If you ran RCI...

[bigeck]

First of all. I would be a hands on Ceo and make sure I had an office on every ship and it had a balcony.

[Pickels]

...What would you do?

 

If you suddenly were at the helm of this wonderful company, and you had the power to make changes with a simple declaration, what would you do?

 

Here are some of the things I would start with:

 

-Espresso and Cappuccino included for no charge in the MDR.

 

-Restore the items that seem to have been quietly dialed back or eliminated in recent years (i.e. chocolates on the pillows, towel animals every night). It's not so much the I care about these things (am fine without them), but their absence strikes a tone of cutbacks.

 

-Expand the premium beverage packages to be more in line with those on Celebrity (i.e. include soda, bottles water, fresh juice. And allow a credit towards drinks above the minimum).

 

-Allow the purchase and consumption of alcohol within staterooms. Let guests purchase bottles from RCI for use in the room. I laugh every time I walk into my suite and see a bar, even stocked with glasses, but I can't have any booze!

 

-Fire whomever has been running the website and start from scratch!

 

-Expand port stays. Seek to be in port as long as possible on any given day.

 

-And... to pay for these immediate improvements: An across-the-board price INCREASE! Yep, I wouldn't hide it or make an excuse. I'd come out and say, "yes, the prices are going up a bit. But we strongly believe that this will allow us to offer you the wonderful experience you demand". And be able to show it with the above changes.

 

So, what would you do?

 

When it says "adults only", enforce it, pool, hot tubs, etc. I've see staff simply look the other way.

[macruisefan]

Hotels do not charge for two ppl in a room, why should the ship. I know they have to cover the cost some where else.

 

I disagree. Every time I have ever booked a hotel room, it has been based on "double occupancy". It doesn't matter if one or two people are staying in the room, it costs a certain amount. Cruises do the same thing. It's merely semantics to claim a hotel doesn't charge more for two people in a room. You could also say they charge a 100% premium for a solo traveler.

[DirtyDawg]

"Royal Caribbean reported a $24.7 million profit in the second quarter."

 

Looks like RC is doing something right.;)

 

Not bad , but not great. That profit was off $2.0B in in revenue, which is a profit margin of 1.25%. Mastercard had almost the same revenue last quarter and made a profit of $770 million. :eek:

 

So if I was CEO of RCL I would scuttle the ships and turn it into a Credit Card company.

[negc]

 

Eventually, I see Royal phasing out the smaller ships and building ONLY the mega ships. They seem to be going down a "bigger-is-better" path.

 

I think the different lines you mentioned, which fall under the RCI umbrella, each appeal to a different type of cruiser. I like the Royal Caribbean VIBE, but I like it better on a somewhat smaller ship. Once they start taking those ships out of service, I'll probably need to look elsewhere.

 

I get that they make more money on a ship that carries more passengers. It spreads out the cost. But if they become exclusively a mega-ship company, they will lose a lot of people like me. And I know there ARE a lot of people like me. I read their comments here all the time.

But where are you going to look for a ship of the size you prefer that will also offer the type of experience you want? There aren't many ships out there that fit your description and that offer cruises that are reasonably priced. The primary goal of the company is to remain profitable and, if possible, increase their profits. They have concluded that they cannot do so by building more ships of Vision or Radiance class, as much as we might wish that they would do so and it is difficult, if not impossible, to make a valid case to the contrary.

 

We were pleasantly surprised at how much our Azamara cruise reminded us of our first cruises on RCI when the ship consisted of Sun Viking, Song of Norway, and Nordic Prince. It may not have offered the "cheesy" entertainment features that are part of the RCI experience, but the intimacy of the ship, the friendliness of the staff and crew made our time onboard a real pleasure and we did not find that our fellow passengers were much different from the folks we regularly encounter on RCI.

There are, indeed, a lot of people like you, but unfortunately (or fortunately as the cruise line believes) there are a lot more people, many of whom have yet to take a cruise, who are looking for all the bells and whistles that the mega ships can offer. It is all of those prospective customers that the line needs to attract if it hopes to remain one of the top two cruise lines. With the revitalization of the fleet, we can at least count on their Vision and Radiance ships to be around for a number of more years for us to enjoy.

[printingchick]

First of all. I would be a hands on Ceo and make sure I had an office on every ship and it had a balcony.

 

Love this!!! You win the prize for the best answer!! :D

[printingchick]

I disagree. Every time I have ever booked a hotel room, it has been based on "double occupancy". It doesn't matter if one or two people are staying in the room, it costs a certain amount. Cruises do the same thing. It's merely semantics to claim a hotel doesn't charge more for two people in a room. You could also say they charge a 100% premium for a solo traveler.

 

Difference being that the cruise ship advertises the cost at $XXX/per person where the hotel advertises the cost at $XXX/per room. People are more accustomed to the way hotels do it, so it can seem misleading. That said, I agree that they have to charge per person because the cost covers food, port taxes, etc...not just the room.

[bigeck]

Love this!!! You win the prize for the best answer!! :D

Thank you. Is it a free cruise..........

[Rocketlady]

I would put up signs to ask parents not to let kids under 10 years old on the track for walkers and runners. Or maybe only allow a certain hour during the day the kids can walk on it. It is dangerous for both the runner and kids. The parents would let their kids run in any direction and too far ahead of them with no control . I am not trying to be mean but I did see this happen on a couple of cruises. Just a thought.

 

I have been on the Allure and Oasis and never saw a single sole climbing those

walls.

[Wilda]

I would have a social media department actively involved, participating, and posting on sites like Cruise Critic, Twitter, etc. This would cut misinformation down considerably...assuming they know what they are talking about:rolleyes:

 

Relax the dress code by making formal night optional.

[skiiergirl]

This is hard work, but some one has to do it. I would end smoking on balconies and in the casino.

 

Big LIKE!!!!

 

I would have a social media department actively involved, participating, and posting on sites like Cruise Critic, Twitter, etc. This would cut misinformation down considerably...assuming they know what they are talking about:rolleyes:

 

Relax the dress code by making formal night optional.

 

LOL! Formal night is "optional" since the Compass states "suggested" attire not "mandatory" attire! If they don't enforce the "suggestion" then it pretty much is "optional". However, with different dining times, etc it is hard to tell whether people dressed or not. We still like to dress a little nicer on formal nights but DH doesn't do the tux anymore and I do shorter dresses rather than longer due to luggage space. However, so many folks change clothes after dinner anyway, it is hard to know who dressed and who didn't. I have no problem with folks not dressing "formal" for dinner but do feel they should enforce the "no shorts", "no jeans", "no baseball/golf" type hats and sunvisors in MDR and no "swimsuits" and "barefeet" in WJ, etc.

[Doug R.]

This is an interesting thread, however were I the RCI board I would fire you for suggesting some of the revenue killing ideas. Some examples:

 

-Forgetting the family target audience with suggestions like eliminating fast food venues in favor of upscale extra restaurants,no towel animals. no more amusement venues like the zipline, bumper cars, etc. Perhaps they need to consider a more upscale line.

 

-Strict enforcement of the dress code which now exists as a suggestion, only a problem with a minority of a minority.

 

-Strict rule enforcement of any type requires more personnel on the staff.

 

-Raise prices????? You have to be kidding!!!!

 

-Better food options in MDR? That is why we have speciality restuarants! See also raising prices!

 

-Lets not lose sight of the purpose of TAs are to get the ship to another port with at least some paying customers on board to help cut costs. Back to back would not be revenue posiitive. Try Cunard.

 

I could go on but you get my point.

[bigeck]

First of all. I would be a hands on Ceo and make sure I had an office on every ship and it had a balcony.

 

I forgot to add, I would have to sail on other lines to get to know the opposition. Even the expensive ones

[maureencruiser]

i would order some smaller ships to compliment the fleet. I would seek a resumption of rci cruises out of philadelphia and i would urge celebrity to begin service out of baltimore.

:)^^this^^:)

[Toddcan]

I would cruise in the Presidential Suites.

[PLEIKU68]

"Inforce" it huh? I'm generally not the spelling police, but it looks funny that someone who cares so much about formality cannot spell the word enforce.

 

 

I did make a mistake didn't I , thank you for pointing that out you silygirl. I am sure sometime down the line you will make one also. :)

[PLEIKU68]

This has nothing to do with the original post. Pleiku68 welcome home. I was also in Pleiku in 68 and 69. Up on engineer hill.

 

Hey...right back at ya !:):)

[sailawayjack]

"Inforce" it huh? I'm generally not the spelling police, but it looks funny that someone who cares so much about formality cannot spell the word enforce.

 

:cool:You are going to have to cut OLD PLEIKU a break. As another OLD Vietnam vet, I can vouch for him--He can spell, he just can't type worth a Damn.:cool:JACK IS SAILNG AGAIN-15 days

[sleepless]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I just wanted to say thank you to SailawayJack, Pleiku68, and Rharvey999 - not only for serving in Vietnam, but for living through it. My DH was there in 1970; he to came back. Glad you all made it back home.

[PLEIKU68]

:cool:You are going to have to cut OLD PLEIKU a break. As another OLD Vietnam vet, I can vouch for him--He can spell, he just can't type worth a Damn.:cool:JACK IS SAILNG AGAIN-15 days

 

You got that right JACK !

Thanks Sleepless.

All is well ! :):)

[Barb Nahoumi]

Redesign the dress code to resort casual, for all evenings, with the exception of Formal Night.

 

Having different "suggested attire," for each evening can be difficult for passengers. Casual, smart casual on other evenings, Formal for two evenings.

 

More types of clothing to bring, requires extra luggage. Expensive, when flights are involved.

[Clancy14]

"Inforce" it huh? I'm generally not the spelling police, but it looks funny that someone who cares so much about formality cannot spell the word enforce.

 

On the Quantum Board: Your Post about Sailing Dates in 2015

Thanks, I know. It doesn't sail continiously between Nov 2014 and April 2015.

 

silygirl77,

 

If I posted a comment this "unbelievable" and "headshakingly-thick" on a thread, and then ran away, I wouldn't be so quick to criticize someone else who misspelled a word.

 

NONE of us are perfect, as YOU can attest, so lighten up!!!!

[bigeck]

I thought they called that the owners suite:D

That's a better idea. Don't need an office in Miami so that would save money

[fly2cruises]

I would try to design any new cabins (not the suites) with about 4 sq.ft. less cabin space and 4 sq. ft. more shower space.

[tomahawk246]

This is hard work, but some one has to do it. I would end smoking on balconies and in the casino. I would consider allowing e-cigs on balconies. Probably no one would know if someone was using an e-cig anyway.

 

The one and only lounge that allows smoking will be Boleros.

 

I like this idea, I would only allow Tomahawk246 to sell the e-cigs on all ships. One other thing, you must buy your e-cigs on the ship. Maybe allow one per cabin, nah.