I do not think that any cruise ship operating out of the UK would be allowed to pay their staff such low wages, I am sure one or another of the UNIONs would have done something about it.
In my days of working on the cruise liners out of the UK or on any mail boat there were set down wage figures for all catering members, as a bellboy (NZSCo called them Stewards boy) in NZSCo. in 1955 my wages were under 10 pounds a moth, in 1956 it went up to eleven pounds seven and sixpence. we did a full days of work by looking after the cleaning of the interior of the ship and the childrens resturaunt for 3 meals a day, then in the evening being the commis for the stewards, if we hadn`t received any tips for this, and worked in the telephone yards, the lumber yards and unloading and loading other ships, life would have been really restricted whilst on the coast in NZ.
On the P&O line, wages for a bellboy in 1956 were twelve pounds two and six. and a steward was getting thirty pounds ten a month.
when i left the sea my last trip was on the Canberra maiden voyage and my wage was forty ond per month.
these were almost starvation wages when you have a familey to support, so the Tips that people gave you allowed you to give a first class service in the hope that a big tip was in the offing. most stewards enjoyed their jobs and could sort out those passengers that would tip good and those who wouldn`t, watch out for the one who says at the beginning of a cruise " look after me and I will look after you at the end" usually they don`t come in for the last meal!!! the show-offs were the ones who were new to money, whilst the people who were bought up with money just took it for granted and didn`t have to show-off that they had money.
an interesting fact.... Canberra. from the 30may 1961 until 12 june 1961 i did 236 hours overtime. keith moody R635978