castaway01 Posted April 20, 2018 #1 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Was considering a cruz on the Symphony of the Seas until I read this "any drink purchased on the cruise come with the addition of an 18 percent auto-gratuity." Really, 18% for taking the top off a bottle of beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin jenkins Posted April 20, 2018 #2 Share Posted April 20, 2018 always being that when not in aussie waters, i think from memory the price of a beer in US$ + tip is equivalent to what we pay onboard about $ 7.95 for a corona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
castaway01 Posted April 21, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted April 21, 2018 always being that when not in aussie waters, i think from memory the price of a beer in US$ + tip is equivalent to what we pay onboard about $ 7.95 for a corona. So does this mean that American products are 20% cheaper than Oz ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 21, 2018 #4 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Was considering a cruz on the Symphony of the Seas until I read this "any drink purchased on the cruise come with the addition of an 18 percent auto-gratuity." Really, 18% for taking the top off a bottle of beer. Has been this price for some time. I know that doesn't make it right but the only choice you have is an aussie cruise where the gratuity is already included in the price advertised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyinmacksville Posted April 21, 2018 #5 Share Posted April 21, 2018 So does this mean that American products are 20% cheaper than Oz ? Elsewhere you pay the price plus 18%. Here the 18% is incorporated into the price due to Australian consumer laws. Regardless the price works out the same. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliburn Posted April 21, 2018 #6 Share Posted April 21, 2018 RC include general gratuity on the fare in Australia and NZ.Their policy is ,all voluntary purchase attracts %18 gratuity. So that’s if you buy a drink,go to a specialty restaurant,get a haircut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted April 21, 2018 #7 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Elsewhere you pay the price plus 18%. Here the 18% is incorporated into the price due to Australian consumer laws. Regardless the price works out the same. I don't think Australian consumer laws have anything to do with the removal of auto gratuities by cruise lines. They used to charge the gratuities when our laws were the same as they currently are. The gratuities were removed because Australians don't like them. We haven't been brought up with tipping a part of every aspect of daily life. The first to remove them was P&O (I think it was October 2010), followed by Princess in May 2011. From memory, Royal Caribbean charged gratuities when they first operated out of Australia, but later they removed them. This was probably because of customer resistance to the practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 21, 2018 #8 Share Posted April 21, 2018 I don't think Australian consumer laws have anything to do with the removal of auto gratuities by cruise lines. They used to charge the gratuities when our laws were the same as they currently are. The gratuities were removed because Australians don't like them. We haven't been brought up with tipping a part of every aspect of daily life. The first to remove them was P&O (I think it was October 2010), followed by Princess in May 2011. From memory, Royal Caribbean charged gratuities when they first operated out of Australia, but later they removed them. This was probably because of customer resistance to the practice. Both Royal and X have the gratuities still included in the price. And as they are both using USD on board the price is no different (perhaps a few cents) from when their ships are sailing elsewhere in our winter. What does change is the advertised price for the drinks in the menus, for else where the beer may be advertised as $6 while for the Aussie cruise it is advertised as $7.10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliburn Posted April 21, 2018 #9 Share Posted April 21, 2018 I don't think Australian consumer laws have anything to do with the removal of auto gratuities by cruise lines. They used to charge the gratuities when our laws were the same as they currently are. The gratuities were removed because Australians don't like them. We haven't been brought up with tipping a part of every aspect of daily life. The first to remove them was P&O (I think it was October 2010), followed by Princess in May 2011. From memory, Royal Caribbean charged gratuities when they first operated out of Australia, but later they removed them. This was probably because of customer resistance to the practice. I agree they probably dropped gratuity on the fare because of the backlash from Ozzie’s & kiwis. But I’ve had this argument on Tripadvisor cruise forum for years. If you buy something in Australia the advertised price is the final price you pay. It’s the law.(don’t know what law) So you go to your local travel agent and get a cruise,you pay the advertised price ,final price. But when you are on the ship technically you aren’t in Australia.so they can do what they want. In the USA you see something advertised,you think gee that’s cheap. But when you pay for it they hit you with all these extra hidden fees and taxes.it could be anything. Even American I’ve had a discussion with said how did they get their system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted April 22, 2018 #10 Share Posted April 22, 2018 deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 22, 2018 #11 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I know lots of them that would agree that our system is easier but that they are used to theirs and it would be folly to change. I don't think it would be that hard, as seen on the ships using the different menus when here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 22, 2018 #12 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I don't agree that the reason auto gratuities were ended on Australian-based cruises was because it was against Australian consumer law. If that was the case, the cruise lines were breaking the law for a long time. :DGST has operated in Australia since 1st July, 2000. Auto gratuities were removed by P&O in 2010, Princess in 2011 and Royal Caribbean in January 2017. The cruise companies dropped the gratuities because it was better for business. Aussies objected to the tips and prefer to pay an all-inclusive price. I don't agree that the auto gratuities were even dropped, I think they were just incorporated into the fare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted April 22, 2018 #13 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Elsewhere you pay the price plus 18%. Here the 18% is incorporated into the price due to Australian consumer laws. Regardless the price works out the same. Just confirming my previous comment that I do not agree that the cruiselines had to incorporate the gratuities in their price due to Australian consumer law that requires all taxes to be included in the final price. :DGST has operated in Australia since 1st July, 2000. Auto gratuities were removed by P&O in 2010, Princess in 2011 and Royal Caribbean in January 2017. If the cruise lines had to include gratuities in the quoted price because of consumer laws, they were in breach of these laws for many years. Just as GST doesn't apply on most cruise fares because they are international, the cruise companies do not have to quote an all-inclusive price. It is simply good for business because Aussies are not used to tipping.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted April 22, 2018 #14 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I don't agree that the auto gratuities were even dropped, I think they were just incorporated into the fare. At the time Princess removed the gratuities, I compared prices on several cruises prior to May 2011 with ones after the removal of gratuities. There was not a lot of difference in price. Maybe since then, prices have gradually moved upwards.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyMouse Posted April 22, 2018 #15 Share Posted April 22, 2018 So does this mean that American products are 20% cheaper than Oz ? Yes, actually they are. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliburn Posted April 22, 2018 #16 Share Posted April 22, 2018 (edited) Yes, actually they are. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 30 years ago maybe ,when we went to the states we didn’t have enough bags to put our shopping in. All that good America produce. Now in this global world we share the same substandard Chinese junk. I always cross reference cruises from Australian agents to us agents and the price is generally the same. Edited April 22, 2018 by Chiliburn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 22, 2018 #17 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Yes, actually they are. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk It depends on what the product is and where you are buying it. Labour is so much cheaper in the US than here so the cost of living is cheaper than Australia but in the end it is all relative to your income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliburn Posted April 22, 2018 #18 Share Posted April 22, 2018 A year ago or so we were in Oklahoma visiting friends.they ask us what we wanted for dinner. I said a leg of lamb. They said ,no you don’t . $US100. For a leg of lamb from NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 22, 2018 #19 Share Posted April 22, 2018 How much for a leg of lamb from the US though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliburn Posted April 22, 2018 #20 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Yes you may think it was a mistake. We went to a special meat thing in big store as they don’t have butcher shops . About us$50 half leg us$100 full leg.for NZ lamb. In the end We got some beef and spuds,which I thought was a bit expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 22, 2018 #21 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I suppose it is a long way for the lambs to swim or fly there which would make them expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banzaii Posted April 22, 2018 #22 Share Posted April 22, 2018 I don't agree that the auto gratuities were even dropped, I think they were just incorporated into the fare.Yes and by incorporating into fare, those who are diametrically opposed to tipping could no longer remove the gratuities. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunCruiser56 Posted April 23, 2018 #23 Share Posted April 23, 2018 So I am wondering- I as an American I purchased a cruise through Celebrity, transfer to a agent in the US. The Ship is a transpacific leaving Sydney, are my tips included in the cost or will I be charged each day for them? Sent from my SM-T900 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 24, 2018 #24 Share Posted April 24, 2018 So I am wondering- I as an American I purchased a cruise through Celebrity, transfer to a agent in the US. The Ship is a transpacific leaving Sydney, are my tips included in the cost or will I be charged each day for them? Sent from my SM-T900 using Tapatalk I suggest you check your paperwork, but I would think No. This would certainly be the case if you booked through the US X website (your IP address would determine this) and not the Aussie X site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Big_M Posted May 6, 2018 #25 Share Posted May 6, 2018 So I am wondering- I as an American I purchased a cruise through Celebrity, transfer to a agent in the US. The Ship is a transpacific leaving Sydney, are my tips included in the cost or will I be charged each day for them? Your tipping arrangement is the same as any other booking through the US i.e. not generally prepaid (unless part of a promo). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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