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THEYRE HONORING THE 18%


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I suspect the impact is far less than people think (and probably the reason RCCL is honoring it).  The only people who would even have been aware of it were either coincidently on the site pricing a drink package already or just happened to be out on one of these social media outlets at the right time.  It was also available only on certain sailings of certain ships and for a rather limited time.  I know I am on this page or several RCCL FB throughout the day and by the time I was aware of it and jumped out to my cruise it was either over or didnt effect my cruise (Radiance June 2020)

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2 hours ago, Fuzzywuzzy said:

They're gonna be earning it. Probably be a banner year for them income wise too.

Not sure how passengers paying $18 per day vs the normal lowest price of $42 per day will result in a banner year income wise for the bartenders.

18% gratuity for $18 per day is $3.24 per day vs the $7.56 per day in gratuity based on a $42 per day price. This would seem to indicate that every passenger that got the $18 price would need to tip an additional $4.32 per day over normal extra tips just to bring the gratuities in balance with normal prices. Seems to me the bartenders will be in for a banner year working more and earning less in tips. Of course these numbers all depends on how many people got the $18 deal.

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4 minutes ago, rbdavis3591 said:

Not sure how passengers paying $18 per day vs the normal lowest price of $42 per day will result in a banner year income wise for the bartenders.

18% gratuity for $18 per day is $3.24 per day vs the $7.56 per day in gratuity based on a $42 per day price. This would seem to indicate that every passenger that got the $18 price would need to tip an additional $4.32 per day over normal extra tips just to bring the gratuities in balance with normal prices. Seems to me the bartenders will be in for a banner year working more and earning less in tips. Of course these numbers all depends on how many people got the $18 deal.

When every one at a bar sees all the $18 drink club members throwing down a cash tip they'll just assume it's customary and start tipping cash as well.  :) 

In seriousness though on any given cruise the number of folks who benefited are likely in a small minority.  Relatively speaking when blended in with all the regular drink package purchasers and pay as you go drinkers the effect is most likely negligible.  If the $18 DX club does throw in more tips than normal it's probably so close to a neutral effect it would be hard to measure.  

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Wow, thats a big move. Didn't think they'd go back on that one but I guess from seeing some of the comments from people who felt cheated by the glitch maybe they saw this as an opportunity to gain some favour back.

A big Cheers to everyone who manged to pick up the reduced rate, let the Lava Flows......flow

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7 hours ago, FionaMG said:

I have to say I thought their announcement saying they were honouring it was quite cleverly worded.

Congrats to those of you who snagged the deal. ?

I agree. They managed to have FUN with it. That email made me care less about what they decided (although I am very happy they honored it) and more that they owned the issue and wanted to make the guests happy. Honestly, one email has turned my perception of RC around after having fairly neutral feelings for them because they seem to want to refuse to take my money (I've had the bad luck of having my first two attempts to sail with RC cancelled and I can say I wasn't exactly pleased with how they handled it). This time, regardless of the decision, they did what they could. Kudos to their marketing and PR team for turning a giant bowl of lemons into some tasty lemoncello. 

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In the end of the day they had to balance financial issues with Public Relations issues. Public Relations usually wins out, I'm one who got he drink package at the $18 price -- I'll be a very loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser in the future and will only book RC going forward. Furthermore, look who wrote the email, it came from the Guest Services Director, AKA Public Relations. They probably agonized over that email and decided to make it very cute and tongue-in-cheek. They played it very well in the end - kudos to the RCI team

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Hate to be a cynic, but I'd wager that after this 4th of July promo ends, there won't be another meaningful sale on any DBP of any sailing in the rest of 2019 or in 2020, at least not until they've made up the loss they just incurred. Royal is going to want to get that lost revenue back by whatever legal means they can.

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I think the actual loss isn't that substantial.

  • Consider that on most cruises around half or more are first timers.  Based on C&A numbers I've always captured at top tier events the ship is rarely full of return of guests or even 1/2 full of return guests.  Time and again, most of the newbies don't find sites like this or other social media cruising sites until after they got the cruising bug.  Most guests didn't know about this event.
  • DX sales have been estimated to be less that 15-20% of guests on average.  The truth is most people don't buy a package.
  • Many people don't know about cruise planner sales or know to check for price drops.   For every DX sale, many people never think to come back and check for price drops so many pay a higher rate to begin with.  
  • For me it only glitched for half of my 2020 cruises.  Not all 2020 DX packages were subject to the glitch.  
  • It was a relatively short window of opportunity.  Many people missed it.
  • There is also the potential for positive side effects.  Once a guest experiences the DX, many will be more inclined to bite the bullet next time.  I know I enjoy it more when I cruise with the DX.  There may be some positive future revenue from this.
  • Alcohol sales are high margin.  It's a huge profit center.  There may be lost potential revenue but not an operational loss that appears as a red line item on a balance sheet.  
  • Some people had no intention of buying the DX in 2020.  I didn't since I use Diamond happy hour drinks.  Now I've bought it 4 times.  Many people like me who had no intention of buying the DX did buy it because of the glitch.  Sure we bought it cheap, but that is revenue that Royal never would have captured otherwise.  That's a positive.
  • Royal gets to keep and use this money for the next 8 to 16 months until guests sail.  That's some money in the coffers that otherwise would not have been there.  That will help make the next installment payment on the Odyssey build.
  • Traditional DX promos have been used to stimulate sales and maximize potential revenue.  Stopping those could negatively impact potential revenue long term.  If people would eventually cave and buy DX at higher prices Royal would never offer DX promos.  Why would they?

Combine all the factors and it's a drop in the bucket.  It's not going to impact stock prices or financial results.  

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20 minutes ago, twangster said:

I'm hoping to help Royal reach the conclusion that this should be an annual event.

Flash sale events should become a new norm.

Yes!  I mean I think the value in the publicity and positive PR from it alone is something that can't be quantified but definitely has some value.  

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32 minutes ago, twangster said:

Flash sale events should become a new norm.

Selfishly, I hate flash sales because I usually miss them by a few minutes and when I find that out I feel like ?! Although I was lucky enough to get the drink package.

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1 hour ago, FManke said:

It would have cost them a lot more in bad publicity not to honor it. Even at $18 a day, they're making money.

I agree.  They handled it correctly.  Makes me feel good with Rotal (rather than irritated). And I'm sure many purchased the package that wouldn't have otherwise...us included.

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