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UK cruises, new gratuities


antsp
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Since the £ dropped by 20% against the $ I'm sticking to £ based cruise lines for now which really means P&O. The increase in gratuities doesn't help either, that's twice the price of P&O now so you would save £140 on a fortnight cruise which is a lot of wine!

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With the weak pound and new raise in daily tips how do you feel about paying £21 a day in tips per couple.

 

Simple I refuse to pay it so will be removing gratuities. It has been said that you are making staff suffer when it is not their decision to raise gratuities, but writing to managers or complaining to Princess on Facebook/Twitter falls on deaf ears. This is the second increase this year totally 17% increase in wages and I have not received that amount in total over 5 years so do not believe all the gratuities go to the staff just to boost Princess profits.

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Simple I refuse to pay it so will be removing gratuities. It has been said that you are making staff suffer when it is not their decision to raise gratuities, but writing to managers or complaining to Princess on Facebook/Twitter falls on deaf ears. This is the second increase this year totally 17% increase in wages and I have not received that amount in total over 5 years so do not believe all the gratuities go to the staff just to boost Princess profits.

 

I agree and until they(Princess) make the cruise cost and promotions(Sip n Sail etc) a level playing field with those available in the US I will continue to remove tips. I've seen on here before all the rubbish about 'when in Rome do what the Romans do' or should that be what US citizens do.

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Its starting to get expensive, for our next 10 day cruise for the 3 of us it's over £300, that to me is getting out of hand. If Princess wants to keep attracting UK passengers they are going to have do something, for the first time in my cruising life I'm seriously considering reducing our tips.

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Solution is not to book Princess or any other American line if you do not agree with their policies. There are lots of other cruise lines out there.

 

SadieN,I wasn't disagreeing with the policies. We have cruised mainly with American cruise lines. I was only wondering what the gratuities costs are,or when they are due to increase ? We are having a quite expensive trip anyway.23 nights in total, 1 night in London,4 nights Vegas,15 nights Hawaii cruise,than 2 night L.A. before we fly back to the UK so really we do spend a fair bit whether it be £ or $ on our trips.

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Can always prepay them at the current rate. The new grats start on cruises starting on or after Dec 15, 2016

 

****

(copy of my email)

 

 

Dear Princess Guest:

 

To ensure our guest service on board remains among the best in the cruise industry, Princess Cruises has increased the daily gratuity charge for all voyages departing on or after December 15, 2016.

 

The new daily gratuity amounts are $13.50 USD per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms (including children), $14.50 USD per guest for mini-suites (including Club Class), and $15.50 USD per guest for suites.

 

The gratuity rate increase is comparable to cruise industry standards and underlines our commitment toward our crew for the excellent service they provide our guests.

 

You have the opportunity to prepay your daily gratuities at the current rate through November 15, 2016 at 11:59PM PST. You may prepay through your Cruise Personalizer or contact us at 1-800-PRINCESS. Guests booked with promotions that include paid gratuities will not be affected by this rate increase.

 

Thank you and we look forward to welcoming you aboard.

 

 

 

 

Sincerely,

Princess Cruises

Edited by SadieN
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When the new rate kicks in it will be £155

 

That's only £10 per day and look at the service you are getting. I am a Brit living in Canada so I understand the tipping culture in the UK of just leaving a couple of quid on the table after a meal but I don't think £10 a day is excessive for the service you receive. IMO

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That's only £10 per day and look at the service you are getting. I am a Brit living in Canada so I understand the tipping culture in the UK of just leaving a couple of quid on the table after a meal but I don't think £10 a day is excessive for the service you receive. IMO

 

I don't thinks its excessive either. I always keep the on board gratuities and then tip even more to bartenders,waiters,housekeeping etc.

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I agree and until they(Princess) make the cruise cost and promotions(Sip n Sail etc) a level playing field with those available in the US I will continue to remove tips. I've seen on here before all the rubbish about 'when in Rome do what the Romans do' or should that be what US citizens do.

 

 

You're looking for an excuse not to tip.

You're hurting the wrong people. The gratuity staff have NOTHING to do with the fares. Want to hurt Princess, don't book a Princess cruise.

 

Cruise lines have all sorts of promotions. We never seem to qualify. On rare occasions we'll encounter a California resident one. Think I've seen two in 10 years for the cruises we want to book. The other promotions are rarely on cruises we want to sail. Last promotion we booked was about 3 years ago.

Edited by SadieN
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It is now getting completely out of hand. The public sector in the UK have had their pay frozen now for nigh on 5 years. This hike has raised the gratuity by 17% in one year :eek:. The whole arguments about gratuities are beginning to grate. This fee can no longer be classed as a gratuity or tip..........it is clearly to pay staff wages.

It is about time Princess came clean and gave a very clear breakdown of how much each crew member receives from the gratuities and also what would 'prevent' them for receiving the promised gratuity. My husband and I worked out the gratuities, (not including the 15% drinks gratuities which on top of hiked drinks prices is now making the cost of drinks prohibitive), paid by all passengers on a daily basis. We then divided that amount by the average number of crew who would be eligible to receive that gratuity and it worked out to be thousands upon thousands of dollars per year. I no longer beleive that Princess give all the 'gratuities' to its eligible crew and will find any little discrepancy to rob them of the promised gratuity. Pay the correct salary for hours worked and leave gratuities to be given by passengers for outstanding serivice as it should be.:mad:

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If a room steward receive $5 per person a day from the share of the fixed gratuities and he services approx 17 cabins he is earning $170 a day tax free. That's approximate $46000 per 9 month contract. Just as a guide the average income in the Philippines is $2800 a year.

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I've really never participated in or paid much heed to conversations about gratuities, until now. There are some very well thought out posts on this thread. I agree that it is getting out of hand, regardless of where you live.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I'm with you.

 

It just doesn't make sense if you compare P&O's Britannia to Royal Princess. Identical ships with crew and passenger numbers but Britannia's auto gratuity is half.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Presumably there is nothing to stop people going to reception and adjusting the gratuity to the old rate?

It is getting out of hand, especially as British cruisers have also been hit with a huge drop in £ to $ exchange rates.

The gratuity rate should be honoured at the rate prevalent when the cruise was booked, i.e. when the contract was made.

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