We will always be loyal to royal, but what is happening????

[ColoradoGurl]

$500 p.p. for a 9 night cruise. That include taxes, fees, and tips or don’t you have to pay that.

 

Cheap doesn’t equate to a good time unless your expectations are really low. And your comparing a Disney vacation, with an inside cabin? It would probably be more accurate to compare it to a suite but that wouldn’t give the bias you are trying to achieve,

 

 

Comparing to an inside room is not that biased, since a hotel “deal” shopper isn’t staying in a big fancy room in Orlando either.

 

I shopped for deals and stayed at an off-property hotel that included free breakfast every day, found ways to buy discounted park tickets and packed lunches to take to the parks rather than eat at the Disney restaurants and still paid upwards of $4,000 for two people for a week at Disney.

 

I happily sail insides on a cruise because, like Disney, I’m too busy enjoying having fun to bother being in my room for any reason other than to sleep and shower. I can get a cruise on a voyager or freedom class ship for a week for 2 people in an inside/promenade for under $2,000 in the summer months.

 

I think it’s a fair and accurate comparison. A cruise is a much better deal than a land vacation. I take lots of land vacations and always spend at least $4,000 for a week on a land vacation, and have never paid that much for room and food on a cruise.

 

**(I didn’t include airfare costs for either trip)

 

 

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Edited January 30, 2018 by ColoradoGurl

[grandgeezer]

Comparing to an inside room is not that biased, since a hotel “deal” shopper isn’t staying in a big fancy room in Orlando either.

 

I shopped for deals and stayed at an off-property hotel that included free breakfast every day, found ways to buy discounted park tickets and packed lunches to take to the parks rather than eat at the Disney restaurants and still paid upwards of $4,000 for two people for a week at Disney.

 

I happily sail insides on a cruise because, like Disney, I’m too busy enjoying having fun to bother being in my room for any reason other than to sleep and shower. I can get a cruise on a voyager or freedom class ship for a week for 2 people in an inside/promenade for under $2,000 in the summer months.

 

I think it’s a fair and accurate comparison. A cruise is a much better deal than a land vacation. I take lots of land vacations and always spend at least $4,000 for a week on a land vacation, and have never paid that much for room and food on a cruise.

 

**(I didn’t include airfare costs for either trip)

 

 

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Does your $2,000 cover taxes, fees, gratuities, drinks, tours, and all other options on the ship and in port? Being in an inside cabin means you get 0 perks.

I too shop for deals but I am particular on what I do and where I go. We go when we want, not necessarily the off season. I don't decide strictly on price but rather on value for the money and enjoyment. We budget nothing and we would stay home before we stayed in an interior cabin.

Three years ago we rented an a two bedroom, two bath oceanside condo in Maui for ten days, with another couple. We also shared a rental car. We found places off the beaten path to eat and like at home, we only ate two meals a day. We brought booze with us and bought beer and soda at a store. We eat and drank what we wanted, when we wanted and ate at restaurants that specialized in the cuisine we wanted not a do it all place, like the MDR. We did what we wanted day or night and were not confined to a certain area like on a sea day, or limited time in port. We completely controlled our vacation and did it all for about $135 p.p. not including air. Total cost of about $2,700 for the two of us.That's less than we paid on our last cruise, a 14 day B2B in December 2016 in Aqua class.

[ColoradoGurl]

Does your $2,000 cover taxes, fees, gratuities, drinks, tours, and all other options on the ship and in port? Being in an inside cabin means you get 0 perks.

 

 

Yes, the $2,000 covers taxes, fees and gratuity, but does not cover drinks or tours. I rarely drink alcohol or soda, even at an all-inclusive that includes it. My Disney price didn’t include alcohol either.

 

However, you do make a good point in the fact that with a cruise, while you CAN keep the cost low by enjoying the free entertainment on the ship, you can easily add $1,000 or more to the trip if you do tours, pay for taxis to beaches, or buy souvenirs or lunch off the ship. I have done it both ways. At ports that I’ve been to before, I don’t tend to spend any extra money, but on my last port intensive southern cruise, I spent $1,500 extra dollars on tours, food and trinkets in 5 islands as well as $40 at each port in taxi fare to and from beaches at most of them, and extra tips to all the tour people and a couple of ship staff.

 

My upcoming summer cruise comes in at $1,928 for the room, taxes, fees and tips. No drink package, but I wouldn’t be paying for alcohol on my land vacation either. While I don’t care about any of the perks for having “status” or a suite etc, I do have the Ben and Jerry Room this time and that room does actually have perks. For me though, the only perk I will use is the free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, because I don’t care about VIP seating, suite lounges, or free drinks that I won’t drink anyway.

 

So, it just depends on the person and what you want to do, and how you enjoy your vacation. Sometimes I like to pack in the additional port activity, and sometimes I just like to enjoy the stuff that comes free with the cruise-fare.

 

My point is that it is possible to enjoy a cruise vacation without spending all that extra money, depending on the type of trip you want to have. I have a fairly large yearly vacation budget for the average person (though not nearly as much as a lot of people with extra disposable income), but I always try to find the best deals for what I want to do and try to come in under budget. I’ve always found my land vacations to be more expensive than my cruises.

 

 

 

 

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Edited January 30, 2018 by ColoradoGurl

[SirRedman]

For me the balcony discount holds value (sometimes). The biggest benefit right now is the MGM benefit in Las Vegas. My wife and I are in Vegas quite a bit, but prefer shows to gambling so we don't climb the ranks very fast. The benefits of show pre-sales, hotel discounts, and free parking offers us quite a bit of monetary savings.

 

 

What are "the balcony discounts"?

[Clarea]

 

What are "the balcony discounts"?

 

 

Platinum Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$ 50 * for sailings of 3-5 nights

$100* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$200* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Emerald Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$ 75 * for sailings of 3-5 nights

$125* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$225* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Diamond Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$125* for sailings of 3-5 nights

$225* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$325* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Diamond Plus Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$150* for sailings of 3-5 nights

$250* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$350* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Pinnacle Club Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$175* for sailings of 3-5 nights

$275* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$375* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

*When booking less than 6 months from sailing date subtract $25 from the dollar amount.

[SirRedman]

Platinum Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$ 50 * for sailings of 3-5 nights

$100* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$200* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Emerald Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$ 75 * for sailings of 3-5 nights

$125* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$225* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Diamond Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$125* for sailings of 3-5 nights

$225* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$325* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Diamond Plus Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$150* for sailings of 3-5 nights

$250* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$350* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

Pinnacle Club Balcony Discount When Booking More than 6 Months from Sailing Date:

$175* for sailings of 3-5 nights

$275* for sailings of 6-9 nights

$375* for sailings of 10+ nights

 

*When booking less than 6 months from sailing date subtract $25 from the dollar amount.

 

Thanks, Bob. I'll be dead before I get to that level... :)

[John&LaLa]

Yes, the $2,000 covers taxes, fees and gratuity, but does not cover drinks or tours. I rarely drink alcohol or soda, even at an all-inclusive that includes it. My Disney price didn’t include alcohol either.

 

However, you do make a good point in the fact that with a cruise, while you CAN keep the cost low by enjoying the free entertainment on the ship, you can easily add $1,000 or more to the trip if you do tours, pay for taxis to beaches, or buy souvenirs or lunch off the ship. I have done it both ways. At ports that I’ve been to before, I don’t tend to spend any extra money, but on my last port intensive southern cruise, I spent $1,500 extra dollars on tours, food and trinkets in 5 islands as well as $40 at each port in taxi fare to and from beaches at most of them, and extra tips to all the tour people and a couple of ship staff.

 

My upcoming summer cruise comes in at $1,928 for the room, taxes, fees and tips. No drink package, but I wouldn’t be paying for alcohol on my land vacation either. While I don’t care about any of the perks for having “status” or a suite etc, I do have the Ben and Jerry Room this time and that room does actually have perks. For me though, the only perk I will use is the free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, because I don’t care about VIP seating, suite lounges, or free drinks that I won’t drink anyway.

 

So, it just depends on the person and what you want to do, and how you enjoy your vacation. Sometimes I like to pack in the additional port activity, and sometimes I just like to enjoy the stuff that comes free with the cruise-fare.

 

My point is that it is possible to enjoy a cruise vacation without spending all that extra money, depending on the type of trip you want to have. I have a fairly large yearly vacation budget for the average person (though not nearly as much as a lot of people with extra disposable income), but I always try to find the best deals for what I want to do and try to come in under budget. I’ve always found my land vacations to be more expensive than my cruises.

 

 

 

 

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Currently on Oasis in a D6 OV balcony. Cabin was $1,380 for both of us. $100 OBC from NextCruise, $50 OBC from travel agent. Good value in my opinion

 

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[vacationers]

Thanks, Bob. I'll be dead before I get to that level... :)

 

Sorry, but all this just changes. I was just on board theFreedom and did not book anything. Everything changed for the worse and drinks etc went up.

[SRF]

$500 p.p. for a 9 night cruise. That include taxes, fees, and tips or don’t you have to pay that.

Cheap doesn’t equate to a good time unless your expectations are really low. And your comparing a Disney vacation, with an inside cabin? It would probably be more accurate to compare it to a suite but that wouldn’t give the bias you are trying to achieve,

 

Might as well have been an inside, as it was never light out when in the room. :)

 

Actually it was $550 pp, and included taxes and fees, but not grats.

 

But even if I compare Grand Suite, Disney is expensive. More so if you stay in a Disney hotel. I saw rates of $1500 PER NIGHT for a room for 2 people at a Disney hotel. And the next day, the hotel was sold out, so SOMEONE paid that price.

[SRF]

WOW - dare I ask how much is a beer?? :)

 

Domestic was about $7. Import $8 - 10.

[ColoradoGurl]

Currently on Oasis in a D6 OV balcony. Cabin was $1,380 for both of us. $100 OBC from NextCruise, $50 OBC from travel agent. Good value in my opinion

 

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That’s a great value!

 

 

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[TOM CRUIZES]

Mostly Loyal to Royal but will use other Lines depending on the Destination and Deal, However the way Royal is Starting to Double the Charges for Speciality Restaurants and Nickel and Diming, plus the loss of Loyalty Benefits we will start looking more Closely at other Lines and what they have to offer.

The way they are trying to cut back on Courses in the MDR are a Classic example of what they are trying to do, they state they are a High Class Line but do not live up to the Hype anymore.

Yes its Good to be Rewarded? for loyalty with Royal, however it would seem that Royal are leaning/encouraging New Cruisers rather than the customers who helped them get where they are now IMHO.

Loyalty goes both ways and they should Remember we can Vote with our Feet.

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

Totally agree Tom, if Pinnacle members like yourself feel this way it doesn’t bode well for us D+ members,come try Princess with us[emoji1303][emoji1303]

 

 

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Edited January 31, 2018 by 6MonthsHere6MonthsThere

[TOM CRUIZES]

Totally agree Tom, if Pinnacle members like yourself feel this way it doesn’t bode well for us D+ members,come try Princess with us[emoji1303][emoji1303]

 

 

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Hi John, Trying NCL again on Sat for 10 days on the Spirit, then looking at either Princess in June or MSC with the Loyalty match.

Royal also tending to lean more towards a Family/Younger Experience than us Older ones, especially with the refurbishments on Indy, more Staterooms less Space and the themed Laser Park etc.

[AF-1]

I started sailing for my first time with royal around 2007[emoji682] or so. I can tell they are cutting corners to save money [emoji408]and I applaud most of their decision ex, chocolate on your pillow [emoji933], midnight buffet etc, but sometimes they seem really ridiculous in some of their strategy.

 

2-3 years ago we had enough [emoji1361]and wanted to try something different. [emoji52]MSC was our experimental cruise line and although the ship was beautiful and more elegant that royal in my opinion the crew was really rude with a visible face of I don’t care.

 

[emoji1600]So what are my options?

 

🛑Carnival ? I won’t even give you my opinion

[emoji6]MSC? Nice ships, amazing MDR food but a negative vibre around the ship

[emoji13]NCL? Maybe but it’s completely different to Royal concepts and the crew can be a hit or miss

[emoji851]Celebrity cruise? 0 experience with them but doing a little reacher will I be bored onboard due to the target demographic ?

🤡Disney? Saving it for my kids, not now

 

So what is really left?

Yeah we are continuing heading back to royal[emoji127]

 

 

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What about Princess?

[AF-1]

That’s a great value!

 

 

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wow, for two people that is great

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

Hi John, Trying NCL again on Sat for 10 days on the Spirit, then looking at either Princess in June or MSC with the Loyalty match.

Royal also tending to lean more towards a Family/Younger Experience than us Older ones, especially with the refurbishments on Indy, more Staterooms less Space and the themed Laser Park etc.

 

 

 

Hi Tom, we loved NCL Escape, hope you feel the same about Epic, we are on Indy 30th June taking Son,DIL and grandchildren, then B2B on the Adventure in September for our 50th, then the Indy again for the TA end of October followed by 3 nights in Vegas but think that will be it on Royal until we hear they are being more Loyal. Have a 24 night Princess cruise booked from Southampton for September 19.

 

 

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[TOM CRUIZES]

Hi Tom, we loved NCL Escape, hope you feel the same about Epic, we are on Indy 30th June taking Son,DIL and grandchildren, then B2B on the Adventure in September for our 50th, then the Indy again for the TA end of October followed by 3 nights in Vegas but think that will be it on Royal until we hear they are being more Loyal. Have a 24 night Princess cruise booked from Southampton for September 19.

 

 

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Going on Spirit not Epic, but we did Epic 2yr ago and loved it, we did Spirit last year it is a smaller ship but its the only decent one doing the Canaries at this time of year.

[Flymia]

I am not a big cruiser. Done 10 cruises before. Been on Holland, Royal, Norwegian, Carnival and Celebrity. Celebrity by far was the best, with Holland up there too. The rest, it really was based on ship and itinerary. I don't think RC is a high class line at all, and honestly I don't they they are trying to be. They have massive ships, they have a heavy Caribbean based fleet. That last thing that screams is high class.

 

I will say I have a fairly interesting experience with them with taking the same exact ship, with even same captain on two separate itineraries. I took the Indy out of FTL on a 4-night to Cozumel. It was a bachelor party so certainly a different experience, we had fun but I found the food to be eh, and the service to be eh.

 

I took the Indy 5 months later out of Southampton and it was a completely different experience. No shorts in the MDR, services was much better and the food in the MDR was fantastic. The Windjammer was still lacking in lunch IMO, but it was a 7-night 4-ports so I only have lunch on the ship twice. That ship felt like a higher class ship, even though it was the same exact ship and even much of the crew was the same.

 

I am going on the Serenade in August out of Copenhagen, so I hope I experience like it was on the Indy out of Southampton compared to out of FTL. I also hope the smaller ship and more "refined" itinerary brings a better experience as well.

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

Going on Spirit not Epic, but we did Epic 2yr ago and loved it, we did Spirit last year it is a smaller ship but its the only decent one doing the Canaries at this time of year.

 

 

 

Sorry Tom, Senior moment [emoji18][emoji85][emoji15]

 

 

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[ColoradoGurl]

 

Yes its Good to be Rewarded? for loyalty with Royal, however it would seem that Royal are leaning/encouraging New Cruisers rather than the customers who helped them get where they are now IMHO.

 

Loyalty goes both ways and they should Remember we can Vote with our Feet.

 

 

 

Royal also tending to lean more towards a Family/Younger Experience than us Older ones, especially with the refurbishments on Indy, more Staterooms less Space and the themed Laser Park etc.

 

 

As a general rule, it is easier to retain a current customer than acquire new ones, but in the case of cruising I think that rule is broken a bit. It used to be that only older, wealthier people could afford to take vacations, and cruise lines tried to offer a more luxury experience to match that target market.

 

However, the societal culture has changed recently, partly due to social media and the focus put on doing activities that are photographable and “postable.” But also because people’s attitudes have shifted away from believing

‘a person should work hard their whole life for one company, accept their 2 vacation weeks (that they probably wouldn’t take) until they get to retirement and can start traveling,’

to one where ‘a person should enjoy life, maximize their free time and fit in as many experiences as possible, shop your loyalty around to the job that offers the most salary and vacation time, and buy things from the companies who offer the best deals.’

 

The culture is not about long term hard work and company loyalty anymore, and that has made it a lot easier to acquire new customers without having to care as much about retaining the old ones who stuck around for a long time in order to cash in their perks.

 

They’re making more money off the mass market, who jumps around from company to company, looks for the deal they like best (hence the constant fake sales that are presented in different ways but boil down to the same basic price) and moves on to the next thing. Royal only has to attract and please people once, because there is a constant flow of people willing to pay money for whatever the current experience offered is, and that will continue to change along with activities people show they are willing to jump on board and pay for.

 

And as far as “voting with your feet,” well, people keep saying that, but they don’t do it, and several posts on this thread prove why...they start out with the words “we’ll always be loyal to royal BUT...” and end with “this MIGHT be our last cruise...” but that generation of people still hold that old mindset of “stick with it for the long term,” and therefore Royal gets the best of both worlds; holding onto current customers while taking advantage of the fact that there’s a constant stream of new ones ready to jump on board the ship that offers the most photographable activities, even if it means they have to pay for them.

 

If people aren’t happy with a product, why in the world would they proclaim loyalty to it? That doesn’t make sense at all. Stop giving them your money and move on, quit that “job,” get a “divorce” and leave that miserable marriage, and freaking enjoy your life because it’s too short to invest your time and money into something you say you’re not happy with.

 

Most of us are ok with the constant changes because we’ve come to expect them in society as a whole. We sign up for a cruise experience that charges money for everything, and we get to decide what we pay for and what we don’t, and we’re not paying a super high price for amenities that we won’t get to use until we’ve taken our 100th cruise, we pay for what we use and other people pay for what they use.

 

And we probably won’t stick around for 40 years giving our money to the same company either, because there’s too many other things to do out there than repeat the same thing over and over again. It’s just not the way most people do things anymore.

 

 

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Edited January 31, 2018 by ColoradoGurl

[Hoopster95]

However, the societal culture has changed recently, partly due to social media and the focus put on doing activities that are photographable and “postable.” But also because people’s attitudes have shifted away from believing

‘a person should work hard their whole life for one company, accept their 2 vacation weeks (that they probably wouldn’t take) until they get to retirement and can start traveling,’ .....

 

The culture is not about long term hard work and company loyalty anymore, and that has made it a lot easier to acquire new customers without having to care as much about retaining the old ones who stuck around for a long time in order to cash in their perks.

 

This entire post is an incredibly superb and thoughtful. Well said ColoradoGurl. {..applause...}

[ColoradoGurl]

This entire post is an incredibly superb and thoughtful. Well said ColoradoGurl. {..applause...}

 

 

Hey thanks! And thanks for reading it, I know it was long, haha!

 

 

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[Hoopster95]

Hey thanks! And thanks for reading it, I know it was long, haha!

 

Long???? .... Just you wait til I review Oceania vs Royal in a couple of months :evilsmile:

[TTraub1250]

Your right about the quality issues on the ships, which includes lowering of past standards. As an investor, one way to look at this is Norwegian has a better ROI/margin with their free style cruising which really lowers the standards we are use to. So what does RCL have to do to improve margins on their Royal lines vs Celebrity vs Azamara vs Silversea ( just purchased) ? With RCL now having these different levels of ships and service you may experience slips in quality on the past level of ships you were on. I have seen it on Celebrity in the last few years, and see more leaning towards free style on Royal ships.