Tipping on P and O

[Tablelamp]

Now that the automatic gratuities have stopped, are passengers still tipping the waiters and room Stewards?

[Selbourne]

1 minute ago, Tablelamp said:

Now that the automatic gratuities have stopped, are passengers still tipping the waiters and room Stewards?

 

Many will continue to do so, yes, to reward exceptional service, but there is no requirement whatsoever to do so.

 

Perhaps now that I have answered the question this thread could be closed? We don’t need more tipping threads with the same tired comments that come up every single time this question is asked. Perhaps I live in hope.....

[Harry Peterson]

Actually, I think it's a fair question, given the changed policy - and I'm genuinely unsure as to what to do.

 

Logically, there's now no need to tip anybody at all, including butlers and those who bring room service food to the cabins - and that would probably be the line I'll be taking.

 

Are we all taking that approach or will some continue to tip?

[Tom Baker]

I'll still be tipping for service above and beyond the norm, just as I have always done

[Harry Peterson]

7 minutes ago, Tom Baker said:

I'll still be tipping for service above and beyond the norm, just as I have always done

How do you feel about room service?

[Tom Baker]

I'll NOT be tipping room service per se (as the charge covers the tray) unless we get a friendly soul who engages, smiles and gets the order right 🙏 then he/she will be tipped accordingly

[majortom10]

We recently cruised on Britannia and was the first cruise where tips were included and we noticed no lowering of standards in service or cleaning of cabin and we didnt tip any more than what was included in fare. We would have tipped if we thought any member of staff had gone further than the norm but felt that the room was cleaned and meals served at dinner was not above the norm. The one thing that we didnt notice that we found interesting seeing as it was the first cruise without tips being added to your account or people paying in cash is that a pile of envelopes appeared on reception at end of cruise. If people carry on "tipping" in cash on top I see in 12 months time where the fares or some charges onboard will have increased to cover the removal of auto gratuities then it will be expected and be the norm that staff think they should receive cash tips as a right and we will in effect paying twice.

[Windsurfboy]

I agree with Majortom. I always paid the tip in full never opted out. My view was that this entitled me to a high level of service. Only when service exceeded these high standards that I  expected for example they went out of their way in some way or other , did I give an additional cash tip. I will continue with that policy.

[Port out]

Recently returned from a 14 night cruise and my tips amounted to £250 between cabin steward, butler, waiters and the odd tip to bars staff. I feel comfortable about this, it makes me happy and the those on the receiving end, happy.  It is fair to say that many folk were not tipping as they left the restaurant and there is no obligation to do so. If they are comfortable about walking away without tipping, then that's fine by me, each to their own is my stand on the matter.

[Denarius]

Today I recieved a postal advertisment from P&O which made a selling point of not needing to tip at the end of the cruise. It would concern me if tipping envelopes were being distributed onboard as this seems to run contrary to P&Os avowed intentions, and could lead to passengers feeling morally obliged to tip despite this no longer being expected.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Denarius

[Harry Peterson]

24 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Today I recieved a postal advertisment from P&O which made a selling point of not needing to tip at the end of the cruise. It would concern me if tipping envelopes were being distributed onboard as this seems to run contrary to P&Os avowed intentions, and could lead to passengers feeling morally obliged to tip despite this no longer being expected.

I'd be very surprised if that happened - it's extremely unlikely that there'd be any form of organised tipping.  But you can't stop individuals from tipping if they choose to, of course.

[dazlight]

For me in England and anywhere I go on holiday. I get served at a bar quicker I tip, my local I tip, restaurants the service is good I tip. Will be no different on the cruise. 

[daiB]

It is quite noticeable on other forums that people are unclear about what has happened, not the case on this forum.

 

Many think that auto tips have finished and so they will go back to the old system. It seems not to matter how often they are told that tipping has stopped, not just auto tipping. 

 

Personally i will tip the amount i would have when auto tips were on and I left them.  So a little thank you.  

[majortom10]

54 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Today I recieved a postal advertisment from P&O which made a selling point of not needing to tip at the end of the cruise. It would concern me if tipping envelopes were being distributed onboard as this seems to run contrary to P&Os avowed intentions, and could lead to passengers feeling morally obliged to tip despite this no longer being expected.

Tipping envelopes were not distributed like they used to be in your cabin before auto gratuities but a pile put on reception last few days which I suppose for those at their discretion wanted to tip extra. Personally I think those that pay the same amount as was taken in auto gratuity are, like I said paying twice, and will result in staff expecting off everybody in the future.

[majortom10]

13 minutes ago, daiB said:

It is quite noticeable on other forums that people are unclear about what has happened, not the case on this forum.

 

Many think that auto tips have finished and so they will go back to the old system. It seems not to matter how often they are told that tipping has stopped, not just auto tipping. 

 

Personally i will tip the amount i would have when auto tips were on and I left them.  So a little thank you.  

£200 for a couple on a 14nt cruise on top of price increases which P&O will hide in cruise fares or onboard prices in the future so that they are not out of pocket by including gratuities is by no means a "little thank you".

[Presto2]

We will as we would in any restaurant / bar at home when we leave a tip :-)

[daiB]

 

17 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

£200 for a couple on a 14nt cruise on top of price increases which P&O will hide in cruise fares or onboard prices in the future so that they are not out of pocket by including gratuities is by no means a "little thank you".

I did mean the extra tip £10 to £30 for the cabin steward depending on length of the cruise as an example.

Edited June 19, 2019 by daiB

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Denarius said:

Today I recieved a postal advertisment from P&O which made a selling point of not needing to tip at the end of the cruise. It would concern me if tipping envelopes were being distributed onboard as this seems to run contrary to P&Os avowed intentions, and could lead to passengers feeling morally obliged to tip despite this no longer being expected.

I wonder if this is the crews decision to try to get cash by guilt tripping people who always tip.

We recently got off a RCCL ship and paid autogratuities but still received envelopes for if we wanted to reward crew even more.

[Mewat]

We just have just returned from a fortnight on Ventura and we gave tips to our cabin steward, waiters and wine waiter - though not so much as was recommended in the past by P&O.

 

We did notice that several people were also handing their waiters envelopes in the restaurant on the last evening.

 

Michele

[hansol1966]

We have always paid the auto tip on Cunard and P&O but no more than that, to me this devised hopefully to help service crew. We booked a suite on Brittania to the fjords a few weeks ago with the new tips included, on this cruise our butler was fantastic. He managed to get us seats for the Limelight club when it was sold out with a large booth to ourselves with great views. My son 34 is disabled and was brought many times what he wanted from the lunch and dinner menu plus any drinks from the bar, menus were left daily. Any room service was marked suite with no charge. Excellent service and we tipped him so. 

[AndyMichelle]

18 hours ago, Tablelamp said:

Now that the automatic gratuities have stopped, are passengers still tipping the waiters and room Stewards?

Ignoring the other comments for a moment, the simple answer is yes on board Aurora at the moment.

Rightly or wrongly, passengers still feel they want to tip.

We seem to be discussing this at dinner most nights. We are on a table with a couple of newbies and others with 85 plus cruises behind them and us relatively new but have done quite a few.

The general feeling is that our service has been exceptional, so we want to reward this.

If people don't want to tip, then they don't have to, but I will as I would in a restaurant at home.

Good service I will tip, poor service I wouldn't.

Andy

[majortom10]

So in effect it has been a good move by P&O they get good publicity by announcing "tips included" they then increase prices of either cruise fare or onboard prices in the future to make sure they are not out of pocket by removing £7pppd and then staff are receiving tips in cash from people in envelopes because they feel they have too. So its a win win for P&O and their staff and a big lose for cruisers because they are now paying one way or another gratuities twice. Cannot help thinking it would have been better keeping it as it was with auto gratuity as I do not believe when that was added to their onboard account they then paid extra at the end of the cruise in cash.

[Harry Peterson]

Pretty clearly then quite a few people are continuing to tip, despite the fact that tips are now included in the price.  I've no views on that whatever - it's a matter of personal choice what people choose to tip, as it always was.

 

Personally, I wouldn't tip in a restaurant where a service charge had been added, and most people, I think, don't.  This is a rather different situation, though, because most P&O staff are paid a small fraction of the UK minimum wage and top-ups by passengers do help make things a little fairer.

 

 

[Tablelamp]

 My sentiments exactly.  Good Service = Good tip.   Bad Service = No tip.    A couple of years ago, we had such poor ‘Set Dining’ service from the waiters  -  taking the ‘micky’  etc.  By putting the cutlery in odd places.  (This was the first time this has ever happened) that I removed my gratuities, tipped the cabin steward and various others and left no tip for the waiters.   All of our table of six did the same.   I would have reported them but had no wish to get them into trouble.  Hopefully, they got the message.

[AndyMichelle]

26 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

So in effect it has been a good move by P&O they get good publicity by announcing "tips included" they then increase prices of either cruise fare or onboard prices in the future to make sure they are not out of pocket by removing £7pppd and then staff are receiving tips in cash from people in envelopes because they feel they have too. So its a win win for P&O and their staff and a big lose for cruisers because they are now paying one way or another gratuities twice. Cannot help thinking it would have been better keeping it as it was with auto gratuity as I do not believe when that was added to their onboard account they then paid extra at the end of the cruise in cash.

I think you are confusing passengers feeling they have to tip and passengers wanting to tip...

I certainly don't feel I have to, but feel I want to.

I would happily not tip if I didn't want to, nobody is making me feel like I should.

Andy