Cranberry Juice Availability

[bdjam]

Brian, no matter what happens you will side with Princess.

 

They made a business decision that most of us don't agree with. I don't even drink the stuff and I still think it's silly that they are now charging. You come on here and lay blame on the "booze smugglers"....what a laugh. Since Princess just announced they plan to offer lemonade for "free" then perhaps that is the culprit. :rolleyes:

 

Princess could do a lot to tweek their business plan without any of us even feeling it.

• Raise the base price by $50 and most won't notice. (I never remember what I paid the last time anyway)
  
• Charge less for photos and sell more in volume. (why throw them away? I would buy more of them if they were reasonable in price)
  
• Price excursions only slighlty higher than the private ones and more people will book through them. (I was on a private excursion with people who had booked through the cruisline. Same excursion but I paid $20 less per person)

I like Princess and I am going on my 5th cruise with them in a few months. Just because I like them doesn't mean I think they are perfect.

Your first statement is false - I've already said I don't think Princess is perfect - apparently you missed that part of my post. Further, my point about on board revenue holds true. Perhaps raising the base price $50 doesn't matter to you, but it would matter to the market that Princess is after. You aren't their only concern. Your suggestions for improvements in their business model are interesting, but I wonder why they should change the way they do business when they sail with full ships and full tours on most of their itineraries. If they are gouging passenger so much, how come their business is so good? Do you really think they would make a decision to charge for cranberry juice without doing some research and understanding how it would effect their overall passenger base? They know exactly how many people will be bothered.

 

If people in mass were really bothered, they'd choose to sail another cruise line, don't you think? Or do you think they will blindly keep spending their money where they think the product less than satisfactory?

 

Interesting also that you know my name - I wonder where else you post?

[rcacace]

Brian, no matter what happens you will side with Princess.

 

They made a business decision that most of us don't agree with. I don't even drink the stuff and I still think it's silly that they are now charging. You come on here and lay blame on the "booze smugglers"....what a laugh. Since Princess just announced they plan to offer lemonade for "free" then perhaps that is the culprit. :rolleyes:

 

Princess could do a lot to tweek their business plan without any of us even feeling it.

• Raise the base price by $50 and most won't notice. (I never remember what I paid the last time anyway)
  
• Charge less for photos and sell more in volume. (why throw them away? I would buy more of them if they were reasonable in price)
  
• Price excursions only slighlty higher than the private ones and more people will book through them. (I was on a private excursion with people who had booked through the cruisline. Same excursion but I paid $20 less per person)

I like Princess and I am going on my 5th cruise with them in a few months. Just because I like them doesn't mean I think they are perfect.

 

I could almost fully agree with your thoughts but all prices increases that Princess has implemented in the past have been to attract pax to book with them & once on board they know many will purchase the extras without giving much consideration to their total bill. ie photo's, drinks, tours, room service tips, juice, ice cream , etc. Raising the initial price would be noticed by myself & lots of folks just window shopping & would keep many from booking in the first place. I can look the other way when they try to charge me for all the extras but many don't think twice about the small incidentals & Princess knows it.

btw- I read somewhere that the photos are being recycled. I don't know how much truth there is to the story but they've developed a process by which they can wash off the ink & recycle both the paper & ink.

[jwave]

I agree that booze smuggling DOES impact decision making, you can't possibly imagine that Princess is unaware of the practice. While they can't really stop people from doing it, they can try to make up costs. Cranberry prices have soared recently, due to two bad crop years in a row. 2 years ago they were darn near impossible to find at thanksgiving time (well at least here...and several produce managers cited bad crop year) and last year while not as bad, was not a good year.

 

I agree I hate nickel and diming, and I WOULD pay $50 more (though I DO remember what I pay each year), prices remain very low for the cruise itself. Perhaps they feel that if they can get you ON the ship with low prices, you will be more inclined to spend onboard to keep your experience high.

 

Who knows? Just my two cents.

 

J

[bhopal21]

Perhaps they feel that if they can get you ON the ship with low prices, you will be more inclined to spend onboard to keep your experience high.

 

Agreed, it is the newer level of marketing.

 

Practiced by your cable provider, the telephone company, ISP, et al.

 

Offer a low price to attract the masses and then upsell, upsell, upsell.

 

And I am certainly guilty of buying, buying, buying because I want all the extras.:o

 

Mike:)

[Ethel5]

We were on the Coral in April and they were just starting to charge for cranberry juice.

[caribbean blue for me]

I could almost fully agree with your thoughts but all prices increases that Princess has implemented in the past have been to attract pax to book with them & once on board they know many will purchase the extras without giving much consideration to their total bill. ie photo's, drinks, tours, room service tips, juice, ice cream , etc. Raising the initial price would be noticed by myself & lots of folks just window shopping & would keep many from booking in the first place. I can look the other way when they try to charge me for all the extras but many don't think twice about the small incidentals & Princess knows it.

btw- I read somewhere that the photos are being recycled. I don't know how much truth there is to the story but they've developed a process by which they can wash off the ink & recycle both the paper & ink.

 

I agree with your thoughts on the incidentals. I am THRILLED to hear that they are recycling pictures.

 

I shop very hard before I select a cruise. I compare and compare trying to find the right cabin, the right itinerary and the right price. For the cruises I have wanted to book Princess is almost always cheaper than RCCL and Celebrity. CCL and NCL offers some less expensive options at times. Overall, I think Princess has room to move up a little on price and still be attractive. That's just my opinion.

 

If the rate went from $901 to $951 I don't think it would matter to me but I can't speak for everyone. If they openly marketed a "more inclusive" concept I think they would attract more experienced cruisers. Again, just my opinion

[caribbean blue for me]

Agreed, it is the newer level of marketing.

 

Practiced by your cable provider, the telephone company, ISP, et al.

 

Offer a low price to attract the masses and then upsell, upsell, upsell.

 

And I am certainly guilty of buying, buying, buying because I want all the extras.:o

 

Mike:)

 

That's a good point. They get you in, get you hooked and then raise the price. Kind of like the drug dealer concept :D ...

[caribbean blue for me]

I agree that booze smuggling DOES impact decision making, you can't possibly imagine that Princess is unaware of the practice. While they can't really stop people from doing it, they can try to make up costs. Cranberry prices have soared recently, due to two bad crop years in a row. 2 years ago they were darn near impossible to find at thanksgiving time (well at least here...and several produce managers cited bad crop year) and last year while not as bad, was not a good year.

 

I agree I hate nickel and diming, and I WOULD pay $50 more (though I DO remember what I pay each year), prices remain very low for the cruise itself. Perhaps they feel that if they can get you ON the ship with low prices, you will be more inclined to spend onboard to keep your experience high.

 

Who knows? Just my two cents.

 

J

 

I had not heard that about cranberries but at least that explains things.

 

First time cruisers might be a little surprised to find out their final onboard account total. Those of us that have been through it a few times quickly learn how fast things add up.

[rcacace]

I had not heard that about cranberries but at least that explains things.

 

First time cruisers might be a little surprised to find out their final onboard account total. Those of us that have been through it a few times quickly learn how fast things add up.

 

If it's true about the cranberry shortage, why haven't I seen a high increase in the local supermarkets here in Florida? They certainly raise prices on everything else around here quickly.

[Lynda90]

If it's true about the cranberry shortage, why haven't I seen a high increase in the local supermarkets here in Florida? They certainly raise prices on everything else around here quickly.

Yes, that is interesting. Just bought Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice @ 2 half gallons for $5.00. Seems pretty cheap to me! Last week they were $4.79 each. Hmmmm, no "each" symbol on my keyboard. Never really noticed that before. :p :D

[jwave]

Think about it this way: This is EXACTLY like the airline baggage situation. I have heard from so many people " I would rather they institute a bag fee rather than raise prices....because then I will only be charged IF I bring extra bags, and I won't be paying more for other people to bring heavy bags". While in theory this is true (and in limited practice), ultimately we all pay more.

 

WHY?

 

Because later they will raise prices anyway (usually in small increments so you don't notice), BUT they NEVER remove the fees (they just go up too).

 

So the cruise lines can increase prices slowly (they have gone up slightly in the last few years), charge for more and more items that used to be free (like taking baggage on a plane), and people let them.

 

If no one buys the juice, they will either stop serving it or make it free again.

[jwave]

Prices may be falling because of an expected bumper crop this year. The past few years have experienced "winter kill" causing shortages. This article http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/08/21/cranberry_crop_headed_for_best_year_since_99/ says that the crop is still slightly below need but they think this year will correct that.

[Solara]

On the CB in May the only time you could get cranberry juice for no charge was in the dining room at breakfast.

[cruzinchris]

On the CB in May the only time you could get cranberry juice for no charge was in the dining room at breakfast

 

Just off the Star this past Sunday - no cranberry juice on the dining room breakfast menu.

Chris

[Ethel5]

So they're taking away cranberry juice and giving us lemonade. NBD. Life if full of tough choices! :)

[bdjam]

[quote name='Ethel5']So they're taking away cranberry juice and giving us lemonade. NBD. Life if full of tough choices! :)[/quote]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=black]We had apple juice on Dawn Princess - it was tasty...[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Sanibel*Gal]

[quote name='bdjam'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=black]We had apple juice on Dawn Princess - it was tasty...[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]



Glad to hear they are not charging for APPLE JUICE too....that is DH's fave.
I like Cranberry juice & would mix it half & half with the ice tea.... I know weird.:o Anyhow, Ocean Spray now has Cranberry juice in the individual packets like Crystal Light, so I guess I will just bring some along & mix it with ice water on my next cruise. Works for me!:D

[Celest1022]

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=seagreen]I just called Princess directly and asked them about charging for cranberry juice. He called the food and beverage rep (Daytona was her name) and she said they will charge you if it's ordered from the bar but not when you order it for breakfast. So,,,we shall see.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=#2e8b57] [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Solara]

[quote name='Celest1022'][FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=seagreen]I just called Princess directly and asked them about charging for cranberry juice. He called the food and beverage rep (Daytona was her name) and she said they will charge you if it's ordered from the bar but not when you order it for breakfast. So,,,we shall see.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[/quote]They still would charge us in the buffet, only in the dining room at breakfast was it available at no charge.

[rcacace]

[quote name='Solara']They still would charge us in the buffet, only in the dining room at breakfast was it available at no charge.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]Guess I'll have to bring my [SIZE="5"][B]large [/B][/SIZE]mug to the dr & fill up in the morning. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[Embracedbylife]

Our last cruise on the Diamond you could get the cranberry juice in those little glasses at breakfast. If they didn't have it out, I asked the server for some and he would give me a couple small glasses of it. Any other time we would buy a large and it would cost about $2.50 or so, but it was large and not watered down...pretty good and worth the charge I thought since I would mix it with a large glass of pineapple juice (also $2.50) and add rum from our room....made about 6 drinks...yummy! :)

[Times Prince]

[quote name='Times Prince']I guess I'll find out in 2 weeks, as I enjoy cranberry juice for breakfast. While I normally drink orange juice the canned stuff they typically have is awful.

On recent trips it was only available in the dining room at breakfast. We'll see...[/quote]We just got off the Grand Princess Aegean-Egypt cruise. I had cranberry juice every morning with NO CHARGE.

Cranberry juice was listed in the dining room breakfast menu along with orange, apple, etc.

Cranberry juice was not out in the Horizon Court with the pre-poured juices, but was available at no charge when requested - which I did, without any issue or charge, and got served with a smile.

[caribill]

On the Crown recently, they only had orange juice out at the breakfast buffet, but you could ask for a glass of apple, cranberry or pineapple juice and they would happily pour it for you at no charge.

On course, that was only at breakfast. It has been several years since Princess had no-charge juice at the other meals.

And they still had fresh squeezed orange juice available for breakfast in the dining room at no charge. Of course, you had to ask for "fresh squeezed."

[Nancyquilts]

Obviously I've led a sheltered life. What would you mix with cranberry juice and what would you get? Why wouldn't they eliminate orange juice as that can be mixed with liquor? Inquiring minds need to know.:confused: Nancy

[LoraJ]

[quote name='Nancyquilts']Obviously I've led a sheltered life. What would you mix with cranberry juice and what would you get? Why wouldn't they eliminate orange juice as that can be mixed with liquor? Inquiring minds need to know.:confused: Nancy[/QUOTE]


Vodka and Cranberry.
I used to drink that all the time but now I have switched to Malibu Rum, Cranberry & Pineapple juice. Yummy!