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My view on drinks package


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That brings up a good question. What IS the best way to "voice your concern to Royal directly" ? I always hear people saying that they are writing Adam Goldstein personally (how ?? really ???) and chatter like that. I think most of that kind of talk is just Concierge Lounge babble - people trying to make themselves sound important....but I do not know how to really make them HEAR what we are saying....if they even care, and I have to believe that they DO care - especially those of us like bcarney who are truly old timers who have just about HAD it !

 

I guess I should have asked, what is the most EFFECTIVE way to voice your concerns directly to Royal ?

 

I'm sure their "people" read these kinds of blogs from time-to-time but I don't know how truly effective complaining here will really is.

 

Any suggestions ?

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That brings up a good question. What IS the best way to "voice your concern to Royal directly" ? I always hear people saying that they are writing Adam Goldstein personally (how ?? really ???) and chatter like that. I think most of that kind of talk is just Concierge Lounge babble - people trying to make themselves sound important....but I do not know how to really make them HEAR what we are saying....if they even care, and I have to believe that they DO care - especially those of us like bcarney who are truly old timers who have just about HAD it !I guess I should have asked, what is the most EFFECTIVE way to voice your concerns directly to Royal ?I'm sure their "people" read these kinds of blogs from time-to-time but I don't know how truly effective complaining here will really is.Any suggestions ?

I have gone through entire Royal Caribbean VP list & can't fine one listed on social media - have sent inquires or comments to @royalcaribbean Twitter and never got reply! Unfortunate they are not accessible! Try message to sister line execs @dondreCel, @LarryPimentel,@Dsclifton ; or competitor lines @jeffherzfeld, @msccruisesusa, @kenmuskat, @rickcazzell and you will usually get an answer before the sun goes down and often witin minutes or hours - whether you are Concierge or Inside, Diamond or 1st time cruiser. It is impressive. Try it, you'll like it and ask, so what's up with Royal? If they remain unresponsive, I think other Royal Loyalists will join me in enjoying the reception from the competition. And by the way, the problem is much deeper than drink prices - overall quality and service level is suffering from profiteering - drastic crew reduction is probably great for the bottom line, but isn't good for the Royal Caribbean experience. Maybe an approach is to invite them to read Matt's blog!

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Don, I hear ya. I have really resisted making the "jump". I know that what you are saying about being "welcomed" by the competition is true. I was given a "free" cruise on NCL after just 1 cruise with them. They have continued to pursue us fairly aggressively. They truly WANT our business and may soon get it.

 

I just HATE to think about starting over somewhere else. I have spent SO much time and money to get to Diamond Plus.

 

I also agree that it is much more than higher drink prices. I have noticed the same reduction in service quality and one by one the benefits that we have been getting are slipping away...and what I HATE is that they are so sneaky about it. When they introduced the "new and improved" paperless coupons they took away a lot of things we had been getting (mostly associated with the casino...which is what we would notice). One thing that I have NEVER forgiven them for is taking away the personalized luggage tags. I still get them when we book a "gold card suite" but other than that, only the Pinnacle Club members get them now. That was a completely unforced error on their part, IMO. How much could personalized, pre-printed luggage tags really cost the cruise line ? $10 ? $15 PP ? Ok. Just charge me for them. I'd pay it. But no....they just took them away from us yet still offer them to the BIG BUCKS suites and the thousand-year-old Pinnacle Club members. And when I mentioned this before, I get back the excuse, "...they are trying to appeal to a younger crowd". Really ? It sounds to me like they are only catering the old farts that are getting everything for free now anyway ! I truly do not think they care about my business at all ! I think they see the green in the orient and are putting all of their efforts over there.

 

I am not familiar with any of the names that you included above. I guess I will have to research to find out who they are and what lines they represent.

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If the executives are not on social media, one option is the company's face on social media like facebook and twitter. Many companies have changed their mind on policy when large masses of people voice concerns or discontent on these sites. It's really quite amazing,and in ways alarming, the power social media sites can bring to bear.

I can almost guarantee when they see a mass influx of complaints SOMEONE is gonna walk up to the CEO and say "uhh, sir, we have a problem."

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Don, I hear ya. I have really resisted making the "jump". I know that what you are saying about being "welcomed" by the competition is true. I was given a "free" cruise on NCL after just 1 cruise with them. They have continued to pursue us fairly aggressively. They truly WANT our business and may soon get it.I just HATE to think about starting over somewhere else. I have spent SO much time and money to get to Diamond Plus.I also agree that it is much more than higher drink prices. I have noticed the same reduction in service quality and one by one the benefits that we have been getting are slipping away...and what I HATE is that they are so sneaky about it. When they introduced the "new and improved" paperless coupons they took away a lot of things we had been getting (mostly associated with the casino...which is what we would notice). One thing that I have NEVER forgiven them for is taking away the personalized luggage tags. I still get them when we book a "gold card suite" but other than that, only the Pinnacle Club members get them now. That was a completely unforced error on their part, IMO. How much could personalized, pre-printed luggage tags really cost the cruise line ? $10 ? $15 PP ? Ok. Just charge me for them. I'd pay it. But no....they just took them away from us yet still offer them to the BIG BUCKS suites and the thousand-year-old Pinnacle Club members. And when I mentioned this before, I get back the excuse, "...they are trying to appeal to a younger crowd". Really ? It sounds to me like they are only catering the old farts that are getting everything for free now anyway ! I truly do not think they care about my business at all ! I think they see the green in the orient and are putting all of their efforts over there.I am not familiar with any of the names that you included above. I guess I will have to research to find out who they are and what lines they represent.

They are VPs with Celebrity, Azumura, & MSC -- suspect you would find others with most cruise lines.

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If the executives are not on social media, one option is the company's face on social media like facebook and twitter. Many companies have changed their mind on policy when large masses of people voice concerns or discontent on these sites. It's really quite amazing,and in ways alarming, the power social media sites can bring to bear.

I can almost guarantee when they see a mass influx of complaints SOMEONE is gonna walk up to the CEO and say "uhh, sir, we have a problem."

I agree with the social media light up!

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Hmmm...for reasons far too complicated to get into here, I do not participate in social media. I have neither a Facebook nor Twitter account and do not intend to ever have one. I guess I will have to leave it to others to voice displeasure using those tools. I will have to come up with something else. Great idea though.

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Don, how was your transition from RC to Celeb ? I know they are supposed to honor your equivalent loyalty levels. Did you find that to be the case ? I also know that they will NOT honor my D+ balcony cruise discount, which kinda sucks...but it's a small price to pay for a short while, I guess.

 

Do you know whether Celeb has a VIP casino program ? If I could find some parity there it might be of more benefit to me than the D+ discount anyway.

 

Have you found the Celeb service to be more reminiscent of the old RC service ? Any drawbacks or regrets for going with another line ?

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Just got off Jewel last week.  Drinks were a breathtaking $12 plus tip - but buying a drinks package on a cruise that only had one day at sea didn't make any sense to me.

 

The good news is it saved me a TON of money - I barely drank anything at all.  And the Pool Bar was practically empty most of the time....

 

 

Do you think the vacant bar was a result of a la carte pricing or just a coincidence? Also did you hear much talk about the ship about this?

 

We experienced the same think at the end of January. Hardly any pool service but an empty pool bar.   This was before the big price bump though. I attributed it to the fact that there were a crazy number of multi -week guest onboard. 

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  • 1 month later...

I've been reading through this thread and have some questions.. so I've read that mixed alcoholic drinks are averaging $12 each. What about beer or wine? Also, what about soda?

 

I have an upcoming cruise in July and am trying to decide whether or not to opt for any packages. The unlimited soda package is only $6.50 pp/day. Is that a good deal?

 

Also, my wife is pregnant so she won't drink any alcohol. Are they strict about "sharing" packages? I mean I'll use the package for alcoholic drinks for myself and I'll give her the soda cup. Would that work?

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I've been reading through this thread and have some questions.. so I've read that mixed alcoholic drinks are averaging $12 each. What about beer or wine? Also, what about soda?

Beer is at about $5.50 to $6.  Soda I think is still right around $2 per can.

 

And yes, sharing packages are against the rules BUT if you're just giving your wife the soda cup and not sharing anything else I don't really think that's a problem personally (the rules would say otherwise).

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Beer is at about $5.50 to $6. Soda I think is still right around $2 per can.

 

And yes, sharing packages are against the rules BUT if you're just giving your wife the soda cup and not sharing anything else I don't really think that's a problem personally (the rules would say otherwise).

When I was last on a RCCL cruise, simple teas and juices were free. Is that still the case? Like on the deck and at meals, do they still serve those simple juices in those plastic cups?

Are the sodas sold by the can only? rather than fountain drinks?

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You'll only find juice during breakfast hours. However, water, tea and lemonade are readily available as is coffee and hot tea.  There are usually self-serve drink stations located in various locations around the Windjammer and or just in front/back.

 

Most sodas are sold by the can if purchasing at a bar or in the dining room.  If on the soda package, often times it's fountain/bar gun or from an already opened can in my experience.

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ok so to summarize, when figuring out if a drink package is right for me, sodas/juices $2-3, premium coffees $4-5, beers $5-6, mixed drinks $10-12. that sound about right? but they also offer water, tea, and lemonade free of charge.

 

this might sound like a dumb question but are there only sodas in the lowest fountain drink package or does it include juices? I'm taking that name to have a loose interpretation of anything they can shoot from a bar gun, such as pineapple, orange, or cranberry juices.

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I think it is important for those who purchase the soda package to realize that the soda package only includes fountain sodas. I'm a bit of a soda snob so I find the fountain sodas on the ships to be horrible...but that's just my personal opinion. Lots of people get the soda package and seem perfectly happy with it. When I want a Coke, I want a CANNED Coke and those are not included in the soda package.

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Soda package can be a much better option if you are on one of the ships that has the coke freestyle machines. The machines also include Dasani flavored water, sparkling flavored water, lemonades, powerades as well as "soda" so the variety of options is much greater.

Soda package on a bar service only ship is basically just soda so a much more limited proposition.

My son for example does not really drink soda but loves creating concoctions out of flavored lemnoades, powerades and waters.

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@Bumzhabum re:sharing...my wife hardly drinks at all and I had no trouble getting a coke and giving it to her on our last cruise in late April. In fact, I didn't even carry around the cup, just went to the bar, ordered a coke and showed my seacard. Never had a problem. In fact, once I had a beer and she, a pina colada, and the waiter showed me that he had put the pina colada on the card (i.e., included in the package) and charged me for the beer! He got an extra tip for that!

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Ok...might be missing something here...

 

Not sure what the above poster is referring to? Something for free, or a more expensive drink on someone elses card. Or  had no package and got his wife a drink on his card who had the package? But then an extra tip porb made up for the cost of it...lol

 

And you don't need your cup to get a drink at the bar, but you defn need your seapass so.

 

Not very clear or helpful really.

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thanks for all the replies! it's clear that I should do one of 2 options:

1) purchase unlimited soda packages for both of us and pay for my other drinks a la carte

2) purchase an alcohol package for me and try our luck giving my wife the soda cup

 

we are taking the majesty and I heard it has freestyle machines.

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Ok...might be missing something here...

 

Not sure what the above poster is referring to? Something for free, or a more expensive drink on someone elses card. Or had no package and got his wife a drink on his card who had the package? But then an extra tip porb made up for the cost of it...lol

 

And you don't need your cup to get a drink at the bar, but you defn need your seapass so.

 

Not very clear or helpful really.

I took him to mean that the waiter put the more expensive of the 2 on his package and charged him for the cheaper (the beer)

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  • 1 month later...

This will be our first cruise where we can get drink packages.  Hubby is more a drinker than me on holidays, but we figure as we have stops for like the first 3 days in the 14 night, we will see what we drink.  Then double that for the sea days! lol.  I am thinking that a drinks package will be the go for him in the end, based on the drinks bill for the last few anyway.  He will just have to find something he likes also before committing as it doesn't look like his usuals are on the drinks menus. :)

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This will be our first cruise where we can get drink packages.  Hubby is more a drinker than me on holidays, but we figure as we have stops for like the first 3 days in the 14 night, we will see what we drink.  Then double that for the sea days! lol.  I am thinking that a drinks package will be the go for him in the end, based on the drinks bill for the last few anyway.  He will just have to find something he likes also before committing as it doesn't look like his usuals are on the drinks menus. :)

Remember that you can wait a few days before buying the unlimited packages.  As long as there are at least 4 days left in your cruise, you can purchase the package at any point.

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Wobby77,

 

Definitely check when you get onboard.  Just because his favorite drink isn't listed on the drink menus doesn't mean they can't make it or that it's not included in the beverage package.  Now, of course, if it's a particular brand of liquor that he prefers, then he's out of luck.

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I would like to weigh in on this subject. First, we are not medium or heavy drinkers, so the high end packages are cost prohibitive for us. But the soft drinks and water is.

 

It appears that the soda packages are more of a bait and switch operation. If you pay for a coke brand item, they serve it to you in a can. If you have the package it is a self-serve machine. The price cost difference between a can and self serve or soda fountain drink is very, very significant. The cost is probably less than 25 cents for the machine type as apposed to the can.

 

The last cruise we went on, routinely the machines were down or out of ice. And I noticed that everytime I got a drink from the machine it had a slight taste of another drink. Also I noticed I didn't feel that great, everytime I had one. I stopped and did not have that feeling again. So, after buying the package, we ended up buying the individual drinks to get the cans. Vey cost effective on our part, not.

 

We were religious soda and water package buyers. But now we are just water package cruisers and we buy what ever we want beyond that. We also like that the water is delivered, in bulk, in your room. This kind of stops getting water at dinner or when you are out, but we still like it because we do not want to lug a bunch of water around. At 8lbs a gal, it's quite heavy.

 

Again you are offered something, and when you add it up ????? Nothing is FREE, you always end up paying for it.

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I would like to weigh in on this subject. First, we are not medium or heavy drinkers, so the high end packages are cost prohibitive for us. But the soft drinks and water is.

 

It appears that the soda packages are more of a bait and switch operation. If you pay for a coke brand item, they serve it to you in a can. If you have the package it is a self-serve machine. The price cost difference between a can and self serve or soda fountain drink is very, very significant. The cost is probably less than 25 cents for the machine type as apposed to the can.

 

The last cruise we went on, routinely the machines were down or out of ice. And I noticed that everytime I got a drink from the machine it had a slight taste of another drink. Also I noticed I didn't feel that great, everytime I had one. I stopped and did not have that feeling again. So, after buying the package, we ended up buying the individual drinks to get the cans. Vey cost effective on our part, not.

 

We were religious soda and water package buyers. But now we are just water package cruisers and we buy what ever we want beyond that. We also like that the water is delivered, in bulk, in your room. This kind of stops getting water at dinner or when you are out, but we still like it because we do not want to lug a bunch of water around. At 8lbs a gal, it's quite heavy.

 

Again you are offered something, and when you add it up ????? Nothing is FREE, you always end up paying for it.

When we had the soda package and requested a soda from the waiter in the Windjammer, we were brought a can of soda.

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Matt, thank you for pointing that out.

 

There are exceptions to everything and I too, have been given a can at a bar, but I just thought that they either didn't have fountain drink capabilites or ?

 

I did order a soda from one of the wandering wait staff in the wind jammer lounge and the brought me a can and a bill. I showed them my sea card and was told that they couldn't take it off my bill until I signed the bill. After going to guest services to check if it was taken off, found out that I was billed twice, after 20 minutes of explaining the charge was taken off. This was over an hour of waiting in line and explaining, I then realized, I was there to have FUN. Not to stand in line and check if a drink was billed or not. It was way, not worth it. I won't be doing that again.

 

When I was working, a value was put on my time (by the minute). If the value was below what my time was worth, it was either not done, or someone else was assigned to do it. Now I find myself chasing things that are not worth it. As a rule, once I notice it, I vow not to do it again.

 

The majority of the time when you are on a soda package, you either are served or you get your own, machine mixed drink (syrup and water).

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I agree about what your time is worth.  In general, I avoid Guest Service lines unless it's maybe a 1 or 2 person wait.  If it's worse than that, I'll come back later.  

 

Then there was that time I got locked out of my stateroom with no shoes and had to wait in a long line  :ph34r:

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Actually, I'll take a properly calibrated fountain Coke over a can any time.  Just a matter of preference, but I love the extra carbonation that you get with a good fountain drink poured into a bunch of crushed ice. It doesn't matter to me what RCI's cost is, what matters is the value that I perceive.

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I agree about what your time is worth.  In general, I avoid Guest Service lines unless it's maybe a 1 or 2 person wait.  If it's worse than that, I'll come back later.  

 

Then there was that time I got locked out of my stateroom with no shoes and had to wait in a long line  :ph34r:

I feel your pain.  There was a time when after a Hawaii cruise I packed my wife's jeans thinking they were dirty laundry rather than her pants for the next day.  As a result, she ended up wearing her pajama bottoms as we disembarked as we needed to wait until we retrieved our luggage as it had been set out the night before and was not discovered until the following morning.  No one seemed to notice or care, so she wore them as lounge pants as we toured Oahu and on the plane latter that night.  Even so, I've never made that mistake again.

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Response to WAAAYTOOO (and Matt),, I've suggested this topic to Matt as an interesting podcast episode. I'd love for someone from RCI to explain the best ways for their customers, the cruising public, to express their concerns, or yes, dissatisfaction, and who exactly responds to those complaints. Do they keep a tally of them to determine if they're widespread and legitimate ? It seems to me that the first and best way for RCI to enhance the experience of cruising is to determine what their customers think.

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NickyNewark, that would be a great podcast and might help to quell some of the negativity that some of us, including me, have expressed. I'd just like to know that someone is listening. RCI does do an extensive online survey after every cruise, so that is a great way to express our opinion of the cruise experience while it's fresh on our mind. I do hope everyone takes advantage of that opportunity.

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Exactly Doc !!! They reacted pretty dang quickly with this Dynamic Dining decision. Kinda like the "new" Coke/Classic Coke debacle. They rolled that baby out and within what, 80something days they said "ummmmm, never mind", we're gonna resume making the Coke you remember lol. Companies listen. I'd just like to think that RCI can provide someone from guest services, or public relations or something like that, not to get beat up, but just to explain the procedure by which they accept feedback from the cruising public, and how it reaches the top decision makers.

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Nicky,

 

I wish I were too young to remember, but alas I'm not.  Great analogy.  Probably the closest example I could foresee in cruising would be if NCL decided that "freestyle" wasn't really for them or that "every other cruise line was doing it now" and announced they were going back to traditional dining only. ;)

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