Jump to content

Super Cheap Deluxe Drink Package price


Recommended Posts

Ok... So I just went on.  The office didn't change for my Europe trip in 3 weeks.  It pulled up as 18/day on my March 2020 so I put it in my cart.... When I did the total came out to 892, which is 54/day.  So it advertised it, but didn't let me buy it cheap.  Jane

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, mom2mybugs said:

Ok... So I just went on.  The office didn't change for my Europe trip in 3 weeks.  It pulled up as 18 on my March 2020 so I put it in my cart.... When I did the total came out to 892, which is pretty much 61/day.  So it advertised it, but didn't let me buy it cheap.  Jane

Same for our May 2020 on Symphony. Shows $18 but when you go to check out it's $57/day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also booked the $18.00 deluxe drink package.  My daughter waited over 1.5 hours on the phone for RCCL Customer Service.  Spoke with 2 reps. (one more rude than the other), said it was an error, and refunds would be issued.  They were aware of the problem buy but did not fix the problem , so many many people booked. The rep also said a refund could take 10 business days. UGH!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

Ok... So I just went on.  "The office didn't change for my Europe trip in 3 weeks".  It pulled up as 18/day on my March 2020 so I put it in my cart.... When I did the total came out to 892, which is 54/day.  So it advertised it, but didn't let me buy it cheap.  Jane

  Is someone on the drink package already? If so, Why weren't we invited to this social event, Hey i've reached Diamond status....Where's our invite to the top tier even? ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, KediKatKruiser said:

While RCL ships are registered in another country, RCL itself is based in Miami and should therefore be subject to US laws. I do not see anything in the purchase terms included with the confirmation email that specifically state RCL can arbitrarily change the price you paid or cancel what you purchased when you have paid in full and did not use OBC either because of an error on its (RCL's) part or for the sheer hell of it.

Any lawyers care to chime in on this discussion?

16.           Purchases

 

All purchases through the Digital Platforms or other transactions for the sale of goods, or services or information formed through the Digital Platforms or as a result of visits made by you may be governed by separate terms of sale and terms of use.  Separate terms may be provided through the Digital Platforms, onboard our vessels, or via a separate channel (i.e., a port agent, prior to boarding).

We reserve the right to refuse or cancel any order prior to delivery.  Some situations that may result in your order being cancelled include system or typographical errors, inaccuracies in product or pricing information or product availability, fairness among customers where supplies are limited, or problems identified by our credit or fraud departments.  We also may require additional verification or information before accepting an order.  We will contact you if any portion of your order is cancelled or if additional information is required to accept your order. 

When you provide payment information in connection with a purchase on the Digital Platforms, you represent and warrant that the information is accurate, that you are authorized to use the payment method provided, and that you will notify us of changes to the payment information. 

We may revise the pricing for products and services we offer.  When you place your order, we may estimate the tax and include that estimate in the total for your convenience.  The actual tax amount that will be applied to your order and charged to your payment method may differ from the estimate provided.

Still not sure what they will do, but this could give them a leg to stand on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As soon as I saw it I recognized it as a mistake.  Possibly a summer intern mistook Refreshment package for Deluxe and set this all in motion.  

I don't really know what consumer laws apply in Florida but I fully expect this clear mistake to be corrected (cancelled and refunded) and have no intention of squealing about it when they do.   

Sure, of course I wish they wouldn't cancel them but I'll have no problem if they do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, GA Cruiser said:

Some situations that may result in your order being cancelled include system or typographical errors, inaccuracies in product or pricing information or product availability, fairness among customers where supplies are limited, or problems identified by our credit or fraud departments. 

 

13 minutes ago, GA Cruiser said:

this could give them a leg to stand on.

While this is true that it would likely give them the ability to rescind this, the question they would have to answer is whether or not it is worth the good vs bad PR.  Assuming an average loss of $36 ($54 - 18), and picking a wild number, say 100,000 days purchased at this price, that's only $3.6 Million they would lose.  While this sounds like a lot, consider that if they are in a situation where they give $200 OBC to all passengers during a cruise for issues (weather, mechanical, etc) on a ship with 5,000 passengers, that's $1 Million.  If they give a 50% voucher off a future cruise (which does happen occasionally), that's in the same ballpark as the drink package snafu (again, assuming my 100,000 number is anywhere near correct).  If we assume the average was a 7 day cruise, that would mean more than 14,000 passengers got that rate.  Again, I have no idea if this is correct and I could be off by a factor of 10 or 100!  But it makes for a reasonable assumption, to me, anyway.

Bottom line, there is likely an accountant who's very busy with a spreadsheet this morning. 

I'd even be happy if they came back and split the difference... say gave it to us at $30/day instead of $18.  My wife and I aren't big drinkers and we're going on a 3 day/4 day B2B.  We were only considering the drink package for the 4 day because we have relatives joining us for that one.  I was able to snag the $18 for both, though, because it was well worth it.  And since we could easily drink 2 per day, $18/day is very reasonable.  At $30/day, throw in a coffee or two and we're still in the right ball park.  At $54/day, that's 5ish alcohol drinks and that's a lot for us.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, twangster said:

As soon as I saw it I recognized it as a mistake.  Possibly a summer intern mistook Refreshment package for Deluxe and set this all in motion.  

I don't really know what consumer laws apply in Florida but I fully expect this clear mistake to be corrected (cancelled and refunded) and have no intention of squealing about it when they do.   

Sure, of course I wish they wouldn't cancel them but I'll have no problem if they do.

Fully agree with you on all points!  My wife will tell you I was shaking as I made the purchase.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think everyone knew this was a pricing mistake from the moment it was spotted, especially if you have been following drink package prices.

I bought it at the $18/day rate for a couple sailings knowing full well it was a mistake and very likely refunded. Like they say in the lotto business, cant win if you don't play!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess what I'm having difficulty with us why people are so irate.  They knew it was a mistake and they are infuriated that it won't be honored.  I get that RC initially said they would, and that it's annoying....another reason for us to shake our heads at the IT department and how the different departments aren't talking.  But I'm not going to stop cruising royal like some people are threatening.  Good grief.  This company was immensely fair over my Cuba trip and this drink thing doesn't remotely impact my experience on the ships.  Wish people would get a little perspective.  Jane

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, mom2mybugs said:

I guess what I'm having difficulty with us why people are so irate.  They knew it was a mistake and they are infuriated that it won't be honored.  I get that RC initially said they would, and that it's annoying....another reason for us to shake our heads at the IT department and how the different departments aren't talking.  But I'm not going to stop cruising royal like some people are threatening.  Good grief.  This company was immensely fair over my Cuba trip and this drink thing doesn't remotely impact my experience on the ships.  Wish people would get a little perspective.  Jane

I think part of the reason so many are irate is because RC was aware of the issue and left the "deal" up for HOURS afterward.  If it truly was a glitch they should have turned off the ability to purchase beverage packages once they were aware of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, mom2mybugs said:

I guess what I'm having difficulty with us why people are so irate.  They knew it was a mistake and they are infuriated that it won't be honored.  I get that RC initially said they would, and that it's annoying....another reason for us to shake our heads at the IT department and how the different departments aren't talking.  But I'm not going to stop cruising royal like some people are threatening.  Good grief.  This company was immensely fair over my Cuba trip and this drink thing doesn't remotely impact my experience on the ships.  Wish people would get a little perspective.  Jane

I am one of the people that purchased it for $18.00 a day, and I thought it was low until I saw that it was a Special Offer. With the amount of sales, price changes, and varied pricing that comes into play with the cruise planner I honestly wasn't sure. 

Will I be irritated if they cancel - no. However; their handling has been less than stellar. Keeping the price on the cruise planner for hours, mixed information provided to multiple different parties. It's like a master class of how not to respond to an issue of your own making. 

I don't expect Royal to be like Cathay Pacific but, their way of handling their pricing issue is above and beyond.

Lastly - other cruise lines don't discount their drink packages, the price is the price, and I would much rather see Royal do an across the board price adjustment to list one price per ship for their drink packages rather than the incredibly irritating buy, find a cheaper price, cancel, purchase, wait for a refund, and potentially repeat the entire process over and over again until you sail. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Kirsten said:

I think part of the reason so many are irate is because RC was aware of the issue and left the "deal" up for HOURS afterward.  If it truly was a glitch they should have turned off the ability to purchase beverage packages once they were aware of it.

Their tech group is so awful I'm not sure they can do anything quickly with any of it!  I would flip it though and say there were many people hours after the knew it wasn't real, booked it anyway and now are some of the most vocal complainers... Not talking on this site but on Facebook and the internet.  Jane

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, mom2mybugs said:

there were many people hours after the knew it wasn't real, booked it anyway and now are some of the most vocal complainers... Not talking on this site but on Facebook and the internet

So true. Too many people let their sense of entitlement override their common sense (if they had any to begin with).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I booked it, like Matt said "You have to play to win"

We don't even drink but love the refreshment package and the deluxe was way cheaper (if I got to keep it)

My daughter and her boyfriend will be 21 this trip, so IF they would like to try a drink or two (or more), this is the way to go.

I will not be mad they cancel it, just checked still there, but would be nice if they got a better IT team.

Let the big complainers go, less on the boat to deal with!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mom2mybugs said:

I guess what I'm having difficulty with us why people are so irate.  They knew it was a mistake and they are infuriated that it won't be honored.  I get that RC initially said they would, and that it's annoying....another reason for us to shake our heads at the IT department and how the different departments aren't talking.  But I'm not going to stop cruising royal like some people are threatening.  Good grief.  This company was immensely fair over my Cuba trip and this drink thing doesn't remotely impact my experience on the ships.  Wish people would get a little perspective.  Jane

I'm not irate at this, and will have no problem if it is cancelled and refunded. However, I, for one, did not know it was an error.  This is the first RC cruise I have booked and I have read everywhere that prices change and fluctuate and I check, usually, before bed if there are any new activities added. When I saw this, I booked it.

Just last week I looked and cabanas for my trip were still available but I was waiting for some possible sale. The next day some were up $200 and others $100; I booked immediately.  So when I saw a drink package dropped in price, around the 4th of July holiday, I jumped because I did not want to miss it. 

I can see how some people can be upset.  One item can unexpectedly jump in price by about 40% overnight and it is ok; but if it drops by too much, it is an error / glitch. 

A good way around this would be to have a single  set price that never goes down. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, DChapetta said:

I'm not irate at this, and will have no problem if it is cancelled and refunded. However, I, for one, did not know it was an error.  This is the first RC cruise I have booked and I have read everywhere that prices change and fluctuate and I check, usually, before bed if there are any new activities added. When I saw this, I booked it.

Just last week I looked and cabanas for my trip were still available but I was waiting for some possible sale. The next day some were up $200 and others $100; I booked immediately.  So when I saw a drink package dropped in price, around the 4th of July holiday, I jumped because I did not want to miss it. 

I can see how some people can be upset.  One item can unexpectedly jump in price by about 40% overnight and it is ok; but if it drops by too much, it is an error / glitch. 

A good way around this would be to have a single  set price that never goes down. 

That might totally be an option. I totally find the inconsistency in their sales annoying.  However,  my concern is that they would set it at a high number that makes me not want to get it! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Pima1988 said:

I doubt they would ever do that.  Look at JCPenney's several yrs ago they tried that theory, their sales plummeted and the CEO was fired within a yr.   

 Our local JCP has had the same 1/2 price sales prices on clothing for 4 years running now. That's why we don't shop there. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Skid said:

Worked in Macy's part time many years ago. They had men's coats at the regular price of $100. When they got inventory down to just a few, they put them on sale for $110. Sometimes "on sale" is no different than "for sale".

Gets people to buy though!  It's all about marketing!  Jane

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... just a brief change of topic, but also related to RC website glitches!

We have Harmony booked for 4/18/21 out of Port Canaveral... for the last 2-3 days, the APR 2021 schedule for Harmony has completely disappeared on Royal's website!

I contacted Royal via phone and Facebook IM and they assured us there is no change to Harmony's APR 2021 itineraries and they can view and book the sailings on their end... We still have access to our reservation...

image.thumb.png.aeca6943503c31825b081c464de91150.png

 

... but when you try to search the Harmony calendar on the website, APR 2021 is not available! :51_scream:

Just very strange!

image.thumb.png.d8e6feda816007f39af7becafaedeb8c.png

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

Just very strange!

And you're surprised?  Just kidding. Your best bet to double check this is to Facebook Messager them. As we talked about before, that group is great and usually very accurate.    oops-despite the drink package message information they may have given.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

2 hours ago, DChapetta said:

A good way around this would be to have a single  set price that never goes down. 

Too many variable in cruising.  A 14 night sailing is very different than a 3 night sailing over a weekend.  A ship based in Southhampton will have different consumption trends than a smaller, older ship in Baltimore.  

Fixing on one set price would benefit some and penalize others.  Sales would plummet on 9 night or longer cruises.  

Royal has at any given moment over 70,000 guests on board their ships every day of the year.  They've been selling drinks for years.  They know our drinking habits better than we do.

Adjusting prices to suit cruise length, time of year, region and a number of other factors is smart business based on analytics. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

We have Harmony booked for 4/18/21 out of Port Canaveral... for the last 2-3 days, the APR 2021 schedule for Harmony has completely disappeared on Royal's website!

I would suspect you will need to rebook this one.  HOS is going in for routine maintenance during April 2021.  You should get an email about the cancellation with your options.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, twangster said:

Fixing on one set price would benefit some and penalize others.  Sales would plummet on 9 night or longer cruises.

Adjusting prices to suit cruise length, time of year, region and a number of other factors is smart business based on analytics.

Exhibit A on this is Royal's own sister brand Celebrity. From what I have seen and read around the web, their drink package prices do not vary based on sailing, period. The "Basic" Beverage Package (most limited selection of beers and wines, and bottom-shelf cocktails) is $49/night on every sailing, while Classic Beverage Package is $59/night and Premium Package is $69/night. No one bought the packages on transatlantic or transpacific sailings because the cost would be exorbitant, and it was an extra-harsh penalty up until recently because you could never get the "Sail Better" / "Sail Best" perk offer on any cabin in a TA / TP cruise.

It's a bit better now, because about a month ago Celebrity instituted perks for any level cabin of any sailing, including TA/TP itineraries. In a way, it's like Celebrity took the NCL model and just left the drink package price prohibitively high as an inducement for people to just choose that perk with their booking if they weren't already Elite level. And of course, the cabin prices with the perks are enough higher than the NRD rates with no perks that there's no question you're still paying for them, although if you do the picks right you'll still break even or (mostly on longer sailings) come out ahead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

I would suspect you will need to rebook this one.  HOS is going in for routine maintenance during April 2021.  You should get an email about the cancellation with your options.

@JohnK6404, if they do cancel your cruise, tell them you want an $18/day deluxe drink package for your entire party as compensation!?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Skid said:

@JohnK6404, if they do cancel your cruise, tell them you want an $18/day deluxe drink package for your entire party as compensation!?

Seriously though..his experience is another reason why you can't assume anyone in Royal customer service has any clue what is going on.  They don't even know that Harmony's schedule got pulled for April 2021 for her 5-year drydock.  I don't get why they wouldn't think about this before they released itineraries..but it seems the left hand doesn't speak to the right hand when doing anything.  Consistently inconsistent.

@JohnK6404 looks like you will get some OBC and price protection on a bunch of alternative cruises.  Keep pushing for them to send you that email so you can get rebooked into something that works for you!  The email that I saw from someone that got booted from their 4/21/21 sailing included Allure, Oasis, and even Symphony as alternatives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

Too many variable in cruising.  A 14 night sailing is very different than a 3 night sailing over a weekend.  A ship based in Southhampton will have different consumption trends than a smaller, older ship in Baltimore.  

Fixing on one set price would benefit some and penalize others.  Sales would plummet on 9 night or longer cruises.  

Royal has at any given moment over 70,000 guests on board their ships every day of the year.  They've been selling drinks for years.  They know our drinking habits better than we do.

Adjusting prices to suit cruise length, time of year, region and a number of other factors is smart business based on analytics. 

Other cruise lines don't seem to have an issue with knowing drinking habits, and pricing the package at one price before you step onboard.

I find the Royal process of buying, watching for a sale, cancelling, purchasing, and repeating tedious. But, as a sale can have a significant cost savings I do it. I would much rather know that for my upcoming Serenade voyage the price is $XX.XX per day vs checking daily on sales.

I also wonder what type of transaction costs they have to eat because people do this; on my last Transatlantic voyage we purchased and cancelled the beverage package five times, because rates would drop, and it was a better deal.

Edited by columbus_cruiser
added a semicolon in the last paragraph
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

... looks like you will get some OBC and price protection on a bunch of alternative cruises.  Keep pushing for them to send you that email so you can get rebooked into something that works for you!  The email that I saw from someone that got booted from their 4/21/21 sailing included Allure, Oasis, and even Symphony as alternatives.

Thank you for the info!

My gut was telling me it might be the maintenance dry-dock. Ugghhh... You're right, no one seems to know what's going on... horrible communication within the company. RC customer service by both phone and by Facebook IM insisted there is no change to the Harmony APR 2021 itineraries (as of this morning) and that they see all of them available for booking on their end (even told us our friends can call today to book the same cruise if it's not showing on the website - I white lied, our friends will use a TA when they book ?).

Either way, I will definitely wait for some official communication... we have the refundable deposit so I could cancel anytime with no drama, but let's see what they offer! We just prefer a sailing out of Port Canaveral this time since our friends live in the Orlando area. Amped Oasis (as long as we don't go next year!) or Symphony will be nice... or we can wait until May or so for Harmony, if/when it returns to FLA. Just got off of Allure this past May so we want to try another Oasis class ship for sure (at least until Allure is Amped)!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, JohnK6404 said:

friends can call today to book the same cruise

So let them call (or their TA) and book it, knowing that they'll get something when it's cancelled. Hey, let's all call and book it....they're busy doing cancellation letters anyway, right??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...