We Cruisers Need to be Realists........

[sail7seas]

Two@Sea:

 

Congratulations on your special events. Hope you have a wonderful cruise and totally enjoy the lovely amenities that accrue with the Suites. The Suite life on HAL really is sweet. :)

 

I wouldn't fret about the possibility of coupons as I seriously doubt there will (or should) be anything of the sort.

 

JMHO, of course.

 

[Hutch&Pat]

 

March 2009, ms Volendam 63 days, Sydney to Vancouver, inside from $4,699.

($75 per day)

 

April 2009, ms Amsterdam, 18 days, Valparaiso to San Diego, Inside from $999, outside from $1,099 ($55 and $62 per day respectively)

 

No wonder HAL (and others) are cutting back .....Until business returns I suggest we need to adjust to changes on board, like them or not.

 

When cruise lines are cutting prices so much, they are NOT trying to be nice, they are hurting!

 

Problem with me is advance booking and not knowing in advance what will be cut! ....there's no consensus here -- one person would miss clean towels every day and I would be very upset if I were on a long cruise without a good bridge instructor and great lecturers. If the cruise is costing 20% less, could we count on HAL cutting all areas by no more than 20%? It's difficult making a decision without all the info ..... just seeing 'writing on the wall'.

Pat

[m steve]

The coupon offer would be to get people interested in HAL to book another cruise in a short time rather than holding off until a deal comes thru. I know that a high% stick w/HAL and the CCs are really cheer leaders most of the time. They could do this for all the passengers but thought trying it w/ CC would be a good experiment. My last HAL cruise we had 400 on B2B and the next leg 150. Like the Canadian respondent, we book early to get the cabin location we want. I guess the secret is to get people back as frequently as possible by making the cruise a little more afordable.

[fcorey]

 

These are not times when plates should be piled high in Lido when one knows they cannot possibly eat all that food. Take what you want but eat what you take (unless, of course, there is something about it that displeases you.) We can always go back for more.

 

Sail, I agree with your post but would add that those that try to "maximize" their dollar by wasting food need to go to another part of the world where things arent so plentiful and having enough to eat isnt a foregone conclusion.

 

The same thing goes for those that order multiple appetizers and entrees at every sitting for no other reason than they can

[chloes nana]

We are putting off long foreign cruises like Asia and the Med as the air cost and day trips can really add up. I'm not willing to pay $1000 a day (for 2) on a vacation.

wow! actually our 20 day mediterranean adventure with round trip airfare from CO is going to cost us $185 pp, with a veranda. Wonder how you got your $1000 a day figure???:confused:

[sail7seas]

Sail, I agree with your post but would add that those that try to "maximize" their dollar by wasting food need to go to another part of the world where things arent so plentiful and having enough to eat isnt a foregone conclusion.

 

The same thing goes for those that order multiple appetizers and entrees at every sitting for no other reason than they can

 

 

Hi Frank,

I agree but also think we need to remember that we are, afterall, on vacation. I think it reasonable everyone splurges a bit during their vacations. I don't advocate everyone has to fret their vacation away being disturbed about world hunger.

 

Of course, it is tragic and we all know remedies must be found SOON but I don't think we need to put that on the shoulders of all us cruisers for the week or two (for most of us) we're trying to enjoy our vacations.

 

Just using a touch of moderation would make a difference in some cases. :)

[kryos]

Problem with me is advance booking and not knowing in advance what will be cut! ....there's no consensus here -- one person would miss clean towels every day and I would be very upset if I were on a long cruise without a good bridge instructor and great lecturers. If the cruise is costing 20% less, could we count on HAL cutting all areas by no more than 20%? It's difficult making a decision without all the info ..... just seeing 'writing on the wall'.

Pat

I honestly don't see that many cuts on the longer cruises ... I think you're mainly gonna see things eliminated on the short ones ... where the major price cuts are occurring. I've never sailed a HAL cruise without there being speakers and a bridge instructor. But then I sail pretty much 15 day minimum cruises.

 

Now as far as towels ... I've been told that it is HAL policy to replace towels every other day. I think it's been their policy for a while ... as a part of their "environmental awareness" program. You may not realize it, but even if you put your towels on the floor, I think they are just folded up and put back. Bed linens, from what I understand, are changed twice weekly.

 

But then ... think about it. Do you change your towels every day at home? I know I sure don't. In fact, maybe I'm a pig, but dad and I change our towels twice a week ... Wednesday and Saturday ... and that works out fine. We change our bed linens on the same days. So, I have no problem with being expected to use a towel for two days or bed linens for half the week.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[DFD1]

I've never had a towel which was placed on the floor damp after being used refolded and rehung on the rack. I would not tolerate that.

 

I often hang the lightly used towel myself, sending a signal to the steward that it need not be replaced.

[the_dylaness]

I've never had a towel which was placed on the floor damp after being used refolded and rehung on the rack. I would not tolerate that.

 

I often hang the lightly used towel myself, sending a signal to the steward that it need not be replaced.

 

I usually reuse my bath towels on a ship unless it is soiled for some reason (like I used it to mop up water that dripped on the floor.) If I lay a towel on the floor I expect it to be replaced- YUCK!

[Pokeynose]

We also booked over a year in advance for our next cruise in sept. so we would get the deluxe suite we had in June 08 on the Westerdam. We had wonderful service from our room steward, the suite was cleaned twice a day without fail and always at a reasonable time since we had room service for breakfast , we are not early risers:D. I also don't understand the credit, etc that some are talking about.:confused: We paid $$ for this suite knowing ahead the services we got previously. I sure hope we won't be disappointed. There are things I can do without, the shampoo, etc. in the bathroom, I always bring my own anyway but no way will I give up clean towels every day. I don't even have to have our sheets changed that often, it's just us sleeping in the bed, I certainly don't change our sheets at home that often.:rolleyes: Time will tell what changes will bring in the future.

 

In answer to a previous poster, Yes, I do change my bath towels daily, hand towels no. I cannot use a bath towel twice, for heigene (sp.?) reasons. JMHO

[Two@Sea]

...Do you change your towels every day at home?

 

 

Yes, we do. Sheets, twice a week, but towels are changed every day. It's just one of those "things" that make us all different. :)

[iancal]

We shop for vacations, including cruises, based on value. Price is part of it, but the second part is our perception of the offer vis a vis our specific 'must haves' and wants. This means that we are fairly agnostic when it comes to a certain group of cruise lines, and open minded on others if we feel the price/itinerary/circumstances are right for us. The difficult part for the cruise lines is the second part of the value statement because this is different for every cruiser. This is why I think that in tough times they will resort to price because that is common for all. We may not agree with this strategy, but that is how it will probably be. Do I feel sorry for the cruise lines. Well, from my perspective they increase the prices when demand is high-Chistmas and other holidays-hence they should also take the price risk when demand is far less than supply. We are planning either a cruise/trip to South America or a trip to Africa in November or December. We are sitting back waiting for the 'best' value, from our perspective, to appear. Then we will book and travel. But the deal will have to be very attractive, with large discounts, to make us jump.

[sail7seas]

Wonder how many are sorry they built so many new ships in the last several years?

 

[cruz chic]

Yes, we do. Sheets, twice a week, but towels are changed every day. It's just one of those "things" that make us all different. :)

I'm with you on the towels being changed daily at home. I can't use towels more then once. When I was married and we went to the in-laws for the week we got one towel for the whole time. My ex saw nothing wrong with that....gross! I think that's why we're divorced:D.

[cruz chic]

I think it's been their policy for a while ... as a part of their "environmental awareness" program.

 

--rita

If they were as concerned about the environment as they say they would quit printing the garbage mail daily. I am talking about the inch of gold sales....art auctions...crap that no one wants (or very few).

[iancal]

Agreed, and if they were really concerned about the environment they would stop the constant mailing of brochures to our house....they never make it past the re-cycling bin. And the same goes for all Carnival Corps lines...we are sick to the teeth of it! They could also cease and desist on those useless coupon books as well.

[nchank]

There have been postings about the waste of food, which is true, but I believe I heard that food was the most inexpensive part of the cruise lines expenses. I heard that the Lido food trays are kept full at all times and basically all the full complement of full trays is tossed as the last diner leaves.

 

For whatever it is worth, CCL's earning dropped slightly last year by 3.23%. However I do not know what month last year their fiscal year ended.

 

The fact that the price comes down as the sail date gets closer is understandable since if the cabin is unoccupied the ship get no income while its expenses remain the same. So if a cabin is sold for $100 the line gets $100 more with virtually no expense than it would have gotten otherwise. Plus what ever profit the line makes on signboard purchases.

 

If the line advertises a luxury cruise, then it should be.

[cruz chic]

Agreed, and if they were really concerned about the environment they would stop the constant mailing of brochures to our house....they never make it past the re-cycling bin. And the same goes for all Carnival Corps lines...we are sick to the teeth of it! They could also cease and desist on those useless coupon books as well.

I forgot about the snail mail at home. I must get somthing every week that goes into recycle. Very annoying.

[cruisecrasy]

Don't laugh ... I even read one review where the reviewer started out saying what a great price he had gotten on the sailing ... last minute booking ... can't remember the cruise line. Then he goes on to rip the cruise line apart. The part of his review that I got a real laugh out of, though ... was when he ripped into the cabin steward. He said that the guy never got to his cabin before noon, and several times never even bothered to turn down his bed at night. He also complained that his towels were not replaced each day and that all the steward had done was picked them up off the floor, refolded them, and hung them back up. He also complained about his daughter only receiving a towel animal on two nights of the cruise. He then went on to say that he cut his gratuities down by 50% because of the poor cabin service.

 

I couldn't help thinking ... so you punish a cabin steward, probably getting him into trouble, because the poor guy is probably overworked ... maybe having 20 or more cabins to service twice a day because maybe the cruise line has cut the cabin servicing staff down in order to free up berths for other, revenue producing functions' staff.

 

True, I was unhappy on my Carnival cruise with the state of my cabin as well. But my issues were mostly related to being unable to control the temperature. If my issues had only been in terms of cabin service, I would have been far more understanding, given the price I paid for that four day cruise. And, I certainly didn't even consider reducing the cabin steward's tip. After all, it wasn't his fault the temperature was too cold and couldn't be raised. He did bring me some extra blankets to minimize the discomfort.

 

My dear mom ... now deceased ... grew up in the depression era. As a result, she was very, very careful with a dollar. She used to look for deals and I remember telling her ... when she was lamenting that something she bought really cheap had fallen apart after only a couple of uses ... "mom, you get what you pay for, haven't you realized that yet? Spend a bit more to get a quality item, and you'll save in the long-run because it will last." Sadly, she never learned that lesson before she died and was always shopping based on price. Well, that's fine ... but then you can't be too picky about what you end up with either.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Sails posting was excellent and I liked your observations Kryos!

 

U nailed a particular peeve of mine - folks paying 'peanuts' & expecting 'walnuts, brazil, hazelnuts etc' :) ...

 

Have happy cruisin'!

[kryos]

I'm with you on the towels being changed daily at home. I can't use towels more then once. When I was married and we went to the in-laws for the week we got one towel for the whole time. My ex saw nothing wrong with that....gross! I think that's why we're divorced:D.

LOL ... well, I don't think I would want to use a towel for the whole week ... but a twice a week change ... as long as I'm the only one using the towel, I personally have no problem with that.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Wonder how many are sorry they built so many new ships in the last several years?

 

I wonder how RCI is feeling about now with the upcoming roll-out of the Oasis of the Seas, and Allure coming out what ... next year?

 

Those ships are gonna have a lot of cabins to fill each week, and I personally think RCI is going to have a problem doing that in this economy without practically giving them away. Oh, for the first few months the ship might be pretty full. It'll be new then, a novelty, and if it is at all financially possible, people will pay the price to sail. But once that novelty wears off ... oh, brother ... if the economy stays as it is, I think Oasis will sail half empty each week, and who knows, maybe RCI will actually have to pretty much give those cabins away just to keep warm bodies in them.

 

After all ... tis better to let people sail for free, and grab the cash off of them in onboard revenue.

 

And, I'll tell you something else. Just a prediction ... but I'm willing to bet that if the economy doesn't improve and some of the cruise lines start having a real problem filling cabins ... some marketing genius will come up with the idea ... hey, let's give free cabins ... under the proviso that the occupants have to purchase "X" number of dollars worth of non-refundable onboard credit, the amount of which will depend on the level of the cabin. The credit can be used for anything except the casino ... shore excursions, drinks, spa, etc. That sort of thing can actually be profitable for the cruise line as it will force people to spend onboard since they won't be able to get a refund of the unused portion anyway. Make the required amounts of credit high enough, and the cruise line will still make money even if they give away the cabin.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sail7seas]

Don't make people out to be so dumb they can't add and subtract. They full well know the fares they would/have paid vs. the amount of your proposed forced on-board spending. Pay it here or pay it there, people know how much they will have to pay.

 

If they are willing to pay, for example, $2,000 for their week aboard a ship that is all they are going to pay be it from paying for their cabin or going your on-board spending route.

[jhannah]

"Forced" onboard spending? Nope! I absolutely would not cruise the line that did that. Paying for a stateroom is one thing. Having to buy overpriced onboard goods is entirely another.

[m steve]

If the towels were thicker we would consider using them again by hanging them up. They are so thin that they are like a soggy rag once used.

We both get brochures from HAL, Princess, Cunard, and Carnival about 4 times a week. We have 2 different last names but the same address. I don't think we ever decided to take a cruise based on one of these mailers. As a repeat cruiser, I would prefer receiving the set of regional booklets issued once a year directly from them along w/video. Quarterly mailings like we get as a Mariner are sufficient reminders. If they are reducing rates or giving special OBCs an email would be best but not every day.

[hammybee]

Wonder how many are sorry they built so many new ships in the last several years?

 

 

It is the nature of most businesses to expand until supply exceeds demand. Airlines do this. Hotels do this. Restaurant chains do this. Malls do this. Retail does this. Starbucks did this. Lord knows, new home builders did this. It's good for the ecomony because expansion employs people. It's not sustainable over the long haul.

 

And yeah, I suspect many of them are sorry now, that they did.