Rhapsody out of OZ - REALLY high drink prices !!!!!

[HorrorFan]

It's Economics 101, The basic law of the marketplace is to charge what the traffic will bear.

Yeah, I understand that. Guess I`m just surprised what the market will bear.:eek:

Must still be a lot of disposible income floating around.

Just using lizzy77`s example...$11.15 for a glass of wine, and (probably) cheap wine at that. Are you kidding?

[mjsshipboy]

The wine is NOT $11.15. Just because it is a dollar sign, doesn't mean it is a "Dollar".

 

The glass of wine spoken about is $7.50 US (Including gratuity).

 

Due to the Australian dollar crashing, that is now a higher price when you convert it into the local currency. It is a risk of international travel or trading. Australia will be hit more in the coming months as they try to buy imported goods. Right now, merchandise on the shelves of Australian stores was purchased by retailers when the exchange rate was more attractive (Due to the beneficial exchange rate for Americans, Australia was announced as the cheapest place in the world to buy an iPod this week). Over the coming months, Australian retailers will have to import using the weaker dollar... Australia is going to see prices for EVERYTHING imported go through the roof. Fact of life I am afraid.

 

You can't just use a blanket dollar figure and be shocked... that $7.50 US dollar glass of wine is $58 in Hong Kong dollars! OUTRAGEOUS! ;-)

 

With the Rhapsody prices, as well, remember that prices INCLUDE gratuity as it is not normal for Australians to add gratuity as a separate line on a check. So for all of those of you that say there should be no gratuities on ships, if the gratuities are eliminated, you will still be paying them, they will just be absorbed into the base price of the cruise or added into the price of onboard purchases.

 

Ultimately, the Aussies are upset because their dollar has crashed. Any Australian traveling on any American based Cruise Line or traveling anywhere overseas will be affected by this.

[lizzy77]

MJSSHIPBOY. What you have not taken into consideration is that this ship is here for the Australian market and has been promoted in a big way.

They have included gratuities to suit our market and shall be buying our wines and beers at our local cheap prices , however they are still prepared to rip us off with these ridiculous prices.

On the last cruise out of Sydney there were 1800 passengers of which 1400 were Australian.

We were on a Princess cruise a few months back and the prices were so much cheaper. Bottle of wines starting at $21.

[GrannyLorr]

Attached is a pic of the Pool Bar in the middle of the day....Calypso band playing, people dancing, bar empty!! :( It is quite true that with the state of the Aussie dollar at the moment, the drinks are way over the top....but the fact is, on the Rhapsody at the moment it IS the Aussie dollar that is being spent (the majority anyway). Therefore that is the market that has to be catered to.People only have so many dollars to spend, and if they dont consider they are getting value for money....they will spend it elsewhere! I found a few things on our cruise not suited to the Australian market...in particular the woman doing the Art auctions!! :eek: Thats another area that will be well down on expected revenue! She was disgusting!

[raringtogo]

 

Australia will be hit more in the coming months as they try to buy imported goods. Right now, merchandise on the shelves of Australian stores was purchased by retailers when the exchange rate was more attractive (Due to the beneficial exchange rate for Americans, Australia was announced as the cheapest place in the world to buy an iPod this week). Over the coming months, Australian retailers will have to import using the weaker dollar... Australia is going to see prices for EVERYTHING imported go through the roof. Fact of life I am afraid.

 

we are already seeing this - as wholesalers, our supplier's prices have jumped dramatically already.

 

well said Lizzy, I agree with everything you've said. - agree with Granny Lorr too-

[Cruising Crows]

The wine is NOT $11.15. Just because it is a dollar sign, doesn't mean it is a "Dollar".

 

The glass of wine spoken about is $7.50 US (Including gratuity).

 

Due to the Australian dollar crashing, that is now a higher price when you convert it into the local currency. It is a risk of international travel or trading. Australia will be hit more in the coming months as they try to buy imported goods. Right now, merchandise on the shelves of Australian stores was purchased by retailers when the exchange rate was more attractive (Due to the beneficial exchange rate for Americans, Australia was announced as the cheapest place in the world to buy an iPod this week). Over the coming months, Australian retailers will have to import using the weaker dollar... Australia is going to see prices for EVERYTHING imported go through the roof. Fact of life I am afraid.

 

You can't just use a blanket dollar figure and be shocked... that $7.50 US dollar glass of wine is $58 in Hong Kong dollars! OUTRAGEOUS! ;-)

 

With the Rhapsody prices, as well, remember that prices INCLUDE gratuity as it is not normal for Australians to add gratuity as a separate line on a check. So for all of those of you that say there should be no gratuities on ships, if the gratuities are eliminated, you will still be paying them, they will just be absorbed into the base price of the cruise or added into the price of onboard purchases.

 

Ultimately, the Aussies are upset because their dollar has crashed. Any Australian traveling on any American based Cruise Line or traveling anywhere overseas will be affected by this.

 

 

I just thought I would put this out there -

On the weekend I purchased a bottle of

Beringer White Zinfandel made in California USA

for A$10.00 = US$6.88

on the ship they want US$31.05 = A$44.98:eek::eek:

 

Rosemount Shiraz made in Australia

A$17 = US$11.70

on the ship US$35.65 = A$51.79:eek::eek:

 

These are both available in the 'Wine Cellar' and the Aussie wines will probably be supplied from here not the USA .

Do you think this is a reasonable markup?!:confused:

Lynn

[HorrorFan]

The wine is NOT $11.15. Just because it is a dollar sign, doesn't mean it is a "Dollar".

 

The glass of wine spoken about is $7.50 US (Including gratuity).

 

Well yeah, I guess its a matter of perspective, but a "dollar" isn't necessarily a just a US 'dollar'.

In my case it's a Canadian dollar, so $7.50 is now (depending on the day) $9.50 for me. That glass of wine is still looking expensive.

[Pacific Sandy]

Hi - I think that RCI keeps drink prices lower in North America because the cruise lines are in direct competition with "All-Inclusive Resorts" in Mexico and the Caribbean. More and more people are chosing to go to All Inclusives because they can drink all they want at no extra charge.

 

In Australia, they don't have this competition and very few Cruise Ships to choose from. It's all supply & demand, isn't it.

 

Sandra

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Hi - I think that RCI keeps drink prices lower in North America because the cruise lines are in direct competition with "All-Inclusive Resorts" in Mexico and the Caribbean. More and more people are chosing to go to All Inclusives because they can drink all they want at no extra charge.

 

In Australia, they don't have this competition and very few Cruise Ships to choose from. It's all supply & demand, isn't it.

 

Sandra

 

Actually there are quite a few cruise ships cruising here at the moment:

 

Rhapsody of the Seas

Millennium

Volendam

Dawn Princess

Diamond Princess

Pacific Sun

Pacific Star

Sun Princess

Nautica

 

Those ships are shared between the population of Australia and New Zealand with a total of around 25 million people.

Also, of course, there are the visitors from around the world who come specifically to cruise downunder. So there is quite a choice and drinks prices could be a factor people would consider when booking from now on.

Some of the above ships also convert to Australian Dollars on board as the currency whilst they're here.

 

Jillybean:)

[GrannyLorr]

Hi - I think that RCI keeps drink prices lower in North America because the cruise lines are in direct competition with "All-Inclusive Resorts" in Mexico and the Caribbean. More and more people are chosing to go to All Inclusives because they can drink all they want at no extra charge.

 

In Australia, they don't have this competition and very few Cruise Ships to choose from. It's all supply & demand, isn't it.

 

Sandra

 

You are probably quite correct about the supply and demand, and the lack of competition out here......but the Aussies arent such a dumb mob that they will happily be taken advantage of....the supply will soon run out...there arent that many of us...

[bobhsv]

Hi GrannyLorr,

 

The pic of the empty bar on the Rhapsody is true, and great.....great for one reason....the guy walking by the bar is Bob....

 

How funny is that! A one in a million shot! By the way, he is probably going to get an icecream from the other end of the bar.

 

Thanks for that GrannyLorr.

 

Jen (and Bob)

[GrannyLorr]

What a coincidence!! Actually I have done the same thing once before......earlier this year....we were in Costa Rica on a Seabourn tour....having lunch at a "Ranch". That day there were two Seabourn ships in Port.....people from both ships ended up at the same ranch....but dined in separate areas. Went off taking my usual 100 pics, then posted some on the Seabourn board........next thing I get "Thank you Granny for the pic of so and so" of course I had no idea who so and so was!! He was from the other ship!

[lizzy77]

Reports coming from those sailing on the Rhapsody are that they are now having some 2 for 1 deals from 6-9pm.

[dianemh]

well a 2 for 1 deal will help a bit i suppose. i just cant quite grasp why we have to pay almost $10 Aussie $'s for a beer, for example on ROS, when 2 months ago we were paying less than $6 on Sun Princess, thats a big difference, also why are the bar prices higher on cruises that leave from Austrlalia than US ports?

Surely now with the $ situation we should be paying less, shouldn't we??? After all the drink will be bought here with US$ making it cheaper for RCI.