Ichabod123 Posted July 10 #1 Share Posted July 10 I'm about to go on my first cruise with Cuunard, having cruised with P&O many times previouslly. I have a question about gratuities: 1) Are they automatically added to my account? If so, can they be removed? 2) Are they discretionary? 3) Are they iincluded in the cost of the cruise - as per P&O? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted July 10 #2 Share Posted July 10 3 minutes ago, Ichabod123 said: I'm about to go on my first cruise with Cuunard, having cruised with P&O many times previouslly. I have a question about gratuities: 1) Are they automatically added to my account? If so, can they be removed? 2) Are they discretionary? 3) Are they iincluded in the cost of the cruise - as per P&O? 1. Yes.Yes. 2. See 1. 3. No. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichabod123 Posted July 10 Author #3 Share Posted July 10 Thank you 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john watson Posted July 10 #4 Share Posted July 10 Automatically added and most people do not have them removed. They are added to your cruise account daily. The cruise account may be viewed and a printout requested from pursers desk as often as you want if yo wish. Regards John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaware32 Posted July 11 #5 Share Posted July 11 With regard to the gratuities, can they be prepaid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldBear Posted July 11 #6 Share Posted July 11 7 minutes ago, delaware32 said: With regard to the gratuities, can they be prepaid? There are occasional Cunard promotions where they are prepaid. [or onboard credit sourced from Cunard or our $UNNAMED_TRAVEL_AGENT is sufficient for the daily charges] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Pushpit Posted July 11 #7 Share Posted July 11 9 minutes ago, delaware32 said: With regard to the gratuities, can they be prepaid? Not quite unless it's a Travel Agency or special offer perk. The Hotel Service Charge is added to the account in the early hours of the first night of sailing and for the whole of the sailing. But you could go to the purser's desk on embarkation and ask to pay it upfront. Technically I think they remove the Hotel Service Charge and then you pay your own charge, and if you have your cash paid into the account at this point then it's drawn off this rather than OBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jack E Dawson Posted July 11 #8 Share Posted July 11 18 hours ago, john watson said: They are added to your cruise account daily. John, On our crossing last month, the gratuities for the entire crossing were posted to our account on the first morning. Not sure if that is the new normal or has something to do with it being a Crossing. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jack E Dawson Posted July 11 #9 Share Posted July 11 On 7/10/2024 at 9:50 AM, Ichabod123 said: I have a question about gratuities: If you book a Grills level cabin in the US there is very often a promotion that includes complimentary gratuities and drinks package. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted July 11 #10 Share Posted July 11 5 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said: John, On our crossing last month, the gratuities for the entire crossing were posted to our account on the first morning. Not sure if that is the new normal or has something to do with it being a Crossing. Jack It’s what they’ve been doing for years in my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Victoria2 Posted July 11 #11 Share Posted July 11 1 hour ago, exlondoner said: It’s what they’ve been doing for years in my experience. I still have May's statement and you're quite correct. Service charge was added the day after embarkation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaware32 Posted July 11 #12 Share Posted July 11 Just checking to see if I had the option to pay the gratuities before we sail. I fully expect a daily service charge. On lines, other than Cunard, I've been able to prepay the service charge. I expect this basic charge and still tip above this. Crew works very hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifred 22 Posted July 12 #13 Share Posted July 12 7 hours ago, delaware32 said: Just checking to see if I had the option to pay the gratuities before we sail. I fully expect a daily service charge. On lines, other than Cunard, I've been able to prepay the service charge. I expect this basic charge and still tip above this. Crew works very hard. No Cunard don’t offer this option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowandaUK Posted July 12 #14 Share Posted July 12 21 hours ago, delaware32 said: With regard to the gratuities, can they be prepaid? Sadly not possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BklynBoy8 Posted July 12 #15 Share Posted July 12 When we sail we leave the Daily Auto Gratuities on our Account. And believe we have never remove them since we believe those working hard deserve to be recognized. "Are they discretionary?" Our Exceptional (Above & Beyond) Service are shared with the appropriate Staff and the end of the Sailing. Those we recognize are the Cabin/Suite Staff and the Dining Room Staff. Waiters/Asst. Waiters that fulfill our special needs beyond normal requests. If we have certain requests that are asked of the M'd, we will use certain discretion. Our Wine Steward assigned to our table will be recognized if certain requests are for filled. We know that there is a 15% added on all drink receipts but wish to recognize him as an individual for his services. Room Service gratuities are always given at the time we are serviced after delivered to the Cabin/Suite. Many do appreciate the tip offered. Off Subject........If on an Shore Excursion.....some passengers will show appreciation to the Tour Guide and Driver if they believe they truly enjoyed the Excursion and were properly cared for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judyrem Posted July 13 #16 Share Posted July 13 On 7/11/2024 at 9:44 AM, Pushpit said: Not quite unless it's a Travel Agency or special offer perk. The Hotel Service Charge is added to the account in the early hours of the first night of sailing and for the whole of the sailing. But you could go to the purser's desk on embarkation and ask to pay it upfront. Technically I think they remove the Hotel Service Charge and then you pay your own charge, and if you have your cash paid into the account at this point then it's drawn off this rather than OBC. Is it per person or room? My traveling friend wants to know.🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifred 22 Posted July 13 #17 Share Posted July 13 7 minutes ago, Judyrem said: Is it per person or room? My traveling friend wants to know.🤔 They are per person. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BklynBoy8 Posted July 13 #18 Share Posted July 13 1 hour ago, Judyrem said: Is it per person or room? My traveling friend wants to know.🤔 The service charge for Queens and Princess Grill Suites will be $18 per person per day, and Britannia Staterooms will be $16 per person per day. per Cunard Site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judyrem Posted July 13 #19 Share Posted July 13 38 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said: The service charge for Queens and Princess Grill Suites will be $18 per person per day, and Britannia Staterooms will be $16 per person per day. per Cunard Site. That seems reasonable. 18X10 180$. We are in a Princess Grill suite. So it just becomes some of the money I owe at the the end of the cruise? I haven't cruised for a few years, so this is somewhat new for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifred 22 Posted July 13 #20 Share Posted July 13 1 minute ago, Judyrem said: That seems reasonable. 18X10 180$. We are in a Princess Grill suite. So it just becomes some of the money I owe at the the end of the cruise? I haven't cruised for a few years, so this is somewhat new for me. Yes that’s a good way of looking at it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Pushpit Posted July 13 #21 Share Posted July 13 27 minutes ago, Judyrem said: That seems reasonable. 18X10 180$. We are in a Princess Grill suite. So it just becomes some of the money I owe at the the end of the cruise? I haven't cruised for a few years, so this is somewhat new for me. Yes, normally you get a large envelope statement on your last night, or early morning on disembarkation, it shows all the charges you have accumulated, such as drinks and spa treatments. But just about the first entry will be the Hotel Service Charge, one entry, all nights charged at once. If you have no OBC left at the end of the sailing then the remaining amount outstanding, including this Hotel Service Charge, gets billed on disembarkation day to your nominated credit card. If you have a large OBC then it may be you won't see anything more charged but you still get the paper statement. If you use the Cunard "app", myvoyage, then you will see it listed then on the first morning after departure, so you can track that, any other charges and the state of your OBC as you go along. Some people go to the purser's desk and ask for a mid voyage print-out, if you prefer not to use myvoyage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judyrem Posted July 13 #22 Share Posted July 13 57 minutes ago, Pushpit said: Yes, normally you get a large envelope statement on your last night, or early morning on disembarkation, it shows all the charges you have accumulated, such as drinks and spa treatments. But just about the first entry will be the Hotel Service Charge, one entry, all nights charged at once. If you have no OBC left at the end of the sailing then the remaining amount outstanding, including this Hotel Service Charge, gets billed on disembarkation day to your nominated credit card. If you have a large OBC then it may be you won't see anything more charged but you still get the paper statement. If you use the Cunard "app", myvoyage, then you will see it listed then on the first morning after departure, so you can track that, any other charges and the state of your OBC as you go along. Some people go to the purser's desk and ask for a mid voyage print-out, if you prefer not to use myvoyage. Great info, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BklynBoy8 Posted July 13 #23 Share Posted July 13 2 hours ago, Winifred 22 said: Yes that’s a good way of looking at it. We agree it's justified for the service. We never asked to have it removed or altered. They work very hard and appreciate it. Researching the internet, the other lines even charge high amounts and also even for room service and gratuity to boot 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judyrem Posted July 13 #24 Share Posted July 13 (edited) I am a generous tipper because when I was working through college I was a waitress and hotel attendant and know how very hard the work is. Edited July 13 by Judyrem Mistake 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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