$10 Hot Chocolate does not include a refill

[Globaliser]

Does anyone else find this insane?? $8.95 for hot chocolate (at least this person got a shot in it!!), but to offset the ridiculousness of it, they will give you 15 free internet minutes. That's almost laughable. I'm all for businesses making a profit, but this is just plain stupid. It's like they are saying "yeah, we know, it's ridiculously overpriced, so here's a coupon so you don't feel SO bad".

There must be some stiff competition between an $8.95 hot chocolate, and any time on a ship's Internet cafe, as to which is more ridiculously overpriced.

 

The Internet cafe is I think one of the most outrageous ripoffs afloat - although, as they say, if you can get people to pay for it, then good for you. The entire Internet/satellite infrastructure has to be set up to allow the ship to operate efficiently and to keep in constant communication with head office. (Do they think we don't notice that webcam pictures coming once every 60 seconds have somehow to be sent to head office? Do they think we don't notice the absence of wires connected to the ship when they say "I'll just send an e-mail to Miami/Seattle/wherever and see what the position is"?) The prices they charge us to share their communications infrastructure make the whole tipping-as-pay argument pale into insignificance. :D

[myurick]

PHILLYBOY7802,

 

Anybody willing to pay $10.15 for a cup of hot chocolate in the first place, should be ecstatic that refills were only $2.00.

Not if that person was thinking that it included free refills. And at $10.15 a cup, why wouldn't they think the refills would be free?

[Mark_K]

Not if that person was thinking that it included free refills. And at $10.15 a cup, why wouldn't they think the refills would be free?

You know what they say about assuming ... If they didn't ask first they have no reason to complain.

 

As far as the price making one assume refills would be free, It's been my experience that there's not much correlation between a place charging high prices for drinks and including refills. If anything, the reverse. The diner charging $1.50 is more likely to be the place that includes refills than the place that thinks it can get away with charging $10.15.

[Globaliser]

And at $10.15 a cup, why wouldn't they think the refills would be free?

My $9 "pina colada in a souvenir glass" has never caused me to think that refills were free. Should I have asked? :)

[mlrdking]

We encouterted the same thing on a Princess Alaska cruise 2 years ago. They served hot Chocolate on the deck during the Hubbard Glacier viewing. It was $2.50 for a coffee cup size mug from the dining room. They had a big container of hot water and packets of instant hot chocolate.

We thought it was so rediculous. People were laughing when they told them how much it costs. After about 30 minutes they left. Had only sold about a dozen cups.

As the competition between the cruise lines increases, they are looking for any place they can find to make a few bucks. In a way I don't blame them, but having cruised for several years, it's hard to start paying for things that were free the year before.

[flagger]

Ok maybe it is me, but I would never pay for hot chocolate made with hot water and a instant packet. It has to be made with hot milk to be considered real hot cocoa IMHO.

[Sea Island Lady]

I have acquired a taste for sugar free hot chocolate that I drink in the mornings in place of coffee. It comes in a can and I actually cut the amount of tablespoons you are suppose to add to the water. Only 50 calories a cup, but less for me so that I can have two cups.

If I drink the "sugared" kind in a packet, it is like drinking the rich "milk added" cocoa to me. I can't take the milk type anymore...too sweet!

[emilygrace]

Hey, that 15 minutes of internet time is worth $7.50, so that brings the price of the hot chocolate (WITH a shot of amaretto AND the mug) down to $1.45. Not a bad deal, if you ask me. Which you didn't, but I had to put this in.

[Magicat]

Last year on the Radiance they had the mug/hot chocolate/booze thing happening for $8 or $9. We bought them because we wanted a mug. Talk nice to the guy serving and he will give you an extra spike. Didn't mind paying for it as I knew the cost before hand..also was the first drink of the day (9am) so there was no external influences to affect my decision if you know what I mean.

[BADBUOY]

Add a side order of rings and your total is $14.10 cha-ching.........

[mohavemommy]

Last year on the Radiance they had the mug/hot chocolate/booze thing happening for $8 or $9. We bought them because we wanted a mug. Talk nice to the guy serving and he will give you an extra spike. Didn't mind paying for it as I knew the cost before hand..also was the first drink of the day (9am) so there was no external influences to affect my decision if you know what I mean.

:confused: Now I am confused.... is the hot chocolate they are selling with or without booze?? :confused:

[Magicat]

The ones I got had booze in them. Believe me, I had a choice of several liqueurs to add to my chocolate chaude (hot chocolate) all presented in a nice Royal Caribbean insulated mug. Oh and the hot chocolate was thick...really thick. And when we go to Alaska again and they sell these mugs with the hot chocolate...We'll probably buy them again.

[xpcdoojk]

It always amazes me the things that tick people off. You spend thousands of dollars to travel to Alaska and then you cry and whine about $2 for a refill, when you obviously want a refill. I can't imagine paying $10 for a cup and then whining about the refill, but that is just me. :p

 

I can get all of the Eagles games at my house for about 1/2 the price for your seat, not to mention I can get all of the good teams that I might prefer to watch, and instant replay. If I treat my wife really nice, she might even bring me a hot chocolate while I watch. :p

 

jc

[BADBUOY]

Yea like the BILLS !!!!!

[Brad1185]

Yes we hit the freebies, that great ice tea, water, lemonaide, etc. We were doing great no charges on our account for a week, then my wife went to the Russian sale at the shops, bad mistake, now we have a $200.00 carved Russian bear.

[abridalmaven]

In Alaska I bought the kind with liquor, and it was mainly to buy the cup, I knew that free coffee and HC was available. I never once thought about purchasing a refill of something that is free. Now If I wanted more booze...well that is another story.:rolleyes:

 

And as for internet service, Try NCL whoa! :eek: The charge you a service fee the first time to set you up before you even log on and then the timed charges and then after that their rates are higher than RCI.

 

Nobody twisted your arm to buy the cup or the refill.:p

[Facation Fanatic]

$8,333 per seat divided by 8 (+) games a year divided by 30 year stadium lifespan = less than $35 a seat per game. Did you get free hot chocolate?

 

 

OMG!!! I don't normally comment on stuff like this, but...........that last line is killer!!! Funny, funny, funny..LMBO!!!!! Nice comeback!

 

Just from a common sense standpoint, I don't understand why a person who thinks seeing the Eagles (or any football game) is worth $300 would complain about a $10 cup of hot chocolate. I wouldn't pay $300 to see the Superbowl and I consider myself a huge football fan. But, that's me and you're not me. I wouldn't pay $10 for a cup of hot chocolate either. I would have immediately given the hot chocolate back. I do agree with the OP that $10 for a cup of hot chocolate is off the chain and unreasonable. I hope the OP noted their displeasure on their comment card.

[Sea Island Lady]

I agree with emilygrace - That is a deal!

[mohavemommy]

Like the guy handing out bottles of water who asks you for your signature, and more often than not gets laughed at and the water handed back to him..... :)

[takeabreath3]

on my alaska cruise i bought the hot chocolate in that great mug and when it was empty went into windjammer, made me some more hot chocolate in my mug at no charge!!!!

 

of course, i did all the work and did not require any staff participation! might be why my was free! lol

 

sea ya, judy

[mohavemommy]

on my alaska cruise i bought the hot chocolate in that great mug and when it was empty went into windjammer, made me some more hot chocolate in my mug at no charge!!!!

 

of course, i did all the work and did not require any staff participation! might be why my was free! lol

 

sea ya, judy

What kind of mug was it? :confused:

[Idrive159]

Wow! one whole can of soda during a cruise. You sure "vacationed" and splurged.

[bobbyd6363]

Well let me see, our bar tab on last years VOS cruise was $1500. I am fairly sure that it was due to all those evil martinis we drank and bought for our freinds. Now those were probably $13 each so that means we probably drank too much!

 

Now if you do the math that would have been 150 cups of hot chocolate! Does the latitude and longitude affect the math? Because I am fairly certain (well with what brain cells I have left) that in Alaska you are really close to Canada and they have a totally different exchange rate than we have here in the US, so you need to make sure that the price of $10 for that cup of hot chocolate wasnt in Canadian Dollars instead of US dollars!

[pyrrhus]

I can tell you that as far as Celeb rity was concerned, those $10 cups were in US currency, and Hubbard Glacier Bay is in US Waters.

[mohavemommy]

on my alaska cruise i bought the hot chocolate in that great mug and when it was empty went into windjammer, made me some more hot chocolate in my mug at no charge!!!!

What kind of mug was it? Ceramic? Insulated? anybody???