Cheers and HMC

[firefly333]

16 hours ago, stobe1 said:

Ok. That wasnt too clear. Plus your comment about "there's no reason cheers shouldnt apply" was unclear to me. I see now you were referring to Cheers on HMC and not Cheers out of NYC.  Apologies.

I can see why the OP asked.

 

Royal and idk but probably celebrity their drink packages are good on their private islands. 

 

Royal drink package is good upon boarding in texas. Never boarded in NY. 

 

It is confusing if you ask me to remember rules for different lines. I can order a margarita on rcl when I board and counts toward my total free drinks in texas .. but carnival says nope we dont want the bother, your drink pkg good tomorrow morning.

 

I have trouble remembering how much tips are tbh, but wait suites cleaned twice a day on rcl but once a day on carnival. How do people remember every detail. Since other lines allow their drink pkgs to be used on their islands, I can see why someone is confused. 

[firefly333]

48 minutes ago, teknoge3k said:

 

Whey did they increase the price for the Thrill Waterpark at CocoCay? We were just there in June and pretty sure we paid $85 to go to the waterpark. 

On the other hand I'm in shock over the price of carnival excursions which seem to hardly ever, or never go on sale. The last excursions I did on rcl were 30% off. .. and lots of choices under $50 and less. Last sept I paid 35% off excursions. I'm at 64.99 on carnival excursions I could get for half or not much more. 

 

Royal I look forward to black friday and huge discounts. What will carnival do?

 

Right now I'd love to see a sale on excursions or pay restaurants... I'd take some fluctuating for a cheaper price. And pay restaurants... where are the sales? Why complain about sales ... when carnival has almost no sales. Why would someone prefer no sales and paying full price?

[Purvis1231]

19 hours ago, we3k9 said:

So they must not take your sail and sign card for payment. I’m guessing you have to pay cash.  Otherwise if they take your sign and sail there’s no reason cheer’s shouldn’t apply.  It’s on your card 

The Sign and Sail card is not used electronically so they had no way of keeping track of the amount of drinks. Since the Half Moon drinks are not included in the 15  drinks many Cheers folks should like that since many complain that they aren't allowed to buy extra drinks. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Purvis1231
typo

[DCDragonfly]

35 minutes ago, teknoge3k said:

 Maybe they jacked up the price when they started sending Celebrity cruises to CocoCay?

Our Celebrity cruise went to CocoCay back in 2010.

[Purvis1231]

Since the Half Moon drinks are not included in the 15  drinks many Cheers folks should like that since many complain that they aren't allowed to buy extra drinks. Of course, if Carnival and Holland American wanted to find a way to use the drink package there, they would but the current system is a means of generating more revenue.  

[CruizinSusan70]

6 hours ago, teknoge3k said:

 

Whey did they increase the price for the Thrill Waterpark at CocoCay? We were just there in June and pretty sure we paid $85 to go to the waterpark. 

RCI has a dynamic pricing policy, unlike any other cruise line.  What they charge for excursions, drink packages, specialty dining and all other peripheral stuff is determined by the ship you're on and when you cruise.  If you're on an older rust bucket during shoulder season, you may get a reasonable rate.  If you're on a newer ship during a popular sailing time, you'll pay through the nose for the stuff.  At Black Friday they may have some sales to ease the pain a bit, but it's all based on supply and demand.  They need to recoup the billions bled during the shutdown and we as cruisers take the brunt of it.

 

We are on the Wonder of the Seas in April.  The waterpark is available at a 5% discount @ 141/day.  The Coco Beach Club is a 5% discount @ 236/day.  The 3 night dining package is 20% discounted @ 132.   And their beverage package is 20% discounted @ 84 per day + 20% gratuity added.

 

We had a Coco Beach reservation on an Oasis sailing that got cancelled because of Covid.  We had paid 65 pp.  The fact that it's now over 3 times as much is beyond highway robbery.

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

On the other hand I'm in shock over the price of carnival excursions which seem to hardly ever, or never go on sale. The last excursions I did on rcl were 30% off. .. and lots of choices under $50 and less. Last sept I paid 35% off excursions. I'm at 64.99 on carnival excursions I could get for half or not much more. 

 

Royal I look forward to black friday and huge discounts. What will carnival do?

 

Right now I'd love to see a sale on excursions or pay restaurants... I'd take some fluctuating for a cheaper price. And pay restaurants... where are the sales? Why complain about sales ... when carnival has almost no sales. Why would someone prefer no sales and paying full price?

Carnival is straight forward with their peripheral stuff.  You get a 5 dollar discount on Cheers if you purchase it ahead of time, but all of the other stuff is the same no matter what ship you're on or when you sail.

 

On the other hand, RCI has their dynamic pricing policy which fluctuates.  The "sales" that you see are all nonsense.  You may get their best pricing when they have their sales at Black Friday, but in general it's all a game with them.  They are the only cruise line to operate that way.

[CruizinSusan70]

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Why complain about sales ... when carnival has almost no sales. Why would someone prefer no sales and paying full price?

Carnival charges 42.00 for their steakhouse.  RCI charges 65 for Chops, before their "discount".  If you get a black friday 30% discount at Chops, you're still paying 45.50, which is more than what Carnival charges on an everyday basis.  You'd need a 35% discount at Chops to be the same price as what Carnival charges every day.   The price point on the drinks package on our Wonder OTS sailing next year is based upon a starting price point of 105.00.  Even if we got a 40% discount, which never happens, it would be 63 plus 20% for grats.  Cheers is 60 plus 18% for grats every day on every ship if purchased ahead of time. 

This is why we dislike sailing on RCI because of their games.  If it wasn't for the upgraded entertainment value they have, we would never sail on them occasionally like we do.

[pohlerbear]

We bring a small funnel with us. We order shots while on board and pour them in a water bottle. On HMC, there is free lemonade and ice tea we use for mixers. 

[ElCrapyTan]

There are POS terminals on the island - I believe they are trying to get away from the hand-written receipts as much as possible. The beach roamers may still write them, but will likely enter the charges into the terminal when they return to the bar. However, there is no "communication" from tPOS terminal to the ship, so cruiser S&S data is uploaded to the terminals at the beginning of the visit (so they can verify picture and confirm 21+ for alcohol), and the transactions are downloaded from the terminals (either throughout the day or once at the end of the day) and then uploaded/applied to S&S accounts.