I must agree with Pennbank here. Its a personal choice which everybody is entitled to make and act upon as they seem fit. The use of the words "Punishment" "Guilt" etc., is ridiculous.

 

David

Absolutely agree, it is the individuals decision.

These threads seem to generate a great deal of animosity and downright nastiness :(

We would have half the current number of threads on CC if tipping threads were all rolled into one for each cruise line forum :D

Genuine question, trying to see the other point of view.

Given that:

Money from the auto-tip gets shared amongst the crew.

Money you tip in person gets shared amongst the crew*.

(*if you've removed the auto-tip).

What are the advantages/differences etc, to those passengers who remove the auto-tip, who then tip in person on the last night?

I truly would love to know, sincere thanks to all for helping me understand :)

Genuine question, trying to see the other point of view.

 

Given that:

 

Money from the auto-tip gets shared amongst the crew.

 

Money you tip in person gets shared amongst the crew*.

 

(*if you've removed the auto-tip).

 

What are the advantages/differences etc, to those passengers who remove the auto-tip, who then tip in person on the last night?

 

I truly would love to know, sincere thanks to all for helping me understand :)

Maybe they feel that by doing this they have some control in the matter?

Merely a suggestion.

Maybe they feel that by doing this they have some control in the matter? Merely a suggestion.

Well they haven't any control over what happens to the money, so it can only be control over the amounts handed over (rather than the fixed amount of the auto-tip).

Do you think that could be it?

Thank you again.

Absolutely agree, it is the individuals decision.

These threads seem to generate a great deal of animosity and downright nastiness :(

 

We would have half the current number of threads on CC if tipping threads were all rolled into one for each cruise line forum :D

Some boards do create a single tipping thread, I don't really see the need here as we don't have them very often, but if others think it's a good idea I can create a general tipping thread.

I generally don't see much animosity and/or downright nastiness on this board. Please use the report button if necessary.

Some boards do create a single tipping thread, I don't really see the need here as we don't have them very often, but if others think it's a good idea I can create a general tipping thread.

 

I generally don't see much animosity and/or downright nastiness on this board. Please use the report button if necessary.

Good morning Hostess.

Likewise, I haven't noticed too much animosity either despite of course 'tipping' being a highly emotive subject.

I think what does get one's goat up is when a question is asked regarding tips and it's blatantly obvious the OP - whoever they may be - is dead set on not paying BEFORE they even join a ship: irrespective of the service they receive and the perceived tradition.

I can never understand anyone who spends well over £100 per day skimping on $11 per day tip. Spoiling the ship for a h'apeth of tar.

Good morning Hostess.

 

On Cruise Critic we are Hosts irrespective of gender.

Thank you

Good morning Hostess.

 

Likewise, I haven't noticed too much animosity either despite of course 'tipping' being a highly emotive subject.

 

I think what does get one's goat up is when a question is asked regarding tips and it's blatantly obvious the OP - whoever they may be - is dead set on not paying BEFORE they even join a ship: irrespective of the service they receive and the perceived tradition.

Some first-timers - unaware of how the ship board gratuity system works - may believe that they are doing their steward and waiters a favor by tipping them directly. However what really gets me are those who know full well how the system works become experts on Webster's dictionary and parse the meaning of "gratuity", "tip", and "discretionary" to justify removing them.

Some first-timers - unaware of how the ship board gratuity system works - may believe that they are doing their steward and waiters a favor by tipping them directly. However what really gets me are those who know full well how the system works become experts on Webster's dictionary and parse the meaning of "gratuity", "tip", and "discretionary" to justify removing them.

Well put BlueRiband ,you have a better way of saying it. My post would have been removed.