Royal Caribbean’s Royal Bracket and votes for discounts
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise lines are getting customers involved in key decisions on the cruise experience they are offering.
Royal Caribbean gave cruisers the option to vote on the prices of their favorite onboard amenity for their upcoming cruise(s). The votes actually directly impacted the passengers' cruise vacation.
The voting strategy can get customers more excited and more likely to cast their vote than taking a survey. This way is more transparent and potentially more immediate.
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If you are signed up to receive promotional emails from Royal Caribbean, you may have recently received messages on voting for your favorite onboard offering. The Royal Bracket campaign offers fan favorites.
On March 25, 2025, customers were asked to vote among four choices. The options were 25 % off of Shore Excursions, 35 % off the Deluxe Beverage Package, 35% off Voom Surf + Stream Internet Packages, and a whopping 45 % off the Unlimited Dining Package.
(These percentages are sort of meaningless given that none of these items have a set price).
On March 26, two of the package deals were revealed as the finalists. The Deluxe Beverage Package received 63% of the votes, and the 35% off VOOM Surf + Stream Internet Packages received 37% of the votes. The winner was revealed the next day, and on March 28, the deal was available for purchase with the respective discount. The deal that ultimately won the Royal Bracket was probably not surprising: the Deluxe Beverage Package at 35% off.
A lot of cruisers choose to purchase cruise experience packages prior to boarding the ship (eligible to purchase up to 3 days prior to departure). Normally, these deals can vary quite a bit throughout the year. Black Friday through Cyber Monday offer some of the best deals of the year for onboard amenities.
If you buy the package onboard, you will be reaching much deeper in your pockets to pay for it as very limited discounts or none at all are available once onboard. To make it worth it, consider that all passengers in your stateroom must buy the package (one person cannot buy the package with a few exceptions). In most cases, you will need to drink 5-6 drinks a day per person to make the deal worth it. Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com
Drinking will happen whether there is an unlimited drink package or not
What is important to a lot of people going on a cruise is to have unlimited drinks. The fact that some cruise lines, including Carnival and MSC, have had to implement a 15-drink-per day-limit is a clear indication that people want to let loose and enjoy their favorite cocktail, wine, beer, or whatever at large quantities. They also do not want to think about having to pay once onboard. Clearly, some people may go overboard with how much they want to consume, but this popular amenity is not going away.
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The Deluxe Beverage Package includes a variety of liqueurs, mixed drinks, beers, wines, sodas, water, coffee, tea, juices, smoothies, milkshakes and mocktails up to $14. A bonus is that you can use any drink package at Royal Caribbean’s private islands, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee.
Celebrity Cruise Lines Dream Makers polls
This is not unlike what Celebrity is currently doing for their new Xcel class ships. The Dream Makers is set up for people to join a group to be part of influencing decisions made during the development of the new class ship, the first of which is the Celebrity Xcel. The Dream Makers is part of their campaign to “blur the lines between ship and shore,” and the goal is to “create your happy place.”
Celebrity is allowing cruisers to cast votes on a selection of which flatbread ingredients tempt them the most and what name they prefer for a cocktail. There are added benefits for joining and participating in the The Dream Makers.
If you join, you are in the running for a trip for two to the naming ceremony of the Celebrity Xcel. Celebrity gives you more ways to earn entries by completing tasks. If you complete your profile, you will earn 10 entries. Refer a friend on Facebook and earn 20 entries. Cast your vote in weekly polls, and five extra entries will be awarded. You can simply log in daily to earn three entrees.
Now more than ever, cruisers can make key cost decisions about many of their favorite cruise experiences.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
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