Aus Traveller

So your cruises were post-COVID. I knew that gratuities were charged on overseas passengers accounts pre-COVID and I was pretty sure it would have remained the same. You have confirmed it. Thanks.

So true. You are correct. I don't think there would be any taxis at the BICT on a port day. On turn-around days some taxis are taking passengers to the port and apparently their depot advises them that a ship has arrived with in-coming passengers. That probably wouldn't happen on a port call day.

Instead of paying A$39.95pp you could get a taxi. The 'cost estimator' website calculates the cost as $52 one way (call it A$55) to where the Princess bus would drop you off. This is certainly more expensive for two people, but you can go when and where you like and (very important) return when you want to. You also don't have to get your return taxi from the same spot where you were dropped off.

No free shuttle but there should be one you can pay for. From what I have read, it runs at set times, not actually as a shuttle.

Exactly. Gratuities are removable so the cruiselines can charge them if they wish. Gratuities ghave always have been removable on Australian cruises. P&O was the first to incorporate grats into the fares in 2009, followed by Princess in May 2011. They both stated it was because Australians are not accustomed to tipping. Probably the fact that many people removed the grats, was the impetus for the change. As we know, Cunard and HAL still charge gratuities therefore any cruise line (e.g. Princess) can legally charge grats on some passengers. This is the important thing for overseas passengers to understand. Princess can (and I believe still will) charge them gratuities. They should not be under the impression that it won't happen on Australian-based cruises simply because 'it is against the law'. It isn't.

It is a myth that gratuities are included in the price of Australian cruise because the law demands it. Totally wrong. If this was the case, all the cruiselines operating out of Australia would include tips in the fare and they do not. Examples are HAL and Cunard (both part of the Carnival group). Definitely pre-COVID, people from USA and Europe on Australian-based Princess cruises had the gratuities added to their accounts every day. I doubt very much that this has changed. I have only met a few 'overseas' people on the six cruises we have been on in 2022/23, and the subject of tips didn't arise. I agree with the other comments - the Princess sites will have 'boilerplate language' that refers to their operations in other parts of the world. When I do on line to check things, I have to take particular care that the site is referring to Australia or Australian operations. I also agree with your general comments about tipping. When we take a taxi to the cruise terminal, we round up the fare to the next $5 because the driver has put our luggage into the cab and removed it. If we were taking a taxi under other circumstances, we probably wouldn't round up the fare. However, when a taxi driver hears an American accent, he will probably be expecting a good tip!

I doubt that you will get a definitive answer to your question. It is the old joke about Princess - phone three times and get three different answers. All the best in finding out how gratuities will work for you, but you have the ultimate say in whether or not you pay them.

I wouldn't be concerned that you have the option to pre-pay crew appreciation, Aussies get that option on all our cruises even though we don't pay the gratuities! I have read 'JJK2008' post above that points out this wording in the T&C: all guests, regardless of whether they book the Princess Plus package, will receive Crew Appreciation and no substitution or refund will be provided for such part of the package. The best interpretation is that all guests, no matter where they are from or where they booked, don't pay gratuities. I don't want to sound cynical, but there is another interpretation. It could mean that an Aussie (for example) with a Plus package wouldn't otherwise pay the gratuity, but he/she cannot claim a refund of that section of the Plus payment.

The easiest way to see where the smoke retardant door is located, is by the metal strip across the corridor. These are reasonably close together - only a run of 11 to 16 cabins (on one side) between the two smoke doors. I think the sections are referred to as 'zones'.

Pre-COVID overseas passengers were charged the gratuities. I haven't heard if that has changed. It may have. Astro Flyer's travel agent might be able to tell them. If not, it is all in their own hands once they are on the ship.

I suggest you consider my suggestion regarding the tips. I understand that it would possibly go against your inclination because you are accustomed to tipping, but no-one on an Aussie ship would think it is odd. You can easily work out how much you would normally tip and spread this amount among the crew your interact with. They will love you for it because they get to keep it!

Julie has made some excellent comments. I will add that there is an easy way to see if neighbouring cabins are either side of a smoke barrier door. Each section of the ship (starting at the bow) has its own numbering system and between each section there is a smoke-resistant door that can be closed in an emergency. The divider on the balcony cannot be opened if one cabin is in one section and the other is in the next. The cabins near the bow are in the '200 series', followed by the 300 series etc. The most forward section has cabins from 200 (port side) and 201 (starboard) through to 234 and 235. Immediately behind them are 302 and 301 through to 334 and 335. Then the next cabins are 400 and 401 through to 422 and 423. With both options that BruCu mentions, the door in the balcony partition should be able to be opened. This is done by the steward when the passengers request it.

I can recall in the past that passengers from the US have faced the same problem - their OBC in US$ is converted 1:1. I agree. It isn't fair, but there isn't anything you can do about it. I am not sure if the gratuities are also converted 1:1. I seem to recall in the past that someone complained that they are charged in US$ and converted to AUD. However, I am not sure. If this is the case, you can remove the gratuities from your on-board account and personally remunerate the staff who help make your holiday special. They will be able to keep this money, but any auto gratuities you pay will go into the fleet-wide tips pool. Australian-based ships aren't part of this pool. The staff are paid a higher rate of pay every month and don't rely on tips as a significant part of their pay. Although Aussies don't generally tip,, some passengers still give the stewards a tip, but this wouldn't be a significant amount.

I caught it at Specsavers. Also not a cruise in sight.😁

I think your last comment could be spot on.

That's the only explanation I could see. That it was delivered to the wrong cabin and only found at the end of the cruise. $500 plus free laundry is quite reasonable compensation in my opinion.

A couple of websites I looked at stated that F502 has a fully-obstructed view, however, more detailed sites with deck plans of the Coral, clearly show that it is NOT obstructed. F502 is an OB category, definitely not obstructed. The obstructed view cabins (OW) are definitely on deck 8 behind the lifeboats. There are as couple of sites that show this plan and indicate which cabins are obstructed view. They show they are on Emerald deck 8. I am confident that F502 is NOT obstructed. https://www.dccruising.com.au/pdf/deckplan_co.pdf

Kingsford Smith Motel is great for one night prior to a cruise, but I don't think it is ideal if the person wants to spend a day sightseeing. I thought Jean C's suggestion of Holiday Inn Express in the city was a good idea.

Sorry. My mistake. I was thinking of Princess.

I haven't been in that cabin, but from what I can see, F502 would have a 100% obstructed view. You would get daylight so it would be better than an interior cabin.

A mini suite doesn't entitle the passenger to priority boarding. It has to be a full suite.

On the Pacific Encounter we have been in both a mini suite and a balcony cabin. In the mini suite the shower is over the bath giving more space in the shower compared with the tiny shower in the balcony cabin. BTW we found that the bath is OK when the shower is used, but not when it is used as a bath. It is narrow with high sides and very difficult to get out of. However, this mightn't be a problem for a 55kg person if they are agile. Of course the mini suite is a little bit larger than a balcony cabin, but I don't feel it is worth the extra money. Just my opinion.

Princess definitely doesn't add gratuities to the drinks prices on its Australian cruises, but the prices are higher than they are on ships where auto-gratuities are charged.

I agree with Aussieflyer's comments regarding Jetstar. Maybe it should be called 'One star' or 'No star'. I would definitely pay a bit more and book with QANTAS. As a second option, Virgin isn't too bad.

Woodscruise has answered the question on time. I would definitely go by the airport shuttle bus that travels within the airport to get to the other terminal. It is very quick.