Seadog & Sea Hag

Another typical “Smokers Lobby “ post. Very pathetic. And yes, I am a reformed smoker.

Easier to ban smoking 

Australians have a different attitude towards tipping due to the fact that gratuities are added into the cruise price initially and can’t be removed. That’s why our cruises are more expensive. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we don’t tip a few other people for their good service.

We reported a smoker on the balcony of a neighboring stateroom a few cruises back and security came to our balcony and caught them smoking from our side. They were fined.

1 minute ago, ldubs said:

 

Interesting.   I've been on a New Zealand/Australian cruise and paid gratuities.  Do you mean they are hidden for folks from Australia & New Zealand?  

 

No judgement, I'm just curious -- when you book one of these cruises with the "hidden" tips, do you have any option to reduce the tip?  

 

 

Yes, hidden from us and no option to reduce 

Tips should be hidden in the price of the cruise as they are on Australian & NZ cruises and then there isn’t even a topic to discuss. JMHO 

1 minute ago, catalpacove said:

Duh, I go to many casinos that are not on water. And since I’m being comped by the casino for my two bedroom villa in the Haven, they rather expect me in the Casino 

You may have to just give up smoking then 

8 minutes ago, DevonianCruiser said:

 

No problem, reporting it? Wow! Why not concentrate on your own holiday than caring about what other people are doing. Ending your last post with !!! Obviously a big bug bear for you - move on and don’t worry about other people. 

I tend to agree with PrincessLuver actually 

24 minutes ago, catalpacove said:

I like to smoke when I’m in the casino. I would not take a cruise unless I could smoke while gambling

You need to find a casino that’s NOT on a cruise ship 

I don’t believe they are flexible at all, that’s why we don’t sail P&O now 

41 minutes ago, jlp20 said:

Congratulations, no one commented on your personal experiences. Others have posted to these boards this has happened in the past. Policies of the MDR are run by the maitre d, not Princess. This is why questions re: shorts, hats, formal wear etc get varied responses depending who's has the position for that cruise.

Congratulations to you too. CC is all about personal experiences, maybe you don’t have any 

19 minutes ago, jlp20 said:

Read on these boards within the month, traditional pax being turned away from any time. Been about ten years, but I want to say I saw similar event in person.

Well l have never been turned away and have been asked for my stateroom number on many occasions 

I’m still not convinced 

If you have Traditional dining, don’t listen to the whining, just use the anytime dining if it’s more convenient 

Just move to Australia, we don’t have to worry about this.🤗

11 minutes ago, patch nine said:

was on the Sun recently and they ran out of Sav Blanc after 2 days!  very limited choice after that although the bars had better stock.  We ended up buying wine by the glass from Crooners and carrying it to the dining room.  Apparently on the cruise prior to ours they ran out of beer!!  

Nonsense 

They are RFID cards and they probably won’t punch a hole in them. You can if you know where to punch it without hitting the antenna in the card 

Theme nights seem to be now resigned to P&O. IMHO a good thing. 

Nice snorkeling at the Isle of Pines 

12 hours ago, RSWBADGER said:

Princess Web Page

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/experience.jsp

 

During your cruise, regardless of which Princess ship you choose, you will meet staff who provide you with excellent service. Crew members often rotate to different vessels within the Princess fleet which helps to maintain our high standards on every ship. These dedicated workers reflect our philosophy that all crew on all ships are but one family who share in our success.

 

To simplify the tipping process for our guests, a discretionary gratuity of $15.50 per guest for suites, $14.50 per guest for mini-suites and club class, and $13.50 per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms. This gratuity will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including all waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, and housekeeping staff across the fleet.

 

For your convenience, this gratuity can be pre-paid online via Cruise Personalizer. Alternatively, you may call us at 1-855-500-7690 and reference Special Services item number 0591. Pre-payment is available up to 2 days prior to departure.

A 15% gratuity is added to bar charges, dining room wine accounts, and Lotus Spa® services. This is shared amongst the beverage staff, their support staff and Lotus Spa® personnel.

 

Casino dealers and youth staff do not share in these gratuities. We know you will find these services onboard exemplary.

Please note gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship.

Except Australia & New Zealand 

It’s Princess ‘s money and I 100% guarantee that they will get a return on their investment. Let’s just be patient and wait and see how it plays out when it’s fully operational down the track. 

RFID cards & medallions have been around for some time and aren’t going anywhere.

I would use it regardless. You paid a premium for it 

I got the email too and I don’t even pay gratuities. OBC’s are always appreciated though 

Wow, so cheap!

Just do both