Photo of receipt showing automatically added gratuity?

[Agent 86]

If Aussies are going to be jerks and not pay the automatic gratuities, then next year, I'd just make the gratuities mandatory and be done with it.

For clarity, we will be paying the tips - as we have done on every previous cruise. However, there are unfortunately many Aussies who simply will not tip. I agree that they should have just made it all inclusive as we just don’t have tipping ingrained in our culture.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

I imagine a change for us Aussies as we don’t have a tipping culture. There are many Australians who have no intention of tipping their room attendants and servers.

I think Disney is still trying to figure out how to approach “tipping” for the Australian market and trailing both keeping it separate and automatically including it.

Disney have already included the 18% tips, they've just included it into the drink price. We asked on board. When you work out the cost of the drink in USD, then add the 20% to cover GST and then the tip, it works out to the price they're charging on board.

 

[Kwami]

Not sure that's a fair statement as it's not part of Australian culture. DCL probably needs to make some changes on their end to account for this.

That's why I said to make the gratuities mandatory next year, like they're doing for the drinks already. Regardless, you have to make an effort to remove the automatic gratuities. That's not just being unaware of the situation because you aren't from a tipping culture. That's intentionally taking away the income that people rely on.

Also, they're on a Disney ship. Do they not tip waiters at Disney World, either? When you travel, you adjust to other cultures or else you end up acting like a jerk.

I do hope that the crew is making everyone aware of the situation, too, so that more people leave the gratuities in place.

 

[tvguy]

All of this is why I love the Virgin Voyages model of doing things. No crew gratuities. They are paid a much higher wage from the outset and crew positions are not considered 'tipped' positions. So basically, you just pay for it up front.

It was nice to order a $9.00 drink at the bar, and it cost $9.00, not $10.62...

I'm still a bit salty about when I wanted the MV sailing Wish cooler they were selling, you could only get them at a "bar stand" on the deck. Because it was there (and not in the shop), I got to pay an extra $2.50 tip to someone to reach into a box and hand it to me...

HAL was that way the first time we cruised with them. When they were asked by passengers about tipping their response was something like "Tips are not expected or required. We pay our staff more than other lines"

 

[tvguy]

If Aussies are going to be jerks and not pay the automatic gratuities, then next year, I'd just make the gratuities mandatory and be done with it. It's probably good that I don't get to make those decisions.

Talking to a server years ago, he said the staff knows that in some parts of the world tipping not only isn't the norm, it's an insult. Cruise passengers are an International group and he said it just comes with the job.
Smoke policies can be the same. I listened in on my Disney cruise to a passenger and an officer discussing that smoking was limited to certain areas on the ship. Passenger said, that while he will observe the restrictions, they would be illegal in his home land....to the point of being a criminal offense.

 

[lanejudy]

DCL went to the "auto-gratuities" several years ago, largely in response to the fact that so many Europeans weren't a tipping culture. I guess if Australians (or any cruisers) are going to go so far as to make the effort to remove tips, they really don't care - they want to make a point at the expense of the employee not the employer. Not a very intelligent move.

However I'm not sure a higher price tag overall is the answer, though. Maybe mandatory tips...personally I do like knowing that specific amount goes to the employee, whereas when it's all rolled in into the cruise fare you don't know how much (or how little) the employee(s) gets.

 

[Kwami]

DCL went to the "auto-gratuities" several years ago, largely in response to the fact that so many Europeans weren't a tipping culture. I guess if Australians (or any cruisers) are going to go so far as to make the effort to remove tips, they really don't care - they want to make a point at the expense of the employee not the employer. Not a very intelligent move.

However I'm not sure a higher price tag overall is the answer, though. Maybe mandatory tips...personally I do like knowing that specific amount goes to the employee, whereas when it's all rolled in into the cruise fare you don't know how much (or how little) the employee(s) gets.

Disney could break out the extra cost the way that they do for port taxes. So, when you purchase your fare, you'd see the cost for the stateroom, the added staff gratuities, and the taxes and fees.

 

[Flea]

That's why I'm trying to get photos I'm in a little bit of an online debate about whether the 18% has been included in the cost showing on Australian cruises. I was under the belief that it has been factored in, and therefore not shown, and not required to add an additional tip. However there has been a few people saying that it's not automatically included and you need to add it on.

Hi, It is definitely included, I have had my friends ask questions on board and we were told they were included in the price for these cruises (I'm guessing so people don't remove it which is what they threatened to do - plus also Australian Law is a bit different).

 

[Flea]

That's where the confusion is coming from - because there wasn't an itemised line that stated autogratuity, but there was a line that specified a tip, she believes it meant you had to add your own, but I believe it was factored in

So the receipt isn't itemised like US ones, but the tip is included - you can then add your own "extra" tip.

As mentioned - I had friends ask when on board.

 

[BecBennett]

yeah I've said all this to the person I'm disagreeing with still thinks they're right

If you're on tiktok feel free to correct her, as I hate that she's giving out incorrect information.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7299249837797592322

 

[Flea]

yeah I've said all this to the person I'm disagreeing with still thinks they're right

If you're on tiktok feel free to correct her, as I hate that she's giving out incorrect information.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7299249837797592322

I responded - but people like this won't ever be "wrong". I mean it doesn't really matter if they double tip, but it is definitely included.

I have a fb group because so many groups were giving out wrong information so I try really hard to have all the information from the source so everyone knows what is what.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

I responded - but people like this won't ever be "wrong". I mean it doesn't really matter if they double tip, but it is definitely included.

I have a fb group because so many groups were giving out wrong information so I try really hard to have all the information from the source so everyone knows what is what.

She is incorrect, but I can see why she thinks that way because it's not clear on the receipt that the tip has been been included. But we asked at Cove, French Quarter and Cadillac and all said the same thing. We also gave some extra tips on some purchases.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

When is happy hour and do u get happy hour for cocktails

ON the Wonder, each bar has a Happy Hour at different times. It's listed on the Navigator