Billion Dollar Profit

[firefly333]

7 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

I think these “past” cruisers are here to see if things will revert to how it used to be.  That being price point, service and food quality.

Finance people talk in terms of inflation rate coming down into the 2s. None speak of reversing inflation to a negative rate where prices are less than before. If people are hoping prices revert they need to be more realistic. .. though I can see some europe deals coming if this war gets worse. People dont want to fly any where near the war(s). Worried. So might be some deals but I dont see prices reverting. 

 

Carnival is trying some improved menus so better food could happen. 

[A&L_Ont]

10 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Finance people talk in terms of inflation rate coming down into the 2s. None speak of reversing inflation to a negative rate where prices are less than before. If people are hoping prices revert they need to be more realistic. .. though I can see some europe deals coming if this war gets worse. People dont want to fly any where near the war(s). Worried. So might be some deals but I dont see prices reverting. 

 

Carnival is trying some improved menus so better food could happen. 

I think the idea of better food would make past cruisers happy, especially if they didn’t come at a price increase. 

[grandgeezer]

10 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

Just recently took a land vacation or “road trip” if you will, up the eastern US coast. Eating at restaurants 3x a day plus hotels and gas can add up to about two or three+ times more what we spend on cruising per day.

 

At restaurants, unlike on RCI, you can’t ask for multiple appetizers and deserts like you can at the MDR. You’re not able to get food elsewhere in any quantity for free if you didn’t like your meal. You don’t get 4-6 free drinks at any restaurant even if you’re on their loyalty program. 
 

Oh, but a bag of chips on land can be had for $1 or less if you buy in bulk. You can order 10 bags of chips from room service which comes out to less than $1 each after paying delivery fee. Plus all the food to your heart’s content in addition to the chips is included. Where on land to you have unlimited food brought to your door step for $7.95 plus tip?

 

If the quality of the food has gone down I haven’t really noticed. I focus more on activities, entertainment and port excursions and if those are good, and they have been for me so far, it more than makes up for a slight change in food standards. 
 

There are those who say they no longer cruise at all due to the decline of provisions. May I ask you why you are still on a cruise board talking about not ever cruising again rather than on a land vacation board talking about the superior, world-class offerings at bargain basement prices? Where is that online forum? I would like to know more.

Our last cruise, on a RCL Group ship was on Celebrity Equinox, in a Sky Suite, and the total cost was about $750 per couple per day. It looks like you are saying, to have a land vacation the cost would be $1500 to $2250 per day, I seriously doubt that.

We do land vacations for the experience and there is no way you can exactly compare that to cruising.

First, we don’t normally eat three meals a day, not even on a cruise. Secondly, we have 494 days at sea and neither one of us has ever had a second course of anything. It started out that the food was excellent and the portions we more than enough. It changed when the food quality went down to just acceptable and the smaller portions was enough.

We eat out a lot, especially here at home. We have our go-to ones depending on what type of food we want. We’ve had this list for many years and haven’t had a quality, or service issue yet.

Drinks. The free drinks on the ship are more than we normally drink. When we travel, since beer is our drink of choice, we usually buy it by bulk and keep it on ice in the room.

Last time we travelled it was less than a buck a beer, including tax. What is it on a ship $8-$9 plus tip?

I’m on this board because I can, there is no place that says all experiences have to be positive.

I voice my opinions on politics though I’ve never was one.

I voice my opinion on sports though I was never a professional athlete.

I voice my opinion on finance though I have little formal training. I’m actually pretty good at it, because of it we are truly live the life we only dream about.

 

Until next time.

 

 

 

[gammite]

I am a for real foodie.

 

IMO the commentary about the quality of food is grossly overexaggerated.  My most recent sailing was on Allure the week of 10/1.  I was expecting the worst.

 

The majority of my meals were quite good.  We ate at the MDR 4 our of the 7 nights and Specialty the remaining nights.  I honestly was surprised that the food was as good as it was given the sentiment on this board.  We had MTD and we asked for the same server each night.  We also tipped our server team each night.  I am not sure if that had anything to do with our good experience.  But we never had any awful or cold food.

 

We had a great cruise in regards to the food.  The demographic onboard was a totally different experience, however.  But that is a topic for a different thread.

Edited October 31, 2023 by gammite

[bretts173]

6 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

Our last cruise, on a RCL Group ship was on Celebrity Equinox, in a Sky Suite, and the total cost was about $750 per couple per day. It looks like you are saying, to have a land vacation the cost would be $1500 to $2250 per day, I seriously doubt that.

We do land vacations for the experience and there is no way you can exactly compare that to cruising.

First, we don’t normally eat three meals a day, not even on a cruise. Secondly, we have 494 days at sea and neither one of us has ever had a second course of anything. It started out that the food was excellent and the portions we more than enough. It changed when the food quality went down to just acceptable and the smaller portions was enough.

We eat out a lot, especially here at home. We have our go-to ones depending on what type of food we want. We’ve had this list for many years and haven’t had a quality, or service issue yet.

Drinks. The free drinks on the ship are more than we normally drink. When we travel, since beer is our drink of choice, we usually buy it by bulk and keep it on ice in the room.

Last time we travelled it was less than a buck a beer, including tax. What is it on a ship $8-$9 plus tip?

I’m on this board because I can, there is no place that says all experiences have to be positive.

I voice my opinions on politics though I’ve never was one.

I voice my opinion on sports though I was never a professional athlete.

I voice my opinion on finance though I have little formal training. I’m actually pretty good at it, because of it we are truly live the life we only dream about.

 

Until next time.

 

 

 

You paid the $750 a day, people are still cruising for $100 so just like those who choose the drink package over your $1 supermarket buds everyone has a choice. Instead of moaning and complaining all the time just go off and enjoy your road trips while the rest of us enjoyn what we love.

[grandgeezer]

10 hours ago, bretts173 said:

You paid the $750 a day, people are still cruising for $100 so just like those who choose the drink package over your $1 supermarket buds everyone has a choice. Instead of moaning and complaining all the time just go off and enjoy your road trips while the rest of us enjoyn what we love.

I’m not doing road trips either, they too aren’t worth my hard earned bucks. I just responded to the general comment made by the poster. We live in the Phoenix area and there all kinds of things to do locally.

I didn’t even mention the transportation cost to get to the cruise port and back home, since we have to fly in the day before and stay in a hotel. Last time, the shuttle to and from the airport, cab to the hotel, hotel cost, cab to the ship and to the airport was about $1,200 which also a cost to be added to the whole trip.

Post like this is what keeps me around, keep it up. In the meantime We’ll continue to sit around the pool, drink my $.60 Bud from the supermarket which is what I usually pay when they have holiday sales. 

You can continue to pay your $100 per day to sleep in you walk in closet sized room, and grossly overpay for everything else. It’s all about choices.

[A&L_Ont]

I have to say the announced increase of gratuities has brought about interesting discussions on the main RC board.

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

I have to say the announced increase of gratuities has brought about interesting discussions on the main RC board.

 

At least they merged 3 threads into 1. Makes it easier to keep up with.

 

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

At least they merged 3 threads into 1. Makes it easier to keep up with.

 

Much easier.😁

[bretts173]

On 11/1/2023 at 2:35 AM, grandgeezer said:

I’m not doing road trips either, they too aren’t worth my hard earned bucks. I just responded to the general comment made by the poster. We live in the Phoenix area and there all kinds of things to do locally.

I didn’t even mention the transportation cost to get to the cruise port and back home, since we have to fly in the day before and stay in a hotel. Last time, the shuttle to and from the airport, cab to the hotel, hotel cost, cab to the ship and to the airport was about $1,200 which also a cost to be added to the whole trip.

Post like this is what keeps me around, keep it up. In the meantime We’ll continue to sit around the pool, drink my $.60 Bud from the supermarket which is what I usually pay when they have holiday sales. 

You can continue to pay your $100 per day to sleep in you walk in closet sized room, and grossly overpay for everything else. It’s all about choices.

The only one overpaying is anyone that would spend 0.60c on bud.

[livingonthebeach]

When you consider a run of the mill hotel room that is not that much larger than a cabin, costs around $200 a night. $100 a night for room and board plus entertainment is a bargain.  Of course if you stay at Motel Six and bring your case of Bud along with Spam for meals, you might be able to keep it at $100 a day. 

 

[volk904]

A billion dollars sounds like a lot but when you firgure in the hundreds of millions lost the last 3 years not so much.  At any rate let’s hope they get their financial house in order and restart the Amp program to renovate ships that need it badly. They also need to design and start building replacements for the Radiance class ships they need for some ports.  

[LobsterStalker]

1 hour ago, volk904 said:

A billion dollars sounds like a lot but when you firgure in the hundreds of millions lost the last 3 years not so much.  At any rate let’s hope they get their financial house in order and restart the Amp program to renovate ships that need it badly. They also need to design and start building replacements for the Radiance class ships they need for some ports.  

hundreds of millions.... Funny

[RD64]

On 11/1/2023 at 6:09 PM, livingonthebeach said:

When you consider a run of the mill hotel room that is not that much larger than a cabin, costs around $200 a night. $100 a night for room and board plus entertainment is a bargain.  Of course if you stay at Motel Six and bring your case of Bud along with Spam for meals, you might be able to keep it at $100 a day. 

 

$200 a night? That is like chasing a unicorn. Try pricing hotel rooms in Vancouver, weekends, in July or August - the sticker shock will astound you. I think $200 is what they were charging back in 1910.

[Jasukkie]

I've got nothing booked at the moment, which hasn't been the case since the restart. I'm researching for a family cruise and while Royal would be my first choice, the price is not justified. Literally twice for a comparable ship from another brand. Five free drinks is not enough to tip the scales. 

 

 

[livingonthebeach]

6 hours ago, RD64 said:

$200 a night? That is like chasing a unicorn. Try pricing hotel rooms in Vancouver, weekends, in July or August - the sticker shock will astound you. I think $200 is what they were charging back in 1910.

 

Yes some rooms far exceed the $200 mark yet if you book off season you might get a better rate closer to a bit under $200 -- but when you add tax etc. it goes a bit over.  That's not including meals, snacks, and entertainment. Plus drinks and other perks (if on the C & A loyalty program). I haven't come across any land vacation that includes all of that for less. If anyone has, please let me know. 

[lovesthebeach2]

On 10/26/2023 at 9:13 PM, LittleJoefromKokomo said:

I agree 100% even if the food isn't the same now as when we started cruising 2008 (miss the midnight buffet) we have always found something that we like. Both in Windjammer and MDR. Is it 5* food? No, absolutely not, but it is usually better than what we eat everyday when not cruising.

The food in both the WJ and MDR is nowhere near as tasty or healthy as what I make at home!!

Maybe I’m a picky eater because I prefer my food to be cooked properly, to be WARM, not loaded with salt, and tasty enough that it doesn’t need to be covered in some sort-of gravy to mask whatever it really is. 
Regardless, we still cruise because I love the ocean. Ad an added bonus is I don’t gain weight. 

[A&L_Ont]

I’m still chuckling at comparing the cost of crushing per day to a road trip in America. For an honest comparison it should be made against an AI.

 

I haven’t seen a respectable hotel room under $200 in a very long time. 

[grandgeezer]

On 11/1/2023 at 1:59 PM, bretts173 said:

The only one overpaying is anyone that would spend 0.60c on bud.

This is from a person that thinks buying drinks on a cruise is a bargain, or even cruising in general is a deal? I’m not the only one, the parent company of Budweiser did $57.8 Billion in sales, the cruise industry as a whole did $19 Billion, in 2022.
Like someone once said “you can fool some of the people all of the time.”

 

 

 

[chiguy67]

On 10/26/2023 at 9:35 AM, Slidell_Cruiser said:

Well Mr Liberty, can we get chips back in the Park Cafe, even at one bag per person per meal..

just a question…

Just pack your chips along with your rice cooker, juicer, blender, inflatable bed, pillows and microwave. 😆 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

8 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

I’m still chuckling at comparing the cost of crushing per day to a road trip in America. For an honest comparison it should be made against an AI.

 

I haven’t seen a respectable hotel room under $200 in a very long time. 

Guess it depends on what you consider "respectable".  I do Hampton's a lot and they are usually under $200.

[Tree_skier]

10 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

I’m still chuckling at comparing the cost of crushing per day to a road trip in America. For an honest comparison it should be made against an AI.

 

I haven’t seen a respectable hotel room under $200 in a very long time. 

 

Absolutely... I was just looking to do something for a few days off back in October down in by the water in San Diego. Most decent places near the water are a minimum of $250 per night plus a parking fee plus a resort fee and doesn't include food, drinks or entertainment once you are there.  

 

2 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Guess it depends on what you consider "respectable".  I do Hampton's a lot and they are usually under $200.

In Kentucky yes,  but rarely that cheap in tourist destinations like SoCal, South Florida or Hawaii.

[lv2bcruzin]

I've kept all our invoices from cruising since 2014 and interestingly enough there are invoices for the same cabin on the same ship (which of course would've been a newer ship at the time) which are almost the same cost pp/nt. We generally shoot for $100/pp/nt in a balcony stateroom and go up from there if we are sailing in a suite. Occasionally, we would luck out and find one for $50-$75 pp/nt, but those were on much older and smaller ships.

 

Last week we booked an 8nt Odyssey 12/9/23 (44 days out at time of booking) sailing in a large balcony stateroom for $96 pp/nt. In 2014 we booked a 7nt Freedom aft balcony for $118 pp/nt. Go figure.

 

With all that said, the extras/perks/C&A benefits have definitely been reduced. I remember $20 for all you can eat at Chops in the early 2000's. Those were the days!

 

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by lv2bcruzin

[S.A.M.J.R.]

44 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

 

In Kentucky yes,  but rarely that cheap in tourist destinations like SoCal, South Florida or Hawaii.

I've stayed 95 nights all across the country this year.  If you want to limit PP's statement, go ahead.   

[Tree_skier]

12 minutes ago, lv2bcruzin said:

I've kept all our invoices from cruising since 2014 and interestingly enough there are invoices for the same cabin on the same ship (which of course would've been a newer ship at the time) which are almost the same cost pp/nt. We generally shoot for $100/pp/nt in a balcony stateroom and go up from there if we are sailing in a suite. Occasionally, we would luck out and find one for $50-$75 pp/nt, but those were on much older and smaller ships.

 

Last week we booked an 8nt Odyssey 12/9/23 (44 days out at time of booking) sailing in a large balcony stateroom for $96 pp/nt. In 2014 we booked a 7nt Freedom aft balcony for $118 pp/nt. Go figure.

 

With all that said, the extras/perks/C&A benefits have definitely been reduced. I remember $20 for all you can eat at Chops in the early 2000's. Those were the days!

 

 

There are deals to be had out there if you look hard enough.

 

I booked Harmony Dec 17/23 sailing back in mid May while everyone had started complaining about how high prices were.  My TA had some group space left and I got the two of us in a CP balcony for about $1400 total...