I have read this long thread with interest and amusement. When the change was first announced on here, I figured it might be an issue so watched the TA webinar and in doing so could see clearly that this was pre-emptive marketing (or spin) to sell more.
Distilling it down:
- they need to increase their bottom line
- they will do this by pushing more people into Plus/premium packages - standard is much less profitable
- by making standard less attractive, they increase the perception that plus/premium is a better investment pushing more people who were undecided or borderline into upgrading
- the spin is to try and create more perception of “value”
- for those who don’t want/need plus/premium, they make more profit (or less loss)
in trying to create the casual dining “product” to create perceived value, they needed to move Alfredos/Gigis into the chargeable product
This, whilst sensible from a business perspective, created a few anomalies which is where the “spin” comes in:
- For Plus60/Premium80 - we will get the same other than the Alfredo’s/Gigis which is reduced to give a free casual dining in some other venues - some will win/more will lose on this
- For standard fares it will cost more to get what was previously inclusive - either we upgrade or pay the EXTRA as we go.
For guests that are after the cancellation window, that really sucks as it will cost more - for guest who can cancel free of charge, it still sucks but they still have the option to vote with their wallets. In the UK we don’t get a free cancellation but that discrepancy is not new.
I see the big anomaly for those guests that booked nice and early (pre-Dec 22) getting Plus50/Premium75 and can still cancel free of charge
- This group will either have to pay an upgrade to move to Plus60/Premium80 or will be hit with on board charges for services that were previously free
- For some the maths work out to just pay the new charges onboard
- The “spin” is added value whereas the value is made up with things of little interest or were previously free
- This creates negative perceptions and is a slap in the face for those booking early even if the upgrade or on board charges may not be financially significant in the context of the total fare
The gaping hole in their plans is for guests that booked nice and early (pre-Dec 22) getting Plus50/Premium and CANNOT still cancel free of charge or have already paid in full (voyages within the next 90 days). These guests will pay more than was agreed when booking.
I’m struggling to think of any other scenario where a retailer or service provider can legally agree a deal, advertise a specification, take full payment then change the terms requiring more money (ether upfront or at a later date) to deliver the agreed item/service. Some contracts allow for a change in specification/price but those change provisions have to be notified up-front in the contract.
So what will they do? Nothing, they will ride out this mini-storm.
What should they do? Either delay the implementation for 3 months to allow those on the old Plus/Premium to make a reasoned decision or Grandfather the facilities to those on the old Plus/Premium.
This action looks to undermine the goodwill we have in the brand. Time will tell if it backfires on them.
Having 33 cruises under our belts and sitting on 5 future cruise bookings (Only one on Plus50 fully paid), for us this is a slap in the face and in between reading this mega-thread, I’ve been looking at different cruise options for the future - elsewhere.
