Royal Caribbean Levies $14.95 Steak Surcharge
Do you like flying? Well then you're going to love cruising with Royal Caribbean! The cruise line recently announced plans to charge customers who order steak in the main dining room a $14.95 surcharge.
Spokesman Harrison Liu told us that the initiative was a trial to determine whether cruise passengers are interested in "paying a little more for the option of an organically raised cut of beef."
Now, Liu has contacted us to rescind information that we received from him and duly reported. The correction? The steak in question is actually not organic after all.
Liu says that the New York strip steak being offered in the main dining rooms on these two ships is "an all natural strip steak ... it is not organic." And here's another clarification. It turns out that the New York strip is a Black Angus steak after all. We were first told "yes" and then "no" (after which we promptly posted a correction); now, we're back to "yes." Oh, and a final newsflash: the steak is also being tested in [the alternate dining room] Chops, contrary to what we were originally told. There's no additional fee to try the all natural steak in the specialty restaurant, as it's included in the regular cover charge.
Cruises are attractive because they're all-inclusive, which once meant that all was included. Not anymore! Cruises are quickly devolving into luxury airlines, a slower, more expensive, way to get nickel and dimed as you try to get away from it all.
As always, the surcharges are entirely your fault. Cruise lines complain that you gluttonous cruisers are demanding more choices. Your steak needs to be natural, or organic, or whatever—you don't care as long as it's more expensive than the "variety meats" the rest of the floating swines are feasting on. Or, as we still can't believe a Celebrity Cruises VP once said: "When people go on vacation, they want to spend money."
Royal Mis-Steak: $14.95 Entree Not Organic After All [Cruise Critic via Tripso]
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I would love to have a cruise ship, and then invite cruise ship VP's, and treat them the way I think they should be treated. Then maybe they would reconsider some of their stupid ideas.
Really, I think you have executives who are out of touch with reality. When people go on a cruise, they're looking for fantastic service, fantastic food, and relaxation. When in port, they want to shop for trinkets, jewelry, or lay on the beach. They do NOT want to have to worry about whether the food they want has a surcharge.
The genuises that offer these brilliant ideas need to get a real job and deal with real people. Wait tables, serve drinks in a bar, or work as a cashier in a retail store. Let these idiots listen to real people instead of paying some market research firm several million dollars per year to tell them stupid ideas.
How much for a side of norovirus?
Does Samantha Brown come with that?
You want me to pay extra for steak that should be included in the price? Give me Kobe beef and we can talk. That (if prepared properly) would be worth it.
If not - kick rocks.
So customers demanded something new (and more expensive) and the company opted to add it with a surcharge so other customers don't have to subsidize it?
Sounds like a solid idea to me.
Never been on a cruise. Does all inclusive mean that I can go to the bar every night, and order as many drinks as I want? Room service is included? Sounds pretty cool.
Steak?
Money's too tight for steak.
Steak?
....sure, steak.
Should be $1,000.00
@segfault: All mass market lines, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL, Celebrity, HAL, etc., are inclusive of food only. Bar service (booze and sodas) isn't included so you're out of luck on that. Room service is generally included but you may not be able to order the entire dining room menu.
Also, most of the mass market lines have pay restaurants also where you get better food and service for an upcharge.
The steak that is referred to here is an experiment on 2 cruise ships now, not all of them. Secondly, there may be a regular, non-natural steak available at no surcharge. It's unclear if this is still the case. The menu may not state the "free" steak is available but you may still be able to order it. I still don't agree with any surcharge in the Main Dining Room. If RCCL needs more revenue, raise the fares $15/day and leave it at that. However, many (most?) people choose the cheapest fare regardless of what the actual cost is when all the fees are added. We see it with the airlines and now, we're seeing it with the cruise industry.
@segfault: The two cruises I've been on had room service included.
Regarding bars...there's a reason people smuggle booze aboard.
Does this mean before now people should have expected a partial refund if they DIDN'T order steak?
If they have to put up a surcharge, shouldn't it at least be for the price differential between the steak and whatever the "standard" entree is? At $14.95, either the default entree is Chicken McNuggets or they are overcharging for the steak.
@TracyHamandEggs!: That argument is heavily dependent on the actual level of demand and whether the steak with the surcharge is replacing an option that used to be without a surcharge or merely being added as an additional option.
If a significant portion of customers want the "all natural" steak choice, then the decision is sound as the customers would be happy to pay. Similarly, if the steak is being added to the menu alongside other previously available options (which presumably included just regular steak) then that's also fine as those who don't want to subsidize the pricier steak can just get the cheaper variety.
What would make this decision bad is if only a small segment of customers wanted "all natural" steak and in response, the cruise line is replacing the regular "non-all natural" steak with the newer, pricier option because of the "demand" thus forcing all customers who just want to eat a steak to pony up. In effect, cruise lines make more money while customers get shafted.
We've sailed Royal Caribbean 7 times in the past. As evidenced by the statements and their corrections, their land based service really sucks. No one apparently has a clue what's really going on and we've learned that we shouldn't rely on anything from the land based component of RCI.
On the other hand their ship side service has always been great. Once at the pier and onboard the ship it's been a fantastic experience. Our only issues/problems have come when we've had to deal with RCI's land based employee's. Unfortunately, it seems to be that way with most of the cruise lines.
With the economy tanking, who the hell can afford a cruise???
@TracyHamandEggs!: Last time I was on a cruise (April - Carnival), they had prime rib one night and new york strip another night.
The biggest draw of cruises is the affordability built in because they are all-inclusive. This slippery slope is either not going to last or will kill the cruise industry.
Having recently taken a cruise with Royal, I'd GLADLY pay the steak surcharge in exchange for not paying for drinks. All-inclusive is meals only.
Norwegian's been playing the 'cover charge for specialty restaurants' game for awhile. They then don't serve the best food in the main dining area.
Does anyone else notice the terms they used, "all natural" but "not organic"? What the heck is that supposed to mean? Also, with that "surcharge," fuhgetaboutit!
I just took a weekend jaunt last month with RCCL and it was fantastic.....except for the beef they served in the dining room. The first night, the missus ordered prime rib, medium, and it came out well done. The next night I ordered a strip, medium rare, and it came out just shy of well done.
I don't care what kind of beef they serve; I'd gladly pay an upcharge just to make sure it's cooked right.
@TracyHamandEggs!: Customers did not demand something new. Steak is a standard part of cruise fare.
This is a significant step because generally all the food on cruises is included. The concern is that the next step will be the lobster, then the chicken, then the pasta, then the appetizers.
And, all that is fine by me as long as passengers are aware of it *before they book.* If after I book a cruise,you tell me "Oh, by the way, we just decided to make you pay for all your food," there's going to be a problem. Just like the airlines trying to charge baggage fees to people who have already booked.
@jennj99738: A "non-natural" steak? You mean an "artificial" steak? I'm not sure that sounds appealing.
Kudos to the guy willing to bite into a raw steak. Blech!
@segfault: I have been on one cruise (Carnival) and alcohol was an extra charge. Sodas were extra, but you could purchase a "Soda Card" for something like $15 that gave you unlimited sodas for the duration of the trip. At the high prices they charged for their soda refills it was a good deal if you were going to drink more than 7 sodas over the course of 5 days.
The "sit down" dining room meal was included, or you could opt to eat in the cafeteria for the same price.
@heathenkitties: I love the non-natural steak, it is engineered from recycled tires, chewy, but tastes great with a little 30 wieght!
What the heck is a "natural" steak? Like one made of beef rather than... pork? or chicken?
@heathenkitties: I don't see what's so confusing about that. "All natural" means that the steak comes from nature and "not organic" means it doesn't come from nature! DUH! :)
How long till they send ANOTHER email saying that the steak is now Vegetarian and Natural?
The CruiseCritic.com article does say that this is an additional steak option that guests can choose, in addition to the Black Angus Sirloin steak, which is complimentary. The cruise line has not replaced anything with the addition, nore cut anything out of the dinner menu. The cruisecritic.com article also states that this is only being tested on two of 21 ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet. This is not a fleetwide inititative. In all, guests on all of Royal Caribbean's ships always have a choice of 10 complimentary entrees as part fo the dinner menu each night in the ships' main dining rooms. The all natural New York Strip steak is an 11th choice only on Freedom of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas.
Getting meat certified as organic is hard; you have to make sure that every bite of food that goes into the animals mouth meets organic certification standards and that's hard to do on a large scale. I suspect the "all-natural" label means that it's mostly organic, i.e. raised in a field and not given any extra growth hormones or anything like that, but they don't quite meet the standards to get the official organic stamp from the government.
I've never heard of an "all-inclusive" cruise. Everyone I know had to pay for their cocktails/mixed drinks and beer at the end of the trip. That's hardly "all-inclusive".
"All-inclusive" is like those resorts where the food and the booze is included in the price. No surprise $1,000 bar tab at the end of the vacation, like you get on a cruise.
@segfault:
Like I mentioned in another post. "All-inclusive" means no bar tab. A cruise is hardly "all-inclusive", and shouldn't called as such.
SegFault, room service actually IS included, at least the last timeI cruised on Royal Carribean. Alcohol, alas, is not included and is where they make a lot of their money, along with other extras like shore excursions, and of course the casinos. Wonder if you're allowed to bring booze aboard? I'm thinking probably not.
Most Royal Caribbean ships have a surcharge steakhouse, so why charge for a "better" steak in the dining room. It is said by some who have cruised recently that the free steak is omitted from the menu so that people will think that this surcharge steak is the only option.
My Carnival cruise last month offered Filet Mignon, Chateaubriand, Ny strip, and Prime rib (appeared 2 times on the menu), all at no extra charge. There was another steak offered every night as well for no extra charge.
The reason that Royal Caribbean is trying to nickel and dime as much as possible, is that they are heavily in debt from building these giant floating shopping mall/entertainment complexes, There next ship the Oasis, is the epitome of excess and is going to cost them billions to build, when a normal cruise ship costs around 500 million to build.
@CountryJustice: You sent them back, of course? Overcooked beef is one of my major pet peeves. I usually have to tell the waitperson (for example), "medium rare, and please let the cook know I know what I want, and promise not to send it back if it's too raw." If the waitperson does that, then the steak usually comes out okay, otherwise, the cook tends to never believe me, and I get an overcooked steak.
@lordargent: All natural means that there are no chemical preservatives, artificial flavoring or coloring.
www.beeffoodservice.com/CMDocs/BFS/Beef%20Choices.pdf
@Raiders757: There are indeed all-inclusive cruise lines, but some are more inclusive than others (e.g., all alcohol is included, vs. select wines/cocktails). Some that come to mind: Silversea, Regent/Radisson and Seabourn.
There are even synthesized all-inclusive packages on non-all-inclusive boats (e.g., The World via boutique travel agencies that put together wine cruises).
@heathenkitties:
To be called organic, livestock may not be fed anything that is not organic. No pesticides, GMO, etc. "All-natural" refers to the things they do to the animal after it's dead, e.g. preservatives.
That costs them $5? Yes. If they're going to upcharge, they should be upcharging for the cost of supplies.
A 10-oz strip is not very big.
@jmessick: Booze smuggling has been against the rules for many years, but after the George Smith case, their lawyers and their revenue folks got together and figured out that it would be a win-win if they really started cracking down. So lately, it is fairly difficult to smuggle booze on board. They will definitely take it if they find it in your luggage or carry-on, and the last I heard, the contract fine print says they can even kick you off (with no refund, of course) if you even try.
@cf27: They're working on growing muscle tissue in the lab, so we could all end up eating artifical steak. Which would be great, if it tastes all right: all the meat and none of the guilt (and they might be able to tweak it so tht their steak has the nutritional profile of, say, fish or turkey).
*Throws money at the problem*