Royal's Dynamic Pricing Policy Is An Absolute Joke

[S.A.M.J.R.]

10 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

And I know what the costs are for all of my peripheral spending on every line I cruise on besides RCI.  Have better things to do than have to keep checking for "sales".

So don't. 

A) No one forces you to purchase anything "extra".

B) If you feel you MUST purchase something extra, look once and decide if the price listed is a good value to you.  If so, buy it.  If not, don't.  You don't have to look again.

 

Personally, if the price of something I want is too high at the time I look, I'd rather there be a chance of it going lower.  I've been stalking air fare for a trip in July.  Hasn't gotten low enough yet, so I keep looking. 

Edited December 10, 2021 by S.A.M.J.R.

[SRF]

On 12/9/2021 at 9:25 PM, SNJCruisers said:

And I know what the costs are for all of my peripheral spending on every line I cruise on besides RCI.  Have better things to do than have to keep checking for "sales".

 

Then go to the section for the cruise line you cruise on and be a cheerleader.

 

And let others go over there and denigrate you over your cheerleading.

 

People here LIKE RCL and are fine with how they operate.  And many DO understand how they price.

 

If you don't like it, DON'T CRUISE ON THEM.

 

 

[SNJCruisers]

10 hours ago, SRF said:

 

Then go to the section for the cruise line you cruise on and be a cheerleader.

 

And let others go over there and denigrate you over your cheerleading.

 

People here LIKE RCL and are fine with how they operate.  And many DO understand how they price.

 

If you don't like it, DON'T CRUISE ON THEM.

 

 

I don't put all of my eggs in one basket when it comes to deciding which cruise line to cruise on. And I have never been a cheerleader for any particular line, unlike many on this board who have blinders on, which I realize is their prerogative.

 

On the rare occasion I decide to cruise on RCI, I will make a decision as to whether the drink package is a good value to me or not.  Since they seem to be topping out at 30% discount, I will take a pass at 74 bucks a day after gratuity and settle for the refreshment package at 20 including gratuities.

 

And having had the CocoCay Beach Club in the past at 65, it will be a hard pass with the Cyber Monday 99.50 sale price.

[Coralc]

I hope if enough people don't buy the drink package, the price will go down as it gets closer to our sailing. 

[wallyboag]

Listen, you all are going to say I am complaining for nothing, but I still think that their pricing of beverage packages is completely stupid and aggravating and not customer friendly.

 

I booked my beverage package during a sale a couple of months ago not long after booking the cruise. The prices was $64 a night at the time. I have logged in a few times to look at shore excursions etc when a "sale" email comes through, and the price ALWAYS was listed as $69. Hmmm. I guess I got an "OK" deal when it was on sale for $64, eh? Still more expensive than other cruise lines, but it is what it is.

 

Just last week I saw one that said "Buy one get one 50% off!" that sounded like a good deal to me! The price listed was $69, so I assumed it was buy one at $69 a night, get one at $34.50. Wouldn't anyone make that assumption? So I canceled my package at $64 a night and went to re-book. Once I added the package to my cart, the next screen said "This ($69) price already reflects your 25% discount per person." So wait a second... The raised the price to $92 so that they could then discount it back to the price that it was already on sale for? That is absolutely ridiculous.

 

At this point I am done with this. I left my package "cancelled." I will drink less on the cruise than I would with the package. I'm sure RCI won't cry about the lost revenue from me, but that is fine. I wanted to give them a shot, but I haven't even set foot on the ship and I already have my doubts because of this bait and switch pricing.

[firefly333]

Lol and now royal up has sales. 50% off, 25% off to bid for a chance to upgrade. 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, wallyboag said:

I still think that their pricing of beverage packages is completely stupid and aggravating and not customer friendly.

There’s your issue, don’t assume RCI is doing anything to make your life easier. 

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

There’s your issue, don’t assume RCI is doing anything to make your life easier. 

True, what RCI does is to increase the monies that go into their coffers by whichever means necessary.

[SRF]

You obviously did not read the page carefully.  It is actually stated on the page.

 

Remember, NO BUSINESS is in business to make your life easier and for you to pay less for their product and services.  They are in business to make money.

 

They do not answer to you, the customer, they answer to their stock holders.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

14 hours ago, wallyboag said:

Listen, you all are going to say I am complaining for nothing, but I still think that their pricing of beverage packages is completely stupid and aggravating and not customer friendly.

 

I booked my beverage package during a sale a couple of months ago not long after booking the cruise. The prices was $64 a night at the time. I have logged in a few times to look at shore excursions etc when a "sale" email comes through, and the price ALWAYS was listed as $69. Hmmm. I guess I got an "OK" deal when it was on sale for $64, eh? Still more expensive than other cruise lines, but it is what it is.

 

Just last week I saw one that said "Buy one get one 50% off!" that sounded like a good deal to me! The price listed was $69, so I assumed it was buy one at $69 a night, get one at $34.50. Wouldn't anyone make that assumption? So I canceled my package at $64 a night and went to re-book. Once I added the package to my cart, the next screen said "This ($69) price already reflects your 25% discount per person." So wait a second... The raised the price to $92 so that they could then discount it back to the price that it was already on sale for? That is absolutely ridiculous.

 

At this point I am done with this. I left my package "cancelled." I will drink less on the cruise than I would with the package. I'm sure RCI won't cry about the lost revenue from me, but that is fine. I wanted to give them a shot, but I haven't even set foot on the ship and I already have my doubts because of this bait and switch pricing.

Regarding the section I bolded, yes, that's what they (RCI) WANTS you to do.  They want you to ASSUME you're getting a "deal".  However, you know what happens when you assume anything right?  

 

Your mistake was cancelling your $64 package before going through all the steps for the BOGO50%O deal.  Then you would have realized their "sale" really isn't one.  

 

Here's a life lesson for you... EVERY company is in business to make money.  If they can do so by having customers make false assumptions (it's not "bait and switch", that's illegal), that's what they'll do. 

 

Ever seen a television ad for a car?  You see all of that "fine print" that gives the details about the car they're showing you versus what the price they show you covers?  Same thing. 

[Rogueperson]

This dynamic pricing is code for "if we can make more money off of you by raising the price, we will".  Royal Caribbean's "sales" terms are a joke.  buy 1 get 1 free, buy 1, get 1 50% off, even the "kids sale free" is not exactly what you think it means.  The "base" price is a moving target so those sales term can mean anything.

You see something that says "50% off 2nd person" and then "55/person", then what you're really seeing is 1st person is really 70 bucks and the 2nd is 40 (or something like that) which comes to 55/person.  (its not exact math, but you get the gist).  Or kids sail free, but the price per person is way higher than you expect, but your kids sail free, but you end up paying almost the same.  I've seen Voom surf and stream go on sale for 30% off.  However, 30% off can mean the price of Voom between 8.99/day to 15.49/day.  All of it, 30% off.  Also, if you think about it, buy 1, get 1 at 50%...is technically a flat savings of 25% off (based on 2)

The real trick to this, is to compare bottom line price.  If one is less than the other, than you're getting a deal.  If its not, then its not a deal and move on.

[Husky1987]

I love it when amateur lawyers cry "bait and switch" when all it take is a little bit of reading comprehension to realize when a company changes its "sale" terms.

 

Sometimes when I go to Safeway, Cap'n Crunch is on "sale" for $2.99 a box.  Then later it's on "sale" for $2.49 a box.  Then later it's on "sale" for buy one at $4.29, get one half off.  

 

As others have said on CC a thousand times, just look at the bottom line price and buy when you're comfortable.  That goes for the cruise itself, drink packages, dining.  Amazingly enough, it also applies to just about anything else in life.  

[wallyboag]

2 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Regarding the section I bolded, yes, that's what they (RCI) WANTS you to do.  They want you to ASSUME you're getting a "deal".  However, you know what happens when you assume anything right?  

 

Your mistake was cancelling your $64 package before going through all the steps for the BOGO50%O deal.  Then you would have realized their "sale" really isn't one.  

 

Here's a life lesson for you... EVERY company is in business to make money.  If they can do so by having customers make false assumptions (it's not "bait and switch", that's illegal), that's what they'll do. 

 

Ever seen a television ad for a car?  You see all of that "fine print" that gives the details about the car they're showing you versus what the price they show you covers?  Same thing. 

1. There is no way to "go through all the steps" without cancelling the original purchase. When I clicked on the package detail, it did not give me any pricing. It just said "You have already purchased this package." Shady!

 

2. Thanks for the "life lesson" but I already know how business works. Yes, every business is there to make money, however most businesses do it ethically and fairly to both them and their customers. In fact, Royal Caribbean is the only cruise company I know of that uses these disingenuous dynamic pricing tactics. This is not every company. This is just Royal.

 

3. I am so happy that you think preparing for a cruise with Royal is tatamount to buying a new car. Just the fun type of experience I want when planning a vacation!

 

Why is it so hard for people to admit that this practice is shady and not customer friendly?

[wallyboag]

50 minutes ago, Husky1987 said:

I love it when amateur lawyers cry "bait and switch" when all it take is a little bit of reading comprehension to realize when a company changes its "sale" terms.

 

Sometimes when I go to Safeway, Cap'n Crunch is on "sale" for $2.99 a box.  Then later it's on "sale" for $2.49 a box.  Then later it's on "sale" for buy one at $4.29, get one half off.  

 

As others have said on CC a thousand times, just look at the bottom line price and buy when you're comfortable.  That goes for the cruise itself, drink packages, dining.  Amazingly enough, it also applies to just about anything else in life.  

 

What did I read incorrectly? The advertisement said "Buy one get one 50% off." The price next to this "Buy One Get One 50% Off" banner said "$69.00 per person per night." It never said that the $69 price reflected the discounted price until AFTER I cancelled my previous order so that I could add the package to my cart. I could not add the package to my cart to see the words "Price shown reflects the discount" until I cancelled my previous order.

 

That is bait and switch!

[mom2tcdx2]

I have to say I find the pricing on Royal to be something that would keep me from booking them more often.  It is hard on many to  not really know what pricing you could even budget things to cost, when you can't tell a sailings pricing for extras until after you book.  

 

There is quite a difference in booking one sailing and the drink package be $45 a day for instance, then booking another that is $65 a day.  And you don't know this until after you book - not before.  There really isn't a reason that their packages shouldn't have set pricing, except for their crazy whims of changing it all the time.  I hate their so called sales, that are more expensive than the previous posted price.  Same with dining packages, I have bought for $129 the unlimited package, and then had it be $197 on another (same class ship).  

 

Though my guess is most of those loyal to Royal would probably say if we have to budget our expenses then we probably aren't the type of customer Royal wants?  But sadly my money isn't unlimited and it is nice to know ahead of time what I will be spending.  Hard to price compare across all lines, when Royal hides the pricing until after you book.  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

35 minutes ago, wallyboag said:

1. There is no way to "go through all the steps" without cancelling the original purchase. When I clicked on the package detail, it did not give me any pricing. It just said "You have already purchased this package." Shady!

 

2. Thanks for the "life lesson" but I already know how business works. Yes, every business is there to make money, however most businesses do it ethically and fairly to both them and their customers. In fact, Royal Caribbean is the only cruise company I know of that uses these disingenuous dynamic pricing tactics. This is not every company. This is just Royal.

 

3. I am so happy that you think preparing for a cruise with Royal is tatamount to buying a new car. Just the fun type of experience I want when planning a vacation!

 

Why is it so hard for people to admit that this practice is shady and not customer friendly?

I readily agree it's not "customer friendly".  As far as "shady", it's on the line, don't know if it crosses.  However, "bait and switch" is ILLEGAL.  This is not bait and switch nor false advertising (also illegal).  

 

The home page of Royal is advertising $550 off PLUS 30% off all guests.  Hey, sounds great, right?  So I go through to see how much I can save on my cruise, should be at least 30%, right?  Nope.  Cost is nearly doubled.  I guess I should claim false advertising?  

 

Ever go to a store that has a "going out of business" sale?  I remember one store would have one of those multiple years in a row.  How about the "Everything must go!  Up to 70% off!"  Funny, every time I've explored those, the prices are pretty much around their normal level.

 

If you don't like the way a company does business, DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.  Pretty simple.  Yes, (almost) everyone will get online and complain. 

[LGW59]

54 minutes ago, wallyboag said:

1. There is no way to "go through all the steps" without cancelling the original purchase. When I clicked on the package detail, it did not give me any pricing. It just said "You have already purchased this package." Shady!

 

2. Thanks for the "life lesson" but I already know how business works. Yes, every business is there to make money, however most businesses do it ethically and fairly to both them and their customers. In fact, Royal Caribbean is the only cruise company I know of that uses these disingenuous dynamic pricing tactics. This is not every company. This is just Royal.

 

3. I am so happy that you think preparing for a cruise with Royal is tatamount to buying a new car. Just the fun type of experience I want when planning a vacation!

 

Why is it so hard for people to admit that this practice is shady and not customer friendly?

It's not only on Royal, check out Celebrity/NCL/Oceania boards...some there feel as you do.

[grandgeezer]

4 hours ago, SRF said:

You obviously did not read the page carefully.  It is actually stated on the page.

 

Remember, NO BUSINESS is in business to make your life easier and for you to pay less for their product and services.  They are in business to make money.

 

They do not answer to you, the customer, they answer to their stock holders.

They are motivated by greed and nothing else. Check the compensation packages for the executive board. In 2019 Fain got a cash bonus of over $4 million, which was a record year. He also got $12 million in stock options. In 2020, the year the pandemic started, he got no cash bonus but he still got $12 million in stock options though the company lost billions of dollars. 2021 numbers aren’t out yet, but because they lost less money than the year before, the free money will be flowing again.

[Rogueperson]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

They are motivated by greed and nothing else. Check the compensation packages for the executive board. In 2019 Fain got a cash bonus of over $4 million, which was a record year. He also got $12 million in stock options. In 2020, the year the pandemic started, he got no cash bonus but he still got $12 million in stock options though the company lost billions of dollars. 2021 numbers aren’t out yet, but because they lost less money than the year before, the free money will be flowing again.

Greed is part of it, but its also anger that they actually have a product you want, but do not want to pay that price for.  That product is alcohol.  Regardless of whether or not you have a drink package, its expensive to drink on a cruise ship.  Have you seen the spa prices?  Those are insane too, however, we don't see much discussion on it because it doesn't affect nearly as many people as alcohol does.

However way you want to look at it, Alcohol is a huge money maker and its going to be expensive.  Case in point, on my last cruise, I found myself orering a glass of wine with dinner.  This is something I do not do often, but because of my diamond status, I have 4 drinks a day, which to me, is my drink package.  I'm hard pressed to drink four drinks/day.  So i'm looking at the wine list clueless at what to get, until I actually see a wine that i'm familiar with.  Its the Conundrum (i assume the white blend).  The diamond benefit, like the drink package has a max value of $13.00, so anything over it, I would have to pay.  The Conundrum by the glass, was $16.00.  I did not order that wine because i didn't want to pay extra, but I also know that the whole bottle by itself, were i to buy it at home...is $16.00.  They wanted $61.00 for the bottle!!!

Royal is gonna make money on alcohol one way or another.  The question really is what is the value to you for alcohol.  

[wallyboag]

46 minutes ago, Rogueperson said:

However way you want to look at it, Alcohol is a huge money maker and its going to be expensive.  Case in point, on my last cruise, I found myself orering a glass of wine with dinner.  This is something I do not do often, but because of my diamond status, I have 4 drinks a day, which to me, is my drink package.  I'm hard pressed to drink four drinks/day.  So i'm looking at the wine list clueless at what to get, until I actually see a wine that i'm familiar with.  Its the Conundrum (i assume the white blend).  The diamond benefit, like the drink package has a max value of $13.00, so anything over it, I would have to pay.  The Conundrum by the glass, was $16.00.  I did not order that wine because i didn't want to pay extra, but I also know that the whole bottle by itself, were i to buy it at home...is $16.00.  They wanted $61.00 for the bottle!!!

 

 

I don't have issue with them pricing something to make a profit. It is a business. What I have an issue with is say you go to the dining room on Day 1 and the Conundrum is listed at $16 a glass. Too much you say so you don't buy it.

 

Then on day 2 you go to the dining room and the conundrum is listed at 50% off, but the price of the glass was raised to $40 and now the glass is $20. That is not a sale, that is a lie.

 

Then on day 3 you go in and it says "Special on Conundrum! By one get one for 50% off! But the price of a glass is now $32, so the real price is $24 a glass.

 

What they have actually done is raised the price of the glass each night while claiming that it is on sale. That is what I have an issue with. Pick a price and stick with it. Stop with the price raises disguised as "Sales."

[Rogueperson]

2 minutes ago, wallyboag said:

 

I don't have issue with them pricing something to make a profit. It is a business. What I have an issue with is say you go to the dining room on Day 1 and the Conundrum is listed at $16 a glass. Too much you say so you don't buy it.

 

Then on day 2 you go to the dining room and the conundrum is listed at 50% off, but the price of the glass was raised to $40 and now the glass is $20. That is not a sale, that is a lie.

 

Then on day 3 you go in and it says "Special on Conundrum! By one get one for 50% off! But the price of a glass is now $32, so the real price is $24 a glass.

 

What they have actually done is raised the price of the glass each night while claiming that it is on sale. That is what I have an issue with. Pick a price and stick with it. Stop with the price raises disguised as "Sales."

 

True.  But they've been doing this for as long as I've been cruising to the point that it means nothing to me now. 

You know how I see it.  On day 1, its 16 dollars.  too expensive.  On day 2, its 20 dollars.  Ha, you raised the prices, i still won't get it.  On day 3, its 24 dollars, what're you nuts, you raised the price again, i still won't get it.  There's no point in getting angry that they're repackaging the cost to make it appear attractive.  Its still a price increase.

The end result, I never bought that glass of Conundrum.  You can get angry at the marketing advertisement, which is just that, advertising. 

Shoot, they do this with cruise fares all the time too.  No two cruises are exactly the same price either.  Those go up and down according to demand and then they throw 30% off, buy one get one 50%, kids sail free, and the cost of the cruise rarely moves in conjunction with those sales.  Most times, those sales raise the price of the cruise, I've found.

Royal is not the only one that does this.  Most retail do this.  The only way to counter it is to do your own research.  Hence, why i didn't get a glass of Conundrum.

[gmerick]

When the price is confusing, or the research is difficult, or when reassurance is needed on whether a deal is the best one possible, GET A TRAVEL AGENT.  I like independence, doing my own comparisons, evaluating what options are worth paying for.  I don't second guess myself, I don't dwell on regrets.  I book directly for my cruise, and independently book shore experiences.  When I'm vacationing, I fully enjoy the present, and never thing of what might have been.  For some reason, 3 months after I get home, I'm always thinking "What a wonderful vacation".  At that point I'm once again wasting time on wondering where can I go next.  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

43 minutes ago, wallyboag said:

 

I don't have issue with them pricing something to make a profit. It is a business. What I have an issue with is say you go to the dining room on Day 1 and the Conundrum is listed at $16 a glass. Too much you say so you don't buy it.

 

Then on day 2 you go to the dining room and the conundrum is listed at 50% off, but the price of the glass was raised to $40 and now the glass is $20. That is not a sale, that is a lie.

 

Then on day 3 you go in and it says "Special on Conundrum! By one get one for 50% off! But the price of a glass is now $32, so the real price is $24 a glass.

 

What they have actually done is raised the price of the glass each night while claiming that it is on sale. That is what I have an issue with. Pick a price and stick with it. Stop with the price raises disguised as "Sales."

You want a business to pick just a single price and stick with it for a product.  Let's go with that for a moment... for how long?  If they set their single drink of Conundrum at $16, how long does it need to stay at $16?  A week? A month? A year? A decade?  

 

If they up the "base" price, then list it for 50% off, it IS a "sale".  It's sale on the new price.  Now, you may not like it and it apparently gets you upset, but JC Penny does the same thing.  Everything is always "on sale".  A couple years ago the company said "we're just going to post real prices and do away with the 'sales'".  So, even though the end cost didn't change, their business dropped.  Customers actually WANTED the fake "sales".  So they brought them back.

 

It's all marketing. 

[mom2tcdx2]

38 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

You want a business to pick just a single price and stick with it for a product.  Let's go with that for a moment... for how long?  If they set their single drink of Conundrum at $16, how long does it need to stay at $16?  A week? A month? A year? A decade?  

 

If they up the "base" price, then list it for 50% off, it IS a "sale".  It's sale on the new price.  Now, you may not like it and it apparently gets you upset, but JC Penny does the same thing.  Everything is always "on sale".  A couple years ago the company said "we're just going to post real prices and do away with the 'sales'".  So, even though the end cost didn't change, their business dropped.  Customers actually WANTED the fake "sales".  So they brought them back.

 

It's all marketing. 

 Carnival has had their drink package at $51.95 per person per day for years, I booked a cruise in May 2017 and Aug, Dec 2021 and the packages were the same cost.  The problem with Royal is they practically change it weekly, if not often daily.  Which makes knowing your final cost with them quite hard to determine.  

 

And the suggestion of a TA, they can't help in that regard either, as they aren't going to know the cost of those things either.  Royal makes it very hard to book them upfront as you can't compare total prices.  When booking a cruise and looking at the bottom line when booking, you absolutely can not do that with Royal.  So unless for instance where I got a balcony for 2 on the Anthem for $1000, I already figured in the drink package being between 50-60, and hoping that it would be.  But for the most part it's rather hard to know how much overall your cruise will cost you when you book it.  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

15 hours ago, mom2tcdx2 said:

 Carnival has had their drink package at $51.95 per person per day for years, I booked a cruise in May 2017 and Aug, Dec 2021 and the packages were the same cost.  The problem with Royal is they practically change it weekly, if not often daily.  Which makes knowing your final cost with them quite hard to determine.  

 

And the suggestion of a TA, they can't help in that regard either, as they aren't going to know the cost of those things either.  Royal makes it very hard to book them upfront as you can't compare total prices.  When booking a cruise and looking at the bottom line when booking, you absolutely can not do that with Royal.  So unless for instance where I got a balcony for 2 on the Anthem for $1000, I already figured in the drink package being between 50-60, and hoping that it would be.  But for the most part it's rather hard to know how much overall your cruise will cost you when you book it.  

Don't disagree with you one bit.  That's definitely an inconvenience to the customer.  BUT, it's not "bait and switch" nor "false advertising", both of which PP accused them of and both of which are illegal. 

 

It is definitely something a customer should consider before doing business with them.  Royal has no need to change their practice because they're still getting people to buy AND (presumably) they're maximizing their profits.