What will RCCL charge for next?

[vacationlover_mn]

As long as everything nets out, I’m cool with whatever! Our first cruise, almost 20 years ago, included more, but the price of our room was higher. Now, our room is not that expensive, but other things are extra. Overall, it averages out to be the same for us...

 

 

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[SRF]

Our family of five has been going to Disney World for years, and overall the price is almost identical to a royal Caribbean cruise for the same amount of nights. That includes staying on property in a moderate level resort and eating a tableservice meal and quick service every day. It also includes 8-9 nights of park hopper plus waterpark tickets

 

Dan

 

Longer is MUCH cheaper at Disney. 4 day park hopper adult is $400, 8 days is $495.

 

But meals, I am not sure how you do that.

 

Buffets are about $50 per person per meal. Table service more. Not sure about breakfast at the park hotels. I have only stayed in one once, and that was just one night in Shanghai.

[SRF]

It does and remains the exception to current industry standards for economy, unless you fly business class which continues to allow two pieces.

 

And a lot of times SW is not the cheapest flight.

 

There is a reason they are not on any of the booking sites.

[The Fun Researcher]

Longer is MUCH cheaper at Disney. 4 day park hopper adult is $400, 8 days is $495.

 

 

 

But meals, I am not sure how you do that.

 

 

 

Buffets are about $50 per person per meal. Table service more. Not sure about breakfast at the park hotels. I have only stayed in one once, and that was just one night in Shanghai.

 

 

 

Very true. The longer you stay the less per day. Actually buffets are just about the most expensive table service option you can choose. Even the expensive entrées are around $30 at a table service location where you order off the menu. But either way, I know the numbers because I’ve been doing it for eight years. It definitely has to be a longer stay though. Four-day trips cost a fortune at Walt Disney World. By the fifth day tickets are only $10.60 a day per person.

 

Dan

[Big_G]

Our family of five has been going to Disney World for years, and overall the price is almost identical to a royal Caribbean cruise for the same amount of nights. That includes staying on property in a moderate level resort and eating a tableservice meal and quick service every day. It also includes 8-9 nights of park hopper plus waterpark tickets

 

Dan

 

Big difference between Disney and a cruise, I've never felt the need to drink myself into a coma on cruise as was the case after one day in Disney. :eek::o;)

[The Fun Researcher]

Big difference between Disney and a cruise, I've never felt the need to drink myself into a coma on cruise as was the case after one day in Disney. :eek::o;)

 

 

 

Love it! Hilarious. I didn't really mean to compare Disney to a cruise except to say that they cost us roughly the same for 7-8 nights. While we truly love both, but they are apples and oranges from a vacation standpoint. Disney is not relaxing, but it's incredibly fun (for us). Cruises are all about relaxation. We tend to alternate between the two.

 

Dan

Edited April 28, 2018 by The Fun Researcher

[topnole]

And a lot of times SW is not the cheapest flight.

 

There is a reason they are not on any of the booking sites.

 

They don’t use any travel agents. That is why they aren’t in any booking sites. Those sites get commission and SW won’t pay it as it keeps fares lower if they dont. It has nothing to do with whether or not a given SW flight is the cheapest for that route for that day.

 

Sad week for them and the passenger/family but they are still best in the business.

[The Fun Researcher]

They don’t use any travel agents. That is why they aren’t in any booking sites. Those sites get commission and SW won’t pay it as it keeps fares lower if they dont. It has nothing to do with whether or not a given SW flight is the cheapest for that route for that day.

 

Sad week for them and the passenger/family but they are still best in the business.

 

Airtran (before Southwest purchased them), or Southwest themselves used to be the least expensive option for us to fly from Michigan to Florida, but that all changed over 3 years ago now. Delta is our best option in general.

 

Dan

[deliver42]

We fly from Fl to Ca for family, and SW is always higher than the legacy airlines. We also fly to Chicago, but SW only goes to Midway. We take a bus to Kenosha, Wi., which is much more convenient from O'Hare.

[SRF]

They don’t use any travel agents. That is why they aren’t in any booking sites. Those sites get commission and SW won’t pay it as it keeps fares lower if they dont. It has nothing to do with whether or not a given SW flight is the cheapest for that route for that day.

 

Sad week for them and the passenger/family but they are still best in the business.

 

They are still not the cheapest.

 

People believe that, so they don't shop around.

 

And remember, SWA is the reason for the law that requires advertising total fare, not just the airfare without taxes and fees. That was how SW made their reputation, by advertising air fare only, not the actual cost of the flight.

[Big_G]

They are still not the cheapest.

 

People believe that, so they don't shop around.

 

And remember, SWA is the reason for the law that requires advertising total fare, not just the airfare without taxes and fees. That was how SW made their reputation, by advertising air fare only, not the actual cost of the flight.

In topnole's defense, we shop around and they have yet to be beat for our itineraries. That's not to say someone else somewhere else hasn't gotten a cheaper flight.

 

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[OzCruiseLizard]

And remember, SWA is the reason for the law that requires advertising total fare, not just the airfare without taxes and fees. That was how SW made their reputation, by advertising air fare only, not the actual cost of the flight.

 

I find this a strange statement, Americans are funny..... You complain about "by advertising air fare only, not the actual cost of the flight.", but happily accept buying an item and paying + taxes at the checkout. You happily accept 'tipping' staff rather than paying a slightly higher price and have the staff paid correctly in the first place. You happily accept lower cruise fares and then get lumped with daily gratitudes on your cruise account, the list could go go.

 

Its a very American thing, the rest of the world isn't this way......

[billylen]

Over the years I have read how the quality of the cruising experience has diminished. I'm just not so sure about that. Also, the extra charges for various activities, I don't get that either. There are trade offs. For examples the amenities in the rooms are different. In most instances the rooms are larger; beds are softer; TV screens are flat. I remember my first two cruises (Monarch and Empress), those rooms were pretty small when compared to the accommodations available today.

 

Admittedly, the food offerings are very similar to what was available way back in the 90's but in most instances the quality has been pretty good. There was no Chops or Giovanni's table or whatever name of the day is being used. The stage shows can be hit or miss but that has been true over the years.

 

On my last cruise the price per day was about 190 (including tips and fees) and I was cruising solo (24 nights). On a recent conference I attended the hotel alone was 260 per night and heaven help you if you parked a car (another 35 a night!) That price did not include food. And don't get me started on Disney! Have stayed there may times and enjoyed each moment but it was costly...

 

There is one other thing...I always try to remember what it was like the first time I cruised. I remember how I was fearful of the ship sinking. How I marveled at the construction and the ports. The excitement I had of experiencing whatever would happen...looking up at the Perseid meteor shower in night sky....sailing through schools of flying fish...rocking and rolling on the waves. That has not changed for me... It's a relationship (sailing) that renews each time...

[texanaust]

I find this a strange statement, Americans are funny..... You complain about "by advertising air fare only, not the actual cost of the flight.", but happily accept buying an item and paying + taxes at the checkout. You happily accept 'tipping' staff rather than paying a slightly higher price and have the staff paid correctly in the first place. You happily accept lower cruise fares and then get lumped with daily gratitudes on your cruise account, the list could go go.

 

Its a very American thing, the rest of the world isn't this way......

 

Perfectly summed up and the end result is that many Americans end up paying more than they need to.

[DISFANS3]

Got to pay to play..

[Beachboy3]

Agree, as I say all the time. Cost to cruise cheaper then 30 years ago, not even adding inflation into it. Cheaper then a week at Disney which has Doubled in last 10 years... I paid $3600+ in 1988 on a 7 nite on Sovereign for a deck 2 tiny Port Hole cabin. This Oct on Serenade doing a 12 nite Repo BOS/FLL for a Corner/Aft Balcony, Cabin 8168, paying only $2968.64 before taking off my Crown and Anchor discount... Extra's on Royal have always been there, paid for Golf/Skeet Shooting off back, Chops been on there and charged for 20 yrs. At they made least Room Service is better tasting and Quality, makes it worth it...

We had cabin 8168 on Serenade back in February! Its a GREAT cabin! Perfect location for privacy!

[SRF]

I find this a strange statement, Americans are funny..... You complain about "by advertising air fare only, not the actual cost of the flight.", but happily accept buying an item and paying + taxes at the checkout. You happily accept 'tipping' staff rather than paying a slightly higher price and have the staff paid correctly in the first place. You happily accept lower cruise fares and then get lumped with daily gratitudes on your cruise account, the list could go go.

 

Its a very American thing, the rest of the world isn't this way......

 

Have you looked at the fees and taxes part of your airfare?

 

This is not 3 - 10%.

 

My next flight is round trip to Europe.

 

Air fare is only $272. ROUND TRIP. AWESOME.

 

 

 

 

 

But total cost is $707.22

 

And included in that, $37 airport tax, $300 carrier surcharge, 98.22 other taxes.

 

The taxes and fees are more than the airfare. Actually 160% of the airfare.

 

So final price is more than 2.5 TIMES the airfare.

 

So, in the past, Delta advertises $707 for the trip and SW advertises $350. Which one do you book?

[topnole]

I find this a strange statement, Americans are funny..... You complain about "by advertising air fare only, not the actual cost of the flight.", but happily accept buying an item and paying + taxes at the checkout. You happily accept 'tipping' staff rather than paying a slightly higher price and have the staff paid correctly in the first place. You happily accept lower cruise fares and then get lumped with daily gratitudes on your cruise account, the list could go go.

 

Its a very American thing, the rest of the world isn't this way......

 

So the American way is to complain

about airfare only, not the actual cost of the flight, and then gladly accept tips and taxes on top. Ok. Got it. That pretty much defines America.

 

Or maybe that makes zero sense at all and this is just a smidge of over generalizing 3 totally unrelated things.

 

And by the way you do know why we are America and not the U.K. ? Because we don’t like taxes! You might want to read an American version on the revolutionary war if you didn’t know that. In general Americans don’t like taxes as it represents govt power.

 

I remember doing a tour in one of the U.K. royal palaces and the tour guide said that when the U.K. gave America its independence.....and we were like what did he just say. Gave us our independence? Lol. I guess hitler just gave back Europe.

[OzCruiseLizard]

This is not 3 - 10%.

 

I fail to see the difference, either price displayed by Delta or SW isn't the price you pay when you book. Which is really the problem at hand here, not how they slice and dice the costs to mislead the buyer.

[gatour]

Unlike most of the posts on this thread I will answer the OP original question...

 

Theater and show tickets

 

Maybe for certain shows.

 

All food and drink (except tap water)

Someone suggested the MDR. Just think of the Windjammer at lunch on embarkation day. Now think of that everynight. So very unlikely, may be additional extra cost items on the menu but that's it.

 

Flowrider, zipline, rock climbing wall, carousel

For flowrider and I believe the rock climbing wall they have extra cost options. I imagine if they were getting an overwhelming response with people booking these options, they would be increasing the times these can be reserved and decreasing the time for "free use"

Public bathrooms

 

Let's see sell 3 drinks to someone, or sell 2 drinks during the same time frame because a person went all of the back to their room to use the bathroom.

 

Hot tubs:

 

Not really a cost effective to implement this. On a corrorally on the Oasis class ships, they were able to in essence institute a charge for sauna use by how they placed them in the spa

 

Meet ups with dreamworks characters

Kids programs

 

I will lunp these together. Remember besides the other cruise lines they are competing with the Walt Disney World's/Universal of the world along with all inclusives. For character meetups other than special meal with characters the status quo will remain. If Disney figured they could get away with charging for meet ups with characters they would. However I think this would be the one thing that would cause a full revolt in the Disneyphile world.

 

Gym usage

 

Pretty much every hotel offers free gym usage, although they may place in under "resort fee". However you can't book a room without paying the resort fee, so in essence it part of the room rate. So unlikely for RCCL or any cruiseline would institute. may be more additional cost lessons

[John&LaLa]

Have you looked at the fees and taxes part of your airfare?

 

This is not 3 - 10%.

 

My next flight is round trip to Europe.

 

Air fare is only $272. ROUND TRIP. AWESOME.

 

 

 

 

 

But total cost is $707.22

 

And included in that, $37 airport tax, $300 carrier surcharge, 98.22 other taxes.

 

The taxes and fees are more than the airfare. Actually 160% of the airfare.

 

So final price is more than 2.5 TIMES the airfare.

 

So, in the past, Delta advertises $707 for the trip and SW advertises $350. Which one do you book?

I didn't think SW flew to Europe

 

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[deliver42]

It makes one stop at the halfway mark.

[SRF]

I didn't think SW flew to Europe

 

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Brilliant.

 

I used that example as I have a booking in front of me. I do not have a domestic booking handy.

 

But the pricing is similar. Air fare is less than half the total cost for the ticket.

 

SWA was advertising ONLY the air fare. Took Congress to stop them with a law. And yes, they were ASKED to change and refused.

 

Another example of SWA "low" fares. When we had our consulting company, we would get away for weekend every so often to Nashville. Nice town and had some good friends there.

 

BIG billboard, SWA $79.95 to Nashville.

 

Fine print. ONE way. So $160 round trip. Air fare ONLY, so at least $250 - $300.

 

Our tickets, Delta, round trip, $134.95 each, and upgraded to First Class.

 

That's right, SWA doesn't HAVE a First class.

 

But you can blinding buy SWA tickets and delude yourself that you are getting the cheapest fares. And at times, you may actually be right. But many times, you will not.

[Ocean Boy]

In topnole's defense, we shop around and they have yet to be beat for our itineraries. That's not to say someone else somewhere else hasn't gotten a cheaper flight.

 

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Same with me. I shop and SW is usually cheaper. However, coming home this Sunday Jet Blue won.

[mac_tlc]

 

 

 

But you can blinding buy SWA tickets and delude yourself that you are getting the cheapest fares. And at times, you may actually be right. But many times, you will not.

 

 

It’s about “value”, not price. We fly from the Northeast to FL half a dozen times a year. Depends on what you need. For non-stops:

 

Are we bringing checked bags? SW is usually the winner.

 

Only a carry-on? Could be SW or JB.

 

Not sure we will actually travel ? SW always wins this one with their change policy.

 

No carry-on or checked bags ? Most likely Spirit in a Big Front Seat. Always a better bale than SW of JB. The seat alone is worth almost any price difference.

 

Last minute ? JB usually ruled out because the seat selection will be bad.

 

Value not price.

 

mac_tx

 

 

 

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