Engineroom Snipe

I am going to be my alter ego, "used car salesman". If I am losing money on the sale, I will tackle you before you get into the car, take the keys out of your hands, and keep it on the sales lot. 😠 No large corporate service entity or widget maker keeps selling at a loss to a customer over and over unless they get something in return. I would say that somehow, you are useful to them (they are making a profit on you). 😉

I do a large amount of BBQ, boiling water canning, pressure canning, smoking, and more. I suspect, like most good chefs, your grill master is taste testing ahead of time with complimentary wine 😉. That looks like a money cut 🤑 and I could learn something from him 🤓.

I have not met an avid fisher'person' yet who does not have strong opinions on what type of fish they would eat or not eat.

It would only be a tease...."Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby" (Marving Gaye and Tammi Terrell). Thanks for trying....., I do not feel better. 😭

I am waiting for a used care salesman to complain that I make used care salesman look bad. 😉 I get that you do not agree with my comparison. 😊 And yes, I think that everyone reading this post knows you meant to say 'car' instead of 'care'. I perform typos on many of my posts too. As a follow-up post by @PWP-001 which discusses mark-ups, I have posted on other threads that RCI makes from 400% to 600% mark-up on their raw materials. They have to purchase and store it. How many minutes does it take for the bartender to make it? The point, the production costs of those C&A drinks are low and really cannot be used for reducing the apparent cruise price unless you are currently buying drink packages or buy that many drinks on board every day as @Ocean Boy stated. @PWP-001 discusses opportunity lost on profits. I do business and computer expenditure models on future technology investments. When capacity is high, those lost profits are definitely an item. I would have to dissuade a low profit customer (in this case, maybe a high-end C&A member who gets 'freebies') in favor of a cruiser who buys the packages. When capacities are lower, the model has to weigh those lost profits against empty cabins which are needed for base ship expenses such as fuel and payroll. As long as capacity is high, RCI will lean into the most profitable customers. Feel free to call me a used care salesman anytime, I will smile and say you are entitled to your personal opinion. Remember, I sell used care because there seems to be a severe shortage of new care in this world concerning how we treat each other. 😘😁

You should get what you paid for. More money=more perks. Otherwise, let the ship sail without you. 😁

I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice your obstructed view for the benefit of those who dwell in the steerage class in our cave like windowless interior rooms. 🤣 Someday, just someday, I might benefit from your "sage advice." Until then, I will enjoy my dark cave and sleep very well until I see the next sunrise. 😇

This is a fascinating observation. The longest trek in Crown & Anchor is the point differentiation between a D+ and Pin. Trying to dangle that carrot in front of the horses pulling the wagon for RCI. I might make D+ in my lifetime just because I like cruising but there is not a navigational chart that will ever get me to Pin. "No special enticements for me. Save the dangling carrots for the true believers." 🤣

The drink packages have such a long history. Until the late 1990s, most drinks were on a cash basis including tips. The cruise lines then transitioned slowly and methodically to charging your room for all expenses against your credit card to make it "more convenient for the cruiser" which translated into much higher onboard bills because cruisers were not able to easily track their expenditures (this was a time before you could check your account via your room TV for daily expenses). The cruise lines got backlash about shocking credit card bills concerning onboard purchases and created the "Unlimited Drinking Packages" which would allow cruise customers to not be shocked by the amount purchased onboard and "plan their vacation expenses." This has morphed into a desperate profit making mandatory practice by most cruise lines. RCI typically advertises a $90 per day unlimited drink package times two persons in the room. Then add 18% mandatory "gratuity". $180 plus $32 gratuity per day for a cabin of two passengers. $212 times seven days: $1486. Go to your local beverage store and that will buy you 100 liters of high quality drinks. 21 drinks per liter. You just payed for 2100 shots of alcohol. You need to drink 300 shots of alcohol for two people each day for one week to break even. Oh, you say that you can get the special deal that gives each person 30% off on special Black Friday deals. Great, now you have to drink 200 shots of alcohol for two people each day for one week to break even. This sounds like the used car salesman who says, " I am losing money on this deal." That salesman would never let you leave the lot with any sale that loses them money.

The perfect definition of what a "white fish" (post #157, @OSUZorba) on the menu could be: not fishy and can be flavored into almost anything.

Interesting. After reading about it, there are as many negative articles as there are positive. Especially noting it was much more affordable than say haddock. Thanks for posting.

I certainly have. The lesson to be learned from many of the tech stocks is they were too optimistic. They expected the demand would continue with current consumers and interest rates would stay low forever. Changes can be good. Time will tell. Past cruisers make up a large part of each cruise. Even if they are not as high a profit margin as newer cruises, they are needed to fill a percentage of the cabins. From the looks of so many threads regarding cruise menus and cruise food, food quality and presentation is important to them. This could be foreshadowing a transition of some of their market share to other venues or diminish the desire to cruise as often.

From what I read on this site, cruisers spending extra money in specialty restaurants have been served fish that were specifically named on the menus only to get substitutions without notification. I think they have a legitimate complaint. If the menu says "whitefish", I guess it is consumer beware. I would eat well-prepared anything, but I would like to be able to trust my server that their answers to any food questions are accurate.

I would understand that to be cod, sea bass, halibut, flounder or sole. Some aficionados are sensitive to "bottom feeders" or "trash fish". I am not picky but I respect those who would like to be told what the "white fish" is. From what I have been reading, asking the waiter is rather hit or miss.

Amazon was only 10% from its absolute highest stock value in December of 2019, well before any Covid fears or influence. Amazon stock only rose by 10% during the "Fear of Covid". The brick and mortar stores are still hurting. Bed, Bath and Beyond is going bankrupt. Kohl's is holding on by a thread. Target has posted horrible results during the last two quarters and they are brick and mortar. Many companies start to ignore the base that is the foundation of their business because at the moment, things are going well. They only do a business analysis when it is too late. They lost contact with their core customers. Revenge travel is doing great, FOR NOW. RCI would not be the first company to be too optimistic and find their dedicated customers looking for other alternatives if they feel that the experience is not worth the expenditure.

Yes, I read those articles plus so many more. I am well aware that current trends show that cruises are at a very high capacity. I have posted and admitted such. Many companies think that they have unlimited demand until they don't. Amazon was flying in the clouds next to the Sun like Icarus until their demand and stock plummeted. How many would have foreseen Amazon stock diving over 49% in a twelve month period? I like cruising. I know RIGHT NOW capacity is high. If a customer experience starts to degrade, most companies do not understand it until it is too late.

Everyone has that special memory or treat when they go on a cruise. That memory separates a cruise vacation from other vacations. As much as I joke about life in general (sometimes it was the only method of dealing with adversity), the little nuances are very important and special. RCI, take notice, a few cents on a few shrimp can be a turning point. A decision to vacation elsewhere is never based on one or two individual points but they add up to a decision to spend money on other experiences. By the time the metrics say RCI is losing customers, the tsunami will hit and RCI will say, "We never saw it coming." I see many avid and loyal customers starting to stamp their feet at this moment. I can see something happening.

Last September, Oasis out of Bayonne, I had braised lamb shank. One of the best I have tasted short of Morrocco. That country specializes in lamb. My next cruise in April will be the proof as I try it again.

Thanks for helping me avoid a panic attack. My wife likes the escargot. I would hate to have to threaten to leave RCI for another cruise line 🥺 but a passenger has to draw the line somewhere. 🤯 "Of all the lousy ways to save a buck!" National Lampoon Christmas Vacation.

Just be lucky that there are no bones in your fish. You will fall for the fresh fish, it is a fresh fillet of fresh fish. Did we tell you it was a fresh fillet? It is fresh, what more can you expect? Do you need a DNA analysis? I am not picky, it is not from a can, you are not picky, but, I "cannot swear where your 'fresh fillet of fish' originated from." Please do not try to be factual about your fish origins, we are very fishy around the subject. 😁

No judgement, I have been moderated before many times. 😏 We are both trying to be positive and yet have too many judges. 😁

Ouch, try not to sugar coat your reply, just tell us how you feel about it. 🤮. 😁

I would start another thread regarding accessibility issues to address this thread. I realize that it touches affordability and the desire to continue cruising with RCI. I am just not sure where this subject is best suited to get your desired result.

Impressive, I would say, "Not in my wildest dreams." Kind of like those timeshare sells. I would say, "Sounds great but my credit score is about 520 and they are ready to take my house away from me." Their response, "Do you have a credit card?" I would come up with the most absurd responses and they would keep pursuing the done deal. Kind of scary. 😵 They just want a transaction and move onto the next mark.

This is the nucleus of the question: What are you willing to pay for a vacation experience that will satisfy your needs?