Tipping, beyond the auto-gratuities

[Hflors]

This is our first Cunard cruise.  On other cruise lines we have sailed we generally tip our room stewards at the beginning of the cruise and at the end in cash.  We also tip our servers at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we tip the servers in the lounges.  Would this be appropriate on cunard?  

 

Thanks in advance for your imput.

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, Hflors said:

This is our first Cunard cruise.  On other cruise lines we have sailed we generally tip our room stewards at the beginning of the cruise and at the end in cash.  We also tip our servers at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we tip the servers in the lounges.  Would this be appropriate on cunard?  

 

Thanks in advance for your imput.

I have never done any of those things on any Cunard cruise, except sometimes a thank you at the end of the cruise. 

[Bedruthen]

Daily Gratuities will be automatically added to your onboard account. There is no expectation for you to give any additional amount in cash. The same with drinks, there will be an automatic gratuity. 

[naturelovergirl]

Any tips that you give above and beyond the auto-gratuities is truly up to you. 

Do what you feel comfortable with and what you feel is right. 🙂

Any appreciation towards the staff onboard you want to give will be very appreciated. Everyone works very hard to make your voyage special.

One thing that we did was make sure that we filled out comment cards at the purser's desk to write about the excellent service we were given by certain people. I have been told that those extra things do make a difference as well.

Have a wonderful Cunard cruise!

[majortom10]

The auto gratuities of at least $14-50pppd automatically added to your onboard account is IMO sufficient and with the extra 15% added to all drinks on top as well.

[D&N]

@Hflors

You are best just doing what you feel is right.

A previous objective analysis suggested auto-gratuities might be about right by British standards and perhaps slightly low by US standards.

We would pay the standard and only give anything else if we felt it was particularly deserved.

 

Threads such as this often end up being locked due to the wide variation of opinions! 😂

[PORT ROYAL]

43 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

Any tips that you give above and beyond the auto-gratuities is truly up to you. 

Do what you feel comfortable with and what you feel is right. 🙂

Any appreciation towards the staff onboard you want to give will be very appreciated. Everyone works very hard to make your voyage special.

One thing that we did was make sure that we filled out comment cards at the purser's desk to write about the excellent service we were given by certain people. I have been told that those extra things do make a difference as well.

Have a wonderful Cunard cruise!

Totally agree….
What goes around…….

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, Hflors said:

This is our first Cunard cruise.  On other cruise lines we have sailed we generally tip our room stewards at the beginning of the cruise and at the end in cash.  We also tip our servers at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we tip the servers in the lounges.  Would this be appropriate on cunard?  

Thanks in advance for your imput.

 

Of course, it is up to the passenger and their personal experience thru the sailing.

 

Yes there is gratitude added according to your cabin class ex. Britannia and the Grills.

And a gratuitous 15% for bar and beverage services.

 

But we do not start tipping at the start of the voyage, not at all! We do not think it is appropriate as if you are buying service ahead of time, sort of a bribe.

 

We prefer giving an extra tip to the Room Steward if we ask for extra service and they have performed in an exceptional manner.

 

Also our same thinking is in the Dining Room with the Waiters and Wine Steward. If observe extra effort, we will show appropiate appreciation.

 

It's up to your personal feelings.

[BklynBoy8]

13 minutes ago, D&N said:

 

Threads such as this often end up being locked due to the wide variation of opinions! 😂

 

IMHO.......mixed opinions shared in Cruise Critics gives our feelings that may assist others passengers especially those new to Cunard or cruising in general. An open forum is very informational.

Edited April 19, 2023 by BklynBoy8

[techteach]

I don’t think threads are locked because there are mixed opinions, as you say @BklynBoy8 different opinions are useful for making decisions. But, the discourse must remain civil.

[tv24]

Tipping is way more a US thing than a UK thing.  We are from the US, which is a tipping culture. On board Cunard, we tip for good service provided.  Sometimes a cabin steward who was special, sometimes a server in a bar who took good care of us day after day.  But we don't spread tips around upon arrival hoping that it will improve service.  I suppose some people do, but not us.  As others have posted, all of this is personal choice and there is no pressure on Cunard to tip or not to tip.

[exlondoner]

7 hours ago, tv24 said:

Tipping is way more a US thing than a UK thing.  We are from the US, which is a tipping culture. On board Cunard, we tip for good service provided.  Sometimes a cabin steward who was special, sometimes a server in a bar who took good care of us day after day.  But we don't spread tips around upon arrival hoping that it will improve service.  I suppose some people do, but not us.  As others have posted, all of this is personal choice and there is no pressure on Cunard to tip or not to tip.

Yes, I think it is important to remember that a Cunard ship is not part of New York, or Sydney or wherever you happen to live, and you should not expect the tipping custom to be what you do at home. The basics are set out in the brochure or the FAQs. If you truly intend to tip at every meal, you would be the only ones to do so, which is perhaps fortunate, as it might make service very slow. Also, as has been said, tipping in advance would seem like a bribe, with the insulting implication that the server won’t do their job properly unless they are bribed.

[Hflors]

8 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Yes, I think it is important to remember that a Cunard ship is not part of New York, or Sydney or wherever you happen to live, and you should not expect the tipping custom to be what you do at home. The basics are set out in the brochure or the FAQs. If you truly intend to tip at every meal, you would be the only ones to do so, which is perhaps fortunate, as it might make service very slow. Also, as has been said, tipping in advance would seem like a bribe, with the insulting implication that the server won’t do their job properly unless they are bribed.

Thanks to everyone who has responded.  I am glad I posted this question.  We would not want to do anything to insult anyone or not respect the custom of an area, and that is why I started this thread.   As my father use to say.  "When in Rome........"

 

Again thanks...