Tips and Gratuities

[Lynda Bradford]

The question of whether the gratuities paid actually are paid given to the crew onboard ship is one that comes up time and time again when cruising. On a recent cruise a couple who were our dining companions said that they cancelled the gratuities for one and used the money to tip where they thought was appropriate as they were not convinced that the gratuities were paid to staff. 

[Bruce Nicholls]

I remember that during my one voyage in 1992 or 93 we had the option to join the auto tip system. We did and our waiter did have a list of those who had auto tipped and thanked us personally. So at least we know he got his!

[cunardqueen]

  We did and our waiter did have a list of those who had auto tipped and thanked us personally. So at least we know he got his!   

It does make you wonder just how much the staff know before we rest out bums on the seats and enjoyed the wonderful QE2 service.
Personally l wish they would do away with new trend of giving onboard credit with every booking, does this mean the prices are inflated to cover this? or are Cunard actually giving this drop in the ocean money away. now if they said that tips were included wouldnt that be better?
 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Myles the Queens Room along with the Grand Lounge in the the view of the Public Room Staff are the "non making money" lounges all you do here is clean clean clean.A example is that when you work in the Golden Pub (Theater Bar then) you make more in a hour than those staff all day in the lounges.

Not sure whether it was like this in your time, Louis -- but in later years, we had our credit cards registered and never carried any cash around. Would passengers have tipped you in cash at the time, or would they have added an extra gratuity to the bill they signed for their credit cards? If the latter, would you personally have received that amount, or would it have been redistributed among the crew?

[Peter Mugridge]

In 2002 the tips were, if I remember rightly, added to our bill although in our case we don't have a credit card and we settled the on board spend bill upon disembarkation by paying cash to the Purser's office.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

By doing this, Peter, were you able to specify which person received what / how much?

I am still intrigued by the fact that a steward in the Golden Lion received so much more in gratuities than one working in the Queen's Room. How did this difference arise?

[Louis De Sousa]

I am still intrigued by the fact that a steward in the Golden Lion received so much more in gratuities than one working in the Queen's Room. How did this difference arise?

Isabelle the public room stewards and barkeepers were not included on the pre paid gratuities system.Therefore the one in the Golden Pub made more revenue on sales.So the more sales the more comission you got.On the normal pre lunch drinks in the pub a steward works 4 hours he makes easliy 200 dollars sales 10% comission is his the one in the Queens Room makes no sales (and yes the morning shift in this room brings nothing) therefore no comission.One a good crossing with the 5 nights a steward in the pub makes a least 500 dollars (comission and cash tips) the one in the Queens Room might make 200 (here mostly comission and since you have no regulars the cash tips is very low.

[Louis De Sousa]

Here is the order of the best rooms to make money

Golden Pub
Yacht Club
Queens Grill Lounge
Chart Room
Casino
Crystal Bar
Grand Lounge
Queens Room

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

That's very useful information, Louis, thank you.

If I were still sailing on QE2, I would keep that in mind and help the stewards in the less favoured public rooms make some commission!

And now that I see your excellent list, at least I did help some of the stewards in the Crystal Bar. And the Lido too .

[Rod]

What my Father used to do at the start of a voyage was to find a bar he liked, see what waiter looked after him the best and the gave him a tip on day 2......and said...there will be more later if you are good.

T.I.P. ...to insure promptness!

[Peter Mugridge]

By doing this, Peter, were you able to specify which person received what / how much?

From memory it was a straight percentage added to the bill....  I should still have it in our honeymoon album, but I'll have to check tomorrow if I remember because I'll have to unset and reset two different alarms if I go back down now to have a look.

[Rod]

Don't want people to see you wedding album?

[cunardqueen]

What did the forum members do with regards to tipping onboard ?
The days of the tipping envelopes are well gone, small little envelopes you could obtain from the Pursers desk and big enough to "palm" to the member of staff.

With the cabin steward l often gave them something at the start, and the rest later A good friend of mine confessed to me he saw that as some sort of bribe , l never saw it like that.

I used to always enclose one of those little White Star comment cards along with mine.
I do wonder how many people when signing for drinks added a tip ontop of the service charge. Did the service charge go to the member of staff or straight into the bank of Cunard...?

[Peter Mugridge]

Don't want people to see you wedding album?

Ha ha

Nothing sinister!  The album ( actually five volumes! ) is in the lounge; the study is in the attic....  when I'm up there online at night I've already locked up downstairs...

[Louis De Sousa]

Did the service charge go to the member of staff or straight into the bank of Cunard...?

Each Public Staff had a server pen the Barkeepers had only one per bar.This server pen in is logged with the persons name so when you added a tip to it it did go to the person in question.As for barkeepers and lets say for the for ones in the Pub (normally 3 of them) share the same pen so do the barkeepers in other bars this then is all together shared between all.The money cash tips stay with the person in question.During each cruise we get a slip with all that information for the cruise before.

Sadly there were passengers that would go to the Pursers or Restaurant Manager and hand in cash for a staff a member sadly this member never saw the light of it.