mrmarklin

2 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Thank you! Sometimes breakfast for dinner is perfect. 

I must say, the Currywurst is nothing like I’ve ever had in Germany. Germany is the home of this delightful street food. 

3 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

The title of the thread is misleading, because it is apparently impossible to pay directly for items from the shops with a credit card.  I found this out in December when attempting to buy a very pricey item that was meant to be a surprise Christmas gift. The shop personnel refused to accept my credit card as payment and said it would be billed to my room account--which is precisely what I wanted to avoid.  Since the shops are independent contractors, this didn't make sense to me.

 

Has anyone been able to pay in the shops with a credit card, or is this a policy across the Princess brand?

I’m not sure. I bought my wife a fairly expensive necklace in one of the shops on Discovery Autumn 2022. I had to pay with my AMEX.  The item was over USD 8,000.  Other than that purchase, I’ve only ever used medallion. Frankly, I prefer to use the medallion and leave my wallet in the safe. 

On 2/24/2024 at 7:15 AM, Fortunate 2 travel said:

I’m in a signature suite and can’t book the signature dining room.

I think you just walk in. No reason to have a reservation. At least that’s been my experience with club dining. 

3 hours ago, Titanfan22 said:

I don’t disagree with anything you are saying, however, I feel the cruise lines business model should have nothing to do with providing cash incentives (tips) to customer facing employees.  It’s a shell game that only gives a portion of the gratuity to those providing the service.  With 3000 passengers on a ship with average gratuity of $16 per person, that is $336,000 for a 7-day cruise.   Princess has noted this money will be used as follows:

“The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue ...

https://www.princess.com > global

Crew Appreciation and Service Charge Policy - Princess Cruises”

 

They are using this money to supplement their business expenses and for them to determine who gets what. For a two person cabin, with a gratuity of $224, I can’t even be assured that my room cabin is going to get $20 of it!  But the entertainers, who do earn more, might get compensation or bonuses from it?  This is creating a revenue stream, not collecting tips and passing them on to those who earned it.  Call it a service fee for the cruise and encourage people to still tip the forward facing employees that go above and beyond and we can clear all of this up.

 

By the time you pay all of the behind the scenes people, how much is left for the stewards, waiters, and bartenders?  And don’t forget the exorbitant administrative fees that will be charged against this pot of gold for handling and managing this money before distributing any of it out.  Also, please keep in mind the cruise lines can publicly  post / say anything, there is no regulation or proof as to what they do with it.

 

 

 

 

 

On your sample cruise you note that $336,000 in tips are collected. That is only $48 per crew member per day, assuming 1,000 crew. That’s not even minimum wage anywhere in the US. Most of the service staff make far less than $500 per month as a “wage”.  With tips, that less than $2,000 per month for working 12 hours most days. On an hourly basis it’s around $6.40 per hour. 
 

Justify it any way you want, some of you are just cheap. 

It might be too early for this, but go to Joe Jacks in PV for lunch. Your group will easily handle the whole grilled fish. Highly recommended. 

13 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

I sincerely doubt the aft exterior stairs are normally available to passengers. Mostly for crew only and definitely available in an emergency. However in a week or so we'll find out for sure.

If one looks at the plans for decks 15-17 it seems that this area is for Signature Suite passengers. It seems these passengers have two lifts that allow aft access to dining areas all the way to the top of the ship. The rear cabins on deck 15 for example have a wake view, albeit somewhat limited. The real wake view is in the signature area aft on these decks. 

9 hours ago, nini said:

 

Agreed. I trust these Captains and their experience. There are never any port guarantees on an itinerary. We have been very fortunate and have only missed two ports since we began cruising.

What possible motivation does the Captain have to lie?

He gets paid whether the ship docks or not. 

Fora?

possible scam. 

2 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

You know the party is almost over when you return to your cabin and find this!  BUMMER!  😪

 

 

Sickening, really. 😞

On 11/27/2023 at 9:05 AM, donaldsc said:

If you ignore all the kitchy theatre - is the food worth $150 per person.  That is a lot of money for just a meal.

 

DON

It’s really not. 
Just ate tonight at Delmonicos steakhouse in the Venetian, here in Las Vegas. It was $560, including tip for three of us. We do not drink alcohol. One of the mains was split between two people, and the dessert was split three ways. Food and service was excellent.  It was a great experience. I have done 360, and it is a bargain. 

9 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Only one at the bar and I still had to give him my cabin number.

 

 

I think that this reduces a lot of error.  The workers get into the habit.

Cruisy, did you seriously order steak in a Seafood restaurant?  Say it ain’t so. 

Totally no way. The medallion can be picked up upon boarding. I would never pay for this “service “. 
 

Caveat:  I’m a Suite passenger. So basically no lines. 

The short answer is, yes to all. 

On 11/4/2023 at 10:07 PM, jwattle said:

My point was that other countries are getting into and/or accepting the tips,  as opposed to being offended by or turning their nose up at them, as some had previously implied. 

You are correct. I was n Hamburg, Germany last fall in a very traditional German restaurant. When the invoice was presented, I was shocked to see a tip line on the machine.  I’ve been to Germany many times over the years and have never seen this before, ever. 
Sadly, US culture is becoming all to pervasive. 

On 10/31/2023 at 10:36 PM, satxdiver said:

It has always been my opinion to add the crew gratuities in the price of the cruise with no choice.  When I price a cruise I want to see the total price including taxes, port fees and gratuities added in and not the misleading they do now to show cheaper prices.  Personally I treat it all as the cost of the cruise. 

 

The raising of the daily gratuity is a given and the only question is when. It is not unusual to also leave the room steward a small tip for his efforts particularly if we have extra requests.   

I agree with you. But Princess, like all cruise lines competes on price. And in this Internet era, in which we live, all most people see is an initial price. 
It’s a marketing dilemma that due to Princess’ diverse clientele is difficult to resolve.  Hence all the angst on this forum. 

On 10/25/2023 at 12:26 PM, Mud_Shark said:

Frog legs were on the menu three weeks ago on the Royal Pr.  Was not brave enough to order them.

Tastes like chicken. 

I have five implants and it’s hard to see any of them breaking at all. Much less with an olive pit. I’d sue your oral surgeon. 

The rake at the electronic Holdem tables on cruise ships is much higher than the typical Vegas casino. 

You animal loving vegans realize, of course, that you’re eating your beloved animal’s food, right?

2 hours ago, Whimsy said:

It was an amazing experience and well worth the $149.00. I would not do it every cruise but even my travel companion, who is not into specialty dining, loved it when we were invited. We were invited but I would definitely do it again with someone on another cruise. 

I agree. As someone who eats out a lot at nice restaurants, $150 is a bargain for this type of dining. A wonderful seven course meal. 

If you are a Suite passenger, deck 14 contains the Concierge Lounge. 👍🏿

I just had this itinerary. You will change the sea day before you dock on the Continent. 

Went on two this year. One to Pisa and the other to Rome. The guides were knowledgeable but both locations were so crowded, (middle of August) it was not that enjoyable. In addition, the day in Rome was a Sunday, so no access to the Colosseum because of local crowds. It’s free to them on Sunday. And the Vatican had very limited access as well. 
 

Pisa was great, but I’d only go at a time less crowded. 

I ride German trains all the time, and if he can board by himself, it will be allowed to take a folding wheelchair. 
 

You realize that Oktoberfest only takes place in Munich, right?  Anything else is only a reflection.