diane.in.ny Posted March 24, 2018 #1 Share Posted March 24, 2018 We have $300 in OBC from an FCC. Since our cruise is sailing Australia, that has now become AUD$300 NOT AUD$388 (which = US$300) which I would have expected. Does anyone have an explanation for why this happens? I feel like I'm being cheated. I was promised US$300, not AUD$300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redhaven Posted March 25, 2018 #2 Share Posted March 25, 2018 I had the same question. My TA called Princess and was told that the USD amounts would be converted to AUD equivalents when the shipboard account was established upon boarding. That seems to be true so far, since we reserved excursions and they were partially paid through AUD and partially paid through USD charges to a credit card. The AUD amounts were proper conversions from the USD amounts shown on the Personalizer. I am planning on all being OK upon boarding, but I've got lots of paperwork just in case it isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted March 25, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted March 25, 2018 I had the same question. My TA called Princess and was told that the USD amounts would be converted to AUD equivalents when the shipboard account was established upon boarding. That seems to be true so far, since we reserved excursions and they were partially paid through AUD and partially paid through USD charges to a credit card. The AUD amounts were proper conversions from the USD amounts shown on the Personalizer. I am planning on all being OK upon boarding, but I've got lots of paperwork just in case it isn't. Thanks for the reply. In our case, that is not what happened. Purchased excursions in AUD and our US$ OBC was credited $ for $. Going to have to follow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted March 25, 2018 Author #4 Share Posted March 25, 2018 I have a question. Is your OBC from Princess or your TA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redhaven Posted March 25, 2018 #5 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Only the Princess OBC was used for partial payment of excursions. The TA OBC was not used at all. The Personalizer "Credits" listing is improper labeled -- it says the amounts are AUD, but in reality they are USD -- that's my analysis. Recheck carefully and report back to all of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casofilia Posted March 25, 2018 #6 Share Posted March 25, 2018 I feel like I'm being cheated. I was promised US$300, not AUD$300. You are!!!!!!! I hope that it changes when you board. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newport dave Posted March 25, 2018 #7 Share Posted March 25, 2018 We have $300 in OBC from an FCC. Since our cruise is sailing Australia, that has now become AUD$300 NOT AUD$388 (which = US$300) which I would have expected. Does anyone have an explanation for why this happens? I feel like I'm being cheated. I was promised US$300, not AUD$300. We've got the same problem as well. Even though our FCC are UK one's, we still get the OBC in US$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted March 25, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Well according to Princess, OBC that shows in AUD, and should be US, will be properly converted to AUD once on board. As, I think, previously mentioned, something to do with the Australian government. But my question, which couldn't be answered by the person I spoke with, is what if all that US OBC is spent as AUD pre-booking shore excursions? Right now I've got no available OBC because of that. Does anyone know if things will be recalculated once on board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katisdale Posted March 25, 2018 #9 Share Posted March 25, 2018 You will find our experience disappointing. I was also told US Princess customer service AND our TA that our US dollar OBC would be converted to Australian with an appropriate exchange rate after we boarded the ship. It was not. The exchange was at a dollar for dollar basis. We made several trips to the passenger service desk to no avail. We even spoke with supervisors who said that the corporate headquarters told them that the ship operated on Australian funds only. This occurred in 2016 on the Sun Princess. The "supervisor" said if the ship was not ported in Australia (just visiting in the area is handled differently) our credits would have been calculated differently. I would have felt better about the whole thing if I had gotten accurate information to start. I would suggest calling and asking to speak with a supervisor. I did not do that before I sailed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted March 25, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted March 25, 2018 You will find our experience disappointing. I was also told US Princess customer service AND our TA that our US dollar OBC would be converted to Australian with an appropriate exchange rate after we boarded the ship. It was not. The exchange was at a dollar for dollar basis. We made several trips to the passenger service desk to no avail. We even spoke with supervisors who said that the corporate headquarters told them that the ship operated on Australian funds only. This occurred in 2016 on the Sun Princess. The "supervisor" said if the ship was not ported in Australia (just visiting in the area is handled differently) our credits would have been calculated differently. I would have felt better about the whole thing if I had gotten accurate information to start. I would suggest calling and asking to speak with a supervisor. I did not do that before I sailed. Your experience is exactly what I expect to find. I'll probably make one visit to the Customer Service desk to ask about it but then will let it lie. When I consider the total cost of the trip, the $ amount is a significantly small percentage and not worth getting stressed out for on this lovely cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By The Bay Posted March 26, 2018 #11 Share Posted March 26, 2018 Princess is not consistent with how they convert USD$ to AUD$ for Australian ported ships. I have just returned from a cruise on Sea Princess and my USD$50 loyalty OBC was converted to AUD$64.15. So I do not understand why other USD$ OBC's are not treated the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PescadoAmarillo Posted March 26, 2018 #12 Share Posted March 26, 2018 We have $300 in OBC from an FCC. Since our cruise is sailing Australia, that has now become AUD$300 NOT AUD$388 (which = US$300) which I would have expected. Does anyone have an explanation for why this happens? I feel like I'm being cheated. I was promised US$300, not AUD$300. You feel like you’re being cheated because you are being cheated. However, I can shed no light on the reason; it’s just the was it is. Ironically, our Captains Circle OBC of $100 was converted to AUD. For all the other OBCs, USD=AUD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redhaven Posted March 26, 2018 #13 Share Posted March 26, 2018 To add another piece to this puzzle: Does anyone have experience with how gratuities are handled, since they are initially presented as USD amounts for various cabin categories. Are they converted to AUD when debited daily to your onboard account, or are they debited in the original USD amounts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casofilia Posted March 26, 2018 #14 Share Posted March 26, 2018 No; but if the ship currency is AUD based then the charge to the DSC will also be in AUD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partybarbie Posted March 27, 2018 #15 Share Posted March 27, 2018 I am recently returned from both the Sun and the Diamond. My loyalty credits of $100.00 were converted up to an equivalent amount in Australian dollars. The FCC, Shareholder, and Military credits were converted down, so we lost money on those credits. We pre-paid the gratuities so that we wouldn't have to pay any conversion fees. If you utilize the spa or salon services, the tips were 5%, compared to 15% on the US based ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redhaven Posted March 27, 2018 #16 Share Posted March 27, 2018 This seems to get more confusing every time a new comment is posted. I guess we should just be happy to get the OBC in whatever currency Princess ultimately decides to provide. Still interested in hearing from anyone who had daily gratuities debited to their onboard account, and how those amounts compared to the USD amounts originally stated in the booking information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casofilia Posted March 27, 2018 #17 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Remember that those who pay for Australian cruises who live in Australia or New Zealand do NOT have to pay a DSC as it is built into our cruise fare. Peculiar but we were on the Dover to New York sector of the Round the World Cruise and that applied even there!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted March 27, 2018 Author #18 Share Posted March 27, 2018 I am recently returned from both the Sun and the Diamond. My loyalty credits of $100.00 were converted up to an equivalent amount in Australian dollars. The FCC, Shareholder, and Military credits were converted down, so we lost money on those credit That's pretty lousy :( We pre-paid the gratuities so that we wouldn't have to pay any conversion fees. Do you know what the hotel charges were from perhaps another pax who didn't prepay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility Base Posted March 27, 2018 #19 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Do you know what the hotel charges were from perhaps another pax who didn't prepay? There was a recent post from someone on the Sun. They posted the auto gratuities were AUD 17.30 pp pd charged to their onboard account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted March 27, 2018 Author #20 Share Posted March 27, 2018 There was a recent post from someone on the Sun.They posted the auto gratuities were AUD 17.30 pp pd charged to their onboard account. Thanks! I just did the math and, for now, based on the current exchange rate and what fees I will incur, looks like I'm a bit ahead not prepaying. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM63 Posted June 21, 2018 #21 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Remember that those who pay for Australian cruises who live in Australia or New Zealand do NOT have to pay a DSC as it is built into our cruise fare.Peculiar but we were on the Dover to New York sector of the Round the World Cruise and that applied even there!!! Is the DSC the same as Gratuities? My husband & I have been charged AU$193.05 each for gratuities for an 11day Med cruise. Have never had to pay gratuities before as always cruised in Australia/NZ so is a bit of a shock lol. LM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casofilia Posted June 21, 2018 #22 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Is the DSC the same as Gratuities? Different terms used by different cruise lines. Only in cruises that start and/or finish in Australia have the Gratuities built into the cruise costs, possibly only for those who book and pay through Australia or New Zealand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newport dave Posted June 21, 2018 #23 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Remember that those who pay for Australian cruises who live in Australia or New Zealand do NOT have to pay a DSC as it is built into our cruise fare.Peculiar but we were on the Dover to New York sector of the Round the World Cruise and that applied even there!!! Was that on Sea Princess? If so, it's because it's classed as being based in Aus, hence no gratuities. Sent from my VFD 900 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted June 21, 2018 Author #24 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Only in cruises that start and/or finish in Australia have the Gratuities built into the cruise costs, possibly only for those who book and pay through Australia or New Zealand. Americans ( and Canadians?) who book through an American agency have gratuities added. I'm planning on cancelling the automatic tips and paying our service staff directly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casofilia Posted June 21, 2018 #25 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Was that on Sea Princess? If so, it's because it's classed as being based in Aus, hence no gratuities. Yes it was. But we booked and paid from New Zealand with Princess Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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