This is never included in the food-and-beverage announcements from cruise lines, but it seems to us they’re having some difficulty in (a) keeping their specialty restaurants busy and (b) dealing with complaints from passengers who feel they’re being nickeled-and-dimed every time they’re thirsty.
As evidence of our supposition, we offer two items as evidence:
1. There will soon be seven “dining packages” on four Royal Caribbean ships at a saving of “at least 25 per cent” for eating at the specialty restaurants. Here’s one example: On Allure of the Seas (also Oasis), for $65 you can dine at Giovanni’s Table Italian Trattoria, 150 Central Park fine-dining restaurant and Chops Grille steakhouse. Do this individually and it will cost $90 (all prices include gratuities).
2. Right after New Year’s, Oceania will begin per-day, per-person drink offers which are being called all-you-can-drink cocktail packages. For $29.95, it covers house wine and beer for lunch and dinner. For $49.95, change “house wine” to “premium house wine” and add almost all beverages on the bar menu. Celebrity pioneered this concept, perhaps in response to customers who were paying more than that each day to quench their thirst. The Oceania offer supplements the soda, bottled water and specialty coffees, all of which are free.
Call it consolidation, call it responding to customer complalnts…or call it making cruises more all-inclusive.
Right, like they used to be.
DAILY DEAL:
Ocean Princess
11 nights
January 7, 2012
Honolulu to Tahiti: Kauai, Maui, Hilo, Bora Bora, Moorea
Inside $1,299
www.princess.com