caribbeansun

Sorry but I don't understand what cost has to do with it unless you want to compare the cost of the providing the specialty restaurant meal as well - since it's unlikely anyone knows for a fact the cost of either why bring that into the discussion?

I can't envision how there isn't a retail value to the meal provided in the MDR which should be considered in a comparison.

Cost of the opportunity to eat a high end meal - really? I find that to be a real stretch.

I don't think the argument that you have already "paid" for your main dining room meal in your cruise fair is a useful one. First of all, the cruise lines spend far, far less per/person per/day on food then you would think. It is about $12 per person on Celebrity - not for dinner, but for all your meals/snacks for the day. So the "cost" of the dinner you are skipping is about $4. Secondly, one could also argue that your cruise fare "includes" the opportunity to eat a high end meal at a specialty restaurant at a cheaper price than you'd pay for an equivalent meal on land. Yes, it is not dramatically lower, but instead of $35 per person, you'd probably pay $40-$60 per person for a similar meal on land (depending on the number of courses and what you order).

Interesting point, I would have thought that they would be allocated their share out of the pool would they not? In the same manner those that work at the buffet or grill would receive their prorata portion of the tips or am I misunderstanding?

One thing to keep in mind when going to the specialty restaurants is that the cost is not just for the food -- it is also the tip for the waiter. When we were on the Solstice in February, our waitress in the Silk Harvest (Asian food) told us that of the $25 charge, she got half. Without the extra charges, there would be no way for these servers go get tips.

Well said,

There is a tendency to overlook the inherent cost including in the cruise fare. Food only (and that is truly the only difference), you are paying in effect $30ish per person to upgrade just the food - that in turn made me wonder the exact same things as the OP - if I'm already $30 over and above the included food in the base fare that's a significant uptick.

Just for illustration purposes:

Low end rest vs higher for apps - $8 vs. $16 = $8

Low end rest vs higher for entre - $18 vs. $35 = $17

Low end rest vs higher for dessert - $6 vs. $12 = $6

Total differential = $31

I guess the question is do the specialty restaurants deliver at the higher end of the spectrum and is the MDR equivalent to the lower end? I have no idea but at least I've sort of rationalized the dollar differential :D

2) The "deal" you're getting is not necessarily as good as people make it out to be, but depending on what restaurant you're comparing it to, its not like you're getting ripped off--I honestly think its a wash.

Que the Austin Power's music - yeah baby!

he was wearing a lavender tux, with a frilled shirt whose ruffles were all the colors of the rainbow.

I have no desire to wear a suit while on vacation. Frankly I'd rather not wear a sport jacket either. I'd prefer that while on the vacation I worked for and paid for that I be allowed to be comfortable and enjoy the time. I also object to the packing requirement for a couple of hours wear.

Having said that I will rent a tux for the formal nights and suffer in silence (mostly).

Kinda strange logic there.

The Shorex team costs money, it is extra because they don't have to have a Shorex team. Adding competitiveness and other pieces into the discussion ignores the fact that there is a cost that must be covered and like good capitalists there must be profit.

How much profit you ask? It's entirely subjective. The market would say take as much profit as you can until the market rejects your pricing and stops taking your offerings. Putting a value judgement on the quantum of profit isn't likely to yield much in the way of meaningful input because you either believe in market economics or you don't. Personally, I don't believe that profit is evil but if you don't offer value (and isn't that really the key?) then you won't get any sales because everyone can opt to do it themselves in almost every situation.

StanandJim,

Oceania has a Shore excursion department.

Just about all the activities you listed above fall into the "job description" of those employees. If they were not doing those activities, they would be receiving their salaries gratis.

Thus most of those activities are not "extra cost" to Oceania, rather fall under the "duties" of the Shorex team, who are already being paid.

My point is - if a travel agency is charging Oceania $100 for a specific tour (including everything in that tour), how much should Oceania charge us above the $ 100 they have to pay the agency?

I will give you a specific example:

For a Great Barrier Reef tour out of Whitsunday Island the O charge is $ 299/pp. If you book that exact tour directly with the company that provides this tour for Oceania, it would cost you less than $ 190; and for all I know, they are actually selling it to Oceania for even less than $ 190 because of the "bulk order" discount.

In any case, if only100 people take this shorex, Oceania made at least $10,000 on this single shorex alone. I suspect a lot more people will do so. I would call it a very decent profit for very little work (as they are doing this excursion annually). Multiply that by the number of excursions they offer during a cruise and you'll get an idea of the profit they are making.

I don't blame them - I am just asking if that's fair? You tell me.

Which is why it's great to have the choice of doing it yourself - no?

The fee includes the cost of the guide, some profit to the guide company if it's not an individual, the cost of someone that came up with the route, of printing the pamphlets/maps/handouts, the entrance fee (if any), add in the cost to O for the administrative time it takes to source local providers and ensure their quality and of course give O some profit for doing that work - I have no issue with any part of that.

Personally, I very much enjoy doing the research ahead of time so I invest my time (which has a distinct value to me) rather than paying a company to do it for me.

Of course I pay my mechanic a horrendous price to fix my car because that's something I'm not prepared to do myself - it's all relative.

First of ALL excursions are simply horrendous in price!

Now when you are on board there is in most case at the port of call a representative of the local Tourist office which give maps and full explanations.

I don't know which cruise, but in most cases you can arrange it yourself for sometimes only 10 pct of the price for 2 persons! Example: Rhodes Grand Masters Palace usd 89 per person. You leave the ship alnd walk through to the palace and it will cost EUR 6 per person!!!!

Mykonos: walking tour usd 89 per person. You walk in Mykonos free of charge.

OK you will not have a guide but tourist offices have free folders and a booklet guide cost a minimum.

What did you really think of the DR? Don't hold back now.

Seriously though, we are on this itinerary next year - did you enjoy each stop, which was your favorite, any tips?

Cheers!

Dear Guest-

The Itinerary for that Cruise includes Virgin Gorda, St. Barts, Dominica, St. Johns, St. Lucia, and Grand Turk.

Now, I won't include your stop in the Dominican Republic here, because that is a rather plebian port, plagued by tremendous poverty and wracked with crime. Frankly, we wish that Oceania would stop using it.

 

The casino is an outside concession and it's there to make money for the owner(s). Even at a 5% rake on the game you've suggested the casino's take would be only $27 (9 x $60 x 5%) which might last a couple hours. That likely doesn't cover the wage for the dealer let alone any overheads.

Put that game up to a $100 buy in with $100 re-buy and now you're starting to get to a point where it might make sense.

From what I've seen of the BJ players on board though the house's edge is huge relative to say Vegas. The average cruise passenger doesn't know Jack about Blackjack (no pun intended - okay, maybe just a little ;)).

Don't get me wrong - I'd love to play a little hold 'em while my DW is filling the slots with all her money (and some of mine).

Throw me in with those that would enjoy a little 'All in Hold 'em tournament on the ship'. No big money is probably better. I play in a once a month game with my son and his friends, $60 buy in, 9 players, winner buys the beer! Nobody gets hurt, it's a lot of fun, and unlikely to invite the wrong element. There may be a better format, I'm just throwing this one out.

 

How it would be economically feasible to the ship, I have no idea. As others note, there isn't much of a casino on board and it is not configured to play poker.