Carnival complimentary drinks oddity

[Slattery]

It has always intrigued me why Carnival are so tight when it comes to complimentary drinks.

For example on Royal if you are a Diamond member or above you have access to a room from 5pm-8pm each night for complimentary drinks, yet Carnival doess not for its high end membership.

And with the free drinks on us in the casino promotion you have to actually be gambling to get your free drinks, you can't just walk up to the casino bar and get them where as on Royal you can.

Thoughts?

 

[bg2310]

Not so surprising when they're the "budget" cruise line so by nature don't make their money off the fare or filling staterooms, but from on-board purchases. And drink purchases are very much their cash cow.

 

From that perspective, you can understand why they are less generous than other cruise lines that command a higher stateroom premium from which they can subsidize some complimentary drinks (for their most elite loyalty members ofc).

Edited March 13 by bg2310

[BlerkOne]

Royal's loyalty program is based on bribery to retain past guests. Carnival prefers past guests who like the brand. Casino operations are independent of marketing programs.

 

Some Carnival  casino offers include drinks everywhere, so you can walk up to any bar. Can you do that on Royal?

 

 

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, Sattery said:

For example on Royal if you are a Diamond member or above you have access to a room from 5pm-8pm each night for complimentary drinks, yet Carnival doess not for its high end membership.

In the Crown Lounge drinks are not complimentary, and only Diamond Plus and Pinnacle are allowed during evening hours.  You have to use a drink voucher or charge your SeaPass if you don't already have the premium drink package.

 

Only if you're among the top Pinnacles on your sailing do you have access to the Suite Lounge, which does have complimentary drinks.

[sparks1093]

My thought is that all cruise lines are a little different, nothing more, nothing less.

[mfs2k]

Drinks are hugely profitable and cruise lines are in business to maximize shareholder profit. It’s a balancing act.
The offer of free drinks sells cabins but giving free drinks away reduces potential beverage revenue. 
 

[StephPS79]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

My thought is that all cruise lines are a little different, nothing more, nothing less.

 

This, really.  Both the loyalty and casino perks are completely different programs between cruise lines.  They follow the same principles, but cost vs. reward is very hard to compare across cruise lines.  

[DegenCCL]

Like others have kind of stated, Carnival is the "Walmart of the Seas" in both pricing and customer base. In my recent comparisons, cabin rates for RCL are higher compared to Carnival. I just tried to build out a budget as the wife wanted to try the new Icon of the Seas and it was $8k for just a standard balcony cabin for 2.

 

Not saying this does not also happen on RCL, but on CCL, it is much more noticable anytime there is free alcohol involved. Whether it be the free alcohol tastings from the shops, or the old VIFP parties, it turns into an absolute ship show. I got trampled and pushed around during one of those sample tastings as I simply wanted to try something before I committed to buying it. Some people at those VIFP parties were chugging those free drinks like shots in what seemed like who could get the most drunk before the party ended.

 

I will get a bunch of crap for saying this, but overall, RCL just has a "classier" customer base compared to Carnival.

 

 

Edited March 13 by DegenCCL

[nycruise1]

My thinking has always been that though I wish Carnival gave better loyalty perks, especially in comparison to Royal and some of the others, I like Carnival's fares.  Would rather pay the lower Carnival fares and not have all the perks, which I guess is why we have never sailed on Royal (plus I love our cruises as it is).

[RoyalC]

Royal Caribbean offer 4 free drinks for Diamond, 5 for Diamond Plus (me), and 6 per day for Pinnacle. It resets at midnight everyday.

The Crown lounge is for Diamond and above, unless stated otherwise (if there are too many Diamonds, then they are cut out). Drinks in the lounge go against the limit.

They also offer free internet (amount depends on level), a free 8 x 10 photo, discounts on other photos ($10 per photo on my last cruise), a repeater party with alcohol. Also included are near daily hor'devres in Cabin, 4 bottles of water, bottle of.wine or gift (Diamond Plus) and extra beverage. There are many other benefits too. Wish Carnival did similar but I'm sailing on Carnival soon. Looking forward to see how the food offerings compare.

 

[sparks1093]

39 minutes ago, DegenCCL said:

Like others have kind of stated, Carnival is the "Walmart of the Seas" in both pricing and customer base. In my recent comparisons, cabin rates for RCL are higher compared to Carnival. I just tried to build out a budget as the wife wanted to try the new Icon of the Seas and it was $8k for just a standard balcony cabin for 2.

 

Not saying this does not also happen on RCL, but on CCL, it is much more noticable anytime there is free alcohol involved. Whether it be the free alcohol tastings from the shops, or the old VIFP parties, it turns into an absolute ship show. I got trampled and pushed around during one of those sample tastings as I simply wanted to try something before I committed to buying it. Some people at those VIFP parties were chugging those free drinks like shots in what seemed like who could get the most drunk before the party ended.

 

I will get a bunch of crap for saying this, but overall, RCL just has a "classier" customer base compared to Carnival.

 

 

Well, they like to think they are classier, at any rate😉. I did see Royal as being a little better overall than Carnival, but that was comparing one of Royal's newer ships to some of Carnival's oldest, so our upcoming on Mardi Gras may change that. But I don't see Royal as being worth thousands more. A couple of hundred, tops.

[elcuchio24]

10 hours ago, Slattery said:

It has always intrigued me why Carnival are so tight when it comes to complimentary drinks.

For example on Royal if you are a Diamond member or above you have access to a room from 5pm-8pm each night for complimentary drinks, yet Carnival doess not for its high end membership.

And with the free drinks on us in the casino promotion you have to actually be gambling to get your free drinks, you can't just walk up to the casino bar and get them where as on Royal you can.

Thoughts?

 

 

Miss the days of free drinks at the past guest party, goodbye party, etc...

[Homosassa]

Carnival knows the demographics of the clientele that they attract.

 

Carnival offering free drinks costs them more in the long run than some other cruise lines offering free drinks as the other lines' clientele appreciate a  (one) free drink or perhaps two before the passenger reaches their alcohol limit.

[cacruisin]

Ah remembering the days of the multiple free drink options at the Captains party on first formal night......

[mz-s]

Carnival makes an obscene amount of money selling alcohol. They're not in the business of giving away their cash cow.

[staceyglow]

6 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Carnival makes an obscene amount of money selling alcohol. They're not in the business of giving away their cash cow.

I am not sure why one would call it "obscene". It's part of their revenue model. The prices are basically the same as what you would pay at an on-land bar that vacationers frequent. There's nothing wrong with that. 

 

I would rather have cheaper base fares and have the choice of spending more or less on optional items. 

[DukeASUGirl]

2 hours ago, DegenCCL said:

I will get a bunch of crap for saying this, but overall, RCL just has a "classier" customer base compared to Carnival.

 

 

I keep hearing about how Carnival's customer base are the booze cruisers, especially on the short cruises. But I saw way more and way rowdier drunks on my one Royal cruise (which was a 7-day) than on either of my Carnival short cruises (a 3-day and a 4-day). Obviously anecdotal, but hey.

 

For us, we found that we prefer the food on Carnival and prefer the pricing on Carnival. Royal does beat Carnival when it comes to entertainment, but my kids already live at the ice rink at home (figure skater and hockey player), so the idea of skating on a cruise ship holds no appeal at all. (And if anything is a drawback because you're required to wear a helmet and can only skate in a predetermined path)

[mfs2k]

There is an awful lot of customer generalization in this thread. 

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Well, they like to think they are classier, at any rate😉. I did see Royal as being a little better overall than Carnival, but that was comparing one of Royal's newer ships to some of Carnival's oldest, so our upcoming on Mardi Gras may change that. But I don't see Royal as being worth thousands more. A couple of hundred, tops.

Classier must be code for snobbier.

[BlerkOne]

34 minutes ago, DukeASUGirl said:

 

I keep hearing about how Carnival's customer base are the booze cruisers, especially on the short cruises. But I saw way more and way rowdier drunks on my one Royal cruise (which was a 7-day) than on either of my Carnival short cruises (a 3-day and a 4-day). Obviously anecdotal, but hey.

 

 

Royal customers certainly seem to be obsessed with subsidized alcohol.

[sparks1093]

49 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I am not sure why one would call it "obscene". It's part of their revenue model. The prices are basically the same as what you would pay at an on-land bar that vacationers frequent. There's nothing wrong with that. 

 

I would rather have cheaper base fares and have the choice of spending more or less on optional items. 

We attend the same concert venue a couple of times per year and their prices make Carnival look really good.

[mz-s]

54 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I am not sure why one would call it "obscene". It's part of their revenue model. The prices are basically the same as what you would pay at an on-land bar that vacationers frequent. There's nothing wrong with that. 

 

I would rather have cheaper base fares and have the choice of spending more or less on optional items. 

Thank you - obscene was the wrong choice of word there.

[staceyglow]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

We attend the same concert venue a couple of times per year and their prices make Carnival look really good.

DH and I attended a major league baseball game last week and they were charging $17 for a beer.  Carnival seems like a bargain.

[ninjacat123]

We were amazed at the low prices for wine and cocktails while in Europe (Italy, Greece, Turkey) last October.  Food prices were lower (and tastier) as well.  Restaurant prices here in the US are ridiculous. Like @staceyglow said, Carnival seems like a bargain.

[cmichael1221]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

We attend the same concert venue a couple of times per year and their prices make Carnival look really good.

Go to any bar in any major city and Carnival's prices look really good!