Cunard Gratuities Australian Cruises

[resordanis]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if Cunard include gratuities in their Australian cruises? I think they are extra but I must say they have one of the worst websites for information. Thanks

[arxcards]

They are extra.

Only those Carnival brands with $AU ships have the grats rolled into the fare for $AU cruises.

Edited November 19, 2023 by arxcards

[Ondine]

I have Cunard for Christmas and was expecting this.  I notice if you look at booking confirmations I used to wonder why P&O Au would charge in excess of $450 for Port charges and fees in NZ yet Cunard was only charging around $90.  Then one day the penny dropped.

[resordanis]

Thanks all, I did think so but can’t seem to find anything on their website. Not even sure how much they are.

I know on our last Cunard cruise, the line at guest  services to remove the gratuities was so long they ended up with a special counter.  We were lucky as there was a promotion for that particular cruise where we had ours included. This was mainly UK and of course Australians!

[Ondine]

I found this in FAQs 

From your waiters and stateroom stewards to the many more people supporting behind the scenes, every Cunard crew member puts their heart and skill into ensuring you experience Cunard's legendary White Star Service.

To ensure crew in these areas are rewarded for the service they provide to you, and to eliminate the need for tipping, a hotel and dining service charge is added to your on board account and every dollar collected goes directly to the crew members.  There is no administrative fee.  Of course, should you wish to individually reward any other crew member who has made your time on board particularly memorable, please feel welcome to do so.

Casino personnel do not share in the hotel and dining service charge as not all guests use their services. For all bar, wine and salon services, a charge is automatically added to your on board account for each purchase, which is shared amongst the crew in these teams.

 

How are these charges calculated?

Hotel and dining service charge

Amounts vary by stateroom category as follows:

Queens and Princess Grill Suites $16.50 per person per night
Britannia Staterooms $14.50 per person per night

For bar, wine and salon services 

A 15% charge is automatically added to your on board account for each purchase

[resordanis]

Thank you for the information!

[MicCanberra]

39 minutes ago, arxcards said:

They are extra.

Only those Carnival brands with $AU ships have the grats rolled into the fare for $AU cruises.

Cunard is part of the Carnival corporation. We have the grats included in our cruise next year, I suppose it may depend on how you purchase the cruise.

[arxcards]

31 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Cunard is part of the Carnival corporation. We have the grats included in our cruise next year, I suppose it may depend on how you purchase the cruise.

Yes, you can pre-pay them as part of your booking, but it isn't automatically included.

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

I have Cunard for Christmas and was expecting this.  I notice if you look at booking confirmations I used to wonder why P&O Au would charge in excess of $450 for Port charges and fees in NZ yet Cunard was only charging around $90.  Then one day the penny dropped.

Are they the same ports?

A cruise that only does Australian ports also has GST in the fees.

[arxcards]

38 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Cunard is part of the Carnival corporation. We have the grats included in our cruise next year, I suppose it may depend on how you purchase the cruise.

Interesting, and I always wonder how things change from year to year. The Cunard FAQ says:

On occasion, promotions are available on World Cruise fares which include complimentary hotel and dining service charges, however this will be notified to you at time of booking.

Pre payment of the hotel and dining service charge

It is not possible to pre pay this charge prior to boarding the ship, however should you wish, you may pre purchase on board spending money which can be used to cover the cost hotel and dining service charge, bar, wine and salon services charges added to your on board account and other costs you may incur on board.

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, resordanis said:

Thanks all, I did think so but can’t seem to find anything on their website. Not even sure how much they are.

I know on our last Cunard cruise, the line at guest  services to remove the gratuities was so long they ended up with a special counter.  We were lucky as there was a promotion for that particular cruise where we had ours included. This was mainly UK and of course Australians!

Aussies, Kiwis and Brits lining up no doubt. Seen it myself on Cunard and P and O UK.

[resordanis]

49 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Aussies, Kiwis and Brits lining up no doubt. Seen it myself on Cunard and P and O UK.

Exactly! I might not comment a lot, but I do hope your health is as well as it can be!

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, MicCanberra said:

Cunard is part of the Carnival corporation. We have the grats included in our cruise next year, I suppose it may depend on how you purchase the cruise.

 

Just now, arxcards said:

Yes, you can pre-pay them as part of your booking, but it isn't automatically included.

It think it depends on whether you book a promo fare that includes them. 

[NSWP]

15 hours ago, resordanis said:

Exactly! I might not comment a lot, but I do hope your health is as well as it can be!

Thanks, a struggle, no winning this battle.

[Jean C]

19 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Thanks, a struggle, no winning this battle.

😪

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Thanks, a struggle, no winning this battle.

Good to hear you are still living life as much as you can.  

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Thanks, a struggle, no winning this battle.

Les, if you make the most of every day, you ARE winning. 🙂

[LittleFish1976]

On 11/19/2023 at 4:49 PM, resordanis said:

Thanks all, I did think so but can’t seem to find anything on their website. Not even sure how much they are.

I know on our last Cunard cruise, the line at guest  services to remove the gratuities was so long they ended up with a special counter.  We were lucky as there was a promotion for that particular cruise where we had ours included. This was mainly UK and of course Australians!

 

The amount per day should be in your contract of passage, I think. It's a cretain amount per day based on cabin grade, from memory it's $14.50 per day for Britannia and $16.50 per day for Grills. I can look it up for you later when I have a chance. (just checked and those figures are correct - will put the link below).

 

They also charge a separate amount of 'gratuities' for drinks purchased which is 15% (but the gratuities are included in a drinks package so if you have one, you pay no more).

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-au/the-cunard-experience/service-charges

[resordanis]

2 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

The amount per day should be in your contract of passage, I think. It's a cretain amount per day based on cabin grade, from memory it's $14.50 per day for Britannia and $16.50 per day for Grills. I can look it up for you later when I have a chance. (just checked and those figures are correct - will put the link below).

 

They also charge a separate amount of 'gratuities' for drinks purchased which is 15% (but the gratuities are included in a drinks package so if you have one, you pay no more).

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-au/the-cunard-experience/service-charges

Thanks for the information. We actually decided to go with Princess. Dates suited us a little more and the OBC they offered was amazing.

Did want to do Cunard again though, but another time!

[Flickit]

Cunard often offer decent 'on board credit' when they run sales in Australia, like with the 'Big Balcony Sale' a couple of months back, they included $230usd OBC per person for a 14night cruise, enough to cover the daily service fee... 

[LittleFish1976]

10 minutes ago, Flickit said:

Cunard often offer decent 'on board credit' when they run sales in Australia, like with the 'Big Balcony Sale' a couple of months back, they included $230usd OBC per person for a 14night cruise, enough to cover the daily service fee... 

I meant to mention the other day when I read a post somewhere on here about Cunard not having any good promotions currently that they have a 30% off fares for (most?) voyages at the moment. Has been going since end of September and they've sold a lot of cabins and ends soon. Worth looking at if you're considering them. It's a real sale - fare I bought a few days before the promotion started (during the Big Balcony Sale) was 30% less when I discovered the sale. Anyway, I added on the cruise after it meaning I now have a b2b to look forward to. Lemonade from lemons, I guess.

[resordanis]

46 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

I meant to mention the other day when I read a post somewhere on here about Cunard not having any good promotions currently that they have a 30% off fares for (most?) voyages at the moment. Has been going since end of September and they've sold a lot of cabins and ends soon. Worth looking at if you're considering them. It's a real sale - fare I bought a few days before the promotion started (during the Big Balcony Sale) was 30% less when I discovered the sale. Anyway, I added on the cruise after it meaning I now have a b2b to look forward to. Lemonade from lemons, I guess.

We have had a few great specials/OBC plus military credits with Cunard in the past. If fact a couple of times, much less than anyone else. In this case Princess was about $500 less expensive and over $500 OBC for a 7 night cruise and gratuities included. Even though we both wanted to bring the formal clothes out of Covid mothballs, Princess won this time.Next season I will be looking a lot earlier. I wish it was us doing a B2B on Cunard although Elizabeth isn’t our favourite ship. Enjoy your cruises and thank you for your information.

[Aussieflyer]

On 11/20/2023 at 10:12 AM, NSWP said:

Thanks, a struggle, no winning this battle.

☹️ Thinking of you,

[MMDown Under]

On 11/20/2023 at 9:12 AM, NSWP said:

Thanks, a struggle, no winning this battle.

How is your house sale going, Les?  Do you have a timeline for your new unit?  How is your son going testing a new ship in the rolling seas of Antarctica.  Is it still wet at your place?  It is wet here..