How much cash on hand?

[napria]

We’re 21 days out and checked in and printed our luggage tags today!  Now my husband and I are wracking our brains, trying to remember everyone who we’re going to need to tip in cash.  I know the porters, but husband said, “how much per bag?”  It’s been so long, neither of us is sure.  Also, does our cabin steward show us to our room?  Do we give him (or her) a cash tip?  Is there someone we’re forgetting?  
 

I know tipping is a personal thing, as well as a hot button topic, but I want to clarify that I’m not asking about tipping anyone who we want to give something extra to.  I just want to know who *expects* to be tipped in cash, and generally how much.

 

Thanks in advance for thoughtful responses 🙂

[JT1101]

I generally tip my steward at the end of the voyage in cash but elsewhere remember Cunard ships are cashless. 

[Belle1990]

When I order room service I tip cash. 

[Victoria2]

45 minutes ago, napria said:

We’re 21 days out and checked in and printed our luggage tags today!  Now my husband and I are wracking our brains, trying to remember everyone who we’re going to need to tip in cash.  I know the porters, but husband said, “how much per bag?”  It’s been so long, neither of us is sure.  Also, does our cabin steward show us to our room?  Do we give him (or her) a cash tip?  Is there someone we’re forgetting?  
 

I know tipping is a personal thing, as well as a hot button topic, but I want to clarify that I’m not asking about tipping anyone who we want to give something extra to.  I just want to know who *expects* to be tipped in cash, and generally how much.

 

Thanks in advance for thoughtful responses 🙂

Can’t sleep so thought I’d answer.

 

No one expects to be tipped so no worries there. If we could have found a porter, we would have tipped a few £ per bag but as they are a rarity in Southampton, the taxi driver got the tip on embarkation and  tipped myself on disembarkation.

 

Tipping extra is purely personal. It is not necessary, mandatory or any other word. Ask here and you will get differing opinions and all are correct. It’s personal. Up to individuals and no, no need to tip anyone who directs you to your cabin.

 

Some tip for room service but I won’t go into who we tip as that isn’t the point asked about.

 Won’t mention amounts as that again, is personal but please, again, no one 'expects'.

[david63]

Basically tips are taken from your onboard account and there is nothing, nor nobody, that you have to do/tip beyond that unless you want to tip extra,

[tv24]

I do give some money to the guys who handle the luggage when I get out of the cab.  I think of it as an insurance policy.  The guy who shows us where our stateroom can be found?  Not much service there, one can find the staterooms easily by looking at the signs in the corridors.  If your stateroom begins with the number "8," it can be found on deck 8.

[Caipi]

We have to book at Cunard International with the same fares as, say, Germans, and it is stated that gratuities are included. (However, in our case they charged it anyway, but I had it removed - Germans always write that they are asked on some paper in their stateroom whether they want to pay the extra gratuities or not.) 

No one showed us our stateroom and we did not see the people handling our luggage. We gave a tip to the steward, to "our waiter" and to the sommelier. (We were in Britannia Club.) We did not plan to give to the sommelier but we he was so nice and the only person in the restaurant who seemed to enjoy what he does 🙂 So we had no more cash left for him, and I asked him on the last day whether he gets the tip if I tip on the bill and he said yes he does. 

Oh and we gave 5 dollars tobthe the lady delivering the breakfast to our room, because we could not get a smaller banknote here in Hungary. 🙂

[RK-NC]

6 hours ago, napria said:

Also, does our cabin steward show us to our room?  

 

No one showed us to our Brittania stateroom. We talked with a couple yesterday in Brittania Club and on embarkation day, they were directed to their stateroom incorrectly by a crew member and ended up outside on deck 12. Study the deck plans because we have been misdirected by crew also.

 

[napria]

Thank you all for your replies.  I should have clarified that I understand that tips are added to our bill.  I just wanted to make sure that we tipped those who were not included — i.e. luggage porters — or those who expected a separate or additional tip.

 

[exlondoner]

6 hours ago, tv24 said:

I do give some money to the guys who handle the luggage when I get out of the cab.  I think of it as an insurance policy.  The guy who shows us where our stateroom can be found?  Not much service there, one can find the staterooms easily by looking at the signs in the corridors.  If your stateroom begins with the number "8," it can be found on deck 8.

This is presumably in the US. You are very unlikely to encounter someone to take you luggage as you leave your cab and, if you did, they would not expect a tip.

[david63]

7 hours ago, exlondoner said:

You are very unlikely to encounter someone to take you luggage as you leave your cab

They were certainly there in Barcelona this moring - and as he only moved the luggage 20 yards all in about two minutes no tip was forthcoming.

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, david63 said:

They were certainly there in Barcelona this moring - and as he only moved the luggage 20 yards all in about two minutes no tip was forthcoming.

Sorry I meant to say in Southampton.

[Pushpit]

9 hours ago, napria said:

Thank you all for your replies.  I should have clarified that I understand that tips are added to our bill.  I just wanted to make sure that we tipped those who were not included — i.e. luggage porters — or those who expected a separate or additional tip.

 

Luggage porters in the ports are not Cunard employees, they are part of the subcontracted agency for that port, so they, and those helping assistance passengers onboard, won't get anything from the Hotel Service Charge. Cunard employees basically will get access to this fund, the exceptions being the most senior crew members (Captain and immediate reports I think).

 

Overall I don't think you will make some terrible mistake if you tip absolutely no-one. But if you want to make someone happy then you'll probably know when to do it. And it's always useful to have some dollar and $5 bills handy. Incidentally if you have a large value note, the Purser's Desk is quite ok to break it down to smaller bills.

[NE John]

1 hour ago, Pushpit said:

Luggage porters in the ports are not Cunard employees, they are part of the subcontracted agency for that port, so they, and those helping assistance passengers onboard, won't get anything from the Hotel Service Charge. Cunard employees basically will get access to this fund, the exceptions being the most senior crew members (Captain and immediate reports I think).

 

Overall I don't think you will make some terrible mistake if you tip absolutely no-one. But if you want to make someone happy then you'll probably know when to do it. And it's always useful to have some dollar and $5 bills handy. Incidentally if you have a large value note, the Purser's Desk is quite ok to break it down to smaller bills.

I gave the porter at Southampton $5 for his lightening quick service getting our bags and taking them away. He was already taking the luggage out of the trunk/boot before the door stopped opening. 
He seemed to really appreciate the tip and that made me happy too. 

[Germancruiser]

I usually tip when I get room service- 5,- Euros or Dollars- the staff can use both with Cunard since they often visit Euro states. So I make sure to take enough - say- 10 of each 5,- Euro and 5 Dollar bills with me. In the US of course- the Euro is not of any use.

The privat arranged Limo- Service drivers get - depending on how long the drive takes from 20 to 50 Dollars- Euros...!

Extra tips on board, well- IF I LIKED THEIR SERVICE- the stateroom attendant ( I never met one who did not get any extra) of course. When I have a special waiter/ waitress in my favorite Lounges they get extra two. ( Between 10 and 20 Dollars/ Euros) Not to forget when I have the same waiter for the whole voyage- he get´s a little something, too- again between 20 and 50!

The porter at the pier- hm- sometimes I tip 10 sometimes nothing.

[Winifred 22]

8 hours ago, Pushpit said:

Luggage porters in the ports are not Cunard employees, they are part of the subcontracted agency for that port, so they, and those helping assistance passengers onboard, won't get anything from the Hotel Service Charge. Cunard employees basically will get access to this fund, the exceptions being the most senior crew members (Captain and immediate reports I think).

 

Overall I don't think you will make some terrible mistake if you tip absolutely no-one. But if you want to make someone happy then you'll probably know when to do it. And it's always useful to have some dollar and $5 bills handy. Incidentally if you have a large value note, the Purser's Desk is quite ok to break it down to smaller bills.

It is my understanding  it’s not just the most senior officers its senior officers too. 

[TowandaUK]

We never saw porters in Southampton. We had cash in pocket ready to tip, but had to take cases from the car and place on the conveyor belts ourselves. We take cash to tip our steward, but will only do so if the service warrants it. Some stewards will bend over backwards to help and are friendly and polite - others not so much. 

[Victoria2]

8 hours ago, NE John said:

I gave the porter at Southampton $5 for his lightening quick service getting our bags and taking them away. He was already taking the luggage out of the trunk/boot before the door stopped opening. 
He seemed to really appreciate the tip and that made me happy too. 

A porter? At Southampton?

 

They are rare beasts indeed both for em/disembarkation.

[Planning to cruise]

At the end of a cruise last year my husband ended up helping an elderly couple with their cases in the shed at Southampton.  He is not the fittest passenger but this pair with whom we had spoken in a bar on baord were clearly having trouble with their small cases and wobbling on their sticks.  Porters? 

[Host Hattie]

I think it depends on the terminal at Southampton, there were porters at Ocean Terminal on Sunday. 

[Planning to cruise]

I think there is more problem at Mayflower.

[david63]

At Southampton the problem is how quickly they can get the luggage off the sip from the previous cruise compounded with the number of ships in port that day.

[Jim_Iain]

Personally I tip $5 per bag to the curb side porter who take you bags.  Would of course use Pounds if sailing out of UK

 

We maintain our automatic gratuities on the ship and tip extra if someone provides above and beyond.   If they do no more than just their job we do not tip extra.  The people we usually tip -- Our Room Attendant, Butler, Waiter and Assistant Waiter and Sommelier.  We tip in the range of $5-10 per day for those that earn extra gratuities.

Edited September 10 by Jim_Iain

[napria]

Are we allowed to take our luggage on board the ship ourselves?  It’s only a five day cruise and we’re each bringing one piece of carry-on sized luggage and I’ll have my backpack. Nothing more.

[david63]

Just now, napria said:

Are we allowed to take our luggage on board the ship ourselves?  It’s only a five day cruise and we’re each bringing one piece of carry-on sized luggage and I’ll have my backpack. Nothing more.

Not normally a problem as long as your luggage will fit through the security scanner at your port of embarkation.