I know I can remove gratuities if I don’t want to leave them on my account, but will I be made to feel cheap if I do?

[nikos 65]

That topic again and the grey area of cruising - GRATUITIES - i've generally left gratuities on the onboard account. If I was to remove or reduce them on my future cruises would I be made to feel cheap and would the service I receive change. Any views/experiences?

[mitch 325]

its a personal thing whichever you prefer, i use the fixed dining mostly so i get to know the people that serve me so to speak. so i tip personally rather than via the automated system if they then opt to pool that its their decision. and usually i tip more than they auto tip anyway so it doesnt worry me. and ive never had any adverse reaction to opting out of the auto system.

[WAVES 125]

I removed my gratuities last year and didnt feel cheap as i tipped in cash to the people i wanted to. I understand that if you charge them to your account its split to everyone but i still feel better tipping who i want.

[Furby 441]

no they dont, just fill in the form and hand it back no judging

[sinbad10 753]

1 hour ago, mitch said:

its a personal thing whichever you prefer, i use the fixed dining mostly so i get to know the people that serve me so to speak. so i tip personally rather than via the automated system if they then opt to pool that its their decision. and usually i tip more than they auto tip anyway so it doesnt worry me. and ive never had any adverse reaction to opting out of the auto system.

Majority of cruise lines if you remove auto gratuities and then tip in cash they should hand it over to the pool and if they dont and get caught they then risk losing their jobs and that is too much of a risk to take.

[cruise chef 865]

It is a personal preference and not compulsary, however having spoke to a memeber of staff on Celebrity they did advise that if passengers remove them it does affect their overall scoring on their customer service for the cruise.

[shelaghl 5]

We had a situation on a recent Princess cruise where our dining companions had paid their gratuities through their onboard account but still felt they should give the waiter actual cash!  We were made to feel very uncomfortable when we didn't wish to do the same and felt under pressure to also pay twice.  Has anyone else come across this?  By the way, we didn't give twice - we feel that gratuities charged by Princess are more than enough.

[Terry A 20]

I remove gratuities every time and never had a problem.  I reward good service to those who give it.  Would you go into a restaurant and give a tip befor you ordered your meal?

also a little cheeky of the cruise companies to tell you what to give.

 

[Tamworthbay 13]

We leave the auto ones on but also give a cash tip to those who have given service above and beyond. It's a tiny proportion of the cost of the holiday and, in my experience, the star are superb so I am happy to,reward that. I don't mind the auto ones as there are lots of people I don't get a chance to tip (or even see) that have contributed to making the holiday great.

[JAK 7]

This topic goes on forever.I always remove tips and pay direct No problem.

[Jack7374 11]

Gratuities are an accepted part of cruising and generally accepted by most passengers I have spoken to across several cruise lines. We have done it both ways but I now feel that I ndividual tipping is not for me as the individuals tipped could not perform their duties without the rest of the crew a backing them up. They are just the tip of the iceberg. As an example the lovely food you eat at breakfast could not be served by your waiter unless someone had started working at 3.00am to prepare and cook your food in the galley.

[HowieH 3]

We learnt early on in our cruising history, due to suffering pathetic service, to remove tips at the start because they can be added back on or given individually. No one bats an eyelid if removal is requested; in fact on a recent cruise customer service told us that the majority remove tips on this cruise line! Extra special service will get extra. Never heard of job loss if tips are not handed over - must check on this.

[ianc 6]

We have removed auto-tips when cruising with Cunard, Fred Olsen and P&O and never experienced any problems - just fill in the required form at reception and it's done. We feel the rates 'advised' for auto-tipping is generally excessive and we have a preference to tip only those crew members that actually serve us during the cruise.

We have also met with people who had chosen to leave the auto-tipping active and then felt obliged (or pressured) to pay personal tips too. To avoid that possibility a suggestion would be to always remove the auto-tips and then you are free to give as much as you wish to whoever you wish without the unnecessary pressure, which you can do without when on holiday.

[june63 107]

Of course the auto tips comes off your On Board Credit so that you start earning discount on your purchases earlier than if you delete the tips and pay dirextly

[Olivers four 3]

One thing that really annoys us is the automated tipping. Always remove and tip the staff who provide good service. It seems very presumptuous for companies to add on an amount. Although most staff are brilliant, some are not. Always felt that cruise price should be increased rather than this strange system if its needed. Tipping should be for good service.

[Tinkerbell 80]

To veer from tipping topic. We are cruising at Christmas for the first time. Is it customary to give cabin steward and waiters a Christmas card or a present of cash?

[smethy 28]

There are a lot of seriously mean people out there! You only interact with the tip of the iceberg in relation to the people who make the cruise the haste free experience it usually is. Generally cruise prices are a bargain. Do the decent thing, leave auto tipping in place AND tip personally at the end of the cruise. You'll be,  and should be proud to be,  a better and more generous human being as a result. 

Miserable gits. 

[sinbad10 753]

3 hours ago, june63 said:

Of course the auto tips comes off your On Board Credit so that you start earning discount on your purchases earlier than if you delete the tips and pay dirextly

Not everyone automatically gets OBC it depends on when you book and what type of cruise fare you book.

[sinbad10 753]

52 minutes ago, smethy said:

There are a lot of seriously mean people out there! You only interact with the tip of the iceberg in relation to the people who make the cruise the haste free experience it usually is. Generally cruise prices are a bargain. Do the decent thing, leave auto tipping in place AND tip personally at the end of the cruise. You'll be,  and should be proud to be,  a better and more generous human being as a result. 

Miserable gits. 

Nothing to do with being miserable gits but your assumption is wrong that auto gratuities goes to all staff as it doesnt it only goes to waiters/stewards all others behind the scenes get contracted wages and do not receive any money from the auto gratuity.

[*Dancing Queen* 394]

1 hour ago, sinbad10 said:

Nothing to do with being miserable gits but your assumption is wrong that auto gratuities goes to all staff as it doesnt it only goes to waiters/stewards all others behind the scenes get contracted wages and do not receive any money from the auto gratuity.

Do you know this for a fact Sinbad ?? I would be very surprised if the crew who load the dishwashers, do menial work in the kitchens, fold the laundry etc are on contracted wages lbh without someone doing these menial jobs our cabin/dining stewards wouldn't be able to do their jobs .. ok I'm splitting hairs but I do think you are misinformed.

[sinbad10 753]

15 minutes ago, *Dancing Queen* said:

Do you know this for a fact Sinbad ?? I would be very surprised if the crew who load the dishwashers, do menial work in the kitchens, fold the laundry etc are on contracted wages lbh without someone doing these menial jobs our cabin/dining stewards wouldn't be able to do their jobs .. ok I'm splitting hairs but I do think you are misinformed.

Below is statement from P&Os website about who receives from Service Reward Programme- "All tips are distributed fairly among the cabin stewards, butlers, and restaurant and buffet staff "

 

http://www.pocruises.com/explore/articles/news/introducing-our-new-service-reward-programme/

[*Dancing Queen* 394]

8 minutes ago, sinbad10 said:

Below is statement from P&Os website about who receives from Service Reward Programme- "All tips are distributed fairly among the cabin stewards, butlers, and restaurant and buffet staff "

 

http://www.pocruises.com/explore/articles/news/introducing-our-new-service-reward-programme/

Well I guess it depends if you believe what P&O tell you, I note it doesn't mention the relevant personnel won't get the full % if they are not marked 'excellent' on the questionnaire .. I have said before when I leave my auto grats in place that is my indication I am happy with the service I have received and I actually resent the thought of some 'suit' deciding who gets what of the money I have given in good faith ( I have no problem with where it goes as long as it goes to those who have enhanced my cruise at whatever level ) hence the reason I will always believe there is only one fair way to do this which is to include them in the headline price and pay the crew a decent wage to begin with. 

[Tally 390]

3 hours ago, smethy said:

There are a lot of seriously mean people out there! You only interact with the tip of the iceberg in relation to the people who make the cruise the haste free experience it usually is. Generally cruise prices are a bargain. Do the decent thing, leave auto tipping in place AND tip personally at the end of the cruise. You'll be,  and should be proud to be,  a better and more generous human being as a result. 

Miserable gits. 

I just want to say that after reading SO many tipping threads on this forum and others how refreshing I found your post. There do seem to be so many miserable, tight people cruising these days. The cruises are cheaper than they've ever been, and yet they are still looking for ways to save money. The first thing they do is remove the auto-tips. I don't think many people take pride in being generous I'm afraid. 

[Oldworldtraveller 2217]

The truth is no one knows who receives what. The stories surrounding 'Gratuities' are legendary as the vast majority fall into the 'I was told 'category'.

4 hours ago, smethy said:

There are a lot of seriously mean people out there! You only interact with the tip of the iceberg in relation to the people who make the cruise the haste free experience it usually is. Generally cruise prices are a bargain. Do the decent thing, leave auto tipping in place AND tip personally at the end of the cruise. You'll be,  and should be proud to be,  a better and more generous human being as a result. 

Miserable gits. 

Please excuse me smethy if I disagree with a lot of what you say. Firstly could you explain why you consider 'Generally cruise prices are a bargain' bearing in mind they vary so much from line to line. I have just returned from 7 days in Sorrento at a true 4 star hotel that didn't charge for the shuttle bus and was all inclusive including premium drinks. Room, food, service and ambience as good as many cruise ships but no 'Gratuities' charged or expected. Yes I did tip those that served me as I always do. £425 including decent flights with Norwegian and transfers, so what makes cruise prices a bargain especially those that cost £600+ a day. 

Secondly, why do you suggest people tip twice!!!! Is once not enough?

[smethy 28]

But you didn't wake up somewhere new every day did you? We're P&O cruisers for the last 11 years, and they're definitely still a bargain compared to international  touring with decent accommodation and meals.  Always a premium outside cabin that let's you be out  on deck in 45 seconds.

If you do longer cruises, and use the restaurant for meals rather than bunfight buffet, you'll be served by dozens of different waiters over the cruise.

Maybe I'm just an old fashioned creature who, having worked in a pub in his youth,  appreciated tips, and now gets pleasure out of giving.