Cruise Talk: The beginning of paying for all your meals!!

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Topic: The beginning of paying for all your meals!!

Frosty 4
First Class Passenger
Member # 5826

posted 10-05-2008 04:58 PM

From another site. I knew this was coming!!!

The Consumerist reports that Royal Caribbean has announced plans to charge customers who order steak in the main dining room a $14.95 surcharge. The New York strip steak being offered in the main dining rooms on these two ships is a Black Angus steak. It will also be available in the alternate dining room, Chops, but there will be no additional fee above the regular cover charge.

Frosty 4

Posts: 2531 | From: Illinois | Registered: Jul 2005 | IP: Logged

r.fiebig
First Class Passenger
Member # 5240

posted 10-05-2008 05:35 PM

Frosty 4,

what you don't write is that this large steak is being offered in addition to the regular menu, i.e. according to RCi it will not replace any "regular" steaks on the menu.

Nonetheless, I hope that passengers will "honor" this offer on those ships on which it is currently being tested, so that it will disappear, soon.

Best,

Raoul

Posts: 775 | From: Paderborn, Germany | Registered: Dec 2004 | IP: Logged

eroller
First Class Passenger
Member # 1649

posted 10-05-2008 09:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by r.fiebig:

Nonetheless, I hope that passengers will "honor" this offer on those ships on which it is currently being tested, so that it will disappear, soon.

Best,
Raoul

Exactly Raoul. I agree 100%. In the end it will be the consumer that decides if this is something that will go beyond test mode. If enough passengers buy the steak, then I imagine you will see it expanded to all ships.

My understanding is it's the same steak you would pay for in Chops, but RCI is just making it available in the main dining room as well.

Ernie

Posts: 7046 | From: Miami, Florida USA | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

Frosty 4
First Class Passenger
Member # 5826

posted 10-06-2008 09:59 AM

IMO, Chops must be hurting and they are offering this steak as a trial to go to the upscale venue.
Personally the majority of the steaks on the regular dining room menu are NOT very good. We here in the US are used to corn fed beef. Most cruise lines use beef from Argentina which are range feed and generally tough.
I wonder if the Black Angus steaks are from the US??
F4

Posts: 2531 | From: Illinois | Registered: Jul 2005 | IP: Logged

eandjracquet
First Class Passenger
Member # 3558

posted 10-11-2008 05:27 AM

This is just another example of how cruise lines, who used to advertise themselves ( and were, for the most part) as all inclusive with the exception of "items of a personal nature" are managing to nickel and dime the consumer to the nth degree. I felt once they started the premium dining, the main (no charge) dining room experience would start to decline. In my limited experience, (only 7 cruises) I have certainly experienced that. It was most apparent on the first to start this atrocity, namely, Norweigian, where I experienced the worst food of any cruise (refusing to go to the alternative restaurants on the principal of the issue). However, even my last cruise, on Holland America, I have to say the main dining room food was average at best, although the buffet was excellent. I have been on Carnival twice, and thought the dining room food there was better than HAL, and dramatically better than Norweigian, but the buffet was average at best. That being said, the HAL concept of the cabanas and the RETREAT, it appears that cruising is returning to a class like system. So, for the average cruiser, food will decline unless one takes advantage of the extra price restaurants-so much for marketing it as an all inclusive vacation, not that it ever was given the extra charge for alchohol.

Posts: 57 | From: Peekskill, NY, USA | Registered: Dec 2002 | IP: Logged

sunviking82
First Class Passenger
Member # 4930

posted 10-14-2008 09:40 AM

I doubt very much this will fly. I just got off the Crown Princess and the speciality resturants were not booked. While we did eat at the Crown Grill twice (excellent btw), we could have easily not and neither was full.

We did wait for 45 minutes for the main dinning room one evening for a table for two and noticed open tables in Crown and Sabitines available. If that is any indication, I don't think people are willing to pay extra for meals.

Posts: 383 | From: Minneapolis Minnesota , USA | Registered: Aug 2004 | IP: Logged

Johan
First Class Passenger
Member # 4458

posted 10-14-2008 11:13 AM

quote:
Originally posted by sunviking82:
I doubt very much this will fly. I just got off the Crown Princess and the speciality resturants were not booked.(...)les in Crown and Sabitines available. If that is any indication, I don't think people are willing to pay extra for meals.

One of the major attractions, I think, of a cruise holiday, is the (more or less) all inclusive aspect.
If you lose that, and this certain in these financial unstable times, you lose our customer. why pay extra if a good meal is already included in the fare.

Above that, I have my questions and doubts abot these "specialty" restaurants. Most likely the food won't be marketfresh (as the main dining room), nor will there be really good chefs in the kitchen (not as in advisor) as in a real gourmet restaurant. Decor alone (nor the relative privacy) IMO doesn't justify the cover charge.

It smacks more like the wish of executives to go upmarket while apparently being general. The only "specialty" restaurant perhaps relevant is that on QM2 during crossings, as per memoriam of the Grill Rooms of days gone by.

Posts: 1895 | From: Antwerpen, Belgium | Registered: Feb 2004 | IP: Logged

NWLB
First Class Passenger
Member # 1987

posted 10-14-2008 04:40 PM

I think the writing is on the wall, in the fine print, and being sky written over large sporting events.

Goldstien noted he thought the era of "single class" cruises was ending. I think this is an example of what he was getting at. In due time, people will have the basic option, and everything else will be an extra charge. And they'll do it, because generally, they are keeping an all inclusive quality by offering a meal without a charge. But they know half the people will get up-sold to something else.

Posts: 329 | From: Bowling Green, Ohio | Registered: May 2001 | IP: Logged

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