What's going on with P&O UK with TIPPING

Is that 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 Kids?

There is just the 2 of us but my point also was that most other cruise lines charge double that.

Unfortunately tipping is a cruise culture whether we like it or not and for the service we get i personally think we get a good deal.

That's for two adults and a 14 & 15 year old.

Slightly off topic Last time we sailed on P&O in a super deluxe balcony we thought we had booked a Pullman and a sofa (assured by TA), in reality there was a double sofa (I have a girl and boy) I had to get an airbed as P&O will no longer supply cot beds (due to H&S) and the steward refused to make up the airbed and wouldn't make up a bed on the settee. His boss came and he agreed with the steward :rolleyes: He expected his tip from all 4 of us at the end of the cruise :')

P&O tips are generally £6 per person per day but this is only for passengers of thirteen years or older On most Carnival brands I think you will find even a six month old baby or two year old toddler gets charged tips at the general cabin rate. It's very inexpensive on P&O. I do not ever cancel auto tips and cannot be bothered to try to do this. Last cruise, Cunard my cabin companion daughter did not embark and I have no idea whether they charged her tips or not.

 

Regards John

Great point John.

That's for two adults and a 14 & 15 year old.

 

Slightly off topic Last time we sailed on P&O in a super deluxe balcony we thought we had booked a Pullman and a sofa (assured by TA), in reality there was a double sofa (I have a girl and boy) I had to get an airbed as P&O will no longer supply cot beds (due to H&S) and the steward refused to make up the airbed and wouldn't make up a bed on the settee. His boss came and he agreed with the steward :rolleyes: He expected his tip from all 4 of us at the end of the cruise :')

That was wrong and deserved a complaint to GS and a good reason to reduce your autogratuities and a scathing review of them in the post cruise survey would have been justified.

£6pppd gratuitys is a drop in the ocean for most of us.

Most of the American lines are double that.

It is a small price to pay for the daily service we receive.

And the American lines are American so it is irrelevant what they do.

Although there may have been a tradition of tipping on cruise ships, the introduction of a non-disclosed 'optional' service charge is a recent invention. Such a hidden charge goes against the direction of the changes in consumer rights (e.g. removal of card fees) and the direction of employment rights (e.g. minimum wage).

P&O ought to be ashamed to operate such a system, and ought to be called out on it and not supported by people saying "well other companies are worse".

And the American lines are American so it is irrelevant what they do.

 

Although there may have been a tradition of tipping on cruise ships, the introduction of a non-disclosed 'optional' service charge is a recent invention. Such a hidden charge goes against the direction of the changes in consumer rights (e.g. removal of card fees) and the direction of employment rights (e.g. minimum wage).

 

P&O ought to be ashamed to operate such a system, and ought to be called out on it and not supported by people saying "well other companies are worse".

If you stick with P&O only then American lines will not matter to you.

I agree the crew should be paid properly by the cruiselines but the reality is they rely on our tips and if you cruise,tipping is what we need to do.

There are plenty of Holiday alternatives to choose from if you don't want to cruise.

We have been to Hotels in Spain and Tenerife in the last 2 months.

I am going to leave the auto tips on as I think all staff should benefit. Can I just ask at the end of our cruise will our steward and waiters expect further tips as I think £144 tips for our cruise seems ample. On other cruises I have been on they give you envelopes to give to the staff stating you have opted for auto tips.

I am going to leave the auto tips on as I think all staff should benefit. Can I just ask at the end of our cruise will our steward and waiters expect further tips as I think £144 tips for our cruise seems ample. On other cruises I have been on they give you envelopes to give to the staff stating you have opted for auto tips.

The auto tips should be all you need to do and the extra envelopes left by your cabin Steward is mind games to emotional blackmail you to give more.

If you do get exceptional service like in a speciality restaurant or the cabin steward helps you above their normal duties i give an extra cash tip at the time the service has been given.

I am going to leave the auto tips on as I think all staff should benefit. Can I just ask at the end of our cruise will our steward and waiters expect further tips as I think £144 tips for our cruise seems ample. On other cruises I have been on they give you envelopes to give to the staff stating you have opted for auto tips.

If you leave the auto tips on you have done more than enough. I honestly don't think the cabin stewards are bothered or expect a tip. On our last cruise the cabin steward was efficient but did no more than was required. IMO you should not feel obliged to tip on tip unless you really want to.

I am going to leave the auto tips on as I think all staff should benefit. Can I just ask at the end of our cruise will our steward and waiters expect further tips as I think £144 tips for our cruise seems ample. On other cruises I have been on they give you envelopes to give to the staff stating you have opted for auto tips.

I am sure they wouldn’t refuse an extra tip but they shouldn’t expect it. They know the system and are presumably happy to receive their share of the auto gratuity. No envelopes of any variety needed.

Your steward may raise the subject of his grade on your end of cruise questionnaire, which appears to have some influence on the auto gratuity they receive. I am usually generous in deciding the grade but to be fair to the stewards, giving them the highest grade is normally honest and accurate.

If you leave the auto tips on you have done more than enough. I honestly don't think the cabin stewards are bothered or expect a tip. On our last cruise the cabin steward was efficient but did no more than was required. IMO you should not feel obliged to tip on tip unless you really want to.

Totally agree although i know when they leave the envelopes it does make you feel obliged to give more.

Carnival is a joint UK/USA company.

Brian

P&O are part of Carnival UK, and that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation and Plc.

The auto tips should be all you need to do and the extra envelopes left by your cabin Steward is mind games to emotional blackmail you to give more.

If you do get exceptional service like in a speciality restaurant or the cabin steward helps you above their normal duties i give an extra cash tip at the time the service has been given.

It is not mind games or emotional blackmail the cabin stewards are not told until after the cruise who left auto tips on so they have no idea those who have and those that have removed them. If you have paid auto tips just put the envelope in the bin if you think what you have already paid is enough.

It is not mind games or emotional blackmail the cabin stewards are not told until after the cruise who left auto tips on so they have no idea those who have and those that have removed them. If you have paid auto tips just put the envelope in the bin if you think what you have already paid is enough.

As mentioned by other posters crew are aware who have stopped their autotips.

We were on a Celebrity ship, out of Southampton, a few years ago and our assistant waiter, a graduate from Poland, told us that he was only doing the contract to improve his English, before seeking employment in GBR.

He remarked that if the crew were paid UK Merchant Seamen's rates, we would not be able to afford the cruise. We agreed with him.

In general, crew rates of pay are related to employment opportunities available in their 'home' country, not those applicable in GBR and are set to be attractive to them.

Following the unofficial, quayside meeting some years ago, in San Francisco, by a number of Arcadia waiting staff, to discuss their pay and make representations to HQ.

The present tipping procedure was introduced whereby a pay rate rise was made and the auto-tipping practice applied. The income from the tips is collected into a general 'pool' from which a portion is paid towards the base rates of pay and the rest is distributed to certain crew members types. In the case of stewards and waiters, this may be related to the level of satisfaction that guests express when completing their Cruise Questionnaire. Hence, the importance that some staff place upon the completion of the CQ and the desire for an excellent rating, which in turn maybe a performance incentive.

The above IS NOT an official view but one from information gleaned over the course of our cruises with P&O.

As mentioned by other posters crew are aware who have stopped their autotips.

Sorry but they are not told until after the cruise has finished.

Sorry but they are not told until after the cruise has finished.

It was the RCI thread not P&O when i checked again but people who do the behind the scenes tours have reported seeing lists in several places for crew to see who has stopped their gratuitys.

As mentioned by other posters crew are aware who have stopped their autotips.

I don't believe this happens for the simple reason of why?

Is it to tell the crew member to give extra special treatment to those customers as they have opted out of the automatic gratuity and are likely giving a cash tip at the end of the cruise?

Is it to tell the crew member there is no need to do anything other than the basic, if that, as the customers have been cheap and opted out of the automatic gratuity and likely won't be paying anything?

If the crew pick B but they actually had type A customers they lose as they will get a reduced cash tip and if they pick A but have type B customers all their extra effort was wasted.

So if this happens (which it doesn't) they would need to ask themselves - Do you feel lucky? Well do you?

I don't believe this happens for the simple reason of why?

 

Is it to tell the crew member to give extra special treatment to those customers as they have opted out of the automatic gratuity and are likely giving a cash tip at the end of the cruise?

 

Is it to tell the crew member there is no need to do anything other than the basic, if that, as the customers have been cheap and opted out of the automatic gratuity and likely won't be paying anything?

 

If the crew pick B but they actually had type A customers they lose as they will get a reduced cash tip and if they pick A but have type B customers all their extra effort was wasted.

 

So if this happens (which it doesn't) they would need to ask themselves - Do you feel lucky? Well do you?

I don't know the answer.

Several CC members on RC including the best known one who is a cc host have seen lists on behind the scenes tours on RC.

Others on other lines have reported this too so there is a good possibility that P&O do the same.

We have done both - left the auto tips on and also used an envelope. I have seen no difference in service on any cruise. Always been excellent, so we choose to take the tips off and use an envelope. I have never been left an envelope by the cabin steward. We always collect our envelopes from Receiption.

We have done both - left the auto tips on and also used an envelope. I have seen no difference in service on any cruise. Always been excellent, so we choose to take the tips off and use an envelope. I have never been left an envelope by the cabin steward. We always collect our envelopes from Receiption.

We have always had extra envelopes left with the bag tags at the end of the cruise.

There usually is envelopes and writing material in the folder in your cabin.

Graham.

It was the RCI thread not P&O when i checked again but people who do the behind the scenes tours have reported seeing lists in several places for crew to see who has stopped their gratuitys.

In the mid80's, on RCL, it was rumoured to be known as the Spit List.

Have no evidence as to how true this was, or if the list name remains today.

Do not think waiting staff would actually "do" it.

I don't know the answer.

Several CC members on RC including the best known one who is a cc host have seen lists on behind the scenes tours on RC.

Others on other lines have reported this too so there is a good possibility that P&O do the same.

So you have no definitive proof just passing on second hand hearsay that you have heard from somewhere else.

I don't know the answer.

Several CC members on RC including the best known one who is a cc host have seen lists on behind the scenes tours on RC.

Others on other lines have reported this too so there is a good possibility that P&O do the same.

So the conclusion must be that those people who remove the automatic gratuities and intend to pay a cash tip at the end of the cruise run the risk of getting rubbish service due to this 'cheap passenger' list.

Nice...

In the mid80's, on RCL, it was rumoured to be known as the Spit List.

Have no evidence as to how true this was, or if the list name remains today.

Do not think waiting staff would actually "do" it.

I know plenty of restaurant managers and they all say anything is possible.

So you have no definitive proof just passing on second hand hearsay that you have heard from somewhere else.

When the most respected person on the RCI threads who is also a Host has seen it amongst many others that is proof to me.

As a high RC loyalty member we will do the free behind the scenes tour on our next cruise and see it for ourselves.

Sometimes you have to take your blinkers off and believe what people tell you in good faith.

As someone who has done 45 cruises and always tipped well over requested tips it makes no difference to me as i have a clear conscience.