Charge for second entree?

[HBE4]

11 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

It does depend on how and what you are drinking... if you're on light beer for example, 15 probably isn't an issue. If you're drinking Long Island Iced Teas, then you're probably catatonic after 15. Also consider how much they are spaced out... did you start at 10am and then have one per hour until midnight, or did you start drinking a 6pm and have 15 by the end of dinner?

 

 

Totally agree.  Yes, 15 drinks a day sounds pretty excessive, especially if you are at a college frat house or someones house for a dinner party from 8-11 pm.

 

However, 1 drink an hour for 15 hours, most people will be bloated and/or sleepy long before getting a buzz.  Exception being the aforementioned Long Island Ice Tea and similar super-charged drinks.

Edited March 5, 2019 by HBE4

[Sitzmark]

4 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

From what I've read on the forum they will gladly sell you 20 without batting an eye (as long as you don't appear intoxicated).

They will sell to you without batting an eye regardless of your intoxication.  I saw people having trouble standing at the bar being served.  

[nelblu]

4 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Like on cruise lines...airline status rules. We've gotten meals when others onboard got only snacks, and any beverages were gratis for us, but only non-alcoholic ones for others.

 

In these regards, there is a parallel when it comes to status with a cruise line or airline. That said, airlines continue to have limited food options, and quite frankly...in a fair number of cases...others aren't missing all that much if you catch my drift.

 

Amen.

[HBE4]

6 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

It's just the alcoholic drinks.

 

I actually enjoy Carnival.. lots of fun! 

 

Makes sense, thanks!

 

I actually do plan on trying Carnival. I've only sailed Royal (8 cruises) but want to branch out and sample other lines.  Carnival is the first that I would try. Maybe Princess for their Alaskan itinerary.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

5 minutes ago, Sitzmark said:

They will sell to you without batting an eye regardless of your intoxication.  I saw people having trouble standing at the bar being served.  

Sadly that is true. Those same (often loud, obnoxious, and sometimes arrogant) passengers could care less about anyone except themselves. It's the price we all have to pay for some folks accepting the purchase of alcoholic beverage packages and working hard to make sure "they get their money's worth".  😨

 

Let's just hope that Royal Caribbean never turns into the crazy drunken party boats they have with Carnival.

Edited March 5, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[HBE4]

11 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

It's only for alcohol, they do include soda, water, sports drinks, specialty coffee in their package that don't count toward the limit.

 

Thank you. I guess it would be silly for them to cut you off from bottled water after 15! 😉

[HBE4]

8 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Sadly that is true. Those same (often loud, obnoxious, and sometimes arrogant) passengers could care less about anyone except themselves. It's the price we all have to pay for some folks accepting the purchase of alcoholic beverage packages and working hard to make sure "they get their money's worth".  😨

 

Let's just hope that Royal Caribbean never turns into the crazy drunken party boats they have with Carnival.

 

Fortunately, I've seen very few out of control drunks on Royal.  Perhaps b/c I sail during the off-season so it's a more tame crowd.

 

And honestly, I don't understand why someone would drink to the point of passing out. I enjoy my drinks and will get maximum value from the drink package but I also know my limits.  While I may overindulge at home, when I'm spending thousands of dollars to sail to some exotic location that I might not return to, I want to enjoy and remember every minute and prefer to not wake up feeling like the ship ran over me. 

 

Plus, DW makes sure I will not embarrass myself in front of others. 😃

 

Anyway, back to the original topic, since Royal did not follow Carnivals lead when imposing the 15 drink limit, maybe they will not follow their lead with charging for a 2nd entree (should that become permanent policy)

 

 

 

 

[Sitzmark]

12 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Sadly that is true. Those same (often loud, obnoxious, and sometimes arrogant) passengers could care less about anyone except themselves. It's the price we all have to pay for some folks accepting the purchase of alcoholic beverage packages and working hard to make sure "they get their money's worth".  😨

 

Let's just hope that Royal Caribbean never turns into the crazy drunken party boats they have with Carnival.

 

I guess I am still not being clear.  The folks on Carnival with no package are the ones that are unlimited.  They are not working hard to get their moneys worth, they are just working hard on getting drunk.

 

As to charging for a second entree, it seems a little silly.  Are they going to prevent someone from eating at the MDR and then going to the buffet?  I don't order two entrees, I can't eat that much of the food they serve but I doubt it will stop wasted food.

[The Fun Researcher]

Didn't read the 10 pages, but just wanted to add that this is really dumb if RCCL decides to do something similar.  Don't do it RCCL!

 

Multiple entrees have been a cruise staple for decades.  It's one of those special excesses that goes along with a cruise.  Build it into the cost as they've always done.  Simple as that.  So many things are wasteful on a cruise, it's part of being on vacation, and we pay accordingly.  Let's not single this one out.

 

I don't think I've ever ordered more than one entree, but I want the option to, if I felt like it.  I do know those who do it regularly though, and they would be sorely disappointed to see that change.

 

Dan

[CRUISEFAN0001]

14 minutes ago, Sitzmark said:

 

I guess I am still not being clear.  The folks on Carnival with no package are the ones that are unlimited.  They are not working hard to get their moneys worth, they are just working hard on getting drunk.

We all understood that...on Royal you have to pay to duplicate that experience.

[Sitzmark]

7 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

We all understood that...on Royal you have to pay to duplicate that experience.

huh?  Royal has no limit, costs less, I don't understand your point.

[parrotfeathers]

Although I don't cruise multiple times a year, I've seen little abuse in the main dining room.  I've had waiters bring me something extra they thought I may be interested in with my initial order.  The only real excessive ordering I've seen is on lobster night when for some men it becomes a challenge to see how many tails they can consume.   But it always seemed very entertaining to others at the table.

 

Someone on the HAL forum said something about pork belly being a strange entree.  It's not something I would serve at home even though I am from the Deep South (but I don't serve duck either).   But I'd have to agree on a cruise line it is a strange entree.  But they even had it in Wonderland.

[nelblu]

7 minutes ago, parrotfeathers said:

Although I don't cruise multiple times a year, I've seen little abuse in the main dining room.  I've had waiters bring me something extra they thought I may be interested in with my initial order.  The only real excessive ordering I've seen is on lobster night when for some men it becomes a challenge to see how many tails they can consume.   But it always seemed very entertaining to others at the table.

 

Someone on the HAL forum said something about pork belly being a strange entree.  It's not something I would serve at home even though I am from the Deep South (but I don't serve duck either).   But I'd have to agree on a cruise line it is a strange entree.  But they even had it in Wonderland.

 

I believe the pork belly or some sort of bacon is an appetizer in Chop's.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

12 minutes ago, Sitzmark said:

huh?  Royal has no limit, costs less, I don't understand your point.

You have to pay to for alcohol and therefore to get thoroughly intoxicated.

[steveru621]

3 hours ago, nelblu said:

 

That is why US airline companies are rated some of the worst in the world.  I could not believe the difference when we took a connecting flight to Barcelona that wine/beer was been served, gratis.  It also included snacks, etc.

 

Almost all US airlines offer the same free beverages.  They just don't advertise it.

[Sitzmark]

2 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

You have to pay to for alcohol and therefore to get thoroughly intoxicated.

Yes, that is true on Carnival also.  Except that the only way to do it unlimited there is to pay for each and every drink.  Therefore it is cheaper to do so on Royal with a package.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

1 minute ago, Sitzmark said:

Yes, that is true on Carnival also.  Except that the only way to do it unlimited there is to pay for each and every drink.  Therefore it is cheaper to do so on Royal with a package.

On Carnival the drinks and packages are cheaper, so the mission many have on that cruise line to get to a drunken stupor is common and more easily achieved. On Royal, it'll cost ya more to get equally loaded (thank goodness for the rest of us).

 

We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread topic. 

 

As for a second entree...it is quite common to see some folks order one and get it. Like other practices on Royal, once it gets abused, expect changes in policy/practices. Right now, it's mostly redistribution of planned food inventory. If/when it gets out of hand where more food inventories need to be ordered per cruise...costing RCI more money...look for things to change.

[orville99]

16 minutes ago, nelblu said:

 

I believe the pork belly or some sort of bacon is an appetizer in Chop's.

What they are serving is Pancetta (Italian-cured pork belly), and while it comes from the same part of the pig as bacon it is cured and served quite differently than bacon.

[sparks1093]

7 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

On Carnival the drinks and packages are cheaper, so the mission many have on that cruise line to get to a drunken stupor is common and more easily achieved. On Royal, it'll cost ya more to get equally loaded (thank goodness for the rest of us).

 

We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread topic. 

 

As for a second entree...it is quite common to see some folks order one and get it. Like other practices on Royal, once it gets abused, expect changes in policy/practices. Right now, it's mostly redistribution of planned food inventory. If/when it gets out of hand where more food inventories need to be ordered per cruise...costing RCI more money...look for things to change.

The base price for the drink package is cheaper, but with all of the sales that Royal has it's possible to get the package for less than what CCL charges. We locked in at $46 a person.

[Sitzmark]

2 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

On Carnival the drinks and packages are cheaper, so the mission many have on that cruise line to get to a drunken stupor is common and more easily achieved. On Royal, it'll cost ya more to get equally loaded (thank goodness for the rest of us).

 

We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread topic. 

 

As for a second entree...it is quite common to see some folks order one and get it. Like other practices on Royal, once it gets abused, expect changes in policy/practices. Right now, it's mostly redistribution of planned food inventory. If/when it gets out of hand where more food inventories need to be ordered per cruise...costing RCI more money...look for things to change.

I disagree, the drink package on Carnival is I believe 51.95 per day.  The cost on our Harmony Cruise is 52 dollars, while technically this is 5 cents a day more, I doubt very much that it is a significant enough difference to discourage anyone.  I'm not sure what the cost of the individual drinks are on either line, but I doubt there is enough of a difference to be significant.  In any case, someone spending 52 dollars a day for the package on Royal Caribbean is almost certainly paying less than someone paying per beverage on Carnival and getting fall down drunk in the process.

 

The reason for fewer incidents of extreme drunkenness on Royal must lie somewhere other than these policies.

 

I've never understood the practice of ordering multiple entrees, but I don't much care what others do.  If they charge extra for a second entree, will that drive up attendance at the buffet?  If they push people to the buffet, what will that mean for the quality in the dining room?

 

 

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Alcohol is one of the biggest revenue producers on the ship.  With markups of around 300%-500%, it's  impossible for a cruise line to lose money.  Plus, I see very few unfinished drinks thrown away at the end of the day.

 

These all got pitched

 

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, Balsam12 said:

Interesting thoughts... I don't like it anytime a company starts charging for something that was previously included.

 

The flipside to that is that if it's something that doesn't affect me, it helps keeps prices down on things that do affect me.

 

If charging people for ordering two main courses means they can keep the cost of the beverage package down, I'm all in favour. Unfortunately, the next person might be a non-drinker that loves their food, so they would say the exact opposite.

 

Old saying... You can't please all the people all the time. I'm sure that budgeting for a cruise ship is a pretty big job. Many years in hospitality have also taught me that trying to balance budgets with service standards is very tricky.

You really think that adding this charge in the MDR is going to affect the cost of the drink package in any way? RCI will continue to charge as much on the drink packages as they can to meet their profit goals for that department. It is completely unrelated to any new charge that may be introduced somewhere else. 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

4 minutes ago, Sitzmark said:

I disagree, the drink package on Carnival is I believe 51.95 per day.  The cost on our Harmony Cruise is 52 dollars, while technically this is 5 cents a day more, I doubt very much that it is a significant enough difference to discourage anyone. 

Not to belabor that off-topic point...but how much would the average passenger need to consume to "get their money's worth? 

 

No answer required. We've seen plenty of real-world answers via views of people "getting their money's worth". Some wear it as a badge of honor. Maybe they should double the price to discourage excess.

 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

You really think that adding this charge in the MDR is going to affect the cost of the drink package in any way? RCI will continue to charge as much on the drink packages as they can to meet their profit goals for that department. It is completely unrelated to any new charge that may be introduced somewhere else. 

Indeed.  The drink packages are a profit center for Royal. The MDR costs are an operating expense.

[The Fun Researcher]

Not really sure how this discussion got so skewed to the drink package, and drink cost.  There is very little correlation between the drink package and MDR entree cost IMO. 

 

• Beverage
• Food

Two different animals.

Dan