Gratuities has always been a hot topic in cruising and recently P&O have announced that from May 2019 they have abolished tipping.
So what does this mean? Will the service change on-board? Is this good news for clients who have already booked? Will it encourage new customers to P&O?
Currently P&O add a daily service charge of £7 per person. A lot of the time when I am booking a cruise for one of my clients, there is a discussion about tipping and how this can be removed for a number of different reasons.
A lot of my clients say they remove the tips because they like to tip a certain member of staff who has given excellent service, which I do understand. P&O removing gratuities means clients can do this if they wish.
I think this is a great move by P&O. It’s good for clients who have already booked as its one less expense they need to think about. I also think it will encourage new customers to P&O who normally book with another cruise-line that may include tipping in the price or clients who do not wish to pay on-board for gratuities.
I also believe that it will encourage first time cruisers to book with P&O. A reason why clients may be unsure about going on a cruise is additional costs to think about and on other types of holidays clients do not have to worry about tipping. Knowing that they do not have to pay gratuities may persuade them to try a cruise with P&O.
It will be interesting to now see if any other cruise-lines follow in P&O foot steps. There are cruise-lines who include tipping in the price but will any others abolish tipping altogether?
It would be great to hear how you feel about this. Please leave your comments below….