Question About Prepaid Gratuities

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Wisconsin Travelers said:

MicCanberra, I'll take you up on your offer to pursue this further!  Please contact me directly at barbaramae813 at yahoo dot com.  I'll give you the price of the cruise and category on whatever day you email me and then you can check on your end for the price on the same day (well, I guess a little different based on the International Dateline)!  I booked the cruise a long time ago and got a very favorable price, so I'm not complaining about what I'm paying.  The whole thing is just a matter of principle to me - seems to me that Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, etc. should be paying the same price for the cruise if they book it on the same day as Yanks, etc.  Thanks.

 

 

It is real hard to do a valid comparison as even Yanks pay different rates at the exact same time. As I stated in previous post, I was once  told on a roll call on one of our cruise that someone from Massachusetts had just got a fare decrease aimed at cruisers in her state. This state discount was not available to me as a resident of NY state.

[Dani24]

Echoing the regional pricing. We live in California and have several times seen special deals on certain cruises because of our residency. The cruise line may be trying to attract certain clientele -- for instance, perhaps they're discounting the rates for people who live closer to the embarkation port as a way of enticing them into sailing more. The discounts we've seen for living in California have frequently been for cruises originating in California. Like a "local's discount" to try to drum up steadier or more frequent business, since tourism can wax and wane. There's nothing unfair about a cruise line trying to attract people from a certain region by cutting them a deal.

[Dani24]

Adding one more point about the tipping... I highly suggest leaving the tips on. Especially since it's being covered by the cruise line.

 

If you gave tips directly to your cabin steward and MDR staff, not only would they have to turn it in to the "pool" anyway, it wouldn't be at all fair (since you seem concerned with fairness in other monetary affairs) to the behind the scenes staff that enable your steward and wait staff to provide exceptional service, and who depend on those tips for their livelihood too.

 

It's like a waiter at a restaurant giving a cut of his nightly tips to the busboy, or the kitchen crew. The waiter couldn't serve you a great meal, and provide exceptional service without his coworkers doing their parts. Your waiter could do his own job perfectly, but if the cook botches the food, or the bus boy doesn't clean your table adequately, your experience is going to suffer greatly. Same on a cruise.

[ldubs]

I would think that price differences for bookings made in different countries go beyond just whether grats are made part of the fare because of local tipping customs.  Some countries may have consumer protection laws or taxes that result in higher fares.  I'm not knowing this for certain but suspect it to be the case.  

 

I agree with previous comments that pricing can be highly situational and timing probably plays a big role too.   

 

For one of our family group cruises,  a booking was made directly with the cruise line for a cabin for two.  One person, who made the booking, was from the US and and the second person in the cabin was from Australia.   The price was lower than it would have been if the person from Australia had made the same booking.  Might have been timing, who knows for sure, but thought I would share.   

[RocketMan275]

4 hours ago, Wisconsin Travelers said:

 The whole thing is just a matter of principle to me - seems to me that Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, etc. should be paying the same price for the cruise if they book it on the same day as Yanks, etc.  Thanks.

 

 

It's a matter of principle to me as well.  Only I disagree that everyone should pay the same thing.  It's none of my business what other passengers pay for their cruise.  It's none of my business what the cruise line chooses to charge any passengers.  

 

I see no need to be envious about fares or to be worried that someone might have paid more or less than I did.   

Edited May 8, 2019 by RocketMan275

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's a matter of principle to me as well.  Only I disagree that everyone should pay the same thing.  It's none of my business what other passengers pay for their cruise.  It's none of my business what the cruise line chooses to charge any passengers.  

 

I see no need to be envious about fares or to be worried that someone might have paid more or less than I did.   

A refreshing bit of rationality.  If you get the deal you thought was fair at the time you booked, what REAL difference does it make to you if someone from somewhere else, or who booked later or earlier than you, got a “better” deal.

 

The fact is: people who focus on what other people pay are almost always going to find disappointment —— only one person paid the absolute lowest, everyone else paid more. The odds are strong that you are one of the “everyone else”.

[RocketMan275]

22 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

A refreshing bit of rationality.  If you get the deal you thought was fair at the time you booked, what REAL difference does it make to you if someone from somewhere else, or who booked later or earlier than you, got a “better” deal.

 

The fact is: people who focus on what other people pay are almost always going to find disappointment —— only one person paid the absolute lowest, everyone else paid more. The odds are strong that you are one of the “everyone else”.

It is a big deal to a significant number of people.  I remember reading in the WSJ that one of the most common reasons people bought Saturn automobiles was they knew everyone got the same deal.  I had one friend who told me he liked the fact that he could walk into a dealership and know he could just pay the price on the window.  He was somewhat deflated when I pointed out he could do that at any dealership.

[ldubs]

Just human nature -- most people would like to think they got a deal.  Or, maybe more accurately, a lot of folks would feel they were gypped if they paid more than someone else.    

 

I don't really care either what others pay.  It is all about the value to us.  For that matter I really didn't even pay that much attention to what we paid for our most recent cruise.  I'm content to let Mrs Ldubs handle that.  She has a better sense than I do of the value associated with the cost.     

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's a matter of principle to me as well.  Only I disagree that everyone should pay the same thing.  It's none of my business what other passengers pay for their cruise.  It's none of my business what the cruise line chooses to charge any passengers.  

 

I see no need to be envious about fares or to be worried that someone might have paid more or less than I did.   

I agree. I wonder if those that do worry about what others paid do the same with airline tickets, car purchases, etc.  That would seem exhausting to me.

[GUT2407]

I ran the gauntlet a few years back, getting friends from around the world to check fares, around the world, across a few lines, there was no consistency at all in who came out best.

 

people from Australia, USA, Canada, England, Holland, Germany and France. Cruises Europe, USA, Australia, TA and TP.

 

Princess, Celebrity, HAL, NCL, Carnival P&O (UK)

 

were included.

 

 

[ldubs]

3 minutes ago, capriccio said:

I agree. I wonder if those that do worry about what others paid do the same with airline tickets, car purchases, etc.  That would seem exhausting to me.

 

I'll bet it happens with car purchases more than cruises or airline tickets because a negotiation is expected.  

[MicCanberra]

7 hours ago, Wisconsin Travelers said:

MicCanberra, I'll take you up on your offer to pursue this further!  Please contact me directly at barbaramae813 at yahoo dot com.  I'll give you the price of the cruise and category on whatever day you email me and then you can check on your end for the price on the same day (well, I guess a little different based on the International Dateline)!  I booked the cruise a long time ago and got a very favorable price, so I'm not complaining about what I'm paying.  The whole thing is just a matter of principle to me - seems to me that Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, etc. should be paying the same price for the cruise if they book it on the same day as Yanks, etc.  Thanks.

 

 

No worries, perhaps on the weekend.

[MicCanberra]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's a matter of principle to me as well.  Only I disagree that everyone should pay the same thing.  It's none of my business what other passengers pay for their cruise.  It's none of my business what the cruise line chooses to charge any passengers.  

 

I see no need to be envious about fares or to be worried that someone might have paid more or less than I did.   

I generally do not discuss prices of Fares when on cruises as it always leads to one of the parties being disappointed.

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

A refreshing bit of rationality.  If you get the deal you thought was fair at the time you booked, what REAL difference does it make to you if someone from somewhere else, or who booked later or earlier than you, got a “better” deal.

 

The fact is: people who focus on what other people pay are almost always going to find disappointment —— only one person paid the absolute lowest, everyone else paid more. The odds are strong that you are one of the “everyone else”.

 

I can bet that at least one person on any cruise has had their fare comped for some reason and are paying nothing. Can't pay any less that that!!! If people get their panties all in a wad over how much more they might be paying than others, then they will always be on the losing side of that obsession.

 

But one thing I can bet on is that a cruise line, like any profitable business, is not in the habit of giving large groups of people, such as an entire country's worth, a price so low that the company starts using its own money to give them some imaginary break. Promotions are one thing, but a permanent discount is out of the question. Fares, or something else, will be adjusted so the passengers pay a fare that the company can make a profit on.

 

And, just to be clear on one thing, EVERYTHING the company pays for, be it employee salaries, maintenance, re-provisioning, taxes, insurance, and yes, even pre-paid gratuities for Australians, is paid in one one or another by the customers taking those cruises. That is how a for profit business works. 

Edited May 8, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

I agree. I wonder if those that do worry about what others paid do the same with airline tickets, car purchases, etc.  That would seem exhausting to me.

Exactly, I wonder if the person who finds someone else that paid much more that what they did, will put their principle in action and compensate the other party by paying half of the difference. I cannot see that happening.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

And, just to be clear on one thing, EVERYTHING the company pays for, be it employee salaries, maintenance, re-provisioning, taxes, insurance, and yes, even pre-paid gratuities for Australians, is paid in one one or another by the customers taking those cruises. That is how a for profit business works. 

 

Hmmm, I think we should test that.   I will volunteer to take free cruises to see if the company still makes a profit.  😀😀😀 

 

[SantaFeFan]

57 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Hmmm, I think we should test that.   I will volunteer to take free cruises to see if the company still makes a profit.  😀😀😀 

 

 

A test with only one subject is not a reliable test. I'll be happy to also take those free cruises to increase the test sampling by 100%. 👍

Edited May 9, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[MicCanberra]

I am doing a free cruise next year, but I bet it will still cost me something.

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

I am doing a free cruise next year, but I bet it will still cost me something.

I know that if I take Mrs Gut it’ll cost me, without a doubt, but if I don’t take her it’ll cost even more.

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

I know that if I take Mrs Gut it’ll cost me, without a doubt, but if I don’t take her it’ll cost even more.

Definitely.

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

I know that if I take Mrs Gut it’ll cost me, without a doubt, but if I don’t take her it’ll cost even more.

Happy wife, happy life!

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

I know that if I take Mrs Gut it’ll cost me, without a doubt, but if I don’t take her it’ll cost even more.

And given that I have the world's worst sense of direction, if I did not take Mrs. ontheweb,  as well as costing me, I'd be perpetually lost.

 

[RocketMan275]

8 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I am doing a free cruise next year, but I bet it will still cost me something.

I turned down an all-expenses business trip (a 'free trip') to Hawaii because it would be too expensive.  All the others told me I was stupid.  Another employee took the trip and it cost him over $4000 since he had to take the wife and kids.  He told me later that I wasn't as dumb as I looked.  

[MicCanberra]

22 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I turned down an all-expenses business trip (a 'free trip') to Hawaii because it would be too expensive.  All the others told me I was stupid.  Another employee took the trip and it cost him over $4000 since he had to take the wife and kids.  He told me later that I wasn't as dumb as I looked.  

That was generous of him.  My cruise is free as it was a Move over offer but there will still be on board expenses plus port expenditure.

[ldubs]

14 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

A test with only one subject is not a reliable test. I'll be happy to also take those free cruises to increase the test sampling by 100%. 👍

 

Well someone has to do it!  Haha   🥂🥂🥂