Water price increase

[whitecap]

A couple of weeks ago, while preparing for our upcoming back to back on the Adventure of the Seas, we checked out the water package, to have bottled water delivered to the stateroom.  The price was comparable to what we are use to paying on Princess, $7 for 12 bottles.  I delayed in ordering and in checking yesterday, the water package had been taken off the RCCL website.  I contacted RCCL and they advised they were working on getting the package back on the site.  Well, this morning the water package was back on the site and ready to receive orders, HOWEVER, the price had skyrocketed.  A 12 pack of 1 liter bottles ( 1 liter is equal to 2 bottles of the regular size) is now being sold for $31.  Prior to this change, the cost was $18 for 24 regular bottles.  Math not being one of my strong suits, it does appear to me that RCCL has just doubled the price for the same amount of water.  As a comparison, Princess continues to sell 12 regular size bottles of bottled water for $7.  

Is this increase just another way that RCCL is attempting to steer passengers toward the 'beverage packages"?

Well, we still have several months before departure and hopefully the price will come back down. 

[smokeybandit]

That just tells me it's a popular item.

[loman]

I drink the  '' free stuff '' at cafe promenade . 

 

[ShillyShally]

It's 1 liter Evian bottles - a quick search on Amazon shows they are $21.19 for a 12 pack, so a 70% markup (after considering taxes/gratuity) that does include delivery though.

Edited March 8, 2023 by ShillyShally

[whitecap]

9 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

That just tells me it's a popular item.

And I could understand that once an item becomes "popular" that it may cause a slight increase but Doubled?  I kind of think that doubling the price may actually be taking advantage of your customers.  But thats just me.

[whitecap]

9 minutes ago, loman said:

I drink the  '' free stuff '' at cafe promenade . 

 

I agree and we may just have to find a vessel (pitcher) to carry water back to the room.

[cruiselvr04]

The water package fluctuates just like everything else.  Our last 3 three cruises Dec-Feb we got no name brand.  It was something I’d never even heard of and was the 16.9 oz size.  It tasted fine and kept us hydrated.  
 

Watch for sales. Yes everything is going up.  Yes they are trying to make money on you.  They do have to fork lift it on board, get it to your room and get rid of the plastic but I agree they are taking advantage.  We prefer bottled water for ease and prefer not to lug it onboard the first day.  If it gets too high we will stop ordering. I too think it’s in bad taste to charge so much when other lines are reasonable about it.  

[whitecap]

13 minutes ago, ShillyShally said:

It's 1 liter Evian bottles - a quick search on Amazon shows they are $21.19 for a 12 pack, so a 70% markup that does include delivery though.

DW has just informed me that Evian is considered a higher quality maybe, but is it really?  Reminds me of a movie I once saw where a marketing genius told her client, "you can change the label, but it's still tap water from NY".  🤣

Edited March 8, 2023 by whitecap

[cruiselvr04]

2 minutes ago, whitecap said:

I agree and we may just have to find a vessel (pitcher) to carry water back to the room.

Britta makes something that might work for you.  Then keep in your cooler.

[ShillyShally]

4 minutes ago, whitecap said:

DW has just informed me that Evian is considered a higher quality maybe, but is it really?  Reminds me of a movie I once saw where a marketing genius told her client, "you can change the label, but it's still tap water from NY".  🤣

Ha, I will agree Evian is higher quality and does taste better - I drink a ton of water and really don't love Dasani or Aquafina but will work with any on hand to stay hydrated.  I do supplement with ship water but I do better overall if I also have bottled water to drink.  I bought the 12 "regular" bottles at $11.99 and there is no other option right now for an upcoming cruise, so I can't even pay more for water if I wanted to :)!

[LilBlackDress]

For our Oasis Cruise in Feb 2024, the prices are CRAZY!! 
Water 1 liter (12) $30.99 (24) $54.99 

[cruiselvr04]

This doesn’t have anything to do with ship water since we drink it only for a week or two but do inform yourself about the ph of the brand you drink at home.  It can vary a lot.  A higher ph is better for you but it doesn’t have to be super high like the 9.0 brands. It can make a difference if you drink a lot of bottled water.  We switched to pure life from Aquafina for this reason.

[whitecap]

4 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

For our Oasis Cruise in Feb 2024, the prices are CRAZY!! 
Water 1 liter (12) $30.99 (24) $54.99 

But LilBlackDress, its Evian!!  Comes from the Swiss Alps, pure as snow!  Or maybe RCCL is carrying it because it is a Coca Cola owned company???  😳

[whitecap]

5 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

This doesn’t have anything to do with ship water since we drink it only for a week or two but do inform yourself about the ph of the brand you drink at home.  It can vary a lot.  A higher ph is better for you but it doesn’t have to be super high like the 9.0 brands. It can make a difference if you drink a lot of bottled water.  We switched to pure life from Aquafina for this reason.

Thanks, good to know.

[time4u2go]

43 minutes ago, loman said:

I drink the  '' free stuff '' at cafe promenade . 

 

I also drink the "free stuff" out of my cabin's bathroom faucet.

[shipgeeks]

32 minutes ago, whitecap said:

I agree and we may just have to find a vessel (pitcher) to carry water back to the room.

We drink it from the cabin tap; no pitcher needed.   

[ShillyShally]

7 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

For our Oasis Cruise in Feb 2024, the prices are CRAZY!! 
Water 1 liter (12) $30.99 (24) $54.99 

I have a feeling these are now the set prices for water. There may be small discounts but I expect this isn't where they make their money, even with the markup!

[monorail81]

If it truly IS Evian, I don’t mind as much. What ticked me off was when we bought the Spring Water package and they delivered Purified instead. Had we wanted purified, we would have just used the ship’s water. So, if they want to charge a premium price, they’d better be delivering premium water to my cabin. 

[gerif]

I often wonder what people did when cruising prior to the time when people used bottled water.  Nothing wrong with the free water available everywhere. At home I use a water filter attached to my kitchen faucet because our water has a strong chlorine taste when boiled for tea or coffee but don’t purchase bottled water. In response to the OP, again it’s a case of what the market will bear. If people are willing to pay, they will keep raising the price. 

[time4u2go]

5 minutes ago, gerif said:

I often wonder what people did when cruising prior to the time when people used bottled water.  

I agree.  Not just for cruising, but anywhere.

 

I would love to have been in on the very first meeting where someone suggested, "Let's put water in a bottle and sell it".

[whitecap]

4 minutes ago, monorail81 said:

If it truly IS Evian, I don’t mind as much. What ticked me off was when we bought the Spring Water package and they delivered Purified instead. Had we wanted purified, we would have just used the ship’s water. So, if they want to charge a premium price, they’d better be delivering premium water to my cabin. 

In doing a little research, it appears, from one story in a major newspaper, that Coca Cola owns 49% of Danone's (Evian) American bottled water processing.  So, is this Evian bottled in America and not France?  And if so, how do they get this "special water" from France to America all the while protecting its quality?  Again, you can change the label, but its still ...........

[crewsweeper]

Water is water, folks.  But there can be taste differences depending on what you are used to drinking. However, All bottled water is just bottled water. Smart Water doesn't make you smarter than tap water. Evian is all marketing, thus being better is simply in your head.  Why are you paying more for water than you do for gas? The Evian is over $9 a gallon.😮

[ShillyShally]

23 minutes ago, monorail81 said:

If it truly IS Evian, I don’t mind as much. What ticked me off was when we bought the Spring Water package and they delivered Purified instead. Had we wanted purified, we would have just used the ship’s water. So, if they want to charge a premium price, they’d better be delivering premium water to my cabin. 

Agreed - I'm actually concerned about what I purchased since it was the 12 bottles for $11.99 but I'm hoping I actually get Evian since all the new options are that.  I'd actually cancel and repurchase to be sure but heck I'm already concerned about this cruise since it's now missing from the RCCL site for new bookings... But for my other ones booked I'll likely just accept and pay the higher prices and be more confident since they now specify Evian.

[poocher]

17 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I agree.  Not just for cruising, but anywhere.

 

I would love to have been in on the very first meeting where someone suggested, "Let's put water in a bottle and sell it".

My grandmother is turning on her grave!  Pay for water?  

[ShillyShally]

2 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Water is water, folks.  But there can be taste differences depending on what you are used to drinking. However, All bottled water is just bottled water. Smart Water doesn't make you smarter than tap water. Evian is all marketing, thus being better is simply in your head.  Why are you paying more for water than you do for gas? The Evian is over $9 a gallon.😮

Water can taste different, I drink about 2 gallons a day and know immediately if water tastes different.  Yes at home I drink filtered and otherwise don't drink bottled but when traveling I do buy bottles for the room to ensure I have something likely better than what may be coming out of the tap at a hotel or on a ship.  But in a pinch will absolutely drink that too.  When I buy bottles I buy what I like because I have taste preferences and water is not the same from every bottle.