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Will Royal follow the flow? Your take.

cruisingsince94
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cb at sea

cb at sea

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Of course! As long as people will pay the price, they will charge to the hilt. If folks would STOP thinking they're getting "something special" (because they're not!), and stop utilizing the "for fee" items...it would stop!

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AtleeH

AtleeH

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Prices for all things associated with cruising, for all lines, has been continually going up the past few years. It will continue going up until it hits a tipping point, and folks stop buying.

 

It's very simple. Obviously, some folks hit that point earlier than others. The constant price rises will only stop when the large majority of folks hit that point.

 

Of course any business will charge what the market will bear.

 

It's always been that way, and always will be that way, I hope.

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MikeBTN

MikeBTN

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Just saw that NCL is increasing the price of their dining and beverage packages. Do you expect RCI to follow the lead?

 

They have, in the last 30-45 days. Cost of the Ultimate Package increased $5 pp/day. I believe NCL followed Royal's lead......

 

Like any business its a supply & demand issue. There is a "sweet spot" where they maximize profits based on demand. If the demand is still there to make increasing the prices profitable, they will likely continue to do so. Basic fare prices (except for suites) haven't really increased that much in the last 10 years, so cruise lines have to do one of two things to stay competitive on booking prices while still remaining profitable - cut included amenities for everyone & charge those passengers who want that amenity back extra, or increase prices of the "extras" like drinks & excursions.

Edited by MikeBTN
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paulh84

paulh84

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Eh, I don't know. NCL is a different animal. It's been quite a while since Royal offered any beverage package promo. Royal doesn't have a comparable product to NCL's Dining Package (that I am aware of). I think NCL is committed to offering the 'included' beverage package for a long time. Or perhaps the All-Inclusive Sky cruises are the test market before a more permanent move. RCL doesn't seem as interested in going that route.

 

Who is actually paying retail price for NCL's expensive drink package? I would venture to say not many at all. On a 7 day NCL cruise the service charge on the beverage package is $100. They raised the price to capture more on that 18%, not to profit on the full retail price. So in theory you could say they have the cheapest beverage package in the industry, not the most expensive. They just choose to market it in a different manner.

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MikeBTN

MikeBTN

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Eh, I don't know. NCL is a different animal. It's been quite a while since Royal offered any beverage package promo. Royal doesn't have a comparable product to NCL's Dining Package (that I am aware of). I think NCL is committed to offering the 'included' beverage package for a long time. Or perhaps the All-Inclusive Sky cruises are the test market before a more permanent move. RCL doesn't seem as interested in going that route.

 

Who is actually paying retail price for NCL's expensive drink package? I would venture to say not many at all. On a 7 day NCL cruise the service charge on the beverage package is $100. They raised the price to capture more on that 18%, not to profit on the full retail price. So in theory you could say they have the cheapest beverage package in the industry, not the most expensive. They just choose to market it in a different manner.

 

Rumor on the NCL board is that the free drinks package is going away for Inside & Ocean View rooms starting March 15th. We've booked the Norwegian Dawn for a cruise with friends and one of the big factors, besides visiting New Orleans for a few days before sailing, was the included drinks package. Room rate is $499 pp - we'll likely drink that much while on board!

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pspercy

pspercy

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They are following ROYAL.

 

Right:)

 

People say NCL's free UBP is included in an inflated cruise cost, well last April I was comparing NCL and RCL out of Houston/Galveston, cabin fares about the same (within $100 or so) but NCL offered drink package, RCL didn't. So we went on Jade and it was fine, great trip.

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DANtheFIREMAN

DANtheFIREMAN

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Of course! As long as people will pay the price, they will charge to the hilt. If folks would STOP thinking they're getting "something special" (because they're not!), and stop utilizing the "for fee" items...it would stop!

 

TOTALLY AGREE ...................:rolleyes:

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JohnGaltny

JohnGaltny

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Just saw that NCL is increasing the price of their dining and beverage packages. Do you expect RCI to follow the lead?

 

I'd say they followed from the front.

 

I just booked the Preferred Package for a 4 day on Majesty. It was $63.00 a day. Last year on Freedom it was $55.00/day.

 

Those are hard numbers so you do the math but it looks like a better than 10% bump to me.

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