Later on this spring P&O and Cunard will be increasing the amounts that they charge for gratuities.  I think that this is only to be expected once in a while as with most things.  There is always debate of whether the service charge should be paid upfront in the first place and many passengers opt to have the gratuities removed from their on board accounts, I personally don’t mind pre-paying them or having them added.  One thing that seems to be clear though is that the service charges on British ships seem to be lower than their American counterparts.

P&O have now upped their service charge to £3.50 per person per night from the following sailings:

Adonia D302 – 03 April 2013

P&O only charges for passengers aged 12 and above as well as not charging a surcharge on top of drinks.

Cunard will now be charging $11.50 per person per night for customers staying in a Britannia stateroom and $13.50 per person per night for those in a Princess or Queens Grill Suite.

Cunard are introducing these charges from:

Queen Victoria: V304 – Spring Getaway – Friday 26 April 2013

The Cunard charges are a lot higher than the likes of P&O, I think you just have to accept them as they are though, there are lots of cruise line’s and lots of choice.  If people really dislike American tipping culture then then they must consider, is an American cruise ship really for them ?