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Tips for Americans on Tipping in Cunard's Queens Grille Restaurant


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25 minutes ago, ToadOfToadHall said:

Do crew members have to pay rent, for food, council tax, gas and electric bills, and so on ? 

If they are supporting families at home, yes they do.

Even if not, they still need somewhere to live/store their belongings when they're not at sea.

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Unless someone can say with a hundred per cent accuracy [and then I'd want to know what his/her authority is] the how, what and where talk about crew or staff wages must be considered conjecture. What a shame no one actually knows, but, why spoil a good debate on something no one seems to have accurate knowledge of.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Whilst there is this uncertainty about what happens to crew wages if we don't pay auto tips, then only safe course is,  for all to pay. 

 

 

P&O have stopped auto gratuities and now extensively advertise as "no tips" which is a great publicity pitch. I have no doubt the auto gratuities will be swallowed up in other costs i.e. increase in fares but at least its fair and everybody will be paying their share and surely is the way forward.

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1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Whilst there is this uncertainty about what happens to crew wages if we don't pay auto tips, then only safe course is,  for all to pay. 

 

 

I don’t consider it any of my business what crew wages are. I will continue to pay the service autograt charge and hope one day, it will become integral to the fare paid.

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On 8/6/2019 at 9:36 AM, Pennbank said:

As "Cunard "make up the difference to an agreed maximum limit with staff when auto service charge is taken off at Pursers desk

It is better to take the service charge off and  use that cash towards tipping your Steward (ess)   /Restaurant Team  . 

The Bar staff I am lead to believe receive the Service Charge which is added to each drink and a percentage from the all inclusive, when purchased.

That way the staff win and you know your are not actually tipping 'Carnival' or the non tippers.

 

I'd be delighted to learn on whose information/authority  you have based your opening sentence...

 

"As Cunard make up the difference to an agreed maximum limit with staff when auto service charge is taken off at Pursers desk.

 

Or does it also come under the heading 'I am lead to believe'?

Edited by Solent Richard
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On 8/6/2019 at 12:16 PM, majortom10 said:

You are already paying a higher auto gratuity in QG than so why think about paying more. 

 

On my recent 'cruise' onboard Queen Victoria, in Princess Grill,  I adjusted our Grills auto gratuity rate on the simple premise that it was unfair to subsidise those staying in Queens Grill.

 

😈

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1. I am American.

2. It's unrealistic to pay American gratuities on a foreign vessel with foreign crew.

3. My server in the Queens Grill comes from a country where the average monthly wage is $300.

4. My assistant waiter in the Queens Grill comes from a country where the average monthly wage is $325 a month.

 

No one should be expected o pay American wages because the pay scales are so different. 

 

 

Cruise staff work so hard on cruise ships, because even with auto gratuities of $3-$4/day per passenger they are earning far more than they could back home. You should not feel bad about leaving the auto gratuity and nothing more. All the service people who took care of me were on their 6th-20th contracts. They keep coming back for a reason! The pay is good compared to what they could earn back home.

 

That much being said on my 9 day cruise this summer, I gave out a lot of additional gratuities:

 

 Head Waiter    

Waiter               

Asst. Waiter      

Sommelier         

Grills Bartender  

2nd Head Waiter 

Butler                   

Asst. butler   

 

These are people who I believe went above and beyond to make our cruise special. I wanted to let them know that. However, some people did nothing extra special for us. For example,  I did not tip the Maître 'D whom I hardly saw in 9 days. 

 

I guess I'll wrap by saying as long as you're leaving the auto gratuity, you should not feel bad about gratuities. You've don the right thing.  But I have to tell you it felt really good to see the staff smile when I handed out those envelopes!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 8/12/2019 at 5:16 AM, Solent Richard said:

 

On my recent 'cruise' onboard Queen Victoria, in Princess Grill,  I adjusted our Grills auto gratuity rate on the simple premise that it was unfair to subsidise those staying in Queens Grill.

 

😈

How were you subsidising those of us in the Queen's Grill?  I'm lost.😕

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14 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

How were you subsidising those of us in the Queen's Grill?  I'm lost.😕

 

Good morning Mr Marklin.

 

Pretty easy to answer really and I'm pleased you asked the question. 

 

The auto gratuity for the Grills is currently $13.50 per guest whether one is staying in Princess or Queens.

 

As the gratuity is basically designed for service given I consider that the service received by Princess Grill passengers is not equal to that received by Queens Grill passengers i.e. there is no 'butler' service for Princess Grill.

 

Cunard have clearly reiterated to whom the auto gratuities are given to and that includes butlers.

 

It's also interesting to note that passengers in Britannia Club, who receive an enhanced 'service' pay the same level of auto gratuity as those who dine Britannia.

 

By the way, I have sailed more often as a Queens Grill passenger than any other accommodation level combined: including 56 nights Southampton to Sydney.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Have a nice day.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Solent Richard
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On 8/9/2019 at 4:54 AM, exlondoner said:

 

Just leave the autotip on, and leave it at that. No more to worry about. 

 

 

Great advice.  I never even think about tipping.  The auto-gratuity takes away any need for guessing.  In over 130 cruises I've never removed the auto-gratuity and I've always tipped.  The staff works incredibly hard.  Even if I experience a one-off bad experience I'm not going to penalize everyone because of it.  If I receive service that is truly extraordinary, I'll leave a little extra in cash on top of the auto-gratuity.  It's not something I lose sleep over though and not something I always do.  In fact most of the time I feel the standard gratuity is sufficient, but there are occasions where a certain crew member really stands out and deserves a bit extra.   

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On 8/6/2019 at 11:04 AM, Windsurfboy said:

If only the world was like Japan , where staff get paid decent wages, and tipping is almost an insult.

 

But the proviso is staff get paid decent wages. 

 

When tipping becomes US style of almost a non discretionary charge, it is no longer a thank you .

 

I always pay the auto gratuity,  any more depends entirely on the service be extra special.

 

 

In Japan it IS an insult.  After a truly wonderful meal in Kyoto a colleague and I were literally chased to the door and the tip he had left was politely but firmly thrust back into his hand. 

 

The Ozzies have the right idea - pay people properly, expect reasonable performance and get uppity if things aren't right.  And yes, I've cruised New Zealand to Australia and the on board staff were every bit as good, accomodating and friendly as on any transatlantic voyage or cruise around Florida.

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1 hour ago, Chunky2219 said:

In Japan it IS an insult.  After a truly wonderful meal in Kyoto a colleague and I were literally chased to the door and the tip he had left was politely but firmly thrust back into his hand. 

 

The Ozzies have the right idea - pay people properly, expect reasonable performance and get uppity if things aren't right.  And yes, I've cruised New Zealand to Australia and the on board staff were every bit as good, accomodating and friendly as on any transatlantic voyage or cruise around Florida.

the thread is about on-board tipping.........re-guard less who's territorial waters you are in............  

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To anyone who is even remotely stressed at the thought of gratuity or tipping protocols on Cunard, but want to show their appreciation, just keep the auto grats on the account and forget about anything else.

 

Nothing more is required or expected. The fact other passengers do give extra is down to them, nothing to do with any other passenger,  and also possibly, experience but it is NOT expected.

 

So don't stress.

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1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

To anyone who is even remotely stressed at the thought of gratuity or tipping protocols on Cunard, but want to show their appreciation, just keep the auto grats on the account and forget about anything else.

 

Nothing more is required or expected. The fact other passengers do give extra is down to them, nothing to do with any other passenger,  and also possibly, experience but it is NOT expected.

 

So don't stress.

 

I completely agree.

 

Tipping abroad has nothing to do with what you tip at home, forget about what you tip at home, you should respect and follow the culture of the country you visit. 

 

However:   As cruise ships are everywhere and belong nowhere.  Sailing under flags of convenience , with crews from everywhere, there is no set culture to follow .That is why they introduced auto gratuities overcome this problem,  ( the other reason for auto gratuities being to tip those behind the scenes) . Please pay your auto gratuities,  but as Victoria2 said don't stress about any more. Any more is a completely private decision in recognition of something special. 

 

Victoria2 summed it up perfectly. 

 

Can I also add . Please don't tip cabin crew in advance.  They are allocated a set amount of time per cabin , just enough to get the job done if they work hard.  The number of cabins they have to look after is calculated to give them no spare time. Tipping them to spend extra time on your cabin , can only be at the expense of other passengers. If you want them to have time for the extra little details in your cabin then just help them by keeping it tidy.

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On 8/21/2019 at 10:55 PM, newjoisey said:

the thread is about on-board tipping.........re-guard less who's territorial waters you are in............  

 

 

Now............. there's the problem with reading only the part of the message that catches your eye and then reacting to a portion of it.

 

Read the quote again.  It starts with, " If only the world was like Japan , "  No territorial waters involved.

 

As for geographic details, we shared  a ship with loads of Ozzies (two of whom are now good friends).  Many were queuing 3 deep to cancel auto grats on day one but the staff couldn't have cared less if they were dealing with Americans or antipodeans - they were excellent regardless.

 

.

Edited by Chunky2219
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When sailing in one of the best suites at sea, as the OP in a Q2,  I certainly  don’t understand the question of gratuities.   If we are fortunate enough to sail in a Grill Suite, especially in Queens Grill, we usually give extra to folks who gave us good service.  When you pay tens of thousands of dollars for one sailing there should be no quibble about sharing your wealth with those who provided  good service without questioning their nationality.   

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On 8/8/2019 at 7:33 PM, frantic36 said:

 

 

The one thing I am dreading the most on my first cruise on Cunard is dealing with the tipping. 

 

 

 

There is nothing to dread and you don't even have to give it a second thought.  It's all done for you.  Just leave the auto-gratuity in place and you're done.  Nothing else to think about.  Gratuities for drinks, spa, and bottles of wine will be automatically added at the time of purchase.  Again nothing to think about.  Could not be easier or more effortless.  

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5 hours ago, Chunky2219 said:

 

 

Now............. there's the problem with reading only the part of the message that catches your eye and then reacting to a portion of it.

 

Read the quote again.  It starts with, " If only the world was like Japan , "  No territorial waters involved.

 

As for geographic details, we shared  a ship with loads of Ozzies (two of whom are now good friends).  Many were queuing 3 deep to cancel auto grats on day one but the staff couldn't have cared less if they were dealing with Americans or antipodeans - they were excellent regardless.

 

.

 

 

There is the saying "when in Rome".  If the country (or hotel/cruise ship) has a culture of tipping such as in the US then I tip (18-20%).  If it doesn't then I go with whatever the expected culture is in that country.  It's all part of traveling.  I don't begrudge one country for doing things differently than another.  It's just they way it is, and the differences are what makes the world go round.  People should not travel to other countries and expect it to be like their own, and try to change the rules to suit themselves.  In that case they should probably stay home.    

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3 hours ago, eroller said:

 

 

 

There is nothing to dread and you don't even have to give it a second thought.  It's all done for you.  Just leave the auto-gratuity in place and you're done.  Nothing else to think about.  Gratuities for drinks, spa, and bottles of wine will be automatically added at the time of purchase.  Again nothing to think about.  Could not be easier or more effortless.  

 

eroller, thank you for your reassurance. I had always planned to leave the auto-gratuity on but from reading I gather there is an expectation to tip the butler, stewardess and maitre d' at the end of cruise. That is the part that concerns me.

I would never tip at the beginning as I did once when I was a newbie cruiser on Crystal. She was the worst stewardess I have dealt with. I was too green to know to complain to housekeeping when she kept forgetting things and even told me off once for ordering breakfast in the morning not at night. I hadn't because I didn't feel seasick the night before.

 

This Australian follows the culture of where she is.The amount I tip depends on where I am visiting.

 

Julie

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12 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

eroller, thank you for your reassurance. I had always planned to leave the auto-gratuity on but from reading I gather there is an expectation to tip the butler, stewardess and maitre d' at the end of cruise. That is the part that concerns me.

 

 

 

The auto-gratuity on Cunard is shared among all the staff that serve you, and the amount is higher in the Grills to take into account the Maitre d' and butler, etc.   No additional cash tip is necessary or expected.  Some people do for service above and beyond the ordinary, but in no way do you need to feel obliged or pressured to do so.  That is a personal matter and no ones business but your own.  As I mentioned earlier, I don't give the tips a second thought on Cunard.  It's all taken care of with the auto-gratuity.  

 

I'll add for myself and husband, we are very low key and low maintenance.  In fact I don't like a lot of fuss being made and like my privacy.  Therefore we when have had a butler, we never used them.  In fact we have had them beg for us to give them something to do!  LOL.  If I were the type to use the butler frequently, to unpack, pack, to make reservations, to host cocktail parties, etc I would probably leave him/her some extra cash.   Otherwise I think the auto-gratuity is sufficient.  

Edited by eroller
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We have travelled with Cunard on a number of occasions and always left the auto-gratuity on.  On our last cruise we did the same, however, we were approached on our final evening by our two dining waiters who asked us if they had given exceptional service.  We thanked both waiters for a wonderful cruise and excellent service and we expected them to walk away from our table.  They didn't, instead they asked us if we will be showing our appreciation to them with a tip.  We quickly advised them that we had left our auto-gratuities on but they just stood there looking at us.  To say we have never felt so embarrassed was a understatement.  After a minute or two they walked away mumbling something to one another.  We decided to make a quick escape from the restaurant after other guests started looking at us only to be stopped by the Maitre de at the doors who asked us about the service we had received and if we had shown our appreciation to his staff.  We again advised the Maitre de that we had left our auto-gratuities on.  He didn't seem too pleased.  The whole experience was so embarrassing, we didn't sleep that final night thinking about the situation and worried the same may happen with our room steward and butler on the final morning.

 

We are travelling on Queen Mary 2 in December for 26 nights and we are currently unsure if to remove the auto-gratuity and instead tip the dining waiters, room steward, butler seperate.  We just don't want to be in that situation ever again.  We don't mind leaving the auto-gratuities on but it's going to cost us 702 USD (approx £572.00) and feel staff should be told which guests have paid the auto-gratuity so they aren't approached at the end of the cruise.  It should be the guests decision if they wish to tip extra (not be hassled by staff).

 

I think tips should be included in the cost of the cruise and everyone then knows where they stand.

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24 minutes ago, Jen1 said:

We have travelled with Cunard on a number of occasions and always left the auto-gratuity on.  On our last cruise we did the same, however, we were approached on our final evening by our two dining waiters who asked us if they had given exceptional service.  We thanked both waiters for a wonderful cruise and excellent service and we expected them to walk away from our table.  They didn't, instead they asked us if we will be showing our appreciation to them with a tip.  We quickly advised them that we had left our auto-gratuities on but they just stood there looking at us.  To say we have never felt so embarrassed was a understatement.  After a minute or two they walked away mumbling something to one another.  We decided to make a quick escape from the restaurant after other guests started looking at us only to be stopped by the Maitre de at the doors who asked us about the service we had received and if we had shown our appreciation to his staff.  We again advised the Maitre de that we had left our auto-gratuities on.  He didn't seem too pleased.  The whole experience was so embarrassing, we didn't sleep that final night thinking about the situation and worried the same may happen with our room steward and butler on the final morning.

 

We are travelling on Queen Mary 2 in December for 26 nights and we are currently unsure if to remove the auto-gratuity and instead tip the dining waiters, room steward, butler seperate.  We just don't want to be in that situation ever again.  We don't mind leaving the auto-gratuities on but it's going to cost us 702 USD (approx £572.00) and feel staff should be told which guests have paid the auto-gratuity so they aren't approached at the end of the cruise.  It should be the guests decision if they wish to tip extra (not be hassled by staff).

 

I think tips should be included in the cost of the cruise and everyone then knows where they stand.

 

Just easier with no embarrassment to remove auto tips at the Pursers desk and pay in Cash to the staff. I am lead to believe that Frontline Staff  prefer it this way, apparently they get more money by Carnival boosting there wages to an agreed level regarding the tip aspect when its not auto applied and then receiving Cash tips, which they do not have to hand in, but usually share with in their group stations.

It's a personal thing Tipping, however do  whatever one is happy with and can afford. Its your holiday and it is not down to the customer to worry about staff wages. Most staff return again and again to Cunard so their system must work if you double tip, adjust  auto tips, remove them completely and give the cash or just don't tip.

Your decision and no one else's business.

 

Edited by Pennbank
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41 minutes ago, Jen1 said:

We have travelled with Cunard on a number of occasions and always left the auto-gratuity on.  On our last cruise we did the same, however, we were approached on our final evening by our two dining waiters who asked us if they had given exceptional service.  We thanked both waiters for a wonderful cruise and excellent service and we expected them to walk away from our table.  They didn't, instead they asked us if we will be showing our appreciation to them with a tip.  We quickly advised them that we had left our auto-gratuities on but they just stood there looking at us.  To say we have never felt so embarrassed was a understatement.  After a minute or two they walked away mumbling something to one another.  We decided to make a quick escape from the restaurant after other guests started looking at us only to be stopped by the Maitre de at the doors who asked us about the service we had received and if we had shown our appreciation to his staff.  We again advised the Maitre de that we had left our auto-gratuities on.  He didn't seem too pleased.  The whole experience was so embarrassing, we didn't sleep that final night thinking about the situation and worried the same may happen with our room steward and butler on the final morning.

 

We are travelling on Queen Mary 2 in December for 26 nights and we are currently unsure if to remove the auto-gratuity and instead tip the dining waiters, room steward, butler seperate.  We just don't want to be in that situation ever again.  We don't mind leaving the auto-gratuities on but it's going to cost us 702 USD (approx £572.00) and feel staff should be told which guests have paid the auto-gratuity so they aren't approached at the end of the cruise.  It should be the guests decision if they wish to tip extra (not be hassled by staff).

 

I think tips should be included in the cost of the cruise and everyone then knows where they stand.

That sounds like outrageous behaviour from the dining staff! Which dining room was it and which ship? Is it that you are American and they therefore had certain expectations? How uncomfortable for you.

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