I think this is my last RCI cruise

[endorphin8]

Don't get disheartened and give up on Royal. The drink prices are totally ridiculous all over the cruise lines, with NCL taking the lead. I have noticed that MSC has the cheapest/most affordable drink prices. I didn't much care for MSC, but I have to give the devil their due where deserved.

 

Not really true. I just did Carnival Vista, Breeze, and Regal Princess this last year. I was surprised to find pre-ordering water delivered to room was very inexpensive. I ordered I believe 12 or 24 pack of water for around $3-4/case so I ordered a case for each stateroom in our group. Royal Caribbean pre-ordering in Cruise Planner just checked and is $39 for 12 one litter bottles, and $69 for 24 case!!! Really Royal???? And now charging $7.95 for Room Service and just increased price of Escape of the Rubicon from Complimentary, to $8.99, and now January 2018 price is $19.99. Bad business RCI!!! You would probably only make $8-16 off us for room service, but because of business practices of overcharging onboard you will lose thousands from my not booking groups on Royal anymore, and I think others will fill the same as me. I don't mind paying a fair price for cruise fare, but don't nickel and dime passengers onboard, and then try and justify it by reservation agent saying, "other cruiselines are also charging fees". Something so little as cheap water delivered to stateroom like Carnival and Princess is a small thing but was such as welcomed and nice convenience to have that not only did I pay for it, I did so gladly and I will be much more loyal to them. I was done cruising on Carnival old ships but they are reinventing themselves with new ships that are beautiful like Royal..... but without the ridiculous fees. $39 & $69 for water delivered to Stateroom, $7.95 Room Service, $20 Escape the Rubicon, crazy high prices for activities on Royal's private beach. Get a clue Royal!!! Do you really want to lose thousands from lost business, just to make $100-200/passenger in onboard upselling revenue?

[ONECRUISER]

Not really true. I just did Carnival Vista, Breeze, and Regal Princess this last year. I was surprised to find pre-ordering water delivered to room was very inexpensive. I ordered I believe 12 or 24 pack of water for around $3-4/case so I ordered a case for each stateroom in our group. Royal Caribbean pre-ordering in Cruise Planner just checked and is $39 for 12 one litter bottles, and $69 for 24 case!!! Really Royal???? And now charging $7.95 for Room Service and just increased price of Escape of the Rubicon from Complimentary, to $8.99, and now January 2018 price is $19.99. Bad business RCI!!! You would probably only make $8-16 off us for room service, but because of business practices of overcharging onboard you will lose thousands from my not booking groups on Royal anymore, and I think others will fill the same as me. I don't mind paying a fair price for cruise fare, but don't nickel and dime passengers onboard, and then try and justify it by reservation agent saying, "other cruiselines are also charging fees". Something so little as cheap water delivered to stateroom like Carnival and Princess is a small thing but was such as welcomed and nice convenience to have that not only did I pay for it, I did so gladly and I will be much more loyal to them. I was done cruising on Carnival old ships but they are reinventing themselves with new ships that are beautiful like Royal..... but without the ridiculous fees. $39 & $69 for water delivered to Stateroom, $7.95 Room Service, $20 Escape the Rubicon, crazy high prices for activities on Royal's private beach. Get a clue Royal!!! Do you really want to lose thousands from lost business, just to make $100-200/passenger in onboard upselling revenue?

Royal ships sail at average about 104% capacity, have been for quite a while. They are having no problem filling the ships sailing full every week.

[Merion_Mom]

Not really true. I just did Carnival Vista, Breeze, and Regal Princess this last year. I was surprised to find pre-ordering water delivered to room was very inexpensive. I ordered I believe 12 or 24 pack of water for around $3-4/case so I ordered a case for each stateroom in our group. Royal Caribbean pre-ordering in Cruise Planner just checked and is $39 for 12 one litter bottles, and $69 for 24 case!!! Really Royal???? And now charging $7.95 for Room Service and just increased price of Escape of the Rubicon from Complimentary, to $8.99, and now January 2018 price is $19.99. Bad business RCI!!! You would probably only make $8-16 off us for room service, but because of business practices of overcharging onboard you will lose thousands from my not booking groups on Royal anymore, and I think others will fill the same as me. I don't mind paying a fair price for cruise fare, but don't nickel and dime passengers onboard, and then try and justify it by reservation agent saying, "other cruiselines are also charging fees". Something so little as cheap water delivered to stateroom like Carnival and Princess is a small thing but was such as welcomed and nice convenience to have that not only did I pay for it, I did so gladly and I will be much more loyal to them. I was done cruising on Carnival old ships but they are reinventing themselves with new ships that are beautiful like Royal..... but without the ridiculous fees. $39 & $69 for water delivered to Stateroom, $7.95 Room Service, $20 Escape the Rubicon, crazy high prices for activities on Royal's private beach. Get a clue Royal!!! Do you really want to lose thousands from lost business, just to make $100-200/passenger in onboard upselling revenue?

 

 

 

The price of water seems to be a real sticking point for you.

 

Don't buy it. I don't. I take a couple of empty bottles and refill from their highly filtered free water supply.

 

 

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[123funcruiser]

Not really true. I just did Carnival Vista, Breeze, and Regal Princess this last year. I was surprised to find pre-ordering water delivered to room was very inexpensive. I ordered I believe 12 or 24 pack of water for around $3-4/case so I ordered a case for each stateroom in our group. Royal Caribbean pre-ordering in Cruise Planner just checked and is $39 for 12 one litter bottles, and $69 for 24 case!!! Really Royal???? And now charging $7.95 for Room Service and just increased price of Escape of the Rubicon from Complimentary, to $8.99, and now January 2018 price is $19.99. Bad business RCI!!! You would probably only make $8-16 off us for room service, but because of business practices of overcharging onboard you will lose thousands from my not booking groups on Royal anymore, and I think others will fill the same as me. I don't mind paying a fair price for cruise fare, but don't nickel and dime passengers onboard, and then try and justify it by reservation agent saying, "other cruiselines are also charging fees". Something so little as cheap water delivered to stateroom like Carnival and Princess is a small thing but was such as welcomed and nice convenience to have that not only did I pay for it, I did so gladly and I will be much more loyal to them. I was done cruising on Carnival old ships but they are reinventing themselves with new ships that are beautiful like Royal..... but without the ridiculous fees. $39 & $69 for water delivered to Stateroom, $7.95 Room Service, $20 Escape the Rubicon, crazy high prices for activities on Royal's private beach. Get a clue Royal!!! Do you really want to lose thousands from lost business, just to make $100-200/passenger in onboard upselling revenue?

 

While I sorta agree on the water, as it´s nice to get some low priced bottles deliverd, it´s not a deal breaker for me and yes I do get along just fine with the tap water on Royal.

 

It´s not Royal who needs to get a clue. You need to get a clue here.

 

Royal will only lose thousands from lost business if they don´t manage to fill those cabins, which they usually do. But even if they would not fill those cabins they would not lose those thousands you are talking about, as they don´t need to provide a service and as such reduce their cost as well, but let´s still assume it´s thousands as some of their fixed costs would still be there.

 

 

Now you are talking about $100-200/passenger in return to your "thousands".

 

RCI had 5,755,000 passengers in 2016.

 

 

Using your figures we are talking a gain for them of 575,500,000 to 1,151,000,000 for your lost thousands.

 

I would be much more conservative in my calculation and put it down to an average of $10 per passenger over all passengers, knowing the truth will probably somewhere in the middle of it.

 

 

At $10 per passenger they would make 57,500,000 extra for your quoted loss of thousands.

 

 

I think RCI got the clue.

[mugtech]

That was a bit harsh. I think he was looking for feedback and probably does not have as much sticker shock after the details from the other posters.

Yes, I also read it as a cry for help.

[Big_G]

I was done cruising on Carnival old ships but they are reinventing themselves with new ships that are beautiful like Royal..... but without the ridiculous fees.

 

Wait until they have to pay for those new ships. That said, I'll give Carnival props for their water program but don't think for an instance it was solely for the benefit of the customer. They were being deluged with cases of water being brought on the ships. This solved two problems, stopping the influx and increasing revenue.

 

 

 

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[Ocean Boy]

What is this fascination with water? RCI provides canisters of ice cold water at many locations around the ship. It tastes just fine and it is included in the cruise fare. If people choose to spend money on something that RCI is also providing free of charge does that makes the company the bad guys or does that say something about the people spending the money and then complaining about the cost?

[endorphin8]

While I sorta agree on the water, as it´s nice to get some low priced bottles deliverd, it´s not a deal breaker for me and yes I do get along just fine with the tap water on Royal.

 

It´s not Royal who needs to get a clue. You need to get a clue here.

 

Royal will only lose thousands from lost business if they don´t manage to fill those cabins, which they usually do. But even if they would not fill those cabins they would not lose those thousands you are talking about, as they don´t need to provide a service and as such reduce their cost as well, but let´s still assume it´s thousands as some of their fixed costs would still be there.

 

Now you are talking about $100-200/passenger in return to your "thousands".

 

RCI had 5,755,000 passengers in 2016.

 

 

Using your figures we are talking a gain for them of 575,500,000 to 1,151,000,000 for your lost thousands.

 

I would be much more conservative in my calculation and put it down to an average of $10 per passenger over all passengers, knowing the truth will probably somewhere in the middle of it.

 

 

At $10 per passenger they would make 57,500,000 extra for your quoted loss of thousands.

 

I think RCI got the clue.

 

- Let me clarify, the "Loss of Thousands", referring to formerly loyal customers and their groups leaving Royal. I cannot speak for others, and it's not about just new room service fees or going from complimentary to $8.99 to $19.99 for Escape of the Rubicon. For me in booking groups, it's about feeling nickel and dimed once onboard. I will gladly pay more in cruise fare for Royal than some other cruiselines. RCI agents saying we are following what other cruiselines are also doing and everyone is doing it, doesn't cause me to consider RCI as a leader of the industry. For me their increasingly onboard upcharges makes me recognize the overall cost of cruising and for the first time ever I am considering booking groups to go to an all-inclusive resort rather than cruising.

The positive income they gain from the cruise fare of one passenger, and other money they spend onboard for drinks, casino, and services, is far greater and not worth losing a passenger or group over the potential to gain $10 or more per person in new and increased onboard, upsell add on fees. If Royal is filling their ships to capacity they have nothing to worry about, right? But if once loyal passengers are tired of the Royal's over charges for onboard activities and chose to no longer sail on RCI, then they do lose that income of $1000's from that family, that subsequently brings other family, friends, and work groups onboard taking the larger and repeat revenue elsewhere. Many once thriving businesses who have lost focus of their customers, and especially their repeat customers, have had declines and many have even gone out of business because of it. Don't get me wrong, I love RCI ships, and I cannot speak for others, but I know I made decision to not book a large group on Symphony for January 2019, and possibly future cruises because of their "upsell" fees. If you don't mind paying a bunch of fees for more and more activities once onboard then maybe their moving toward ala carte pricing is great option for you. The market will dictate what customers are willing to pay and if they are like me in tired of ala carte pricing versus the all-inclusive concept. Years ago NCL was on the brink of bankrupcy and travel agents were very hesitant to book on NCL for a few years right before "Freestyle Cruising" was launched by NCL. They reinvented themselves and now they have great new ships and wonderful options. I have not been on NCL for years, but I am impressed they realized they must change and did it in time. Now I am not saying RCI will go bankrupt as I would be very surpised if they are not very profitable, but I know as a customer I am willing to pay more upfront for the overall experience. I have much higher status on Carnival as it's easy to book large groups for less expensive but a few years ago I would still have preferred to take groups on Royal and other cruiselines. Carnival has also recently reinvented their ships with new "complimentary" activities on the Breeze and Vista. I have been on both the last year and they are amazing new and beautiful ships, and they have really done it right. And yes, they do charge for a few things like the 4D and movie theater but are reasonable and moderately priced.

 

So, this is not to say you should or should not agree, but I for one agree with what others have been saying about feeling more Nickel and Dimed on RCI and price increases and previously complimentary services now charging a fee for shows they are going more in that direction so we will hold off booking future cruises on RCI at least for now.

[endorphin8]

What is this fascination with water? RCI provides canisters of ice cold water at many locations around the ship. It tastes just fine and it is included in the cruise fare. If people choose to spend money on something that RCI is also providing free of charge does that makes the company the bad guys or does that say something about the people spending the money and then complaining about the cost?

 

You are missing the point. It is not about the water at all! It is about providing the customer with a convenience, and at a reasonable or far less than reasonable price, and not making them feel that the company is trying to squeeze every penny out of them as possible. Yes, one could carry bottle water and soda onboard Carnival if they wanted to and I rarely have, but it is so nice to not have to and still have it for a very modest price. I am hearing they no longer can carry soda or water on Royal without people trying to sneak it in their luggage. I don't mind paying a moderate fee for a convenience. Honestly, I don't even care that much about bottled water in my room. It's just an example of Royal charging excessive fees, like $20 for Escape the Rubicon. Does it really cost that much more than their employees staffing the zipline, flowrider, and other activities? Flowrider operations cost of power and upkeep, I could understand a fee for that. IThe water and soda is just an example of the principle behind their rules of not allowing it onboard, and then charging a ridiculous fee since they have a monopoly and can charge whatever they want. I don't drink alcohol but understand it is also to limit people from sneaking alcohol onboard. So charge a minimal fee and provide it as a service, rather than a way to squeeze more revenue from the guest. If a company overcharges, I don't buy, but if they charge a fair price, then I like others then they gain revenue from me and gladly. I am willing to pay a modest fee as mentioned, but $39 or $69 for a 12 or 24 case of water? Really? $20 to experience Escape the Rubicon? For even $8.99 I might do it on each cruise with new guests traveling with us. For $20, we probably won't even try it the first time. We will see if they continue to keep the price at $20. I will be very surprised if they do not receive some backlash from it. And as far as room service now for $7.95. It probably will not get me to order room service more or less than I otherwise would as I do like they are at least trying to initially offer a better menu to justify the fee, but again its the feeling that RCI is more concerned about making "upsell' revenue than making money at reasonable prices that customers will gladly pay for the convenience and possibly even do more than they previously would have spend, which was the point of the bottle water example. I have never bought water for stateroom on 60+ cruises, and I purchased several cases. True Carnival probably did it near or slightly above cost, versus Royal making ($39 less maybe $12/case cost) $29(?) additional revenue, but is it worth customer feeling overcharged and no longer valuing or thinking about the overall value vs price paid. We spend thousands at Disney and we do it willingly without thinking about it, because of the experience. It's when customers recognize how much most RCI is costing once onboard versus other ships and resort options that they will consider no rebooking future cruises. I am not cancelling our upcoming trip on RCI, but will now consider different vacation options I had originally thought of rebooking on RCI. It is interesting to read the different strong opinions on both sides of the argument on this site of predominately regulars like myself.

[rukkian]

You are missing the point. It is not about the water at all! It is about providing the customer with a convenience, and at a reasonable or far less than reasonable price, and not making them feel that the company is trying to squeeze every penny out of them as possible. Yes, one could carry bottle water and soda onboard Carnival if they wanted to and I rarely have, but it is so nice to not have to and still have it for a very modest price. I am hearing they no longer can carry soda or water on Royal without people trying to sneak it in their luggage. I don't mind paying a moderate fee for a convenience. Honestly, I don't even care that much about bottled water in my room. It's just an example of Royal charging excessive fees, like $20 for Escape the Rubicon. Does it really cost that much more than their employees staffing the zipline, flowrider, and other activities? Flowrider operations cost of power and upkeep, I could understand a fee for that. IThe water and soda is just an example of the principle behind their rules of not allowing it onboard, and then charging a ridiculous fee since they have a monopoly and can charge whatever they want. I don't drink alcohol but understand it is also to limit people from sneaking alcohol onboard. So charge a minimal fee and provide it as a service, rather than a way to squeeze more revenue from the guest. If a company overcharges, I don't buy, but if they charge a fair price, then I like others then they gain revenue from me and gladly. I am willing to pay a modest fee as mentioned, but $39 or $69 for a 12 or 24 case of water? Really? $20 to experience Escape the Rubicon? For even $8.99 I might do it on each cruise with new guests traveling with us. For $20, we probably won't even try it the first time. We will see if they continue to keep the price at $20. I will be very surprised if they do not receive some backlash from it. And as far as room service now for $7.95. It probably will not get me to order room service more or less than I otherwise would as I do like they are at least trying to initially offer a better menu to justify the fee, but again its the feeling that RCI is more concerned about making "upsell' revenue than making money at reasonable prices that customers will gladly pay for the convenience and possibly even do more than they previously would have spend, which was the point of the bottle water example. I have never bought water for stateroom on 60+ cruises, and I purchased several cases. True Carnival probably did it near or slightly above cost, versus Royal making ($39 less maybe $12/case cost) $29(?) additional revenue, but is it worth customer feeling overcharged and no longer valuing or thinking about the overall value vs price paid. We spend thousands at Disney and we do it willingly without thinking about it, because of the experience. It's when customers recognize how much most RCI is costing once onboard versus other ships and resort options that they will consider no rebooking future cruises. I am not cancelling our upcoming trip on RCI, but will now consider different vacation options I had originally thought of rebooking on RCI. It is interesting to read the different strong opinions on both sides of the argument on this site of predominately regulars like myself.

 

You have your choice, and if you want to leave over a few charges go for it. I go into a vacation (cruise, land based, whatever) looking at the total cost. I would much rather keep the cruise fare lower and let me choose what I want to do onboard, and whether to pay for it.

 

The escape room you keep mentioning, it way different than most of those other venues in that a very small subset of cruisers can even do it. Basically between resetting the room, hosting the room (need somebody there if a party gets stuck), doing the orientation, it is basically what 12 people every 2 hours? That is not many in the grand scheme of things. Land based ones are usually way more than that without discounts, and they have the advantage of having several different rooms, all staggered starting, and working together. With the changing prices, it will ensure that people that sign up actually want to do it instead of just signing up and not showing up cause something else came along.

 

As for things like room service, that is fine with me, if they do not charge for it, then they do have to raise the cost of the cruise for everybody to allow those that want room service to get it for "free". It costs money to provide that service, and passing it to those that use it makes more sense.

 

I get that some want an all-inclusive vacation, and there are options for that, but you are either going to get much less entertainment options, or pay allot more than the cruise price they currently charge. Both can be accomplished with other options. If that is your choice, then obviously RCI is probably not for you. You should probably look at one of the more upscale cruise lines. You could also book a disney cruise, as I think more is included, but again the cost is way more than RCI in pretty much every single sailing.

 

One suggestion for posts (for which you can take or ignore), break your posts into paragraphs. It is much easier to read than a large wall of text.

[123funcruiser]

- Let me clarify, the "Loss of Thousands", referring to formerly loyal customers and their groups leaving Royal. I cannot speak for others, and it's not about just new room service fees or going from complimentary to $8.99 to $19.99 for Escape of the Rubicon. For me in booking groups, it's about feeling nickel and dimed once onboard. I will gladly pay more in cruise fare for Royal than some other cruiselines. RCI agents saying we are following what other cruiselines are also doing and everyone is doing it, doesn't cause me to consider RCI as a leader of the industry. For me their increasingly onboard upcharges makes me recognize the overall cost of cruising and for the first time ever I am considering booking groups to go to an all-inclusive resort rather than cruising.

The positive income they gain from the cruise fare of one passenger, and other money they spend onboard for drinks, casino, and services, is far greater and not worth losing a passenger or group over the potential to gain $10 or more per person in new and increased onboard, upsell add on fees. If Royal is filling their ships to capacity they have nothing to worry about, right? But if once loyal passengers are tired of the Royal's over charges for onboard activities and chose to no longer sail on RCI, then they do lose that income of $1000's from that family, that subsequently brings other family, friends, and work groups onboard taking the larger and repeat revenue elsewhere. Many once thriving businesses who have lost focus of their customers, and especially their repeat customers, have had declines and many have even gone out of business because of it. Don't get me wrong, I love RCI ships, and I cannot speak for others, but I know I made decision to not book a large group on Symphony for January 2019, and possibly future cruises because of their "upsell" fees. If you don't mind paying a bunch of fees for more and more activities once onboard then maybe their moving toward ala carte pricing is great option for you. The market will dictate what customers are willing to pay and if they are like me in tired of ala carte pricing versus the all-inclusive concept. Years ago NCL was on the brink of bankrupcy and travel agents were very hesitant to book on NCL for a few years right before "Freestyle Cruising" was launched by NCL. They reinvented themselves and now they have great new ships and wonderful options. I have not been on NCL for years, but I am impressed they realized they must change and did it in time. Now I am not saying RCI will go bankrupt as I would be very surpised if they are not very profitable, but I know as a customer I am willing to pay more upfront for the overall experience. I have much higher status on Carnival as it's easy to book large groups for less expensive but a few years ago I would still have preferred to take groups on Royal and other cruiselines. Carnival has also recently reinvented their ships with new "complimentary" activities on the Breeze and Vista. I have been on both the last year and they are amazing new and beautiful ships, and they have really done it right. And yes, they do charge for a few things like the 4D and movie theater but are reasonable and moderately priced.

 

So, this is not to say you should or should not agree, but I for one agree with what others have been saying about feeling more Nickel and Dimed on RCI and price increases and previously complimentary services now charging a fee for shows they are going more in that direction so we will hold off booking future cruises on RCI at least for now.

 

Well don´t get me wrong, I´m not trying to convince you of anything. If you feel that way I would strongly encourage you to venture out and seek other kinds of vacation, be it other cruiselines or landbased vacations like AI resorts or others.

Don´t buy a product you are not happy with, even if it´s just parts of the product that changed and you don´t like anymore.

 

I just tried to point out your math doesn´t add up and it still doesn´t but I guess we have to agree to disagree on that one. I doubt your "consumer power" is that big right now, even if you are responsible for a big travel budget of groups.

 

 

I agree on your point that any business needs to not lose the feeling for their customer base. I just disagree this is happening with RCI right now. It´s more like they seem to be reinventing themselves right now and they are trying various stuff and look for their customers reactions. One example for this would be the ad nauseam discussed Dynamic Dining which they tried and threw out the window again.

 

 

What you Nickle and Dime, I call a la carte cruising and I´m quite happy to see it. I rather have lower cruise fares and pay extra for stuff I want, but not subsidize other stuff I don´t need, so others can have it included. Fortunately there´s products for all our needs out there and you will find other lines offering more AI like cruises.

 

 

BTW, I´ve said it before, I do think RCI is not too sorry about losing some of their very long time cruisers (high ranking C&A members). I know many will feel attacked by this, but it´s not bashing anyone in person and I belong to this group myself. Anyway I do believe the long time cruisers are way more demanding and at the same time those who tend to spend less onboard than the newbie.

 

I´ve just returned from a 2 week cruise and I had a $400 OBC, at the end of the cruise I had my gratuities paid of from this, made a purchase in the shop onboard, a couple excursions and I still got some money refunded to my credit card. This is just to tell you where I come from and I´m not saying nobody spends so little, but some are.

[GSOTall1]

It's just an example of Royal charging excessive fees, like $20 for Escape the Rubicon.

 

This is because people would reserve the event and not show up. The event probably works best with 12 people. If 12 people book but only 3 show up, nobody has fun. Plus, the people that wanted to reserve can't because of the people reserving the space before them. You cant have a wait list on an escape room. Once the doors are shut, you cant join midway.

[Merion_Mom]

This is because people would reserve the event and not show up. The event probably works best with 12 people. If 12 people book but only 3 show up, nobody has fun. Plus, the people that wanted to reserve can't because of the people reserving the space before them. You cant have a wait list on an escape room. Once the doors are shut, you cant join midway.

 

But if you do not have a reservation, you can go to the Room and wait and see if everyone shows up. If not, you're in! Standby works well. (or it has been working well, before fees ;) )

[rukkian]

But if you do not have a reservation, you can go to the Room and wait and see if everyone shows up. If not, you're in! Standby works well. (or it has been working well, before fees ;) )

 

With a 2 hour turnaround, and only like 12 people able to go in, I can't see many standing there waiting for stand by, but I could be wrong. I would rather pay some money than have to stand in line all day hoping to get in.

[SSKJ572]

Entertainment did not exist on Fathom and HAL's is not very good. My priorities are reasonable drink prices and food that is included without extra charges for specialty restaurants or room service. Royal used to have per drink prices comparable to other lines. Thank you for putting it in perspective. Glad there are a variety of options out there. Royal just does not fit what my priorities are anymore.

 

 

We have cruise HAL, RC, and Carnival and agree it has to do with what is important to you! It seems as though people are taking it personally. We didn't enjoy Carnival and would never book again. We liked a lot about RC. But there were far too many children and we like a smaller ship, so it's HAL for us. That being said, if they start charging for room service we'll book on other line. That's a big deal to us!

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

With a 2 hour turnaround, and only like 12 people able to go in, I can't see many standing there waiting for stand by, but I could be wrong. I would rather pay some money than have to stand in line all day hoping to get in.

 

Not all day. The schedule is posted outside the door. Just go up 20 minutes before a scheduled time.

[1jazzylady]

I think NCL drink package is $89 per day.

 

 

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[rukkian]

Not all day. The schedule is posted outside the door. Just go up 20 minutes before a scheduled time.

I am still not walking across the ship every two hours hoping my family of four will get in.

 

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[Merion_Mom]

I am still not walking across the ship every two hours hoping my family of four will get in.

 

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Your call, of course.

 

I was just conveying that this was not my experience. I got in on my first attempt - on both ships.

 

 

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[ledger35]

Oh, and let’s not forget that RCCL is still the best voted cruise line for what 13 years now?

 

 

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[grapau27]

Oh, and let’s not forget that RCCL is still the best voted cruise line for what 13 years now?

 

 

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They are always my first choice.

[ledger35]

They are always my first choice.

 

 

 

As is mine as well.

 

 

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[breezy270]

- Let me clarify, the "Loss of Thousands", referring to formerly loyal customers and their groups leaving Royal. I cannot speak for others, and it's not about just new room service fees or going from complimentary to $8.99 to $19.99 for Escape of the Rubicon. For me in booking groups, it's about feeling nickel and dimed once onboard. I will gladly pay more in cruise fare for Royal than some other cruiselines. RCI agents saying we are following what other cruiselines are also doing and everyone is doing it, doesn't cause me to consider RCI as a leader of the industry. For me their increasingly onboard upcharges makes me recognize the overall cost of cruising and for the first time ever I am considering booking groups to go to an all-inclusive resort rather than cruising.

 

The positive income they gain from the cruise fare of one passenger, and other money they spend onboard for drinks, casino, and services, is far greater and not worth losing a passenger or group over the potential to gain $10 or more per person in new and increased onboard, upsell add on fees. If Royal is filling their ships to capacity they have nothing to worry about, right? But if once loyal passengers are tired of the Royal's over charges for onboard activities and chose to no longer sail on RCI, then they do lose that income of $1000's from that family, that subsequently brings other family, friends, and work groups onboard taking the larger and repeat revenue elsewhere. Many once thriving businesses who have lost focus of their customers, and especially their repeat customers, have had declines and many have even gone out of business because of it. Don't get me wrong, I love RCI ships, and I cannot speak for others, but I know I made decision to not book a large group on Symphony for January 2019, and possibly future cruises because of their "upsell" fees. If you don't mind paying a bunch of fees for more and more activities once onboard then maybe their moving toward ala carte pricing is great option for you. The market will dictate what customers are willing to pay and if they are like me in tired of ala carte pricing versus the all-inclusive concept. Years ago NCL was on the brink of bankrupcy and travel agents were very hesitant to book on NCL for a few years right before "Freestyle Cruising" was launched by NCL. They reinvented themselves and now they have great new ships and wonderful options. I have not been on NCL for years, but I am impressed they realized they must change and did it in time. Now I am not saying RCI will go bankrupt as I would be very surpised if they are not very profitable, but I know as a customer I am willing to pay more upfront for the overall experience. I have much higher status on Carnival as it's easy to book large groups for less expensive but a few years ago I would still have preferred to take groups on Royal and other cruiselines. Carnival has also recently reinvented their ships with new "complimentary" activities on the Breeze and Vista. I have been on both the last year and they are amazing new and beautiful ships, and they have really done it right. And yes, they do charge for a few things like the 4D and movie theater but are reasonable and moderately priced.

 

 

 

So, this is not to say you should or should not agree, but I for one agree with what others have been saying about feeling more Nickel and Dimed on RCI and price increases and previously complimentary services now charging a fee for shows they are going more in that direction so we will hold off booking future cruises on RCI at least for now.

 

 

 

I'm sorry but Carnival barely offers any activities on board ... one peddling sky ride and a 3D theater hardly compares to all the options RCI offers... for carnival they have one ship that has these features breeze has the theater... the shows are so cheaply produced it's hard to sit through them...RCI offers broadway style shows ... it's like comparing apples and oranges here... Carnival is not even close to offering the same quality cruise experience IMHO .... carnival has no escape room so at least the option even if it costs money is available if you choose RCI ...and is still cheaper than paying to go to an escape room on land.... and RCI still offers plenty of free things like zip lining ... rock climbing ...ice skating.... bumper cars...

 

 

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[mcrcruiser]

The only problem we ever had with RCCL is that they don't have a ship servicing the California market from the San Pedro (near to Los Angeles) Cruise or Terminal nor the San Diego Cruise Terminal .

 

Other than that we enjoy our cruise with Royal Caribbean ,albeit less because we must fly to board one of their ships .

 

We have slowed down flying because it is a real hassle these days & have now done cruises locally on other lines

[endorphin8]

This is because people would reserve the event and not show up. The event probably works best with 12 people. If 12 people book but only 3 show up, nobody has fun. Plus, the people that wanted to reserve can't because of the people reserving the space before them. You cant have a wait list on an escape room. Once the doors are shut, you cant join midway.

 

And increasing the charge from $8.99 to $19.99 will make a big difference if people show up or not? I agree "Free" is easy not to show up, but I think most who are interested enough to pay $8.99 would still show up and the few who would no show could easily be substituted with a small standby line as I am sure there would be many who did not sign up wanting to get in with standby line just like they do on the entertainment shows but through the Rubicon operating hours. The truth is Royal is simply testing how much they can jack up the price of activities. I would be very surprised if this price does not drop back down in 12 months as it is really a one and done activity that repeat cruisers once they have done it a large majority are not willing to pay $19.99 to do it a second time and may first time RCI cruisers would easily be willing to pay $8.99 but less would pay the higher price. Will be fun to see how long the $19.99 last for. I give it 12 months.