Goodtime Cruizin

Is there any predicatability to when Royal will have a BOGO sale? We are trying to plan a vacation on a budget and want to hold off. We wouldn't be sailing until March, but we are hooked now and can't wait to get something on the books. That is how we booked last time. We aren't looking for a special room. Probably just an interior.

My original post was removed because I evidently stepped on some toes and used a dot com.

Having said this, the best time to take advantage of any cruise fare is at or during the release dates of a particular cruise. The ship is full and the prices are low. The fuller the ship, the higher the price. We booked our 3 current booked cruises at release dates, several for close to 2 years out, and currently, one of them is 105% higher today than they when booked, another is 80% higher. The third is so far out that there hasn't been much change, but it's already higher.

Book early as possible, cheaper cruise fares and wider cabin selections.

I see this statement again and again on this message board and it perplexes me. I get that if I attend a concert or sports event I have to pay a high premium for a drink at those events. However, those events last maybe 2-4 hours tops. You are on a seven cruise a tad under 168 hours. It is silly that they are charging concert premium prices for an entire week in my opinion. I get that RCCL has their defenders who will stick by them no matter what they charge or take away from us, but come on people the drink prices are absurd. I just got off the Indy two weeks ago and my wife and I bought the drink package. We drank like a fish to try and get our moneys worth and it was still a total rip off to pay $800 for that package for two people. We truly power drank for seven days straight and I seriously doubt we consumed $75-$100 of actual alcohol at cost. RCCL could cut their drink prices in half and still make a killing. We enjoy RCCL, but are not loyal to any cruise line and are extensive cruisers. RCCL has just priced themselves out of reality in our opinion. We cruise the last week of May each year and it is currently $4500 for a balcony room on the Freedom next year for a family of four. We just priced NCCL next year same week, same itinerary, same balcony room on their second largest ship for $2717 and that includes two drink packages tossed in. Can you guess which one we are booking?

Well all I got for this is that you're also on vacation for 168 hrs too. For us, we expect to pay more when on vacation than when we aren't. I expect to drink more as well. I'll be off work, I'll be off the grid, the Capt has the designated driver covered etc. I take advantage of my downtime and because I do, I see a value. Now having said this, I'm not one that would have two or three cocktails per day. I'll get $49/day of drinks without any issues, for 7 days w/o the effort of 'power drinking'. Those that can't, don't or won't drink $49/day are the cruisers that will pay more per avg for a drink.

If one has to 'power drink' to reach $49/day, one should not buy a drink package. depending on what you order, that's only 4-5 drinks and a couple of bottles of water.

I truly hope it does. Everyone here can make excuses all they want to but it all comes down to greed IMO and hoping to force everyone into their overpriced drink packages. Couple that with the terrible to just mediocre service I witnessed as far as bar service goes and once again, its a case of paying more and receiving less. Seems to be RC's new motto lately.

 

I suppose the question to me will be "well why are you going on another RC cruise then?"

 

Because Ive wanted to try an Oasis class ship since the day they plans were laid out. I will likely be shopping around after this one though. :)

I'm not disputing with your take on things as all of us can and will have formed an opinion on all things, including drink prices etc. For us, the drink package hasn't gone up. In fact, it has down down on one of our reserved cruise as we took advantage of the BOGO50 promotion.

Where I guess I'm confused is that I've read that there are less people buying drinks w/o beverage packages, but serviced has dropped. I would think with fewer people buying drinks (as some believe) that the lines would be shorter thus bar tending service would be more efficient & faster for those that are drinking. It dosn't make sense that shorter lines = poor service. That's my take anyway.

Bob, by chance do you know what the R Bar is? A restaurant/bar? Sounds like a western themed name.

Party Stores.. we have a Party City in our hood.

All credits (prepaids) & charges are lumped together w/ any OBC as well. They are separated by RCLs internal coding. You'll be able to see line item descriptions of each charge etc.

These look like great recommendations. Marigot (I love sweets) Maho (husband is dying to see it). Orient beach, I 've heard is a nice beach. But what is the best way to to all of these? Book through the cruise? Or get a cab when at port?

We contracted Joyce Prince tour agency. She'll custom buils whatever you want to see and places them in a schedule that works for effiecny and timing!

I have been following this thread as I am booked of the FOS March 2016. We have not cruises with RCCL since 2007 so I expect prices to be higher but I think the recent increase is too high. I have been paying $7.95 for a Knob Creek and diet coke with Princess. Not sure what I will pay on RCCL but I do have to question something I read on another thread. Is it true that RCCL does not have bar menus with prices posted? I object to ordering or buying something without a posted price. Yes we can afford the cruise (and the three other cabins I booked for our children) but I am retired and need to budget well so we may continue to cruise. Another thing I haven't seen mentioned but I have heard many times from people who have bought the drink packages on RCCL and on other cruises lines is they will dump their drink if it gets watered down when ice melts or beer gets warm before the finished it. They figure they paid for unlimited drinks so why not. So I guess drink prices are covering this waste.

I'm thinking you'll find your drink priced around $7-8 plus gratuity. It's the foo-foo drinks, margaritas and specialty drinks that have gone up. BTW, just ask your bartender for a menu and/or the price of the drinks.

We sail from Port Liberty on 1 Nov and arrive in Galveston on the 13th of November

That should be a nice cruise! Enjoy.

We booked the Liberty for a Feb. 2016 sail date in hopes that we'd be sailing on her after the refurb. Looking forward to seeing the changes from last fall.

I'm sure others can explain it better than me, but it is a market of locals selling their goods & bargaining with you. I didn't realize it (the bargaining) the first time I went, but the second time they quoted a price & I said no & started to walk away. They kept dropping the price & I ended up getting it for half the price they originally wanted. The bargaining can be fun & the items they sell can be interesting.

OK, got it. Thank you!

Wow, nice recommendations! I've got a list brewing now.

I'm in a fog on the 'straw market' though. Can you explain?

And you can bet we'll make a stop at that bakery!

Thank you for replying to my question. Yes, we are all paid in full ...the due date was last week.

 

We're in a JS,next cabin upgrade is a GS. I don't want to pay $$ to get that GS. Darn. We've been booking Carnival Early Saver Rates for a few years. Just going back to Royal and I forgot their rules.

 

:(. Bobbi

Call them anyway. Ask for a free upgrade! It can't hurt and can only help! Seriously, you have nothing to lose but time on the phone!

Good luck!

:confused: you implied that cheaper drinks could not be had within a block of the ship in port at a better price, what does that have to do with after dinner? How does that justify higher than standard prices on the boat? I simply stated that I couldn't find drinks even approaching these prices immediately adjacent to the ship, perhaps I didn't go far enough? :confused: Is that some new debate tactic? Introduce a tangent and then imply someone else brought it up?

 

If I were willing to submit to robbery then I presume a server or bartender on the boat would give me a drink after dinner, is that what you meant? :confused:

No confusion warranted. I was replying to the poster that said he/she shopped to save gas and drove a block away to save .30/gallon. My comment was that he/she shouldn't get a drink a block away from the ship as he/she would be in the ocean. But I guess you can while in ports. But if you wish to have a drink during dinner or after dinner while the ship's at sea...you can't unless Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville delivers. He may, after all, it's 5 o'clock somewhere!

St. Maarten. We've booked a guide for a very small group and she plans to custom tailor a tour of St. Maarten based on our wishes. So I'm compiling a list!

What would you do, go see, etc. ?

Thanks in advance!

Didnt even have to go a block last year in Costa Maya or Cozumel, it was at the end of the pier, half the price of the drinks onboard.

Cool. So you drink when you can. Got it. Will they deliver to the ship at dinner? After dinner? If so, you may be on to something!

Please dont confuse this thread with actual instances that brings facts to this debate. Some here will not want to hear it. But, while we are on this story, I too drank at the two biggest tourist traps in Falmouth (Margaritaville) and Cozumel (Senor Frogs) significantly LESS than I did on the ship. The last time I checked, BOTH places were within stones throw of the ship.

 

But hey, our facts dont matter around here as we are only "pissing and moaning until hell freezes over" :rolleyes:

 

Ive hardly found myself on the same side of an argument as you around here. Im 100% fully on the same side in this one.

I'm the other way around. I'll have a beer, maybe two while in ports as I'm generally out exploring the ports vs sitting at a local bar all day just to my drink on.

But hey, you can always check w/ Jimmy, he might be able to deliver you a drink in between the ports!

First off, that point is ridiculous because they very rarely ever offer a half price beverage package promo. Second off, $85 plus tip is the onboard deposit for another cruise.

 

I guess you can say it's ridiculous that I will spend $5,000 for a week in a suite and fuss over another $200 (assuming four a day) of drinks, I don't care. I'm the also type of person that goes one block down if gas is 30 cents a gallon cheaper. That is logical...

 

I'm not going to buy something that is obscenely overpriced and if you want to try and justify and act like they're doing the customer a favor by raising prices 40% overnight, I don't really know what to say I'm just going to roll my eyes.

I'm not attempting to justify anything for anybody. It's you that I think is trying to justify yourself of not drinking due to prices. My cost has not increased. I've never cruised w/o the Premium Bev Pkg. So nothing has really changed for my budgeting of a cruise. You appear to ignore the math just to pitch a fit. Which is absolutely not going to change anything, but perhaps your personal satisfaction. If you don't want to drink in protest, be about it. One thing I suggest that you do NOT do.. don't attempt to go one block removed from the ship to find a cheaper drink!

Nope, not the same thing at all, there are many things I can afford that I choose not to buy. Some are because they are priced beyond what they are worth, others because they simply are not worth having.

 

Just because I desire something, and can afford it, that means I should have it? That would suggest a lack of self control. If the value of something exceeds the cost that has been placed on it and I can afford it, then I might purchase it. But these don't look to be worth it.

Well if you don't desire it, I think you're on the wrong thread. :)

There's alot of complaining about the prices of drinks but few if any discuss the discounting of the Premium Bev Pkg. I booked a cruise on BOGO50 and was able to purchase two unlimited drink pkgs for $600. That's $85/day for myself & DW each day of the cruise. She doesn't drink as much as I do, but I figure between the both of us we'll drink an avg of 12 drinks per day.

That's $7 per drink for beer, wine, shots, mixed, and foo foo drinks.

I'm all good with that as we're going to be on a Cruise Ship in the middle of the Caribbean. Hell, the Chili's down the street serves Margaritas for $11.

My point is some will fuss up a storm over little to nothing. Example, some say, "I only drink a couple of drinks a day." So two drinks/day in 2014 at $8 ea or $16/day or $112/week. Now in 2015, those same drinks could be as high as $14, $28/day, or $196/week. So what we're really talking about here is about an $85 difference for the cruise. There's alot fussing and complaining over $85.

Stop whining and start wining. :D

Who said anything about affording it? It's about value and 6 bucks for a bud light isn't value.

Of course it is based on affordability! The value you establish on all things determine what is and isn't affordable to your budget & lifestyle.

If you can afford it, then drink up!

Here we go again. It's really a very simple process. If you can't afford to drink on a cruise ship, don't order drinks. I can't afford to drive a hard loaded F250... so I drive a Ranger.

There are topics of discussion that some might not feel are appropriate with children around. That doesn't have to mean the discussion is laced with profanity, but you can assume what you wish.

 

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Huh? I think and I hope you've quoted the wrong post as I've not posted anything regarding 'adult' conversation.

It's about as appropiate to have kids sitting at a bar as it is to have adults lining the edge of kiddy's wading pool w/ drink in hand having a grand ol' time. Neither would not be against the rules, but both would be out of place.

There are plenty of places for kids to enjoy themselves on a ship. Two of them would not be sitting at a bar and in the Solarium.

I've never heard this before. What is the difference where a child sits? Is it a safety issue as the bar chair might be higher than a standard chair or may be a stool and therefore not have a back?

 

Thanks,

 

M

Not sure what might be the proper etiquette, but in Texas, it is unlawful for kids to 'sit' at a bar at anytime, with or without adult supervision.

RCCL has depending on ship, over 30 different types of beer, with all the special beers served in the pub. The only beer not included is Chimay 750ml bottle, which is 19.95 a bottle I believe.

 

As far as the other drinks, you can basically drink anything they have. I did not encounter any restrictions. For wine, you pay the price difference after $14.00 I believe. (not a wine drinker).

I'm not sure of ALL the beers not covered in a Premium Pkg, but Guiness was NOT included on our Liberty Med cruise last Sept.