Rise in Gratuities

[Millers]

We always tip, but on our terms. My objection with p and o is being told I have to tip,and by how much. A tip is option, not compulsory and we, as passengers, should not help p and o pay the staff’s wages. A tip should be awarded for good service, here again that is open to negotiation, no as a right.

 

 

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[grapau27]

No it is not a matter of life or death. It is a matter of people who can pay hundreds or thousands of their hard earned money on a cruise whilst seeking to save what is just pocket money to many (a glass of wine or a g and t) by not showing some financial appreciation to those people who work damned hard to make the cruise experience so good for us. People who live away from their homes and families for months on end to provide financially for them and their future.

Excellent description.

[Millers]

No it is not a matter of life or death. It is a matter of people who can pay hundreds or thousands of their hard earned money on a cruise whilst seeking to save what is just pocket money to many (a glass of wine or a g and t) by not showing some financial appreciation to those people who work damned hard to make the cruise experience so good for us. People who live away from their homes and families for months on end to provide financially for them and their future.

 

 

 

As I have said, I do tip, but on my terms. P and O are their employer, not the passengers. Perhaps the debating should be with Carnival cruises to pay a proper wage. Of course everybody knows how much the staff get paid, and how happy they are with it, don’t we (?)

 

 

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[grapau27]

We always tip, but on our terms. My objection with p and o is being told I have to tip,and by how much. A tip is option, not compulsory and we, as passengers, should not help p and o pay the staff’s wages. A tip should be awarded for good service, here again that is open to negotiation, no as a right.

 

 

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The comments are directed at the people who stop their autogratuities and then give no cash tips either.

Most decent people don't begrudge paying tips and pay them in different ways which is their perogative but to pay nothing is unforgivable.

[pete14]

We always tip, but on our terms. My objection with p and o is being told I have to tip,and by how much. A tip is option, not compulsory and we, as passengers, should not help p and o pay the staff’s wages. A tip should be awarded for good service, here again that is open to negotiation, no as a right.

 

 

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P and O do not use the words tip and tipping. They now use the term ‘service charge’ which, if they chose to, could be compulsory rather than discretionary. Maybe it should be! I don’t suppose any of the deserving recipients who are currently losing out would disagree.

[insanemagnet]

P and O do not use the words tip and tipping. They now use the term ‘service charge’ which, if they chose to, could be compulsory rather than discretionary. Maybe it should be! I don’t suppose any of the deserving recipients who are currently losing out would disagree.

P&O don't use the word 'tip' because the amount they ask for exceeds what many customers would leave as a tip.

 

The increasing amount of the service charge means it must cover the bulk of the wage of the waiters and cabin stewards.

 

As for it being compulsory, the only way P&O can do that is by abolishing it and incorporating it in the cruise fare. And that is not going to happen whilst the majority pay and P&O can continue to advertise lower exclusive prices.

[grapau27]

P and O do not use the words tip and tipping. They now use the term ‘service charge’ which, if they chose to, could be compulsory rather than discretionary. Maybe it should be! I don’t suppose any of the deserving recipients who are currently losing out would disagree.

I agree.Autogratuities were introduced because people were leaving less than suggested or nothing in the hand out envelopes so it was meant to give the crew some wage security.

[pete14]

P&O don't use the word 'tip' because the amount they ask for exceeds what many customers would leave as a tip.

 

The increasing amount of the service charge means it must cover the bulk of the wage of the waiters and cabin stewards.

 

As for it being compulsory, the only way P&O can do that is by abolishing it and incorporating it in the cruise fare. And that is not going to happen whilst the majority pay and P&O can continue to advertise lower exclusive prices.

 

They could easily make it compulsory by taking away the opportunity for passengers to remove it.

 

How sure are you that the majority pay it? I think there are few who remove the auto gratuity and pay nothing at all but maybe those who give envelopes give less than they have taken off. They may of course give more!

[majortom10]

No it is not a matter of life or death. It is a matter of people who can pay hundreds or thousands of their hard earned money on a cruise whilst seeking to save what is just pocket money to many (a glass of wine or a g and t) by not showing some financial appreciation to those people who work damned hard to make the cruise experience so good for us. People who live away from their homes and families for months on end to provide financially for them and their future.

 

Their choice nobody forces them to do it and dont see how you can class £400 for family of 2 adults and 2 children as just pocket money.

[Britboys]

Okay. Yes, the vast majority of us would like P&O to include tips in the fares. But, folks, for goodness sake what's with the whining? With P&O you can adjust the daily charge to any amount and you take it off all together if you would prefer to tip individually.

 

Relax and enjoy your cruise :cool:

[grapau27]

Their choice nobody forces them to do it and dont see how you can class £400 for family of 2 adults and 2 children as just pocket money.

The £400 tells its own story.

How many would hand out £400 in cash for tips thats why autogratuities were introduced plus obc on seapass accounts helps towards the autogratuities.

[insanemagnet]

They could easily make it compulsory by taking away the opportunity for passengers to remove it.

 

Currently the optional service charge is not disclosed in the booking process.

 

The only way you can have a compulsory service charge is to advertise it with the same prominence as the fare, which means advertising it as part of the fare.

 

This means there is no such things as a compulsory service charge. It is either included in the fare or it isn't.

 

How sure are you that the majority pay it? I think there are few who remove the auto gratuity and pay nothing at all but maybe those who give envelopes give less than they have taken off. They may of course give more!

 

Because you

 

a. If the majority didn't pay the staff would leave as they were not being paid.

 

b. You see damn all envelopes in Freedom and Freedom makes up the majority of dining.

[Tom Baker]

Stewards typically have 12 cabins to maintain.

 

Their share of the £7 gratuity is £3.50pppd, £84 per steward per day.

 

Doctors in parts of India earn less than £50pd

 

Who deserves more?

[john watson]

Yes I get that John but it is still quite a bit if a new passenger has a 13 and 15 year old and was not aware that they had to pay it. (By the way I don't tavel with children so it does not affect me)

I am an experienced cruiser and often have travelled with my daughter, 13 to 15 years of age. My policy is to always remember the Cabin Steward's name and use it when talking to him or her. Never cancel any of the tips and with this combination there is never an altercation with the staff. I don't want anything kicking off. Meanwhile I consider the condition of the cabin as I leave, it looks like a teenager's bedroom that has been ransacked. Thinking I am getting good value for the tips here if he sorts that lot out.

 

When I cruise alone it's a poor deal as I keep the cabin clear and tidy.

 

Regards John

[grapau27]

Stewards typically have 12 cabins to maintain.

 

Their share of the £7 gratuity is £3.50pppd, £84 per steward per day.

 

Doctors in parts of India earn less than £50pd

 

Who deserves more?

It depends where you are or live.

[dgs1956]

Stewards typically have 12 cabins to maintain.

 

Their share of the £7 gratuity is £3.50pppd, £84 per steward per day.

 

Doctors in parts of India earn less than £50pd

 

Who deserves more?

 

A P&O Cabin Steward has 18 cabins to look after so his share of the "service charge" but I don't see how they will get 50% share.

[Floflegs]

If the service charge is for waiters, assistant waiters and stewards it might be divided as £2 to assistant waiter and £2.50 to waiter and steward. If the steward has 18 cabins with 2 people say paying him £2.50 that would give £90 per day resulting in £630 per week. Of course that would be if everyone paid the full amount and only 2 in a cabin but that amount is much more than many people earn.

If you stay in a hotel and decide to leave a tip you don’t say I will leave £x and my wife will leave £x too. You leave one amount. It is not per person.

[pete14]

Currently the optional service charge is not disclosed in the booking process.

 

The only way you can have a compulsory service charge is to advertise it with the same prominence as the fare, which means advertising it as part of the fare.

 

This means there is no such things as a compulsory service charge. It is either included in the fare or it isn't.

 

 

 

Because you

 

a. If the majority didn't pay the staff would leave as they were not being paid.

 

b. You see damn all envelopes in Freedom and Freedom makes up the majority of dining.

 

I agree that any compulsory service charge would have to be ‘advertised’ but I don’t see that as a problem. That said, including it in the headline fare would be easiest. It would raise prices a little but could be used as a selling point, not a drawback

 

There is anecdotal evidence that the majority do not pay their auto gratuity. I hope that all those who remove it do pay it in person although clearly some do not. It must be demoralising for staff but I guess that for every one who leaves, there are others keen to take their place. Not the most sympathetic way of looking at it but for the business ‘bean counters’, probably the only way.

Freedom dining has a lot to answer for regarding service charge. The fact that it is unlikely that freedom diners tip after every meal makes auto gratuities or inclusion in the holiday price more important to ensure they do not unfairly miss out.

[grapau27]

If the service charge is for waiters, assistant waiters and stewards it might be divided as £2 to assistant waiter and £2.50 to waiter and steward. If the steward has 18 cabins with 2 people say paying him £2.50 that would give £90 per day resulting in £630 per week. Of course that would be if everyone paid the full amount and only 2 in a cabin but that amount is much more than many people earn.

If you stay in a hotel and decide to leave a tip you don’t say I will leave £x and my wife will leave £x too. You leave one amount. It is not per person.

Probably why we never hear them complain on social media even after they have left the cruise lines.

The only thing passengers hear are sob stories for the passengers ears only to make them feel sorry for the crew.

[snaefell]

That would be interesting, as I suspect for many people it would be an awful lot less than £7 pppd.

 

Nobody tips the person who cleans a hotel room, so many will not consider that element deserves a tip.

 

 

Do you not leave a tip when you stay in an hotel?

[insanemagnet]

Do you not leave a tip when you stay in an hotel?

 

For the person who cleans the room then no, whether for work or pleasure. And nobody I know does either.

[Eglesbrech]

I am an experienced cruiser and often have travelled with my daughter, 13 to 15 years of age. My policy is to always remember the Cabin Steward's name and use it when talking to him or her. Never cancel any of the tips and with this combination there is never an altercation with the staff. I don't want anything kicking off. Meanwhile I consider the condition of the cabin as I leave, it looks like a teenager's bedroom that has been ransacked. Thinking I am getting good value for the tips here if he sorts that lot out.

 

When I cruise alone it's a poor deal as I keep the cabin clear and tidy.

 

Regards John

 

It's been a long time since my nieces and nephews were teenagers but now that you mention it I do remember the bomb site they called a bedroom. Yes worth every penny!

[snaefell]

For the person who cleans the room then no, whether for work or pleasure. And nobody I know does either.

 

I don't know anybody that doesn't,your average room attendant works damn hard with anything up to 18/19 rooms a day to service,sadly many of which are pretty well trashed by guests.

[snaefell]

Just out of curiosity we will be mid cruise when the increase happens,wonder how P&O will handle that,certainly haven't heard anything from them as yet.

[Eglesbrech]

I am reading this thread with increasing unease. I would like gratuities to be built into prices and if so, nobody could escape with not paying so they would not need to be at current or new levels.

However, in this thread, and in many others on the same topic, the real ‘victims’ are not people who have to pay more on top of the price they have paid for their holiday (most can well afford it) but the recipients of the gratuities who continue to give great service and presumably have seen their gratuities gradually reducing because the people they serve and clean for don’t want to pay a little extra. They have no voice on here. I wonder whether any of those who remove gratuities and do not ‘give an envelope with an equivalent amount’ have the nerve to explain why to their steward and/or waiter, the victims of the choice they make.

 

If the staff are victims then those victimising them is their employer, not the customer. P&O could fix this issue very easily but for their own commercial reasons choose not to.

 

Until P&Os do make a change to add the costs to the initial costs or make the service charge compulsory (which they would need to advertise which is what they want to avoid) customers have a choice and some for their own reasons choose not to pay any tips. While I personally don't agree with their position, P&O allow them to do so.

 

 

Any change for the better has to come from the company not the customer.