shooie

I recently logged into Cruise Critic to find that the website which used to be devoted to discussions about all things relevant to cruising and cruisers, with interesting discussions about many topics, has now sold it's soul to the cruise lines, and is just another travel agent, trying to sell me cruises.

This is NOT what Cruise Critic was set up to be. I don't want to be bothered by them trying to flog me cruises.

13 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

We were also booked on that same sailing but transferred our deposit over to the Grand when one of our travel mates thought it would be easier not to fly down to LA.  We had a great cruise on the Grand and visited many of the same ports, just leaving a day earlier.  I agree the heat and humidity was just oppressive, especially in Mazatlan.  I made it to the little port area for about 10 minutes before having to head back to the ship. 

In Puerto Vallarta, we headed to one of the nearby hotels for a most wonderful massage.  We stayed onboard in Cabo as we don't much care for tendering into ports.  

And, we've always gone on a some great excursions in Manzanillo, but didn't plan one this time after having been there several times in the past.  Wow ... I think that was a mistake.  I was not so impressed after this latest visit and especially with the level of safety warnings rising so dramatically in the last couple of years.  

I'm pretty grossed out that someone's service animal was allowed to poop in the hallways.  That's pretty disgusting!! 

Glad the rest of your cruise sounded pretty darned good ... you are spot on about Matt O!  Funniest and most engaging CD on the high seas.  

 

Interesting.... $14000 for 7 nts for 2 people

That's about £12,000 IN real money.

Have just returned from a 10 nt. cruise on Caribbean princess in a Vista Suite.

Cost: £11000.

So, you are obviously wrong.

I suspect that the quote per person you were given was based on 4 persons.

The Sky Suite looks to be FOUR times larger that the Vista Suite.

You will pay accordingly.

The only sensible way to manage it is to share with a couple you LIKE VERY MUCH.

Am considering booking this Cabin. Has anybody been in it, any advice you could offer would be appreciated.

Isn't that for a "Premium Suite"? How about less grand accommodations?

What do you mean, downgrade to a penthouse suite... no way.

Book via the USA:D

It's only a small yacht.. how did you know?

"Lets talk about tipping" was the title of my original post.

Well, we have certainly done that in the last few days.

Many points of view, eloquently expressed, informative and well considered (mostly), as one would expect from C.C. contributors.

Thank you for your comments.

If I may, I would broadly summarise your response thus; contributors fall broadly, into two main camps.

1. People who don't pre pay are cheap.

2. People who pre pay are gullible.

Just to stir the pot a little more, let me tell you why I fall into camp 2.

I think the truth of the matter lies in the curious amount of effort and expensive administration manhours which the Cruise companies devote to this issue.

Their dedication to their apparent crusade to get tips for their staff, is as far as I can see, unique as a business model.

As I see it we can look at this in one of two ways.

1. It is an admirable example of the altruism and dedication of these companies to the financial welfare of their employees.

and the fact they claim to give it all to the employees shows that, for the Cruise Companies, profit is not the bottom line.

2. This massive effort by the Cruise Companies to ensure pre paying is not altruistic, it is a great revenue earner. If any of the tips are paid out, they always have strings attached.

You may have noticed recently that when booking on line, if you do not tick "pre pay gratuities", then further on, you will find that you are blocked from "dinearound". So, they are pressurising even the customer to prepay! Why?, for the sake of the staff?.

Perhaps some of you will remember the scandal of the letter posted in the crews' quarters by Celebrity Splendour which listed those passengers who had not prepaid tips.

It's still available to see online.

Celebrity apologised humbly and blamed "administrative error"

Passengers later described it as the " spit in your food" list

Not sure we need yet another tipping thread. If you look on the individual cruise line boards you will find thousands of posts already. Perhaps you could contribute to those instead.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

So why did you bother posting:D

I came up with $13938 or 9800GBP

Many thanks Mcdonaldbam.

That answers the question.

It's a lot of dough for 11 days...

I was interested to read a post from one of our American friends who said that he had noticed a big difference in fare charging between U.S. and European guests.

Could someone help me to check this out?.

Today I obtained a quote online from Princess. I live in the U.K.

11 nts New England Quebec to New York. 5th Oct.2018

2 persons in a Premium Suite on Royal Princess. No flights.

Quote was £9900 . Not sure current Dollar equivalent.

Could someone out there in the U.S. try for a quote using the same details...let's find out.

And because you post it that makes it true. Like I already said two sides here and no one is going to more. If the OP wants to remove the service fee that is between him/her and the cruise line, if you do not like that.... well sorry not within your control.

You are quoting the official phony excuse the Cruise lines hand out to encourage pre tipping. " It's so we can share it out folks".

No, its so that they can use it to subsidise the meagre salaries they pay.

Either you are very naïve, or you work for a Cruise company.

You shall book the airline tickets yourself if time or airline is important for you.

 

If you let the cruiseline book your flight, "suitable travel arrangements" only means that you can get to and from the ship.

Hi, thanks for your input.

Let me expand my argument a little.

Of course I can book my own travel arrangements, and the cruise company loves this.. why? because it lets them off the hook in the event of delays or flight cancellations.

If they arrange my travel, then they are obligated to get me there and back, no matter what happens.

If I book and the same thing happens.... tough!.

This is what I think folks.

Some of the best service I ever get is on Cruise ships, the standard is far in excess of hotels, the crew are hard working, and anxious to please, and are paid lousy, exploitative wages.

1. Never pay tips in advance, the crew never see it.

2. Pay tips to people who impress you with their service and try to be generous.

3. Some Cruise lines demand, shamefully, that all gratuities are handed over, on pain of dismissal, so one must consider that

My view is that if you pay them directly and they hand it over, at least they will be recognised by the company as having provided good service to the guest, and it will help the person you tip in the long run.

If they incur expense or risk of loss revenue, it makes sense to keep the deposit. I am confident that there is a cost to the cruise companies when people cancel their reservations, especially when approaching sail date.

 

As a US citizen who enjoys the generous deposit refund policies in my country, I still have to wonder why cruise lines allow such leniency. Just before final payment is due, dozens of reservations are cancelled, which must cost the companies lost revenues because of the sudden glut of available staterooms, forcing them to lower prices to fill them. Some of these cancellations are by people who put deposits on several cruises in the same time frame only to cancel at the last minute all but the one they have decided to go on, knowing they will get those cancelled deposits fully refunded. And the cruise lines must know this is happening.

 

From a business standpoint, this policy doesn't make much sense. I suspect that in the US there are laws that do the exact opposite of your country - require deposits to be refundable. Can't say for sure, but just a suspicion. Otherwise, why would the cruise lines continue to create this situation for themselves.

It's because it is popular with the public and results in more bookings.

What country are you booking from?

 

Refundability of cruise deposits varies according to where you live/book. In the UK deposits are nonrefundable as a rule while in the US most deposits are completely refundable essentially until final payment.

 

Some lines have a fare with a nonrefundable deposit and a higher fare with a refundable deposit.

Hi underwater,

booking, of course, in the u.k.

the huge disparity in the deals ,prices ,and booking practices between us an the u.s. is of course, completely unfair, and is another bugbear of mine. Cruise companies don't seem to realise customers have access to the internet!

But the point of my original post is that I believe that what Princess cruises is doing is illegal. If they can not subsequent to booking provide suitable travel arrangements, then the booking is null and void, and they have no right to retain deposit which was paid for a holiday PLUS travel .

I have just discovered that, as a customer who books well ahead, usually before travel details are available,(as many do who want to get the cabin they prefer,) if I don't like the travel arrangements Princess Cruises subsequently propose (Airline, flight times, cost etc). all important factors in the holidays, and I don't like the alternatives they offer, or even if they don't offer alternatives, guess what happens...

Princess refuse to offer refund of deposit!!

If you don't like what we are offering... tough.

Is anyone as fed up as I am with some cruise line's practice of selling off unsold cabins at up to half price when the departure date nears?. The latest offender is Celebrity. With 4 weeks to departure, they are offering suites (originally priced at £3800) for £1850. The cabin I booked 12 months ago is now being offered at almost half price.

We, as paying customers, could stop this practice "dead in the water" if we refused to book early with Cruise lines which indulge in this practice, or use Cruise lines which operate a pricing pledge.

In Celebrity's case, they also block all existing bookings from discounted upgrades, offering the deals to "new business only". So if you have already booked, then celebrity's response to any complaint that you can't avail of last minute upgrade reductions is "tough"

Celebrity, in keeping with other Cruise lines, strive to keep this practice quiet, as they of course fear the natural alienation of their core market, (that is,of course, most of us), and the realisation that we are being ripped off. WE HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THIS RIP OFF!