Gratuities on Princess

[resordanis]

Hi all,

Just put a hold on Sydney Tokyo cruise on Royal Princess.The cruise planner said gratuities are at my discretion and that was the policy for Princess out of Australia. Thought that comment was a bit strange as I thought cruises purchased in Australia would have gratuities included.

Not paying the deposit until I get back to Sydney but thought I would just ask here before in contacted him again.

what is every one’s opinion please. The cruise will be in AUD if that makes any difference.

[SinbadThePorter]

My understanding is that cruises bought in Australia and departing an Australian port will have gratuities included in the fare.

 

They may be talking about grats on top of that being at your discretion.

Edited December 12, 2022 by SinbadThePorter

[resordanis]

6 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

My understanding is that cruises bought in Australia and departing an Australian port will have gratuities included in the fare.

 

They may be talking about grats on top of that being at your discretion.

Thanks. 

[Cascade1]

I'm not sure you are correct here. My understanding is that for gratuities to be included in the price in Australia, the cruise must depart from and return to an Australian port. In other words I do not think your cruise from Sydney to Tokyo would qualify for gratuities to be included in the price paid.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We did a Sydney-Tokyo repositioning cruise in 2018. Onboard costs were AUD and there were no daily gratuities, they were bundled into the fare as usual for cruises departing from Australian ports.

[resordanis]

20 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

We did a Sydney-Tokyo repositioning cruise in 2018. Onboard costs were AUD and there were no daily gratuities, they were bundled into the fare as usual for cruises departing from Australian ports.

I think that is what he is saying, but I was surprised! He said just tip as required.

[Relaxing Robbies]

We are booked on April 2024 cruise from Sydney to Tokyo on Royal. Definitely AUD onboard and we are not expecting daily gratuities to be charged.

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, Cascade1 said:

I'm not sure you are correct here. My understanding is that for gratuities to be included in the price in Australia, the cruise must depart from and return to an Australian port. In other words I do not think your cruise from Sydney to Tokyo would qualify for gratuities to be included in the price paid.

 

For Princess, grats are included for Asia bound cruises although not for US bound cruises.

Edited December 12, 2022 by SinbadThePorter

[Tripmode33]

2 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

For Princess, grats are included for Asia bound cruises although not for US bound cruises.

My understanding is that gratuities are included for all cruises departing Australia, irrespective of where they are bound for - Asia, USA, World.....

[Aus Traveller]

9 minutes ago, Tripmode33 said:

My understanding is that gratuities are included for all cruises departing Australia, irrespective of where they are bound for - Asia, USA, World.....

Not necessarily. Trans-Pacific cruises usually operate in US$ and gratuities apply. The WC leaves from Aust and returns to Aust and operates in AUD. Gratuities are included for Aussies and NZ'ers.

[Tripmode33]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

Not necessarily. Trans-Pacific cruises usually operate in US$ and gratuities apply. The WC leaves from Aust and returns to Aust and operates in AUD. Gratuities are included for Aussies and NZ'ers.

Thanks. I'll bear that in mind when researching future cruises.....

[Porky55]

We are doing a WC sector next year, booked and paid for cruise here in Aus and gratuities are included. This could be because Coral is AUD and Australia bound?

 

Rose 

 

Update:

We have a cruise booked on Royal in '24 from Sydney to Vancouver and it will be in USD and we will need to pay gratuities, so, I think you probably will have to, too.

Cheers. Rose.

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Porky55

[OzKiwiJJ]

It seems that if the onboard currency is AUD the gratuities are included, if USD you pay extra. Has anyone noticed any exceptions to this?

[Rassa]

54 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

It seems that if the onboard currency is AUD the gratuities are included, if USD you pay extra. Has anyone noticed any exceptions to this?

 

I would be grateful if you or anyone could refer us to where it says the above.   I am sure I saw it many times in the past.

 

However, since Princess Plus came out, if you look through FAQ: Onboard Experience - there is no reference to gratuities for Australians being part of their fare price, for an Australian cruise or a cruise leaving from Australia where the currency is AUD.

 

[windsor26]

The web site says if in AUD  no gratuities (we are going from England to Australia next year and AUD on board  NO GRATUITIES

[resordanis]

On board definately AUD he told me that but I really didn’t understand when he said tipping would be at my discretion. He did not say tips were included.

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, resordanis said:

On board definately AUD he told me that but I really didn’t understand when he said tipping would be at my discretion. He did not say tips were included.

Gratuities are included in the fare, but you can still tip at your discretion. 🙂

[OzKiwiJJ]

10 hours ago, Rassa said:

 

I would be grateful if you or anyone could refer us to where it says the above.   I am sure I saw it many times in the past.

 

However, since Princess Plus came out, if you look through FAQ: Onboard Experience - there is no reference to gratuities for Australians being part of their fare price, for an Australian cruise or a cruise leaving from Australia where the currency is AUD.

 

As far as I know it doesn't state that anywhere, it's just what I've observed personally and through comments from others in the past.

 

We did five cruises on Coral Princess this year and there were no daily gratuities added to our account so it hasn't changed since the Plus fares were introduced.

[resordanis]

28 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

As far as I know it doesn't state that anywhere, it's just what I've observed personally and through comments from others in the past.

 

We did five cruises on Coral Princess this year and there were no daily gratuities added to our account so it hasn't changed since the Plus fares were introduced.

Thanks all

[Rassa]

2 hours ago, windsor26 said:

The web site says if in AUD  no gratuities (we are going from England to Australia next year and AUD on board  NO GRATUITIES

It isn't enough to say it is on the web site, you need to share your link.

 

I looked when @resordanishighlighted the matter and yes, I found a paragraph on the web site and printed it out, but that paragraph is now gone.  I will check again later.

26 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

As far as I know it doesn't state that anywhere, it's just what I've observed personally and through comments from others in the past.

 

We did five cruises on Coral Princess this year and there were no daily gratuities added to our account so it hasn't changed since the Plus fares were introduced.

Thanks but I am starting to feel this is the beginning of things perhaps changing - really hope I am wrong.

 

RCCL used to state on the tax invoice that Aust gratuities were included in the fare.   For my latest booking, I did not receive a tax invoice, I had to print out the details that were on the screen confirming the booking and there was nothing about gratuities.

[Emma Chisit]

Go to the Princess website.  Scroll down to bottom of page.  Under “Ships and Experience” click on “FAQ: Onboard Experience” which gives you this link:

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/onboard/onboard-experience/

 

Click on “Stateroom Services” where it says:

 

Tipping is not required or charged to your onboard account when sailing on a Princess ship that departs and returns to Australia and/or operates with Australian currency onboard (please refer to Onboard Currency.) You are welcome to reward our onboard crew for exceptional service, however, tipping is not required. For all other Princess ships, to simplify the tipping process for our guests, a discretionary crew incentive of $16.50 per guest for suites, $15.50 per guest for mini-suites and $14.50 per guest (including children) in all other staterooms, per day, is automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. The crew incentive is a daily (adjustable) amount added to your onboard account and pooled in order to recognize the many crew members in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas and entertainment areas throughout our fleet who contribute to the guest experience. 

A 18% service charge 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.

 

Under “Onboard Currency” in same list of FAQs it says:

All prices onboard Coral Princess®, Majestic Princess®, and Grand Princess® cruises departing from and returning to Australia, one way Sydney to Auckland and vice versa and repositioning voyages from Asia to Australia and vice versa are in Australian Dollars.

Prices onboard all other Princess Cruises ships including Princess cruises repositioning from USA to Australia (including sector on repositioning sailing Auckland to Sydney and vice versa) Regal Princess® repositioning from Europe/Asia to Australia and Diamond Princess® cruises departing from and returning to Japan are in US Dollars. 

 

[Rassa]

@Emma Chisit

Thank you 

 

When I was looking I saw 'Under Onboard Currency' para but I am booked on Royal Princess (AUD currency on board) leaving from Australia and finishing in Japan i.e. not the 3 ships mentioned.   

[Bubbeh]

One of the reasons Princess is our preferred line is that the gratuities are included in the fare and we don't need to do any of that awful, who to, how much, when to give etc etc BS.  I hate having to actually front up with an envelope to tip somebody, I feel it demeans the tipper and the tippee.  Just not part our my culture.

[resordanis]

3 hours ago, Rassa said:

@Emma Chisit

Thank you 

 

When I was looking I saw 'Under Onboard Currency' para but I am booked on Royal Princess (AUD currency on board) leaving from Australia and finishing in Japan i.e. not the 3 ships mentioned.   

That is the ship we are on and cruise planner definitely said AUD on board.

[NSWP]

On Princess here the gratuities were rolled into the fare as so many Aussie pax were removing them or reducing them once on board by a visit to Guest Service.  No longer able to be removed/reduced.

 

Gratuities = AWS, Automatic Wage Subsidy.