Increase in Hotel and Dining Service Charge (aka Auto-Gratuities)

[majortom10]

23 minutes ago, babs135 said:

I'm glad some people think the increase is negligible, but for others it may well be the straw that  breaks the camel's back.  It's surely now time that the gratuities are included in the price of the cruise and then we will know exactly what the cost of the holiday is.  I'm also wondering when Cunard will tell us of the increase as we have two cruises booked, one in July and the other in December.

I agree entirely just returned from a cruise with gratuities included in the cruise fare and there was no deterioration of service. You then if staff give exemplary service give a personal gratuity which they keep. End of the day Cunard do no more than in every land based hotel in clean your room and waiters serve your meal. So why should we all have to pay £12+ pppd for the privilege and be made to feel guilty if we don't. Surprise, surprise many Americans who book in the Grills get free or actually included in fare as nothing is actually free, so if it is good for them it should be same for everyone. If we were all totally honest we all know that Cunard charge daily gratuities to your account so they can pay them poor wages and boost the profits of Carnival.

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by majortom10

[Victoria2]

35 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

I agree entirely just returned from a cruise with gratuities included in the cruise fare and there was no deterioration of service. You then if staff give exemplary service give a personal gratuity which they keep. End of the day Cunard do no more than in every land based hotel in clean your room and waiters serve your meal. So why should we all have to pay £12+ pppd for the privilege and be made to feel guilty if we don't. Surprise, surprise many Americans who book in the Grills get free or actually included in fare as nothing is actually free, so if it is good for them it should be same for everyone. If we were all totally honest we all know that Cunard charge daily gratuities to your account so they can pay them poor wages and boost the profits of Carnival.

 

I am in complete agreement in airing one's viewpoint, but when comments like this are made as almost definitive, I need an indisputable source.

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

I am in complete agreement in airing one's viewpoint, but when comments like this are made as almost definitive, I need an indisputable source.

Think it is well documented and has been for many years that cruise lines pay their service staff i.e. cabin stewards and waiters very poorly and they rely on gratuities to boost their wages to an acceptable level. Anyone who doesn't really believe this is I am afraid burying their heads in the sand.

[Victoria2]

33 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Think it is well documented and has been for many years that cruise lines pay their service staff i.e. cabin stewards and waiters very poorly and they rely on gratuities to boost their wages to an acceptable level. Anyone who doesn't really believe this is I am afraid burying their heads in the sand.

Staff remuneration is a contentious issue for so many but until I see official documentation grats are used 'to boost wages to an acceptable level' my head isn't yet totally buried.

As you say it's well documented, perhaps you will be so good as to provide the link to those documents.

[Victoria2]

Just now, Victoria2 said:

Staff remuneration is a contentious issue for so many but until I see official documentation grats are used 'to boost *[Cunard] wages to an acceptable level' my head isn't yet totally buried.

As you say it's well documented, perhaps you will be so good as to provide the link to those documents.

* Cunard

[paulco]

I always leave the tips intact and give cabin staff as well as the dining staff a $20 or so.

[bluemarble]

I see they have recently updated the service charges in My Cunard for our upcoming voyages on QM2. Quoting from "Before you sail", "Important to know", "Money matters":

 

"Service charges

 

For your convenience, a daily hotel and dining charge will automatically be added to your shipboard account, dependant on the grade of accommodation booked as follows:

 

> US$16.50 per person, per day - for Queens Grill and Princess Grill accommodation.

> US$14.50 per person, per day - for Britannia accommodation."

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

1 hour ago, paulco said:

I always leave the tips intact and give cabin staff as well as the dining staff a $20 or so.

We do the same, as well as an extra dollar a drink with the drinks package.  The way the corporation handles wages is not within our control, so we just do what IS  in our control as generously as we can. If that means we don’t  go as often, then that’s what it means. 
 

By the way, one doesn’t have to book grills to get gratuities included. We booked our next TA on board last October, and we have grants included for next December.

 

 

[majortom10]

48 minutes ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

We do the same, as well as an extra dollar a drink with the drinks package.  The way the corporation handles wages is not within our control, so we just do what IS  in our control as generously as we can. If that means we don’t  go as often, then that’s what it means. 
 

By the way, one doesn’t have to book grills to get gratuities included. We booked our next TA on board last October, and we have grants included for next December.

 

 

Lucky you that is something that is only afforded to American cruiser's whatever grade of stateroom. In the UK we very rarely, if at all, get gratuities included so we have to pay the amount added in total on the first night of cruise.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

3 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Lucky you that is something that is only afforded to American cruiser's whatever grade of stateroom. In the UK we very rarely, if at all, get gratuities included so we have to pay the amount added in total on the first night of cruise.

Yes, we are indeed lucky in more ways than we ever expected. However, this is the first time we have had gratuities included. We will likely never travel in any grill or even club room, but we are happy just to be on board and very cognizant of the familial sacrifices the workers are making,

[Windsurfboy]

13 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

 

I too would welcome grats. to be included in the holiday price.

 

I complely agree, on proviso that it all goes to staff.

[MelbTone]

I can live with the way that gratuities are done save that I disagree 100% with the pool being shared fleet wide. IMO it should be on a ship basis, so that if the crew see a full ship they know that they will see it in their pay packets. With (say) ten ships sharing the pool there's really no relationship between effort and reward.

[Victoria2]

27 minutes ago, MelbTone said:

I can live with the way that gratuities are done save that I disagree 100% with the pool being shared fleet wide. IMO it should be on a ship basis, so that if the crew see a full ship they know that they will see it in their pay packets. With (say) ten ships sharing the pool there's really no relationship between effort and reward.

I have no actual idea how the staff are paid or that grats are shared fleet wide etc. I asked Major Tom for his source in #20, so I ask you, where can I find all this information?

[BigMac1953]

Why is everyone getting their knickers in a twist when it comes to Cunard's staff wages?

 

Does anyone want to publish their salary and we can all debate whether or not it's too much or too little? Probably not. None of our business.

 

Suffice to say that many staff members return year after year. Also bear in mind that everything is relative and what may seem a low wage to people in the Western Hemisphere can be an extremely attractive wage in a third world country.

 

As an example, one individual whom we have known for 15+ years, explained that she is buying her SECOND house at home to rent out.

 

It would be arrogance personified to believe that "we know best" and that the world should conform to our rules, regulations and standards.

 

Remember that mostly, our friends across the Pond might get Hotel charges included, but pay more for their ticket.

 

Rant over.

[Windsurfboy]

All I can say is my only cruise so far on a gratuities included ship , Saga , it was an extremely friendly and happy ship, so much so we are going again for a month .

 

I know there's more to a happy crew than gratuities,  for example the fact that Saga , supported it's crew through Covid , rather than making them redundant must have played a big part. Haven't been on P&O for years and not since they went gratuities included,  but reading CC it's not all plain sailing for them staff wise , so you can't make broad assumptions. 

[Victoria2]

28 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

Why is everyone getting their knickers in a twist when it comes to Cunard's staff wages?

 

Does anyone want to publish their salary and we can all debate whether or not it's too much or too little? Probably not. None of our business.

 

Suffice to say that many staff members return year after year. Also bear in mind that everything is relative and what may seem a low wage to people in the Western Hemisphere can be an extremely attractive wage in a third world country.

 

As an example, one individual whom we have known for 15+ years, explained that she is buying her SECOND house at home to rent out.

 

It would be arrogance personified to believe that "we know best" and that the world should conform to our rules, regulations and standards.

 

Remember that mostly, our friends across the Pond might get Hotel charges included, but pay more for their ticket.

 

Rant over.

Oh how I agree. With all of it.

 

I mentioned knickers and twisting [and it wasn't any sort of Chubby Checker twisting]  a week or so ago about the new ship. Why 'worry' over something which might/might not happen/be true. There are a couple of members here who if they come out with 'a fact', I will take their word for it, an example being 'the removal of grats list' sticky from years ago.

 

Equally, there's a heck of a lot of 'it is acknowledged/I have heard said' etc but if sources can't be provided, it's unconfirmed and thus tantamount to hearsay but hey, it sets the board chattering! 😄

 

 

[exlondoner]

I was thinking about the concept of a happy ship, and it is indeed true that most of the Cunard staff I have encountered are either brilliant actors or are indeed happy (most of the time) in their work. I contrast this with my own career as a teacher in nice schools of a subject I find genuinely fascinating. The only time I can ever remember feeling happy was at about 3.45 on a Friday afternoon and during the holidays. This was a pretty widespread sentiment. So, if they are happy, it is more, I think, than most people are, and quite astounding.

[Red Ray]

One of my first tasks on a Cunard cruise is to visit Reception and get the auto gratuities removed. I make no apology for this and at the end of the cruise tip the cabin steward & waiting staff provided the service has been good, which to be fair it always has. 

[PORT ROYAL]

12 minutes ago, Red Ray said:

One of my first tasks on a Cunard cruise is to visit Reception and get the auto gratuities removed. I make no apology for this and at the end of the cruise tip the cabin steward & waiting staff provided the service has been good, which to be fair it always has. 

Obviously, one’s rationale is very strong to be so committed to an immediate removal action, so to not even consider an apology.  

[exlondoner]

37 minutes ago, Red Ray said:

One of my first tasks on a Cunard cruise is to visit Reception and get the auto gratuities removed. I make no apology for this and at the end of the cruise tip the cabin steward & waiting staff provided the service has been good, which to be fair it always has. 

In that case it seems a bit of an unnecessary hassle.

[TouchstoneFeste]

Aren't the auto-gratuities also shared among the laundry folk, garbage luggers, and others who aren't customer-facing?

[Red Ray]

16 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

In that case it seems a bit of an unnecessary hassle.

No hassle at all

[Red Ray]

40 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Obviously, one’s rationale is very strong to be so committed to an immediate removal action, so to not even consider an apology.  

?

[majortom10]

2 minutes ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

Aren't the auto-gratuities also shared among the laundry folk, garbage luggers, and others who aren't customer-facing?

Yes that is in the hype and publicity put out by Cunard so you feel guilty that if you dont pay gratuities they get poor wages. It is Cunard(Carnival) and senior management who should feel guilty in paying slave labour wages in 21st century. It is about time that gratuities was included in cruise fare.

[Victoria2]

21 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Yes that is in the hype and publicity put out by Cunard so you feel guilty that if you dont pay gratuities they get poor wages. It is Cunard(Carnival) and senior management who should feel guilty in paying slave labour wages in 21st century. It is about time that gratuities was included in cruise fare.

OK.

I couldn't care less what folk do about their individual gratuity protocols as it's non of my business. Staff wages are non of my business either but as you seem to have your ear to the ground re all sorts of Cunard staff issues through your comments on this board, I will ask yet again, please provide official links to  corroborate  your comments.

 

If it's a case of 'I have heard' or 'it's well known', then that is in the realms of hearsay. Provide the evidence and the hearsay is indeed, fact.