Want to guess how much RCL pays for food?

[believer33323]

I was watching a special on the Making of the "Freedom of the Seas" They said that it uses 28,000 gallons of fuel an hour. That blew me away.

[Offroad]

Good read, thanks for your efforts to put together.

[MrsPete]

I think it's hard for us to relate to the cost of food purchased in bulk. An example:

 

When I was in college back in the 80s, I worked in a Frito-Lay factory for a while. I am firmly convinced that everyone should work at some type of manual labor at least for a while to gain an appreciation for what some people do for a lifetime, but I digress . . . I worked with the BIG bags of Doritos, which at that point sold for $1.99/bag. The product inside the bag cost just under .03 and the package cost .05 -- of course, that didn't include the labor to produce the product, the cost of the building in which it was produced, the people who marketed the chips and put them on shelves -- but that price is rather shocking.

[MrsPete]

I was watching a special on the Making of the "Freedom of the Seas" They said that it uses 28,000 gallons of fuel an hour. That blew me away.

They can be awfully deceptive on those shows. I believe the ships might require 28,000 gallons an hour when the ship is underway . . . but what about when the ship is just anchored at sea? Yes, since all power is generator-provided, some gas would still be required, but not nearly so much as is required to move the ship.

[sherilyn70]

I have read that the cost of food is one of the least of the expenses for most restaurants, so this is not surprising for a ship. Can you imagine how much food is thrown out at the end of each cruise? Not just the food left on people's plates, but the unordered food that can't be kept.

 

Yes, a restaurant should spend about 30% of their revenue on food costs. Considering that the amount we pay is divided into dining and hotel and entertainment that number seems about in line to me.

[Trainman-2]

Some random shots from a Kitchen Tour on the Oasis...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Trainman-2]

It is amazing what they accomplish in the Kitchens.

 

When the ships enter the port, tractors trailers are lined up waiting to unload food and supplies to be loaded onto the ship. Food is on pallets and the pallets are organized so that the stuff for the last day is loaded first and remains out of the way in the refrigerators.

 

Think how many times we move stuff around in our fridge at home looking for something we know is in there somewhere. It is a bit harder to do on a ship. Everything has a place and will be available when it is needed and does not have to be constantly moved around.

 

The ships use a standard menu so the "Home Office" knows what to order and have ready when the ship docks. At the same time, the staff on the ships orders specific items to replace stock in the shops and specialty restaurants and sends the orders to the "Home Office" to be filled.

 

This is not just food but parts for all of the systems on the ship.

 

There is no room for error because anything not loaded at the start of the cruise would need to be purchased at a higher cost at one of the ports or done without.

[TheGenie]

They can be awfully deceptive on those shows. I believe the ships might require 28,000 gallons an hour when the ship is underway . . . but what about when the ship is just anchored at sea? Yes, since all power is generator-provided, some gas would still be required, but not nearly so much as is required to move the ship.

 

This sounds wrong...

 

from the following site:

 

http://cruises.lovetoknow.com/wiki/How_Much_Fuel_Does_a_Cruise_Ship_Use

How Much Fuel Does a Cruise Ship Use?

When answering the question: "How much fuel does a cruise ship use?" there are two main factors that need to be considered:

•The size of the ship

•The average speed of the ship

In the QE2's case, the ship is huge (962.9 feet long) and it travels at a speed that requires more fuel. Similar to a car, traveling at higher speeds means an increase in aerodynamic drag, which directly impacts fuel use. Given that most cruise ships travel at 21-24 knots, this isn't often an issue.

Size however remains key to fuel consumption and efficiency. As the size of cruise ships continues to grow, so too does the demand on fuel. A smaller ship will use less fuel than a large ship to travel the same distance.

On average, ships get 30 feet to the gallon. Here are a few more remarkable numbers to ponder:

•Queen Mary 2: 1,132 feet long, 40 feet per gallon of fuel

•Freedom of the Seas: 1,112 feet long, 28,000 gallons of fuel per hour

•Disney Wonder and Magic: 964 feet long, 57 feet per gallon of fuel.

 

So if the Freedom did indeed get comparable fuel economy as the fast QM2, then 28,000 gallons/hour multiplied by 40 feet/gallon = 1,120,000 feet/hour, then divide by 5280 feet / mile = 212 miles / hour (that's one FAST ship).:eek: A nautical mile is 6080 feet, so that woud be 184 knots.

 

I suspect we're off by a factor of 10 in gallons / hour, and Freedom most likely consumes about 2,800 gallons per hour (averaging 21 miles / hour or just over 18 knots).

 

There was a video by RCL that did show in the background some power consumption distribution numbers for propulsion and hotel operations (it would be in Killowatt hours) for Oasis/Allure on the screens with the engineer. Someone more resourceful than me can look that up see what is visible from here:

 

http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/video.php?ship=allure

 

The engineer does say the total combined horsepower output for Oasis and Allure is about 135,000 horsepower (100,669 KW). How much of that is propulsion versus hotel operations? Here is another CC thread discussing ship fuel economy:D:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=759005

[cccer]

Great read, very interesting. I would like to know how much they make off the casino, alcohol, shopping, etc. versus the cruise fare.

[EGG]

Must be extreme couponing.

 

Actually, the cost of the food, not including labor, seems reasonable. Few people stop to think how expensive eating out is. Take the cost of your weekly grocery bill and divide by the number of people in your family. I know I spend less than $10 a person per day with a little couponing and looking at the store ad before I shop. We both bring our lunches to work and rarely eat out. This makes our 2 cruises a year even more special.

[gw812]

Those food costs sound right. Friend of mine owned a restaurant and occasionally would sneak us into the local restaurant grocery supply place. You wouldn't believe how cheap the food was! 1/2 to 1/4 the costs of a regular grocery store, and this place primarily sold to small business in not-too-large volume. Imagine what prices RCI can command by the truckload!

I'd agree that the biggest profit is in the casino (has to be!) and in alcohol sales. Alcohol markup on shore is unbelievable and is probably worse on the boat.

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

Ya these prices are consistant with what I have heard in the past, They were even lower but I heard about them ten years ago.

 

Maybe they have been shopping with those coupon cutters that you see on Discovery tv.LOL

 

Just enjoy the food

 

Brian J

[koterry]

I was curious about some financial aspects of Royal Caribbean, so I read through their 2010 Annual Report. It was very interesting to see some actual numbers related to how much they make per passenger on average and how much it costs them to ferry us around for our enjoyment.

 

According to the financial report, the "gross yield" per passenger-day is $218.45. Assuming that we're talking about a 7-day cruise for this example, that means that an average passenger has paid $1,111.60 for their cruise fare and spent an additional $417.55 onboard.

 

For that week-long cruise, Royal Caribbean has paid $146.80 (9.6%) (per passenger) for fuel, $145.27 (9.5%) for the cost of the ships themselves, and just $87.16 (5.7%) for food.

 

I have a very hard time believing the food number. Part of the problem is that I cannot imagine the economy of scale that is necessary to provide a week's worth of food for as many as 6,000 passengers plus all the staff onboard as well. I'm sure that the price Royal Caribbean pays for food is far less per steak or head of lettuce than I would pay at my local grocery store.

 

Anyway, I thought I'd share this little insight with others in case it's of interest to anyone else.

Oh by the way I'm not, interested that is, but thanks anyway!...:)

[thelion]

They definitely buy in bulk. Think Voyager, Freedom, Oasis...any of those buys enough food to feed a family for years on end. If we could buy and store that much for years to come we too could get better prices, but then they buy that times a number of ships and a number of sailings per year...it really adds up.

 

It would be great if they spent a few more bucks on some of the food for better quality, but the again they have to make a profit for the stockholders.

 

 

You do know they have other expenses than those listed here, right? They have administrative costs, marketing costs, newbuild costs, contact costs, customer service expenses, etc. The list goes on and on. Yes, a profit is made, would you expect any less from a for profit business?

 

Actually, I'll bet the opposite... That they use plenty of pre-prepared foods because that is cheaper (pre-packaged items tend to use cheaper ingredients) The amount of prep time (labor) involved in making things from scratch is quite high... Making from scratch usually involves a higher waste factor too... Not to mention that the storage for all those ingredients to make from scratch...

 

Actually, most items are made onboard. I was surprised when I worked on the ships to see how much they made themselves rather than buying premade.

[Bakincakes]

Let's hope the cost of gelatin doesn't sky rocket or there won't be any desserts offered.:(

 

The food has gone downhill, despite the opinon of others who argue it hasn't. We are seeing more and more posts about the decline in food quality onboard RCI ships. And most who post claim not to be "picky".

 

I also think that the kitchen staff can make or break a meal. But it does seem as if one or two ships may have gotten lucky and the rest make do.:(

 

I was on Freedom in January and the food in the WJ and MDR was the worst we have ever had onboard an RCI ship. A new review, on this board, says the same.

[Ramjet1997]

[quote name='Whitnee1']Whatever they are doing and spending they need to do differently because the quality of the food has declined to the point of being between bad and horrible.[/quote]

We have been on 12 RCCL cruises - Overall we have had very good food considering the number of people on the ships. I have no complaints on the food although their cookies lead a lot to be desired....Is the food perfect every time? No - but overall very good for the money....and I think most RCCL cruisers will agree....

You need to cruise on $5-10,000 a week ships - maybe you will get the "quality" you are seeking....