AltarEgo

The 'incident' had to do with the fact that passengers were herded outdoors in 90 degree heat with no shade, food, water, or even a place to sit from 8am to 1:30 pm. Ambulances were called because some passengers weren’t able to physically tolerate the deplorable conditions.

An official notice was made by RCCL regarding the issue. The passengers were offered 

$100 onboard credit for interior/ocean view cabins, $125 onboard credit for balcony cabins, $200 onboard credit for suites, plus $25 onboard credit for any 3rd or 4th guest booked. 

A closed loop sailing from New Jersey aboard the Anthem of the Seas has disembarked all passengers in Miami for Immigration check ins. A passenger that is on board now said the reason given he was " RCL claimed it would save time when we disembark back in NJ."  So far, no official announcement or explanation has been given to the passengers by Royal Caribbean for the change in Immigration policies or procedures.

7 minutes ago, topnole said:

You were the one who decided

to incorrectly bring the corporate greed aspect into it.  So perhaps you should stay on topic.  

Please topnole, point out where I specifically mentioned corporate greed. On second thought , never mind, I don't want to be any part of the reason for getting this thread shut down. Have a nice day!

No doubt cruising is a good value if all the add-ons are avoided. But I recently returned from a 7 day vacation to an all inclusive resort in Playa Del Carmen. Hotel and airfare just under $1500 for a couple. Is that normal? No, but there are deals out there that are a better value than cruising, but certainly not as many.

14 minutes ago, topnole said:

By the way, if a decision is based on supply and demand it has nothing to do with who it benefits.  It is simply a market driven decision based on economic pressures.   So you are defeating your argument with your own statements.  A company isn’t purposefully putting shareholders ahead of any other stakeholders if they are setting price based on supply and demand.  
 

You also don’t seem to understand that customers benefit if Royal stays in business.  If Royal doesn’t make enough revenue to cover costs, they will eventually go out of business.  They have leveraged themselves to the point that there isn’t much room left for

that option.  So unless they establish sustainable cash flow to pay all expenses, they will be out of business.  Creating that cash flow mean getting people on board and more importantly now (with their business model), getting them to spend a lot onboard just to make a modest profit margin.  
 

There is much more to satisfying stakeholders than what you are suggesting.  And many other stakeholders exist in this equation besides stockholders and customers.  But for now it is the stockholders getting the worst of it.  

This post was about the high prices of the DBP and I'm not getting dragged into a protracted discussion on a cruise related message board about the financial situation of a Fortune 500 company. RCG isn't the only corporation to take a hit from the Covid pandemic. RCG will survive, but not at my expense. And, I'm not all that surprised by your Ad hominem attacks. They tell us way more about you than me.

Just now, CruisingHogFan said:

Well since I own stock I guess I appreciate myself! 😂

 

Drink prices onboard are comparable to our local restaurants. $15.34 per drink so it’s basic math if you will save money or not.
 

We personally save hundreds by buying the package vs paying per drink at the current prices so it’s a smart choice for us.

Some people drink more than others and can justify the cost for themselves. If an establishment where I live charged $15 + for a cocktail, they, like RCL, won't get my business. Like most things in life, one size does not fit all.

26 minutes ago, topnole said:

How do you maximize profit when you have no profit?   This is more like minimizing loses.  Big difference.  
 

I get the feeling you have never made executive decisions for a large company, because they most certainly do base decisions based on customers as well as other stakeholders.   
 

 

Interesting; Corporations aren't in business to maximize profits and shareholder value? That's news to me. Perhaps I should have been more specific, that decisions on what's beneficial for the company take priority to those decisions that benefit non-shareholding customers. Someone with even a basic understanding of supply and demand knows what the price hikes are about, which is maximizing revenue.

18 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

Still just 7-8 drinks at price point to break even on the package. Not hard to do at all even with the 4 free ones so we will continue on to purchase the package. 

Your money, your choice, and the shareholders of RCL stock appreciate the choice you made.

11 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

That is assuming you would have actually bought 170 drinks. And the expense to RCI to buy the ingredients for those 170 drinks is no where near that number. 

 

And don't forget who was actually making reservations and going to sea when cruising restarted and creating a revenue stream. It sure wasn't first time cruisers jumping back in the ships. It is all much more complicated than your simple math.

How many people equate retail pricing to the actual cost paid by the seller for their products? Too many.

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

How about this for a conspiracy theory: RCI needs the money so bad, they scared a bunch of folks into pre-paying the grats - folks with OBC, which normally would have gone to grats, will now spend that on other things on board.

As far as conspiracy theories go, this one is much too believable.

10 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

So many D's and above on some sailings they need to make up lost revenue from all the free drinks. We have 17 nights coming up at the end of Sep.  Thats 170 voucher drinks totaling over $2200 in free cocktails, $2600 if you figure in the 18% they lose. 

Seriously? That's highly doubtful when you consider that they used to offer UNLIMITED alcoholic beverages in the Diamond Lounge during the old Happy Hour. The current high prices of the DBP is an exercise in maximizing profits. Fortune 500 companies base their decisions on what's beneficial for the company, not their customers.

17 hours ago, bgoff60 said:

Just checked in on the DBP for the Oct 14 sailing on the Allure...Imaging my surprise - not even some MADE UP MATH discount program to tempt you...

Glad we are Diamond and can try out other options that look more like pay as you go with a free 4 drink kicker...

RCI - you have failed.

 

They failed with you. And, they failed with us. If more people would stop paying the inflated prices for the DBP the prices would come down. Don't expect to happen anytime soon though, because RCCL's onboard revenues are way up right now.

I just checked my eDocs for a 8/28/22 and the gratuities  are still $16.00 a day. But I'll be paying the $14.50 that was the quoted rate when I booked the cruise.

Based on the lack of review updates, things must have gone down hill really fast after the OP left Cozumel.

We were on both Oasis and Allure maiden voyages. Had great fun, but have not been back. Have no interest in Quantum.

Give me a Radiance class or Vision class ship any day.

I still find it inconceivable as to why anybody would want to be crammed into a gigantic floating box with thousands of other people whose idea of a good time is to be crammed into a floating box with thousands of other people.

I see you're from Australia. This is probably what that DCC is..

 

Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) or Cardholder Preferred Currency (CPC) is a financial service in which holders of credit cards, when making a payment in a foreign currency, have the cost of a transaction converted to their local currency at the point of sale. It allows customers to see the exact amount their card will be charged, expressed in their own home currency, but the exchange rate is generally less favorable than that offered through their credit card company. In addition, if the card issuer charges a fee for charges made outside of the card holder's home country, that fee will be added in addition to the DCC fee, despite the fact that the charge was made in the home currency.

The OP's question was: What's is a "non dcc".

It's "iffy" if Santa will be on board. Landing a sleigh on the helipad on the Liberty of the Seas, in open waters, is a risky undertaking.

Even if Santa makes a successful landing, he'll enter the ship through the funnel and his suit will get covered in soot. Then he's going to have to wait a while to get it back from the cleaners before he will make an appearance.

Not sure what the attraction of "fresh-squeezed" oj is...pulp, and seeds...not my cup of tea! The OJ I buy is made from "concentrate"...it's always good, sweet, and pulp-free! Perfect!

Yuck! Who on earth would want to have all of those fresh nutrients and fibers floating around in a completely natural and unadulterated product?

Yep, give me some good ole OJ that was stripped of all it's water, some of it's nutrients and all of it's fiber any day. It goes especially well with a squeeze of juice from one of those plastic lemons or limes.

If you are outside the US or Canada:

Reserve your Royal Caribbean Vacation

by calling our Certified Vacation Planners

at the International reservations desk or

send us an e-mail: reservationroyal@rccl.com

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri, 8am to 8pm EST

Sunday, 9am to 6pm EST +1 (305) 341-0204

Eliminating the ship might be the problem!

There is no absolute in cleaning a ship, you hope you get everything!

If the crew wasn't the problem, its the ship!

For someone that seems to be very sure of themselves, please enlighten the rest of us how an inanimate object can become infected.

I was under the impression that only carbon based, organic lifeforms were susceptible to and capable of contracting viruses or infections.

Formal attire is suggested but not required - jean are acceptable.

Unless they look like this:

Aye Matey,

When you're spinning yarns, you may want to proof read your copy before you post. You almost had me up until the end of your tale. That's until you said:

"I go thru and head straight to a hiding place, the pub! I call my wife and tell her that I'm on! YEA!!!!!!!!! I'm waiting to hear for any announcements with my name. I hear none, so I head up to the room!

Cabin steward welcomes me back, she's happy to see me. She told my wife the day before that she would never forgive my friend, lol!

She gives me a new key, ship is moving and I'm good!

I head to Guest Services. They give me another key, welcome me back. We had over $300 in OBC, but there was some confusion as to where it all went. "

So, if you would be so kind, please tell us how you got into your room without a key before going to guest services to get a replacement? It would be quite serendipitous to happen to arrive at your room at precisely the same time the stateroom attendant was tidying it up. Would it not? And, unless things have drastically changed since my last cruise, I'm pretty sure that stateroom attendants don't have the authority or equipment to dispense room keys.

In any event, it was a great entertaining tale, some very good suggestions came out of it and it was really good fodder for the flamers.

If you ever get out of IT, I'm pretty sure there may be future for you in writing.

I'm also at a loss as to the business logic behind the move.

I would hazard a guess that it's to maintain continuity. It's easier and more efficient to train staff to be consistent if the dining options are the same throughout the line.

There are other options. I have a rewards credit card that includes almost the same coverage's that travel insurance does. In some instances (especially weather related) it's even better. And, it doesn't me cost a dime extra.

If you use a rewards card, be sure and check what's covered for travel. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Look here:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=luggage_valet_service