rose4747

Americans and Germans trying to give a culture lesson, are you serious. We are right, rest of the world is wrong right?

But hey, why let facts get in the way of a good story or 'tribal knowledge'

• We don't pay tips/gratuities on any cruise out of Australia (even Princess/Azamara) = fact, do your research. Pretty sure the crew don't go hungry though. 
• Print me a cruise line contract/agreement stating 'all' gratuities go to crew and then prove they do = if you can find one? Its cash and am sure cruise line has 'integrity' and tax avoidance policies. Again, how much did Princess pay in fines last year?
• 'Princess charges less much less for cruises in Asia' = really, might do for you yanks, but not everyone else, do some research and prove it. Cruises out of Miami for Australians are far cheaper than Asia.
• I did as I said I would and did not pay gratuities (service did not warrant it anyway - one example - who pays $14.50 a day in tips for their teenager to use an advertised teenager facility that was rarely, if ever open) and donated to our bush fire victims. I sleep well at night.
• We used the e-visa we bought prior to boarding and were not charged for it. A lot of very angry people on board who did not do the same thing after notice from Princess and paid them double for the visa.
• We don't intend on using Princess again. I am sure they will make enough out of art auctions, slow WiFi, $15 photos, gold by the inch, jewellery auctions, bingo, casino, daily duty free sales, spa services & tips, $40 t-shirts, bar drinks and an additional 18% tips on them, singer CD sales, etc. etc. etc. to make up for any of my 'greediness'.

'I think nobody will be really mad about anyone who dos not understanding the system due to a lack of knowledge (if that is still possible 😉 ).  However, what drives me crazy are people who know every single regulation and loophole when it comes to their advantage but play the "culture clash" and "fight the system" cards when it´s the other way around '

Or people like you who think they understand, because lets face it, a cruise line would never, ever do that in reverse, would they!!!    Lets ask those trying to cancel their cruise in Asia at the moment what response Princess are giving them......

...................think what you want, I'm done and out of here...............drop the mic.........

Folks, this really should put an end to the tipping debate, these continual advertisements kind of makes a mockery out of those whinging about gratuities, cheap Aussies, American culture and globally accepted tipping practice.  The one above sent in emails last week to us Aussies, are as good as we ever get it, unless of course like the Vietnam visas, they change their mind after you book and decide to charge for them, as they obviously do from time to time - guess like these ads, it depends on their profit forecasts. Pot luck I guess as to what you do or don't pay for, book early, book late etc. all bit of a gamble really or maybe good ethical marketing would you not say so? Don't think so? Well here's their latest USA one below, not available to us Aussies.

Would appear some of our buddies here or 'we're rich, who cares Americans' cant be complaining about us surely. LOOK WHAT THEY GET FOR FREE, and we're cheap!! Do Princess crews/staff know of these deals, WOW, they must be happy about it? One thing is for sure, either way, obviously they don't need us to help pay for their staff after all!   Now, if they could just find those WMD's 'everybody knows that' were there,  I'd probably be more inclined to be a bit more gullible to this 'con'............

I am an aussie, make fun of me for the above, go for it, I am also an old bloke and remember when customer service meant something, not a bunch of legal fine print and 'we will tell you' and change stuff you've paid for when 'we' feel like it rhetoric. As a nation we give as a whole generously to all our Asian neighbors (where most of the crews come from) and like the yanks, usually the first ones in helping when they are in crisis, don't believe me, like the ads above, google it. You want to help a good cause, as above - the cruise companies don't think their staff need it or will cover it, donate your tip money to the victims of our recent devastating bushfires who have lost everything. I know I will be and if princess cruises, yourselves or our cabin crew have issue with that, so be it, call me what you want, I have moved on already.............

People have paid for Vietnam visas, you change your policy after they have done so at the last minute, without prior notice, explanation or legal requirement acknowledgement from the Vietnam government - then you have no justification or high ground and we who are in this situation have every right to be not happy about it. Princess Cruises should expect to come the cop for it if indeed not a legal requirement - as their ads above and billion dollar profits suggest, they are not exactly 'doing it tough'.

Cool cruiser, you are so right and i am so over princess Cruises and i have not even stepped foot on their boat yet. Like the above I have now just seen this line 'If you obtain the visa on your own it cannot be an electronic visa (eVisa)' added to my cruise personalizer as well. I took your advice and we all have e-visa's and have no intention of paying out anymore.  

As above (like 'gratuities' in part) which we just had another email suggesting we 'prepay them' am not that naive to know the methods cruise lines go to make money. On that note, put these costs with gratuities and other charges etc. in the price like they do when operating out of Australia and stop the 'grafting', look after and pay your staff properly and be up front with costs - though that is our culture - we despise 'tipping' to make up for paying people cheap wages from low cost countries on dubious contracts, especially when forced to do it as some cruise lines do. Somehow after paying for the cruise it is my responsibility to now subsidize staff wages as the cruise line does not pay them very well and works them 7 days a week for months on end!!!  Do cruise lines pay any tax on 'gratuities'? -  what a great way to pay for your crew while paying less on the books and making/guilting you (the customer) to feel it is all about customer service - that you have already paid for (- or now they want you to now pay more for in advance!) They charge these daily gratuities and then an extra 20% for overpriced drinks as you cant bring your own onboard. Brilliant business strategy - like these visa charges (Gee, lets say 2000 passengers by $50 = $100,000 USD - money for nothing), nothing at all to do with customer service! Carnival made $3.15b nett last year, yet you have issue with us Aussies not tipping. They call it savvy marketing and good business practice, we call it a 'scam'. You only encourage it further by participating in it. My opinion, but I maybe wrong??? 

Excellent, many thanks again for advice.

It appears Phu My is not on the e-visa seaport list, as this is the only stop, guess we don't really have a choice but to use princess. So I will 'suck it up' as so eloquently put from a previous 'poor taste' post.

Appreciate responses and advice.

Frustrated at this Princess cost and poorly worded explanation, as appears even if we don't get off the boat (as we planned) we will be charged this anyway - we are there for 1 day - 1 stop - 9 hours. Embassy don't give prices on website, we just came back from visa office (foolishly thought going direct they might be cheaper) and their cost is $80 aud, so will end up paying $56usd as per our cruise personaliser, a family so this is costly, would have been nice to have been told prior to booking cruise, feel a bit ripped off now to be honest. We save hard for a cruise, they want an extra $1000 in gratuities as well, first time on princess, my fault - had a choice, probably be the last though. Seem more interested in getting hands deeper in my pocket at any opportunity than focusing on providing the holiday for my family I have paid a lot of money for.

What is difference between transit at an international airport and staying on board a boat? Why do you need a visa for, maybe Princess can include explanation in their paperwork?