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Accepting that tips (by whatever name) only go to waiters and cabin stewards, would anybody who removes the auto tips and tips directly care to explain how they ensure every single waiter who would get a share of the auto tip also gets some directly - so that whether they have been serving for breakfast, lunch (perhaps in the buffet) or dinner, they still get their share. The logistics of ensuring nobody misses out, through no fault of their own, have always seemed very challenging to me - especially, but not only, for Freedom Dining - so I'd like to know how it's done.

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I am not prepared to operate in a US manner. been there many times and will not tip if the food is awful or the service is awful.

 

Interestingly, was in London recently and was told by a friend that 15% is the normal tip in a restaurant. Well I don't agree, so I tip 10%.

Absolutely agree. When I was in America on business a few years ago, the food and service in a restaurant was so bad that a French colleague and I removed the tip from bill and left exactly the cost of the food and tax, as we left the manager chased after us and said that we had underpaid and when we said that the food and service was terrible and didn't justify a tip he threaten to call the police. We called his bluff and asked for seats whilst we waited for the police to arrive at which he asked us to go and never come back.

 

I also invariably leave 10% in restaurants at home.

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We have just returned from 2 weeks on Britannia and found the service levels to be very good, with the sole exception of the Crows Nest where on two occasions I got fed up waiting to be served so went to the bar myself. Also, they said that they couldn't provide me with a beer that hadn't been chilled. First time ever in 11 cruises with P&O and an outrage that, alone, would warrant the removal of all auto gratuities!

 

Joking aside, service from all those who benefit from the auto gratuities was excellent (including waiting staff in the Meridian Freedom Dining restaurant) and I happily paid the auto gratuity, even though it cost me £336 for 4 persons. In fact, sucker that I am, I also gave our steward an extra £60 as he was working like a Trojan cleaning soot off the balcony as well as the extra cleaning inside (also soot related) and was at great pains to stress that the various problems we had experienced were not of his making!

 

I would very much prefer it if prices were increased and auto gratuities scrapped, but given how hard the staff who receive it work, for less than the UK minimum wage, I can't bring myself to remove it unless service has been poor which, sadly, has been the case previously, but not on my most recent cruises on Britannia or Aurora.

 

Final thought. Those of us who frequent this forum probably have a greater understanding of the mechanics of auto gratuities and pay them, or remove them, based upon reasoned argument. The problem with the current system is that many people, particularly those new to cruising, simply don't understand them and purely see it as an additional cost. Last week, in a lift on Britannia, I heard a Uni student telling her Dad that she had removed her auto gratuity and he loudly proclaimed "Quite right. You are a student after all. It's ridiculous". I decided not to mention that one of my daughters is also a Uni student and I had paid her auto gratuity.

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Yes, wholeheartedly agree that it should be included in the price and not referred to at all. Only thing is, if they do that, then people will revert to envelopes just like we always did in the past! I have spoken to a few others who have paid the auto tip, but then still feel they have to tip with an envelope on the last night, so its much easier our way. We pay the suggested tips, we just do it in envelopes.

 

Dai, sorry it was on Fred that they removed the wine waiters and the table waiters dealtl with the wine. We were actually on tips and wine included, so they just poured house wine for us on our table. With the tips included, yes you've guessed it, we will gave some in an envelope!!

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We've always experienced fabulous service with attentive and friendly staff, so we've left the auto tips on. Then on top of that we tip the cabin steward as, for example, we saw them every day earlier in the year, he was always chatty and asking how we were, how they could help etc etc and couldn't be better. As we're always on freedom and have different waiters each night we use the auto tips to leave our bit for the waiters.

 

If we'd received bad service though, I'd possibly reduce them or take them off. To me it's all about the context of the situation - I was a waiter during uni; I've worked with the public, and I understand everyone who works with the public has off days and mistakes occasionally which (due to their job) is on show, so unless it was consistent I wouldn't do anything.

 

I do see the point of tipping individually - but it just seems like a bit of a hassle when you're on holiday to me.

 

Just my two cents :)

 

Dan

 

 

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Thanks for the replies, of course someone assumes it is to save money but this a reflection on them as we would give out far more than we would save as we have no problem with tipping when it is deserved.

 

Anyway I feel reassured that Britannia might have a happier staff, we are Freedom Dining and it is a lot easier to leave the auto gratuities so that is what we will do.

 

IMHO, I believe it is best to keep the auto tip ON and NOT tip any extra as you go. The auto tips pay people who you don't see and will never see. If you take these off, THEY get stiffed and still work very hard for the passengers. If you have pre-paid the tips, no one should feel awkward or guilty for not tipping additional $ at end of cruise. Especially if service all around was poor.

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We have just returned from 2 weeks on Britannia and found the service levels to be very good, with the sole exception of the Crows Nest where on two occasions I got fed up waiting to be served so went to the bar myself.

 

Same cruise, same issue in the Crows Nest, completely ignored on a number of occasions.

 

I think the issue is that it has a bit of a multi functional use. Some people just want to read a book or snooze, however this was early evening and long past beer o'clock so they should really have been on the ball. That aside minor criticism as overall the service was excellent but not in anyway overbearing. I guess they have issues in addressing that fine line between what might considered to be hassling you or not.

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IMHO, I believe it is best to keep the auto tip ON and NOT tip any extra as you go. The auto tips pay people who you don't see and will never see. If you take these off, THEY get stiffed and still work very hard for the passengers. If you have pre-paid the tips, no one should feel awkward or guilty for not tipping additional $ at end of cruise. Especially if service all around was poor.

Sorry that is not true for P&O. Only goes to cabin steward, waiters and small amount to the head waiter and the butlers.

 

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IMHO, I believe it is best to keep the auto tip ON and NOT tip any extra as you go. The auto tips pay people who you don't see and will never see. If you take these off, THEY get stiffed and still work very hard for the passengers. If you have pre-paid the tips, no one should feel awkward or guilty for not tipping additional $ at end of cruise. Especially if service all around was poor.

 

I used to believe that until we discovered who gets the auto tips --- they are the people we ' don't see' and sadly if a cabin steward doesn't get 100% their tips are not allocated. (NOT your choice but P&O's decision despite what service you get).

 

I object to paying hundreds of pounds in tips (and then additional tips to say a special thank you to individuals) when others pay nothing. Is it me, or is this really not right and a system that needs reviewing????

 

Last year ALL of our OBC for 2 weeks went on auto tips, and we then paid about £100 extra as special thank yous. Why they didn't just say it was free gratuities I will never know as the days on the ship equalled the gratuities.

 

There has to be a point when customers have to say that this is not acceptable in the UK market. We really are not interested in the USA market -- this is the GB market and we will 'go with the US flow' next year as appropriate on Celebrity.

 

We are not mean, we are not just looking for a way out of paying extra, we DO value the crew and have made many friends over the years. We just feel that in the past we have been taken for a ride and no more ....... our cruises cost us thousands and a sizeable chunk of our annual income. Like many others, we are not a bottomless pit of money.

 

Chunter over ----

 

This time next week --- Southampton.

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We have just returned from 2 weeks on Britannia and found the service levels to be very good, with the sole exception of the Crows Nest where on two occasions I got fed up waiting to be served so went to the bar myself. Also, they said that they couldn't provide me with a beer that hadn't been chilled. First time ever in 11 cruises with P&O and an outrage that, alone, would warrant the removal of all auto gratuities!

 

Joking aside, service from all those who benefit from the auto gratuities was excellent (including waiting staff in the Meridian Freedom Dining restaurant) and I happily paid the auto gratuity, even though it cost me £336 for 4 persons. In fact, sucker that I am, I also gave our steward an extra £60 as he was working like a Trojan cleaning soot off the balcony as well as the extra cleaning inside (also soot related) and was at great pains to stress that the various problems we had experienced were not of his making!

 

I would very much prefer it if prices were increased and auto gratuities scrapped, but given how hard the staff who receive it work, for less than the UK minimum wage, I can't bring myself to remove it unless service has been poor which, sadly, has been the case previously, but not on my most recent cruises on Britannia or Aurora.

 

Final thought. Those of us who frequent this forum probably have a greater understanding of the mechanics of auto gratuities and pay them, or remove them, based upon reasoned argument. The problem with the current system is that many people, particularly those new to cruising, simply don't understand them and purely see it as an additional cost. Last week, in a lift on Britannia, I heard a Uni student telling her Dad that she had removed her auto gratuity and he loudly proclaimed "Quite right. You are a student after all. It's ridiculous". I decided not to mention that one of my daughters is also a Uni student and I had paid her auto gratuity.

Do a lot of these students not take waitressing jobs part time to pay their way?and do they expect tips?.

Children are included in auto tips as well as retired people.

We always auto pay on P&O and we are part retired.

Right or wrong it is the best way and TBH P&O are probably the cheapest line for tips anyway and IMO the crew deserve it.

 

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I used to believe that until we discovered who gets the auto tips --- they are the people we ' don't see' and sadly if a cabin steward doesn't get 100% their tips are not allocated. (NOT your choice but P&O's decision despite what service you get).

 

 

 

I object to paying hundreds of pounds in tips (and then additional tips to say a special thank you to individuals) when others pay nothing. Is it me, or is this really not right and a system that needs reviewing????

 

 

 

Last year ALL of our OBC for 2 weeks went on auto tips, and we then paid about £100 extra as special thank yous. Why they didn't just say it was free gratuities I will never know as the days on the ship equalled the gratuities.

 

 

 

There has to be a point when customers have to say that this is not acceptable in the UK market. We really are not interested in the USA market -- this is the GB market and we will 'go with the US flow' next year as appropriate on Celebrity.

 

 

 

We are not mean, we are not just looking for a way out of paying extra, we DO value the crew and have made many friends over the years. We just feel that in the past we have been taken for a ride and no more ....... our cruises cost us thousands and a sizeable chunk of our annual income. Like many others, we are not a bottomless pit of money.

 

 

 

Chunter over ----

 

 

 

This time next week --- Southampton.

 

 

 

Sorry part of this is misinformation. It is quite clear who gets the tips and it is only those people you would have tipped before. Not any of the backroom staff.

 

 

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I just love it when someone makes an assumption that people who remove the auto tips are mean or trying to reduce the amount. We have done both, left the auto on and also removed it. These days, we remove it and pay our tips direct. Mostly because on the last night, everyone at the table used an envelope except us when we left the auto tips on. Somewhat embarrassing. So we now do it the old way and prefer it. I await comments that we like the master/servant thing which is also a load of tosh. I tip my hairdresser. I tip taxi drivers. I tip waiters in a restaurant. What's the difference.

 

I seem to remember you saying on another thread about tipping that the only time you left the auto tips on was when you had a lot of OBC. Why was that?

Anyhow like a lot of people I get sick of reading these threads because they just annoy me. However like the OP I’m also considering whether to remove the tips on our next cruise. I really wish they would just include them in the price of the cruise but I’m sure we all know why they won’t

Like Presto 2 the main reason I’m considering removing the auto tips is because a lot of people pay nothing.

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Sorry part of this is misinformation. It is quite clear who gets the tips and it is only those people you would have tipped before. Not any of the backroom staff.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I agree - but a lot of us have been thinking that the behind the scenes staff were getting the tips, like the engineers etc and to remove auto tips would be unkind to them. Well, since we've learned that this is rubbish it has made us think again. We now know who gets these auto tips and it is the same people that we gave additional tips to at about £100 or more.

 

I really do not think that it is clear at all --- or it has not been clear.

 

Anyway, we will make sure that we take our auto gratuities in cash and give out as we go to those who deserve them.

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Just leave them on and be thankful that P&O are so cheap. We are doing 35 nights on QM2 next year and leaving auto tipping on is going to cost us around 900 dollars. That's a lot especially when all on board purchases get whacked with another 15% as well. P&O pax, thank your lucky stars and pay up. It's less than just about every other line.

 

 

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Sorry part of this is misinformation. It is quite clear who gets the tips and it is only those people you would have tipped before. Not any of the backroom staff.

 

 

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So if P&O can properly pay backroom staff and some customer facing staff (reception, entertainment, etc), why select two groups (waiters and stewards) for the Victorian 'tips' treatment.

 

There is one reason; profit.

 

My objection is the hidden nature of P&O's service charge. It is not revealed at ANY point in the booking process. That is not the case with all Carnival companies where some do mention it on the final 'pay' screen.

 

Now I know people will respond with "everyone knows there are tips/service charges on cruise ships", to which I will respond - nonsense and irrelevant.

 

I expect companies I deal with to be honest and in this respect P&O fail miserably.

 

It is no wonder people respond to P&O's sneaky behaviour by removing this substantial hidden charge.

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We have decided since our last P&O cruise (where our cabin steward and waiters had no spark at all and were just going through the motions) that we are going to remove the autotip and tip ourselves in envelopes (the old way). The autotip is not a tipping system, it is a service charge and nothing to do with the level of service received. Just our opinion but I'm sure that others do the same.

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I have always been an advocate for leaving the auto tip in place, because I felt this ensured that the hotel staff received a reasonable wage. However P&O continue to tell us that this is to reward the good service we get, but unfortunately quite often this is not the case.

Consequently I am coming round to the idea that P&O should increase fare prices to allow them to pay all staff a fair wage (not excessive) and then leave it to passengers to reward those that they believe have provided that extra special service, either in cash or even by just giving them a high rating on the end of cruise questionnaire; which would enable P&O to reward their high achievers. I feel sure that this would incentivise the hotel staff and lead to far higher overall service standards.

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We always leave auto tips in place. We never tip on top. However I believe we make very little mess in the cabin, so the room steward does not have to do a lot to keep it spick and span. We are always polite and cheerful and chat to any staff ,who wish to. We use the final questionnaire to decide...we once had a lady that we were constantly have to chase up for towels etc...a pretty basic thing to replemish..however she would take them and not leave replacements. She did not get the highest scores.

We all wish they would include in the price..however they choose not to. Thing is if you are a new cruisers it is not always spelt out in single words. However it is less a shock on pando than it is on other lines.

I do not tie myself in knots over the whole thing. On our next cruise we will be on a table with others (usually have 2 tops) .Even if on the last night they are all waving envelopes about we will get up and leave, say goodnight and thank you..but will not feel obliged to press anything into their hands. Most of the time they are too busy running around anyway for me to even find them.

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I agree - but a lot of us have been thinking that the behind the scenes staff were getting the tips, like the engineers etc and to remove auto tips would be unkind to them. Well, since we've learned that this is rubbish it has made us think again. We now know who gets these auto tips and it is the same people that we gave additional tips to at about £100 or more.

 

I really do not think that it is clear at all --- or it has not been clear.

 

Anyway, we will make sure that we take our auto gratuities in cash and give out as we go to those who deserve them.

 

Yes but the back room crew, engineers etc, get paid on a different pay scale. We have been told that by many of our cabin stewards. The auto tips go to those on the lower pay scales, those that are assumed will get tips, so removing the auto tips and then also not giving them anything means they receive practically nothing.

 

Unfortunately this is the case on all cruise lines and I just wish like many others on here that they all got a decent wage even if this means our cruise will cost slightly more then you wouldn't have to worry about the whole tip debate and we wouldn't be subsidising those that don't tip at all. ( as is proved by the tips constantly going up)

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I seem to remember you saying on another thread about tipping that the only time you left the auto tips on was when you had a lot of OBC. Why was that?

Anyhow like a lot of people I get sick of reading these threads because they just annoy me. However like the OP I’m also considering whether to remove the tips on our next cruise. I really wish they would just include them in the price of the cruise but I’m sure we all know why they won’t

Like Presto 2 the main reason I’m considering removing the auto tips is because a lot of people pay nothing.

 

Yes, the system is grossly unfair, the cruise lines refuse to make it fair, and most continue to encourage them by continuing to pay up. In a perfect world there would be a mass boycott of auto tips to force the issue.

 

David.

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I was on Britannia last Christmas for a 2 week cruise which can cater for up to 3647 people Charges at the time were £5 per day per passenger except children under 12. So for example take off 647 children which reached no where near that level but makes the maths easier. 3000 x 14 x 5 equals £210,000 per cruise. Usually about 1350 crew which means that each should get about £155 per 2 week cruise. If you look at what generally a cabin would pay about £140 per 2 week cruise than each cabin pays for 1 crew members gratuity.

 

Now forget the maths I would rather that each crew member was paid a reasonable wage and that cruise liners charge prices to match that ideal. If I should then wish to tip an individual I would do so, also for those forgotten people who do not always get any praise there should be a central place where you can contribute cash for sharing if you feel that inclination.

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