Australia Gratuities?

[Clarea]

Prices on board Australian based royal ships are in USD but I'm not sure if that includes the 18% gratitudes or not?

I believe the gratuities are included when prices are shown onboard for Australian based cruises.

[springaussie]

For every cruised booked worldwide after 16 December 2016 the onboard gratuities are included and not removal for all booking done thru an Australian or New Zealand Travel Agent. This includes booking thru Royal Caribbean.

From the start of the 2014/15 cruise season in Australia the gratuities on drinks were included in the price. NO tipping amount is shown on receipt.

 

 

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[Biker19]

From the start of the 2014/15 cruise season in Australia the gratuities on drinks were included in the price. NO tipping amount is shown on receipt.

So every Aussie season they reprogram all the bar point of sale terminals to eliminate the tip line?

[Clarea]

So every Aussie season they reprogram all the bar point of sale terminals to eliminate the tip line?

They also have two sets of drink menus, with and without gratuity.

[pspercy]

Noticing that people in the USA are also concerned by gratitudes and ensuring all staff are fairly paid. If Royal can change the policy for Australian cruisers why can they change it for the USA as well?One price gratitudes included and no removal.

 

I've read that there are income tax benefits for the crew in receiving their compensation split in this way - pay+tips. I wouldn't know but just maybe tips go under-reported:)

[Wine-O]

So every Aussie season they reprogram all the bar point of sale terminals to eliminate the tip line?

I believe they did that for ships sailing out of Southampton UK also. If a beer costs $6 + 18% = $7.08, the advertised charge for the beer would be $7.08 or maybe they rounded it down to $7.00.

[lucymorgan]

Kind of off topic but do we tip normally (usually around 20%) when taking cabs and eating in Australia and NZ?

 

Not expected in cabs - although I usually just say "make it $30" if the bill is around $27 or $28 - raising it a couple of dollars. If the cab is in a tourist area and they hear an American accent, they might be hopeful but it still isn't expected.

 

Definitely not expected at hair salons - I could even imagine someone being insulted at being offered a tip.

 

Some staff at top hotels might be appreciative of a tip but it certainly isn't required.

 

Some higher end restaurants will have a 10% 'service charge' included on the bill.

 

Australian minimum wage is currently $18.29 AUD per hour plus casual employees get an additional minimum 25% casual loading to compensate for not getting holiday or sick leave entitlements etc. There are lower rates for children and trainees. Citizens and permanent residents are covered by the national medicare system.

[The_Big_M]

I assume they will change price list after closing on night before disembarkation / embarkation morning when they start first cruise from different "pricing area". I guess it is not that big thing.

 

Yep, just like changing menus in the dining room each day.

 

Sometimes it means there aren't many menus around day 1 as they haven't put the new ones out yet.

[BekkaW]

Hopefully someone who has cruised on Royal Caribbean from Australia could confirm how the prices are presented on board.

 

All prices are presented with gratuities included. It's the law here.

 

Drinks packages cover up to $14.

 

For interest, in all establishments tax has to be included in the sticker/menu price also (this only really applies off the ship)

[JezzaC]

All prices are presented with gratuities included. It's the law here.

 

Drinks packages cover up to $14.

 

For interest, in all establishments tax has to be included in the sticker/menu price also (this only really applies off the ship)

 

Thanks for information, make things so much simpler. Am also used to same in Finland, all prices shown have to include VAT.

[Luv2Cruz24/7]

The answer was stated a few times, but to reiterate, yes the price in AU seems higher bc grats are included. It's not an AU custom to tip for anything. (In some countries its even sen as offensive). I just wanted to cosign on the fact that it should automatically be included in the states too. People who like to go complain and get them off are usually just being cheap. If they truly did have a bad experience, they probably would have asked to switch servers. So now they aren't paying the server who did attend to them. Also, when you take off your whole gratuity it affects everyone. Including bar servers who did a good job, your cabin stewards, buffet servers who clean up after you, or even your dinner server (if your complaint was about something else). The fact that all places even have a choice to tip is sad. But I agree it the way of companies claiming their product is cheaper then it really is. It is almost like they're lying to you. (But I also will be honest, I live in a place where you don't tip and customer service can be atrocious a lot of times. Servers and industry people just don't care because they're being paid regardless how they treat you. So maybe there is no such thing as "fair" in this world :()

[chrisb74]

But I agree it the way of companies claiming their product is cheaper then it really is. It is almost like they're lying to you.

 

This is exactly why it is the way it is. It is the law that all advertised prices must reflect the actual price you will pay including all "compulsory" fees and also taxes. It was determined that the gratuities on cruises were fairly much a required part of the service and hence must be included in the advertised price.

 

It's quite nice that in Australia if anything, including a cruise, is advertised for $2000 you must be able to buy it for exactly $2000 cash. No hidden extras for tips, taxes or anything else.

[geomancer]

I didn't know Australia and New Zealand were non-tipping countries. Makes me want to visit even more :) If only it didn't take 30 hours to get there...

 

 

I'm a huge proponent of the price tag showing the actual price. I grew up in Montana, which has no sales tax, and it was fantastic. Visiting a couple Asian countries, I learned that restaurants have just as good, or better, service with no tips expected. Really wish it could be like that here, even with prices going higher to compensate.

 

 

I really wish the cruise industry would head toward this model, but I just don't see it happening.

 

Put bluntly, I think the answer to your question is that the cruise lines want to mislead people. That's actually too strong. The better way to say it is that the cruise lines want to use marketing to make the cruises appear as cheap as possible to the consumer...

 

 

This is correct. Us American's love to be misled, but probably applies to anyone. I vividly remember when JC Penny decided to drop the deceptive fake 'sales' and actually put real prices on all their stuff. Business tanked, big time. Turns out, people *liked* the fake sales because it made them feel like they got a good deal, even though they were paying everyday prices.

 

 

I've read that there are income tax benefits for the crew in receiving their compensation split in this way - pay+tips. I wouldn't know but just maybe tips go under-reported:)

 

If they were US employees, perhaps, but they're not. One of the big reasons cruise ships do not flag themselves in the US unless they absolutely have to (just Hawaii since they don't visit a foreign port).

 

Still, the auto-gratuities would likely get reported on their W-2's. Restaurant workers love cash tips, because they won't report them.