QM2 gratuities

Posts about tipping always seem to be on here,a close friend of mine who is quite high up the chain and works on one of the 3 ships told me that even if the gratuities are removed the staff still get the money as they have a contract with the company that they are guaranteed that wage.

That's the first point out of the way,the second is even if you remove any tip and tip them in cash they get to keep it.

If you reduce the auto tip or pay above the auto tip or take it off it makes no difference to the staff as they still get the wage they have been contracted for.

Anyone who thinks this is not the case has been misinformed.

So let's say somebody removes the auto gratuities and decides that's OK because they intend to hand cash to their waiters and steward. That leaves crew members who get nothing like the afternoon tea waiters, buffet staff, deck stewards, pool attendants, etc.

FWIW, this from the board's resident industry insider:

This information might help a bit.

All the major mass market cruise lines handle gratuities in just about the same way. There are some minor variations, but essentially it works like this:

 

At the beginning of the cruise, the number of guests onboard is posted in crew areas.

During the cruise, the names and cabin numbers of any guests who refuse the auto-tip are posted - as well as the reasons given by the guests.

At the end of the cruise, the number of cabins who tipped, the amount they each tipped, and the total dollar amount in the tip pool is posted.

Any additional tips or funds received for the tip pool are also posted.

Finally, a list of the actual dollars from the tipping pool, received by each crewmember is posted.

The entire process is very transparent. The crew is very careful to ensure that all the numbers add up correctly.

 

Don't you wish that your salary statement was so simple?

Has Cunard ever disclosed how the auto-gratuitues are split between crew that passengers have personal interaction with (cabin steward, dining room waiters) and those 'behind the scenes'? We'd much prefer to tip personally if crew wages MUST be directly topped up (a system we don't agree with whatever the tax or other rationale), but would like to know if anyone has left 'part auto grat' in place specifically and solely for behind-the-scenes crew: If so, what proportion of the daily charge?

Gwenn.

Surprisingly, Celebrity Eclipse has sheets posted where the daily papers are that show a breakdown on how the gratuities are divvied up.

Hi if people remove grats when do they tend to do it ? At the beginning and then just envelope specific people or wait until the end ?

Hi if people remove grats when do they tend to do it ? At the beginning and then just envelope specific people or wait until the end ?

Why not just leave it on ? ( I'm referring to Cunard Line here ) If your immediate crew members have gone the extra mile ( which most do ) then given them a 'little paper money' as you shake their hand on embarkation day (or the evening before)... It could include something on the lines as "Please accept this ( for your self) in addition to my auto gratuities" . No need for envelopes or a 'big fanfare at the dinner table' . You/we are not paying off their mortgage.

Hi if people remove grats when do they tend to do it ? At the beginning and then just envelope specific people or wait until the end ?

Coming from a country where tipping is not usual it is quite foreign to us. We remove the auto gratuities at the beginning of the cruise, and tip the stateroom attendant at the end of each segment. if you are doing more than 1 segment make sure to do it for each. mary

Remove at beginning of cruise and tip an amount decided by you, not Cunard, at the end of the cruise to your cabin steward and waiters and anyone else deserving which is what is the true definition of tipping.

I also remove the gratuities from my account at the beginning of the cruise, preferring to tip on a more personal basis. Before my cruise I purchase some nice thank you cards and ensure my waiters and cabin attendant receive the equivalent of the pre-paid gratuities and usually more if they have have been especially good. Where gratuities have been included as part of a cruise promotion I will still tip the waiters and cabin attendant if the service they have provided warrants it.

I wonder how many of my fellow Cruise Critic members would like to see gratuities removed altogether and the basic cruise prices increased to a level that would guarantee all the crew a decent wage.

...

I wonder how many of my fellow Cruise Critic members would like to see gratuities removed altogether and the basic cruise prices increased to a level that would guarantee all the crew a decent wage.

While I agree that the current system needs to change how is "decent wage" defined? For the purpose of argument let's say it is an hourly minimimum as determind by the country of the ship's flag. Evidently not many passengers are willing to pay the increased fares or Cunard would never had had to change flags when the Equality Act 2010 was applied to cruise ships registered in the UK. (At the time Cunard claimed the flag change was to be able to perform on board weddings. Now with Bermuda recinding on the legality of same-sex marriages, Cunard has boxed itself into a difficult PR position.)

There would have to be a coordinated industry wide change or the moment one cruise line rolls a "decent wage" into the fare they immediately become more expensive than their competitors. And cruising would revert to a vacation only for the wealthy because for the mass market it had become "astronomically expensive".

The autogratuity was instituted because too many passengers avoided the dining room on the last night and left nothing for their steward. With everything rolled into the fare up front they would not be able to do that. The same people who now complain about autogratuities would instead refuse to do business with them because they would resent their fare paying for service whether it met their expectations or not.

FWIW, this from the board's resident industry insider:

This information might help a bit.

All the major mass market cruise lines handle gratuities in just about the same way. There are some minor variations, but essentially it works like this:

 

At the beginning of the cruise, the number of guests onboard is posted in crew areas.

During the cruise, the names and cabin numbers of any guests who refuse the auto-tip are posted - as well as the reasons given by the guests.

At the end of the cruise, the number of cabins who tipped, the amount they each tipped, and the total dollar amount in the tip pool is posted.

Any additional tips or funds received for the tip pool are also posted.

Finally, a list of the actual dollars from the tipping pool, received by each crewmember is posted.

The entire process is very transparent. The crew is very careful to ensure that all the numbers add up correctly.

 

Don't you wish that your salary statement was so simple?

I doubt they will be doing that after 25 May 2018 unless they actually want a fine of €20 million or 4% of global turnover.

I doubt they will be doing that after 25 May 2018 unless they actually want a fine of €20 million or 4% of global turnover.

See here

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2413808

This is quite an old thread, we have already established that this "industry insider" has no idea what happens on Cunard.

 

See here

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2413808

Am often disturbed by the resurrection of old threads, and posts from members sadly no longer here. Often wonder what Saiacia would make of the current ongoing discussions. Sadly missed.

Could old posts not be closed after a period of time?

DAVID

I know what you mean, I know some message boards automatically close threads after a certain time but not this one.

I also remove the gratuities from my account at the beginning of the cruise, preferring to tip on a more personal basis. Before my cruise I purchase some nice thank you cards and ensure my waiters and cabin attendant receive the equivalent of the pre-paid gratuities and usually more if they have have been especially good. Where gratuities have been included as part of a cruise promotion I will still tip the waiters and cabin attendant if the service they have provided warrants it.

I wonder how many of my fellow Cruise Critic members would like to see gratuities removed altogether and the basic cruise prices increased to a level that would guarantee all the crew a decent wage.

Be ready for Grills level prices!

I just don't get the big deal. Either have no auto tips but raise the cruise price: say $1000. Or do have auto tips and lower the cruise price: say, $700 + $300 auto tips. It comes out the same! Pschology.

I do believe the cheaper cruise price appeals to most people, even though we know it is not the total price. It's all in our heads.

It's like everything priced at, say, $7.99. Just psychologically sounds better than $8.00. Even prices would be much more convenient.

I bet in a lot of cases those who opt out of the auto tops end up tipping little or nothing. I know some do tip just as much or more, but I have heard multiple persons bragging about not tipping at all.

And, yes in Great Britain tipping is either much less or not done at all, but when we have traveled there, meals were more expensive too, comparatively. It tends to come out the same!

We just leave the tips on and sometimes tip a little extra for great service at the end of the cruise. Also, I hated the days when the last night we had to tip everyone personally; made me feel like I was elitist snob strewing alms to the mob. And there were plenty of empty seats that last night in the dining room.

I just don't get the big deal. Either have no auto tips but raise the cruise price: say $1000. Or do have auto tips and lower the cruise price: say, $700 + $300 auto tips. It comes out the same! Pschology.

 

I do believe the cheaper cruise price appeals to most people, even though we know it is not the total price. It's all in our heads.

 

It's like everything priced at, say, $7.99. Just psychologically sounds better than $8.00. Even prices would be much more convenient.

 

I bet in a lot of cases those who opt out of the auto tops end up tipping little or nothing. I know some do tip just as much or more, but I have heard multiple persons bragging about not tipping at all.

 

And, yes in Great Britain tipping is either much less or not done at all, but when we have traveled there, meals were more expensive too, comparatively. It tends to come out the same!

 

We just leave the tips on and sometimes tip a little extra for great service at the end of the cruise. Also, I hated the days when the last night we had to tip everyone personally; made me feel like I was elitist snob strewing alms to the mob. And there were plenty of empty seats that last night in the dining room.

But dont you think that Americans who have a culture of tipping would still tip if cruise price was $1000 including gratuities and then over a matter of time we would be in the same situation as we are now but with higher cruise prices.

As an American, if it said gratuity included I MIGHT give a small tip. But not in the range of the daily tips charged now.

Sent from my SM-J700T using Forums mobile app

But dont you think that Americans who have a culture of tipping would still tip if cruise price was $1000 including gratuities and then over a matter of time we would be in the same situation as we are now but with higher cruise prices.

They might still tip some, but most of us (I think?), if we knew the higher price included the former gratuities charge, would not feel the need to tip everybody the last night, like we used to years ago. But who knows?

We usually tip our room steward a little extra unless they were really subpar, but no one else.