Drink prices on the Eclipse

[dashel]

Please don't think all Brits are "tight as two coats of paint" when it comes to tipping. I am certainly not, but we have a goodish minimum wage that all staff should get in the UK and a lot of our waiters and bar staff here don't go the extra mile and some hardly smile and so it can be a bit of shock to first time cruisers to get the level of service you get on the ships.

 

Our first cruise I refused to pay the tips upfront as I thought it cheeky but after 48 hours onboard the tips were added to our account and we always pre pay them now and give extra tips on top.

[LA_Design]

Please don't think all Brits are "tight as two coats of paint" when it comes to tipping. I am certainly not, but we have a goodish minimum wage that all staff should get in the UK and a lot of our waiters and bar staff here don't go the extra mile and some hardly smile and so it can be a bit of shock to first time cruisers to get the level of service you get on the ships.

 

 

 

Our first cruise I refused to pay the tips upfront as I thought it cheeky but after 48 hours onboard the tips were added to our account and we always pre pay them now and give extra tips on top.

 

 

not about being 'tight'

 

i pay an agreed sum for an agreed offering. if i get something over and above the expectations of the contract i might ( unlikely) make a gesture of gratefulness.

 

fax avoidance = gratuities= tips. QED

[Rustyman]

We were recently on the Milennium and at a table for 6. We are from UK and our table companions US, all of us payed up front our tips, we were the only ones giving extra tips to waiters, wine waiter and cabin boy as all were superb.

Rankles a bit all this "tight" Brits guff. Every nation has generous, average and Scrooge passengers, I don't believe any is worse or better than the next.

[cle-guy]

We also are on the Eclipse Caribbean cruise following its TA. We were aboard the same cruise last year and do take exception to the posters who suggest Brits are more likely to cancel the gratuities than others, as on that cruise I asked how many people cancelled their tips and was told the average was about 20%. An interesting point to note is that only 5% of the passengers were Brits the overwhelming majority were North Americans. Pot calling the kettle black comes too mind....

 

Curious how you were able to gather the percentages of people on board? Ive not found a source for such data....

[BosoxI]

Curious how you were able to gather the percentages of people on board? Ive not found a source for such data....

 

He said he asked, so the question than becomes whom did he ask

[LA_Design]

.....,

 

 

As this is an US ship UK passengers need to understand more fully how the staff are paid and then decide if tipping is appropriate (which it clearly is).

 

 

It is not a US ship. The ships I have been on were Maltese. Do a little research and one will find out the legal implications. Just like Guantanamo is not part of the USA.

 

The cruise itself is a legal contract between Celebrity and the passenger in the Country where the passenger booked . For UK citizens this means that they are protected by the legislation of the UK and Europe.

 

Whether tipping is appropriate or not is between Celebrity and the individual passenger. As Celebrity allow passengers to remove the gratuity it is 'clearly' discretionary.

 

The thread is actually about drink prices which , when aboard a Cruise departing the UK does not have gratuities. Or they are included in the price if you wish to view it that way.

Edited November 9, 2015 by LA_Design

[yorkyred]

you are quite right about this little loophole.

 

I was made aware of this by someone from Sacramento which I understand is a hamlet in Strathclyde [emoji32]

 

Really, we had a Strathclyde region in Scotland which was abolished in 1996.

[Gordoncruickshank]

We are on the Eclipse TA from Southampton to Miami. I was totally floored by the wine and drink prices. For example a martini is 14.50, the wine I selected was $52 a bottle (they were out of it), but most others were not much less, a Diet Coke is $4, measly Bloody Mary with no lime, olives, pickle or celery is $9 etc, etc. I later realized the tip is included in those prices, which makes it a little better. The Martini Flight is $22 and I'm just about positive it was $15 or $16 in spring.

I guess I do understand the including of tips for this cruise as many of the Brits seem to fight the tips. Our table mates have gone to great lengths telling us how they removed their tips because Celebrity should pay their help more.

Will the total prices go down after this cruise is over or are these the new prices? Just wondering how all this will work with the drink package limits.

Thoughts?

Are these not equivalent to typical US hotel prices once the gratuity and tax is added on. Any time we have stayed in FL or Miami we end up paying these sort of prices (until I find the liquor store).

[LA_Design]

Really, we had a Strathclyde region in Scotland which was abolished in 1996.

 

 

good grief [emoji33]. you lot will be seeking independence next [emoji32]

[yorkyred]

good grief [emoji33]. you lot will be seeking independence next [emoji32]

 

No, we're happy with the Conservative government destroying our local authority jobs. We all want to work for private companies on minimum wages.

[mickey89]

good grief [emoji33]. you lot will be seeking independence next [emoji32]

With a little luck they will get it next time. Freeeeeeeddddddommmmmm.................

[LA_Design]

No, we're happy with the Conservative government destroying our local authority jobs. We all want to work for private companies on minimum wages.

 

 

And rely on tips to make them up to a living wage perhaps ??🤑

Edited November 9, 2015 by LA_Design

[speedwell]

I was equally astonished by the huge increase in drinks prices on the Eclipse over the last few years.

 

I have a feeling it is to encourage passengers to buy the drinks package. Many promotions include the drinks package, but, if you don't have one, there seems to be a determined effort to encourage the purchase of the package on board.

 

It was noticeable that, on the last cruise, there was much more of a hard sell approach in regard to drinks packages.

[jody75]

Agree that drink and specialty dining charges have risen at an alarming rate, if it continues I will have to start smoking again and join HAL.

[SAB017]

It is not a US ship. The ships I have been on were Maltese. Do a little research and one will find out the legal implications. Just like Guantanamo is not part of the USA.

 

The cruise itself is a legal contract between Celebrity and the passenger in the Country where the passenger booked . For UK citizens this means that they are protected by the legislation of the UK and Europe.

 

Whether tipping is appropriate or not is between Celebrity and the individual passenger. As Celebrity allow passengers to remove the gratuity it is 'clearly' discretionary.

 

The thread is actually about drink prices which , when aboard a Cruise departing the UK does not have gratuities. Or they are included in the price if you wish to view it that way.

 

 

 

 

very good explanation

[DYKWIA]

We were invited to a presentation of RCCL cruises by our travel agent. There were some 1st time cruisers there and they asked the RCCL rep about tipping. She stated that tips are optional and if you don't want to pay them, just go to Guest Relations onboard and have them removed. I couldn't believe my ears. This woman worked for the cruise line and was telling people they could remove the tips. ....

 

...

 

The cruise itself is a legal contract between Celebrity and the passenger in the Country where the passenger booked . For UK citizens this means that they are protected by the legislation of the UK and Europe.

 

....

 

These two things are almost certainly not unrelated. At a UK event she could have been in trouble (legally) to suggest that compulsory tipping was not removable

 

Some UK restaurants do now add a Service Charge "for your convenience", and others leave it to your discretion. In essence you have the right to refuse to pay the service charge in either circumstance if the service falls below a reasonable standard. If a restaurant fails to tell you that a service charge has been added then you can argue that the compulsory service charge does not form part of your contract

[POA1]

Are these not equivalent to typical US hotel prices once the gratuity and tax is added on. Any time we have stayed in FL or Miami we end up paying these sort of prices (until I find the liquor store).

That's not really an apt comparison. It would be better to compare Celebrity's drink prices to that of other cruise lines. They're higher, as is the auto gratuity, which is 20% higher than most other cruise lines which charge 15%.

[jeno]

That's not really an apt comparison. It would be better to compare Celebrity's drink prices to that of other cruise lines. They're higher, as is the auto gratuity, which is 20% higher than most other cruise lines which charge 15%.

 

 

Thank you. You "get" my point. I was shocked when I saw the pricing. It isn't really too much of a problem for me because I get the 3 free Elite drinks from 5-7 and also happen to have a lot of OBC this time. They don't offer included drinks packages for TAs and I'm thinking of my 3 women friends who will be on a spring TA with me. The prices are really high in my opinion. Yesterday they gave us a sheet offering the Premium package for the rest of the cruise for $77 per day. I think that is a lot of money.

[goody1]

As this Thread rumbles on, I am just glad that we have the Classic Package as part of our deal on the Eclipse next July. It makes the upgrade a no-brainier at only £8 pppd. I did think on the Silhouette in 2013 that drinks prices were creeping up.

[jody75]

err

Edited November 9, 2015 by jody75

[jody75]

error

[2islandhoppers]

Went online this am to order the in-cabin bottle for our cruise next week. Last week the price was $80, today it's $100. A 25% increase. This is our first X cruise, and may be the last. We'll see, as everything I've read on CC leads me to think that X is continually jacking up prices and gouging the passengers.

[LA_Design]

 

 

 

Some UK restaurants do now add a Service Charge "for your convenience", and others leave it to your discretion. In essence you have the right to refuse to pay the service charge in either circumstance if the service falls below a reasonable standard. If a restaurant fails to tell you that a service charge has been added then you can argue that the compulsory service charge does not form part of your contract

 

 

In the UK any service charge has to be clearly displayed to the customer. A customer dies not need a reason to decline to pay it unless it is compulsory.

 

A restaurant may make this charge compulsory but then it becomes liable for VAT so the restaurant only receives 83.33%.

 

Of course most imply its compulsory because people are not aware of the VAT implications.

 

Speaking from experience I declined to pay a service charge and was told it was compulsory. I agreed to pay it if a VAT receipt would be issued. They said they couldnt do this. I also advised the Manager to expect a visit from HMRC to check that all service charges had been declared in their recent VAT returns.

 

Mysteriously the charge was waived

 

In the UK service charges and tipping are simply tax avoidance schemes and should be outlawed IMHO

[If only]

Went online this am to order the in-cabin bottle for our cruise next week. Last week the price was $80, today it's $100. A 25% increase. This is our first X cruise, and may be the last. We'll see, as everything I've read on CC leads me to think that X is continually jacking up prices and gouging the passengers.

 

When you looked at it last week was that $80. US or $80.CDN., because $80. US would be about $106. CDN at the going rate & if your booking is in CDN $., then you have to buy in CDN. Why not buy a onboard credit for $30.60 CDN but will give you a onboard credit of $25.US. If you bought 4units that would give you $100.US onboard & it would be @ 1.22 rate. Then buy your in room bottle.

Edited November 9, 2015 by If only

[2islandhoppers]

When you looked at it last week was that $80. US or $80.CDN., because $80. US would be about $106. CDN at the going rate & if your booking is in CDN $., then you have to buy in CDN. Why not buy a onboard credit for $30.60 CDN but will give you a onboard credit of $25.US. If you bought 4units that would give you $100.US onboard & it would be @ 1.22 rate. Then buy your in room bottle.

 

Nope, it was $80 USD. Today $100 USD. Been through the OBC and exchange rates threads and investigation, and read about huge problems when Canadians are billed in USD, regardless what is says on the X website, on their Cdn credit card. We booked in USD, therefore OBC must be billed in USD. We did that on our USD US bank credit card so at least will have some cash on board. And the in-cabin liquor has to be prepurchased before embarkation as a "gift".