More Proof that Travel & Leisure Writers are Dinks!
Conde Nast Traveler writer Wendy Perrin takes a poke at the cruise industry and their alleged 'deceptive' pricing in her July article, "Sticker Shock at Sea", claiming that her family's Celebrity cruise ( a family of four) cost 54% more than the base fare. In her critique, she listed a number of extra charges that they incurred... charges for things that I would not exactly call 'typical'. She complained that she and her husband paid $220 for dinner for two including wine and tip in the ship's alternative gourmet restaurant. I looked it up and found that the surcharge for that gourmet dinner is $30 per person - far less than a similar meal in a comparable land-based restaurant. How she and her hubby could spend an extra $160 is a bit perplexing - either it was a very special bottle (or bottles) of wine or they are BIG tippers! Either way, it was their choice!

She whined about the $6 per hour they spent on child care. I checked into that and found that Celebrity's children's program is free of charge. She complained that they spent over $800 on 10 shore excursions. Again, their choice - and I don't know of any vacation package that includes side trips. She complained about their $228 bar bill. Again, their choice... and it is common knowledge that wine and cocktails on ships are well below prices at land-based lounges and restaurants. She even took offense at the $5 per day charge for unlimited soft drinks and complained about the 'endless' fliers promoting the shops and spa services. Apparently, she was unaware that use of the waste basket in their cabin IS complimentary!!!!

A good travel agent could tell her that the luxury lines typically DO include all those things for which the contemporary lines provide as optional services. (You would think that a professional writer would be familiar with the term, "Optional".) Of course the base price is much higher. I guess she wants Lexus features at a Kia price!

Cheers,
Dick