News today re p&o cruises

[stevedeccaman]

Has this always been the norm with P & O ? think will stick with Thomsom for the moment :cool:

 

Stevie

:confused:

Passengers with P&O Cruises could have hundreds of pounds automatically added on to their bills at the end of their holiday to pay for tips.

 

From next April, the cruise company says it will add £3.10 per person, per day on to bills to cover service charges.

In the past, passengers who opted to have their meals at a fixed time could simply hand waiters and stewards cash at the end of their cruise if service had been good. But P&O says many passengers found this ‘embarrassing’ and ‘confusing’.

Under the new system, tips will be added on to bills which are paid by passengers by credit card at the end of the holiday. P&O says this is fairer because all staff get some of the cash.

The £3.10 sum does not sound much, but over a long cruise the total cost would be huge.

For example, a couple who went on P&O’s 98-day World Cruise would have £607 added to their bill at the end of their trip to cover tips. The cruise already costs £8,799 per person.

A spokesman for P&O Cruises insists the move isn’t a sneaky way of piling hidden charges on to bills. It says passengers who dine in different restaurants during their trip already pay tips like this.

Passengers can also refuse to pay or pay less if they feel service has been poor. They can also pay more.

Jonathan Mitcham, senior researcher with Which?, says most of the consumer group’s complaints about cruises were linked to charges for tips stuck on bills.

[davecttr]

Of course with Thomson the 'service charge' is included in the cost of the cruise. It is not itemised but you can be sure you pay it!

 

My brief experience of P&O and one or two of their passengers indicates that some don't tip at all under the old system. Staff have complained that their expected income has dropped. So the new system is an attempt to rectify this. It probably won't work and the best system is as set out by Neil Down etc, include the tip in the fare.

 

I find the P&O forums interesting. The main subjects are tipping, dress code and who has the best cabin. A sort of petty social pecking order etc.

 

Of course there are lots of nice P&O cruisers so if you cruise P&O don't flame me :)

[Travellingtaff]

Has this always been the norm with P & O ? think will stick with Thomsom for the moment :cool:

 

Stevie

:confused:

 

Passengers with P&O Cruises could have hundreds of pounds automatically added on to their bills at the end of their holiday to pay for tips.

 

From next April, the cruise company says it will add £3.10 per person, per day on to bills to cover service charges.

 

In the past, passengers who opted to have their meals at a fixed time could simply hand waiters and stewards cash at the end of their cruise if service had been good. But P&O says many passengers found this ‘embarrassing’ and ‘confusing’.

 

Under the new system, tips will be added on to bills which are paid by passengers by credit card at the end of the holiday. P&O says this is fairer because all staff get some of the cash.

 

The £3.10 sum does not sound much, but over a long cruise the total cost would be huge.

 

 

 

 

For example, a couple who went on P&O’s 98-day World Cruise would have £607 added to their bill at the end of their trip to cover tips. The cruise already costs £8,799 per person.

A spokesman for P&O Cruises insists the move isn’t a sneaky way of piling hidden charges on to bills. It says passengers who dine in different restaurants during their trip already pay tips like this.

Passengers can also refuse to pay or pay less if they feel service has been poor. They can also pay more.

Jonathan Mitcham, senior researcher with Which?, says most of the consumer group’s complaints about cruises were linked to charges for tips stuck on bills.

 

By way of comparison you might like to check out the Princess Cruises tipping policy as descibed in their FAQ section,.....

 

"Question: What are the tipping guidelines for my cruise?

 

Answer: During your cruise, you will meet staff throughout the ship who provide you with excellent service. Many more crew support those who serve you directly. To save you the worry of who to tip and how much, Princess makes it easier for you to reward excellent service by automatically adding a discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $11 USD for suites and mini-suites and $10.50 USD for all other staterooms per person per day (including children) to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others. Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.

Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.

A 15% charge is automatically added to your bar charges and dining room wine account. This is shared amongst the beverage staff and their support staff, including cleaners and utility staff."

 

So that's $21 or $22 per cabin per day + 15% on all drinks... :eek:

[okavango]

if compulsory tips were divided up in the ratio some cruiselines claim some members of staff would be getting paid better than the captain - i dont think so

personally i think thomsons should reword theirs from tips included to tips discretionionary

[davecttr]

if compulsory tips were divided up in the ratio some cruiselines claim some members of staff would be getting paid better than the captain - i dont think so

personally i think thomsons should reword theirs from tips included to tips discretionionary

Why?

 

Their present system is a positive marketing message and why spoil that and make the passengers more confused?

 

Some Thomson passengers do tip, but for the correct reason, as a reward for a level of service above that expected.

 

Anyway saying that tips are discretionary would mean passengers demanding for them to be removed which can't happen as they are not listed as a seperate item.

 

Thomson use other methods to extract cash from passengers, such as charging for safes and room service.