Royal testing to bring back same drink package for all

[Ocean Dancer]

Plot twist! What if the adult in your stateroom who doesn't want the alcohol package doesn't drink for religious reasons????? Interesting!

On Carnival, everyone over 21 in the cabin MUST buy the package even if the wife is pregnant.........no exceptions.

[reallyitsmema]

Plot twist! What if the adult in your stateroom who doesn't want the alcohol package doesn't drink for religious reasons????? Interesting!

 

When they required both passengers to buy the package in the past, they did make exceptions for pregnancy and religion.

[Beachdude]

People are always going to find ways to go around the system. People split Crown and Anchor members between multiple cabins to share balcony discounts with those that are not eligible yet, people put one parent in each cabin with a child to get away with booking cabins that don't meet the proximity guidelines and people are going to do the same with the new alcohol package requirements.

 

People will always be clever, but the system has to be there first. RCI added this new rule, not the people.

 

My wife says it's working for Carnival, so she wasn't surprised with RCI jumping on board. RCI won't be the last either.

 

The irony is that 10 years from now one line will stop selling drink packages as a new idea to make more money off single drinks and it will be all the rave with the other lines.:rolleyes:

 

Burt

[kknorr0320]

The next step would be to limit the number of drinks like Carnival does.

 

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[Goodtime Cruizin]

People are always going to find ways to go around the system. People split Crown and Anchor members between multiple cabins to share balcony discounts with those that are not eligible yet, people put one parent in each cabin with a child to get away with booking cabins that don't meet the proximity guidelines and people are going to do the same with the new alcohol package requirements.

 

Shhh! Don't rain on the pity party over RCL's excuse to make changes based on sharing. ;)

[Beachdude]

The next step would be to limit the number of drinks like Carnival does.

 

 

Genius!

 

I need to invent something for folks to sneak booze on board in their luggage. Oh Wait!

 

Burt

[Ocean Dancer]

People will always be clever, but the system has to be there first. RCI added this new rule, not the people.

 

My wife says it's working for Carnival, so she wasn't surprised with RCI jumping on board. RCI won't be the last either.

 

The irony is that 10 years from now one line will stop selling drink packages as a new idea to make more money off single drinks and it will be all the rave with the other lines.:rolleyes:

 

Burt

I do not think claiming to be pregnant or not drinking for religious reasons will work now as anyone, woman can claim they are pregnant, if in that age, and anyone can claim not drinking for religious reasons. might as well bring a support dog.:*

[sweetpee_1993]

When they required both passengers to buy the package in the past, they did make exceptions for pregnancy and religion.

 

Just got off the phone. Yep. I mentioned that tetotaller friend doesn't drink for religious reasons. No problems. No worries.

 

Also, looks like the price dropped. Last week the deluxe + VOOM was showing up at $488pp. I just paid $433.68pp x2.

[reallyitsmema]

People will always be clever, but the system has to be there first. RCI added this new rule, not the people.

 

My wife says it's working for Carnival, so she wasn't surprised with RCI jumping on board. RCI won't be the last either.

 

The irony is that 10 years from now one line will stop selling drink packages as a new idea to make more money off single drinks and it will be all the rave with the other lines.:rolleyes:

 

Burt

 

As long as they don't go the way of Norwegian and include a "free" drink package as one of the freebies that you can choose but then charge you over $100 in service charge for that "free" option. They also make everyone in the party get the "free" drink package, unfortunately. I am sailing NCL for the first time next Friday and had to take a drink package because the lushes in my party want one. We are going for my Mom's 80th, so really had no choice in the matter.;p:D

[reallyitsmema]

Just got off the phone. Yep. I mentioned that tetotaller friend doesn't drink for religious reasons. No problems. No worries.

 

Also, looks like the price dropped. Last week the deluxe + VOOM was showing up at $488pp. I just paid $433.68pp x2.

 

Excellent, I knew they made exceptions!:D

[pharaoh]

Just got off the phone. Yep. I mentioned that tetotaller friend doesn't drink for religious reasons. No problems. No worries.

 

Also, looks like the price dropped. Last week the deluxe + VOOM was showing up at $488pp. I just paid $433.68pp x2.

 

Great. Now you can stop tirelessly complaining. Enjoy your cruise!

[nealstuber]

How is listing a TBD person on a booking cheating the single supplement?:confused:

 

 

 

There are numerous threads where folks are advised to not call and cancel when they know one of their party is not coming. It is less costly to have the person be a no show. Nobody ever says "that's stealing" even though the amounts involved are higher and it creates more work for the shipboard personnel at sailing. It's just the general consensus that singles are getting raked to begin with so nobody seems to care that abuse of the no show policy (such a booking a John Doe) might someday result in its modification.

 

 

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[seabeew]

The sharing can still happen - across cabins instead of within a cabin.

 

 

 

Last year I did in depth research on an MSC cruise. They required passengers with linked reservations to buy the same level drink package. They also offered two levels of drink packages for adults and children. If parents had, for example, the highest level drink package, they had to purchase the highest level package for their children.

 

On the other hand, MSC had low individual drink prices and offered drink vouchers in advance and onboard at around $4-$5 per drink.

 

(For the record, we didn't sail with them, but it had nothing to do with their drink politics and prices.)

 

 

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[sweetpee_1993]

Great. Now you can stop tirelessly complaining. Enjoy your cruise!

 

:*

 

 

I *DO* still empathize with others who have existing bookings on these "test" sailings prior to the policy change implementation that are negatively impacted. I know those who had previously bought the packages were grandfathered. But what about those who hadn't? Like me. I had budgeted to buy my package next payday. Had a budget and a plan. I get that businesses can make whatever policies they wish to benefit themselves. That's business. It becomes a bit of a shady business practice when the implementation of a new policy that potentially has a direct negative impact is applied to EXISTING bookings. Changing the policy isn't the issue. Applying the policy change to existing bookings made prior to the implementation is :confused:(n). People making new bookings have the option of entering into an agreement with full knowledge of what they are signing up for.

 

Even if I wasn't on one of these "test" sailings I *would* still be interested to know what was happening to other cruisers. If it happens to someone else it could also happen to me. And, yes, I'd empathize with those people. I'd never shame them for being angry about it. If they wanted to vent I would either empathize or scroll past. Never know, it could be me on the receiving end of the crap deal someday. (As it has been this time.) :D

[HicksRA]

Great. Now you can stop tirelessly complaining. Enjoy your cruise!

 

No such luck......

[sweetpee_1993]

No such luck......

 

 

Heehee. Eventually. Perhaps. Maybe. It could happen. I have a lot of cooking to do this evening sooooooo......

[Ocean Dancer]

I hope you got it in writing about the drink package. We all know the knowledge of Royal's IT dept.

 

So folks...........all you need to do is call and tell them you don't drink for religious reasons and your problem is solved.

 

Let's see how long this policy lasts.:eek:

[time4u2go]

1) The room service charge was not "waived" a credit was issued

2) Robotic bars are monitored but just a Crew member sitting in chair making sure 13 year olds weren't getting drinks

3) Our WOW bands ALWAYS worked just a bigger pain removing if you weren't by the scanner. Which usually meant just showing and you got waived on

4) I They "monitored" my consumption I'd have been shut off and she didn't use my card once. Lol

5) Captain Johnny is the class of the fleet, he hand picked his crew and staff. He is not my "contact". My contact is way higher.

 

All reading this....if you want something to complain about write down the price of your sailing today and when your 57 days out price your sailing on the web and do it every day until 14 days out I GUARENTEE the price will drop more than 433 or 216.50x2 and you can do NOTHING about that!

What does Captain Johnny have to do with anything?

[Ocean Boy]

yup... just a new way to get profits later... still sharing.. prices will rise..

 

its the circle of life. break the rules... everyone pays for it... fine a new way to break the rules.. everyone will eventually pay again. etc etc etc

How about keep raising prices and people will look for a way around it when they no longer feel they are getting a good value for their dollar? RCI might have to start looking for the rum runners again.

[*Fudge*]

If alcohol drinks were a decent price then they wouldn't need drink packages. Or they might just do all inclusive pricing with the drinks package price hidden or sold as free like they do on some European sailings. We all know that you don't get anything for nothing

 

P.S. this might have already been said but I haven't read all the other pages.

[C2174]

 

All reading this....if you want something to complain about write down the price of your sailing today and when your 57 days out price your sailing on the web and do it every day until 14 days out I GUARENTEE the price will drop more than 433 or 216.50x2 and you can do NOTHING about that!

 

Wow... well this is not true... I happen to know that for the last 4 cruises I booked, that I booked about 8-14 months out, at the time periods you are saying, and the day we got on the ship the cost was considerably more for the equivalent or higher room category...

[kknorr0320]

Wow... well this is not true... I happen to know that for the last 4 cruises I booked, that I booked about 8-14 months out, at the time periods you are saying, and the day we got on the ship the cost was considerably more for the equivalent or higher room category...

The last 2 we were on were sold out by then. I wish they'd go down.

 

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[C2174]

And all of you that are going to pretend to be pregnant better brush up on the rules. There are very specific dates when a pregnant woman can/can not sail.

 

 

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[Ocean Dancer]

And all of you that are going to pretend to be pregnant better brush up on the rules. There are very specific dates when a pregnant woman can/can not sail.

 

 

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A woman can be newly pregnant. With Hipa laws, Royal can't ask her a thing. Now DH can enjoy his drink package.

[Biker19]

A woman can be newly pregnant. With Hipa laws, Royal can't ask her a thing.

Maybe not, but if one looks about 8-9 months pregnant, they could deny boarding.