Frequent cruisers tend to get upset when their favorite cruise lines make changes that they perceive as taking things away.
Earlier this year people flipped out, at least on social media, when Royal Caribbean floated the idea of charging for pizza at Sorrento's, its onboard pizzeria.
In a survey the cruise line asked passengers whether they were willing to pay, presumably for a better pizza. The negative response was so powerful that the cruise line had to issue a statement saying it would not make the change.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line won't follow Norwegian, Disney rule change
Both Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) -) and Royal Caribbean have faced negative feedback over making changes to the menus in their main dining rooms. That's largely because both cruise lines got rid of items that had been offered every day (with Royal Caribbean eliminating them and Carnival cutting back).
In addition, Carnival has faced social-media outrage over its recent decision to limit choices when it comes to ordering omelets at its buffet and in the main dining room. The cruise line still makes omelets fresh to order, but it now offers only a handful of preset choices instead of the full omelet bar it used to offer.
In most cases, the cruise lines claim they make changes for two reasons: speed of service and cutting down food waste. And passengers usually think they're making changes for just one reason: to save money.
Royal Caribbean (RCL) -) recently sent a letter to travel agents to outline another dining change, and some passengers are not going to be happy.
Image source: Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty
Royal Caribbean ends a key partnership
Royal Caribbean will be removing Ben & Jerry's ice cream shops from its ships by year's end. That news was shared via an email to travel agents that was first reported on by Matt Hochberg of Royal Caribbean Blog.
"Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Shop on board 13 of our ships will be moo-ving out and making way for something sweeter," the cruise line said in the Dec. 12 email.
Some Royal Caribbean ships have dedicated Ben & Jerry's shops while others serve the ice cream in sections of either Cafe Promenade or at Sugar Beach candy store locations on select ships. The cruise line charged extra for the ice cream.
All Royal Caribbean ships offer free soft-serve ice cream on the pool deck, and ice cream is sometimes offered at the Windjammer Buffet. The cruise line won't be partnering with another ice cream brand.
"We're excited to announce that our own Ice Cream Parlor will be replacing Ben & Jerry's," Royal Caribbean shared in the email.
Royal Caribbean has not said why the change is being made so suddenly, nor whether the ice cream company paid it a fee for the space on its ships.
Royal Caribbean has taken steps to control costs
While it's unknown why Royal Caribbean has made this change, the company has said that it has taken steps to control food costs.
"Inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions continue to put pressure on costs across many categories, including food and beverage, airfare, and shoreside human capital. Our teams continue to find creative ways to manage through inflation and increase profitability," Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz said during the cruise line's fourth-quarter 2022 earnings call.
Royal Caribbean has been successful with its added-fee dining options and the other areas where customers can choose to spend money on board.
"We had record yields for the quarter driven by new hardware, record pricing in the Caribbean and Europe, as well as onboard revenue rates that were up about 30%," CEO Jason Liberty said during the cruise line's third-quarter 2023 earnings call.
Tired of the investing maze? We’ve got the map. Thousands of stocks? Forget them. We zero in on the winners – and we’ll let you in on the secret. Our pros are sharing their top picks now. Missed out on the last one? Don’t make that mistake again. Join us today.
