A message for RCCL:

[UB & AS]

It is interesting that RCI charges its customers fairly outrageous prices for bottled water (and all other drinks as well as the automatic gratuity and the suggested extra gratuity). Then I get into a van operated by a private tour operator and he/she has a cooler of complementary bottled water, soft drinks and beer for the convenience of the guests on the tour. What do these entrepreneurs know that RCCL seems to be missing? :eek:

[Bookish Angel]

99% of what I drink is water. I use a steam distiller at home as our city water has a strong chlorine taste, but I'll rely on the ship's filtration for water on cruises.

[memas retired]

Hi bottle-water lovers!!:)

 

Please read my post (#295) in the thread about the water policy. I believe that in addition to this post, which is a great idea and I hope RCCL will notice, we also need to write the cruiselines (maybe board members) letters. We need to make the cruise company realize that they are "cutting their nose off to spite their face" (sorry for the clique). I heard soooo many disgruntled passengers this spring on a Celebrity and NCL cruise complaining about the no laundry-no iron policy, the no personal wine policy, and more, that the cruisers are going to "jump ship" (oh...more bad ones) and go to companies like Princess that RCCL will lose more in the end. I own Princess (Carnival) and RCCL stock. I read a poster who said "if RCCL needs money so bad they have to sell water, he should sell his stock!") It makes you wonder.

I am going to write and use some of the quotes I have read and heard to let the companies have some input from their passengers!

Cathy

[daze6399]

. I believe that in addition to this post, which is a great idea and I hope RCCL will notice, we also need to write the cruiselines (maybe board members) letters. We need to make the cruise company realize that they are "cutting their nose off to spite their face" (sorry for the clique).

 

Thanks Cathy, that's the idea. This was just to see what people thought, mostly I wanted to see if people like me might buy bottled water if it was cheaper. I was right, at least a little bit.

 

I hope RCCL notices. The idea is to serve your customers. Seems like they are serving the customers they had 20+ years ago. If they want to cater to middle class families, then they should offer products/prices their "target" demographic wants. Just a thought.

 

daze

[UB & AS]

There are different ways to market cruises. We have only sailed on RCCL once and it was our worst ever cruise. Since they could not possibly get it that wrong again, we are booked for a 30 night B2B on Mariner in 2011.

 

RCCL promotes a cheap cruise fare to get people to book, our 30 night B2B around South America, costs less than the 12 night HAL cruise around SA that we canceled. To this cheap fare are added the costs of gratuities, wine, water, laundry, pressing, special entrees, Johnny Rocket, specialty coffees, etc, etc.

 

Our last two cruises were on Azamara Club Cruises (owned by RCI) with a higher cruise fare but gratuities, wine with meals, bottled water, port transportation, etc are included in the fare. If you feel like doing laundry and ironing, you can do that at no charge.

 

We have the choice of paying upfront in the cruise fare or getting the bill slipped under the door on the last night of the cruise. My feeling is that there should be no restrictions upon bringing water and soft drinks aboard. We also should be able to bring wine aboard, subject to a reasonable corkage fee if consumed in a public area. I object to the nickle and dime mentality and generally cruise on other lines.

 

Please complain to RCI. We are RCI shareholders who do not agree with their marketing model.

 

Bill, Former Professor of Marketing

[Karma5]

I agree a few different brands of H2O would be better.