ragenx Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Why are thay so drasticly rasing drink prices so drasticly on us passengers who only drink 1 or 2 drinks a day, we don't need the full beverage packages because we don't drink enough to justify it? this is so uncool,... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2179789 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Because they can :) Just means I will probably drink and tip a little less on the cruises I don't get the package for and not really notice on the ones I do get the package for. Another thing to take into account as I compare cruises for the future though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 It's crazy if true, and it seems that it is from all the chatter about it. I cant imagine those on a long cruise, what the cost would be. More than the cost of the cruise if this keeps up! It will also make people start to compare more the costs of cruising with other companies. And if they end up "forcing" more people to buy the package, then really they are probably encouraging people to drink more, which doesnt help royals bottom line so where it the logic behind this? Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 It's crazy if true, and it seems that it is from all the chatter about it. I cant imagine those on a long cruise, what the cost would be. More than the cost of the cruise if this keeps up! It will also make people start to compare more the costs of cruising with other companies. And if they end up "forcing" more people to buy the package, then really they are probably encouraging people to drink more, which doesnt help royals bottom line so where it the logic behind this? I've compared cost with others - sailing 4x this yr only one (next wk) with Royal & it was booked before I found a new go to cruise line. They exceeded my threshold for cost of loyality! We are sailing for about 50% less, new ships, best of class entertainment, just class act, overall falling between Royal & Celebrity. Last time I sailed Royal I noticed bottle wine prices were very high. Will be interesting to see our satisfaction after sailing 3x times with other cruise line. Looking at Brit Isles for 2016 & our new line is 1/2 $ of celebrity.Those are competition footsteps rumbling on the horizon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 It's crazy if true, and it seems that it is from all the chatter about it. I cant imagine those on a long cruise, what the cost would be. More than the cost of the cruise if this keeps up! It will also make people start to compare more the costs of cruising with other companies. And if they end up "forcing" more people to buy the package, then really they are probably encouraging people to drink more, which doesnt help royals bottom line so where it the logic behind this? AND, Oh by the way my new lines drink package is $85 for a book of 18 drinks, can by one book or as many as you want. Internet cost also 20% less for 250 Min pkg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Is this new line MSC Cruises? PM me the answer if you wish. I'll be honest, I've been looking at their ten day in November '15... the only real thing holding me back is I don't particularly like Italian food. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markinct Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 AND, Oh by the way my new lines drink package is $85 for a book of 18 drinks, can by one book or as many as you want. Internet cost also 20% less for 250 Min pkg Would disclosing the name of this other line be against the board's rules? If not, why not spill the beans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 My guess, if true, is to make the beverage packages look more appealing. It's sort of like Disney raising ticket prices to over $100 for a single day. The multi-day tickets look more appealing as the cost drops to $58 per day or so. In the end, it will just discourage the casual drinkers from drinking. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobroo Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I think RCL is subbing out their bar business to Park West. <sarcasm intended> DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Well I am disapointed in what I have seen lately with RC. Between drink pricing, tips going up, their BOGO sales which aren't really sales at all, it has tempted me to start considering the competiton. I will be on my 6th cruise with them in just over 2 years....but something will have to change for the better if they want to keep my business. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I will be making Diamond this year and struggling to find a cruise to book after making it there :( Springbreak '16 the price/availability basically drove me to the competition (7 night on Escape including Bev Package for slightly less than 5 night on Brilliance before adding the package, so apples to apples much cheaper) , still hoping that Thanksgiving will reveal something that I can justify booking when they release it later this month. I want to be loyal, just cant justify it ! ian91, bobroo and Don 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I wonder if they find they are making out on the drink packages overall. By the time you figure port days, etc, they may be making a decent profit on them. By raising the prices they drive more people into the packages since it appears to be a better value. More packages = More $$$. DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 jticarruthers - I know what you mean about wanting to be loyal but just not feelin' the love ! I recently made D+ and just don't see the value in RCCL loyalty ! It's like trying to hit a moving target. I struggled SO hard to get where I am and now I hear that they are going to be adding a new level between D+ and Pinnacle ? Really ? They're demoting us AGAIN ? There has been one disappointment after another with "new and improved" programs - which are just code words for "we're taking away some of your benefits". RCCL is definitely more interested in going for the big bucks than trying to retain their loyal cruisers. That is obvious with how they have moved so many perks to those with big ticket suites and moved the new, big ships to the far east. It's very discouraging and I don't know how long I will remain loyal. I am waiting to go on the Harmony but if things keep going the way they are, I may be building a new relationship with another cruise line by then. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Keep in mind that Royal is a public traded business and they're obligated to make decisions that return the most money for their investors. And while I agree that it's unfair to remove benefits and that Royal should show some loyalty, they make the suites more appealing by offering more perks, which has really helped NCL's suite business and why other cruise lines like MSC are created "ships within a ship" for their suites. In addition, to grow, Royal must target the 75-80% of the market that hasn't yet taken a cruise. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Vitale Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 Sometimes I wonder why they don't just stop playing games and make alcohol INCLUDED in the cruise price and get it over with. They can adjust the prices accordingly, and maybe since EVERYONE will be paying for ALL INCLUSIVE cruising, each persons fare won't have to be what it is currently PLUS a premium package. Surely they have figured out how to be profitable by including MOST food and MOST entertainment. I am sure that those who drink very little or nothing at all will more than make up for those who hit it hard 24/7. It just seems to me that this issue does more to sour people on the idea of cruising than it's worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 They will never make it all inclusive; that's reserved for the premium lines. Sadly, consumers are price conscious and book based on the advertised/quoted fare not realizing that gratuities, beverages, shore excursions, etc. will all add to the costs. Further,mid suspect that Royal makes more from onboard spending than on the actual fare in terms of profit. One of the heads at American Airlines was asked why they charge so much for extras and he said that it comes down to having a low fare and appealing to the consumer. While they could include those services in the fare,not hey would appear more expensive compared to their competitors and thus would be seen as less appealing. The only way it's going to happen is if all cruise lines do it. Otherwise, it will remain as it is. WhiteSoxFan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 I see this as a bad idea in so many ways. Casual drinkers such as myself will just save the money and drink back on shore. Furthermore, I can forsee this adding to what seems to be a concern of a culture of irresponsibility in drinking. What do they really think is going to happen when people feel they HAVE to buy a package and then HAVE to 'get their moneys worth'? Sure there are many who won't go overboard(pun not intended)... but as with any statistic the more of anything you have the higher the amount of subsets you're going to have. Say 100 get the package and 10 get obnoxiously drunk, magnify that to 500 and that's likely to be 50 etc etc. This may be a doom and gloom assumption but I think it is a reasonable assumption to make. Dealing with potentially more drunks onboard? Blech. Regardless, I cannot see myself justified paying for the full package and I WILL NOT pay 40% more for a mixed drink that I can already get for a bit less on land. Even vacation inflation acceptance has it's limits. DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Vitale Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Doc, I know what you're saying, and I completely understand the point of making the fare as low as possible, and then packing the extras on later. But there's always the people like friends of mine. Every time I suggest cruising to them, they don't even care how much the fare is. They refuse to even consider a cruise because of "the bar bill at the end". DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 I understand, Nicky. I have friends who have considered cruising, but then hesitate when I mention the cost of drinks, the addition of gratuities, etc. for a family of four, the gratuities are nearly an additional $50 per day, plus any drink prices. Thus, they usually end up going back to all-inclusives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce G. Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 I also wonder if this will change the level of service. For example, if this change causes significantly more people to purchase the package (who will NOT be tipping extra, since they were strongarmed, in a sense, into buying the package anyway), will the bartenders/pool servers be less-inclined to deliver WOW service? I always tipped extra for pool runners, but I will be hard-pressed to do so if I feel obligated to buy the package... DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 We've just come off Rhapsody b2b2b. During the first cruise, prices were standard & we were advised that the gratuities were going up from 15% to 18%. No biggie, shouldn't be much difference. Yeah right. Those $9.50 drinks went up to $14!! We didn't drink much to start with, but it was even less after the increase. I agree that with the packages the waiters aren't as attentive as they used to be. I also noticed that between 5-8:30pm when the Diamond drinks are available, the waiters played David Copperfield & disappeared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Wow..thats quite a jump....not many people are going to pay close to $15 a drink.... I am still not sure what their strategy is here to be honest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I'm starting o think their strategy is to subsidize the drink vouchers and beverage packages wih the increased drink prices. Or perhaps this is a peace offering to servers as their tips will go up as a result of the increase in drink prices. I've heard various reports of server not being happy with the drink packages and that they weren't making as much because of them. The increased prices does make it easier to justify the beverage packages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I think their strategy across the board right now is that they believe prices were low (for cruise fare, drinks, specialty dinners, etc.) and they are going to push them all up and see what gives. If they keep the boats full at the higher price point the bottom line jumps, if they don't they scramble with more "specials" to try and at least maintain the original revenue. There are a couple of rumor threads that they are offering BOGO drink packages on board now when the drink packages don't sell well. They have been running the BOGO sale on fares for a year to allow them to play games with those and I have heard several reports of discounted specialty dining to try and get people in there. Its probably working well for them since many cruisers are "new" and don't have experience to compare to, frustrating to see for me though. Oh well, less drinking on Jewel next week, I don't do much Specialty anyway and haven't been able to find a cruise to book for almost a year so its not hurting me just frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce G. Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 BOGO drink packages?! That'd be SUPER nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Well they are offering that promo right now, but you have to call to get the deal. Doesn't help us solo travellers at all. We miss out on any breaks. As for servers complaining about not making enough because of drink packages. While they maybe getting another 3% now on them, I have a feeling they are going to lose more than that on the single drinks people aren't going to be buying and tipping on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce G. Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Well they are offering that promo right now, but you have to call to get the deal. They are? Any idea what the stipulations are? Like a 7-day or longer cruise? UPDATE: They have BOGOHO, but it's for 5 nights or longer. :-( I have a 4-night in August Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Well they are offering that promo right now, but you have to call to get the deal. As for servers complaining about not making enough because of drink packages. While they maybe getting another 3% now on them, I have a feeling they are going to lose more than that on the single drinks people aren't going to be buying and tipping on. You pretty much summed up what I was thinking as well. For those who go with the drink package BECAUSE of the higher single price, again the servers didn't like the packages supposedly. If that is the true motivation behind the hike it would seem like a lose/lose for them and by proxy the cruiser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 with the cruise where the prices spiked, there were really good specials for 2-3 weeks in the leadup, so there were a lot of people onboard that had only paid around $58/night. my thought is that the price hike was to help make up that shortfall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted March 24, 2015 Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 I miss the old drink menus. I don't like the new menus that only have one page of drink suggestions and there are no longer prices listed on the menus. (Some menus did have prices listed, but they were replacing them during my cruise last week with new menus that had the prices removed.) Base prices for most of the listed drinks were $10, and in some venues, they had a different list of drinks and those were $12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 I think the only reason they are raising prices is people have to be buying this, otherwise they would be doing something else- and giving it away for 1/2 off or free like Celebrity is doing right now encourages people to try it, then get hooked on it - would rather have my cruise prices for less overall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 While I agree in principle and recognize that RCI is a publicly traded company compelled to make a profit, there's a point where gouging customers becomes akin to exploitation especially if they're going to limit my ability to bring on soda and water. They and other cruise lines are responsible for the current model that relies on onboard revenue for a good part of a heir profits, one thing Disney Cruise Line does not rely on. As a non/minimal drinker, this really doesn't affect me but I does affect those who really wouldn't value from the drink package. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 I am sure they are going to try this for awhile and see what happens. If people are willing to pay that for single drinks, it won't change. As long as I still feel I am getting my money's worth with the drink package I am fine. What really hurts me now is the exchange rate(not RCI"s fault) so that on top of the price increases they have brought in, i now need to add close to 30% exchange...which means pretty soon the drink package will be costing closer to $100/day for me! DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Prices were $12 for most drinks on Jewel last week, 5 port days out of 6 on top of that. Did most of my drinking on land and it was ok but the couple of times we bought a round of drinks I just about fell out of my chair. Really hard to tip extra when you feel like you need to setup a mortgage everytime you buy a round. JohnK6404 and mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 For most mixed drinks, $12 per drink isn't awful except when you order something like a bloody mary and it's $12. That's just silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 You're right. $12 for a Bloody Mary doesn't make sense, especially when you compare it to a Long Island Iced Tea that I had last month which was $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I dunno, I'd call 12 too high when compared to land based bars you pay about 7 around here for your average mixed drink. At the old price it was just slightly above what you'd pay any day, now its about 75-80% higher? I still maintain that vacation inflation has its limits. Don, DocLC and jticarruthers 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 I still maintain that vacation inflation has its limits. I agree with this statement jticarruthers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 I dunno, I'd call 12 too high when compared to land based bars you pay about 7 around here for your average mixed drink. At the old price it was just slightly above what you'd pay any day, now its about 75-80% higher? I still maintain that vacation inflation has its limits. I agree also - i have chosen to book future cruises with competitors because i could no longer justify the loyalty cost. RCI is simply letting greed for profit to overshadow customer satisfaction. In the past 12 months we have cruised 3x and have 3x future booked - sadly none are RCI. If enough people choose competitors they may get the message. Drinks on one of our new cruise lines for example are $85 +15% Gratuity for book of 18 drinks, thats about $4.75 a pop. If you continue to Pay $12 prices will continue to go up. We were just on Serenade Last mo. (Booked a yr ago) noticed that trying to find a cocktail waiter poolside even on sea day was like trying to find RTwheresWaldo - if you buy the drink package it was a self serve bar. Stop paying $12 a drink! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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