Bert64

So there is no need whatsoever for common courtesy or decorum when someone is having fun? Singing lewd songs and dropping F bombs in front of children is perfectly ok with you because they're on vacation?

 

I guess the drunken knuckleheads who brought my 14 yo niece to tears by asking about her virginity, etc were just having fun on vacation too, right?

 

Wow...did you bring up this sexual harassment of a minor to security?

This is a valid point. I feel the same way about bringing water and soda on board. If they knowingly allow it at the port, is it really against their rules if they choose not to enforce it?

 

Drink sharing is a little different though IMO. It's not easy to detect or enforce. It's hard to say how much, if any, sharing they would knowingly allow.

 

Is it though? They swipe the cards. Buying 2 alcoholic drinks at 2 separate bars 3 minutes apart from each other all day long...I mean, I can put them back. But someone drinking 14 or 16+ liquor drinks in a day should put them on the floor. At minimum, RCI can implement a system that flags them when they hit a certain number of drinks in a time period, to at least keep an eye on them. But, they choose not to.

If I was reading correctly Bob the Wine, Beer package read $49 yesterday. You are showing a price of $41.30, could I have been looking at the wrong package or could the $49 include the 18 %. My husband drinks only Beer and during our cruises last March from Sydney, he paid $40

 

Gay

 

I have $41.30 as the price with gratuity for the "Select" package.

 

If they're pouring the drinks weak, I think that's really pushed me into the Select package. I was going to go with the Premium (even though I'm primarily a beer drinker) because I do like a frozen cocktail or two by the pool. But I'll just have to get my fix the non-alcoholic route. Nothing's worse than a drink where all you can taste is the mixer. And, I don't have to depend on a pour for a bottle of beer!

 

You break even at 6 beers. Assuming they aren't going to raise the package prices anytime soon...

[quote name='angelofsin']wow!! is all i can say about the high and mighty people who think they are the authority on such things as stealing. a corporation can raise its prices 40% for a product whose cost basis has not increased and not call that stealing from the american consumer. [B][U]however if a person shares a couple of drinks off of a drink package then they are morally bankrupt??[/U][/B] I am sure if Royal wanted to catch everyone who shared a package they very well could. there are cameras everywhere except bathrooms and staterooms. personally, i believe they expect some sharing thus the pricing but when a person is excessive that is when they generally revoke the priviledges of the package.

the funny thing about people who come on here talking about how people who share their packages are stealing from them because of the higher price they have to pay for their own stuff going forward are hilarious. Businesses have most of people in this country hoodwinked by a long shot. you got airlines who started charging baggage fees due to the high price of oil but they never reconsidered those bag fees once oil prices began to moderate.

In short business are looking for ways to raise prices on the backs of customers every day with or without cause. when the cost of an underlying product goes up, companies pass on the expense to the customers instead of finding a more efficient way to run their operation. Yet when a corporation does find an efficiency in their operations thus reducing their cost they don't pass on the savings to consumers unless a competitor comes in and forces their hand.

Especially on something as cheap as liquor (especially considering the cost basis of the cruise line due to its purchasing power) a person would almost have to drink close to 30 drinks a day before they even begin to make the cruise line unprofitable with these drink packages. Personally i buy the package because I rather not have to worry about how much I have consumed at the end of the cruise. if they raise the price on the package to the point where I no longer see the value in it I won't purchase it. however, I am not going to question a person's moral code over what they choose to do with something they have purchase. I am one to think that if humans followed every law, or prevaling sentiment ever passed along in this world there wouldn't be any progress.[/QUOTE]

I had assumed that some of the responses regarding sharing were being sarcastic and purposefully over-the-top dramatic. I didn't realize that the sentiment here that sharing a drink or two with someone was this serious.

I'd akin it to going a few miles over the speed limit. Are you morally bankrupt if you're going 60 in a 55? After all, you're breaking a LAW. On the other hand, I think we agree going 80 in a 55 is absurd. That's why the police pull over the blatant violations, and let the little ones go.

Someone giving a drink or two from their package is going a few over the speed limit. Keep it under control and don't flaunt it, and they're going to let it slide. And I'm not going to call someone morally bankrupt or lacking ethics or any other names for doing so. Buying 1 package and 2 people exclusively using it is not even remotely close to the same thing, and these are the people who will get caught and punished.

Of course he's gay. And of course he's not bubble wrapped. He didn't want me to report it, and I didn't want anyone thrown off the ship. I just wanted them made aware of the incident in case something else happened, and believe me, they took it VERY seriously.

 

Would it have been "fun and cruel" if he had been African, or say, Asian American, and mocked in the locker room? Just a couple of drunken frat boys having a little fun??

 

It's never okay to speak to anyone like that, EVER.

 

Couldn't agree more. I'm glad you said something. Who knows, maybe they would've stepped up their mocking to something more aggressive when they came across another person. I'm glad to hear RCI took this seriously.

While I don't think a lot of people will completely share 1 package (i.e., 1 person gets the package while the other doesn't pay for a drink all cruise), I do think this will cause a drink or 2 to be shared each day. They swipe the cards, correct? It's easy to track if someone goes to one bar and 2 minutes later, their card is getting swiped at another. RCI could easily crack down on this sort of blatant sharing.

These price increases will show how crafty people can get smuggling liquor on board. And how long before they start charging a corkage fee?

On a side note, is it only one drink at a time, or only one alcoholic drink? Can I get a cocktail or beer, and also get a soda or water at the same time?

The Select package says it includes "non-alcoholic cocktails". Does anyone have a few examples of what that includes?

 

I'm up in the air between Select and Premium because I am a complete beer drinker at home, but do like to have a frozen or fruity drink (or 2 or 3...) when I'm onboard. If non-alcoholic cocktails means any of the frozen drinks that can be made virgin, then I might just have to forego the alcohol in them and stick to a Select package.

My Mom got of Quantum this morning and the first text she sent me was "BUY THE DRINK PACKAGE". Mom isn't a big drinker and would usually not spend enough in drinks to bother with the package (4 - 5 per day on sea days) so she didn't buy it. She was shocked when she saw the bill on day 2 and purchased the package for the rest of her cruise. She said there are no prices posted and any drink she had or asked about, or heard anyone ask (this must be annoying for the bartenders) were between $10 - $14 PLUS 18% gratuity. It seems it has indeed happened across the board from what I have read.

 

I will be purchasing the package for my October cruise on Indy this weekend before they decide to raise the price of the package.

 

Can someone clarify this for me...

 

A $12 drink will be $14.16 with gratuity. If I get the Premium Package, which says it covers drinks up to $12, does that mean before gratuity? Or will I need to pay the $2.16 over the $12 cocktail "allotment"?

I never use my debit card for travel. The "hold" policies seem to vary from place to place, and it's annoying when you get home and the "hold" on real money is still there. On a credit card, that is never an issue.

A few of you have touched on it, but how is the service been with these packages?

 

I've not used it, so is it a sticker or a swipe? I can't imagine if I was a bartender, I'd be inclined to serve those on the package before those paying per drink, as it seems those paying per drink may be more likely to tip extra.

 

But again, I don't know how tips work. They're probably all pooled, so perhaps it doesn't matter either way.

My only complaint on Navigator was when they added all these restaurants ( which we loved ) they also added cabins and took away some of the common space, found ship a little crowded. not terribly but crowded. ( we did rebook and will sail on Navigator next month)

 

I unfortunately took a break from cruising and haven't been on one in 4-5 years! We're going in January, so, I'm hoping that will help with the crowds/kids and that we'll have nice weather, but I can't remember. All the cruises kind of blur together at this point, as far as the when on which ship and where it went to!

There is no comedy club on either ship.

 

There will be at least one comedian show in the main theater, likely more than one.

 

Both ships are very similar now. Navigator has more specialty restaurants.

 

Thank you! I actually just went deck by deck to compare, and it really seems like they're incredibly similar. So, I gotta decide 5 nights in a balcony, or 6 nights in an oceanview (but with George Town) :confused:

 

The person I'm going with, this is his first cruise, of what will hopefully be many. I don't know whether letting him think a balcony is the norm is a good thing. ;) Don't want him disappointed if the next time we're downgraded!

Is there anyone else that can add insight as to what the differences are between the ships? I know Independence is newer and larger. But after the refurb, is Navigator that far behind it with things that have been added/upgraded?

 

Trying to decide between a 5 night on the Independence (going to Labadee and Falmouth) or a 6 night on the Navigator (going to George Town, Falmouth and Labadee). Independence would be a balcony. Navigator would be an oceanview. Same price. Both January 2016.

 

Is there a comedian or comedy club on each ship? It might have to come down to activities/entertainment.

There are so many fans of this ship and this board has gotten so quiet during the time when i need it most.. getting real antsy to cruise ~~~

 

I agree...going on the Enchantment on the 13th and I've been trying to find out as much as I can, but it seems info about the Enchantment is slim, compared to some of the other ships...maybe that's a good thing...

Bert 64 -- my husband and I will also be on the March 13th cruise also...

 

I'm getting the feeling a lot of people have booked this looking for a last minute getaway! I know that's what we did.

 

I've seen the price jump up a little bit over the past week - we actually missed a lower price debating on whether or not to go, and when I saw it went up, I decided there was NO more time for debating, we were going! :p

Does anyone know which is the formal night on the 4-Night?

 

Also, how early can we board on the first day, and how late can we stay before they kick us off on the last day?

Just confirmed all the details and am VERY excited. I've only gotten through about half of the thread, but anything special we should try to do? I see this thread hasn't been too active lately...

 

We're stopping in CocoCay and Key West...Can't Wait!