New Carnival Beverage Package?

[evandbob]

Premium Non-Alcoholic Package-Starting from $22 p/night

 

In addition to the Classic Non-Alcoholic Package inclusions, refresh with premium bottled water from Evian, Perrier & San Pellegrino, specialty coffees & organic teas, non-alcoholic frozen drinks & smoothies, Red Bull Energy Drink, coconut water and offerings from Vitamin Water.

 

This is from Celebrity

[evandbob]

5 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

"What do y'all think" referred to the pricing of the package. Not opinions on the petition. I asked how to petition. 

Email, tweet, leave phone message for after cruise comments, include in post cruise surveys.  Send examples of what Celebrity and Royal offer,

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, evandbob said:

Email, tweet, leave phone message for after cruise comments, include in post cruise surveys.  Send examples of what Celebrity and Royal offer,

 

Yep. For a few years I’ve been putting in my surveys that they need to have comedy in the main lounge the night the dancers are off. My last cruise on Vista they had a late night comedy showcase in the main lounge two or three nights.

[jimbo5544]

4 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

Well, if they want to satisfy the clientele, then they would have a package called "Refresh". If not, then they would charge us a normal amount for it. 

Their jaded view os that both would satisfy the client, I do love the name tho.  

[Joebucks]

4 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

If this type of mid level package is good enough for both Royal and Celebrity then it should be good enough for Carnival to make a profit on.  It would not cannibalize the Cheers program because  I don't think anybody is purchasing Cheers for all of the non alcoholic inclusions.

By not offering this type of package as an option, Carnival is implying that someone that cruises Royal or Celebrity is different than someone who cruises Carnival.

If Carnival was really going to be bold, they could have an option that would allow (force) the teetotaler in a relationship to purchase the mid level package in conjunction with their SO that purchased Cheers. But I certainly will not hold my breath for it.

 

There have been infinite times here alone where people claimed that all of these extra things were one of the tipping points for Cheers. I know this because you and I were in the middle of many of those very debates. 

 

Sometimes, one person in the couple doesn't drink much alcohol, but will drink the other stuff. Sometimes it's the tipping point in wondering if alcohol alone would be worth it. It's all marketing that absolutely enhances the perceived value of Cheers. "Unlimited" beverages are very enticing to many. We know many people are just looking for options and convenience vs actually counting up the money. If Carnival introduces a package for $22, suddenly to some people, it's "an extra $30 a day for alcohol, is that worth it?" 

 

I don't think the majority of those who buy Cheers buy it for this reason. However, I also don't think believe it's completely off base to think it could cost them any sales of Cheers. It could very well allow them to sell more of the middle packages and make more. It could be a wash. Who knows. I believe it is just as fair as an argument (if not more) than saying Celebrity has such a package, so Carnival should. I'm sure there are different customer consumption habits between the two brands.

[scpirate]

On 3/24/2019 at 9:53 PM, Purvis1231 said:

If one could buy Cheers and the other the enhanced non-alcoholic, yes that would be a big seller but it would cut into the profits. As a non-drinking Carnival cruiser, I would like to thank the drinkers for helping keep the cruise fares down. 

They are keeping the prices "low" by giving you less for your money.

[3smithboys]

I would absolutely buy it. I can’t drink because I have migraines. This package would be amazing on Carnival, and I bought it when we were on Royal once. 

[jbethel11]

4 minutes ago, 3smithboys said:

I would absolutely buy it. I can’t drink because I have migraines. This package would be amazing on Carnival, and I bought it when we were on Royal once. 

We should all individually message John Heald on FB. 

[Saint Greg]

19 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

We should all individually message John Heald on FB. 

 

Just ask him to do a poll.

[Anyislandwilldo]

On 3/24/2019 at 9:50 AM, kutty77 said:

You are saying about the free drinks and the juices. What are they? Orange apple and cranberry? And the free drinks are coffee tea really nasty ice tea.  It wasn’t so bad when you were able to take on a case or two of ice tea or Snapple with you but now that they stop that for people who don’t drink alcohol or soda what is there for us?

Which ships have cranberry juice?

[Purvis1231]

47 minutes ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Which ships have cranberry juice?

All of them have cranberry juice. I enjoy pineapple juice.

[Purvis1231]

10 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

We should all individually message John Heald on FB. 

I do not see a way of individually sending him a message although you can post on his Facebook page. 

[rukkian]

I am coming in late to this, but do have some experience.  I have bought the refreshment package on RCCI, and would easily buy it again, but I don't think I would on Carnival, as there are several reasons it would not make sense:

 

1. You are proposing 25-30 per person per day.  On Royal, I never paid more than $18.  

2. On Carnival, they offer cheap delivered cases of bottled water, that is not available on RCCI for even close to the same price.  This actually lowers the benefit of refreshment, as I go through allot of bottled water (would take 5-10 on excursions).

3. On Carnival, you can bring on 12-packs of soda (or other drinks) - officially Royal does not offer this.

4. (might be a plus or minus) On Royal, purchasing this allows an adult to get out of purchasing the full package.  In many cases, this would allow people on Carnival that might have been forced to buy cheers, to save some money.  In my case, it would actually benefit Carnival, as we are not going to buy cheers for my wife because it is way to expensive and we will just not drink near as much.  For others like us, it may make a few more people get cheers for one in the room, but overall would probably be a detriment.

 

I loved refreshment on Royal, even if I did not break even.  I loved to just get specialty coffees throughout the day, but may just skip them if I had to pay for them individually.  We did not do many milkshakes (only got one in 7 days), so not a huge benefit.  I can't see what has been proposed being worth it for all the reasons stated above from a passenger standpoint, even if it would be good for carnival.  

[jbethel11]

17 minutes ago, rukkian said:

3. On Carnival, you can bring on 12-packs of soda (or other drinks) - officially Royal does not offer this.

Actually, in August last year, I checked a 12 pack of water AND 12 cans of soda without incident. What was funny was that it was the first luggage we were sent to our stateroom! 

Edited April 22, 2019 by jbethel11
Grammatical errors

[TNcruising02]

I think it would be a money maker.  In addition to things like specialty coffee and milkshakes, it would offer alcohol-free cocktails.  That means the package would have no age restriction and adults who may just purchase the soda package for their kids (or themselves) might think it's worth paying the extra money for a refreshment package.

[rukkian]

9 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Actually, in August last year, I checked a 12 pack of water AND 12 cans of soda without incident. What was funny was that it was the first luggage we were sent to our stateroom! 

Notice - I said officially .  Royal does not allow pop or water, and carnival officially does not allow water, but some ports they look the other way.  Since it was not allowed, we have not carried on pop, add to that the self service stations, and even the soda packages made more sense on Royal - officially not allowing pop and having self service stations throughout the ship.  We currently have the bubbles for the 4 of us (did it before the price went up last year) for our carnival cruise next year, but will probably cancel and just carry on pop.  

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by rukkian

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, rukkian said:

 On Royal, purchasing this allows an adult to get out of purchasing the full package. 

Since our last cruise on RCI was 5 years ago, obviously things have changed.  Are you saying that one adult in a cabin can purchase the alcoholic package, while the other can purchase the "Refresh" package?  This would be great for those couples that have a teetotaler or light drinker.

[Organized Chaos]

58 minutes ago, rukkian said:

I am coming in late to this, but do have some experience.  I have bought the refreshment package on RCCI, and would easily buy it again, but I don't think I would on Carnival, as there are several reasons it would not make sense:

 

1. You are proposing 25-30 per person per day.  On Royal, I never paid more than $18.  

2. On Carnival, they offer cheap delivered cases of bottled water, that is not available on RCCI for even close to the same price.  This actually lowers the benefit of refreshment, as I go through allot of bottled water (would take 5-10 on excursions).

3. On Carnival, you can bring on 12-packs of soda (or other drinks) - officially Royal does not offer this.

4. (might be a plus or minus) On Royal, purchasing this allows an adult to get out of purchasing the full package.  In many cases, this would allow people on Carnival that might have been forced to buy cheers, to save some money.  In my case, it would actually benefit Carnival, as we are not going to buy cheers for my wife because it is way to expensive and we will just not drink near as much.  For others like us, it may make a few more people get cheers for one in the room, but overall would probably be a detriment.

 

I loved refreshment on Royal, even if I did not break even.  I loved to just get specialty coffees throughout the day, but may just skip them if I had to pay for them individually.  We did not do many milkshakes (only got one in 7 days), so not a huge benefit.  I can't see what has been proposed being worth it for all the reasons stated above from a passenger standpoint, even if it would be good for carnival.  

 

Just to offer my own take on each of your points.

 

1 - The ~$30 price point is just a number suggested by the OP. It wouldn't have to be that much. If Carnival were to implement such a package, I'm sure they'd do their research to determine a starting point. So I don't think the OP's price point is a reason to support this package or not, since we wouldn't know what the cost would actually be.

2 - A package like this would include much more than just water. That's the benefit. People could use it to avoid buying a case for their cabin. Granted, they'd have to go get a bottle or bring extras back to their cabin if they wanted some on hand. But I think the additional drinks would make it beneficial, even if you did buy a case of water.

3 - Again, this could save someone from having to carry their own soda on board. I'm sure a lot of people would like that. A couple negatives to this would be, one, just like with water, you'd have to go get the soda instead of having it handy in your cabin. Also, Carnival dispenses their sodas (at least when using Bottomless Bubbles) in a glass rather than the can. I'd much rather have the can.

4 - I see it as a positive. I see people all the time who say they wanted Cheers, but didn't buy it because their spouse (or someone sharing their cabin) doesn't drink/didn't want it. Offering an alternative like this, just as RC does, would mean Carnival would gain those Cheers packages that they normally would've lost. I see that as highly beneficial to Carnival and its passengers.

 

Many people admit they buy Cheers knowing they won't drink enough to equal the cost. They buy it for convenience and the peace of mind of not having to worry about a bill at the end. My guess is, people would treat a non-alcoholic package similarly.

[rukkian]

4 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Since our last cruise on RCI was 5 years ago, obviously things have changed.  Are you saying that one adult in a cabin can purchase the alcoholic package, while the other can purchase the "Refresh" package?  This would be great for those couples that have a teetotaler or light drinker.

Yes (at least last I knew), but you have to call.  All I did was book refreshment for me, then called and booked deluxe for my wife.  There are many reasons, but the reason I chose was I don't drink.  

[SNJCruisers]

2 minutes ago, rukkian said:

Yes (at least last I knew), but you have to call.  All I did was book refreshment for me, then called and booked deluxe for my wife.  There are many reasons, but the reason I chose was I don't drink.  

Appreciate the update.  How does it jive up with your posting in the alcohol price thread though? 🤔

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, jbethel11 said:

Actually, in August last year, I checked a 12 pack of water AND 12 cans of soda without incident. What was funny was that it was the first luggage we were sent to our stateroom! 

 

But that's the exception, not the rule. Yours got through, but if you made a habit of it, it may not always turn out the same. Also, in case you didn't know, sodas are supposed to be in, or with, your carry-on luggage. Carnival rules aside, with the way they handle checked luggage, I would not want to run the risk of putting soda in there. That could get real messy real quick.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[rukkian]

10 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Appreciate the update.  How does it jive up with your posting in the alcohol price thread though? 🤔

Not sure how it changes anything.  My wife has always bought the alcohol package, I got it on our first cruise, but then after that, she got the alcohol package, and I got refreshment.  Am I missing something?  Not sure what you are insinuating?  On the cruises when I did not have the package, I didn't drink alcohol, as it was not worth the money they were charging (I like frozen drinks).

Edited April 22, 2019 by rukkian

[PhillyFan33579]

23 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

If this type of mid level package is good enough for both Royal and Celebrity then it should be good enough for Carnival to make a profit on.  It would not cannibalize the Cheers program because  I don't think anybody is purchasing Cheers for all of the non alcoholic inclusions.

By not offering this type of package as an option, Carnival is implying that someone that cruises Royal or Celebrity is different than someone who cruises Carnival.

If Carnival was really going to be bold, they could have an option that would allow (force) the teetotaler in a relationship to purchase the mid level package in conjunction with their SO that purchased Cheers. But I certainly will not hold my breath for it.

 

Comparing different cruise lines is often like comparing apples to oranges.  Although Carnival competes with RCCL to some degree, Carnival is definitely marketing to a different demographic than Celebrity.  Lots of people including the OP have stated this would be a great thing for Carnival. But what no one in this thread knows is would Carnival make more money than they do now based on not having this suggested program. Also, I have heard a lot of people online and in person say they will never cruise on Carnival again for numerous reasons. But I have never heard someone say they don’t cruise on Carnival because they don’t have a good alternative non-alcoholic package. 

[redhot77]

On 3/24/2019 at 10:09 AM, Elaine5715 said:

They have one already.  Endless Bubbles.  Kids don't pay anyways.

Endless Bubbles doesn't include juice, specialty coffee or milkshakes

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, redhot77 said:

Endless Bubbles doesn't include juice, specialty coffee or milkshakes

Unless things have changed, I believe that the bubbles program includes juice.  Many years ago I remember ordering a Sprite Zero either pineapple juice.  Bottled water is another exclusion of the bubbles program.