Cheap as Chips !

[WillH]

We wanted to upgrade a Vantage fare would have had to pay the difference based on the price when we booked. Are things different with Getaway fares?

 

This is certainly my experience. I wanted to upgrade a Getaway Fare and was told that I could upgrade one category but the upgrade price was the difference in fares that were in place at the time of booking. This does make commercial sense, even though it was not what I wanted to hear.

 

I am confused how Swanseaboy manages to upgrade a Getaway fare at a much lower cost, if I am understanding his posts correctly. This would appear to be a way of taking advantage of any price drops of Getaway fares after booking which is not even allowed in this same way for Vantage Fares.

[swanseaboy]

Hello! Apologies if I have caused confusion regarding fares. My experience from my first voyage was booking a getaway fare and then a little while later I phoned to obtain the price for an upgrade (from inside to balcony). I was told it would be £500 per passenger (I kindly rejected!). I then received a phone call from Cunard offering an upgrade to balcony (approx 6 weeks to sail) for £200 per passenger.

 

It might be the case that the original £500 quoted was a 'better upgrade' but I wasn't aware that it was.

 

That was my experience - I understand that any upgrades are supposed to be based on the original fare paid when booking a getaway.

 

Needless to say I am hoping the phone will ring for my future voyages!

 

If I have misunderstood please do accept my apologies - still very new to Cunard and cruising :-)

[RJChatsworth]

I've just been scanning the Cunard website and some upcoming cruises in the next month or so are as cheap as chips. Several of 10-14 days ones are working out at £50 - £60 a night for an inside cabin. How cheap is that ?

 

I think that on fares like that Cunard must be losing much on auto-tip collection. Since the auto-tip is for waiters, cabin stewards and their helpers only, and not other categories of the crew, and bearing in mind a tip is added to drinks in the lounges and bars, the $11.50 daily cabin tip per person becomes a high proportion of the daily cabin fare left when taking into account the exclusions. Under these circumstances I wouldn't be surprised if most removed the auto-tip!

[bananavan]

RJ Chatsworth, I totally agree with your assessment.

On many of the Princess trips I have taken the Passenger service desk has confirmed my suspicion that this is common practice on the discounted cruises. What pity.

[ToadOfToadHall]

I think that's a very good point. I find people go into "tight-mode" when they have paid very little to start with, i.e. they have gotten something so cheap that they refuse to spend a penny more.

 

I have to say I've done this myself (not on a cruise) but with breakfast. Where I live, a department store used to do a full cooked breakfast for £1.49. But it was then £2.00 for a cup of coffee. I, like many others did not bother with the coffee. But if the breakfast has been, say £4, I would have paid the £2 for the coffee without giving it a second thought.

 

I wonder why people think like that ? (I'm including me in that question of course).

[BlueRiband]

..I think that on fares like that Cunard must be losing much on auto-tip collection. Since the auto-tip is for waiters, cabin stewards and their helpers only, and not other categories of the crew, and bearing in mind a tip is added to drinks in the lounges and bars, the $11.50 daily cabin tip per person becomes a high proportion of the daily cabin fare left when taking into account the exclusions. Under these circumstances I wouldn't be surprised if most removed the auto-tip!

 

One poster who claims to be a cruise industry insider says that is exactly what happens: "We find that once they get on board at a reduced rate, whatever money they saved usually stays in their pockets. This is also the crowd that complains so loudly and so often that everything is too expensive. These are also the people who most often remove gratuities from the staff, damaging crew morale. Also, the highest number of complaints comes from the passengers who purchase the cheapest cabins."

(Link here.)

[pepperrn]

One poster who claims to be a cruise industry insider says that is exactly what happens: "We find that once they get on board at a reduced rate, whatever money they saved usually stays in their pockets. This is also the crowd that complains so loudly and so often that everything is too expensive. These are also the people who most often remove gratuities from the staff, damaging crew morale. Also, the highest number of complaints comes from the passengers who purchase the cheapest cabins."

Very interesting, esp as those have been my thoughts as well, based on things I've read... over the years...

 

(not everyone who books a cheap cabin of course :) )

 

Thank you for posting :) .

[balf]

Many new people are coming to cruise holidays. People who have flown Jet2.com to Mediteranian resorts in the past for a cheap package deal now find a cruise is as cheap or cheaper. They are not used to tipping and are certainly not going to start just because they are on a Cunard ship. $11.5 a day, no way.

 

Cunard are now in the "package holiday" market, they need to learn to adapt to it.

 

David.

[ToadOfToadHall]

We paid half what we paid last year for our cruise a few weeks ago and my first thought was "No need to worry about the bar bill then !". As it happened, it was pretty much the same as the last year (i.e. a huge - but that's because of the amount consumed !).

 

Mind you, there are no pockets in shrouds and there's no point being the richest man in the grave yard !

[Pennbank]

who's the fool

Those that can queue at Desk services and take the service charge off

or those that keep it on ?

[bananavan]

I have no interest in a debate of the merits of tipping.

I like getting a discount on my cruise but I will NEVER take the tip away from the staff.

They work too hard for the money.

I do not think it is a matter of who is the fool, more like who is the one without class.

[Salacia]

who's the fool

Those that can queue at Desk services and take the service charge off

or those that keep it on ?

 

How many passengers removing the Hotel and Dining charge on multiple voyages does it take before the effect is felt? What is foolish, in my opinion, is to think that it will have no effect at all. Now we can speculate all we want as to what that effect would be, but there can be no denying that there will be an effect. Only time will tell what that effect will be.

 

In the end, it doesn't matter what others think about who is the bigger fool; we all have to live with our own sense of propriety.

 

Salacia

[laktex]

All this really does illustrate the significant merit of simply including "all charges" into the price of the cruise, even when it is heavily discounted.

[ToadOfToadHall]

All this really does illustrate the significant merit of simply including "all charges" into the price of the cruise

 

Over recent years there's been a huge raise in "all inclusive" holidays (i.e. full board and drinks). Cruising markets itself (well, sort of) as all inclusive, but it's far from it, and I wonder if that's what upsets so many people about the daily charge ? For example, if I book a hotel room and they tell me it's £x for my stay,no body would expect to check out and be told it's £x + £y ? But that, in effect, is what the daily charge is. I can see why people get so upset - they have paid for there holiday and then someone comes along with another bill at the end.

[canny_cruiser]

All this really does illustrate the significant merit of simply including "all charges" into the price of the cruise, even when it is heavily discounted.

I totally agree.

[balf]

who's the fool

Those that can queue at Desk services and take the service charge off

or those that keep it on ?

 

Neither, both get what they want.

 

David

[balf]

I totally agree.

 

Me as well.

 

David.