$7.95 Room Service Charge

[Milwaukee Eight]

You can still make your "all inclusive" package. Just buy yourself some on board credit in the amount of what you would expect to spend on room service.

 

 

Or get a GS or higher and a drink package

 

 

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[richstowe]

That's an excellent idea! Thank you. :*

Or cruise HAL or another brand that doesn't charge for room service . :p

[Biker19]

That's an excellent idea! Thank you. :*

Human psychology is very interesting to witness - same exact amount of money going out but if one pays on board they lament and complain, yet if they pre pay (via bought OBC) it's much more palatable.:cool:

[Margy23]

Not quite sure if this has been mentioned previously on this thread (can't go back 88 pages) but it certainly begs the following questions:

 

Has anyone thought about the strategy behind ending the price in .95? Why not round it off to $8 instead of $7.95? After the tip it's going to be in the $8-$10 range anyway. Could it be that some pricing decisions are based on the theory that because we read from left to right, the first digit of the price resonates with us the most? Are they convinced we are more likely to order room service for $7.95 than place an identical order for $8.00? Do they think that if it starts with a 7 we will consider it a better deal than if it starts with an 8? Or do they (suits at RCCI that is ) take us for complete idiots? :rolleyes: Do they think that having to decide whether we want food for $8.00 versus an $8.00 glass of Chardonnay, we opt for the latter and dump a few grand in the casino for good measure? Reminds me of some real estate ads for $999,999.99! :eek: .95 instead of .99 - how clever!!! ;p

 

I think sometime during college I took a class that covered the many studies done by different retail establishments to find the best price point to be attractive to buyers - as I remember, they felt there was even a difference between $7.95 and $7.98.

 

This was back in the early 50's, and I can't even imagine how sophisticated their lures are today. I know I looked at a book for a great grandchild on Amazon yesterday, and it seems to appear on every page on the Internet.

 

Margy

[clarky213]

I'm not sure if in the previous 89 pages this was mentioned, but I find it more shocking that they went from $0 to $7.95. That is a relatively steep jump especially when you add gratuity and round it up to $10.

 

 

The $7.95 includes Gratuity so no need to pay more.

[Milwaukee Eight]

Just how many times a day did the avg cruiser use Room Service? Just doesn't seem like a lot of money for a typical 7 day cruise ???

 

 

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[DPrincess81]

The $7.95 includes Gratuity so no need to pay more.

 

Oh!!! Really?! Okay, I definitely won't whine as much now. Thank you for clarifying!

[DPrincess81]

Just how many times a day did the avg cruiser use Room Service? Just doesn't seem like a lot of money for a typical 7 day cruise ???

 

 

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I'm sure honeymooners use it a lot. ;p

 

We used it a lot when traveling with our kids. It was an easy way to get them a snack while winding down for bed or a quick way to have breakfast available in the room while getting ready in the morning. It also provided an opportunity to have a meal mid-day during naptime without leaving the boat. One might say, "Can't you get them to the on-board food locations?" No, not two kids all the time when I am asking them to be way off their normal schedules and out of their normal environments. They're also younger (under 6).

[John&LaLa]

I'm sure honeymooners use it a lot. ;p

 

We used it a lot when traveling with our kids. It was an easy way to get them a snack while winding down for bed or a quick way to have breakfast available in the room while getting ready in the morning. It also provided an opportunity to have a meal mid-day during naptime without leaving the boat. One might say, "Can't you get them to the on-board food locations?" No, not two kids all the time when I am asking them to be way off their normal schedules and out of their normal environments. They're also younger (under 6).

Maybe you should wait till they're older.

 

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[DPrincess81]

Maybe you should wait till they're older.

 

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Thank you for the advice. :rolleyes: It was an example of how cruise amenities vary in importance for different people.

[MrYellowDuck]

"Can't you get them to the on-board food locations?" No, not two kids all the time when I am asking them to be way off their normal schedules and out of their normal environments. They're also younger (under 6).

 

Our kids cruised from a young age and we took them as a pair from combined ages of 1 and 3. Never did we have trouble taking them to the many food outlet choices on the ships we've sailed. It might be that if you tried you'd be pleasantly surprised with how well kids are catered for.

[DPrincess81]

Our kids cruised from a young age and we took them as a pair from combined ages of 1 and 3. Never did we have trouble taking them to the many food outlet choices on the ships we've sailed. It might be that if you tried you'd be pleasantly surprised with how well kids are catered for.

 

We have and love the service they receive at dinner. But when we go out I always carry snacks with me and when we are at home they have snacks readily available. Sometimes room service afforded the luxury of a simple bite while still in our jammies. ;)

 

Again, just trying to paint a picture to answer a question above of how often one might use room service. I'm sure honeymooners would use it would be daily. With kids it definitely was daily. And when we sail in the fall for our anniversary (sans kids) it might be daily so that we could enjoy the food with a view of the ocean. While the food might be mediocre to some, to many a croissant is a croissant and a bagel is a bagel. Breakfast can be luxurious in a restaurant but also doesn't have to be complicated and could be enjoyed while donning a robe and staring at the horizon. It all depends on perspective. Is $8 really that much? No of course not. But it WAS free. So for some people it is another item you now need to budget and consider, so people talk it out. (Just stating a fact, not whining.)

 

:)

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I beg to differ. $7.95 is not going to break anyone's bank here. It's the principle that people have issue with. How can RCCI expect us to be "Loyal to Royal" when they pride themselves on building the best loyalty program on the high seas, and then every time you turn around they are taking more and more away and increasing prices?

Everyone wants the best price on everything they buy.

 

Then there's reality. :eek:

[bUU]

Everyone wants the best price on everything they buy.

 

Then there's reality. :eek:

Yes, and the reality is that the corporation offers a cruise line that, among other differences, doesn't charge for room service. Having two cruise lines without substantive differences would make no sense, and differentiating then further to better capitalize on the full breadth of the consumers available makes a lot of sense. Like it or not, Royal Caribbean is the corporation's entry level offering.

 

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[livingonthebeach]

Everyone wants the best price on everything they buy.

 

 

 

Then there's reality. :eek:

 

 

Yes and the reality is RCCI is getting richer and richer (check out their latest earnings and profits) at our expense.

 

$7.95 isn't much and neither is one cent but when you multiply that by thousands of cruisers it adds up.

 

 

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[molly361]

I don't know why they did not just go ahead and institute the charge for all items!! I have my armor ready:halo:

 

[nelblu]

Yes and the reality is RCCI is getting richer and richer (check out their latest earnings and profits) at our expense.

 

$7.95 isn't much and neither is one cent but when you multiply that by thousands of cruisers it adds up.

 

 

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$7.95 is a recent introduction and no impact on their recent revenues or profits. The rise in the stock price is the forward looking earnings call due to their South East (China) market & introduction of newer and bigger ships. The $7.95 is a mere pimple, plus a lot of the cruise lines have that charge.

[Clarea]

$7.95 is a recent introduction and no impact on their recent revenues or profits. The rise in the stock price is the forward looking earnings call due to their South East (China) market & introduction of newer and bigger ships. The $7.95 is a mere pimple, plus a lot of the cruise lines have that charge.

I agree. I would sooner believe that they instituted the charge to discourage the use of room service so they could reduce the number of crewmembers on board for that purpose. Then they could add more revenue producting crew.

[Ocean Boy]

Yes, and the reality is that the corporation offers a cruise line that, among other differences, doesn't charge for room service. Having two cruise lines without substantive differences would make no sense, and differentiating then further to better capitalize on the full breadth of the consumers available makes a lot of sense. Like it or not, Royal Caribbean is the corporation's entry level offering.

 

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I'm not sure that I agree with that. There was a time when I used to think that RCI and Celebrity were much more alike than they were different. Now I think the product difference is greater because of the types of ships that RCCL is building for the two lines and this creates more of a different cruise experience but I don't think I would consider RCI as entry level over Celebrity. Also, when you think of entry level you also expect pricing to match. Many times I can find better pricing on Celebrity than with RCI for similar itineraries. Again, I think this points toward the two lines being different but not necessarily one line being a "lower level" than the other nor one being better than the other. The experience is just somewhat different.

[LMaxwell]

Thank you for the advice. :rolleyes: It was an example of how cruise amenities vary in importance for different people.

Don't worry, us other parents understood what you meant.

[Ocean Boy]

$7.95 is a recent introduction and no impact on their recent revenues or profits. The rise in the stock price is the forward looking earnings call due to their South East (China) market & introduction of newer and bigger ships. The $7.95 is a mere pimple, plus a lot of the cruise lines have that charge.

 

I agree. I would sooner believe that they instituted the charge to discourage the use of room service so they could reduce the number of crewmembers on board for that purpose. Then they could add more revenue producting crew.

Right, the room service charge pales in comparison to the erroneous charges for unsold bottles of water.:D:D

[livingonthebeach]

I agree. I would sooner believe that they instituted the charge to discourage the use of room service so they could reduce the number of crewmembers on board for that purpose. Then they could add more revenue producting crew.

 

Yes, that's exactly it, in my view. Reduction in personnel means lower costs and more profits. Replacing some crew with revenue generating staff equals even more profits. Profits + profits for them = less + less for us. Great way to reverse the loyalty they so pride themselves on.

 

The bright side for those who use room service is orders will hopefully arrive faster and the menu has been expanded, thus more and better choices.

[bgetter]

Don't worry, us other parents understood what you meant.

Ditto.

[livingonthebeach]

$7.95 is a recent introduction and no impact on their recent revenues or profits. The rise in the stock price is the forward looking earnings call due to their South East (China) market & introduction of newer and bigger ships. The $7.95 is a mere pimple, plus a lot of the cruise lines have that charge.

Bigger ships equate to bigger costs. The bigger picture is $7.95 is just the tip of the iceberg of the loyalty reversing changes come down the pike to pay for world expansion and ginormous ships.

[DPrincess81]

don't worry, us other parents understood what you meant.

 

:D LOL - Thank you!