Specialty Restaurant Pricing Out Of Control

[rudeney]

1 hour ago, goldfish65 said:

Yep, prices (and costs of doing business) are going up. The resort where I am employed has drastically raised prices for dining and drinking, people are paying and the place is full all the time. It doesn't make sense to fill up with bottom-feeders and have to turn away customers who will spend. 

 

The issue with inflation is that it mostly affects the people who can least afford it.  These are people who may have to decide between feeding their families or paying their car insurance (or car payment).  These are not people who stay at resorts or worry about whether they can get the reservations they want in the specialty restaurants on a cruise ship. 

 

People who gripe about the price of specialty dining and drink packages on a cruise ship are likely people who might have to decide whether they have go with the more expensive granite on the kitchen remodel, or if they choose a Caribbean cruise over Mediterranean base on airfare prices. 

[SRF]

On 9/24/2022 at 3:51 PM, lenquixote66 said:

There was no such thing as a buffet in the 1970’s .Therefore,your choice was MDR or not eating.

 

FINALLY someone gets it. 😄

 

[grandgeezer]

17 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

FINALLY someone gets it. 😄

 

The post was about the rising cost of specialty restaurants and there weren’t any in the 1970s. The reference to the buffet was to mentioned as an option to not paying the high price of the specialty restaurants, if you aren’t a fan of the MDR.

After the above post, there are apparently at least two people that don’t get it.

[bigeagle12]

1 hour ago, rudeney said:

 

The issue with inflation is that it mostly affects the people who can least afford it.  These are people who may have to decide between feeding their families or paying their car insurance (or car payment).  These are not people who stay at resorts or worry about whether they can get the reservations they want in the specialty restaurants on a cruise ship. 

 

People who gripe about the price of specialty dining and drink packages on a cruise ship are likely people who might have to decide whether they have go with the more expensive granite on the kitchen remodel, or if they choose a Caribbean cruise over Mediterranean base on airfare prices. 

LOL .. no, it is people that spend their money wisely .. and can afford to cruise whenever they want 🙂

[rudeney]

2 hours ago, bigeagle12 said:

LOL .. no, it is people that spend their money wisely .. and can afford to cruise whenever they want 🙂

 

Of course spending wisely is important and there's no sense in wasting money.  I was really responding to @goldfish65's comments about how, "It doesn't make sense to fill up with bottom-feeders and have to turn away customers who will spend."  My point was that people who are concerned about a gallon of milk costing over $5 instead of $2.89 or a dozen eggs costing nearly $4 instead of $1.79 are not going to be arguing about the price of specialty meals on cruise ship or drinks at a resort because those luxuries are not even a consideration for them. 

[Ret MP]

7 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

Of course spending wisely is important and there's no sense in wasting money.  I was really responding to @goldfish65's comments about how, "It doesn't make sense to fill up with bottom-feeders and have to turn away customers who will spend."  My point was that people who are concerned about a gallon of milk costing over $5 instead of $2.89 or a dozen eggs costing nearly $4 instead of $1.79 are not going to be arguing about the price of specialty meals on cruise ship or drinks at a resort because those luxuries are not even a consideration for them. 

For an example:

 

We usually cruise Royal in Star Class.  We save up for a year or two to do that and we book at least a year out, when available.  No doubt that when all is said and done, we payed more for our Star Class cruise than someone that paid for the same things, excluding a Star Class suite, ala carte.  No doubt.  However, we are paying or I should say reserving a booking a year or two out with a price that is less, much less these day, that the price of the cruise on debarkation day.  I'm also making interest on the money that I save every month that is going to be used to pay for the cruise 90 days out.  Not much interest but every little helps.  And for that reason, we don't complain about the cost of a specialty restaurant or the drink package.

 

The up-side, during my cruise, I do what I want, where I want, as often as I want, with everyone in my party and don't have to worry about pinching pennies and not eat that steak or go to the Hibachi, drink more than usual, or whatever.  I've already prepaid for it.  I also get preferential treatment in so many ways.  Many not mentioned in the "Amenities" of the Star Class advertising. 

 

Although we do concern ourselves about the cost of eggs, milk, electricity, natural gas, gas, insurance, and just about everything else (we are on a fixed income), we manage to save up to afford a little luxury in our lives every other year or so.  However, if inflation keeps going the way it is, we will become those Bottom Feeders.  Or not cruise at all.  This is not how I planned to go out but it is/was a good run!

[soapbxking]

On 9/23/2022 at 4:35 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

Guy Fieri has several hundred restaurants in the USA, of all differing concepts; all very successful.

Yes, but i am now/was not aware of one like Guys burgers.  I know he has several places, as I have eaten at the one in Vegas.  It was not good at all, and I expected so much more from him.  I enjoy Guys onboard Carnival, but also understand the level of taste is nowhere near that of a place on land wherein the price isnt included 🙂

[vjmatty]

On 9/24/2022 at 4:39 PM, lenquixote66 said:

My personal preference is not to pay extra to eat on a cruise ship.I was just offering a point of reference that in the 70’s there was only one dining room and nobody had a thought of wanting a pay extra restaurant.There were no buffets and in my opinion that is a healthier way to enjoy a cruise.

 

 

Healthier except for the unrestricted smoking, asbestos, etc....

[FrannyK]

I've been reading through this thread trying to determine a decent price for UDP for a 12 night cruise on Serenade of the Seas.  My planning page is showing the UDP for 12 nights for $300/pp which is $25/pp a day.  I feel 12 nights is a long time to go the the dining room every night yet I don't think there are many specialty dining places on Serenade so maybe he UDP would be repetitive too?  I hate adding another $600 to our cruise but maybe the price is actually worth it?  We did get a nice deal on the cruise itself.  Any opinions?  We've never been on the Serenade but have been on Jewel OTS.

[rudeney]

36 minutes ago, FrannyK said:

I've been reading through this thread trying to determine a decent price for UDP for a 12 night cruise on Serenade of the Seas.  My planning page is showing the UDP for 12 nights for $300/pp which is $25/pp a day.  I feel 12 nights is a long time to go the the dining room every night yet I don't think there are many specialty dining places on Serenade so maybe he UDP would be repetitive too?  I hate adding another $600 to our cruise but maybe the price is actually worth it?  We did get a nice deal on the cruise itself.  Any opinions?  We've never been on the Serenade but have been on Jewel OTS.

 

It has Izumi (though I don't think it has hibachi), Chops and Giovanni's Table.  The average dinner price among those three is probably $45.  So if you eat 7 dinners (or less if you eat more at Chops) then you're coming out ahead.  And that doesn't count lunches.  I'd do it.  I paid $245/pp for it on our 7-night cruise on Voyager next week and it has the same restaurants.  

Edited September 26, 2022 by rudeney

[FrannyK]

6 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

It has Izumi (though I don't think it has hibachi), Chops and Giovanni's Table.  The average dinner price among those three is probably $45.  So if you eat 7 dinners (or less if you eat more at Chops) then you're coming out ahead.  And that doesn't count lunches.  I'd do it.  I paid $245/pp for it on our 7-night cruise on Voyager next week and it has the same restaurants.  

Thank you for that response.  That puts it in perspective to me!  It just floors me to pay an additional $600, but we cruised in July (first cruise since covid) and realized the dining room is suffering with low staff and limited items.  We were on Celebrity but I'm sure it's like this on all lines at this point in time.  So looking more into dining packages is the way to go for now...

 

I think I'll purchase it now while the price is reasonable.  I can always cancel and repurchase if I see a better price in the future.  It's a year away.