Rise in Tips ?

[Neil R.]

I am from Australia and traveling on Oceana in April. all Carnival, Princess and P&O Australian based ships have the tips built into the price. Like our English cousins, we don't really do tips in this

part of the world, and therefor the majority of the ships are catering for it. I really think P&O Uk should consider the same, I would rather pay up front then be in for a rude surprise when I get the bill!

[daiB]

That is what I was told and I prefer to believe the steward.

 

 

I used to think that but I was put right by a P&O employee, more senior than a steward. With no axe to grind.

[PurpleMoonlight]

If we assume that P&O do make up the gratuity where it is not collected from the passenger as advised by the officer, then a couple of things make perfect sense.

 

The use of the gratuity 'pool'.

 

The requirement that cash gratuities given to staff are put into the pool up to the value of the auto-gratuity if the auto-gratuity is removed.

[RJChatsworth]

On our last cruise we were at the Baltic / Ligurian lunch and seated with a senior officer from the hotel dept. The subject of autotipping came up and he said he was disappointed at the large number of people queuing to remove the tips on day one.

I asked if that meant the intended recipients received a shortfall. He said No the company makes up the shortfall because of contractual agreements.

I therefore think the increase is to cover that.[/QUOT

 

I am sure this is true as I was told the same by a Maitre d' on Cunard and assume therefore it applies to all Carnival Group lines. He went on to tell me some passengers tip him and whilst not turning it down felt embarrassed taking it because he is salaried.

[the english lady]

I have to say that I believe in the auto tipping system .. well I did until a recent cruise. Speaking to a cabin steward .. not ours but a lad we had known from before .. he was saying his biggest worry was the Q&A form .. if 3 out of his 20 cabins mark him down as less than excellent he loses his bonus (our tips from the pool) from ALL his passengers. He was saying that some folk are really awful and try as he does to go beyond passenger expectations' date=' if they mark him down he loses out terribly.

So, I guess at least if you cancel auto tips and give an envelop at the end of a cruise you can be content that at least your tip has been received.[/quote']

 

which is what I said about 3 million posts back. Fill out the questionnaire and rate the people who have done over and above excellent. I had heard the tip pool share out is related to this in someway.

I guess if you get a steward who does nothing above make the beds in all his cabins, should he get the same share as someone who cleans thoroughly, brings ice in a bucket etc etc.

I guess we will continue having threads like this until P and O smell the coffee and include in the upfront price of the cruise...or do not offer squillions in OBC, just enough to cover the grats.

[BalkanCruiser]

Agreed, but it would appear from this thread, it is we, who pay gratutities and give extra, are actually subsidising those who deliberatey avoid paying, or giving.

 

Parasitic tightwads?

 

and help P&O to continue failing to pay their staff a fair and proper wage.

[Mysticalmother]

It seems to me that none of us posting here actually KNOW for a fact what happens to the auto tips, cash tips, and rating cards results. We don't know how the bonus scheme works.

 

All we know is what we are told by cabin staff, crew, & P &O shore staff , although that differs depending on who you speak to, and what we read on here.

 

We do know the auto tips are not compulsory. Filling out the card is not compulsory. Additional tipping is not compulsory.

 

Surely, the best thing to do is leave the auto tips on, and rate your cabin steward honestly. Most are excellent, but some are not. Some passengers make life easy for their cabin steward, but some don't, leaving their cabin in a real mess day after day ( they do - I have seen it!).

 

And If you want to tip your cabin steward on top, try finding out what he or she spend their money on when they get a chance to go ashore. I have seen staff returning to the ship with bag loads of chocolate, biscuits, cans of coke (and beer!) - maybe a thoughtful gift would be appreciated instead? Just a thought.

[davecttr]

Just to elaborate on what I wrote earlier. I will not rate excellent a steward who consistently ignored the 'please make up my cabin' card when that card is one of only 1 or 2 when he comes on duty in the morning.

 

an excellent steward would adjust the cabin cleaning order to please the customers, not to suit his own schedule and ignore the requiests in the cabin doors. The stewards around my cabin had 17 cabins to service and I also noted that my steward was always last to finish.

 

The steward at xmas (Dina, 14 cabins to clean) was excellent she even folded up the clothes i left scattered on the other bed, within a week she had me housetrained and doing it myself :D Of course an excellent mark was given.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

I do think that, in general, the female cabin stewards are more efficient than the male ones ;)

 

Sits back and waits for the flak :eek::D

Edited March 8, 2015 by CRUISIN LINDA

[daiB]

which is what I said about 3 million posts back. Fill out the questionnaire and rate the people who have done over and above excellent. I had heard the tip pool share out is related to this in someway.

 

I guess if you get a steward who does nothing above make the beds in all his cabins, should he get the same share as someone who cleans thoroughly, brings ice in a bucket etc etc.

 

I guess we will continue having threads like this until P and O smell the coffee and include in the upfront price of the cruise...or do not offer squillions in OBC, just enough to cover the grats.

 

 

Sorry to disagree but on a number of occasions the captain in his speech has said that excellent does not mean that at all. For the benefit of these questionnaires if the member of staff has performed to your satisfaction then that is marked as excellent. If they have gone above that please fill in a card of recommendation corundum at the reception. I have heard this from a number of captains over the past few years. Clearly they are not happy with the system either.

[KaththeTaff]

I'm tempted to go and reduce the daily charge to what it was when we booked the cruise.

[PurpleMoonlight]

I'm tempted to go and reduce the daily charge to what it was when we booked the cruise.

 

I'm tempted to remove them altogether now that it appears P&O are trying to make me cover the cost of the passengers that already do so.

[PORT ROYAL]

I'm tempted to remove them altogether now that it appears P&O are trying to make me cover the cost of the passengers that already do so.

 

:confused:

This thread has been a suprise to one, asking more legitimate questions than anticipated. To resolve this personal quandary, while on the QV next month, discreet enquiries will be made, hopefully truth will out.

[themanwithahat]

There isn't one because you are only seeking a derogative term for someone doing something that they are perfectly entitled to do.

 

Doesn't mean they aren't cheapskates though.

 

Wouldn't the cabin crew be able to detect it using the interactive TV ?

 

The only downside with paying "direct" is there are a lot of people who work hard who you don't ever see - kitchen and so on ?

[themanwithahat]

I am from Australia and traveling on Oceana in April. all Carnival, Princess and P&O Australian based ships have the tips built into the price. Like our English cousins, we don't really do tips in this

part of the world, and therefor the majority of the ships are catering for it. I really think P&O Uk should consider the same, I would rather pay up front then be in for a rude surprise when I get the bill!

 

It's about getting the base advertised prices as low as possible "from £xxx". From a competitive PoV people can be a bit thick and not compare the 'total package'.

[PORT ROYAL]

 

Wouldn't the cabin crew be able to detect it using the interactive TV ?

/QUOTE]

 

Correct!

The tightwads also know this.

 

This is the reason for the deliberate removal of gratuties at 23.00 on the final cruise night by the tightwads. :eek:

[PurpleMoonlight]

Wouldn't the cabin crew be able to detect it using the interactive TV ?

 

 

The don't need to be Inspector Clouseau as they apparently get told by P&O when the auto-gratuity is removed. What they don't know until the end of the cruise is whether or not they will receive a gratuity direct from the passenger. If they do though, they apparently have to contribute that to the auto-gratuity pool.

 

However, if P&O have to make up the gratuity pool so that all eligible staff receive it regardless, then there is no loss to them if a passenger fails to give a gratuity at all.

 

Certainly something to ponder on if true .....

Edited March 8, 2015 by PurpleMoonlight

[Triplalot]

It may be something to ponder on but will no doubt result in price increases should more people select to remove the auto tipping. The better solution would be to include the tipping charge in the price of the cruise, albeit what would we do then if we received bad service?

[jake 26]

As you suggested earlier PurpleMoonlight if the tipping cost rises more people will remove them. So that could lead to a self defeating spiral for P&O.

RCI have been doing promotions with 'free drinks' and included gratuities at inflated cruise prices and have successfully sold them.

I think the only answer for P&O is to increase the cruise price by £5pppd which will hardly be noticeable, and then do an advertising campaign promoting ' Gratuities now included'.

That way everyone pays, and the current anomalies are eradicated.

[jeanlyon]

Fred Olsen is also doing "tips included" in their new brochure. It's the obvious way to go.

[davecttr]

Fred Olsen is also doing "tips included" in their new brochure. It's the obvious way to go.

as Thomson have done for years, and their crew look really happy with the arrangement. they get to keep any cash tips as well.

 

either roll the auto gratuity into the fare or make it compulsory, at the cost of perhaps being accused of behaving like 'that airline' ;)

[Big Stevie]

 

The only downside with paying "direct" is there are a lot of people who work hard who you don't ever see - kitchen and so on ?

 

But hasn't it already been established that the auto tips don't go to the kitchen staff or to any of the other 'behind the scenes' staff. They only go to your cabin steward and waiters.

[PurpleMoonlight]

I wasn't a fan of loading the auto-gratuity on the purchase price as that would incur VAT. However, it is unfair for P&O to expect those passengers not removing the auto-gratuity to pay even more to compensate for those that do.

 

There seems vary little fairness going on in P&O pricing and gratuity policies. The whole thing is a not very cheap lottery! The more I see and learn the more I dislike.

 

I am fairly confident my May 2015 cruise will be my last one on P&O.

[BrianI]

There is no VAT on the cost of the cruise. There may be VAT on items bought in the shops if not sailing outside EU waters.

Brian

[PurpleMoonlight]

There is no VAT on the cost of the cruise. There may be VAT on items bought in the shops if not sailing outside EU waters.

Brian

 

You sure?

 

I thought it is the other way around, hence why shops are closed when in ports.