Regals room service and Alfredo fees now pulled

[Ethel5]

If/when they reinstate the fees, they should honor the published amenities at time of booking. Just my opinion.

 

I totally agree! But it would be a logistics nightmare.

[bhopal21]

If/when they reinstate the fees, they should honor the published amenities at time of booking. Just my opinion.

 

Absolutely, no room for discussion!

 

Mike:)

[billco]

For imposing charges without notification. What mindset determined that this was the right thing to do?

To Princess's credit, at least they instituted these surcharges on one ship on a "trial" basis. I wonder what the reaction would have been if Princess had implemented the surcharges on a fleet wide basis with or without an announcement.

 

Maybe that is what Princess management intended to do, but someone with a little restraint suggested they try it out first.

[kstine98]

So we should respond to Princess listening to our complaints and making the change by continuing to complain and "hammer" them?

 

I'm thinking a "thank you for listening to our concerns" might go a bit further, rather than showing them that nothing they do will please a certain segment of their customer base. Just a thought.

 

I agree

[billco]

If/when they reinstate the fees, they should honor the published amenities at time of booking. Just my opinion.

That doesn't sound realistic to me. as one can book some cruise almost two years out. I would say at least lock in at final payment.

[4cats4me]

I hardly think thanks are deserved after the caper they just decided to pull

 

"Thank you for bait and switch tactics, Mr and Mrs Princess Corporation."

 

They should be thanking us for our loyalty, and thanking us for remaining with their brand at this point

Edited May 26, 2014 by 4cats4me

[Destiny711]

Pam, have u sailed transatlantic on the Island Princess? We're booked on the Venetian Passage - Ft. Lauderdale to Venice March 21, 2015

If you have, I'd like to speak with you about it. My e-mail address is capece2108@comcast.net Please contact me. Thanks. Dolores

[Roses2]

Those that believe the cruise industry is in financial distress might want to check the facts. There is a very revealing chart comparing the current financial status of the two largest cruise companies: CCL and RCL.

 

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=ccl+vs+rcl

 

If you note on that chart: CCL showed a net income of just over $1 Billion from a total revenue of over $15 billion last year. The second largest cruise company RCL showed a net income of just under $400 million on a total revenue of just under $800 million.

 

Carnival stock paid 2.5% annual dividends to stockholders and RCL paid 1.84%

 

Those are pretty healthy annual reports for the two largest cruise companies in the business. It is pretty hard to argue with the facts.

[shredie]

I hardly think thanks are deserved after the caper they just decided to pull

 

"Thank you for bait and switch tactics, Mr and Mrs Princess Corporation."

 

They should be thanking us for our loyalty, and thanking us for remaining with their brand at this point

 

Amen. What they did is prove they can't be trusted. So the next time this happens (and something like it will, no doubt) some of us won't be surprised, but some people who are so ready to forgive and forget will probably be ready to forgive and forget again. And again.

 

Yep, I'm cynical. Not the kind of person P. T. Barnum was looking for.

Edited May 26, 2014 by shredie

[bhopal21]

Yep, I'm cynical. Not the kind of person P. T. Barnum was looking for.

 

I'm right there with you.

 

I wouldn't trust them with a gumball machine.

 

Mike:)

[RDC1]

Those that believe the cruise industry is in financial distress might want to check the facts. There is a very revealing chart comparing the current financial status of the two largest cruise companies: CCL and RCL.

 

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=ccl+vs+rcl

 

If you note on that chart: CCL showed a net income of just over $1 Billion from a total revenue of over $15 billion last year. The second largest cruise company RCL showed a net income of just under $400 million on a total revenue of just under $800 million.

 

Carnival stock paid 2.5% annual dividends to stockholders and RCL paid 1.84%

 

Those are pretty healthy annual reports for the two largest cruise companies in the business. It is pretty hard to argue with the facts.

 

Your revenue number for RCL is off by a factor of 10. Just under 8 billion not 800 million. No cruise line has a 50% net margin.

[Woobstr112G]

The fees will most assuredly be back. When they come back is a matter of conjecture. I actually don't mind the price increase or for that matter any price increase. Just don't make things so obviously cheap in conjunction with raising the prices. The biggest problem, IMHO, Princess encountered was how they went about raising the prices. The only issue I really had with what was proposed a couple of days ago was telling us they were going to charge an extra 50-75 cents for a mixer poured into your adult beverage. If they wanted to increase the price 50-75 cents just raise the price. Any decent PR person would tell you to do what Princess did would not be well received.

 

Bob

[bhopal21]

issue I really had with what was proposed a couple of days ago was telling us they were going to charge an extra 50-75 cents for a mixer poured into your adult beverage. If they wanted to increase the price 50-75 cents just raise the price.

 

Have you EVER heard of anything so dumb?

 

Mike:)

[OCruisers]

When will we actually know if this is true or not? :confused:

LuLu

[Pam in CA]

I totally agree! But it would be a logistics nightmare.

I agree, but I can dream.

 

Pam, have u sailed transatlantic on the Island Princess? We're booked on the Venetian Passage - Ft. Lauderdale to Venice March 21, 2015

If you have, I'd like to speak with you about it. My e-mail address is capece2108@comcast.net Please contact me. Thanks. Dolores

I've sailed on the Island Princess several times but since this will be the Island's first trans-Atlantic crossing, no one has done that on the Island yet. I've taken several trans-Atlantic cruises albeit Europe to the US, most recently on the Royal Princess Venice to FLL last October. Just click on the link in my signature to email me if you have any questions.

When will we actually know if this is true or not?

Know what is true? We know that the fees were implemented on the Regal Princess and we know that they have been rescinded by Princess. We also know that they will be imposed at a later date per Princess' message to me and others on FaceBook. Edited May 27, 2014 by Pam in CA

[hubofhockey]

Those that believe the cruise industry is in financial distress might want to check the facts. There is a very revealing chart comparing the current financial status of the two largest cruise companies: CCL and RCL.

 

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=ccl+vs+rcl

 

If you note on that chart: CCL showed a net income of just over $1 Billion from a total revenue of over $15 billion last year. The second largest cruise company RCL showed a net income of just under $400 million on a total revenue of just under $800 million.

 

Carnival stock paid 2.5% annual dividends to stockholders and RCL paid 1.84%

 

Those are pretty healthy annual reports for the two largest cruise companies in the business. It is pretty hard to argue with the facts.

 

All of those who feel so fortunate that the cost of cruising is less than it was 20 years ago need to understand that their bargain cruises are keeping this industry very healthy. Cheap labor, bigger ships, and cost cutting feed the monster.

[RDC1]

All of those who feel so fortunate that the cost of cruising is less than it was 20 years ago need to understand that their bargain cruises are keeping this industry very healthy. Cheap labor, bigger ships, and cost cutting feed the monster.

 

Lets see cheap labor, who make substantially more then the average income in the countries they are from. Sounds good for them and us.

 

Bigger ships with more features, no problem with that.

 

Cost cutting keeping rates low. Sounds fine with me.

 

Yep I do feel fortunate to enjoy cruising at the rates I do.

Edited May 27, 2014 by RDC1

[Ken_W]

Have you EVER heard of anything so dumb?

 

Mike:)

 

NetFlix. But I thought that was a one-off.

[insidecabin]

I love that Princess cruisers took to Facebook and emailing Princess about this. It seems it helped in the short term. I guess they did not want to have any issues regarding false advertisement.

 

It will be a shame if they reinstitute these changes.

 

Now everyone has to hit the ships hard asking questions of the hotel directors F&B etc.

 

Try to do it in public meeting like a Q&A session or any captains circle event.

 

We need the ships senior people to push back.

 

It is clear that princess management failed to brief anyone on this on this.

 

Would be interesting if someone on board an find out when Regal knew about this change, they will have been on board for weeks getting things ready.

 

Were the fees in place for the real inaugural 4 day trip?

[the kids]

No problem.....Princess could enter the info into their computer system (if it works) for passengers who paid prior to the announcement to have them deferred from Alfredos and room service fees.

[caribill]

No problem.....Princess could enter the info into their computer system (if it works) for passengers who paid prior to the announcement to have them deferred from Alfredos and room service fees.

 

They did not do that for suite passengers who had booked before the free internet was removed as a benefit. Once on board the passengers had to go to the Purser's Desk and prove they had booked early enough and only then had the charges removed.

[the kids]

now everyone has to hit the ships hard asking questions of the hotel directors f&b etc.

 

Try to do it in public meeting like a q&a session or any captains circle event.

 

We need the ships senior people to push back.

 

It is clear that princess management failed to brief anyone on this on this.

 

Would be interesting if someone on board an find out when regal knew about this change, they will have been on board for weeks getting things ready.

 

Were the fees in place for the real inaugural 4 day trip?

 

by the way, has anyone noticed that the december 7th cruise on our regal is not selling well. Very few rooms have been sold based on princess web site in balcony and inside rooms let's hope it picks up

[USNUZULOOSE]

I am sure it will sell out closer to the sailing, maybe people hoping for a price drop. But if you don't buy into the concepts of paying for the extras then the company may think twice about this if it does not fill up.

[Pam in CA]

by the way, has anyone noticed that the december 7th cruise on our regal is not selling well. Very few rooms have been sold based on princess web site in balcony and inside rooms let's hope it picks up

Early December cruises never sell well and are usually good bargains. The reason is that it's after Thanksgiving and before the holidays. Most people don't want to vacation in early December.

[Colo Cruiser]

by the way, has anyone noticed that the december 7th cruise on our regal is not selling well. Very few rooms have been sold based on princess web site in balcony and inside rooms let's hope it picks up

 

It will sell.