PAYING for Pizza in Sorrento’s

[JLC0912]

Xcaret is a place I want to go back to and stay there for a few days.  I am sure I could find some other resorts or towns to visit in place of cruising.  RCL is going to thin out their customers with all of their extremely overpriced add-ons, combined with decrease in quality and service.  We chose Princess for our next cruise.  
 

On 8/10/2023 at 10:44 AM, Jam0610 said:

Makes no difference to me, don't eat the stuff.

They keep raising prices an all inclusive resort in Cancun will take their place in our household.   

 

[JLC0912]

On 8/10/2023 at 12:52 PM, loman said:

I eat a slice once or twice a cruise . I wouldnt miss it , and i definitely wouldnt pay for it

If I did pay for this pizza- even if I just paid $1, I would send it back to the kitchen and ask for a refund.  It is probably the worst pizza I have had from a restaurant.  Since it is free, I lower my standards.  But if I pay, they need to earn my business by offering a quality product. 

[nferr]

On 8/11/2023 at 6:26 PM, RoperDK said:

I sure hope they brought the additional items back!  However, our cruises on Harmony at the end of October 2022 and most definitely on Wonder in January 2023 only had pizza.  I thought I might have gone at the wrong time on Harmony, but I checked multiple times on Wonder.  I was so bummed.  I really enjoyed those items. 

 I was on Anthem in December and they had all the additional items. 

[The Fun Researcher]

8 hours ago, nferr said:

 I was on Anthem in December and they had all the additional items. 

Unless it's differing cruise by cruise, or by region, it seems that Royal may have made the change sometime in spring.  My March cruise on the Anthem did not have the extras (at least not that I can remember).  I'm 100% certain that they weren't there on the Quantum in July this year.

 

Hopefully it's temporary...   we'll see I guess

[OCSC Mike]

No extras on Wonder in June, just pizza.

[smokeybandit]

Adventure (yes, I know, not a Sorrento's) had all the extras a couple weeks ago.

[Ret MP]

We're on Harmony in January.  If they don't have the marinated cheese and olives, I'll be pissed and someone will hear about it, not that I feel that it will make a difference.  Seems the Corp weenies, after they make up their mind, that's it, no changing back.  DAMN THE DORPEDOES!

[Wanna Be Retired]

Maybe we should just have a microwave in our cabin and a frozen food stand so that we can nuke a Totinos.  I don’t understand what they think they are trying to accomplish.  Mr. Liberty needs to stop sitting in the counting house counting out his money.

[not-enough-cruising]

10 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

We're on Harmony in January.  If they don't have the marinated cheese and olives, I'll be pissed and someone will hear about it, not that I feel that it will make a difference.  Seems the Corp weenies, after they make up their mind, that's it, no changing back.  DAMN THE DORPEDOES!

Be prepared to be pissed

[topnole]

11 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

Lol, that pizza isn't worth a charge, so I am convinced they never intended to charge but finding a way to sneak in something else.  

And there was a time that many thought it was crazy that some people would pay extra for an upscale dinner experience.   
 

Honestly, the survey seemed wise to me so that they have a feel for what people want and more importantly what they are willing to pay extra for while on a cruise.  That is one of the keys to executing strategy well.  
 

Cruising went from be expensive up front with most everything included other than alcohol, to mostly cheap up front with many a la cart up charges.   It’s a different business model now for all of them than it was 30 years ago.  It’s smart to figure out what customers feel is the bare minimum required for them to cruise on Royal.   

[Cigar King]

If it were better pizza I'd pay for it.  What they have now is not very good, and certainly not worth an up-charge.

[Rackham]

1 hour ago, topnole said:

Cruising went from be expensive up front with most everything included other than alcohol, to mostly cheap up front with many a la cart up charges.   It’s a different business model now for all of them than it was 30 years ago.  It’s smart to figure out what customers feel is the bare minimum required for them to cruise on Royal.   

 

This survey and other changes since the restart make me think back to the changes in flying over the past 20 or so years. Things that used to be standard,  as part of the fare, are now either upcharges or only included with higher priced tickets or loyalty status. While I can't see Royal charging for checked luggage (operationally it'd be a nightmare on embarkation day) I could see them experimenting with lower priced fares which include a subset of dining aboard (aka MDR is an extra nightly fee).

[topnole]

24 minutes ago, Rackham said:

 

This survey and other changes since the restart make me think back to the changes in flying over the past 20 or so years. Things that used to be standard,  as part of the fare, are now either upcharges or only included with higher priced tickets or loyalty status. While I can't see Royal charging for checked luggage (operationally it'd be a nightmare on embarkation day) I could see them experimenting with lower priced fares which include a subset of dining aboard (aka MDR is an extra nightly fee).

They are already close to doing that. Many cruises can be found for dirt cheap (not all) and the food is of course solid at best and far from anything special.   In essence, to have a true nice dining experience you have to go to a specialty restaurant.   It wasn’t always that way.  
 

Like airlines, for standard fares (seats/cabin), the prices are way cheaper than they were 30 years ago.   So, they make their profits elsewhere.  
 

I doubt they ever do as you mentioned because it would be to complex to efficiently implement.   But who knows.  

[Another_Critic]

10 hours ago, nferr said:

 I was on Anthem in December and they had all the additional items. 

 

2 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Unless it's differing cruise by cruise, or by region, it seems that Royal may have made the change sometime in spring.  My March cruise on the Anthem did not have the extras (at least not that I can remember). 

No extras on Anthem May TA.

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, Cigar King said:

If it were better pizza I'd pay for it.  What they have now is not very good, and certainly not worth an up-charge.

Yet on every cruise I have been on that you were also on you were in Sorrento’s every time I was there and had more than one slice on your tray.

[GlenG]

Amused at the number of people swearing they’ll never sail RCL again if Sorrento’s imposes a charge. How is that subpar stuff a dealbreaker for anyone??

 

And which lines would these people move to? NCL prices are through the roof and Princess customers are up in arms over their inclusions being removed. At least the communication from RCL is clear and upfront. And anyway, it might never happen.

 

Personally, I would be happy to pay a surcharge for pizza onboard if they massively upgraded the quality and choice. 

[Ret MP]

18 minutes ago, GlenG said:

Amused at the number of people swearing they’ll never sail RCL again if Sorrento’s imposes a charge. How is that subpar stuff a dealbreaker for anyone??

I'd like you to quantify, "the number of people" that swear not to sail RCL again if........  I, for one, and several others seemed to agree that the possible charge for pizza is just part of a rolling snowball.  Eventually, it's going to get too big! 

18 minutes ago, GlenG said:

 

And which lines would these people move to? NCL prices are through the roof and Princess customers are up in arms over their inclusions being removed. At least the communication from RCL is clear and upfront. And anyway, it might never happen.

I don't think that communication with an issue like this makes a difference.  It's still taking away (possibly) an amenity that has traditionally been included.

18 minutes ago, GlenG said:

Personally, I would be happy to pay a surcharge for pizza onboard if they massively upgraded the quality and choice. 

I'm sorry to be so direct but - It is thoughts like this that give RCCL, et al, the green light to raise prices/reduce services/reduce quantities.  Seasoned cruisers with RCCL have become accustomed to the "included" pizza/snack shop called Sorrento's.  Apparently, they have already removed the "snack" portion of the pizza shop (Sorrento's).  Adding an additional charge to the substandard or even if they upgrade it, upsets the applecart.  

 

And last, you are 100% right, it hasn't happened and it may not.  But, silence is permission.  And you can bet that they (the weenies at the mother ship) monitor this and other social media sites that are dedicated to cruising.

[HicksRA]

2 hours ago, GlenG said:

Amused at the number of people swearing they’ll never sail RCL again if Sorrento’s imposes a charge. How is that subpar stuff a dealbreaker for anyone??

 

And which lines would these people move to? NCL prices are through the roof and Princess customers are up in arms over their inclusions being removed. At least the communication from RCL is clear and upfront. And anyway, it might never happen.

 

Personally, I would be happy to pay a surcharge for pizza onboard if they massively upgraded the quality and choice. 

I don’t believe I saw anyone say they’d stop sailing RCL based solely on a charge for pizza.
There is an accumulation of many cuts in service and quality in concert with a ridiculous increase in prices as well as any other ways they can “enhance” cruiser’s experiences that are souring the desire to cruise for many including myself. 
At the top tier meeting with Bayley and the other bigwigs on the President’s Cruise, just about every question/suggestion was jokingly answered with the reply “We’ll have to run the numbers”. It’s obvious that they’ve been “running the numbers” 24/7 and the joke’s on us… 

[LobsterStalker]

3 hours ago, GlenG said:

Amused at the number of people swearing they’ll never sail RCL again if Sorrento’s imposes a charge. How is that subpar stuff a dealbreaker for anyone??

 

And which lines would these people move to? NCL prices are through the roof and Princess customers are up in arms over their inclusions being removed. At least the communication from RCL is clear and upfront. And anyway, it might never happen.

 

Personally, I would be happy to pay a surcharge for pizza onboard if they massively upgraded the quality and choice. 

.... Now that one actually made me spit my drink on my keyboard !!

 

Cheers !

[Rusty_lock]

If they charge me a dollar a slice I'm quiting Royal and will only sail with Carnival.  And i'll probably move to Canada too.   🙂 

[dasi11]

I tried that pizza once.  I like good pizza and RCL pizza is not good.  YOU would need to PAY ME to actually eat a slice.

[rockon391]

RCL Pizza is great late night after a bunch of drinks.

[Empehi]

Let's face it .... Sorrentos is not a pizza anyone would pay for. RCL know that ... their main concern is how much will this effect future bookings. If everyone says you will still sail then be prepared another cut in the 1000 cuts RCL is rolling out and Sorrentos will have a charge. Next will be reservations for a fee for shows, flow rider, bumper cars etc. RCL will keep adding fees until a real push-back happens and bookings fall. They hoodwinked ever one into Specialty Dining by lowering the quality of the MDR.

This is the WOW factor ....Worst On Water.

 

e

[Cigar King]

7 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Yet on every cruise I have been on that you were also on you were in Sorrento’s every time I was there and had more than one slice on your tray.

I just don't think I get the pizza very often.  I usually go for other things.  I may be grabbing them for others?

[LobsterStalker]

44 minutes ago, Empehi said:

Let's face it .... Sorrentos is not a pizza anyone would pay for. RCL know that ... their main concern is how much will this effect future bookings. If everyone says you will still sail then be prepared another cut in the 1000 cuts RCL is rolling out and Sorrentos will have a charge. Next will be reservations for a fee for shows, flow rider, bumper cars etc. RCL will keep adding fees until a real push-back happens and bookings fall. They hoodwinked ever one into Specialty Dining by lowering the quality of the MDR.

This is the WOW factor ....Worst On Water.

 

e

These 2 bolds are a bit contradictory .

Agree to an extent about specialty VS MDR except , until MDR is not an option at all , (which I have surmised may be their end game) , I will not pay an upcharge for a better quality dining experience , but instead enjoy the included food experience as best I can

 

Cheers