Tipping - Sorry

[dreams_of_travel]

12 hours ago, Cruiser Addict said:

We just booked a Princess cruise Auckland to Sydney. We are in the US.  What currency will Princess charge our account for the crew gratuities?  We do not have any of the package deals. It appears that they are giving us our OBC in USD but everything on board is charged in AUD.  We are considering removing the daily charges from our account and tipping the ship crew in AUD if we receive exceptional service.  I realize this is a sensitive topic so please be kind!!  

Your onboard charges will be in AUD.  The automatic (for US passengers/non Australia/NZ passengers) gratuities/crew appreciation will be charged in AUD. Same for any drink charges.  If you have a credit card attached to your account, it will be charged in AUD, so make sure you don't get foreign transaction fees for that card.  Other than that, I'd say let the daily charge stay, and don't worry about handing the crew cash.

[Cruiser Addict]

2 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Your onboard charges will be in AUD.  The automatic (for US passengers/non Australia/NZ passengers) gratuities/crew appreciation will be charged in AUD. Same for any drink charges.  If you have a credit card attached to your account, it will be charged in AUD, so make sure you don't get foreign transaction fees for that card.  Other than that, I'd say let the daily charge stay, and don't worry about handing the crew cash.

I found a thread on CC that indicated the "crew appreciation" charges are included in the cruise fare on Australia/New Zealand cruises so if we are charged a daily fee it would be a double charge.  I am following that thread closely and will do my own research on this topic.

 

[dreams_of_travel]

1 hour ago, Cruiser Addict said:

I found a thread on CC that indicated the "crew appreciation" charges are included in the cruise fare on Australia/New Zealand cruises so if we are charged a daily fee it would be a double charge.  I am following that thread closely and will do my own research on this topic.

 

Our US fares are not what the Aussies pay. Ours (US) are generally less b/c it is without the crew appreciation. Also our taxes and fees will vary and not be the same. It’s not paying double, it is how the cruises are sold in other parts of the world. Also of note, if you buy a Plus or Premiere package in the US for the Australian based cruise, it includes the crew appreciation. If you buy a package once you get onboard in Australia it is drinks and wifi only. Crew appreciation would still be levied each day b/c you bought your cruise on the American site.
 

So what do you do when you sail in US markets(Alaska/Mexico/Caribbean), or Europe where they still tack on the crew appreciation? Do you not factor that into your cruise cost? Or do you just remove it there too? 

FWIW I would rather have the crew appreciation included in my fare, and not have the tipping culture in the US. Though the taxes and fees would cost more b/c I’d be taxed on that extra part of my cruise fare. 
 

Meanwhile for reading “pleasure” you should dive into the Princess forum thread on gratuity and the model they use that purportedly is us paying their salary that is distributed world wide to all the ships, not just the one you cruised on. Basically even if you tip in person that money is then pooled and shared across the fleet.