twangster

Like a certain Captain's nose, the bridge grows from time to time.   

16 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I wonder what effect, if any, this program will have on price drops be after final payment date. Instead of lowering prices to fill the ship they will have folks bidding on them

Depends.  They have a lot of historical knowledge with respect to which cruises will sell which cabin types and when.   

There is likely no advantage for Royal to prefer to sell through RoyalUP.  A published cabin available openly can capture folks not yet booked on the cruise.  RoyalUP only applies to those already booked.   Adding new blood is always better than moving people around.  More wallets to spend money onboard on other things.  

Folks looking for cheap deals on interior or OV may find it's relatively the same.  

Folks looking for a last minute WS might not find them, or may find them but at a higher price now because RoyalUP becomes a fall back should a <90 day WS fail to sell at a near normal price.  The benefit paying for a WS (if made available) would be double C&A points. 

If you chance it and hope for a RoyalUP suite coming from a non-suite, no double C&A.  That might make a few people trying to level up motivated to splurge just a bit more and pay a higher rate for a published WS compared to hoping to score a single point suite upgrade through RoyalUP.  

Only time will tell.  

If the company bundles in gratuity like some people desire, you would not be allowed to have it removed.

In that sense the gratuity is functioning as intended.  Crew know that guests can have it removed if they slack off and provide poor service.  It motivates crew to provide exceptional service.

In Australia where it's bundled in why should crew work hard?  If they slack off there is nothing any guest can do about it.  

If they converted all sailings to have it bundled and mandatory, service would eventually decline.  Be careful what you wish for.  

1 hour ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Now everybody should start to wonder if the staff gets "their" gratuities! 😮

At the end of the day the crew are paid based on their contracts and for some crew those contracts include a component derived from these gratuity charges. 

When gratuity is removed, it hurts the crew, not the company.  The company would never be so stupid to write a one sided contract that could impact the company.  Like the company doesn't know that some regional guests will have the gratuity removed.  

Why would crew even care to know how many guests removed the gratuity charges?  If they remained paid the same regardless, the crew wouldn't care if guests removed the gratuity and they wouldn't discuss it among themselves.  

58 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

I mentioned this in an earlier post - the Aussie prices seem to be the US/CDN prices with some random exchange rate used, on some/most sailings. On some Aussie sailings, they are even lower.

Exchange rate is a variable that can introduce a certain level of imprecision.  Wholesale versus consumer rates, etc.

Using an unscientific method of comparing a couple cruises and using google to calculate the exchange, I often see AU cruises coming out around $400 AUD more expensive.  There are always exceptions and one-offs to be found.

I ran the same price comparison for some UK sailings with the deluxe package included.  That exercise was done in conjunction with some Brits modeling the same cruises from their perspective.  The conclusion there was that they would in theory be better off booking through the US website and buying the DX package in advance at typical CP 'sale' prices.  Better by a few hundred dollars.  That exercise wasn't done with any agenda to prove or disprove.  Just some friends running the numbers.  If a Brit doesn't drink alcohol that made the UK pricing even less attractive.  

The hidden part of some of the differences are regional adjustments that are made in lieu of certain regulations and consumer protection laws.  In the end the cost of such programs do get passed down to the consumer in terms of a higher cost of doing business. 

It's hard to account for such factors when simply looking at numbers on websites, but you can bet that companies do not just absorb that and accept lower profits or risk operating at a loss should something happen.  

19 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

As a Brit who sails predominantly in Europe I agree with you that the crew probably prefer the American sailings.

We pre-pay our tips and give out $200 extra in cash  per week mostly in the DL/CL and even on the last night see people leaving the DL without leaving any cash.

 

I've often wondered what the girls in my bank are thinking when I go in and ask a hundred in singles.  Here in America there are many land based establishments where single dollar bills are used for other purposes.  

It's not an auction.  Unlike eBay where there is an actual item or service that is on hand and available, Royal has never claimed that someone is guaranteed to win anything.  

Like the hospitality industry in general, from hotels, airline and cruise lines, inventory is carefully planned and made available to maximize revenue.  They have revenue management departments whose sole function is to maximize revenue for any given sailing.  Can't say I blame them.  It's extremely competitive and they can't let their competitors know the ingredients of their secret sauce.

No wonder the crew hate working European cruises.  

Here on Oasis crew who have worked six or seven contracts in a row on Oasis are bailing and requesting other ships for their next contract.  

On Symphony the sail out crew viewed it mixed feelings.  While it's a honor to be hand picked for a brand new ship on the TA they were so relieved to finally be getting to America where they can make more money with hard work.  

While people criticize crew wages and conditions that appears more of a European concern.  At least while they are in America they enjoy the ability to make much higher total compensation.  

I'm just glad I'm part of the solution.  

With a new ship soon to launch I suspect they will remain quiet about the upcoming Oasis AMPING until Spectrum is well established in China.  That tends to be be their ways... focus on the new ship rollout then talk up a ship refreshment and generate hype for it.  

They'll also want to avoid damaging any bookings for the Oasis summer in the med before her dry dock so they don't scare off potential cruisers who may avoid booking a ship just before she gets prettied up. 

We'll learn more in the fall.  My money has the Diamond Lounge no longer being on deck 11 this time next year.  

There are may threads full of speculation, rumors, gossips and lies that dwell on this exact question.  Only time will tell.  Stay tuned and don't touch that dial...

No soot problems in Mariner 9392 in September. 

However like other's have or will point out the wind direction relative to the ship when they incinerate or clean the scrubbers plays a major role.  Maybe I just got lucky.  

Just now, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Or just don't pay it at all! 😁

Perfect!  Screw the people that are making your holiday/vacation great!

Well done sir!

1 hour ago, Balsam12 said:

Again, the American model, where the tip I give a staff member doesn't even go to that person... I'm actually tipping every staff member, even the ones that give poor service.

Cruise lines don't apply a model based on American compensation principles.   While a donut shop in America might use a shared tip jar few full service establishments pool tips in the same fashion.

The 'service charge' collected by cruise lines just goes into the big pot of money that crew contracts are paid from.  Some contracts include variations that included extra compensation derived from some formula based on guest headcount.  Many crew contracts do not.  

29 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Well the problem is, that American work ethics is so low

Yet there are very few Americans on any cruise ship...   if it were as simple as just studying work ethics from around the world wouldn't that be special?

Like most things in life, generalizations rarely tell the story properly.  I could point out that by and large the worst service I have received in a restaurant is in Canada.  As a Canadian I can say that.  However generalizations don't tell that story properly.  

48 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

The world would be a better place if everybody stopped tipping! 👍

Pay it up front or pay it later, what's the difference?  The true 'problem' occurs when someone from a region where it's bundled into the base price of a service comes to a region where it's not.   Comfortable with the ways of their home region they have a difficult time understanding and adapting to a different model.  

When I first sailed Carnival they only had minute plans so I remember those plans well.  So many times I know I disconnected my session but all my minutes were consumed and I had to go plead my case with guest services.  

Royal Platinum is the 2nd level of the loyalty program, much like Ruby is for Princess.  Royal Diamond and Diamond Plus levels map more closely to Princess Platinum and Elite.  Consequently you won't get Princess Platinum type benefits at Royal's Platinum level.  They may be the same name but occur at different levels in each loyalty program.   

Bottom line - at the 2nd level of the loyalty program you will get a small discount on the onboard internet plans but due to frequent sales that occur before cruising you will find it cheaper to buy an internet plan before sailing if you need internet every day.  

The Perfect Storm water slides have similar operating hours, often the same as Splashaway Bay.  Perhaps a staffing constraint?  

Sounds like a good question for the CD or hotel director.  

What level in the Princess loyalty program are you trying to compare to Royal platinum?  Princess Ruby (31 nights) is earned at roughly the same point as Royal Platinum (30 nights). 

What are the Ruby benefits for internet on Princess? 

The Australian website simply takes the base fare, adds gratuity and presents the inclusive total as the cruise price.  The big difference is that if service onboard truly sucks, they can't go to guest services and have them remove the gratuity. 

Just like when the UK website offers the drink package 'included'.  Sure it's included... at a higher cruise price.  What if you don't drink?  

How is that better?

What's the difference?  You either pay them now or pay them later.  

Yes it's a marketing game so that Royal can do what the other cruise lines do... attempt to advertise the lowest price possible.  Royal can't bundle them in unless all other cruise lines bundle them in.  Otherwise it will appear that Royal has much higher prices and the new to cruise segment will never 'get' the math.   

Sailed Anthem 3 times, all solo.  Agree with your thoughts on solo, which is why I cruise solo often. 

Generally speaking MTD is very quick and efficient when I'm solo, any ship.  I've been in and out in under 45 minutes before.  

Solo also means I only have to pay for one drink package, one dining package, one shore excursion, one whatever.  I can go on helicopter excursion, and do stuff I couldn't do in a group. 

Double C&A points doesn't hurt either.

LIIT is usually one swipe.  

If you have a deluxe drink package would they refuse to make you this drink because you can't order doubles or get two drinks at once using the deluxe package?

Costco member?  Here are some rates picking two random days in January.  

2 minutes ago, Brad548ye said:

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

yeah my wife just wanted to fill up her own bottle but looks like that won’t be an option then. 

Use one of their glasses.  Fill it, dump that into your personal water bottle.  I do it all the time.  

Bring a small container of dish soap to wash your personal bottle daily.  

Also, there are 'Freestyle' soda dispensers at a couple of locations.  They will only dispense using one of the coded cups that comes with a drink package, except ice and water which can be dispensed without a coded cup.  

I just grabbed a glass from Sorrento's and used it to get ice and water from the Freestyle machine in the promenade here on Oasis.

I'm on Oasis now.  Don't recall seeing any.  Maybe one.  

There are drink stations that offer water.  Use a ship glass provided.  They don't want people filling their own water bottles to prevent transfer of germs from personal bottle to ship equipment (health code thing).   

It is often a sign they are selling them in high volumes because they are capacity controlled.  Don't want people being turned away and eating in the Windjammer because all specialty restaurants are full.  

Keep checking, they might re-appear. 

Aft balconies can be wind free sometimes.

Order the free continental breakfast on the first night. Morning of day 2 it will be delivered.  Now you have a tray.  Keep it.

Or just pay the $8 and order all the food you want which includes items not available in the WJ.  

I'm eating breakfast every morning on my side facing balcony this cruise.  Quite enjoyable.  Neighbors are doing the same.