NoFlyGuy

We've done two 28 night transatlantic cruises on Ventura and one 50 nighter on Oriana.

The only 'rough' weather was outbound on the Oriana cruise between the Azores and Bermuda.

The Captain took a different route to avoid the worst of the swell - it lasted about 36 hours.

The return crossing between the Amazon and Cape Verde was fine as were the four crossings on Ventura.

These were all done in Jan and Feb.

We went Jan/Feb 2017 on Oriana's 50 night cruise and didn't really have any trouble with bugs at night although they did dim the lights.

Although we had our yellow fever jabs nobody checked at check in.

We thought the Amazon was the highlight of the cruise.

Have had two cruises on Britannia in the past 3 months. One a long wait the other got straight through.

P&O boarding does seem to be a bit of a lottery.

With the extra passengers on Iona it could be a problem as there are only so many check in desks at each terminal.

I agree that if the ship is now being built there must be deck plans available. One hopes the builders aren't making it up as they go along!

Would have liked to try Marella but they have very few no fly cruises. Only ones I can see are to Norway or Baltic.

So I'll stick with P&O for their varied cruises, year round, and Freedom dining. Many of the other cruise lines winter cruises only offer Club dining.

My fault that I am so fussy!

It just goes to show what a nonsense the notion of 'expected' tipping is.

When I go to my local supermarket, John Lewis or any other store, I don't tip but one could easily point out they have provided a service to me so, why do some jobs expect tips and others do not.

I'm sure many employed in the 'non tipping' jobs are just as badly paid as those that expect tips, so it can't be that.

As can be seen from the posts on this thread, and earlier tipping threads, it seems to be inconclusive as to what percentage of AGs the crew actually get.

Forget cruising for a moment. In all aspects of retail or hospitality, just set your prices 'service compris' and pay your staff accordingly.

Even when I purchase something online I get a price that includes delivery and that is the final price. Many people will still have been involved in completing my order and providing me a service - am I going to tip them all?

In the absence of any 'proof' it would seem the best course of action would be to remove the auto tips and tip in cash.

That way you can be sure the crew you wish to reward get your full payment.

I agree it's a bit more problematic for those like us on freedom dining especially as we don't ask to dine in any set area of the freedom dining restaurant(s).

In the meantime can only hope P&O start to include gratuities in the quoted price.

The 'P&O My Account' site is pants. Had lots of problems until quite recently.

Even now, under 'my loyalty' our latest 7 day cruise (got back 11 days ago) shows as a past cruise but hasn't been added to our loyalty points .

On a more positive note the cruise personaliser seems much better and shows the correct tier for all our upcoming cruises .Showing Mediterranean, Caribbean and then Ligurian respectively going into May of next year.

Ditto - just tried and no problem. P&O systems aren't the greatest though.

daiB and pete14. Did you not bother to read my earlier post?

Here's a bit of it.

'If these crew members were to take up a UK land based contract, of course they would be paid more. They would have to pay UK prices to feed themselves, UK rent to house themselves, utilities, transport etc.'

So,yes, they should be paid the same as anyone else doing the same job with the same overheads when living and working in the UK.

But it's patently obvious that crew members do not live and work in the UK, they live on a ship travelling the globe, and as I stated, they are not subject to the same costs involved with a land based job.

If P&O or any other UK multinational company opened a call centre in the Philippines would you expect the staff there to be paid the same as an equivalent employee in Southampton, I certainly hope not.

One would expect the companies to pay what would be considered a decent wage in that particular country.

I am sure it is an inconvenience but why then do so many do it? They are not forced to apply to a cruise company for a job.

They do it, I presume, because it's lucrative and when they return home for good they can provide a far better standard of life for themselves and their families - build a nice house and open a business which is what I have been told by a few cabin stewards.

And of course some Brits work away for periods presumably for the same reason.

What confuses me most on these threads is why some posters don't believe salaries should reflect living costs in their home countries.

If these crew members were to take up a UK land based contract, of course they would be paid more. They would have to pay UK prices to feed themselves, UK rent to house themselves, utilities, transport etc.

In reality they live on the ship for the duration of their contract and are not subject to the above costs. They then return home for a period and are subject to the cost of living in their home country - not the UK or USA.

As for tipping in cash, well that's personal choice but if all did it there could be a lot of wealthy cabin stewards around. If we all gave half the suggested AG (£3.50 pppn) they would easily net £100 per day in tips on top of their basic wage and bonus.

I know they work long and hard but that's would be quite a tidy sum for someone in the UK let alone in India or the Phillipines.

I also will probably reduce the AGs to reflect the increase in inflation that's taken place since they were £5.

As an earlier thread stated, it's certainly not 40%.

Without going back through all the posts, one of the gripes of the OP regards queen or separate beds. I've never booked a guarantee cabin but it seems a fair complaint if queen beds was specified.

As for position on the ship - 'under a pool' or 'above a night club' then that's what you have to take a chance with.

Even before this thread I wouldn't ever risk booking a guarantee cabin.

The email response I had said 'No plans to make any changes'.

Maybe pisca is right - avoid confrontation especially in telephone conversations.

Can only hope that grapau27's conversation is nearer to reality and discussions are ongoing.

jay888 - If I decide to remove the auto tips I certainly won't be ashamed and wouldn't worry about others knowing.

I, and many others who have posted on this site and other social media sites, would like P&O to include tips in the quoted price for a cruise. Hopefully then the crew would be paid a decent wage and we, as individuals, can tip extra should we see fit for those who go the extra mile.

Agree, if you are happy to share there should be no problem. The problems come when requesting a table for 2.

In February on a 12 night Canaries cruise we twice had to wait just over 1 hour and over 30 minutes on another two nights.

Probably didn't help ourselves by picking 'busy' times between 7:15 and 8.

All goes to show what a minefield tipping is. Just pay your staff, quote a price and get rid of tipping as a culture.

I know it's the same pro rata but when we did the 50 day Caribbean, USA and Amazon cruise, to see our cruise account debited £700 on day 1 did cause a sharp intake of breath.

In view of all the recent threads on this subject I still haven't made my mind up what to do on the next cruise. Will probably decide once onboard.

It does seem to be random. My loyalty is missing whether I use Firefox, Internet Explorer or Chrome.

Until recently I have always paid the auto grats.

All of you who post here that still do then, no problem, it's a personal choice.

But I would ask the question as to whether you have a 'line in the sand'.

If P&O decide tomorrow to increase the AG to say £10 or £12 or any amount they decide, would you just carry on paying it regardless?

Worth checking whether your loyalty points are showing even if you have updated/re-registered. Just checked and mine still are not showing.

Hi Damian - Yes, everything looks fine under 'My Details' and 'My Preferences' but nothing under 'My Loyalty'. Basically just a link to the Peninsular Club site.

I had various problems last week when trying to update online.

Eventually I managed it but, when I look at the 'My Loyalty' tab nothing shows.

I phoned P&O on Monday to get them to re-input my preferences, which they did, but still nothing shows under 'My Loyalty'.

I assume it's just an IT glitch but will phone again next week if nothing changes.

Has anyone else checked whether their loyalty is displaying correctly?

If most people now cruising on P&O are simply looking for any excuse not to tip, it begs the question why?

If they tipped in the past why not now?

On the other hand If it's only down to the 'new to cruising' passengers not tipping then P&O need to take that on board and act accordingly.

Or, could it be the 40% increase in less than 2 years or the circa 120% increase in about 6 years.

We all know about inflation but...

You are probably right Scriv - I've gone off drinking tap water at home (obviously still use it for cooking, tea, coffee etc).

The taste seems to have changed. No doubt Anglian Water would say nothing has changed but, as you say, it's personal preference.