3 ms·

These types of things used to infuriate me. To stop them from ruining my mood on vacations I just account for them as "various other charges". It is sort of lik

These types of things used to infuriate me. To stop them from ruining my mood on vacations I just account for them as "various other charges". It is sort of like tipping now. For example, When you book a cruise, the price they give you doesn't bring up the fact that the cruise line also expects you to pay the wages for the wait staff and room stewards. If you bring a family of four (the charge is per person) on a 10+ night cruise (the charge is per night), that charge adds up quickly. Something like $15 charge * 4 people * 14 nights = $840 in charges. That can be a significant percentage of the cost of your entire cruise. Yes, those in the know, realize that they can change the amount that you get charged by going to guest services - but now if you do adjust those fees... the Cruise line has effectively shifted the guilt of shafting these unfortunate and hard working souls on to you. Hope you sleep well at night. Ugh.. Now when I see these types of charges I just shake my head, sigh and move on. I just account for some percentage of unexpected charges such as these when I visit tourist hotspots - Resort fees, Cleaning Fees, Bag check fee, City fees, the list goes on and on and on. It's not right... but the way I see it I can either fret over all these fees, or just accept that they will be there if I travel to tourist hot spots. I don't really know of a solution.

qzw 7y ago
Vacations and home renovations: the true cost is at least 20% higher than the budgeted cost. Then there’s healthcare in the U.S., where you can’t budget anyway, and the true cost is anywhere from 200% of what seems reasonable all the way to $just-go-ahead-and-declare-bankruptcy.
netsharc 7y ago
> Yes, those in the know, realize that they can change the amount that you get charged by going to guest services - but now if you do adjust those fees... the Cruise line has effectively shifted the guilt of shafting these unfortunate and hard working souls on to you. Do the staff see any difference anyway? It's not like they get any more money than minimum, and the cruise company is probably pocketing that "wage". Just like that one asshole delivery company that pockets the "tips" you can opt to give on their app.

qzw 7y ago

Vacations and home renovations: the true cost is at least 20% higher than the budgeted cost. Then there’s healthcare in the U.S., where you can’t budget anyway, and the true cost is anywhere from 200% of what seems reasonable all the way to $just-go-ahead-and-declare-bankruptcy.

netsharc 7y ago

> Yes, those in the know, realize that they can change the amount that you get charged by going to guest services - but now if you do adjust those fees... the Cruise line has effectively shifted the guilt of shafting these unfortunate and hard working souls on to you. Do the staff see any difference anyway? It's not like they get any more money than minimum, and the cruise company is probably pocketing that "wage". Just like that one asshole delivery company that pockets the "tips" you can opt to give on their app.