Deluxe Drink Package Deal?

[Paulxyz2004]

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Well it's a good thing that most of their passengers don't follow Cruise Critic or research before they cruise. The only reason that they get away with what the do is because the general public is clueless and gullible. This is nothing new. Snake Oil sales men got away with it for years and informercials As seen on Tv are very profitable.  The majority of the passengers take the ad at face value make the purchase and never look back. Cruise Critic members spend a years time purchasing, canceling and purchasing again. All things being equal I would choose to sail another line over Royal Caribbean just because it's just too much extra work monitoring prices. There are more threads complaining about pricing and advertising on this board than any other board that I have been on.

 

And still their ships sail at capacity and obviously you continue to sail on RCI as well. All done Right By RCI in my book then. If they can get away with it much more power to them.

[TTraub1250]

Sailing at capacity is one measure of success.  Another measure of success is the contribution to profit per passenger.  As a past person responsible for P&L, there are a number of measures for success, not just capacity.  Each industry is different as to some of those measure, but there is always contribution to profits per sale.  What this industry is learning, are the predictive analytics by demographics of guests & cruise length & port of departure to be able to determine the max contribution to profits of each of the package extras offered.  IE a group of 70+ year olds going to New England & Canada will not drink as much in 9 days as a group of 20-40 year olds going to Bahamas for 3-4 nights, thus the curiser's value on the cost of the drink package is very much different and the value to each person is very different.   In any case, an employee of a company ( VP of marketing & pricing)  is there to ethically maximize the wealth of the owners in the long term, and it can be done with integrity and class !   

Does your theory " if they can get away with it" also apply to unlawful people and politics ?   I have lived in other countries, and done business in many more, and the rule of law with ethical behavior, far out ways the other side of the coin.  

[Paulxyz2004]

Well my "if they can get away with it" comment has been more geared to those who think what RCI does is somehow unlawful or unethical.

No I don´t condone unlawful behaviour. I don´t see unlawful behaviour with RCI though. I don´t think this Advertising is unethical, to me it´s just well done Business with Integrity and class.

Obviously we have to agree to disagree on the view of Integrity and class.

[Balsam12]

I am really starting to tire of the beverage package threads.

 

The math isn't particularly difficult if you actually do some research on drink prices. There are three possible outcomes if you can add up... 

 

1. I won't get value for money as I don't drink enough chargeable drinks.

2. I will definitely drink enough that the package cost per day is less than paying as I go.

3. It's borderline whether I will break even or not.

It seems like common knowledge that RCI will let one person have only the refreshment package if you call them, so that's not really an issue.

Can people not use Google to see what the cost of drinks is onboard?

For us, the package was a no brainer... Even if we are only close to being even when compared to paying as we go, the peace of mind knowing that they won't be a bill at the end of the Cruise makes the package worthwhile.

 

[Biker19]

32 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

Can people not use Google to see what the cost of drinks is onboard?

Not really, because of dynamic pricing it's a not fixed value.

[dutchclogs]

18 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Not really, because of dynamic pricing it's a not fixed value.

 

Do you mean the price if individual drinks also varies from ship to ship?  

[Biker19]

Just now, dutchclogs said:

 

Do you mean the price if individual drinks also varies from ship to ship?  

A little - maybe by $1 or so - I was mainly talking about the drink package.

[Balsam12]

7 hours ago, Biker19 said:

A little - maybe by $1 or so - I was mainly talking about the drink package.

No argument about that, but it doesn't change the main point of my post... It's easy to work out roughly how much you will spend if you have no package. From there, you simply look at the cost of the package, and work out if it's cheaper than paying as you go.

 

You also keep checking the Cruise Planner regularly because the prices change. If the price doesn't drop below your break even mark, you don't buy. If it does, you purchase. If you do purchase and the price drops below what you paid, you cancel and repurchase.

 

Heck, someone has even made a great spreadsheet tool making it easy to do the calculations.

 

That covers probably 50% of the threads on beverage packages. Another 40% would be covered by "if only one of you wants the deluxe package, call RCI and they will let one have deluxe and the other have the refreshment. No, you cannot get one package and share it".

 

There you are... In one post, I've dealt with 90% of the beverage package threads. All I need to do now is solve the problems of chairhogs and small dogs...

 

If your idea of a fun vacation is to keep a spreadsheet of all you beverage expenses so you can say you saved a few dollars by not getting a package then great, but to me, I would rather spend that time having another beer at the pool bar.

 

 

[kimkatmom]

Drink package is currently showing 30% off - $42 a day pp plus Tips.

[rayrayfranci]

On 2/7/2019 at 2:59 PM, hungryg said:

i just find a bartender on the first day that will sell me the package without making my wife pay for one.  works every time.  

same. never had a problem with it.

[Mike A]

My extended family sails on the Anthem of the Seas on Friday. The current sale ends at midnight. I was originally at $48+ tax on a 50% sale from November. It is now $46+ tax at 30% off ??? which I switched to. In addition I had no problem calling in, through TA, to get the Deluxe Beverage Package for me and Refreshment Package for my wife. My daughter and Son-In-Law did the same thing. 

[Biker19]

12 hours ago, Balsam12 said:

There you are... In one post, I've dealt with 90% of the beverage package threads.

Right, but most CC users won't bother to find your post and want to ask anyway.

[coolio111]

Does the non alcohol package come on sale, or just the deluxe?

[Clarea]

3 hours ago, coolio111 said:

Does the non alcohol package come on sale, or just the deluxe?

 

The price also varies on the Refreshment (non-alcoholic) package.

[GEORGIEGIRL]

On 2/7/2019 at 12:25 PM, JoeFan said:

I don't think this promotion is working properly or it is marketing mumbo jumbo. 

I have a spreadsheet and I am tracking the prices since I booked my HOS cruise.

Back on 2/3 the price was $52/PPD for 2 people total of $859 with the service charge.

 

With this buy one get one 50% off it is exactly the same price. They are not discounting the 2nd one by 50%.

 

The  rice of $52.. P.P.D. is already with a 25% DISCOUNT PER PERSON OFF of the Original price P.P.D. (or 50% off of the second person).

Welcome to the crazy pricing world of RCCL.

[Port72]

Just to add a final note to my question, today there are no sales or BOGO 50% and price has not changed, still $52 as it was with the BOGO 50% off ,  in other news "The Key" went up to $31.99..  ouch!!

 

 

[heckofagator]

On 2/7/2019 at 12:25 PM, JoeFan said:

for 2 people total of $859 with the service charge.

 

 

man, that's almost depressing when you see it written out like that.

[lcpagejr]

" in other news "The Key" went up to $31.99..  ouch!!"

 

Huh??!!   RCL's published price is $19.99/pp/pd.....Sill shows this price for my April cruise on AOS

[lcpagejr]

in other news "The Key" went up to $31.99..  ouch!!

 

Huh??!!   RCL's published price fleetwide is $19.99/pp/pd.  Still shows this price on my cruise planner for my April cruise on AOS

[tutzig]

On 2/9/2019 at 8:08 PM, Balsam12 said:

No argument about that, but it doesn't change the main point of my post... It's easy to work out roughly how much you will spend if you have no package. From there, you simply look at the cost of the package, and work out if it's cheaper than paying as you go.

 

You also keep checking the Cruise Planner regularly because the prices change. If the price doesn't drop below your break even mark, you don't buy. If it does, you purchase. If you do purchase and the price drops below what you paid, you cancel and repurchase.

 

Heck, someone has even made a great spreadsheet tool making it easy to do the calculations.

 

That covers probably 50% of the threads on beverage packages. Another 40% would be covered by "if only one of you wants the deluxe package, call RCI and they will let one have deluxe and the other have the refreshment. No, you cannot get one package and share it".

 

There you are... In one post, I've dealt with 90% of the beverage package threads. All I need to do now is solve the problems of chairhogs and small dogs...

 

If your idea of a fun vacation is to keep a spreadsheet of all you beverage expenses so you can say you saved a few dollars by not getting a package then great, but to me, I would rather spend that time having another beer at the pool bar.

 

 

 

 

The good old thing about message boards, you are not forced to read it, you can move on.

 

 

[Port72]

15 hours ago, lcpagejr said:

in other news "The Key" went up to $31.99..  ouch!!

 

Huh??!!   RCL's published price fleetwide is $19.99/pp/pd.  Still shows this price on my cruise planner for my April cruise on AOS

 

Crazy pricing going on..

 

[Biker19]

15 hours ago, lcpagejr said:

 RCL's published price fleetwide is $19.99/pp/pd. 

The list price was $25 - almost everyone was getting it at 20% off at $20.