When Trish was discussing our trip away with the Travel Agent we were told that the daily charge for tipping was US$11 per person per day. We were told this charge was negotiable, just pop down to the Service Desk and sort it out while on your cruise. Being a tight old bloke and with the drop in the Aussie dollar, a payment of AU$11 (rather than US$) per day was a reasonable deal and we were going to check out the 'front desk' and negotiate the lower charge.
We discussed our intentions with others on board but the clear message came back to us that any negotiation on tipping wasn't possible.
Our interim bill arrived at our cabin this morning. Nowhere on the bill was there any mention of a tipping or gratuity payment. Nowadays it has been replaced with a non negotiable daily per person US$11.50 'Hotel Service Charge'. This works out at around another AU$150+ and over 24 days on the cruise isn't so bad.
It is just another way the Shipping Line can reach into your pocket.
When we think back to some of the incredible places we have now seen it isn't a deal breaker!
And the level of service provided especially by the guys looking after our cabin is nothing short of fantastic.
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