Tips and Gratuities

[Jeff Taylor]

$64 question.  At most any shoreside bar around the world, when you buy enough drinks and tip the bartender appropriately, or perhaps generously, it is customary for a periodic buy back, i.e. a free drink.  I always tip at the ship bars on Cunard and while I seem to get cheerful service and a lot of attention, I don't think I've ever gotten a free drink.  I have gotten a "top off", but somehow that's not the same.  Any thoughts or comments?

[Peter Mugridge]

I remembered to check the invoice tonight; out of $1,158.10 on it the service charge was $66.

That looks a low percentage at first glance but the invoice does include shop purchases which would very likely have been excluded from tip calculations.

[Louis De Sousa]

$64 question.  At most any shoreside bar around the world, when you buy enough drinks and tip the bartender appropriately, or perhaps generously, it is customary for a periodic buy back, i.e. a free drink.  I always tip at the ship bars on Cunard and while I seem to get cheerful service and a lot of attention, I don't think I've ever gotten a free drink.  I have gotten a "top off", but somehow that's not the same.  Any thoughts or comments?

Jeff, i never gave anyone a free drink its against companies policy if you caught you are sacked.Plus you never know who is sitting on the other side, sometimes it happens that you get a false passenger onboard.

[Twynkle]

Jeff, i never gave anyone a free drink its against companies policy if you caught you are sacked.Plus you never know who is sitting on the other side, sometimes it happens that you get a false passenger onboard.

Hi Louis,

I'd agree completely about the rule regarding crew choosing to 'give away' anything, after all it would be putting them in an extremely awkward position - not least because the drink (or anything else) isn't theirs to give away!
The crew have always given their time and energy so freely, as well as willingly - they are the people who, since Cunard was 'invented', have made their reputation so great - and this was long, long before their advertising helped too!
About 'secret passengers' - this is interesting, didn't they make visits randomly and quite regularly?
Thanks so much!
Rosie

[Twynkle]

$64 question.  At most any shoreside bar around the world, when you buy enough drinks and tip the bartender appropriately, or perhaps generously, it is customary for a periodic buy back, i.e. a free drink.  I always tip at the ship bars on Cunard and while I seem to get cheerful service and a lot of attention, I don't think I've ever gotten a free drink.  I have gotten a "top off", but somehow that's not the same.  Any thoughts or comments?

Hi Jeff,
Please can I ask - what is a top-off?
Thanks
Rosie

[Louis De Sousa]

About 'secret passengers' - this is interesting, didn't they make visits randomly and quite regularly?

Yes they did

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Who would they be, Louis? Crew members already on board? Cunard shoreside staff?

Entertainers? Family members? Random passengers asked to provide a service in return for a few free drinks?

I agree with Rosie that the drinks were not yours to give away -- and a tip to a steward was in any case not meant to buy a drink, but to reward good service .

What were they checking up on?

[Louis De Sousa]

They were Cunard shoreside staff they come often to check out the operations.Sadly one bartender did fall into the trap and was sacked.

[Jeff Taylor]

In this context I was referring to a top off as a measured drink where you say to the bartender, "oh come on, that looks kinda weak" and he puts in a bit more liquor.

[cunardqueen]

The Tipping Envelopes....

Link to image not available

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

I used to always enclose one of those little White Star comment cards along with mine.

I wonder how many of us used to fill them in? For how many people?

There must have been some crew members who received them regularly (as they had the most contact with passengers) and others who got them only rarely, if ever.

I used to fill them in for most of those people who also received tips -- the crew members who had been particularly excellent in their care and attention. Among those who did not receive tips, there were a couple of members of the Purser's office on one or two occasions who I thought had been supremely helpful.

Did anyone here ever give a "You're a Star" award to the Captain?

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Louis, all in all, how many forms did the tips take? Most of us walked around the ship without even a cent in our pockets, because one of the wonderful advantages was that we could just use our ship card for everything.

I therefore imagine that an immediate tip in cash would have been very rare. What other forms would a tip take? And at which point in time during a cruise would you receive them?