Automatic tipping

[highcbob]

On a past QM2 voyage I was at the Pursers Office for several minutes having my card key checked when I was amazed at how many passengers came up to the Purser beside me in the other queue and having their automatic tips removed from their account. Most folk were never aware of the daily tip add-on to their on-board account - - I cannot tell you how many times I heard " what is this?", then I would hear "please remove it!".

 

Do you think that perhaps Cunard should simply just add the tips into the base fare along with the tax? so it would be clearly stated at final payment 'base fare / tax / tips / total fare'. Or perhaps even just raise fares slightly to include ( disguise ) the tips?

 

Carnival Corp have just implemented adding a daily fuel surcharge on all their brands so why not do the same for the tips? What is your opinion?

 

Bob.

[calikak]

Interesting question. I personally prefer to know all the costs of my cruise up-front and have as much included in my cruise fare as possible, so it makes it easier for me to know how much my vacation will actually cost. However, I don't see cruise lines going in that direction because if they added everything into the fare, the advertised price would be a lot higher and might attract less passengers. It seems like cruise lines are going in the opposite direction, by having fee-based restaurants (when all food used to be free) and charging for other items that used to be free, so less is included in the actual cruise fare.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Interesting question. I personally prefer to know all the costs of my cruise up-front and have as much included in my cruise fare as possible, so it makes it easier for me to know how much my vacation will actually cost. However, I don't see cruise lines going in that direction because if they added everything into the fare, the advertised price would be a lot higher and might attract less passengers. It seems like cruise lines are going in the opposite direction, by having fee-based restaurants (when all food used to be free) and charging for other items that used to be free, so less is included in the actual cruise fare.

 

Cruise lines want to keep the apparent cost low and attractive.

 

Airlines do too, which is why the great price you see in the ad doesn't turn out to be so wonderful when the taxes and fees are added. This summer, Virgin Atlantic experimented with showing total fares on its website and asked for feedback. I liked it and responded to say so. But I noticed the other day, they'd gone back to showing the flight cost only, just as all the other airlines do. They add on the other fees after flight segments are chosen. (For a r/t transatlantic flight, the fees and taxes can be more than $250, so it's quite a shock when you get the final price--"$159 each way" turns into almost $600 :eek: by the time you're booked.)

 

Kathy

[highcbob]

Cruise lines want to keep the apparent cost low and attractive.

 

Airlines do too, which is why the great price you see in the ad doesn't turn out to be so wonderful when the taxes and fees are added. This summer, Virgin Atlantic experimented with showing total fares on its website and asked for feedback. I liked it and responded to say so. But I noticed the other day, they'd gone back to showing the flight cost only, just as all the other airlines do. They add on the other fees after flight segments are chosen. (For a r/t transatlantic flight, the fees and taxes can be more than $250, so it's quite a shock when you get the final price--"$159 each way" turns into almost $600 :eek: by the time you're booked.)

 

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy, I guess another point is that with airlines, one does not have the option of paying taxes and fuel charges etc - you have no choice. However, with Cunard, even though they add the tips to your on-board account, one still has the option of removing it which seems unfair to the low paid hard working crew.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Hi Kathy, I guess another point is that with airlines, one does not have the option of paying taxes and fuel charges etc - you have no choice. However, with Cunard, even though they add the tips to your on-board account, one still has the option of removing it which seems unfair to the low paid hard working crew.

 

I hope the people who were taking the tips off the on-board account were intending to use the money to tip waiters and stewards personally. It reduces the pool for the people who don't contact passengers, but at least it isn't totally 'cheap.'

 

As for the people who weren't aware of the tips, they obviously didn't read the information they were given. It's on the fares page for every cruise on the website.

 

Kathy

[exlondoner]

I hope the people who were taking the tips off the on-board account were intending to use the money to tip waiters and stewards personally. It reduces the pool for the people who don't contact passengers, but at least it isn't totally 'cheap.'

 

As for the people who weren't aware of the tips, they obviously didn't read the information they were given. It's on the fares page for every cruise on the website.

 

Kathy

 

And in the brochure. And in the voyage guide. You do wonder if there is an element of not wanting to know in some cases. (Sorry, don't know why I've come over all grumpy.)

[calikak]

That's true, Cunard is very up-front in its materials about the tipping. I think there are lot of people who don't read the materials Cunard sends them--these are the same people who badmouth a cruise line because a port was missed and demand compensation, when it's pretty clearly spelled out in the cruise contract that the cruise line may deviate from the scheduled ports.

[calikak]

Sorry, double post.

[Kindlychap]

That's true, Cunard is very up-front in its materials about the tipping. I think there are lot of people who don't read the materials Cunard sends them--these are the same people who badmouth a cruise line because a port was missed and demand compensation, when it's pretty clearly spelled out in the cruise contract that the cruise line may deviate from the scheduled ports.

 

They are not upfront when you ask the Purser for a breakdown of what goes where. They flannel and flannel. Last time we asked we were told waiters and stewards.

 

There is also a culture of those at the top (waiters/stewards) tipping lesser staff to get better assistance, to encourage better tips from them. Or so I've been led to believe.

 

I hate the whole thing.

 

Matthew

[Shopinpat]

I personally like handing a tip to someone for a job well done. How impersonal to include it on your bill. Thats my opinion. Also, if I choose

to give more for better service and if I feel that service was not up to standard I would tip less. It that not the purpose of tipping SERVICE>

I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[calikak]

They are not upfront when you ask the Purser for a breakdown of what goes where. They flannel and flannel. Last time we asked we were told waiters and stewards.

 

There is also a culture of those at the top (waiters/stewards) tipping lesser staff to get better assistance, to encourage better tips from them. Or so I've been led to believe.

 

I hate the whole thing.

 

Matthew

 

I guess I just meant the fact of the autotipping scheme's existance is pretty clear in Cunard's materials, making it surprisng to some that passengers are going to the purser's desk asking what it is because they didn't know they would be charged the tips automatically. You're right about it not being clear who gets what percentage of it.

[cinta]

And in the brochure. And in the voyage guide. You do wonder if there is an element of not wanting to know in some cases. (Sorry, don't know why I've come over all grumpy.)

You're not being grumpy, cunard are upfront about the tipping in their brochures

[David2115]

it is a shame that tipping seems so important on cruises and seems to form the topic of many debates, the culture in the US is vastly different as regards tipping, compared to the UK, my view is that it is not the passengers duty to automaticly tip up front just to compensate for the workforces poor wages, it is the duty of a company to fairly compensate the worker for the work they do. I will be removing the automatic tip at the pursers office but i will tip anyone who provides good service above what is their duty to provide.