P and O tip policy

[leebarnfield2003]

Hi.

 

Can tips be opted out completely on P and O ships?

 

Thanks

 

Leeb 

[Josy1953]

Yes, at the moment and in May they will be abolished

[pete14]

3 hours ago, leebarnfield2003 said:

Hi.

 

Can tips be opted out completely on P and O ships?

 

Thanks

 

Leeb 

 

Yes you can opt out but I think most that do this, prefer to decide how much they want to tip rather than having it decided for them. I am not suggesting that you are thinking of paying no tips at all but the few that do this are being unfair to those who work so hard to make their cruise even more memorable. When they are phased out in May 2019, presumably the terms of the staff’s contract will be changed to reflect that tipping is not required at all. 

[hooked-cruiser]

Just go to the desk and fill in the form and it is done>

[leebarnfield2003]

I just think is is bizarre to commit to tips, before any service has been received.

 

You wouldn't tip a waiter in a restaurant, before you ate your meal. 

 

I'll decide what level of tips I wish to give and give appropriately. 

 

Leeb

[john watson]

I do not see how you can opt out of something which is not done after tips have been abolished in May.  I should think up until then it will be possible.

 

Regards John

[ONT-CA]

Surely the decision to abolish mandatory daily tip charges would have best been announced at the commencement of the policy.  I foresee the pursers' desk being clamoured with passenger requests to withhold automatic tipping knowing full well that the policy is to be abolished in a few months.  We look forward to having gratuities ( gratuity. : something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service) restored.  

[ozzysdad]

5 hours ago, pete14 said:

 

Yes you can opt out but I think most that do this, prefer to decide how much they want to tip rather than having it decided for them. I am not suggesting that you are thinking of paying no tips at all but the few that do this are being unfair to those who work so hard to make their cruise even more memorable. When they are phased out in May 2019, presumably the terms of the staff’s contract will be changed to reflect that tipping is not required at all. 

If you don't pay auto gratuities the staff are no worse off, in fact if you pay them personally they are actually better off because they can keep the full amount the only way you can affect someone's wage is by marking them down on the questionnaire you are asked to fill in at the end of the cruise.

[dorsetlad]

Hooray, I was beginning to miss the many threads about tipping.😨😨😨😨😨😨

[davecttr]

Here's me thinking the tips debate was consigned to history, maybe it will be from May. Perhaps we will have shiny new discussions about how much to tip on a ship where tipping is not required or expected.

[kalos]

 

"It's back !   Tips on Tips, Tips about Tips.  All aboard the Magic Roundabout, you can even bring your PG Tips." 

Said Zebedee. 

Edited January 19, 2019 by kalos

[leebarnfield2003]

Thanks to those who took the time to give sensible answers.

 

The others..........

 

 

Leeb

 

 

[gazzas127]

Maybe after May a compulsory service charge will be brought in so the company does not lose out !!

[john watson]

41 minutes ago, gazzas127 said:

Maybe after May a compulsory service charge will be brought in so the company does not lose out !!

 

I think if this happens it will not be announced.  The cruise fares will simply be increased by the appropriate amount.

 

Regards John

[daiB]

1 hour ago, john watson said:

 

I think if this happens it will not be announced.  The cruise fares will simply be increased by the appropriate amount.

 

Regards John

Cruise fares with P&O are now entirely driven by sales of each cruise. If it is selling well and above expectations then prices will go up. And conversely if the cruise is not selling well then the price goes down.

 

It is noticeable that very few prices go down. People will never know where the difference is made up. 

 

The extra bookings made because tips tips are not required could well cover any extra cost.

[john watson]

2 minutes ago, daiB said:

Cruise fares with P&O are now entirely driven by sales of each cruise. If it is selling well and above expectations then prices will go up. And conversely if the cruise is not selling well then the price goes down.

 

It is noticeable that very few prices go down. People will never know where the difference is made up. 

 

The extra bookings made because tips tips are not required could well cover any extra cost.

 

Aren't the ships nearly always full to capacity?  I am thinking "extra bookings" might not be a big number.  

 

Regards John

[P-L-B]

30 minutes ago, daiB said:

Cruise fares with P&O are now entirely driven by sales of each cruise. If it is selling well and above expectations then prices will go up. And conversely if the cruise is not selling well then the price goes down.

 

It is noticeable that very few prices go down. People will never know where the difference is made up. 

 

The extra bookings made because tips tips are not required could well cover any extra cost.

I was going to make the very same point daiB.

This is certainly the hope of P&O if the wording in all the sales info sent to us is anything to go by.

After any normal discounts or offers available.

they state.

Quote.

Plus

"Savings when we remove the service charge in May 2019"

 

I am sure this will be considered as a positive selling point by many.

Edited January 23, 2019 by P-L-B

[john watson]

I thought the current situation is that everybody gets charged for gratuities but some cancel them.  This leaves a shortfall in anticipated income for staff.  P&O underwrite the shortfall and make good.  If this is the case depending on what proportion of people opt out would give P&O either a small or a big bill.  If currently a lot of people are opting out P&O would be paying a large amount.  If they scrap gratuities this bill would not be a lot different for example paying 100% instead of the previous 75%.

 

Regards John

[Daftlad]

When the auto tip was introduced, I went along with the concept in as much that as far as I was concerned, the cabin steward and your MDR table stewards were rewarded direct from the company and not from the person themselves. So the status quo was maintained.

With the increase in popularity of freedom dining, you would rarely get the same set of waiting staff, so the "bond" if you can call it that, with the dining room staff over the length of the cruise is no longer there, and it was this "bond" that was the basis of the reward.

Now that is no longer appropriate, for the first time now, I am wavering towards cancelling the auto tip and just rewarding the cabin steward direct in cash. 

I always understood that the bar and waiting staff were taken care of within the price of the drinks so my removal of auto tipping should not affect them.

Maybe I have lived in Yorkshire too long now, but I feel for my next cruise in a few weeks I will join the queue of shame at reception at the commencement of the cruise.

 

[dorsetlad]

7 minutes ago, Daftlad said:

When the auto tip was introduced, I went along with the concept in as much that as far as I was concerned, the cabin steward and your MDR table stewards were rewarded direct from the company and not from the person themselves. So the status quo was maintained.

With the increase in popularity of freedom dining, you would rarely get the same set of waiting staff, so the "bond" if you can call it that, with the dining room staff over the length of the cruise is no longer there, and it was this "bond" that was the basis of the reward.

Now that is no longer appropriate, for the first time now, I am wavering towards cancelling the auto tip and just rewarding the cabin steward direct in cash. 

I always understood that the bar and waiting staff were taken care of within the price of the drinks so my removal of auto tipping should not affect them.

Maybe I have lived in Yorkshire too long now, but I feel for my next cruise in a few weeks I will join the queue of shame at reception at the commencement of the cruise.

 

No shame at all.

[AnnieC]

53 minutes ago, Daftlad said:

When the auto tip was introduced, I went along with the concept in as much that as far as I was concerned, the cabin steward and your MDR table stewards were rewarded direct from the company and not from the person themselves. So the status quo was maintained.

With the increase in popularity of freedom dining, you would rarely get the same set of waiting staff, so the "bond" if you can call it that, with the dining room staff over the length of the cruise is no longer there, and it was this "bond" that was the basis of the reward.

Now that is no longer appropriate, for the first time now, I am wavering towards cancelling the auto tip and just rewarding the cabin steward direct in cash. 

I always understood that the bar and waiting staff were taken care of within the price of the drinks so my removal of auto tipping should not affect them.

Maybe I have lived in Yorkshire too long now, but I feel for my next cruise in a few weeks I will join the queue of shame at reception at the commencement of the cruise.

No need to feel embarrassed about it - we started taking the tips off a while ago when we heard from an impeccable source that P&O (and Cunard) made up the difference to the crew themselves and that the crew could keep tips given in cash. We then gave cash tips, which benefited the staff, and cost us the same, but we could aim them at those who had gone above and beyond.

 

We never join a "queue of shame". Tend to pop down to reception towards the end of the cruise, often on a port day when it's quiet. 

[majortom10]

Having read a recent newspaper article with regards to "fat cat" CEO of big companies and how much they receive compared to the average worker in the same company to read that the CEO of Carnival plc  earns approx £10 million pounds a year.  I think the game is over with historical stories from cruise lines about its "tradition" that gratuities should be given to staff because they rely on them to get a decent wage when its plainly obvious that senior management in the cruise companies and even management onboard cruise ships are very well rewarded with pay and expect the customer to pay the general workers wages through their tips for one reason only and that is so they dont have too and increase company profits.

[emam]

Wow, that is a lot of money for one man. Probably more than all the cabin stewards and waiters in the whole company get.