$14.95 for STEAK???

[TravlGrl]

Did you by any chance take pictures of the menus? I'm looking for pictures of the menus to decide which night to reserve at Chops.

 

Shoot, I didn't take pictures of the menus. :(

[southerncharmlady]

I just came off of FOS and there WAS another steak offered on the menu as an alternative at least one night other than the $14.95 Chops Steak which was on the menu every night. I actually ordered the steak that was on the regular menu as an alternative choice and was not charged extra for any steak that I ate.

[TravlGrl]

I just came off of FOS and there WAS another steak offered on the menu as an alternative at least one night other than the $14.95 Chops Steak which was on the menu every night. I actually ordered the steak that was on the regular menu as an alternative choice and was not charged extra for any steak that I ate.

 

Hi Deb! :)

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

I totally agree with this post. Folks....it's has a very slippery slope with onboard sales since I started cruise back in 1980. The reality is that the cruise line executive whom answer to the stock holders are trying to find any way to up the bottom line by add extra pay activities and turning the dining room from an expense center to a profit center. However, they don't want to upset the feathers of their "loyal" customer base with too much nickling and diming....at least they are trying not to make you believe this is what they are doing. This $14.95 steak is just a test to see how the response (both financially and emotional) it would be. You can see what the emotional response has been and I can assure you the marketing folks are reading all our postings!! For me personally this is really crossing the line. I believe the cruise line executives have been moving their produce from an "all-inclusive" vacation to a pay as you go which in my opinion really cheapness the experience. On NCL they promote this as "free style dining" but in reality it's just a way to get you to pay for really good food. I think if the executive could get away with it, you could really see two dining menus in the MDR - one for free with mediocre to average food and an extra fee menu with outstanding food. I just got off the Vision of the Sea and although the food was good I was not overly impressed to want to take another RCCL cruise again. It will really be interesting to see where all this end.

 

 

Much of what you say is spot-on.

The events of the past 20 or 30 years suggest, though, that executives very rarely answer to stockholders any more, at least not in a long-term sense. Immediate gain isn't the major measurement of management now, it's the only one: 10-year projections are dinosaurs, year-to-year results are about as modern as hand-cranked car windows, and in some businesses it's the period comparisons - as many as 10 a year - that have eclipsed quarterly stats.

What does all this have to do with the price of steak?

Well, despite the KoolAidKabal's foolishness, the fact is that CEOs and their insanely huge entourages are motivated by short-term results and their own golden handshakes. Not by improving the business.

The long-term well-being of companies is a quaint and archaic notion to this generation of business "leader." Every bit of financial news we're seeing right now demonstrates this.

This becomes a problem for employees and customers alike when the suits decide to go pig-wild with greed. I suspect we're seeing it with RCL now; a feeding frenzy by the suits. Partly to boost the stock price, sure, and even slightly to cover operating setbacks .... but would the books show us that the heart of all money bled out of day-to-day operations is going to pay debt service for the Oasis behemoths on order? And how much of the rest is going to feather the execs' own nests?

So ... does fighting the $14.95 steak scam save RCL from Fain and Friends?

Maybe, maybe not.

But for people who VALUE the enjoyable cruise vacations they've had, there's simply no rational reason to shrug at this wave of mindless cost-cutting and say "Oh well, that's just business" and hope for the best. History has proved that is a losing strategy. In the current version of "the free marketplace," consumers need to stand tall. Every time.

 

End the RCL pay-per-entree scam

Say no to Fain

[TravlGrl]

Was the prime rib offered on the nights that the regular steak wasn't offered? Did you get chocolates on your pillow?

• Chops Steak was offered every night
  
• Prime Rib was offered some nights
  
• Regular steak was offered some nights
  
• I do believe there were nights when neither the regular steak nor the prime rib were offered and your only choice was the Chops Steak.

In other words, I'm pretty sure that there was at least one night where if you wanted red meat, your only option would be the Chops Steak.

 

No chocolates on my pillow LOL, but some free ice cream! :)

[Coralc]

I eat the alternative steak almost every night. Having the alternate on just 1 night is not going to do it for me. Thanks for taking the photo TravlGrl! It looks very similar to the alternate steak....no matter what they call it. :)

[Tinabrn]

Strip steak available every night in MDR

[lori450]

I was not happy with the prospect of the $14.95 steak when I first saw it on this thread. But, after reading all the double talk about not-so-chops and organic and ...... I am insulted that RCI would think so little of us that they would think that we would buy such tripe. Do they really think we are such simpletons? I think I will have to rename the company "Woolworth's" for all the nickle and diming that's going on. I have not been pleased with the direction the company has taken over the last decade. Sadly, a steady decline in food quality and service. I am holding out hope for my upcoming cruise, but suspect that the glory days of cruising are over and I may have to cancel my spring cruise and find a new way to vacation. So sad...the end of an era. I don't know if they can stop the bleeding anymore, it's just been going on so long now and these latest changes seem more like last gasps rather than improvements.

[WoodyWindy]

I have only been on one cruise in my life, and it wasn't on RCI. I am considering a trip to Barcelona in November, and (independently) was considering taking one of their repositioning crossings for my return home. I am now FAR less likely to do so.

[lance32]

Thanks to Cruise Credit I learned that they still had the regular steak just like last year when I went on LOS> Waiters are trained to say no, so just persist or ask your Headwaiter, or Matre De. oops spellling. HAve a Great cruise!
lance32:)

[abridalmaven]

[quote name='WoodyWindy']I have only been on one cruise in my life, and it wasn't on RCI. I am considering a trip to Barcelona in November, and (independently) was considering taking one of their repositioning crossings for my return home. I am now FAR less likely to do so.[/quote]
Sorry for you, but that seems like a really shallow reason on a what if scenario. It is your loss and then do not do NCL, they overcharge to decent meals and service.

[FL_Cruiser64]

[quote name='lysolqn']Straight from Cruise Critic article "Members Have Cow Over Steak Surcharge" -

"Here's where things get even more confusing: The menu refers to the newly available test cut as a "Chops" steak -- Chops Grille being the line's signature alternative steakhouse eatery which levies a $25 per person surcharge. However, this particular cut or type of steak is not actually served in any of the fleet's Chops restaurants, according to Liu, nor is it prepared by Chops chefs or in Chops galleys. In fact, the beef in Chops is not even necessarily organic, as this steak is.

So why even mention Chops -- and why not simply test out the organic special in Chops, which specializes in quality meats for a premium price? "We wanted to test this in a venue that will garner us the most feedback," Liu says. "We also wanted to [accommodate] guests who would not necessarily go for the full Chops experience but are interested in an organic strip steak or a very choice piece of meat.'"

So the Chops steak alternative available for an up-charge of $14.95 in the MDR on FOS isn't even a Chops steak - but they call it a Chops steak because they "wanted to test this in a venue that will garner...the most feedback?" Huh? Hmmm...sounds like a lot of marketing doubletalk to me. Can't wait to hear from EscapeFromConnecticut after he reads the article appearing on the home page!

And...I stand by my word that on five of the five nights we ate in the MDR on our FOS cruise, the ONLY steak appearing on the menu was the steak which from this point forward shall be known as the Not-so-Chops steak. The only always available alternatives on those five menus were chicken, salmon and pasta. Perhaps the former always available steak alternative was available upon request, as noted in the article; [B]but if one never knew it used to be there and now is gone, how would one know to request it?[/B][/quote]

This is where CC was once a valuable resource before [U]trashing-instead-of-facts[/U] took over. It is well known to the experienced cruisers that you can ask for any meal which has been on the menu before and may not appear on the menu on a certain day you can always request to be served that meal. These requests are never denied. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't there.

But fact searching has become secondary on here these days.

If fact searching gets in your way how about you would have asked your waiter "what happened to the regular steak" if you didn't see it on the menu. Guess what the answer would be? "Would you like to have one?"

That easy.

[Ladylouwho]

[QUOTE=hoop4321;16385487 I've said it in prior posts, that I just want to be taken care of, not taken advantage of.[/QUOTE]

That is exactly it in a nutshell. Many of us who travel often and eat out often aren't overly concerned so much with the cost if the quality of the food and the service is good or hopefully, exceptional! My understanding of most of the people against the "Advertising" of "Pay as You Go" Food on the MDR menu is not the cost of an insipid Not-so-Chops steak, it is the beginning of the end of the MDR as we know it. If in fact that is what people want, then that is what we will all get. But those of us who do not want this, have not only the right to speak out before it actually becomes fleet-wide, but we have the obligation to speak out against such a change.

[WoodyWindy]

[quote name='abridalmaven']Sorry for you, but that seems like a really shallow reason on a what if scenario. It is your loss and then do not do NCL, they overcharge to decent meals and service.[/quote]

I apologise if I was a bit abrupt. I'm still getting up to speed on the thread, and I haven't totally ruled out the trip yet. My impression from the news article and early messages was that there was a lot of shadiness to this, such as it replacing the "normal" steak offering (ie being the only choice if you wanted steak), and the clearly misleading labeling of it being an example of a "Chops" steak, when it has no relationship at all to the premium venue beyond the name. I do not like to encourage such things in any company. I was just as vocal when United proposed charging for meals on Trans-Atlantic flights.

Since it was noted that the company monitors this thread, I wanted to express my concern.

That said, while I am an experienced overseas travler, I am a "novice" when it comes to cruises. All I have to go by is "what I've heard" and reports from sites like this and others who have already taken cruises. That's why I'm here, after all - to learn, and once doing so, to also share what I have learned and experienced.

While I am still concerned about the misleading naming, having read some more, it seems that it is truly being offered as an "upgrade" - to which I don't have any serious objection. But, I must again state, that I really don't like the quality of service "race for the bottom, and surcharge your way back up" mentality that seems to permeate some industries. And that is something that I don't think can be said often enough.

[Ladylouwho]

[quote name='pbhunt']I eat the alternative steak almost every night. Having the alternate on just 1 night is not going to do it for me. Thanks for taking the photo TravlGrl! It looks very similar to the alternate steak....no matter what they call it. :)[/QUOTE]

Hi Patti, Remember me? We had such a good time on the Serenade to Alaska with you guys. Definitely my favorite ship, the Radiance class. Hope you and Bill are doing well.

As far as this thread, if I want a REALLY good steak, I spend extra for a top quality Rib Eye or New York Strip at our local Central Market here in the Dallas area, we use our favorite steak rub and Doug grills it on our (we thought it was too expensive, but we love it, new grill) and I serve it with the mushrooms I make from my sisters recipe. Ummmmmmmm, beats a REAL Chops steak any day of the week. Plus, I don't have to pay for my Martini!

See ya on the boards,
Colleen

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

[quote name='hulahoops']I was just on FOS and this is correct. The only steak on the menu is the $14.95 "Chops" steak. My husband and I thought it was very tacky.[/quote]


[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=teal]Yo, KoolAidKamp, ya got a wake-up call here:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=teal] Let's call this one [COLOR=purple]Exhibit A[/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#008080][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[CENTER][B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]End the RCL pay-per-entree scam[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]Say no to Fain[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B][/CENTER]

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

[quote name='lysolqn']- the $14.95 "upgrade" is not in addition to the alternate steak selection; it IS the alternate steak selection.

- I did not purposely leave out complete information and have no bone to pick about "it" or anything else for that matter.

- I did read the entire menu - every night; it's pretty hard NOT to notice the price for the steak selection since it's smack dab in the middle of the menu and is boxed and in bold print.

- the endless possibilities you suggest are the result of your refusal to accept the reality of RCCL's decision to offer a pay as you go upgrade to its dinner menu.[/quote]


[I][B][SIZE=4][COLOR=teal]OK, Kool-Aiders ... [COLOR=purple]Exhibit B[/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/I]
[B][I][SIZE=4][COLOR=#800080][/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]

[CENTER][B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]End the RCL pay-per-entree scam[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]Say no to Fain[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B][/CENTER]

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

[quote name='DPurcell58']Just off the Freedom also and the steak from Chops was offered for $14.95, no other steak on Alternative menu. We did not try it, but did go to Chops and that was delicious!!!!![/quote]


[B][I][SIZE=4][COLOR=teal]Hey, Kamp KoolAid ... incoming!![/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
[B][I][SIZE=4][COLOR=teal][/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
[B][I][SIZE=4][COLOR=teal]Let's call this one [COLOR=purple]Exhibit C[/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
[B][I][SIZE=4][COLOR=#800080][/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]

[CENTER][B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]End the RCL pay-per-entree scam[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]Say no to Fain[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B][/CENTER]

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

[quote name='WoodyWindy']I apologise if I was a bit abrupt. I'm still getting up to speed on the thread, and I haven't totally ruled out the trip yet. My impression from the news article and early messages was that there was a lot of shadiness to this, such as it replacing the "normal" steak offering (ie being the only choice if you wanted steak), and the clearly misleading labeling of it being an example of a "Chops" steak, when it has no relationship at all to the premium venue beyond the name. I do not like to encourage such things in any company. I was just as vocal when United proposed charging for meals on Trans-Atlantic flights.

Since it was noted that the company monitors this thread, I wanted to express my concern.

That said, while I am an experienced overseas travler, I am a "novice" when it comes to cruises. All I have to go by is "what I've heard" and reports from sites like this and others who have already taken cruises. That's why I'm here, after all - to learn, and once doing so, to also share what I have learned and experienced.

While I am still concerned about the misleading naming, having read some more, it seems that it is truly being offered as an "upgrade" - to which I don't have any serious objection. But, I must again state, that I really don't like the quality of service "race for the bottom, and surcharge your way back up" mentality that seems to permeate some industries. And that is something that I don't think can be said often enough.[/quote]

[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal]Woody - Welcome to the Great Steak Thread of '08. :) [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal] You have nothing to apologize for here. You made a perfectly sensible comment. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal] [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal] Over and over on this thread, we've seen the RCL pom-pom gang snap, bark, snipe and snarl - but never ONCE counter with an intelligent, rational and factual argument. Closing in on 900 posts, and they haven't gotten the story straight one single time. :rolleyes: If you're getting intimidated and attacked for stating a perfectly calm and reasonable point of view, well ... you're not the first. The "RCL is never wrong" crowd is nothing if not aggressive. :rolleyes: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal] But truly, don't simply believe me. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal] Check it out yourself. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=teal] There are TONS of posts here, I know, but I encourage everyone new to the debate to wade through as many of them as you can - see what the RCL defenders say, see what the other side says. Then make up your own mind about who is being honest, who is being accurate and complete, and who is trash-talking.:D [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]

[CENTER][B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]End the RCL pay-per-entree scam[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=3][COLOR=magenta]Say no to Fain[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B][/CENTER]

[MrPete]

[quote name='FL_Cruiser64']This is where CC was once a valuable resource before [U]trashing-instead-of-facts[/U] took over. It is well known to the experienced cruisers that you can ask for any meal which has been on the menu before and may not appear on the menu on a certain day you can always request to be served that meal. These requests are never denied. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't there.

But fact searching has become secondary on here these days.

If fact searching gets in your way how about you would have asked your waiter "what happened to the regular steak" if you didn't see it on the menu. Guess what the answer would be? "Would you like to have one?"

That easy.[/quote]

I remember the day I was just a stupid newbie cruiser. Yet everything I needed to know, or so I thought, was in my WELCOME aboard packette. No internet needed to know all the ins and outs of cruising.

Now today, a newbie sits down to eat, not knowing they should have read "HOW TO ORDER OFF THE MENU", sees a steak, with a price, with an adjective called CHOPS, with no reference to ORGANIC (read:backpeddle), yet they should really know all the things you list above. :confused:

Yeah, OK.

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='FL_Cruiser64']This is where CC was once a valuable resource before [U]trashing-instead-of-facts[/U] took over. It is well known to the experienced cruisers that you can ask for any meal which has been on the menu before and may not appear on the menu on a certain day you can always request to be served that meal. These requests are never denied. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't there.

[/QUOTE]

I didn't know that until I just read your post. I also don't think I would ever take advantage of that. I can't see making the staff prepare something specially for me when there are 1500 other people who also need to be taken care of.

[lysolqn]

[quote name='FL_Cruiser64']This is where CC was once a valuable resource before [U]trashing-instead-of-facts[/U] took over. It is well known to the experienced cruisers that you can ask for any meal which has been on the menu before and may not appear on the menu on a certain day you can always request to be served that meal. These requests are never denied. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't there.

But fact searching has become secondary on here these days.

If fact searching gets in your way how about you would have asked your waiter "what happened to the regular steak" if you didn't see it on the menu. Guess what the answer would be? "Would you like to have one?"

That easy.[/QUOTE]

With respect to "facts" - on CC or elsewhere - many people choose to believe what they want to believe and ignore what they don't want to believe, including facts; if that's not apparent throughout this thread, you haven't been reading carefully. A lot of folks confuse fact with opinion, and once emotion is added to the mix (as in defense of one's favorite cruise line), well...facts are often disregarded altogether. In fact, absolutely none of your post comes close to being factual. What is "well-known to the experienced cruisers" is often not known to first-timers or first-timers on a particular cruise line, so there goes that argument.

Here are some "facts" for you to mull over -

One can't ask "what happened to the regular steak?" if one has no idea there was a regular steak.

One can't "ask for any meal which has been on the menu before and may not appear on the menu on a certain day [and] always request to be served that meal" if one isn't aware that possibility exists.

You cannot report as "fact" that "the answer would be..."'Would you like to have one?'" because you have no way of knowing that for certain. That may be your experience but as this thread shows, things differ from ship to ship, cruise to cruise.

So, from here on, let's stick with the "facts."

[PSCruiser]

Just a thanks to all of you heavy posters on this thread that kept at it long after I gave up.
Now, with the Cruise Critic article, the online poll etc., there is no doubt that RC is aware of sentiment toward the "$14.95 special" (also known as the organic steak that's just called a Chop steak). I'm confident that the uproar you guys started will result in this "experiment" being renamed "failure"!!!!!!!!!!

[huskerss1]

I really don't get this debate. I mean if a person is that offended about a steak, they must take eating a steak way too seriously. I mean food on cruise ships aren't awful, but lets face it, it's not the best food either. If you want a steak and a good steak, why not go out prior to arriving on the ship? Does a person really require a steak one or everday out of a seven day cruise? Is it really worth the complaining? I mean it's just a hunk of beef..... I was raised in Nebraska, on steaks and such, but not having a steak during my seven day cruise if I'm not willing to pay 14.95 or more isn't going to kill me, certainly not ruffle my feathers like so many are on this thread. If you don't want to pay, then don't pay, but don't ruin it for others who ARE willing to pay. It's just a option and you can choose to participate or not participate in the option..... it's that simple

[xpcdoojk]

[quote name='amybear912']I would imagine that the 15% gratuity is the waiter's "cut" or commission, so to speak, for the upsell... I wouldn't say s/he necessarily "works harder" to deliver that steak, but it does add an extra step to his service routine... that being, that now he has to stop at the grill station to place the order (and back to retreive it when ready) instead of just picking up the pre-plated entrees for delivery...

So let me see if I'm up to speed...

1. Freedom and Majesty are now offering a steak up-sell.
2. You CAN still get the alternative steak, as it is offered on the menu at least a few nights of the cruise in addition to the up-sell...
3. You CAN request the alternative steak and will more than likely get it.

So at this point, the argument centers around the tackiness of the up-sell on the menu?

And this is different from pushing wine and shooters, how? Aside from the fact that it is listed on the menu...

Up-selling and suggestive selling is such a huge part of the business model for land-based establishments that it was only a matter of time before someone in the cruise business caught on to the lucrativeness of this business model...

I sincerely doubt that MDR waiters were being asked for Chops food in the MDR and I doubt that this is in response to that alleged request... however, I don't think it's outside the realm to suspect that this is a marketing tool to promote more reservations at Chops...

As in, diner orders the up-sell steak and enjoys it so much (presumably) that they are then enticed to book Chops for the full experience... I am sure they have a number of reservations to hit per cruise and if they weren't hitting that number, this would be some Marketing Execs' idea of a way to push those ressie numbers up... Probably some young dude fresh out of an over-priced East Coast university's business program...

It's like a reverse sampling strategy... except you pay for the sample before deciding to purchase the full experience...

As as interesting side note... my recent C&A magazine has a very-telling statement right on the front cover:

"See how we're challenging the notion of what a cruise vacation can be"

What this tells me is that they are evolving their business, changing their business model, if you will...

The way I see it... you either like the new model and continue to book with them... or you don't, and move on to something else... seems pretty simple... I for one, am not someone who expects a business to stay the same.. I expect them to evolve and I expect that evolution to include changes which I may not like... there's far too much competition out there for me to worry about one cruiseline that can't meet my needs... there are plenty of ships to sail and plenty of cruiselines who can and will meet my needs in the future... and who will be more than happy to do business with me...[/quote]

Sorry Amy, but I have to call a logic foul. You are not allowed to use logic and reason on this thread. This is a crusade and Don Quixote needs windmills, logic is simply not allowed, as it makes the windmills windmills and not knights on chargers.

Great post, though.:D

jc