P&O New Tipping is it Passengers Fault

[MIAGI]

Some say it will save them carrying to much cash, if it goes auto, must save bringing an extra holdall, cant be bad

[southwinds]

I was told once by the Staff Capt who was on our table that a third of passangers tip.. that was back in 2001 .. so it could be less now.

[MIAGI]

Off in the morning on xyi Oriana, carrying all that extra cash for tipping, overweight as it is, roll on automatic, yea right

been fun with all the various opinions, and to cap it ,got a new friend rc160 cant be bad

 

regards to all who sail on her Miagi

[FLUFFY01]

Why are people taking cash for tips with them, when they can get it from the reception on the ship and have it charged to their account.:confused:

Regards

Jo:)

[lostinvegas]

I was told once by the Staff Capt who was on our table that a third of passangers tip.. that was back in 2001 .. so it could be less now.

 

Don't you mean a third don't tip??

 

Still seems a high number. I don't know about the whole tipping thing it seems to have all gone mad to me.

 

My personal preference would be for the cruise line to put the tips on the price of the holiday and just pay them directly to their staff but just not tell us the passengers.

 

I am sure the service would not suffer as I think most of the workers on the ships really value their jobs and take pride in what they do.

[Sutho]

I think that the figures that only a third tip would make sense on P&O. I have seen what it is like on those ships and despite what a small minority say who use these forums there are allot who are against it. You also get the people who say they tip and end up being the ones who dont tip at all. Todays younger generation seem to be less enthusiastic about it.

[lostinvegas]

Todays younger generation seem to be less enthusiastic about it.

 

I don't think that's very fair, I would consider myself and friends to be todays younger generation and we always tip even when we go out for meals etc.. in the UK.

 

I would be really surprised if it was a low as a third because on both P&O cruises I have been on I have seen the majority of people giving envelopes to their waiters on the last night at dinner.

[Sutho]

I am in the younger generation of cruisers and only just 30. People younger than me in their teens and twentys now expect everything given to them and they are even more reluctant to tip. As wages get higher for people fresh from school the insentive to tip and get tip lowers and it will gradually phase out completely.

[NSWP]

I don't think that's very fair, I would consider myself and friends to be todays younger generation and we always tip even when we go out for meals etc.. in the UK.

 

I would be really surprised if it was a low as a third because on both P&O cruises I have been on I have seen the majority of people giving envelopes to their waiters on the last night at dinner.

Ah, but what is in the envelopes? On Coral Princess a couple of months ago, there was a table alongside us of 8 English folk at dinner, served by our waiters also. On the last night I could see them all chucking a 'Fiver' into one envelope for the table. The waiters watched on and did not seem impressed. Sure, I do not know if this was extra on top of their Auto tips of $11.50 per day, or it was their tip for the whole 14 day cruise.

 

Strange also on the last night of a cruise, there are a quite few empty chairs, maybe the pax don't want to face the waiters as they don't want to tip, not sure.

[OldJerseycruiser]

Todays younger generation seem to be less enthusiastic about it.

 

I think if the younger ones have been brought up in a cruising family, they wouldn't dream of not tipping. My daughter and her boyfriend, both 23, had factored it in to their spending money on their recent cruise.

[kevinyork]

Having only experienced Freedom dining till our New Year cruise we were pretty shocked to see so many empty seats in club dining on our last night. It must have approache 20 % and many of those had done the full 4 weeks cruise.

 

We spoke to our waiter who said that on the cruise just before ours he had a whole table of 10 who didnt turn up on the last night hence did not tip. Thats an awful lot of lost tips and people should be ashamed. Whatever people think about tipping they go on the cruise knowing that tipping is expected.

[Sutho]

Having only experienced Freedom dining till our New Year cruise we were pretty shocked to see so many empty seats in club dining on our last night. It must have approache 20 % and many of those had done the full 4 weeks cruise.

 

We spoke to our waiter who said that on the cruise just before ours he had a whole table of 10 who didnt turn up on the last night hence did not tip. Thats an awful lot of lost tips and people should be ashamed. Whatever people think about tipping they go on the cruise knowing that tipping is expected.

 

Unfortunately it is 100% crystal clear in P&O's brochure and T&C's that it is voluntary and not compulsary. That is why people are getting away with it.

[bazzaw]

Unfortunately it is 100% crystal clear in P&O's brochure and T&C's that it is voluntary and not compulsary. That is why people are getting away with it.

 

Sutho

 

yes - I agree with you there. They say it is voluntary - and then quote a "recommended" amount??? :) I think that P&O are trying to be all things to all people and that never works!!

 

Barry

[somersettop]

OK I've just booked a bargain inside on Oceana, and was just looking around here for hints and tips.

 

Having so far only cruised on Thomson so had our 'tips' included The service was second to none, and there was no hustling for tips from the staff, I asked a cabin steward, and he told me he gets a basic (about double what he might earn at home) and then Thomson give extra depending on number of pax looked after. I gave an extra tip to our cabin steward as due to a stupid accident on my part I spilled shampoo and talc all over the carpet, he not only cleaned up the mess but found me some replacement Talc (Ships shop had run out!) I also tipped extra to a bar waiter who arranged for my favorite tipple which was not on the bar menu.

 

I'm not rich, I earn £12,000 a year, and have saved for 18 months for this trip, I like fine things in life so I have to ration myself, and when I splash out on a restaurant I am a IMHO generous tipper - If the service deserves it. I once returned to a restaurant to give a bigger tip as the people who paid the bill after a group meal calculated the tip to the penny and I felt that we had run the waitress ragged and she deserved some extra recognition.

 

So the way I look at it with P&O is that I am on Freedom dining. I will probably adjust the auto tip down to just the dining element, as I will see different wait staff each night. will tip the cabin steward and others as I feel deserving, It will be equal of more than the reccomended amount as long as I get good service.

 

As someone who earns only just over minimum wage (£6ph in UK) I have bugeted for my trip, The base price while cheap is that - the base - I need spending, excursion and drinking money, and in the case of a cruise Tips. I know that, however someone who is upgrading from a HB FB or AI hotel holiday to cruising may not. There is a company in spain that has an all inclusive programme that even includes excursions!, and I very rarly saw anyone tipping at that hotel. So the way forward is (in my mind) clear. Cruise lines need to be very upfront about whats included. It took me a good 40 minutes to find tipping information in the P&O brochure and then only in very small print. My preference would be for all service to be included in the upfront price even if that means the base is higher. I'm not going to pay anymore for my cruise as, as I said earlirer I'm looking at the total outlay not just the base price. If the Cuiselines can't won't include service/tips then in the price panel in the brochure I would like to see a price listed, followed by an indication of what extra costs you should budget for.

 

Having just joined this forum I can see that tipping is emotive and I know that many have strong views, but to those who don't feel the need to tip I wanted to point out this - The people who are employed by the cruise line are recruited on a basic plus tips contract, the cruiseline than tells you what the recommneded tips are, So if you dont tip, you are breaking your part of the bargain, The ship staff work hard, just like you do (or have done) and deserve the respect that you would expect yourselves.

[Scrapnana]

Nicely put, somersettop. Hope you have a super cruise!

[NSWP]

Somersttop, very good post, enjoy your cruise, you earned it the hard way.

 

Is the UK minimum hourly wage rate only £6 ? Ye gods. In Australia minimum wage - for lowest paid workers, i.e. waiters/waitresses, cleaners is $15 per hour (£10.) But they make it up with double time etc on weekends, plus shift loadings for afternoons, nights etc.