mramella

Yep! Tons of pressure to constantly figure out ways to cut costs, especially to make up from lost ground due to covid, and all the debt these guys had to take on... I remember going on cruises (Sitmar & Princess) back in the late 80s and early 90s when they served beluga caviar with topnotch food and excellent service. Those days are gone for good, unfortunately. I remember when they eliminated individual shampoo bottles and bars of soap for a dispenser of "all-in-one" shampoo/conditioner/body soap. And then they went with lower grade toilet paper that now feels like sandpaper. LOL. Can't wait for my next cruise! Yep, I'm still cruising 🙂. Just have to roll with it, or not cruise.

No chance I'd do it for $233 per person. That is insanity! Based on other threads I've read, consensus seems to be anything around $80-$90 per person. But if money is no object for you, then by all means.

Cost is a whopping $188.99 per person on my Icon cruise next March! There is zero chance I'd pay that much.

Hello, The Unlimited Dining Package for our 7 day cruise on Icon of the Seas next March is $291 per person. That seems like A LOT! What do you guys think? Too much? Thanks!

Icon of the Seas for March of 2024 has an MSRP of $105 per person, per day. Yikes! But hold on! If you buy today, it's only $88.99 per day! LOL! With gratuities, it clocks in at a whopping $735! Ouch!!!

I am not surprised by the diminishing quality. Every year, more and more corners are cut in the endless pursuit to maximize profits (lately, to make up from lost ground due to Covid). RCCL is publicly traded company, whereby the CEO's number one priority is to deliver profits (above customers and employees). Order of priority is: Profits, Customers, Employees. The trick: How do you maximize profits without eroding demand? Easy. You keep raising your prices and continue cutting corners until finally people stop buying your product. Once people stop buying your product, you stop raising your prices and you stop cutting corners. Business 101. But best part of it all, we are all free to choose! It's called free market capitalism and it's wonderful thing! We get to vote with our wallets! I love it! Thanks!

Playmakers. I'm sure it'll be packed! So might want to get there early! I'd try to grab one of those couches to the left (stern of the ship).

We were on Wonder of the Seas during last year's March madness (Thursday, March 17th and Friday, March 18th, 2022). It was the second ever sailing of Wonder 🙂. There was usually only one game on at a time. In other words, it was not like your typical sports bar where every TV had a different game on. I did not ask if they could put multiple different games on.

I just checked for our Icon cruise in March of 24. A whopping $302.99 per person! And that's with the so-called 5% off discount. That is insane! I wonder how many suckers they get to pay that much!?

We booked Icon for March of 2024. We booked one balcony room, and one “spacious interior” room. The balcony room is for my wife and me, and the interior room is for our 2 sons. Price was $6k total. I just checked prices again. Total is now $8,200 for the exact same 2 rooms. Crazy!

We’re booked for Icon of the Seas in March of 2024. I logged in this morning and noticed dining options are now available under “Plan My Cruise.” Attached are 2 pics. Prices seem pretty high to me… Also attached is a “sample” main dining room menu… I don’t see an option to purchase the UDP yet…

Yep, I like this idea. I’ll probably do the same. On a similar note, I remember when tips weren’t automatically added. Seems like the service was better back then. The current automatic tipping thing is a bit Socialistic, in my mind… Why work any harder when you’re going to get the same amount as your colleagues? There’s no incentive to work harder… “Trying to do good things by methods of force leads to bad result.” - Milton Friedman Thanks!

RCCL is a publicly traded company. Order of priority is: 1. Shareholders. 2. Customers. 3. Employees. For a CEO of a publicly traded company, return on shareholder value is an imperative, above all other things. In order to return maximum shareholder value, RCCL must always find ways to cut costs. Each year, the dial is clicked further and further around implementation of cost cutting measures. The trick: Balance cost cutting measures with customer tolerance. You cut too much, and you risk devaluing your brand, and customer loyalty. It's quite the dance! Luckily, we all have choices! Thanks!

That's what time machines are for!

Thank you for the replies! I was going to pull the trigger, but just priced flights from STL to MIA. Yikes! The cost of flights (need 4 roundtrip tickets) make the trip cost prohibitive at this point. Bummer! 😞 Cannot bring my self to pay nearly $4k for flights on Southwest. Also, yes, this is over Spring Break, which probably explains why the flights are so expensive. Thanks!

Hello, I was pricing a cruise for March of 23 on Harmony when I noticed a strange pricing glitch. Please see "before glitch" and "after glitch" screen shots below. As you'll see, it's $630 difference for a guaranteed balcony. Not small potatoes in my opinion. I was able to get all the way to the page where I can enter my credit card details, but did not pull the trigger. Has anyone seen this before? If I were to move forward, will I be charged more later once the glitch is fixed? Thanks!

I just checked the price for my cruise on Icon in March of 2024. $286.99 per person! 😳 Yikes! No chance in he!! I'd pay that! I thought maybe it was a typo!