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Chip... chip... industrious RCl

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Clarea

Clarea

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Just figured out what MB stood for. MB are also my initials.

 

Didnt Goldstein go to Celebrity?

Last I heard, Goldstein went to corporate, to take over from Fain at some point.

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nashirak

nashirak

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A lot of transportation industries are doing this. Most people only see the base fare for comparison (airfare, cruise price, etc). Many of the lines have had to reduce perks (like adding/increasing baggage fees and no free snacks on some airlines) and increase capacity/efficiency to keep ticket prices down. As fuel/oil/labor/etc costs increase, something has to give to keep apparent prices low.

 

 

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time4u2go

time4u2go

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Sorta. Royal Caribbean Cruise LTD is the mother company.

 

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity fall under Royal Caribbean Cruise LTD, Richard Fain Chairman and CEO.

 

MB was at Celebrity and improved their numbers and now doing the same at RCI.

 

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I know. I just find it interesting that someone would list all of the cutbacks being imposed by a company, yet continue to patronize that company.

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Laurin612

Laurin612

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The linked article didn’t specify. Just thinking if I had $64,000 to treat my family to a 1 week vacation, we sure wouldn’t spend it on a ship with 5500-6000 other passengers.

 

The suite does sound really neat, though! I can’t wait to see the first review with pictures.

 

There are some pics in this article. It also says that that suite is sold for Christmas 2018 to a family of six for $85K!!! :eek:

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2018/03/28/symphony-seas-ultimate-family-suite-debuts/465179002/

 

I don't know...to me it looks like Nickelodeon threw up in there! The decor is way too childish, bright and busy for my taste. I can think of a lot of better things to do with $64- $85K!

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Milwaukee Eight

Milwaukee Eight

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Posted
There are some pics in this article. It also says that that suite is sold for Christmas 2018 to a family of six for $85K!!! :eek:

 

 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2018/03/28/symphony-seas-ultimate-family-suite-debuts/465179002/

 

 

 

It also discusses Royals niche market, what type of cruisers they are attracting, families.

 

 

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cot427

cot427

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I found the article on BI to be particularly interesting. It really is an interesting approach to how people spend money and the rationalization we make regarding spending money on the base fare v. in cruise planner v. on-board. I've read many cruise articles and used them in classes over the years and this is the first time I've seen that.

 

From a business perspective, I applaud Bayley for his comments on both the hurricane/travel insurance piece and the norovirus piece. He's 100% correct about personal responsibility. Buy the travel insurance and wash your hands! Those are two invaluable pieces of advice for cruisers.

 

I didn't see any mention of cutbacks, most of which I agree with on the "chip" list. I mean obviously they don't want to publicize that, but we all know that was all part of the plan to achieve their goal. After all, they are a business and their goal is to make shareholders happy.

 

This is the first year I haven't booked anything for the following year because I actually want to wait and see how the quality and experience of this years' 2 cruises are first. I used to feel like I could trust booking in advance, but with the non-refundable deposit v. the more expensive refundable as well as quality issues, I just cannot justify it, as I'm sure others agree.

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Biker19

Biker19

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I used to feel like I could trust booking in advance, but with the non-refundable deposit v. the more expensive refundable as well as quality issues, I just cannot justify it, as I'm sure others agree.

RCI seems to have enough newbies to take your place.

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marci22

marci22

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There are some pics in this article. It also says that that suite is sold for Christmas 2018 to a family of six for $85K!!! :eek:

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2018/03/28/symphony-seas-ultimate-family-suite-debuts/465179002/

 

I don't know...to me it looks like Nickelodeon threw up in there! The decor is way too childish, bright and busy for my taste. I can think of a lot of better things to do with $64- $85K!

 

That slide :o

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cruiselvr04 Great Review Rare

cruiselvr04

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Must be some wealthy families out there to spend that kind of money....we took 11 on Liberty and it cost us $10,000 which for us was a stretch. I can’t imagine having that much to spend on a vacation.

 

We like the ship classes under Oasis. The mother ships are a bit busy for us. While families love them we didn’t like scheduling everything and are at the stage in our life where we need R and R for a vacation as we are full speed every other day of our lives.

 

The hardest chip for us is no more booking on board with reduced deposits. I know it’s business and they want to use our money ahead of time. And I understand you still have to pay in the end. But we were able to always have 5 or 6 on the books. We never cancelled but sometimes had to move one. We also like longer cruises but don’t have thousands to tie up for 2 years ahead of time. We have 4 on the books but I’d like to have 2 more. Just can’t do it with the higher deposits. We also can’t do non refundable because we still work and might not get the vacation time.

 

And the D+ perk of a balcony discount is a joke. Can’t remember the last time it was allowed with what ever sale they have going on.

 

Venting over....

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knittinggirl

knittinggirl

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Where did you hear this? I book a cruise based on both the ship and destinations....

Each cruise line has a different term for open bookings: future bookings, placeholder, etc.

 

We prefer to book open bookings w/o an itinerary. As soon as they publish an itinerary if we're interested we book it. We usually get the lowest price, and also a really good choice of room.

 

On our last Royal Caribbean cruise, the next cruise desk told me not to take out an open booking. They still offered them, but they couldn't be combined w/ promotions.

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knittinggirl

knittinggirl

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There are some pics in this article. It also says that that suite is sold for Christmas 2018 to a family of six for $85K!!! :eek:

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2018/03/28/symphony-seas-ultimate-family-suite-debuts/465179002/

 

I don't know...to me it looks like Nickelodeon threw up in there! The decor is way too childish, bright and busy for my taste. I can think of a lot of better things to do with $64- $85K!

Obviously, for the rich millionaire. I thought the slide looked pretty risky. The children shooting out of that slide with nothing soft to land on. Also, can see the parents getting really upset with the kids playing air hockey and lego while they're trying to sleep. If I was the grandparents, I'd book a separate suite for myself, and put all my kids and grandkids in Ultimate Family Suite.

 

I can see how it may be attractive. Some cruisers would book it because it is the most expensive.

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knittinggirl

knittinggirl

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I was pretty dismayed by Michael Bayley's comment about spending another $12 after you've spent $80. I bet he loved the guy we shared a table with on our first cruise. Cocktails every night, and he wadded up the receipts and left them on the table.

 

But I may not be not his target audience. I check my seapass account daily.

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torpeedo

torpeedo

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Obviously, for the rich millionaire. I thought the slide looked pretty risky. The children shooting out of that slide with nothing soft to land on. Also, can see the parents getting really upset with the kids playing air hockey and lego while they're trying to sleep. If I was the grandparents, I'd book a separate suite for myself, and put all my kids and grandkids in Ultimate Family Suite.

 

I can see how it may be attractive. Some cruisers would book it because it is the most expensive.

 

Now that is some UGLY looking cabin. Why not go to Frankie's Fun Park for $20 instead!

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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

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I was pretty dismayed by Michael Bayley's comment about spending another $12 after you've spent $80. I bet he loved the guy we shared a table with on our first cruise. Cocktails every night, and he wadded up the receipts and left them on the table.

 

But I may not be not his target audience. I check my seapass account daily.

I found his tone in the article to be somewhat demeaning toward the customers of RCI. It came across as if he was insulting our intelligence. I am well aware of what I am spending no matter how they manage to split up the various amounts that I contribute to their bank account. And the fact that I might spend thousands on a cruise in no way clouds my thinking that an over priced drink is still an over priced drink. And no amount of razzle dazzle on their part will change that.

 

That picture of Bayley with his thumbs up comes across as celebrating how successful he has been at duping his customers.

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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

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Now that is some UGLY looking cabin. Why not go to Frankie's Fun Park for $20 instead!

I completely agree. That deco is not for me. If that were the style of all the cabins on a ship it would be a ship that I would never book.

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FLACRUISER99

FLACRUISER99

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I was pretty dismayed by Michael Bayley's comment about spending another $12 after you've spent $80. I bet he loved the guy we shared a table with on our first cruise. Cocktails every night, and he wadded up the receipts and left them on the table.

 

But I may not be not his target audience. I check my seapass account daily.

Michael Bayley's target audience is now all the folks that have more money than brains.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
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