removing gratuities/service reward scheme

[daiB]

I refer you to my post number 80. Put the price up and stop all tipping.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Teddy123]

I refer you to my post number 80. Put the price up and stop all tipping.

 

I agree that building it into the price would be much simpler and prevent some passengers - deliberately or otherwise - failing to reward those who deserve it (although optional tipping onto should still be accepted, of course).

[pete14]

I agree that building it into the price would be much simpler and prevent some passengers - deliberately or otherwise - failing to reward those who deserve it (although optional tipping onto should still be accepted, of course).

 

I think you have touched on a potential drawback to including gratuities in the cost of the cruise. Whilst I would support this, provided I could trust P and O to administer it fairly, possible optional tipping which many would engage in almost by habit, may become the expected norm.

[Teddy123]

I think you have touched on a potential drawback to including gratuities in the cost of the cruise. Whilst I would support this, provided I could trust P and O to administer it fairly, possible optional tipping which many would engage in almost by habit, may become the expected norm.

 

True - but I would expect P&O to make a big selling point of tips being included, so everyone would be aware of it and it would be different to the situation some years ago - and I for one would not then feel that an extra tip was expected/needed unless there were exceptional circumstances. (In any case, I doubt the opinions of anybody on this forum will make a difference to what P&O actually do!)

[Morgans]

We have also been categorically told after enquiring at several purser's offices, several times , that if automatic tips are removed then the cabin steward etc can keep the personal tips and they do not have to be turned in. Despite this information, we still hear different information on these boards.

We have completed 40+ cruises - have tipped directly on some, left tips on on some and adjusted on some. So a right old mixture. Still confusion reigns and no one really knows the exact answer although we may think we do.

I remember one young steward who when we tipped him, brought out his wallet and it was bulging - and I mean bulging with notes - it was the last evening of the cruise. He had trouble putting our notes into it it was so full. I do not believe for a minute that all of that money would be turned into the "pot." Who would know?

Do what you think is fair .....in your circumstances.

[sparkyebb]

That is the most appropriate reply and comment on this thread ' Do what you think is fair..... In your circumstances.'

 

I still can't believe somebody posted

 

'we spoke with an officer and he said - some people can afford a ticket but can't afford to cruise.'

 

It's a surprising quote and even more surprising the poster felt they needed to post.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited September 15, 2016 by sparkyebb

[Kaziebelle]

Princess charged $7.95 for a pint of Stella in May so about a fiver at the time. It was £3.95 on Britannia last December.

 

 

 

If cruise staff get to keep what is given to them are they ruled out of sharing the rest of the pot, I cant imagine they get two bites of the cherry? Which brings me to the next point you made:

 

 

 

You tried to give him £2.85 a day? I suspect the reason he left it was because he wouldn't be excluded from the main pot rather than what you offered.

 

Now,to put this one to bed.they are allowed to keep individual tips and they also DO get to be included in the shareout.in our particular case it was the steward who lost by refusing our personal tip.non of the others refused it.

Sorry your suspicion was incorrect.

[Kaziebelle]

I'm opting out of the mud slinging, it's all been said before. Dai, this did interest me though, who told you they have to return it? I e-mailed PandO asking this question very specifically and was told that they are not required to pay it back to the pot. It concerns me that if you have been told this directly by staff then the information PandO gave me is blatantly untrue.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

The info given to you by p&o is true.i emailed our friend who works for them and he confirmed this to be correct,he also confirmed that if a steward or waiter etc was to accept a personal tip they would also get their percentage of the auto tips etc.

[BrianI]

If someone removes their autotips and pays the steward/waiter the same in cash and he also gets a share of the autotips, then he is getting double.

Brian

[Baronoli]

Has anyone who has removed a tip experienced bad service as a result due to staff knowing?

[Balaena]

Has anyone who has removed a tip experienced bad service as a result due to staff knowing?

 

The staff are given a list of those passengers that have deleted their auto tips. This happens before the final evening shift starts, approximately 1700 hrs. By this time most passengers who are going to delete their auto tips will have done so as by this time as the final statements are finalised at around midnight. Waiters and bedroom stewards also butlers are then expected to hand over 'any' tips they receive from those on the list.

The very most important piece of paper for all that serve you is the PSQ, if they get anything less than excellent then their share of the gratuity pot is reduced.Your waiter etc will still smile sweetly at you even though they know you have deleted the auto tips, because they do not know at this stage if you have completed your PSQ.

Also to knock on the head another myth, crew do not get free internet but they do get it at a discount.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Balaena

[pete14]

The staff are given a list of those passengers that have deleted their auto tips. This happens before the final evening shift starts, approximately 1700 hrs. By this time most passengers who are going to delete their auto tips will have done so as by this time as the final statements are finalised at around midnight. Waiters and bedroom stewards also butlers are then expected to hand over 'any' tips they receive from those on the list.

The very most important piece of paper for all that serve you is the PSQ, if they get anything less than excellent then their share of the gratuity pot is reduced.Your waiter etc will still smile sweetly at you even though they know you have deleted the auto tips, because they do not know at this stage if you have completed your PSQ.

Also to knock on the head another myth, crew do not get free internet but they do get it at a discount.

 

I hope this is true because it seems to make perfect sense. Presumably they keep any extra gratuities given by those who leave the automatic gratuity intact which is only fair. My only gripe is that an excellent rating seems a little harsh. Of course it is something to aspire to but some find it difficult to bring themselves to give the best or worst ratings on such a questionnaire.

[daiB]

Would not worry about P&O tips, just seen the Princess have put theirs up again makes our cruise in May £306, just for tips.

 

I think I shall have to have a raffle to get that much. ;(

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[bee-ess]

Would not worry about P&O tips, just seen the Princess have put theirs up again makes our cruise in May £306, just for tips.

 

I think I shall have to have a raffle to get that much. ;(

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

I'd prepay them Dai before they go up again !!

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

i'm currently on britannia and wanted to remove tips as we have done before and pay our waiters and room attendant directly i don't know if english is a foreign language to all the staff at the pursers desk but they are going out of their way to stop us from doing this we have never had a problem in the past they gave us a form earlier which is for adjusting the amount not stopping it last week they told us it was 4 or 5 forms to fill in and couldn't be done until the 2nd week of the cruise????

anyone managed to remove it recently?

Without ploughing through all the comments on this thread i'm not sure if the OPs question has been answered..... As far as I am aware, you go to reception, obtain a form, fill it in and sign it. Hand it back to reception and the night staff action it and remove the tips already paid. It normally takes 2 to 3 days to complete as a large number of passengers do remove the auto tips I am told.

[Kaziebelle]

The staff are given a list of those passengers that have deleted their auto tips. This happens before the final evening shift starts, approximately 1700 hrs. By this time most passengers who are going to delete their auto tips will have done so as by this time as the final statements are finalised at around midnight. Waiters and bedroom stewards also butlers are then expected to hand over 'any' tips they receive from those on the list.

The very most important piece of paper for all that serve you is the PSQ, if they get anything less than excellent then their share of the gratuity pot is reduced.Your waiter etc will still smile sweetly at you even though they know you have deleted the auto tips, because they do not know at this stage if you have completed your PSQ.

Also to knock on the head another myth, crew do not get free internet but they do get it at a discount.

Tosh!

Just contacted our friend and after he stopped laughing about these claims he said that with the many thousands of staff across the fleet just think about how many copies of this letter they would need and they're trying to cut their costs,not increase them.

He wasn't aware of discounts on Internet as he says you only have to look in port and see how many are using the free internet there

[CCFC]

They get a discount:

 

P&O Cruises Internet price for crew

 

10 pounds Internet Card gets 168 minutes

 

Taken from Here That's a lot cheaper than the passengers pay.

 

Email is a wonderful thing.

Edited September 15, 2016 by CCFC

[CCFC]

Would not worry about P&O tips, just seen the Princess have put theirs up again makes our cruise in May £306, just for tips.

 

I think I shall have to have a raffle to get that much. ;(

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Just make sure you drink your fair share of booze, with the £ to $ at the moment I wouldn't consider a line that uses $. Just so you know the exchange rate will be from when you booked not what it is now, put a lot of credit on and you will save around 15% ($1.53 to $1.30 which it is about now.)

[balf]

What a tangled web we are weaving.

 

So many theories and confusion still reigns.

 

David.

[daiB]

Just make sure you drink your fair share of booze, with the £ to $ at the moment I wouldn't consider a line that uses $. Just so you know the exchange rate will be from when you booked not what it is now, put a lot of credit on and you will save around 15% ($1.53 to $1.30 which it is about now.)

 

 

Not sure we would have booked it without the free booze. :) so how so you put money on to your account? Does you TA do it or do you do it direct?

 

Having said that if we have free booze we will not be spending that much on board. Unlikely to do any trips as we have been to all the ports a few times.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited September 15, 2016 by daiB

[CCFC]

Not sure we would have booked it without the free booze. :) so how so you put money on to your account? Does you TA do it or do you do it direct?

 

Having said that if we have free booze we will not be spending that much on board. Unlikely to do any trips as we have been to all the ports a few times.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

You can put a credit on your account, just go to the cruise personaliser. The Princess one shows a lot more than the P&O one, like credits etc. Having said that there is only really the speciality restaurants that you can spend money on apart from the gratuities and trips. If you are not sure the TA will do it for you.

[FluffyFiFi]

I am on holiday, I do not want to worry about who to tip or how much. How much the staff get paid is not my concern but a matter between the employer and the employee. I leave the tips on as it takes the hassle out of everything but I also tip some of the staff extra. Unfortunately I have never felt the need to tip extra on P&O as the service has never warranted it - although it was tempting to remove the tips! On Celebrity the tips were more than double but we still tipped our cabin steward extra, as well as the waiters in the dining room. We would have tipped extra to the Maitre'd but we couldn't find her on our last day. It might be easier to have them removed and included in the holiday but until that happens I will continue to do what feels right to me. Each to their own.

[peteukmcr]

I am on holiday, I do not want to worry about who to tip or how much. How much the staff get paid is not my concern but a matter between the employer and the employee. I leave the tips on as it takes the hassle out of everything but I also tip some of the staff extra. Unfortunately I have never felt the need to tip extra on P&O as the service has never warranted it - although it was tempting to remove the tips! On Celebrity the tips were more than double but we still tipped our cabin steward extra, as well as the waiters in the dining room. We would have tipped extra to the Maitre'd but we couldn't find her on our last day. It might be easier to have them removed and included in the holiday but until that happens I will continue to do what feels right to me. Each to their own.

I agree, especially about Celebrity.

 

Anyway, I can't believe that 5 days on and the thread is still going strong. Miles away from the original question, but as usual with tipping threads, the reasons for paying, the reasons for not, the disagreement on amounts, digs at other cruise line practices, whether the staff have to pay up from cash tips, whether the staff know who has paid, who has removed them, the amount staff get, what they get for free, the list is endless.

 

At the end of the day, everyone does what they deem appropriate, and until tips, gratuity, service charges or whatever get included in the cruise fare, there is an expectation on all of us to pay an additional fee when cruising.

 

Whether you agree with the practice or not, it is what it is at the present time, so just get on with it and enjoy your cruise and stop berating those who have opposite views to you. You are wasting energy. It is pointless. You are only winding yourself up.

 

Alternatively, cruise with lines where tips are included.