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Cheers! pricing changes yet again

bumbleklutz

By bumbleklutz,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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ryanpatricksmom

ryanpatricksmom

Posted
Posted
..or they'll charge based on your cabin category or your horoscope sign or whether or not the month has an 'R' in it....

 

It's ridiculous, not customer-friendly, capricious and confusing. Things like this make me cranky! :mad:

 

 

The thing that's most ridiculous to me is, they've taken what was a huge positive step towards guaranteed revenue by roping in new customers (many of whom would never drink their money's worth on the program), and now have turned it into a loser. I was all set to use the Cheers program, even though I get free drinks from day one in the casino. I could easily smuggle enough for 5 days. Easy Peasey Lemon Squeezey to quote a former poster. At the price point they were offering, I was willing to buy the program for convenience sake, but.... I want a simple answer to a simple question, "HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?"...before I board.

 

Now it's become crystal clear why you can't buy this program ahead of time.:rolleyes:

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gemsm

gemsm

Posted
Posted
I wish they would have just kept the original pricing and made it unlimited drinks like Norwegian.

 

Not only that but Norwegian and Royal Carribean include their private Islands as part of the package...Carnival does not

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VeggieGirl83

VeggieGirl83

Posted
Posted
That's true, but I think that you pay the 15% gratuity on top of the already over-priced bottle. I'll just bring my calculator and do a cost benefit analysis in the atrium, lol!

 

No, you actually pay less if you wait to buy a bottle from BV after sailing...you avoid the taxes, which are around 5 bucks or so per bottle. No gratuity is charged. We have done this for several years now.

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GROUCHPUSS

GROUCHPUSS

Posted
Posted (edited)
How did you get this price? I only see a range of prices based on duration and seasonality. Is this just the max price?

 

I was told the cost by the Diamond desk how much it would cost when I booked the cruise today.

Edited by GROUCHPUSS
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kona_wahine

kona_wahine

Posted
Posted

What, was it a week at the new pricing? And now it's going to be somewhere between here and there? I'm ticked. Total BS. I'm not one for rum runners but I may just rethink it now. I don't think it's right unless they can tell us a definitive price before we get on the ship. I may be drinking a lot of lemon aid come April. :mad:

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AdGuyMG

AdGuyMG

Posted
Posted
I'd be willing to put money on the fact that the HIGH cost cheers will be the busiest times and events, IE new years, spring break, summer, and halloween. there will probably be a mid tier for most other times, and the rock bottom for very off season sailings.

 

(or they'll charge based on how many rooms went unsold ;-)

 

I agree with this except for the unsold rooms part.

 

The new dynamic pricing based on seasonality has not been announced yet. Tweeks and updates to the FAQ page doesn't constitute an official rollout. I think an accurate seasonal pricing schedule will be coming out shortly and will be added to the now vague Cheers FAQ.

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Disconnections

Disconnections

Posted
Posted (edited)
I agree with this except for the unsold rooms part.

 

The new dynamic pricing based on seasonality has not been announced yet. Tweeks and updates to the FAQ page doesn't constitute an official rollout. I think an accurate seasonal pricing schedule will be coming out shortly and will be added to the now vague Cheers FAQ.

 

Hasn't been announced yet? Were you really expecting a full press release for a modification of a promotion that may not be in the guests' favor?

 

Edit: Next thing may end up being seasonal pricing of Faster to the Fun. After all, Universal Orlando Resort offers seasonal pricing on Universal Express.

Edited by Disconnections
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momof3cruisers

momof3cruisers

Posted
Posted
Of course you need to know, how else do you budget? There are many people that have to know exactly what they can spend before they set foot on the ship.

I have figured from past cruises we spend $100 a day for liquor, so on a 7 day cruise like we have coming up, I would pay the $600 but not $800 because that would be just throwing hard earned $$$ away.

 

Not everything you read is a deal. :)

 

I can't tell if you are agreeing with me or if you thought I was saying it wasn't important to know...:).

 

For those that think it's not a big deal, I'm frustrated because I want to know ahead of time so I can decide if I'm bringing a 12 pack of Coke onboard. If I don't get Cheers, I'll be drinking a lot more soda and since it's allowed, I want to carry it on. Maybe not a huge thing, but there's no reason for them to make this so complicated.

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ryanpatricksmom

ryanpatricksmom

Posted
Posted
No, you actually pay less if you wait to buy a bottle from BV after sailing...you avoid the taxes, which are around 5 bucks or so per bottle. No gratuity is charged. We have done this for several years now.

 

Thanks, that's good to know. I thought that I read somewhere that liquor was not available thru Bon Voyage post sailing, only thru room service (including the same gratuity as purchasing a drink via them).

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Orison

Orison

Posted
Posted
For what it's worth, it looks like Carnival has changed the verbiage and pricing on their web site concerning the Cheers! program once again. It now states that pricing will be based on the length of the cruise, and SEASONALITY. It then gives a range of pricing that you might be charged based on the length of the voyage. A call to Carnival to find specific pricing on my upcoming cruise was fruitless. :confused:

 

See the revised verbiage and pricing here: http://www.carnival.com/Core/FAQ.aspx?faq=beverage

 

Seasonality? That's rubbish. Wholesale liquor prices don't fluctuate seasonally. What's next? Coffee and soda? Such hogwash!

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AdGuyMG

AdGuyMG

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hasn't been announced yet? Were you really expecting a full press release for a modification of a promotion that may not be in the guests' favor?

 

Edit: Next thing may end up being seasonal pricing of Faster to the Fun. After all, Universal Orlando Resort offers seasonal pricing on Universal Express.

 

A press release about a pricing change in a major cruise line's beverage package? ABSOLUTELY. Do I expect it to be front page newspaper headlines or the lead story on NBC news? NO.

 

Press release items like this tend to end up as short, 1 or 2 paragraph blurbs in daily newspaper business sections and are published in more detail in Cruise / Hospitality / Travel Industry publications. How do you think the Cruise Critic News/Headlines section gets it's factual info? http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/?src=nav

 

Recent stories in my local paper have included Sea World ending it's Salty Sea lion show * Norwegian's All In all inclusive package * Balcony smoking bans on CCL and NCL * Love Boat Cast to Christen Regal Princess. And whenever the Orlando theme parks raise ticket prices, it's usually in my daily newspaper AND on the local TV news. There's a modification that's not exactly in the consumers favor and such info is disseminated by press release.

 

Although the cheers program is not identical to every other cruiselines all inclusive beverage packages, (and the topic of who's booze package SUX /ROX can be discussed in another thread) the Cheers pricing on high season 7 day sailings is in line at around $50 bucks pp per day. Per the FAQ's it doesn't appear to be increasing. So if it does not go up, and lower pricing is being offered on lower demand cruise seasons, how does this work against the consumer?

 

As for the seasonal pricing at Universal Orlando vs. FTTF.... The daily guest count at an Orlando theme park at high vs. low seasons can be an average difference of 10 to 20 thousand+ people on a given day. And a lot of time during the day is spent waiting in lines up to 45 minutes to an hour for popular attractions.

 

The high season/low season passenger count on a typcal 3000 pax Carnival cruiseship can vary by only about 150 - 300 guests and although it may seem like it, not everybody who is sailing is lined up at the pier with bags in hand at late morning boarding time.

Edited by AdGuyMG
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bumbleklutz

bumbleklutz

Posted
  • Author
Posted
JH just posted this in response to a message on his facebook page regarding cheers:

 

"yes indeed, there will be a simplified confirmation posted by me later today which should help you."

 

If you would be so kind as to post the clarification here when you see it, it would be gratefully appreciated.

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tracyvansmith

tracyvansmith

Posted
Posted

Just went to Carnival.com FAQ and typed in Cheers and the Aug. 8 pricing is showing now. Does not say anything about SEASONAL now.

 

Using the CHEERS! beverage package, guests can enjoy a wide variety of wine, beer and spirits (including cocktails and frozen drinks), along with sodas and non-alcoholic frozen cocktails throughout the voyage at one convenient flat rate plus tax and a 15% gratuity added at the time of purchase of the package.

 

3 day $55 per person/per day

4 day $45 per person/per day

5 and 6 day $42.50 per person/per day

7 days and longer $37.50 per person/per day

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Binks240

Binks240

Posted
Posted

their website has changed but if you look a little further down in the description is now says this... So based on the hightlighted part does it suggest they can still change the price the day you board??

 

3 day $55 per person/per day

4 day $45 per person/per day

5 and 6 day $42.50 per person/per day

7 days and longer $37.50 per person/per day

 

Prices are subject to change and price adjustments (up or down) implemented on the day of sailing will replace any previously advertised price

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