Why the price difference US vs Aussie booking

[giggle1974]

I booked online for a RCCL for Sepy 08. I got a quote in US dollars with the cruise cost and port charges/taxes.

 

My travel agent here in Australia also gave me a quote for the same cruise, date, cabin etc but it includes cruise, port charges, taxes AND gratutities.

 

Why would it be different???

 

Anyone shed some light for me?

[firefly333]

Dont know...you CAN prepaid tips here too, but most dont. I know some TAs here who offer that as a booking bonus, they prepay tips for you.

[pba20493]

I do belive that more people are pre paying their tips now. To be honest its easier to have your entire vacation paid for before you actually go on it. I for one are in favor of pre paying the tips. It also allows you to carry less cash ( i dont have a problem carrying cash but some do ) while you are on the ship. To be honest, what do you actually save when you dont prepay? Maybe 10-20 dollars. If someone is that worried about that little, then maybe they should think about a cheaper vacation. Seems kind petty to me, but hey what can ya do?

 

 

 

Tim

[JacknShelby]

I'm not really sure why but I recently noticed the same type of thing but both were through the RCCL website. We had a cruise booked for April 2008 and the online booking auto included gratuities. Sadly we had to cancel that cruise but have recently booked another for March 2009 and our new quote did not include gratuities automatically but did give an option to add them in when I went to complete the booking with our names etc.

 

I also noticed that when I was searching different cruises and going through the booking to find out total cost some did have gratuities automatically added and some didn't. It may be something to do with the website? I know we don't have full access in Australia as I am unable to access the Crown & Anchor pages even though I am a member.

 

:) Carla

[giggle1974]

I don't mind either way -ie whether I pay them now or later. Just when I am trying to compare 'deals' it makes a difference if I am not comparing Apples with Apples ;)

 

It would actually be far better to pay them in advance I would think and add more if necessary at the conclusion of the cruise.

 

Just was curious more than anything :)

[Lynnees]

I do belive that more people are pre paying their tips now. To be honest its easier to have your entire vacation paid for before you actually go on it. I for one are in favor of pre paying the tips. It also allows you to carry less cash ( i dont have a problem carrying cash but some do ) while you are on the ship. To be honest, what do you actually save when you dont prepay? Maybe 10-20 dollars. If someone is that worried about that little, then maybe they should think about a cheaper vacation. Seems kind petty to me, but hey what can ya do?

 

 

 

Tim

 

I don't prepay and I don't believe most do. It's a personal choice and until the force it most people will not pre-pay. I see no point to it. Tipping is for good services rendered. If I haven't left on my cruise then I haven't had any service.

 

I don't know where you gt the savings by not pre-paying. It's the same amount.

 

Telling someone they should take a different vacation because they watch their money and don't want to waste it is rude on your part. If you want to pre-pay by all means do. Just don't call others cheap because they prefer to have the service first.

 

M

[Tranquil Waters]

I do belive that more people are pre paying their tips now. To be honest its easier to have your entire vacation paid for before you actually go on it. I for one are in favor of pre paying the tips. It also allows you to carry less cash ( i dont have a problem carrying cash but some do ) while you are on the ship. To be honest, what do you actually save when you dont prepay? Maybe 10-20 dollars. If someone is that worried about that little, then maybe they should think about a cheaper vacation. Seems kind petty to me, but hey what can ya do?

 

 

 

Tim

 

Not sure what is "easier" about pre paying? I would prefer to use my money until it is needed. Plus I can get the cash from the casino on my credit card (via sea pass account) and get the points. Pay the balance on the credit card when it comes in and owe no interest. A win-win for me all the way around. :)

 

Letting RCI sit on all that cash is a great deal for them and so I am sure they would like to encourage prepaying. Think about it - the thousands of passsengers who cruise on RCI each week. And if RCI can get the tip $$ in at time of final payment - that is how many weeks for them to be drawing the interest on that money (instead of you) before they have to pay it out to the service employees on the ships. :eek: We have all heard stories about how the employees would rather have cash because it takes longer to get the money from RCI when it has been prepaid. Hmmm, wonder why the delay........;)

[Pootle]

I prepaid the tips on my last cruise, but won''t in the future. I saw no benefit to it, you still have to run around trying to find your head waiter etc on the last night to give them the envelope with the voucher, so why not just pay cash?

 

Also, I don't know what it's like for other nationalities but with RCI's crappy fx rates we actually pay more for the vouchers that we would if we just give our servers etc cash, and I would rather give them the extra couple of dollars than RCI to be honest....

[celle]

I don't prepay and I don't believe most do. It's a personal choice and until the force it most people will not pre-pay. I see no point to it. Tipping is for good services rendered. If I haven't left on my cruise then I haven't had any service.

M

 

I agree that whether to pre-pay tipping or not should be a personal choice. What the OP asked is why, when booking from Australia, he had to pre-pay. We booked from New Zealand and also had no choice. We had to pre-pay. It should have been our choice and it was not. As the OP asked, why?

[Lynnees]

I agree that whether to pre-pay tipping or not should be a personal choice. What the OP asked is why, when booking from Australia, he had to pre-pay. We booked from New Zealand and also had no choice. We had to pre-pay. It should have been our choice and it was not. As the OP asked, why?

 

I really don't know. I know there are some lines that make you pre-pay. Can you adjust the tips when you are on-board? If not I wouldn't even call it gratuities - I would call it a service charge.

 

Were you made to pre-pay by RCL or were you part of a group? I know that sometimes they make groups pre-pay.

 

(I had been responding the the poster who made disparaging remarks about those who won't pay upfront when there is a choice.)

 

M

[Rancher Dave]

I'm not really sure why but I recently noticed the same type of thing but both were through the RCCL website. We had a cruise booked for April 2008 and the online booking auto included gratuities. Sadly we had to cancel that cruise but have recently booked another for March 2009 and our new quote did not include gratuities automatically but did give an option to add them in when I went to complete the booking with our names etc.

 

I also noticed that when I was searching different cruises and going through the booking to find out total cost some did have gratuities automatically added and some didn't. It may be something to do with the website? I know we don't have full access in Australia as I am unable to access the Crown & Anchor pages even though I am a member.

 

:) Carla

 

I'd guess with the demise of the US$ the cruises in AUD$ should be getting less expensive unless they adjust prices daily. Last time we were there I think it as AUD$1.42 - $1USD and last I looked it seems it was circa $1.15AUD to $1USD.

 

My guess is the TA is including the tips as so many places service charges are already included so (s)he may just do that so it is not an issue once on board.

 

Wish I were on the RCL Round OZ sailing, seems like two actual bookable segments. Perth and Cairns are probably my two favorite cities down under. I also like downtown Melbourne and Sydney.

 

If you like the cruise go with the best price you get. Enjoy the cruise.

[FL_Cruiser64]

I booked online for a RCCL for Sepy 08. I got a quote in US dollars with the cruise cost and port charges/taxes.

 

My travel agent here in Australia also gave me a quote for the same cruise, date, cabin etc but it includes cruise, port charges, taxes AND gratutities.

 

Why would it be different???

 

Anyone shed some light for me?

 

Maybe you Australians are cheap?

[Tinkerbellcgy]

I know there are some lines that make you pre-pay. Can you adjust the tips when you are on-board?

 

On NCL, they automatically charge the gratuities to your onboard account. Yes, you can adjust the amount but if you want to, you must attend at the purser's desk and explain why you want the gratuities lowered but they ask no questions if you want to raise them. Interesting, eh?

[celle]

I really don't know. I know there are some lines that make you pre-pay. Can you adjust the tips when you are on-board? If not I wouldn't even call it gratuities - I would call it a service charge.

 

Were you made to pre-pay by RCL or were you part of a group? I know that sometimes they make groups pre-pay.

 

(I had been responding the the poster who made disparaging remarks about those who won't pay upfront when there is a choice.)

 

M

 

No, not part of a group. It's complicated!

 

I first tried to book on line, on the RCL web site, and chose our cabin. Up came a message (on the RCL web site) to contact (by phone) a travel agent in Auckland, NZ. This travel agent was apparently the one nominated by RCL to deal with bookings from NZ. Said travel agent informed me they were no longer dealing with RCL, and to go to a travel agent in our home town. Made the booking with our local travel agent (we did get the chosen cabin), who then had to deal with yet another TA, again in Auckland.

 

All prices were quoted in US$. We paid in full within 48 hours (the NZ dollar was high in relation to the US$ at the time, so the exchange rate was in our favour). Full price included port charges, taxes, pre-pay tipping - no choice.

 

I did on-line check in, filled out and printed the required forms. Despite this, the Auckland travel agent asked us to fill in hard copies of the forms, as they said they had no way of knowing what we had done on line, and had an obligation to notify RCL of our details. They claimed they could not send our E-docs until we had done so - we knew we had all we needed, but were still asked to fill in forms again.

 

I do so wish that the web sites dealt with everyone equally and it was as easy for us as it is for US-based cruisers! As someone else said, the Crown and Anchor page also does not work for us, even though we are C&A members. We can't even look up our cruise credits, let alone access other information and specials. The C&A page has been promising for 18 months at least (to my personal knowledge) to make "these services available to our international cistomers".

 

FWIW, the cruise itself made all the hassle well worth while!

[MaryZ]

Maybe you Australians are cheap?

 

LOL. Pretty much that's it in a nutshell. Americans tip. Most everyone else doesn't.

The cruise line base their employees pay scale including expected tips. So when they get people who's cultures are not based on tipping, it changes the balance of pay for the cruise line employees. Which makes them unhappy, so the cruise line just makes you guys pay the tips as part of your fare. They aren't taking chances with their employees being miserable and taking it out on passengers.

Tipping is not part of your culture. But it is part of the cruising culture.

[celle]

LOL. Pretty much that's it in a nutshell. Americans tip. Most everyone else doesn't.

The cruise line base their employees pay scale including expected tips. So when they get people who's cultures are not based on tipping, it changes the balance of pay for the cruise line employees. Which makes them unhappy, so the cruise line just makes you guys pay the tips as part of your fare. They aren't taking chances with their employees being miserable and taking it out on passengers.

Tipping is not part of your culture. But it is part of the cruising culture.

 

"Americans tip. Most everyone else doesn't." Really? Tipping is part of the culture in Europe, in the UK, in India, in the United Arab Republic, and in much of Asia, to name just a few places I have travelled and observed it.

 

No, tipping is not part of our culture (in New Zealand). Staff are paid a decent wage and do not have to depend on tips. That does not mean we are cheap. Nor does it mean that the standard of service we receive is any lower than in tipping cultures.

 

And it also does not mean that we are ignorant of the tipping culture. As has been pointed out before: "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." And we do just that. In countries where tipping is expected, we tip, just like everyone else.

 

I find it offensive that you assume only Americans know to tip the staff on a cruise ship and other nationalities would "stiff" the crew by not tipping.

[giggle1974]

To be honest, what do you actually save when you dont prepay? Maybe 10-20 dollars. If someone is that worried about that little, then maybe they should think about a cheaper vacation. Seems kind petty to me, but hey what can ya do?

 

 

 

Tim

 

whoa mate... No need to be so rude. :eek: You don't know anything about me or my economic situation. I was simply asking if there was a reason why it was done this way.

 

For the record, I prefer to tip in person. Although tipping may not be as common place here in Australia as the US, I can assure you that I do understand the principle having lived in the US for many years AND spent quite a few of those in the service industry... :cool:

[Guest012]

Maybe you Australians are cheap?

 

 

Who Us... cheap..mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...no comment....hehehe... seriously we just returned home from Honolulu to Sydney ROS cruise and our tips were pre paid......not a great fan of auto tipping but the crew on the ship were worth every dollar of the prepay and then some more. Giggle only time you win with the T/A is when the price including gratuities is the same as another t/a's without:).......lol............cheers shiona

[RevSmith]

I love the idea of prepaying tips before I go...I'll be checking that out with my TA....how convenient!

[Lynnees]

LOL. Pretty much that's it in a nutshell. Americans tip. Most everyone else doesn't.

The cruise line base their employees pay scale including expected tips. So when they get people who's cultures are not based on tipping, it changes the balance of pay for the cruise line employees. Which makes them unhappy, so the cruise line just makes you guys pay the tips as part of your fare. They aren't taking chances with their employees being miserable and taking it out on passengers.

Tipping is not part of your culture. But it is part of the cruising culture.

 

 

Wow - that's rude. Also, your reasoning is a crock. I'm not an Auzzie nor am I an American - I am Canadian and guess what, tipping is part of our culture. I just refuse to be sucked into the tipping is mandatory to pay their wages. I pay for a cruise - I pay gratuities based on services rendered. Sometimes the service is so bad I don't leave a gratuity. (I refuse to reward bad/shoddy work). So far, we have never had bad service on a cruise, not the best all the time, but never bad enough not to show our appreciation.

 

I also don't care what the cruiseline base their pay to their employees on.

[MaryZ]

Wow - that's rude. Also, your reasoning is a crock. I'm not an Auzzie nor am I an American - I am Canadian and guess what, tipping is part of our culture. I just refuse to be sucked into the tipping is mandatory to pay their wages. I pay for a cruise - I pay gratuities based on services rendered. Sometimes the service is so bad I don't leave a gratuity. (I refuse to reward bad/shoddy work). So far, we have never had bad service on a cruise, not the best all the time, but never bad enough not to show our appreciation.

 

I also don't care what the cruiseline base their pay to their employees on.

 

If you find it rude, the people you need to complain to are the cruise lines themselves.

And it's not to say there are americans who don't tip. Or there aren't people in america who are cheap. But overall, we do tip because it is what we are used to doing. In australia, tipping is not customary. Perhaps because the salaries of the service industry are different. I never ask people what they make yearly.

I've travelled quite a few places myself, and tipping is different than it is here in america. I, personally, have always felt the lines should pay their employees a decent wage rather than depend on tips. But that's how they conduct their business. So to ensure their employees get their wages, they require certain people to pay tips up front. In a way, the lines are also doing the same to everyone by having auto tip put onto your cruise account.