Drinking the Wine brought Onboard

[chrysalis]

Tipping is not normal policy in the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia but to name but a few countries.

 

...althought Europe is not a "country", why is it common practice there to add an automatic service charge or table charge to a restaurant bill? Is there a difference between that and leaving a tip?

[keener]

Maybe its time you all start looking for NZ and Aussie wine (the best in the world in my opinion) we are very smart down-under we have changed to screw tops! Corkscrews are a thing of the past, and the wine keeps so much better and it can be stored standing feet up also :D

 

I'll second that thought. We drink alot of Aussie wine; the packaging has moved to screw tops and Tetra boxes (great for travel) and the taste still remains great!

 

I prefer the wine glass but its very common in some European countries to drink from a glass.

 

Cheers

[charlsee]

This is my very last post on this topic. You just don't get it do you, if you paid everybody a decent living wage there would be no need to tip anybody.

Tipping is not normal policy in the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia but to name but a few countries. Why insult people in a service area and make them so different to the rest of your citizens, to me a beggars belief!

The rich cruise line stockholders just love the profits that come back to them, you are encouraging them from not paying decent wages to their crews. Behind your backs these other nationalaties that crew these vessels actually talk about how dispicable they find the whole system and would much prefer to just receive a decent living wage like other people. Whether you agree or not you are forced to tip the whole shooting match. I wonder why P & O Australia on their site state that they have for your convenience a per day gratuity charged to on board account of $AU6.50 a day (a great deal less than the $US10 charged on Princess and other cruise lines) which you may have removed if you chose or you may elect which member of crew receives your automatic gratuity. They have bent over half way to accomodate the bad feeling that comes from people who come from countries where tipping is a "no go".

You might not realise but Princess does not necessarily sail out of US ports either, it sails all round the world. Then again Princess is not even a US owned company, not even registered in the US. So why do you assume that it is yours and your customs? This also beggars belief. :confused:

What "beggars belief"? this is not even a coherent statement. I think I know better what is "our" custom than do you. And if "Princess is not even a US company", then you can't blame us for the wages, now, can you?

[Casshew]

 

I do not "love throwing money" any more than you probably do,

 

I don't think they've ever done it. :rolleyes:

[critterchick]

Hi Critterchick;

 

Just last Jan. on the Grand in first seating our waiter was very knowledgable and when we brought our first bottle of "nice" wine, he looked at the bottle before he uncorked it and said "This deserves the "good"glasses." He produced them from the little serving station next to our table. We had several discussions about wines we liked and from then on, I ask him to do the "tasting" for each of the bottles I brought for him to open. He always produced the correct stemware for each wine.

 

The previous Jan. on the Sea 14 day Southern, we asked for some red wine galsses and our waiter said he would check, in a few minutes he was back with some nice red wine glasses. He did not drink, but our head waiter, Richard, did and he made sure we had correct glasses the rest of the cruise. Of course we rewarded each accordingly over and above the standard gratutity. Most other cruises, we have had to ask, and most times, but not always, we have been taken care of.

 

Fair winds

Dave

 

I think we'll just have to ask, then! Thanks!

 

Chivalry Girl, Princess is headquarted in California. Although some may disagree, that is part of the US. CCL, the parent company, has dual headquarters in Miami and London. The ships fly a foreign flag which allows them, among other things, to escape the minimum wage requirements of the US government.

 

Sorry you think so little of us Yanks, but I imagine we'll get over it.

[westwind6371]

Hi Casshew; Of course your right, I just lost my head for a moment;-)))

 

fair winds

Dave

[peterv]

Peter; From your reply, it is obvious that you have never received the good service that my wife and I have enjoyed on our previous Princess trips. We have sailed 11 time on Princess, and have never had to pour our own wine because "The waiters are never around after the first glass." The glasses on the table are not for all types of wine, and are normally removed and the proper glasses presented. Perhaps your attitude is showing through and the waiters are not around because they know you are going to "stiff" them.

 

I believe the answer for you is simple. If you do not believe the corkage fee is worth it for the service received, don't bring any wine to the dining room, simply order off the menu. I believe the service we get over and above what is expected is well worth the charge and will continue to enjoy some fine wines that are not available on the ship.

 

Fair winds

Dave

 

We have received probably what 99% of the cruising public receives aboard ship, that being, someone cleans the cabin, waiters serve our meals, bar waiters serve our drinks. In our 11 Princess cruises we have never received anything more than what was expected, and on some occasions less than expected service, and on a few, sadly, incompetent service.

 

For this we have tipped appropriately, so you are wrong as to your "sensing stiffing" customers. We are also very pleasant to all of the ships staff.

 

You are correct that they do remove the unneeded glasses if we are not having wine, and if we are they pour it into the glasses on the table. Refilling them has always remained our task, as the waiters are normally quite busy serving the other tables.

 

As I stated before, we do not bring aboard ANY wine, and have no need to pay any charge for doing little to nothing.

 

If you feel that you receive some form of service for the corkage charge, then I am truly happy for you. I however do not agree and think that it is pure profit for the cruise line.

 

I do believe I am entitled to have an opinion that differs from yours though.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[westwind6371]

Hi Peter;

 

Glad to hear that you do tip the staff in accordance with service received. Under the current system, they do depend on those tips for their income.

 

We are in agreement on the corkage fee, in that it is a profit for the cruise line and the waiter who receives his share, never indicated that it was not. Cruise lines are in business to make money and that is just one of many ways they do it. My point was that the additional service they provide for the corkage fee was in my opinion, worth the charge. Your experience could very well be different. I generally receive the same good service when I order one of the ships wines from the menu.

 

By any chance do you do "Anytime Dining" rather than traditional fixed seating? The only time we did, we found the service acceptable, but certinly not what we were used to in traditional. We found "Anytime" somewhat rushed, and if I remember correctly, we did have a wait for wine refills. Never a problem in fixed, so we stick with Traditional.

 

Fair winds

Dave

[COOL CORDI]

I always bring several bottles of wine aboard....I make sure my wine is also on the ship's list of available wines...Our waiter serves the wine asuming it came from room service to our cabin to the dining room....I have never been hit with a corkage fee!!!!!!!!!!!:cool: :cool:

[sonomaphil]

The reason for the corkage fee is simple. A markup occurs at every step of the way in a bottle of wines life. Princess appears to mark up most of their wines $15-$25 over what you could pay retail. They do this on just about every bottle no matter price. If the bottle was retail $10, Princess wine list has it for $25. If the retail was $100, Princess has it for $115. There are various ups and downs each way to this model but this is close.

 

Basically Princess wants and is making back the $15 they are not getting if you had ordered off the wine list because you brought your own wine.

 

Most every restaurant in the world does this except the usually mark up the wine at 2 to 2.5 times the retail price.

 

Easy fix for us. We bring wine onboard for "Room Wine" and "Daily Wine". But we don't usually carry it into the dining room, there we order a bottle. Best of both worlds I guess!

 

Ever wonder hoe much it really costs to make a bottle of wine? You'd be surprised. Click here: http://www.chwine.com/company/thefacts/