Sharing drink package

[FSRoberts]

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.

 

The people we are talking about don't fit into one of your 3 categories. There are people that would lose money on the packages, and they don't buy them. So there is no lost subsidy. Oh, there are probably rich idiots that buy a package and then down all of 2 drinks a day, but there are few that don't at least break even.

[Suzieanna]

Alcohol................ the cause of most arguments since time began!

Edited March 18, 2015 by Suzieanna

[anijac1412]

How dare you break the rules and share drinks. Who do you think you are?

 

Yours truly,

Guy who saves a whole row of seats in the theater, his wife who hogs 8 chairs on the deck everyday, and their adorable offspring ages 6 and 13 who love the solarium. Fire away

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hah! This made me giggle. Nice little comic relief... and since when have I ever needed comic relief on CC?

 

When did this become an episode of Law and Order? I don't post on CC much, but I'm a long time reader and usually come here to read about what's new, ask questions, and get excited for future cruises. I'm astonished at the tone some people have taken on this thread. Accusing people of being thieves and forecasting their future as criminals? Really? If you don't like what you're reading, close the thread and move on. That's what I do, and my day doesn't get ruined in the end. So, normally I would close this thread and move on. But now that my morning was slightly ruined, I have to give my 2-cents.

 

I came here today for some light Cruise talk and found this thread on the first page. Thought OP was just bring funny (which they in fact were), but as I kept reading my jaw dropped.Kind of shell-shocked to be honest. Makes me feel glad I don't post more of my opinions on these forums.... I would get a door slammed in my face! ... That in itself makes me sad. I'm sure there are a lot of newbies out there who are afraid to post for this reason.

 

I thought this was a place to share experiences, get information, and have fun with like-minded people?

 

Shame.

[Big_G]

 

I came here today for some light Cruise talk and found this thread on the first page. Thought OP was just bring funny (which they in fact were), but as I kept reading my jaw dropped.Kind of shell-shocked to be honest. Makes me feel glad I don't post more of my opinions on these forums.... I would get a door slammed in my face! ... That in itself makes me sad. I'm sure there are a lot of newbies out there who are afraid to post for this reason.

 

I thought this was a place to share experiences, get information, and have fun with like-minded people?

 

Shame.

 

Sorry Mom! :D:p;)

[Khsh08]

I am thinking about getting the drink package for BOGOHO that is running right now and trying to decide if this is worth it. How does it work? Is it a separate card or is it something built into our regular card we carry? We haven't cruised since 2008 and there was nothing like that then.

[Desertbelle]

Perhaps, instead of having "unlimited" drink packages, which can encourage people to share (and over-indulge), they should have packages for a set number of drinks for a set price, which people could share freely without a need for policing. For example you could buy a package of 30 drinks for a 20% discount over the price of 30 drinks bought individually. It could be loaded onto your SeaPass card, and you could order 1 or 30 drinks at a time, share if you wish....your choice. I think this would be beneficial to passengers and the cruise line.

[phoenix1181]

I'm sure those of you who have suggested alternatives to the existing drink packages mean well BUT................ Don't you think all the different options were discussed at length before a decision was made?

 

For the record, I'd like to offer my thoughts on why the option of purchasing a fixed number of drinks which could be shared isn't in play. With the existing packages, there is the very real possibility that not every user will consume enough to break even which means a larger profit margin. If a person has purchased a fixed number of drinks, they are more likely (IMHO) to use all of those vouchers even if it's by sharing with a stranger.

[DirtyDawg]

Sorry Mom! :D:p;)

 

LOL The children have sure gotten rowdy on this one.:D

[DirtyDawg]

Alcohol................ the cause of most arguments since time began!

 

:confused: Wasn't Adam and Eve's first fight about whether to tip the snake or not? ;)

[anijac1412]

Sorry Mom! :D[emoji14];)

[emoji18][emoji18] ... yeah yeah. Well someone had to be her!

[robandana]

I don't think it make any difference to Royal, if they really wanted to stop it they would...I mean how many beers/drinks can you drink in 3 min. they can see every transaction in real time....does anyone really think they can go to 3 different bars in a few minutes and no one notices...they just don't care. I think they make soooo much more money now with the all in drinks packages that its not a big deal.

 

The big loser's now are the bar staff that no longer get the 15% or is it 18% on each drink like before....

[marci22]

I don't think it make any difference to Royal, if they really wanted to stop it they would...I mean how many beers/drinks can you drink in 3 min. they can see every transaction in real time....does anyone really think they can go to 3 different bars in a few minutes and no one notices...they just don't care. I think they make soooo much more money now with the all in drinks packages that its not a big deal.

 

The big loser's now are the bar staff that no longer get the 15% or is it 18% on each drink like before....

 

I agree. I'm sure it's priced to accommodate occasional cheating and they still make a good profit.

[PennStateFan123]

:confused: Wasn't Adam and Eve's first fight about whether to tip the snake or not? ;)

 

 

No actually Adam left the seat up

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LetsGetWet!]

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.

Was away all day yesterday, just catching up. Thanks for the clarification, I was really surprised at what I thought you were saying.

[FSRoberts]

I'm sure those of you who have suggested alternatives to the existing drink packages mean well BUT................ Don't you think all the different options were discussed at length before a decision was made?

 

Obviously not enough. At least we can make our concerns known. It's better than lubing up and grabbing ankle.

[LMaxwell]

I'm sure those of you who have suggested alternatives to the existing drink packages mean well BUT................ Don't you think all the different options were discussed at length before a decision was made?

 

 

Not necessarily. I've met many marketers and consultants who were utterly clueless, even when armed with mountains of data. I don't assume all alternatives were explored. For instance, I KNOW RCI is missing out on revenue from me because I won't purchase a drink package in the form they are in now. The margins on alcohol must be enormous. Even if they pre-sold me a package of X drinks at Y price they are locking in that revenue and profit margin. If not, I can be quite content with the free iced tea until cocktail hour.

[papaflamingo]

Not necessarily. I've met many marketers and consultants who were utterly clueless, even when armed with mountains of data. I don't assume all alternatives were explored. For instance, I KNOW RCI is missing out on revenue from me because I won't purchase a drink package in the form they are in now. The margins on alcohol must be enormous. Even if they pre-sold me a package of X drinks at Y price they are locking in that revenue and profit margin. If not, I can be quite content with the free iced tea until cocktail hour.

 

Agreed. We used to carry water on board. Now that we can buy a water package I don't want to bother with the hassle of hauling a case of water through security and up to the cabin. By the way we didn't sneak it on, we just rolled it in a rollaboard and security inspected it to be sure it wasn't booze.

So if a pre-paid drink package was available in various amounts, I'd likely purchase it. Only problem would be that drinks are a variety of prices. Some are $6.95 and others are $12. So it'd be tough to purchase drink vouchers based on $12 drinks and use them on $6 beers. Maybe, like the Beverage Package, they could offer "Beer Packages," "Classic Cocktails," and "Premium Cocktails." Bet lot's of people would buy those.

[BArtisan]

Some travel companies offer free drink package as a perk

 

Nothing is free - The quoted price is in someway higher to cover the cost of anything that is purportedly given away - from one end or the other.

[BArtisan]

Agreed. We used to carry water on board. Now that we can buy a water package I don't want to bother with the hassle of hauling a case of water through security and up to the cabin. By the way we didn't sneak it on, we just rolled it in a rollaboard and security inspected it to be sure it wasn't booze.

So if a pre-paid drink package was available in various amounts, I'd likely purchase it. Only problem would be that drinks are a variety of prices. Some are $6.95 and others are $12. So it'd be tough to purchase drink vouchers based on $12 drinks and use them on $6 beers. Maybe, like the Beverage Package, they could offer "Beer Packages," "Classic Cocktails," and "Premium Cocktails." Bet lot's of people would buy those.

 

They do offer three different drink packages.

[BArtisan]

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.

 

Here is the bottom line 32 shots per bottle - say at a high price $15.00 per bottle - RCL is making an absolute fortune. That why it now cost $12.00 for a Margarita a 58 cent drink. RCL's objective is to push everyone into getting the drink packages. Only the alcoholics think that they are getting a deal.

[LMaxwell]

They do offer three different drink packages.

 

They offer unlimited packages, not a voucher system of a preset amount of drinks offered at a preset price (discount versus a la cart) That is what we are discussing here.

 

As far as nothing being free...well...

 

On NCL three of us are booked in a balcony room with "free" drink package. Our grand total, WITH all taxes and fees (so about $400 worth of the total) is $2200. So around $1800 in cruise fare only, and they are giving me a perk that they would sell retail for about $960 for an adult couple (the third is a child and gets a soda package, worth probably another $40 for a week retail price). So they certainly didn't raise the cruise fare to cover it. In fact, the cruise fare went down when their newest promos came out.

 

Let me know which RCI ship I can book a balcony on for 3 people for a week and it cost $2200 with a drink package and I will put deposits down for the next 10 years...

[BArtisan]

I'm not complaining about the perk, nor am I justifying theft, I'm complaining about those of you that just sit back and say, in effect, "Doesn't affect me, I'm diamond. So you plebs should stop your complaining." If it doesn't affect you, stay out of it. The OP was venting about the drink changes.

 

Actually the drink perk is not all that it is cracked up to be. It has a very limited menu about 10-12 items. Can only be used from 5 - 8:30 pm and cannot be used in any restaurant. Now consider the dinning times, unless one is doing second seating and pounds their three free - it is very hard to accomplish drinking all three - I always do first seating and have been very lucky to get even 3 drinks on an entire 7 day cruise at a bar. I do suites and maybe have two in the concierge lounge nightly.

[Paul65]

Here is the bottom line 32 shots per bottle - say at a high price $15.00 per bottle - RCL is making an absolute fortune. That why it now cost $12.00 for a Margarita a 58 cent drink. RCL's objective is to push everyone into getting the drink packages. Only the alcoholics think that they are getting a deal.

 

If you're talking about standard 750ml bottles and a typical 1.5 oz "shot" then it's more like 17 shots per bottle. Of course, a drink is obviously going to cost much more than just the wholesale cost of the alcohol in it.

[LMaxwell]

Here is the bottom line 32 shots per bottle - say at a high price $15.00 per bottle - RCL is making an absolute fortune. That why it now cost $12.00 for a Margarita a 58 cent drink. RCL's objective is to push everyone into getting the drink packages. Only the alcoholics think that they are getting a deal.

 

You got that right for sure.

[link99]

Off I go. Ill be back as someone once famous said. Let you know what I Discover