Recent drink price changes?

[0106]

3 minutes ago, keeponcruising said:

On my recent Rotterdam, we upgraded to EBP and still had to sign for every drink.  It's annoying having to sign for every drink.

I was on the Rotterdam in October and refused to sign any slips for drinks. It was not a problem and after the first day, my favorite servers never presented me with one.  I do not want to use a pen that others who may not have clean hands have used.

[RedIguana]

5 hours ago, seachef318 said:

That’s actually pretty standard across the restaurant industry - 1 glass sold should pay for the bottle.  The rest is profit. 

It might look that way for the cheap stuff, but in my area at least the price per glass or bottle is based more on expecting x amount of profit per bottle, usually in the $30-$40 per bottle based on price. So a $10 bottle may go for $9 a glass to generate $35 in profit, but a $30 bottle may charge $14 per glass to generate $40 in profit, and an $75 bottle will charge $25 per glass to generate $60 in profit. This is based on 5 ounce pours. On 6 ounce pours, or 4 per bottle vs 5, profit becomes $26, $26, and $25. 6 ounce pours of Hess Allomi Napa in my area is $14 ($25-$30 retail), and Caymus is $25 to $28. My local Bonefish has 9 ounce pours of Hess Allomi for $19. So once you get above the inexpensive stuff, it becomes 2-3 glasses pays for the bottle. The RCG lines have gone nuts with wine and drink prices, HAL and Princess are still more reasonable but slowly catching up. I think HAL still lets you bring a "reasonable" amount of wine onboard vs the 2 bottle limit of most lines for a $20 corkage per bottle.. If I was cruising HAL without a beverage package I would be bringing a bottle per day and pay the corkage.

[POA1]

2 hours ago, keeponcruising said:

On my recent Rotterdam, we upgraded to EBP and still had to sign for every drink.  It's annoying having to sign for every drink.

I guess I'll find out in 78 days when we board the Rotterdam. We had paid EBP on the Nieuw Statendam, but plan to upgrade the Have It All Signature Package to Elite.

 

We really only got a handful of receipts, and I don't know why. It's not like I wanted to document every single thing I drank.

[Seasick Sailor]

Closing up on 51 days on Rotterdam. If the server starts to give you the receipt book, just say no thank you. 

[keeponcruising]

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

I was on the Rotterdam in October and refused to sign any slips for drinks. It was not a problem and after the first day, my favorite servers never presented me with one.  I do not want to use a pen that others who may not have clean hands have used.

That's a good point!

[crystalspin]

3 hours ago, POA1 said:

We really only got a handful of receipts, and I don't know why. It's not like I wanted to document every single thing I drank.

But then there are always those calling HQ over an $11 overcharge *after* the cruise...

[Bill B]

16 hours ago, fatcat04 said:

But it is gtk that HAL has caught up with literally everyone else when it come to simply charging the overage for drinks above the price limit of the drinks package. Is that an official on the books policy and if so does it have limits? 

 

Yes, and you're limited to doing it fifteen time per day. 😉

[kazu]

8 hours ago, 0106 said:

I was on the Rotterdam in October and refused to sign any slips for drinks. It was not a problem and after the first day, my favorite servers never presented me with one.  I do not want to use a pen that others who may not have clean hands have used.

 

Ditto.  Same cruise and I just said no, I don’t do those nor did I want to handle the pen.

 

I did the same on the Koningsdam the previous cruise and same thing.  Non issue.  

[crystalspin]

18 hours ago, fatcat04 said:

But it is gtk that HAL has caught up with literally everyone else when it come to simply charging the overage for drinks above the price limit of the drinks package. Is that an official on the books policy and if so does it have limits? 

It is official, and I don't believe there is any limitation on how MUCH over you can pay, plus service charge. Hundred-dollar scotch? Pay $89 plus $16.02! What a deal!!!

 

[redbanshee]

If Lemon Drops are $12 now, can I assume all martinis are now $12

ie espresso martinis and coral drops? And what about ceasars (for us Canadians) or Bloody Mary’s

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent drink price increase. Lets suppose  that the bean counters at HAL have their act together (I know right?). With that in mind let’s also suppose they have good analytical tools that will allow them to determine how much orders for a specific drink fall off once it exceeds the limits of the SBP.  Let’s also assume they can then forecast how much savings or additional revenue the decreased sales, or increased upsells, of higher cost beverages will gain/lose them on a per ship/per annum basis. If the trends/forecasting after, let’s say, 45-60 days shows that the increased pricing is neither gaining significant positive revenue, nor significant cost savings then they may increase the threshold of drinks covered under the SBP to cover the increased drink prices. However if the data shows significant uptake to the ESBP, or significant per drink upsells, or significant cost savings due to an increase in consumption of lower cost  beverages then the higher beverage prices and current $11 SBP limit will stick (or potentially increase again).

 

Carnival Corp has been very transparent in their goal to increase onboard spending. I feel like HAL may be one of the lower profit subsidiaries in this area and this maybe one way they are looking to change that. Now, this doesn’t mean I like or approve of these tactics, but it sure smells like testing the waters to see where they can find incremental revenue gains. 

[Crew News]

On 1/13/2024 at 9:58 PM, redbanshee said:

If Lemon Drops are $12 now, can I assume all martinis are now $12

ie espresso martinis and coral drops? And what about ceasars (for us Canadians) or Bloody Mary’s

A Bloody Mary is $11 and available through Room Service as well as bars.  Here is the Billboard Drink Menu 2024 with $12 Lemon Drops.

 

I will be updating more bar menus after Feb 4.

[Bill B]

3 hours ago, Crew News said:

A Bloody Mary is $11 and available through Room Service as well as bars. 

Yes, but if one has a Beverage Package, room service drinks are not included.

[TV Dad]

On 1/9/2024 at 4:19 PM, Sun Queen II said:

Can you upgrade to the Elite drink package on board or do you have to do that before boarding?  I believe the Elite package has drink prices up to $15, correct?

That is correct. Elite limit is $15, which covers all but a few drinks on board.

[Sun Queen II]

9 minutes ago, TV Dad said:

That is correct. Elite limit is $15, which covers all but a few drinks on board.

Are non alcoholic drinks such as bottled water and specialty coffees part of the 15 limit count each day?

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, Sun Queen II said:

Are non alcoholic drinks such as bottled water and specialty coffees part of the 15 limit count each day?

Not for the elite package 15 alcoholic beverages and unlimited non alcoholic. The standard beverage package is 15 drinks total per day.

Edited January 15 by Blackduck59