Your cost of "non-included" dining is going up...

[Iamcruzin]

On 12/1/2023 at 9:35 AM, david63 said:

And therein lies the problem. In the UK you can legally ask for a service charge to be removed.

Ships aren't registered to the U.S. so wouldn't international rules apply?

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said:

This is such a common practice at land restaurants now that I'm not surprised that it has trickled down to cruise ships. Royal Caribbean has already put this in place I think pre covid. The club house cafe in our community adds a 20% gratuity.  My pet peeve is that at land restaurants they don't always tell you and many don't spot it on the check and leave an additional gratuity. I wouldn't be surprised if passengers remove this tip like they do with the auto gratuity for the staff. Tipping is an American custom and not recognized internationally. None of these ships are registered in the U.S. So when in Rome....

I am fairly certain that the service charge on drinks and Specialty restaurants cannot be removed.  

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said:

This is such a common practice at land restaurants now that I'm not surprised that it has trickled down to cruise ships. Royal Caribbean has already put this in place I think pre covid. The club house cafe in our community adds a 20% gratuity.  My pet peeve is that at land restaurants they don't always tell you and many don't spot it on the check and leave an additional gratuity. I wouldn't be surprised if passengers remove this tip like they do with the auto gratuity for the staff. Tipping is an American custom and not recognized internationally. None of these ships are registered in the U.S. So when in Rome....

I am fairly certain that the service charge on drinks and Specialty restaurants cannot be removed.  

[Iamcruzin]

33 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

I am fairly certain that the service charge on drinks and Specialty restaurants cannot be removed.  

They always added the tip to drinks so no difference there. Restaurant service was always included with the auto gratuity.

Edited December 24, 2023 by Iamcruzin

[jagoffee]

1 minute ago, Iamcruzin said:

They always added the tip to drinks so no difference there. Restaurant service was always included with the auto gratuity.

Of course.  I thought we were discussing the 18% service charge that is now being added to the  Speciality restaurant fee, it is likely to be same as the charge for drinks.  It is not optional and it cannot be removed.

 

Have you seen anything that has suggested that the fee can be removed?

[Iamcruzin]

1 minute ago, jagoffee said:

Of course.  I thought we were discussing the 18% service charge that is now being added to the  Speciality restaurant fee, it is likely to be same as the charge for drinks.  It is not optional and it cannot be removed.

 

Have you seen anything that has suggested that the fee can be removed?

No but I'm sure someone will report back if they were able to remove it. Personally I always tipped 20% so now it's less money and I don't have to walk around with cash. 

[t&atravel]

15 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

I always tipped 20% so now it's less money and I don't have to walk around with cash. 

@Iamcruzin  You never did have to carry cash because the SD cover charge included a 17% service charge.  You were tipping twice.

 

 

[Potstech]

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

This is such a common practice at land restaurants now that I'm not surprised that it has trickled down to cruise ships. Royal Caribbean has already put this in place I think pre covid. The club house cafe in our community adds a 20% gratuity.  My pet peeve is that at land restaurants they don't always tell you and many don't spot it on the check and leave an additional gratuity. I wouldn't be surprised if passengers remove this tip like they do with the auto gratuity for the staff. Tipping is an American custom and not recognized internationally. None of these ships are registered in the U.S. So when in Rome....

If a food service group or any other organization adds a gratuity to our bill, we pat it and never go back to there again. As for on the ship we pay the auto gratuity but nothing more except to our room service.  We will not participate in the out of control tipping anywhere. 

Those that do, a matter of choice, just encourage more and higher fees.

And yes i have worked in sales and service in the past.

[Ombud]

14 hours ago, t&atravel said:

@Iamcruzin  You never did have to carry cash because the SD cover charge included a 17% service charge.  You were tipping twice.

 

 

So it's going from 17% to 18%? All this is over 1%? 

[dweeb]

5 hours ago, Ombud said:

So it's going from 17% to 18%? All this is over 1%? 

nope, not 1%.  they left the price the same as it was before (which included a 17% service charge to now having the same price but adding an 18% service charge.  

 

So before the price was $39.00per person  which included the 17%

now $39.00 per person plus 18% service charge = $46.02 per person.  

Edited December 25, 2023 by dweeb
spelling

[Ombud]

Can someone who has eaten there since the change verify what the charge is? Is it a 1% or 18% increase? 

[Iamcruzin]

22 hours ago, t&atravel said:

@Iamcruzin  You never did have to carry cash because the SD cover charge included a 17% service charge.  You were tipping twice.

 

 

Last time I cruised on Princess was 2013. It was a different world back then.

[kywildcatfanone]

2 hours ago, Ombud said:

Can someone who has eaten there since the change verify what the charge is? Is it a 1% or 18% increase? 

As posted right above you,  the cost has gone from $39 with gratuity to $46.  The 18% is on top of the $39 charge.

[Ombud]

20 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

As posted right above you,  the cost has gone from $39 with gratuity to $46.  The 18% is on top of the $39 charge.

Oops 😳

[Potstech]

In other words a 35% tip.  Now that is outrageous.  

[Crystaltipps67]

On 12/24/2023 at 3:05 PM, Kmkub said:

 

I dunno; the closest single option I could find on his menu was: THE “FRUITS DE MER” half a lobster, crab, scallops, razor clams, oysters, clams, cockles, mussels, winkles, whelks and langoustines. 55 per person.

 

This was very close to one of our two appetizers; lobster, crab, clams, oysters, langoustines, scallops, mussels…. 

 

Plus the other two appetizers, plus the main, plus dessert. 

 

So, yes, your comparable appetizer at his restaurant = 110 for two, but we had three other courses to go with it.

 

 

I think we are comparing apples and pears. I don't see any appetiser on the Catch by Rudi menu that consists of what you describe, so I must be looking at the wrong thing. Sorry.

[sckal]

10 hours ago, dweeb said:

nope, not 1%.  they left the price the same as it was before (which included a 17% service charge to now having the same price but adding an 18% service charge.  

 

So before the price was $39.00per person  which included the 17%

now $39.00 per person plus 18% service charge = $46.02 per person.  

I had a complimentary certificate for specialty dining due to a mistake by Princess' customer service staff. I've already booked and paid for a Crown Grill reservation on my January cruise. I wonder what happens in that case for reservations already booked but at the lower price? And from what I've been told I can go to passenger services who will I guess give me credit? Has anyone had that experience?

[wallyj]

3 hours ago, sckal said:

I had a complimentary certificate for specialty dining due to a mistake by Princess' customer service staff. I've already booked and paid for a Crown Grill reservation on my January cruise. I wonder what happens in that case for reservations already booked but at the lower price? And from what I've been told I can go to passenger services who will I guess give me credit? Has anyone had that experience?

I believe the ‘key’ is if you booked and paid for SD before December 1, 2023, then you will not be subject to the new gratuity fee. If you are gifted a SD then the cost is zero, so 18% of zero is zero.
 

What reservations are you specifying you would go to GS for a credit? Are you thinking you want to cancel, if you are subject to the new gratuities L

[sckal]

7 hours ago, wallyj said:

I believe the ‘key’ is if you booked and paid for SD before December 1, 2023, then you will not be subject to the new gratuity fee. If you are gifted a SD then the cost is zero, so 18% of zero is zero.
 

What reservations are you specifying you would go to GS for a credit? Are you thinking you want to cancel, if you are subject to the new gratuities L

Ok, thank you, this was definitely booked before Dec 1. I had to pay with Credit Card for the reservation, and was told to go to GS where they would give me OBC for that payment since I have a gift certificate. 

[Ombud]

My Specialty Dining credit of $29 is even more of a joke now 🤑

[wallyj]

@Ombud, I assume you are making a joke as the amounts shown in the travel summary CAN be considered for reference purposes only. You were ‘gifted’ a SD and the $29 value at the time is listed. 
 

Are you thinking since the cover charges have increased, you will now be responsible for the difference?

 

I am pretty sure you will NOT be responsible for increase in cover charges or a gratuity. 
 

I am assuming Princess has decided it is too much trouble to program a check to revise travel summaries when gifted SD from a past promo shows an old ‘value’. 
 

[Ombud]

No @wallyj. I seriously thought it would be added as OBC with a limit up to $29. Hope 8m wrong ... 4 months to go until I'm on the cruise I booked in 2019 and has been delayed by Princess until April 2024

[wallyj]

30 minutes ago, Ombud said:

No @wallyj. I seriously thought it would be added as OBC with a limit up to $29. Hope 8m wrong ... 4 months to go until I'm on the cruise I booked in 2019 and has been delayed by Princess until April 2024

In my experience with a SD gift/promo, you are given the ‘experience’ not the value/OBC to be used. Please report back if you experience otherwise. It can get confusing with the different package limits, so I can see where you might think you were given a limit of up to $29 to spend on a SD. 
 

I think a similar situation is the 2 SD with the Premier package. Your travel summary will show a reference ‘value’, but you are not awarded/posted this amount as OBC if you did not reserve in the APP pre cruise.

[Ride-The-Waves]

It always amazes me that cruise lines (and others) believe the public to be just a bunch of dumb and stupid olafs.  If you are raising prices, make it clear and explain the reasons.  Don't try to obfuscate why.  Cruisers are already frustrated over price increases and more frustrated over cruise line company incompetence.  Be forthright.  We, the cruising public, are not idiots!

[kywildcatfanone]

18 minutes ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

It always amazes me that cruise lines (and others) believe the public to be just a bunch of dumb and stupid olafs.  If you are raising prices, make it clear and explain the reasons.  Don't try to obfuscate why.  Cruisers are already frustrated over price increases and more frustrated over cruise line company incompetence.  Be forthright.  We, the cruising public, are not idiots!

While I agree  with you, it appears most of the sailing public are okay with the continuous price increase and associated service and benefit cuts.  Until ships start sailing less than full, this will continue.