Sharing drink package

[Josie2]

Smuggling alcohol "violates a rule" but sharing drink packages "breaks the law" ?

 

Thanks for that clarification! Lol

[Funbobby68]

I bet there is a bunch of people at RCI sitting around a table , laughing their asses off right now

[vacationers]

Besides doing the right thing all i can say is if you get caught you will be in trouble. They have become very strict on this requiring sometimes id if the suspect.

 

Not worth taking a chance. Besides you can take wine on board try that route.

[sexylegend8]

Even with the price rise and added costings, the drink package seems quite reasonable.........

I am not commenting on the theft v's smuggling as i really cant be bothered with any hassle LOL

RCI expect you to pay for each adult in each stateroom, so no chance of sharing.

IMO - whats the point of doing the above when we can avoid any hassles.

As for not getting drinks when we want due to prepaying, we arent planning on spending our cruise in a bar every day!

:cool:

[LMaxwell]

Wow... We're going to have to go back to disagreeing on this one. That's quite an indictment of yourself. "It's all about the money, morals be damned!" Really?

 

I didn't say morals be damned. Nothing like that at all.

 

I know that I carry myself with integrity and I act honestly. I can't control what other people do, and I certainly don't believe I'm any Saint to preach down to others who step over moral and ethical boundaries. Since I must accept that I can't make those choices for them, or impose moral decisions on them, I focus my disdain on the things that end up costing me more money while I am acting honestly.

 

Integrity and honesty has always served me well in life. But I am always cautious of someone else acting like a schmuck and it dipping into my wallet. I hope that clear it up. I refer back on my original statement.

Edited March 17, 2015 by LMaxwell

[link99]

Absolutely love this! There are ways around the rules of no sharing.

 

 

Thank you yes their are ways ,people know it but in noway should you ever say it or suffer the wrath. Glad I could help start a conversation on the subject I think it is going quit well 200 some odd post and over 11,000 views. Not bad if I say so myself

[Pesseh0729]

Rules are put in place for a reason and its your choice if you choose to follow them or not. There are also consequences whether we see them or not. Personally, it's not worth it to me. I have kids and I raise my kids to be honest and rule/law abiding citizens whether they agree with the rules/laws or not. If I want them to be a certain way then I HAVE to model that for them whether they are with me or not. There are more diplomatic ways to get things changed instead of this "let's screw the cruise line out of money" attitude. I'm in a different profession than most and my integrity and honesty is a big part of it and my life. I refuse to compromise that over a $10 drink just to prove a point. They know people are gonna cheat the system so maybe that's why they raise cruise prices or add 3% to gratuity.

 

I go on a cruise once a year with my wife and we always have a good time. It's very therapeutic for us. The relaxation that my body feels when I'm cruising is amazing. It takes me to a place where I just don't see anything negative maybe that's why I don't see this decline in service that I've been reading about. I just enjoy the days with my wife before we have to get back to reality. Just my 2 cents [emoji111]️[emoji111]️

[frito58]

You know this thread got me thinking in all of cruises and its been quite a few. My wife always buys a soda Package , I have never asked her for a free soda. Now saying that I am not a big soda drinker , but do like them once in awhile. Just never felt it was right.

 

But to each his own I guess. :rolleyes:

[Hawkcigar]

It's wrong, wrong, wrong to try to share. But, I have heard from some friends which have been on recent RCL Spring Break cruises, that they will never buy the drink package again from RCL because they were ignored by the staff the entire cruise and watched the staff serve drinks first to the non-package holders because they already had the package holders' money, but not the non-package holders. A horrible experience and perception to take away from an RCL cruise by a frequent RCL cruiser.

 

That interesting and exactly 100% opposite of what I experienced a couple weeks ago. Not saying it didn't happen that way for your friends but it was not that way at all on our cruise. We both had a premium package and had excellent bar service with very attentive and generous bartenders for the duration.

[NewSalt]

[quote

Why are we so passionate about this issue. Well, not too long ago Royal Caribbean required both passengers of drinking age in a cabin to purchase the package. To my knowledge, all the other cruise lines still do require that. After many complaints Royal Caribbean eliminated that restriction. The logical reason for this restriction was to prevent sharing. Now that the restriction was lifted, to the benefit of many, people like you and others proudly announce that they will violate the rules. The net result will be placing the restriction back on the packages. So, your selfishness ends up costing all of us. So we are passionate.

I hope you get caught and thrown off the ship. Why? Because your actions will have a direct effect on my future cruising costs. Consider this, someone books a cruise for next year. The husband drinks enough to make the package valuable, the wife doesn't. So they budget for one package and a couple drinks a day for the wife. After all, these are the "budget strapped" cruisers everyone is talking about regarding higher drink prices. So, one month prior to the cruise, after final payment, they change the rules. Now the poor cruisers have to come up with another $59 per day for the drink package. And why? Because people like you cheated so Royal Caribbean reacted.

Royal Caribbean has a few choices. They can charge everyone in the cabin for the package. They can hire a bunch of security personnel and station them in the bars to enforce the rules, they can scan your card and limit drinks to one per hour, they can cancel the packages forever, or they can give their passengers the dignity to expect them to abide by the cruise line rules honestly (as they do now). You know..."honesty," a concept that seems to be disappearing rapidly.

Oh, by the way, your comment " i don't need to justify anything." is absurd. Of course you do. That's why you spent so much time after that statement "justifying" your position. Again... it's not open to interpretation, it's spelled out with no exceptions. And by law it's considered "theft." Just read the referenced article about the buffet. So, again, just Man Up and admit that you have made a conscious decision to violate the law and go for it. After all, we all know it. You aren't fooling anyone but yourself with your justifications.

 

The ONLY reason Royal Caribbean changed the rule that required everyone in the stateroom to purchase a package was because their research indicated that would sell more packages for them, not because their customers' complaints had any effect on them.

 

And Royal is not the only cruise line that does not have that rule.

 

The number crunchers are very good at determining exactly what the traffic will allow and have set their prices accordingly. Raising prices to counteract the effect of a few people sharing some drinks (which costs them pennies) would result in fewer people purchasing the package and a further loss in revenue.

 

Do you really expect a cruise line which cuts back on the number of waiters it hires, waiters they pay very, very poorly, will really hire trained security people, whom they will need to pay much more, to patrol each and every bar on the ship? Highly unlikely.

 

And the couple in your example? They don't "have" to purchase two packages; they will merely cancel the one they have and pay by the drink. This is probably the reason they changed the rule.

 

What effect do you think limiting the drinks to one per hour or canceling the packages would have on Royal? Fewer people purchasing the package and lower revenue.

 

I don't buy the beverage package so the price or anyone's opinion on sharing have no effect on me. However, I do know that no one is as honest and law-abiding as many on this thread have professed to be. Is sharing cheating? Yes, but I find the high level of outrage to be somewhat overdone. I doubt that those expressing it NEVER drive even one mile over the speed limit, fail to use their turn signal, or break any one of the millions of rules and laws that we encounter every day.

 

Now if you want outrage, ask me about chair hogs. Those people really do have a negative effect on their fellow cruisers.

[papaflamingo]

Smuggling alcohol "violates a rule" but sharing drink packages "breaks the law" ?

 

Thanks for that clarification! Lol

 

Yes. I'm surprised you can't see the difference. It's fairly clear. Really doesn't call for any "clarification" at least it shouldn't to the average adult.

There is no law about sneaking alcohol into a place that bans it. Sure you can get kicked out, but the police won't touch you unless you actually break the law by, say, not leaving. Then you are trespassing. But since you purchased the alcohol from another place, then you legally own it. So you are only violating a rule of the house.

However when you give away food at a buffet, or drinks from a beverage package you are stealing. You have only paid for the right for you to eat at the buffet, or for you to have drinks. Not anyone else. So now you are violating the law. Now I know, you don't buy it. So I will re-post a link to an article where a man was arrested for giving away food from a buffet to his girlfriend without paying for it. He was arrested for theft and pled it down to disorderly conduct.

 

http://www.popsugar.com/food/Man-Arrested-Sharing-His-Buffet-Plate-2445234

 

Look, to be perfectly honest I don't think it's a big deal if occasionally someone gets a drink for his friend from the package. But the people on here who advocate sharing are affecting everyone else. If sharing becomes the norm, then Royal Caribbean will go back to making everyone in the cabin buy the package. That is a huge increase in price to people whose spouse doesn't drink much, but they want the package. Face it, the ability for only one person in the cabin to buy the package is a good deal. Why would anyone advocate a practice that will lead to that being change? If someone wants to share the package, just shut up about it and keep it to yourself.

Edited March 18, 2015 by papaflamingo

[woodyren]

Not making any moral judgements here. Only a few talking points.

 

1) Couple A "share" a package because they only have 4/5 drinks each a day and are trying to save a little cash. They would not drink any or very few drinks otherwise because they are on a tight budget and feel that $14 per cocktail is over the top.

 

Freddy buys his pkg because he downs about 15 drinks per day. He is cashed up and cares not what he spends while on vacation.

 

Who costs RCL more money and ultimately cause the package price to rise.

 

I like the idea about the package being based on a number of drinks so sharing is not a problem and those who drink in excess just because they have a package pay extra for the privilege.

 

2) I have posted this question a few times and still struggle with the apparent moral differences to these 2 drink related issues.

Jim tips well and boasts about how he gets far more alcohol in his drinks, doesn't have to pay every time, gets charged the cocktail of the day charge for all drinks or similar. This example seems to end up being well accepted on here. I have read many similar examples in tipping threads and have never encountered post accusing Jim or the bar staff of theft. The drink sharing ones inevitably draw almost total outrage.

Edited March 18, 2015 by woodyren

[surfuz]

Double standards at play.

[BOLTFISH]

Putting things into perspective on the drink thingy...

 

Just read a yahoo article (Am I allowed to link it?)... The article noted that Carnival makes one half billion (with a B) on alcohol each year.

 

That is some serious profit on just one of the non inclusive items found cruising.

[Clipper123]

Smuggling alcohol "violates a rule" but sharing drink packages "breaks the law" ?

 

Thanks for that clarification! Lol

 

Correct!

 

There is no law stating that alcohol cannot be taken on a cruise ship - that is a rule of the cruise line.

 

Theft is a crime - there is a law against theft. When an entity sells something and states that it is non-transferable/non sharable such as RCI's beverage plan and someone procures drinks to give someone else - that is theft.

[xpcdoojk]

On the Liberty sailing 2/28 there were about 1500 springbreakers on board. I watched college kids in the MDR at lunch sharing a package. If they can get away with and did in the MDR at a table for 3 what are the chances that they could do it at the pool bar then the next bar or wherever. The only problem, was on that cruise I was never tempted one time to order a drink at a bar, as the kids were 30 people deep at every bar, including the Viking Crown Lounge most of the time. There was a couple I met who own a bar in South Bend Indiana who felt ripped off by RCI because they bought the drink package and couldn't really ever get a drink.

 

This is the nature of spring break cruises, but it is easy to steal from RCI with the advent of the drink packages.

 

jc

[Cel_cruise]

What the cruise line charges isn't "stealing." They publish the price for their product and you choose to purchase it or not. .

 

 

Actually - half of the outrage is because that is not true...the cruise line did not have prices printed on many menus for a while and then released new menus without warning where prices were significantly changed - effective immediately.

 

Had they made the announcement and said prices would go into effect in 2-3 months (before final payment) so that folks had the opportunity to adjust their plans/expectations/budgets, half of the angst would have been reduced.

 

The result of the 'surprise' price increase has more folks considering sharing to stay in their budgets.

 

I don't think I would ever get a drink package for me - I just don't drink enough, but my DH may get one. I can assure you that I would try a sip of every interesting fruity beverage he got to see if I would like it before paying 14$ for my own....I don't consider trying a sip of his drink (something I would have done if he paid cash for it in lieu of the package) to be stealing or 'sharing'. If he got a drink and didn't like it and I did, so rather than throw it out, I drank the rest, I wouldn't consider that stealing or sharing either. I get the impression that some of you would consider that to be stealing/sharing (as intended by RCI) and I just can't wrap my head around that....

 

I always interpreted 'sharing' in this usage as getting something with the intent to NOT use it oneself.....(ie, the wine drinker buying a vodka tonic for a friend etc)...

[Clipper123]

Actually - half of the outrage is because that is not true...the cruise line did not have prices printed on many menus for a while and then released new menus without warning where prices were significantly changed - effective immediately.

 

Had they made the announcement and said prices would go into effect in 2-3 months (before final payment) so that folks had the opportunity to adjust their plans/expectations/budgets, half of the angst would have been reduced.

 

The result of the 'surprise' price increase has more folks considering sharing to stay in their budgets.

 

I don't think I would ever get a drink package for me - I just don't drink enough, but my DH may get one. I can assure you that I would try a sip of every interesting fruity beverage he got to see if I would like it before paying 14$ for my own....I don't consider trying a sip of his drink (something I would have done if he paid cash for it in lieu of the package) to be stealing or 'sharing'. If he got a drink and didn't like it and I did, so rather than throw it out, I drank the rest, I wouldn't consider that stealing or sharing either. I get the impression that some of you would consider that to be stealing/sharing (as intended by RCI) and I just can't wrap my head around that....

 

I always interpreted 'sharing' in this usage as getting something with the intent to NOT use it oneself.....(ie, the wine drinker buying a vodka tonic for a friend etc)...

 

The context of this thread really isn't about drink prices it is about sharing of the beverage packages as the title suggests. The beverage packages didn't increase in price - the gratuity went from 15% to 18% but the package itself did not increase.

 

I'm sure most people don't consider giving someone a sip of the drink you are going to drink yourself as sharing and again, that isn't really mentioned at all in this thread. It is people who purchase the beverage package with full intention of getting someone else drinks or giving them the soda cup to use for themselves etc., who are the subject of this thread.

[Cel_cruise]

The context of this thread really isn't about drink prices it is about sharing of the beverage packages as the title suggests. The beverage packages didn't increase in price - the gratuity went from 15% to 18% but the package itself did not increase.

 

 

 

I'm sure most people don't consider giving someone a sip of the drink you are going to drink yourself as sharing and again, that isn't really mentioned at all in this thread. It is people who purchase the beverage package with full intention of getting someone else drinks or giving them the soda cup to use for themselves etc., who are the subject of this thread.

 

 

Actually - this thread started because of the 40% increase in individual drinks that makes people want to share instead of buy individual drinks.

[FSRoberts]

Not making any moral judgements here. Only a few talking points.

 

1) Couple A "share" a package because they only have 4/5 drinks each a day and are trying to save a little cash. They would not drink any or very few drinks otherwise because they are on a tight budget and feel that $14 per cocktail is over the top.

 

Freddy buys his pkg because he downs about 15 drinks per day. He is cashed up and cares not what he spends while on vacation.

 

Who costs RCL more money and ultimately cause the package price to rise.

 

I like the idea about the package being based on a number of drinks so sharing is not a problem and those who drink in excess just because they have a package pay extra for the privilege.

 

2) I have posted this question a few times and still struggle with the apparent moral differences to these 2 drink related issues.

Jim tips well and boasts about how he gets far more alcohol in his drinks, doesn't have to pay every time, gets charged the cocktail of the day charge for all drinks or similar. This example seems to end up being well accepted on here. I have read many similar examples in tipping threads and have never encountered post accusing Jim or the bar staff of theft. The drink sharing ones inevitably draw almost total outrage.

 

Excellent points on both. I suggested earlier a sharable package, but was largely ignored. This would seem to solve both problems.

 

Here is the personal example for my situation for my 10 day next year. We generally get a mimosa for breakfast on sea days. With 4 sea days, that is 8 drinks. We get a cocktail with dinner. That's 20 drinks. We also often get another cocktail with that evening's entertainment, so another 20. And often a refreshing cocktail getting back from port. 10 cocktails. So that's a total of 58 drinks. But lets round up to 60.

 

Meanwhile someone else is a big drinker and gets 12 drinks a day. That's 120 drinks for the 10 day cruise.

 

So, they drink twice as much, costing RCI twice as much.

 

For us, a beverage package would cost at least $1,156.40. Buying drinks at standard prices would be $708. So not a good economic move to buy a package. If cocktails were only $8+tip, it would be $566.40. Interestingly, if (not suggesting I would) we shared the package, it would be $578.20. I think you can see why sharing a drink package is tempting for casual drinkers. It keeps the prices at where they reasonably were just last month (heck, with a reasonable increase). It costs RCI less than what most people that buy the package and go nuts. And with high prices, I will probably simply choose to get a couple of cocktails on shore instead and skip the ones on ship. So RCI doesn't get the money. The areas where, in reality, RCI loses are nonexistent. It simply violates the letter of the law.

 

So the easiest, best solution, is offer a limited package that allows for sharing.

[LMaxwell]

So the easiest, best solution, is offer a limited package that allows for sharing.

 

I think the even easier, cleaner solution is a set of vouchers that are pre-bought for X number of drinks, usable by any occupant in the cabin. Not sure if the MSC scheme allows anyone to use the vouchers or only the purchaser, I suspect they don't really care as long as a voucher is redeemed. You've got a set, fixed value that way and can vary the ratio of who uses what.

[FSRoberts]

I think the even easier, cleaner solution is a set of vouchers that are pre-bought for X number of drinks, usable by any occupant in the cabin. Not sure if the MSC scheme allows anyone to use the vouchers or only the purchaser, I suspect they don't really care as long as a voucher is redeemed. You've got a set, fixed value that way and can vary the ratio of who uses what.

 

That sounds great. I do think they would want it linked to a single cabin or reservation so there is no black market. Perhaps even just link it with the onboard account.

[LMaxwell]

That sounds great. I do think they would want it linked to a single cabin or reservation so there is no black market. Perhaps even just link it with the onboard account.

 

Yes, link it to one cabin or onboard account. That's fine. That's a package I'd purchase.

[cello56]

Keep in mind that drink package prices are set assuming that a certain percentage of purchasers will drink heavily, and some moderately, and some will barely break even. By taking those three levels of drink use into account the package can be offered at a more reasonable price for everyone. This is the same pricing model that buffets use too. If two people share a drink package, then instead of having two packages bought the cruise line has one. PLUS instead of perhaps having a moderate drink use it could very well be upped to a heavy drink usage. The light user has always been subsidizing the heavy drinker.

[FSRoberts]

Yes, link it to one cabin or onboard account. That's fine. That's a package I'd purchase.

 

Me, too. I was just running some simple numbers. Lets assume 3 levels before people might just by an unlimited pack. And say an increasing level of discount the more that is bought.

 

So you could have a 25 drink package for $230+tip, and 8% discount, a 50 drink package for $440+tip, a 12% discount, and a 75 drink package for $630+tip for a 16% discount.

 

An easy, simple, clean solution.