WOW - bar drinks prices increased by up to 40%

[OTownNick]

I just boarded the enchantment, and when I walk through the bolero's I saw that there were NO drink prices posted on the menu. I asked bartender about the drink prices and she said everything starts at $10 and most are 12 and up. I like an occasional frozen Mojito, it was $12.

 

M

 

I'm not much of a drinker when I go out but I did notice last week that the drink menu at Senior Frogs in Nassau didnt have any prices either. I guess if you saw the prices it would change your mind about ordering a drink.

 

I too tip regularly when I get my free drinks in the DL/CL

[icsys]

I just boarded the enchantment, and when I walk through the bolero's I saw that there were NO drink prices posted on the menu. I asked bartender about the drink prices and she said everything starts at $10 and most are 12 and up. I like an occasional frozen Mojito, it was $12.

 

M

 

Thank you for your information from onboard Enchantment right now.

It confirms what I originally stated at the start of this thread.

[cruisegirl1]

Just FYI – the drink of the day, a sparkling mai tai was $7.75 , it seems that the drink of the day will be about that price.

 

Bob, a house margarita on the rocks is $10.

 

Beer starts at $5.50.

 

Had a very brief conversation with a bartender, and tells me the rise in drink prices is to convince passengers to get the beverage package.

 

Cheers, or maybe not.

Marci

Edited March 13, 2015 by cruisegirl1

[CruisinBarb63]

My Mom got of Quantum this morning and the first text she sent me was "BUY THE DRINK PACKAGE". Mom isn't a big drinker and would usually not spend enough in drinks to bother with the package (4 - 5 per day on sea days) so she didn't buy it. She was shocked when she saw the bill on day 2 and purchased the package for the rest of her cruise. She said there are no prices posted and any drink she had or asked about, or heard anyone ask (this must be annoying for the bartenders) were between $10 - $14 PLUS 18% gratuity. It seems it has indeed happened across the board from what I have read.

 

I will be purchasing the package for my October cruise on Indy this weekend before they decide to raise the price of the package.

[DirtyDawg]

Thank you for your information from onboard Enchantment right now.

It confirms what I originally stated at the start of this thread.

 

The U.S. dollar has been appreciating against most currencies so if anything drink prices should be coming down, not going up. The British Pound is about 12% cheaper in $U.S. vs a year ago, so the price of my scotch should be cheaper. The Canadian dollar is off over 17% so my Rye should be cheaper and the Rubble is half of what is was last year. The price of my vodka & tonic should be lower too! :mad:

 

When it comes to what can be purchased in $U.S. we are in a deflationary world not a hyper-inflationary world that RCI thinks we're in. I know these price mega increases are all about pushing people into buying the packages but RCI, if you want to sell more drink packages why don't you lower their price - your input costs for them are going down.

 

We were looking at a Southern Caribbean cruise this Fall with Royal. Screw that. We're looking at a land based one now.

 

The one thing this outrageous cash gab will do, besides loosing RCI customers, will be to make those booze smuggling threads around here less nasty as more and more of the non-smugglers are converted.;)

Edited March 13, 2015 by DirtyDawg

[mattwright]

I will be purchasing the package for my October cruise on Indy this weekend before they decide to raise the price of the package.

 

Unfortunately, that's exactly what RC wants you to do. If people keep paying for the packages and paying the new higher drink prices, RC gets their way.

 

The only way this would change to the benefit of passengers is if RC's revenue from drinks was reduced enough from guests refusing to pay those prices.

 

Sadly, I doubt that'll happen.

[Clarea]

...Bob, a house margarita on the rocks is $10. ...

That's an 80% increase from the $5.50 we paid on Adventure last month.:eek:

[Cruzin-K]

The packages don't work for those of us who aren't heavy drinkers. The ones who are impacted by this the most are the ones who just drink anywhere from 1 to 4 drinks per day. I'm one of those and my response is going to be to just drink less. I guess it's a win for me. I will save money and stay healthier. Lol

[Bert64]

My Mom got of Quantum this morning and the first text she sent me was "BUY THE DRINK PACKAGE". Mom isn't a big drinker and would usually not spend enough in drinks to bother with the package (4 - 5 per day on sea days) so she didn't buy it. She was shocked when she saw the bill on day 2 and purchased the package for the rest of her cruise. She said there are no prices posted and any drink she had or asked about, or heard anyone ask (this must be annoying for the bartenders) were between $10 - $14 PLUS 18% gratuity. It seems it has indeed happened across the board from what I have read.

 

I will be purchasing the package for my October cruise on Indy this weekend before they decide to raise the price of the package.

 

Can someone clarify this for me...

 

A $12 drink will be $14.16 with gratuity. If I get the Premium Package, which says it covers drinks up to $12, does that mean before gratuity? Or will I need to pay the $2.16 over the $12 cocktail "allotment"?

[Clarea]

Can someone clarify this for me...

 

A $12 drink will be $14.16 with gratuity. If I get the Premium Package, which says it covers drinks up to $12, does that mean before gratuity? Or will I need to pay the $2.16 over the $12 cocktail "allotment"?

The $12 limit applies to the price before the gratuity is added.

[cruisegirl1]

That's an 80% increase from the $5.50 we paid on Adventure last month.:eek:

 

I guess that puts a new WOW in the WOW campaign!

 

M

[jticarruthers]

The package includes the gratuity as well so the $12 cap should be compared to the price of the drink only (before the gratuity).

[poncho1973]

My Mom got of Quantum this morning and the first text she sent me was "BUY THE DRINK PACKAGE". Mom isn't a big drinker and would usually not spend enough in drinks to bother with the package (4 - 5 per day on sea days) so she didn't buy it. She was shocked when she saw the bill on day 2 and purchased the package for the rest of her cruise.

 

1. Someone who has 4-5 alcoholic drinks a day isn't a big drinker? Maybe not a lush, sure, but that's not a casual drinker either.

2. Have they changed the policy where if you buy the package on Day 1 or Day 6 it is the exact same price? Because if they bought the package AFTER 2 days of spending and it was the same price as Day 1, this had to have been a seriously bad financial call.

 

 

ETA:

This is based on our cruise in Dec 2014 where we had a few sea days to end our cruise and I was offered the SELECT drink package. There were 3 days left on the 7 night cruise and I thought "Why not?" I mentally did the math and thought it should be less than $125 and asked the bartender for the price. The bartender says something close to $275. I'm like "Isn't it $35 a day?" and he replied "It's the same no matter what day you buy it. The $35 is if you buy it on the first day."

Edited March 13, 2015 by poncho1973

[ryano]

The packages don't work for those of us who aren't heavy drinkers. The ones who are impacted by this the most are the ones who just drink anywhere from 1 to 4 drinks per day. I'm one of those and my response is going to be to just drink less. I guess it's a win for me. I will save money and stay healthier. Lol

 

Im one too and ditto everything you just said. :)

 

It likely means less than 100.00 more difference for my whole cruise. Not exactly a cruise ruining thing. Like i said yesterday, Im just glad I knew before I boarded the ship so the sticker shock of a 12.00 Lava Flow I paid around 8 bucks for on my last cruise isnt such a shock and Im prepared for it. :D

Edited March 13, 2015 by ryano

[The Sunset Glow]

That's an 80% increase from the $5.50 we paid on Adventure last month.:eek:

 

That's definitely a new RCI :eek::eek: WOW :eek::eek:

[joepeka]

1. Someone who has 4-5 alcoholic drinks a day isn't a big drinker? Maybe not a lush, sure, but that's not a casual drinker either.

2. Have they changed the policy where if you buy the package on Day 1 or Day 6 it is the exact same price? Because if they bought the package AFTER 2 days of spending and it was the same price as Day 1, this had to have been a seriously bad financial call.

 

 

ETA:

This is based on our cruise in Dec 2014 where we had a few sea days to end our cruise and I was offered the SELECT drink package. There were 3 days left on the 7 night cruise and I thought "Why not?" I mentally did the math and thought it should be less than $125 and asked the bartender for the price. The bartender says something close to $275. I'm like "Isn't it $35 a day?" and he replied "It's the same no matter what day you buy it. The $35 is if you buy it on the first day."

On your point #2 (and Bob clarified this for me a few days ago), if you purchase after day 1 of the cruise, you only pay for the number of days remaining on the cruise BUT there is a four day minimum (i.e. there must be at least four days left on your cruise). Also, you can now purchase the packages for a 3 day cruise which was not always the case.

Edited March 13, 2015 by joepeka

[Whitnee1]

Get your flame throwers ready i will be waiting for you,,,,,I think Royal should do away with the free drinks for anyone since alot of people have posted that they will only drink there free ones,,,,,cheap _ _ _ people

 

So in your view I suppose they should not offer balcony discounts either? Loyalty programs are there to reward customers for their loyalty to the brand. Without it a lot of people would just be price shoppers but many are willing to pay a bit more for those perks.

[sandytex]

Hi, I've been following this thread as I am sailing on Navigator in just a week.

so I apologize if this has been asked or addressed before and I just missed it, but here goes . . .

I already purchased a drink package, after reviewing drink prices and what my drinks of choice would be, etc. - all based on the $12 per drink limit.

What if they have now raised the price of a drink that was always under $12 to over $12?

I realize that I would have to just pay the difference, but in the spirit of honoring the package, based on when I purchased, etc., I don't think that it's fair to now have to pay additional $$'s for drinks that were included in the package when I purchased it.

 

Has anyone who has the Premium or Ultimate, recently encountered having to pay extra for a drink that previously was $12 or less and is now say $14?

Or, are the bartenders not charging package holders the add'l. $$'s, etc.?

Hope this makes sense and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

[Mjoellnir]

Sandy it seems that most drinks are $12 or less before tips. And since you have already paid tips trough your drinkpackage you won't have to pay any extra.

[sandytex]

Hi Mjoellnir,

Thanks for the quick response!

Yes, I realize that I don't need to worry about tips as they were included in my package price.

I would just be very disappointed if my drink of choice went up from say $10-$12 to over $12 (pre-tip). This would mean I would now have to pay an additional $2 per drink if the pre-tip price is now $14.

I would not be a very happy camper if this happens!

Hopefully most remain at or under the $12 limit that packages have per drink.

[TominNC]

Don't see how this will push me to the package if my wife and I aren't drinking 5-6 a day. There are ways to keep costs more reasonable without locking into the price of the package.

 

I went back and forth on it, but no package for us on our cruise next month.

[cranneberry]

Just got off the Explorer on the 12th. My husband ordered a gin and tonic in the dining room and it was only $8 and change. Seems not all drinks are $10. I had the wine package at $20 a day, very reasonable in my opinion.

[dcgrumpy]

Just got off the Explorer on the 12th. My husband ordered a gin and tonic in the dining room and it was only $8 and change. Seems not all drinks are $10. I had the wine package at $20 a day, very reasonable in my opinion.

 

Is that a typo?

[Big_G]

Is that a typo?

 

Why? Does that sound unreasonable to you? In which way? :confused:

[dcgrumpy]

Why? Does that sound unreasonable to you? In which way? :confused:

 

Isn't it $40 a day?