Drink Package Pricing

[thomaspickles]

So we just booked our first cruise, got on a group rate for the Freedom of the Seas, super excited! :D:D

 

Finally decided to look into drink packages last week, and they showed $40/55/65 for the 3 tiers of alcohol packages. I was considering either the $40 or $55, as I'm mostly a beer drinker, but the $55 included bottled water.

 

However, when I logged in this week to look at the packages they were changed to $35/49/55. AWESOME!! :cool: I was super pumped at the luck. I quickly went to add the $49 package, and then it showed up in my cart at $55/day anyway. :confused:

 

Confused, I waited a couple of days and tried again - same thing.

 

I finally called and the lady on the phone was clearly completely confused as to why it was showing new prices. She said it was still $40/55/65 (:mad:). She tried to make up some crap about the gratuity being added after it is in your cart, but that makes no sense. (Varying gratuity % for each package?! Yeah, right.) She then tried to claim it's always been that way (Also clearly not true, just checked last week!)

 

Anyone know what is going on w/ the drink package pricing?

Edited August 22, 2014 by thomaspickles

[beerman2]

Gratuity is added in. Mine was 46 plus gratuity = the $55.00

 

 

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[beerman2]

Make that 49 plus the 15 p/c gratuity is the 55.00

 

So yes the gratuity is part of the final price.

 

 

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[aurelius180]

Here is some more conversation about this topic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2089810

[Clarea]

Make that 49 plus the 15 p/c gratuity is the 55.00

 

So yes the gratuity is part of the final price.

Their pricing makes no sense to me. $49 plus 15% is $56.35, not $55.

[jticarruthers]

Think they are playing around with the old advertising game of make it look cheaper on the front page and then add in the taxes and fees to get back to the same number but the customer thinks they got a better deal.

 

Just played with it on my Indy cruise later this year and the Select came out to $40.15 per day once it was in the cart but was cheaper on the front page.

[setsail]

So we just booked our first cruise,

 

I finally called and the lady on the phone was clearly completely confused as to why it was showing new prices. She said it was still $40/55/65 (:mad:). She tried to make up some crap about the gratuity being added after it is in your cart, but that makes no sense. (Varying gratuity % for each package?! Yeah, right.) She then tried to claim it's always been that way (Also clearly not true, just checked last week!)

 

Anyone know what is going on w/ the drink package pricing?

 

I think rci needs flow charts for some things:rolleyes:

[aurelius180]

Their pricing makes no sense to me. $49 plus 15% is $56.35, not $55.

 

 

Which implies a $1.35/day savings while the Ultimate package would be $55 plus 15% for $63.25...a $1.75/day hit.

 

I wonder if the IT department handles the accounting work now.

Edited August 22, 2014 by aurelius180

[slyster]

So I just went back into my cruise planner cart and it said that the premium drink package price had changed. It was showing $770 for two of us for 7 days. Which makes sense....$55 a day.

 

Now I go in and it says $343 a person and a total service charge of $102.90. That doesn't make sense because the total is now showing as $788.90 instead of $770.

 

Does anyone know if this is a mistake? The price is still $55 per person and that includes gratuities?

[beerman2]

clarea

 

Guessing they rounded down to make it an even 55.00, I did the math also but being RCI price is $55.00 that's why I put that figure down.

 

No where on any post has anyone mention 56.35, and RCI stated gratuity included @ 55.00.

[Clarea]

clarea

 

Guessing they rounded down to make it an even 55.00, I did the math also but being RCI price is $55.00 that's why I put that figure down.

 

No where on any post has anyone mention 56.35, and RCI stated gratuity included @ 55.00.

All I can say is that I'm totally mixed up now. I don't know if the prices are changing, or they are having more website problems, or a little of both.

[readytolose]

The small print has now been updated to say that a 15% gratuity will be added. Price went down, but now a gratuity is added that brings it back up where the price was originally plus just a little bit more. I could have purchased a month ago and got the price without gratuity but I didn't. I'm not going to sweat the small stuff because in reality an extra $10 or so dollars in the big scheme of things isn't going to make much difference.

[CP3o]

All I can say is that I'm totally mixed up now. I don't know if the prices are changing, or they are having more website problems, or a little of both.

 

Checking your reservation and repricing to current rates and days to get fixed is a big IT deal, this is nothing, likely just gets the staff a tad more gratuity in whatever the difference is for you.

 

I personally think packages outside the soda card have a fair amount of "work" for staff and they should include a 20% gratuity with the packages.

[brd1121]

Response from RCI:

 

The prices of the beverage packages with the exception of the Wine & Dine Packages have the gratuity included in the price. In reviewing your inquiry, we can confirm that the prices listed in Cruise Planner for the beverages packages are incorrect. We kindly advise you to please check back next week as the prices are being reviewed and corrected. Please be advised that prices are subject to change at any time.

[slyster]

I called Royal Caribbean and the customer service rep confirmed it's $55 a day. He said I could pay for it on the phone. They are going to escalate it because the prices I'm seeing don't make sense as the total price is coming to $56.35 a day. I asked if he was aware of any changes and he said no.

 

Anyway, if someone wants to purchase a package they can call to do it

[slyster]

Response from RCI:

 

The prices of the beverage packages with the exception of the Wine & Dine Packages have the gratuity included in the price. In reviewing your inquiry, we can confirm that the prices listed in Cruise Planner for the beverages packages are incorrect. We kindly advise you to please check back next week as the prices are being reviewed and corrected. Please be advised that prices are subject to change at any time.

 

Oops! I must have been typing at the same time. Glad you got confirmation too.

[CP3o]

I called Royal Caribbean and the customer service rep confirmed it's $55 a day. He said I could pay for it on the phone. They are going to escalate it because the prices I'm seeing don't make sense as the total price is coming to $56.35 a day. I asked if he was aware of any changes and he said no.

 

Anyway, if someone wants to purchase a package they can call to do it

 

Call, get on hold, to avoid 1.35/day that likely earns waitstaff a tad more? I can't imagine this is worth "escalating" but, sure, until paperwork can be changed to show new price and that 15% gratuity, a work around of calling and getting the old price is available for those that care about it. I have a feeling none of those who tip extra care about 1.35 per day.

 

The difference is interesting, but not really unexplainable. 49*1.15=56.35

[slyster]

interesting you say that...I was on hold for the shortest time in the longest time! Maybe 30 seconds after I go through the prompts LOL! That's the shortest hold I have experiencedin quite a while! LOL! I guess I got lucky.

 

And yes, I do care when there are discrepancies in the price. I can purchase it (premium) on the phone for $770 (two people) or online for $788.90. Guess which one I'm going to choose. I am someone who would tip extra too.

 

The rep couldn't explain the pricing either. But now that i'm reading other threads/posts on this it does seem as though they are working on it.

Edited August 22, 2014 by slyster

[MLB1828]

interesting you say that...I was on hold for the shortest time in the longest time! Maybe 30 seconds after I go through the prompts LOL! That's the shortest hold I have experiencedin quite a while! LOL! I guess I got lucky.

 

And yes, I do care when there are discrepancies in the price. I can purchase it (premium) on the phone for $770 (two people) or online for $788.90. Guess which one I'm going to choose. I am someone who would tip extra too.

 

The rep couldn't explain the pricing either. But now that i'm reading other threads/posts on this it does seem as though they are working on it.

 

Thanks for that information. I was looking at getting that package, but then the price jumped online. Looks like I'll be calling to order it.

[MLB1828]

On hold now with RCI. Not surprisingly I've gotten two different answers. The first guy told me that the Premium package was $55 per day, grat included. The woman in the actual "add something to your reservation" department is telling me its $49 + 15% per day. She is currently calling the resolutions department to figure out what the heck is going on (theoretically, because that assumes they can figure it out) ;)

[CP3o]

On hold now with RCI. Not surprisingly I've gotten two different answers. The first guy told me that the Premium package was $55 per day, grat included. The woman in the actual "add something to your reservation" department is telling me its $49 + 15% per day. She is currently calling the resolutions department to figure out what the heck is going on (theoretically, because that assumes they can figure it out) ;)

 

I'll never get it, worrying about an extra 1.35 a day that goes into TIPS while spending thousands on a cruise. I take it the Ultimate package price went down with new 15% calculation and no one minds that one!

[MLB1828]

I'll never get it, worrying about an extra 1.35 a day that goes into TIPS while spending thousands on a cruise. I take it the Ultimate package price went down with new 15% calculation and no one minds that one!

 

If RCI told me that the current online prices were correct, I'd have no problem paying that. But the consensus both on here and with the RCI reps seems to be that it is not the case.