New to P&O - help needed?

[Win14]

Hi everyone, am new to P&O- not cruising- and am off on the TA from Barbados to Southampton in March, on Britannia. I have a couple of questions- sorry there may be more as is gets nearer:-

1) what currency would you tip your cabin steward in? I now that tips are added to the onboard account by P&O , but I always leave an extra tip if the service is good.

2) Can you book the speciality restaurants for one person, and do you end up sat on your own or at a larger table with other people? What happens to single people in the Limelight club- do you sit on your own or with others?

 

Thanks

Caroline

[Selbourne]

Hi everyone, am new to P&O- not cruising- and am off on the TA from Barbados to Southampton in March, on Britannia. I have a couple of questions- sorry there may be more as is gets nearer:-

1) what currency would you tip your cabin steward in? I now that tips are added to the onboard account by P&O , but I always leave an extra tip if the service is good.

2) Can you book the speciality restaurants for one person, and do you end up sat on your own or at a larger table with other people? What happens to single people in the Limelight club- do you sit on your own or with others?

 

Thanks

Caroline

 

Tips should be in pounds sterling, but don't forget that you will be charged an auto gratuity per day, so you don't have to tip in addition.

 

If you book a table for one in a select dining restaurant then that's what you will get. Unlike the main dining rooms you will never share. Enjoy.

[ChrisPBacon]

We did a transition cruise last year and I knew the ship was off to the Europe on its next cruise, so I tipped in Euros. Might be good to see where the ship is going next, because the crew will need local currency.

 

 

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[Host Sharon]

I think the crew are happy with any mainstream currency, especially if it is in addition to their standard gratuity.

 

That is why I don't book the select restaurants - I don't want to eat alone! On Oceania Cruises they would ask if you wanted to share and acted accordingly.

[john watson]

I did the same cruise, Transatlantic Eastbound and tipped in dollars as I had some left. Topping up an auto is a bonus for the staff and I am sure they wont mind whatever currency they receive from the major ones used on cruises.

 

Regards John

[ChrisPBacon]

I did the same cruise, Transatlantic Eastbound and tipped in dollars as I had some left. Topping up an auto is a bonus for the staff and I am sure they wont mind whatever currency they receive from the major ones used on cruises.

 

 

 

Regards John

 

 

 

I think you're right John. It's a good idea to use whatever you have, even if that means a mix of currencies.

 

 

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[Jennizor]

We usually ask our cabin steward towards the end of the cruise which currency they prefer. Last February on Azura in the Caribbean, our lovely steward Phel said she preferred English currency as she didn't leave the ship very often so she could use it on board. She was working to put her daughter through university so sent most of her earnings home. In September, our young male steward said it didn't matter so we used whatever we had most of left.

[Denarius]

I think the crew are happy with any mainstream currency, especially if it is in addition to their standard gratuity.

 

That is why I don't book the select restaurants - I don't want to eat alone! On Oceania Cruises they would ask if you wanted to share and acted accordingly.

 

I agree, Sharon. For someone like myself who has cruised solo since the death of his partner, intelligent conversation over dinner is an important part of the cruise. I do not particularly want to sit at a table by myself in splendid isolation for a couple of hours, and for this reason do not book premium dining. If P&O offered a shared table option for solo travellers, even if it were only one table for say 6 max at a fixed time on a first come basis, I would try it.

[Selbourne]

Whilst many solo travellers enjoy the company of a shared table, I can quite understand why they may wish to dine alone on occasion, not least to avoid being questioned on why they are travelling alone, which must be tiresome. I am guessing that the reason the OP asked the question is because they may consider doing so, rather than asking our opinions on whether or not it was the best option!

 

Select dining provides a fantastic opportunity to dine alone, should you wish to. You would feel far less out of place than dining alone in a main dining room. As the food and service is also far superior, I would probably spend most nights in a select dining venue if travelling solo and, unlike the main dining rooms, tables are NEVER shared in these venues.

 

As for the currency for tips, again we are all giving our own opinions or assumptions, but I recall at a Q&A with the purser once (when they did them and before they were called Hotel Managers or whatever they are called now) and this subject came up. The purser said that, if asked, staff will politely accept whatever currency they are given BUT they had a very strong preference for pounds sterling as that was the currency they used and it saved them the trouble (and potential cost) of converting. As someone else has said, they don't all go ashore and spend money. So, although they willl never refuse Euros or Dollars (or whatever), pounds sterling is the tip of choice.

Edited January 10, 2017 by Selbourne