Automatic graturities charged ?

[dgs1956]

Staff don't hand them over so P&O are not being disingenuous at all.

 

I just don't understand this obsession with tipping. IAlong with Dres Codes and "Marketing" they it is the most discussed topics on this Forum yet when someone asks about excursions at different locations he hardly gets a reply.

I leave the Auto Tips on and I manage to make that choice myself without asking others what I should do. Surely people can make up their own minds what they will do.

[kathsmum]

Surely the place to ask about excursions is on a cruise roll call where people will be on the same cruise to the same places and possibly have been before. I certainly wouldn't want to comment on an excursion I may have done 5 years before. I agree about tipping - personal choice, but in the current situation could not condone not tipping at all.

[dsrdsrdsr]

As I prefer to tip in cash (rightly or wrongly - ignore that for now) P&O very kindly provide me with envelopes to put my tips in. They offer these to me. I then choose to offer a gratuities i.e. a personal gift in law. If the cruise line then require whoever I've tipped to hand them over then they are being disingenuous at the best, and blackmailing their staff at worst. P&O are also misleading me as a passenger as they do not advise to me that staff cannot keep tips yet allow me to tick a box re preferring to tip in cash.

 

Thinking this through further, unless a tip clearly advises who it is from, an individual would surely advise that they do not know the cabin or that it's from a cabin who left auto tips on.

 

 

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But as P&O don't insist that the tips are handed over to a general pool, then none of this is relevant.

 

All this confusion has come about because a lot of American lines have a much higher tips pool and insist that all tips are shared, because all their staff, whether they meet passengers or not, are on a less-than-commercial wage with tips to make up the difference. In their case, it's a way of keeping down the headline price of the cruise, not really a "tip" system at all. In their system, you can only give specific staff a bonus tip after you have given the entire crew across the ship their "wage".

 

On P&O, the tips are only for the specific staff who serve you - waiters and stewards. P&O choose to use this system as an incentive to persuade the staff to make sure they're serving you properly, because if they don't serve you properly they won't get a tip. The rest of the crew do not get tips, they get the commercial salary.

 

The auto-tips on P&O is because too many people were not giving tips. Not because they didn't feel the staff had done a good job, but because for whatever reason they were happy that their stewards and waiters received a very low wage for their service. Auto-tips are purely a way of trying to persuade passengers to pay the tips that they really ought to be paying, by making it a conscious decision to refuse to pay.

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

Forget tips, factor staff wages into the cruise fare and forget it!! Most people would prefer that, including the crew. They will know exactly how much they are going to get paid and not have to rely on the generosity of the passengers. Passengers will know exactly how much they are paying for a cruise. Everyone's happy.

 

 

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[pete14]

Forget tips, factor staff wages into the cruise fare and forget it!! Most people would prefer that, including the crew. They will know exactly how much they are going to get paid and not have to rely on the generosity of the passengers. Passengers will know exactly how much they are paying for a cruise. Everyone's happy.

 

 

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Were this to happen, would you add a standard amount to all cabins / passengers regardless of their grade of cabin and the same for Select and Saver fares? This would increase the headline lead in prices used in the advertising of cruises by the same amount as for much higher grade and more expensive cabins. The alternative would be a small percentage added to the fares across the board so the most expensive cabins and select fare passengers pay more? The former would be the fairer option but maybe not best for P&O.

[kruzseeka]

Surely the place to ask about excursions is on a cruise roll call where people will be on the same cruise to the same places and possibly have been before. I certainly wouldn't want to comment on an excursion I may have done 5 years before. I agree about tipping - personal choice, but in the current situation could not condone not tipping at all.

 

I agree that would be the obvious solution except in my experience very few have joined the roll calls for the cruises we've done so there has been little response or help to specific queries - often contributions receiving no answers at all.

 

Also those joining a roll call may be in the main people who haven't been to the destinations before and are signing up on the roll call for that very reason - seeking information. But if most are new to the ports of call, there's not going to be a great pool of past experience to draw on.

 

A ports forum will be more useful, but for info on a particular cruise line's excursions I feel you are likely to access a bigger audience for potential help on the main forum than on the roll call although I'm sure there are exceptions. One I joined last year was exceptionally active and supportive - but that wasn't a P&O one.

 

I would hope people wouldn't be deterred from seeking help or offering it because it's rather debatable whether it's the right place to ask. It may be the only place you will get the help you seek. It would be a good idea though to post under one thread asking for port support for a particular itinerary so those who can't answer or aren't interested in the thread can give it a swerve.

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

I have never understood why tips are required. Such things should be included in the price.

 

Tipping is added automaticaly as British people have something against tipping.

Ask the wait staff or cabin staff. They are so used to getting "Stiffed" by the Brits.

Some call it cheap. Some call it rudeness.

 

I think it may be a lack of understanding.

Its explained in the small print regarding tipping.

Some just dont get it, or in some cases, pretend not to get it, so as to avoid paying.

 

I tip using the auto tipping method. And tip further if the service exceeds my requirments.As it often does.

 

I could not be a cheapskate and not tip.

Those that dont tip the wait staff and cabin stewards are very cheap.

 

 

 

.

Edited December 23, 2014 by P&O Lynn Knickers
Lynn is not wearing any knikers today

[richleeds]

The lines themselves are mostly to blame for all of this.

 

There isnt really a tip involved at all (unless you tip over and above the suggested daily amount), you are simply paying towards your cruise without it been part of the initial advertised cruise price.

 

The lines dont want to include it in the price of the cruise as everyone's cruise goes up and they lose the "from £399/£499/£999" lead in prices.

 

The reason you are able to opt out of paying your tips is so the lines can get away with calling it an option thus they dont have to include it in the price of the cruise.

 

If tips were mandatory and unable to be removed then they would have to include them in the price quoted for your cruise.

[jeanlyon]

I don't think Brits are against tipping. I would think most Brits tip a hairdresser, a waiter in a restaurant, a taxi driver. Our guys here in the harbour get tips from visiting boats, so don't agree with that at all.

 

I think what we don't like is being told we have to! We always tipped our waiters and cabin steward, just because we wanted to and because we knew they had low wages etc. I would still prefer to do it that way, in an envelope and up until last year when we had loads of OBC, so left the auto tip on.

 

With regard to answering about port calls, there are such good pages about ports on this very website, can't imagine why people don't use them.

[Scriv]

...yet when someone asks about excursions at different locations he hardly gets a reply.

 

The reason for this is simple - we don't know the answer so therefore can't help!

 

The best place for placing Port questions if they cannot be answered by reading the Port info already on there is the Port Forum/Thread where you get a wealth of answers and responses.

 

The roll call people may be able to help also, but usually only if they have already been, but that is a good place to discuss research.

[daiB]

Forget tips, factor staff wages into the cruise fare and forget it!! Most people would prefer that, including the crew. They will know exactly how much they are going to get paid and not have to rely on the generosity of the passengers. Passengers will know exactly how much they are paying for a cruise. Everyone's happy.

 

 

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As you know I never agree with you over anything.

 

However I am now fully in favour of scrapping tips and putting the price of the cruise up. It would add £56 to a two week cruise. This would be between 2% and 4% increase clearly less in a suite than an inside.

 

The amount of bad feeling and upset that the whole tipping thing generates must make it a sensible thing to do.

 

 

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[Dryce]

Tipping is added automaticaly as British people have something against tipping.

 

I could not be a cheapskate and not tip.

Those that dont tip the wait staff and cabin stewards are very cheap.

 

So basically it's not a tip then as you seem to feel it must always be paid.

If that's the case include it in the price.

 

The general principle of tipping in the UK is that it is discretionary *not mandatory*. The culture in the US and Canada seems to be that the tips make up wages.

 

I take the UK view.

 

So far the service we've experienced on P&O is that I've always felt that the staff who have looked after us have deserved something extra because they have made a difference. I prefer to cancel the auto-tips and use the traditional envelope because it's personal and I don't like the employer have control over the allocation (and it's none of their business).

 

If other people choose not to to tip at all that's their business not mine.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Dryce

[jeanlyon]

Totally agree.

[kruzseeka]

The reason for this is simple - we don't know the answer so therefore can't help!

 

The best place for placing Port questions if they cannot be answered by reading the Port info already on there is the Port Forum/Thread where you get a wealth of answers and responses.

 

The roll call people may be able to help also, but usually only if they have already been, but that is a good place to discuss research.

 

 

There are 8 people signed up for our roll call on Azura next month - and if they haven't been to the PoC before............. not a very fertile source of info.

If specific info on P&O excursions is sought then without a flourishing roll call to turn to I can understand why people would ask on here. Whether anyone can help is another matter.

 

Yes the Port info on here is excellent but new cruisers or those new to a PoC would probably welcome an interaction and info from fellow cruisers who can respond to specific questions. I've always been so grateful for the advice and support I've had over the years from fellow cruisers, it would seem a shame if that help isn't forthcoming - wherever it's accessed.

Edited December 23, 2014 by kruzseeka

[Scriv]

Hi kruseeka - I was referring to the Forum dedicated to the ports of call on this website. You choose which forum is relevant to you eg Caribbean, Europe, Britain etc and then within that forum are lots of individual threads just like this one where you can post/read posts and interact with other cruisers.

 

I have posted many questions on St Petersburg excursions there and have also helped others. But yes, these are cruisers from all other lines and not specific to P&O.

 

People who are able to help with info do reply, but like myself, if I haven't been to the port in question with the best will in the world I can't be of assistance. I would not be being unhelpful in not replying, but if I don't know the answer, I can't help.

 

If I do, then of course I would reply as would most of the others on here.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Scriv

[Bacardi..]

I think it is down to our culture, we generally are not a nation that tips. If you went away on a all inclusive holiday on land, but don't think that many would leave a tip for a waiter or chamber maid. Some of these can be very cheap holidays. However because it's a cruise it is the norm. I would rather P&o include it in a fare.

 

What about a world cruise, 2 in a cabin it would add £900 to your onboard account. Whilst I realise it is a long while still a large amount to start your cruise off with

[PORT ROYAL]

I think it is down to our culture, we generally are not a nation that tips. If you went away on a all inclusive holiday on land, but don't think that many would leave a tip for a waiter or chamber maid. Some of these can be very cheap holidays. However because it's a cruise it is the norm. I would rather P&o include it in a fare.

 

What about a world cruise, 2 in a cabin it would add £900 to your onboard account. Whilst I realise it is a long while still a large amount to start your cruise off with

 

And the lowest and highest price of a World Cruise is?

And the gratutity percentage of these WC values are?

Edited December 23, 2014 by PORT ROYAL

[Bacardi..]

And the lowest and highest price of a World Cruise is?

And the gratutity percentage of these WC values are?

 

What has the lowest and highest price go to do with things? I thought we were on about auto tips.

 

Someone could of saved for a long while to go on this type of trip( or any holiday for that matter). Adding £900 to someone's onboard account is not a great way to start a holiday. If P&o had the tips built into the fares it (in my opinion) would be far better, and you would not really notice the £50 or £450 increase in price. However it would be a nice selling point for P&o, sail with us and don't worry about tips.

[dgs1956]

I do sail with P&O and I never worry about tips. I pay the Auto Tips and I consider that as part of the cost of the cruise.

[PORT ROYAL]

What has the lowest and highest price go to do with things? I thought we were on about auto tips.

 

Someone could of saved for a long while to go on this type of trip( or any holiday for that matter). Adding £900 to someone's onboard account is not a great way to start a holiday. If P&o had the tips built into the fares it (in my opinion) would be far better, and you would not really notice the £50 or £450 increase in price. However it would be a nice selling point for P&o, sail with us and don't worry about tips.

 

What is the percentage of the total cruise price paid as auto tips?

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

What has the lowest and highest price go to do with things? I thought we were on about auto tips.

 

Someone could of saved for a long while to go on this type of trip( or any holiday for that matter). Adding £900 to someone's onboard account is not a great way to start a holiday. If P&o had the tips built into the fares it (in my opinion) would be far better, and you would not really notice the £50 or £450 increase in price. However it would be a nice selling point for P&o, sail with us and don't worry about tips.

 

I fully agree with your comments.

[Ataraxia]

Look at it another way - the tips do not go through the P and O books. They do not have to pay tax National Insurance on this money. It is the onus of the staff to declare their tax to the appropriate authorities. I don't think they would want tips to be included in the fare.

[richleeds]

Look at it another way - the tips do not go through the P and O books. They do not have to pay tax National Insurance on this money. It is the onus of the staff to declare their tax to the appropriate authorities. I don't think they would want tips to be included in the fare.

 

As the ships are not UK registered are you positive they pay NI anyway?

[terrierjohn]

As the ships are not UK registered are you positive they pay NI anyway?

Maybe not but you can be certain that the P&O accountants, and auditors, would want to add overheads to this "new" wage cost, and as overheads for large businesses tend to be at least 100%, then this would double the current cost.

Personally I prefer to leave well alone and continue to factor the auto tip into my on board expenditure to cover this essential wage for the service staff, and tip extra for anyone who I think provides service above the normal level.

For those who think the current per diem auto tip is too big for world cruises, I suggest they stick to shorter cruises.

[richleeds]

Personally I prefer to leave well alone and continue to factor the auto tip into my on board expenditure to cover this essential wage for the service staff

 

Do we know it is essential?

 

We all seem to have ideas of what goes where, who gets what, what's pooled and what isn't etc but do we really know what would happen if the whole ship decided to remove auto tips?

 

Would P&O step in and fill the short fall in the staff wages or would they genuinely earn next to nothing for that week?