transatlantic fan

This would be best answered by Cunard.

Maybe another way would be the Cunard fare includes tips and the early saver and saver fare do not.

My point is that because the tips are in $ I would rather give some of the staff I deal with pounds in an envelope as it suits me to do it that way.

If the tips are removable then people may well take that choice.

We came off the short trip to Bruges last month and we saw a lot more people removing tips than ever before.

Sorry, but your personal circumstances are unrelated to whether the hard working staff deserve their compensation. It may have an effect on whether you can afford the trip with associated costs in the first place.

 

If you can't afford the cost. Don't take the trip. But don't short the staff because you need to economize at their expense.

I can afford the cost but it's my choice if I want to tip or not.

Why do people always refer to them as the hard working staff ,yes they do a job as we all do and get paid for it.

If they are not happy they can leave.

Oh and Tips are not an associated cost .

Just because you feel the need to tip every tom dick and Harry , that's a choice for you.

Having been made redundant last year and now being in a job that pays a lot less I find harder to justify the price of these tips, especially with the exchange rate that makes it nearer £9.50 pp per day.

If people can afford to pay it, that is the choice of that person , if you can't don't.

Has anyone stayed in a club balcony stateroom on deck 12 under the new location of the sports centre, if so did you hear much noise from above.

Thanks

Cunard no longer advertise who the senior officers are.

It's a shame in my opinion.

Does anyone know if this has started showing yet.

Informal (Jacket Optional):

The Informal (Jacket Optional) dress code amendment applies to Queen Victoria's summer fly Mediterranean season on embarkation days only, in Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Venice. Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth will continue to have the standard Formal and Informal (Jacket Required) dress codes. The ship's newspaper will confirm the dress code of the day.

Guests who have Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Venice as a port during their voyage and are already settled in on board are encouraged to wear a jacket.

I just did a search for deck 13 and found this review from someone. I think someone posted photos as well somewhere.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2415155&highlight=deck+13

Many thanks.

Hi

Has anyone yet tried the new A2 rooms on deck 13 , and what do you think of them.

We are thinking of booking one in the near future.

Thanks.

I was wondering if anybody knows if the bathrooms of the QG suites were redone along with the cabins during the QM2's refit. We will be sailing on her in a Q5 and was curious, they needed attention.

No changes to the Bathrooms.

Have a wonderful time and please let us know how she looks.

Will do.

We are getting the train Saturday to Hamburg for a 3 night stay before boarding the ship on Tuesday, so looking forward to seeing the changes.

They have put a new video of Qm2 going into dry dock on the Cunard Facebook page.

We are on the first trip from Hamburg on 21st June, Hope to take many photo's while on the cruise.

Apologies to those of you who can't access the BBC iplayer but I thought this might be interest to those who can.

 

The Queen Mary:Greatest Ocean Liner

Many thanks ,watching it now.

Is smoking allowed on stateroom balconies?

No but people do.

I kind of gather you probably wouldn't tip anyone!

I tip whenever i buy a drink from the bar , it's called a 15% surcharge.

I could also choose to work on a cruise ship,yes they work hard but so so do I, but they don't pay tax,they also see the world for free, they have free board and food.

As as I said they choose to do it.

I expect white star service,if someone goes beyond that I would tip them,no problem with that.

When you had your long chats with the staff did they say that as part of their contract they have a basic pay then a guaranteed minimum wage including the gratuities they get and if that minimum wage isn't reached then it is guaranteed and the shortfall is paid by Carnival. So the more Carnival (Cunard) can get out of cruisers with gratuities and service charges then it saves them money if they don't have to pay out to boost their wages to that minimum agreed so nobody is getting screwed out of their wages but what Carnival want you to think so you feel guilty and carrying on paying gratuities. At least if they were paid a proper wage and no gratuities/service charge was made at least it would remove the confusion of 15% tax on drinks/daily gratuities/room service and speciality restaurants and then the price of cruise would increase but at least everybody would be forced to pay the same amount. As it is now some pay nothing, some pay daily gratuities and then others pay extra on top at end of cruise and also pay for room service there would be then no need for this confusion.

You are quite right,this is how it works,but some people will just think this is not the case.

They get a wage and the tip even if you take it off,the company pay it.

so I would now rather take it off , let Cunard pay it and if I wish to tip my steward at the end of the cruise I may or may not.

No need.

So could anyone tell me how all these people working behind the scenes got any part of the tip before auto tipping was brought in?

Are the people that bring the food to the ship included and the people that have to load it all onto the ship?

Also why do Cunard take the auto tip from the account on the first sea day when you have not had a chance to decide if you feel you have had the white star service.

I have had an occasion when a bar server poured me a can of beer didn’t tilt the glass and slammed the can on the table leaving me with half a drink of froth.

When I told another member of staff they just said that’s the way they do it in that country…Not white star service yet we have no choice but to tip that person 15% and can do nothing about it.

you can remove the *tip if you wish, and a lot of people do.

A pain they are introducing tea and coffee in all cabins - just taking up room.

How is that the case when they will put it where the TV was.

The TV will then be on the wall=more room.

Do you think the port side Deck 3L will still be available as a thoroughfare to the Queen's Room or will all traffic be routed to the starboard side? The refit would be a good chance to ban smoking in the Chruchill's and find some new use for that room. The constant reek of cigar smoke makes half of the CC an unpleasant place to be, and here speaks an ex-smoker :rolleyes: Shame about the loss of glass lifts, they were handy when going from steerage cabins on Deck 8 to Britannia.

The glass lifts use for Kings Court never went to deck 8:confused: