Specialty Restaurant Pricing Out Of Control

[BirdTravels]

22 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Who is "the competitor"? 

It's printed on the menu, if you looked at it. Brown box. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Goodtimes57]

The good news, none of you have to eat at any Specialty Restaurant. 

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, bigeagle12 said:

And Guy’s burgers, Blue Iguana, and Pizza 🙂

The problem with discussing food is food taste is so subjective. For example, I think Johnny Rockets is way better than Guys, Blue Iguana is better than El Loco Fresh, and the pizza at Sorrento’s is slightly better. But my opinion is just that, an opinion. 

[Mikew0805]

On 9/5/2022 at 1:15 PM, rudeney said:

 

I totally agree!  I don't really have high standards, but there are places I avoid because their food is either not very good to me.  For example, I cannot stand Applebee's.  I call it "boiler bag" food.  They don't prepare many things fresh (the tell-tale sign of this is when you can't order a dish without an ingredient).  Not only that, most of their food is loaded with empty carbs, and the scarce meat is either horribly overcooked or very poor, tough cuts. 

 

I think you are being extremely nice about Applebees. That place is absolutely disgusting. 

[Mikew0805]

2 hours ago, bigeagle12 said:

And Guy’s burgers, Blue Iguana, and Pizza 🙂

100%

 

Also, Ji Ji Asian kitchen, Big Chicken, and pretty much everything that is included outside the dining room. I love Royal Caribbean, but CCL's food is far better! IMO.

 

 

[Spif Barwunkel]

On 9/4/2022 at 6:13 AM, twangster said:

We only have our fellow cruisers to blame.  If no one buys it at the new price they'll lower the price.  

You got me there, twangster, and I gladly accept my share of the blame. But I also am very happy that the "new" price keeps more of the financially challenged out. Heck, they would be paying $10.00pp including tip and still find something to complain about. You know I'm right...right. Thanks to some of our fellow cruisers, specialty dining can be a very enjoyable evening because they don't pay the "new" price.  

[Husky1987]

41 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

the pizza at Sorrento’s is slightly better.

 

Food is subjective...I suppose there's always going to be someone who thinks Domino's is better than Patsy's.

[HSDerm348]

Most of the 3 night dining packages I’ve seen have been on sale for $102.  That makes it about $34/dinner.  Much closer to the $20/dinner people are citing…..   I wouldn’t pay full price for these dinners anymore either - but the packages can still provide some value.

[nferr]

On 9/4/2022 at 8:13 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

While their logic may be flawed their numbers aren't.  On average cruise lines spend between $10 and $15 per passenger per day for food.  That information comes from publicly available financial statements.

 Food meaning what? The cost of the food alone? Is labor added in etc.? The specialty restaurants also take up space, there's more attentive service (more labor), generally the food is a good step better IMO. 

I do agree they're simply going to charge what the market will bear. To me the deal is to at least get the three dinner package which works out to $34 a dinner. In February on Anthem I got the UDP for $233 for an 11 night cruise with six sea days plus embarkation lunch and that price included gratuity. Looks like pricing has gone up a lot in seven months, the DBP was $50 a day. I'm cruising Anthem again in November and the DBP is $67 on sale, the UDP is $202 for seven days and I don't know if that includes gratuities. I'm passing on both since I hit Diamond after last cruise, got 44 points for that cruise as a solo.

[nferr]

On 9/6/2022 at 9:05 PM, BirdTravels said:

By comparison, the competitor's steakhouse is a la carte (prices + 20% gratuity). If you order a steak, you get a steak. Want a potato,,, $8. Want some spinach,,, $8. 

 

 

 A little misleading. Almost everybody is on Free at Sea, so all you pay is a $10 gratuity. Of course they've cut the number of included free specialty meals way back this year. You'd have to be a complete idiot to pay those ala carte prices. At least buy a package.

[Ourusualbeach]

26 minutes ago, nferr said:

 Food meaning what? The cost of the food alone? Is labor added in etc.? The specialty restaurants also take up space, there's more attentive service (more labor), generally the food is a good step better IMO. 

I do agree they're simply going to charge what the market will bear. To me the deal is to at least get the three dinner package which works out to $34 a dinner. In February on Anthem I got the UDP for $233 for an 11 night cruise with six sea days plus embarkation lunch and that price included gratuity. Looks like pricing has gone up a lot in seven months, the DBP was $50 a day. I'm cruising Anthem again in November and the DBP is $67 on sale, the UDP is $202 for seven days and I don't know if that includes gratuities. I'm passing on both since I hit Diamond after last cruise, got 44 points for that cruise as a solo.

Just the cost of the food 

[Morecruisesplz]

On 9/6/2022 at 10:05 PM, philpcruiser said:

Unfortunately, you are correct.  Until there is no line at the door, they'll continue to raise prices.

Yes, they proved that with suite pricing. Some are happy to pay the price and not complain. 

[3kidsncats]

Makes me glad that we had already decided (without having looked at current pricing) that we would not opt to do specialty dining on our upcoming quick local cruise (3 night out of LA for belated husband’s birthday trip).  We did the unlimited package on our last cruise — a 12 night on Anthem and truly got the specialty restaurants out of our system.  Between being Diamond now and having the drink vouchers, coffee machine and snacks in the lounge (we enjoyed our experience in the SL, so assuming DL is similar) and it being such a short cruise, we figure we will stick with a full on low budget quick getaway.  I do think I will be bidding on, or outright upgrading us from an interior to a balcony though, lol

[drjohn4]

Royal has said that since the restart onboard spending has been much higher than pre-COVID. I think part of this is that many passengers are using FCC’s so have paid much of their cruise fare a long time ago. So it may not feel like as much of a splurge to buy a dining package. 
  Royal wants to satisfy customers, so as counterintuitive as it may seem, raising prices helps. Demand for specialty dining has increased and they can’t increase supply. So to make sure people who want specialty dining can get in, they have to reduce demand. The only tools they have for that are to raise prices or make it a terrible experience. Raising prices is the option that actually can increase satisfaction and has the side effect of also increasing revenue. 

[Ret MP]

I'm no big fan of ANY price increases or gouging.  And the cost of the Specialty Restaurants seem to be going up faster, by % year to year, than seems reasonable.  BUT, on the other hand, I've noticed that RCCL has not added a fuel surcharge to their fares.  Which would be very easy for RCCL to justify because of recent cost increases of fuel (down a very little recently but way too high, still).  Having said that, I'm wondering if it would be better to pay a fuel surcharge or the exorbitant costs of specialty restaurants, if you eat at all of them.    

[rudeney]

4 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I'm no big fan of ANY price increases or gouging.  And the cost of the Specialty Restaurants seem to be going up faster, by % year to year, than seems reasonable.  BUT, on the other hand, I've noticed that RCCL has not added a fuel surcharge to their fares.  Which would be very easy for RCCL to justify because of recent cost increases of fuel (down a very little recently but way too high, still).  Having said that, I'm wondering if it would be better to pay a fuel surcharge or the exorbitant costs of specialty restaurants, if you eat at all of them.    

 

With this model, they are basically allowing people who are willing and able to pay more be the ones to absorb the extra costs.  They can then keep fares low for the very budget-conscious cruisers.  I guess when you pay $400 for your cruise, $500 for UDP seems ridiculous.   When you pay $5,000 for your cruise, $500 for dining is not a big deal.  

[Pavovsky]

What are the prices they are charging on board for the UDP for a 7 day European cruise on WOTS. Booked very late (less than 48 hours) so cannot seem to be able to buy any of the packages. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Pavovsky

[Mum2Mercury]

On 9/4/2022 at 7:59 AM, PolicromaSol said:

Though, personally, I do also blame the tendency for some folks to make it a "must do" thing, kinda like beach cabanas and other such stuff. When it's a "must do" thing, demand and prices go up.

I think too many people have the idea that they must do something "extra" -- that going on a cruise isn't special enough without having "extras".  

On 9/4/2022 at 9:51 AM, cruiselvr04 said:

The nice thing about the specialty restaurants is they are optional.

Yeah, and it's not a place I really care to spend.  

On 9/4/2022 at 1:14 PM, BecciBoo said:

WE can barely feed ourselves on what they're charging these days.  My weekly grocery haul is triple what it was 2 years ago. I worry for folks who can't even afford burger!

Yeah, we're paying so much more for our groceries these days.  I do worry about the people who were already living on the edge /living paycheck to paycheck before all this started.  How are they getting by now?  

On 9/4/2022 at 1:20 PM, rudeney said:

So it seems I did not explain my logic as to how I arrived at the estimated price for included food.  What I did was take the cheapest cruise fare I had seen, which was a solo, interior cabin on our upcoming Voyager 7-night cruise.  I had actually priced that out because our youngest (adult child still living at home) kept whining about being left behind and my wife felt sorry for her.  So, I priced it out just to see what it would cost and it was $409 and some change.  About $160 of that was taxes and port fees, so the fare was $35 per day (sorry, not $30 as I used).  Regardless, my thought process was to guess that for the cheapest cabin, half the fare would be allocated to food and half to the room.

Your general process is sound, but I have two thoughts: 

- The cheapest of the cheap rooms might be sailing at a loss.  Why?  That is, the cruise line might be thinking it's better to fill those cheapest rooms and get some money rather than to get nothing.  

- Saying half of the cruise ticket is going to food is anyone's guess.  It's easy to factor out port taxes and fees, but how much of every passenger's ticket goes to pay for gas, Guest Services' salaries, cleaning in the public areas of the ship, etc.  

On 9/5/2022 at 9:54 AM, Ride-The-Waves said:

Dining, if you can call it that on a Royal ship, is simply sustenance.  The MDR is a total disaster with cold food and poor selections.  Specialty restaurants are horribly overpriced for what is offered, to include the ambiance (sic).  The best dinner selections may be at the buffets.  Paying extra at $70/meal is simply ludicrous and price gouging by Royal.  It is interesting that some cruisers actually believe in Royal's specially offerings.  Ugh!  We will be cruising with friends who are Royal aficionados late in 2023 and will take most of our meals in the buffet.  This November we are cruising with Oceania where special restaurants are included in the price, in addition to being a venue that offers great ambiance and service, and food.  The difference is similar to sitting in the back of airplane, "cattle car" as a former stewardess (1970) offered, or up front in first class.  Everything Royal does is "cattle car" to include over stuffing their ships with cabins/people.  NOT a vacation!

If you dislike it so much, what are you doing here?  

On 9/5/2022 at 1:15 PM, rudeney said:

I totally agree!  I don't really have high standards, but there are places I avoid because their food is either not very good to me. 

One of the things I like best about myself and my family is that we're easy to please.  We are happy at a 5-star oceanfront resort, and we are happy in a campground.  People who just can't be pleased /who find fault with everything are always miserable.  

[JKenn2]

On 9/3/2022 at 10:07 PM, bigeagle12 said:

Do they think they are Ruth’s Chris.  Chops is now $69.60/person ($58.99 plus 18% gratuity).  So not only did they raise the price but also added the gratuity which used to be included. 
 

We used to enjoy one or two nights of specialty restaurants.  But not at these prices. The food is not that good.  🙄

You should check out the 3-night package. I think you can save a few bucks that way.

[bigeagle12]

1 hour ago, JKenn2 said:

You should check out the 3-night package. I think you can save a few bucks that way.

I did .. up 47% over what I paid in February 2020.  

[E&D2004]

On 9/7/2022 at 12:53 PM, rudeney said:

 

I would agree.  I paid $245pp (inclusive of gratuity) for 7 nights.  I intend to eat in specialty restaurants at least 6 /7 nights plus we'll do a few lunches, so that puts the per-meal price around $30.  

I'm with you.  I paid $276pp (inclusive) for a 11 nights on Anthem with 5 sea days.  Potentially that's 17 meals (including lunches on Embarkation and sea days) which works out to an average of about $16 per meal. 

 

[Ret MP]

On 9/7/2022 at 3:42 PM, clskinsfan said:

The molten chocolate cake is about the only thing Carnival does better than anyone else IMO.

Agreed, I was once loyal to Carnival, but no longer.  However, fair is fair, I really liked Carnival's desserts (including the molten chocolate cake) much better than RCCL's desserts.  Of course, that is my opinion.  BUT, I really like the breads/buns/brotchen much better on RCCL.  

 

But, none of that will sway me towards Carnival ever again. 

[Cruising89143]

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

Agreed, I was once loyal to Carnival, but no longer.  However, fair is fair, I really liked Carnival's desserts (including the molten chocolate cake) much better than RCCL's desserts.  Of course, that is my opinion.  BUT, I really like the breads/buns/brotchen much better on RCCL.  

 

But, none of that will sway me towards Carnival ever again. 

When we’re you last on Carnival and why the decision to not go back? I haven’t cruised with them in 18 years but they sent me a casino deal for a free balcony stateroom so we chose to try a four night out of Long Beach in January on the Radiance. I cruised on this ship when it was six months old as the Victory. I realize that the shorter cruises are usually more of a party cruise but we’re Interested to see what has changed with the brand. He!! has truly frozen over as I thought I would never cruise Carnival again. 

[bigeagle12]

1 hour ago, cruisingator2 said:

When we’re you last on Carnival and why the decision to not go back? I haven’t cruised with them in 18 years but they sent me a casino deal for a free balcony stateroom so we chose to try a four night out of Long Beach in January on the Radiance. I cruised on this ship when it was six months old as the Victory. I realize that the shorter cruises are usually more of a party cruise but we’re Interested to see what has changed with the brand. He!! has truly frozen over as I thought I would never cruise Carnival again. 

We like to cruise all the lines.  Would not do a Carnival weekend cruise as they are pretty much all “booze” cruises.  But love to cruise their longer cruises.  Love Carnival’s food options and quality better than Royal’s. 

[Cruising89143]

8 minutes ago, bigeagle12 said:

We like to cruise all the lines.  Would not do a Carnival weekend cruise as they are pretty much all “booze” cruises.  But love to cruise their longer cruises.  Love Carnival’s food options and quality better than Royal’s. 

Then that’s something that has changed. We found the food on Carnival to be mediocre back then (MDR was good) unless you want burgers, pizza or ice cream. We booked specialty dining for all four nights. We will give them a try to see the current status of their product. We’re willing to,go,in with open minds.