Tranquility Base

Actually, Riviera is stilled scheduled for 20th May and Insignia is 22nd May.

When you visited did you go to the Initiation Well in the Qinta Da Regaleira ? On our last visit to Lisbon we were intending to go there but the timings didn't suit.

True. Merely an interlude until the bathroom is free, which is when 'er indoors heads off to a bar for her 24K Margarita and I join her soon after for my Chairman of the Board.

Perfect time to pick up a couple of cold beers on my way back to the balcony to wind down.

Can the SM credits be used for these ?

Sure; however if often depends on what type of cruise you're boarding. I've joined cruises where our 'first night' has simply been a regular port day for 70-80 % of the passengers onboard.

Three on a regular basis. The forth very occasionally.

And the advantage is, no more people removing them once onboard. IE: no more threads such as this one.

Princess, in certain countries. Celebrity, in certain countries. Oceania, in certain countries. Seaborne, in certain counties.

Princess is not operating a restaurant on land. People cruise on numerous cruiselines (including Princess) which do not charge them auto daily gratuities. They stay in hotels around the World which do not charge gratuities. They eat in restaurants around the World which do not charge gratuities. When people are spending the amounts they are on cruises, especially lengthy cruises, I think they are smart enough to see through the 'Cabin + Taxes + Fees + Gratuities' pricing system. Looking at the price advertised inclusive of all of the above is what many people around the World are used to on a daily basis. Build gratuities into the fare for everyone. Let Princess sort out staff renumeration

That answers my initial reaction.

Last year we were sailing from Colombo - Muscat - Dubai - Aqaba - Mediterranean on Princess. We were late leaving Columbo that night due to a refuelling issue. The next day we were sailing slower than normal. The Captain announced a generator problem, and parts and personal would board in Dubai and fix the problem enroute. Muscat would have to be missed as Dubai was a turnaround port, and in order to start repairs ASAP. Apparently it was a reasonably big job. The first few days ex Dubai the Captain gave 'the team are still working on it" updates. It became obvious on about day three that we would not make Aqaba (Petra on schedule). Soon after that Captain announced Aqaba delayed by 1 day, Suez transit delayed by 1 day, first port in the Med substituted by another closer non-scheduled port. Soon after that Captain announced 'all fixed', slow speed to remain in the Red Sea due to already announced delay, but normal speed after Suez. All in all, contingency plan was well executed and communications were made in a timely and professional manner.

Why have 'gratuities', which can be removed by passengers, collected separately anyway ? Build it into the base fare, as is already done with thousands of Princess cruisers each year. The fare you see is the fare you pay. Leave it to Princess to fairly compensate all their staff.

Yep, expand their "gratuities included in the base fare" system to include all cruisers on all cruises.

Yes if you're doing skype to skype for no charge video / voice calls. Both persons require internet and the app. However, we load a few $ onto our skype account (eg $20) and use the internet onboard to then use our skype. You can then call landlines & mobiles worldwide, and if I recall a normal length call usually costs about 30c....a bit more if calling a mobile.

Just in case this may be useful for your circumstance. On board, my wife uses skype to call her elderly mother's land line. Calls cost just a few cents.

This is why I believe Princess will move to 'included' fares for everyone. Already many cruisers are using that system (plus / premier fares; AUD based ships). The more the people who are left remove auto gratuities, the more these auto gratuities will increase in price, and the more people will remove them. Therefore, sooner or later fares will include gratuities for everyone who cruises.

I just used a Future Cruise Certificate a couple of weeks ago to book a 2025 cruise. No further payment was required for the deposit. (15 day cruise; veranda). The cabin fare reduction showed up immediately via the invoice from 'O'. PS: We were just up the road a few months ago at the Falkirk Wheel.

Yep, we love all inclusive cruise lines. All this where do my gratuities go and how do I remove gratuities questioning is simply unnecessary when they are included in the base fare.

Because some things are simply more important / personal / fulfilling to some people than mere dollars.

Hence one of reasons for my two previous posts.

As cash ?

Penny, thanks for the detailed explanation which helped. The reason I asked about the length of cruise was just checking that it was 14 days or less, as you had mentioned it was totally free (apart from fees / taxes). The intricacies regarding the timings of payments, the use of SBCs, and the SM are useful to know.

Thanks.....however, no cash involved. All excursions booked purely with SM and other non-refundable credits.

Thanks. How many days is that particular separate free cruise booking ? Did you loose or retain the SM benefits ? How far in advance did you nominate that cruise with Oceania ?