GlennGlenn

@Andrew72681 Thanks. You made my point!! Why is P, as in Profit, a bad word? These ships ( or casinos) cost billions, with a B. Add to that the cost of lodging,entertainment , fuel, insurance , etc. . I look at it this way. RC could literally give cabins away, but then charge ( nickel and dime) for everything from a resort fee to food to services rendered. It all comes out in the wash. It's pay me now or pay me later. Those who complain. The solution is simple. Don't cruise or better yet, take a staycation. It's really very simple.

Sounds like you need to find another cruise line then. One not interested in making $. Been to Disney lately or Vegas or any other entertainment complex? It's all about maximizing profit per customer. Can you blame them? I don't.

I'm curious. How many of you who had an upgrade accepted offered more than the minimum to make an offer and if so , how much ( what percentage over?) the meter goes from weak to strong . of those who were bid rejected, how many bid just the minimum to get a bid in and how many went greater than the minimum and of so, by how much? There surely has to be a data point here to determine what RC is looking for to say yes upgrade or no upgrade. Im curious as to whether most minimum bids are being rejected.

Do cruise ships even charge VAT?

@JessiesGirland how was the JS versus the Oceanview you had booked??

It very well may since if YOU don't care, why should they?? As they say, certain things flow down hill....................

Once persons review, can't wait to hear others and won't flame. Won't flame the guy/gal because it's their opinion/observation. You can take the Nomex suit off. What I do find curious is no mention of prior cruises, so no benchmark to compare it to. I do agree that skate times are unusual on the ships and often in middle of day when you're hoping to catch some sun. Perhaps it's the inexperience in knowing RC that lead to frustration. New boat , so let's let RC get her up and running. Suggestion to @moonflower0906 you'll get an email with survey about now. Fill it out completely and don't be shy.

You were correct, as was I. He did not put foot in mouth in the context of what's going on with RC. Bayley and crew are indeed appealing to a cross Section ( generational) and also those who want a short hop versus an extended vacation. The Mariner 3&4 day cruises are a perfect example of that. The key to the Millennial market is social media ( particularly reviews and the wisdom of the crowd) and getting their first foot on the boat in the first place. The rest will fall in line. *** Sorry Capt Kate on X , but a ship is still a boat ;). Until it gets masts, it'll always be a big boat ***

X2, it takes a lot of stress and decision making out of the equation, but the changes the past 6 months changed my view. . I listened to @Matt podcast about this. I've purchased the Unlimited package over the years but NOT the last two cruises since implementation in October 2017 To be clear , I have not purchased the drink package, even with the pre-cruise Voom and drink package offer. So yes, it did change my behavior in buying the package. When I last cruised three weeks ago, I opted out and it appears they changed the rules again, saying that if the other adult in room does not want it, you still have to buy at least a basic soda package, no exceptions for pregnancy, religion or I just don't drink. So, they've appeared to have dug in their heels on the drink package and if you want it, you're going to have to cave on the lesser package too. My observation on last two cruises since implementation. RC lost out on 4 figure income. I'll bet I am just one of many. I've got another booked July 2018 ( refurbed Mariner) and plan on NOT purchasing the package(s) again. That'll be three straight without it. Knock knock, is RC listening? Note that even though I am Diamond and close to D+, I still spent the $$ for the package over the years . Silly me I guess, but who's making these decisions? I guess the bean counters always win or do they? As more regulars advance in C&A , you'll see even more drop off of deluxe package buyers since they've tied it to all adults in the room. Has anyone in Miami or Lauderdale thought this through? Following the othe cruise lines can take you off a cliff. The pied piper was not right.

X2, to the man near Ormond :) @henrysea13 We had a 4 pack on a 5 nighter on Independence on her last sail b/4 refurb. Went to Chops but once, wifey says " no more" and we did Giovanni's 3 nights and it was fab. The Italian crepes were to die for as was chocolate cake for dessert.So, it's seems like many are giving Chops the "hook."

@bcarney and @rjac. You guys want to give Chops the "Hook."? ;)

We've done Sanchos, Naachi Cocom , private trip advisor tour and also the Dolphin Royal Swim. Was just there three weeks ago and rented a brand new 2018 Jeep ( white with automatic, had only 100 miles on it with new car smell) for 95.00 USD a day.Paid extra $20. USD for fuel option and with tax my total was $121.00 USD ( they converted it to Mexican Pesos) . We had a great time. Island is big, so we drove the whole thing, went shopping south of port ( more than just a walk from ship) and did Coconuts , the beach way north of the ship and tequila tasting at several shops with no issues. Just watch your speed as they do radar on motorcycles on side of road .

GS not needed.................JS enough for this short 4 day hop. Just want to check out the refurbed ship.

How "suite" it is........................we just booked a JS on the newly refurbed Mariner for July...............

Yes, it's called marriage ?

I think you mean Whirly guy?? ? Unless of course, Michael is a girl, which is can be.......

X2, for me , the port intensive cruises make the purchase questionable. Why pay for a package you're not likely to use. Now, if you're looking at a 10 day or greater with at least 4 -5 days at sea, then its a no brainer. Get to the pool & drink and sink.

We are all entitled, you as much as I , BUT CEOs have a tendency to tamp it down a bit because of their position. I continue to maintain that the OP placed the initial comment out of context and that Bayley knew exactly what he was saying and why. In fact, reading the whole article, there's really not much more to see than what was written. RC is catering to a cross generational crowd and should be commended for it, BUT has not forgotten to "dance with who brung ya" and that's their veteran cruisers.

@KristenM Excellent review of the two lines a few months back. I've been Loyal to Royal for many years and have tried others, NCL and Carneeval(sic) , BUT its best summed up with the "somethings missing" and OMG comments. Yes, there's a reason why I am loyal to royal and its that intangible that is apparent, BUT undefined.

Is he not entitled to his opinion? Even CEO have personal views and I agree, as the dad of millennials, that he's correct. I must have missed the " joke." The fact that his "boats" are now catering to the kids and grandkids of cruisers shows that the RC board is cognizant of the fact that the old cruisers are getting " older" and we need to cater to the millennials. Connectivity and amenities for the millennials are great examples of that.

@sandandsurf Don't go into airplane mode as that deactivates wifi on iOS (Apple). Just keep wifi ON in settings and go down to Cellular and turn that off. Just got off Independence with Voom and deactivated Cellular. Do not put in airplane mode as that turns off wifi and Voom won't work.

However, the selected sentence in the OP was entirely taken out of context. MR. Bayley essentially states that we ( collectively) often turn into our parents once we start having kids. Being a parent and having seen my own kids grow, I can absolutely agree. They are turning into me and my wife. I got no sense of entitlement on Mr. Bayleys part from the article whatsoever. Stating that we can not "cot" to just one generation is absolutely correct. Surely, you can tell from his actions that he is cross or multigenerational thinking and the success of the brand, despite some misgivings about food etc. shows.

To the OP, the quote you made was entirely out of context. Read more: "We're multi-generational, and contrary to what millennials think, there's other people in the world," he said. "Once a millennial gets married and has kids, you become just another dad, like every other dad." Perhaps we can hope that the Boomers, Gen X and Y will instill a love of cruising into their children or grandchildren to " keep this whole thing going." Perhaps Bayley is reflecting on the fact that yes, we need the millennials, but we are not going to forget who put us on the map, the Boomers etc. . The large majority of wealth is concentrated in the 60 and above age grouping. Thus, a business, which RC Intl. is, can not ignore that fact. You learn in business school to " go where the money is." Not always where you think it's going to be. Its pretty obvious , even to the oblivious, that RC has and is spending a tremendous amount of time and money focusing on multi generations of cruisers. As was alluded to above, look at the Voyager Class forward and you'll see slides and malls( promenades) bionic bars , Zoom and video by the pools, all an attempt to appeal to a new, younger generation. Still, you have to " dance with who brung ya" and recognize that older cruisers also represent your future because they put you there and are very brand loyal, something of which can not typically be attributed to the " younger" generation . Don't think that other businesses are not struggling with this issue because looking at GM and Ford for example, you can see they too have been gearing up for the " technology" generation with Connected cars. .its just takes time and a lot of resources to get there. It's a paradigm shift and Rome was not built in a day. RC is cognizant of that fact. Perhaps the the best way to sum this are the immortal words of Mike and the Mechanics: " Every generation, blames the one before, for all of its frustrations , come beating on the door." *** For those who have not, follow the OPs link above to Business Insider" and get the whole ghist of the story. ***

No one said anything about the little people or even inferred as such. Your words, NOT mine. If you're going to go on a cruise, have some sense of decency and dress the part, even a little bit. A pair of ironed slacks and a button-down collar won't break the bank and you'll feel better about yourself and look great in photos too. I know people with million$ who dress down, but would never show up to a formal night in a pair of shorts or pool-side attire.