I
hate it when somebody tries to get nickles and dimes out of
me.
Cruise ships have been doing that more and more.
Twenty years ago we did our first cruise. They had a bunch of exercise classes every day, and even had a program where you could earn tshirts and water bottles for participation. Classes were packed, and everybody was having fun.
Over the years, the number of free classes has been steadily dropping and being surplanted with pay-as-you-go activities. Now there are yoga and Pilates instead of generic fitness classes, all with additional fees.
On our last few cruises the last aerobic classes without extra fees were Zumba ones. These were so popular that they wouldn't fit into the fitness centre at all and were held in one of the big show rooms. There were be a hundred people crammed in compared to a dozen at any of the paid sessions.
Alas, this is no more. Our current cruise has Zumba classes only every other day, and they carry a fee, and fit easily into the fitness centre. There are no aerobic classes without additional fees remaining.
In order to make a few dimes, the cruise line has killed off their entire highly-popular fitness program. Funny thing is they don't have the price of the fitness classes posted anywhere. You have to ask, and therefore receive the sales pitch. Gotta love that.
They do still have complimentary stretch classes once a day. That's where you sit, unmoving, on the floor. Quite a workout. Only a matter of time before they are paid, too.
Am I just cheap? Nope. To go to one class a day would bump the price of the cruise up about a hundred bucks. When we're booking a cruise, a price difference of several hundred dollars has absolutely no influence on which we choose. Being hit with petty, little charges does. Next time we book, if this line has a price $200 less than the others, I'd pick any of the others due to this petty charge policy. I'd happily pay a little more to get a truly all-inclusive feel.
Cruise ships have been doing that more and more.
Twenty years ago we did our first cruise. They had a bunch of exercise classes every day, and even had a program where you could earn tshirts and water bottles for participation. Classes were packed, and everybody was having fun.
Over the years, the number of free classes has been steadily dropping and being surplanted with pay-as-you-go activities. Now there are yoga and Pilates instead of generic fitness classes, all with additional fees.
On our last few cruises the last aerobic classes without extra fees were Zumba ones. These were so popular that they wouldn't fit into the fitness centre at all and were held in one of the big show rooms. There were be a hundred people crammed in compared to a dozen at any of the paid sessions.
Alas, this is no more. Our current cruise has Zumba classes only every other day, and they carry a fee, and fit easily into the fitness centre. There are no aerobic classes without additional fees remaining.
In order to make a few dimes, the cruise line has killed off their entire highly-popular fitness program. Funny thing is they don't have the price of the fitness classes posted anywhere. You have to ask, and therefore receive the sales pitch. Gotta love that.
They do still have complimentary stretch classes once a day. That's where you sit, unmoving, on the floor. Quite a workout. Only a matter of time before they are paid, too.
Am I just cheap? Nope. To go to one class a day would bump the price of the cruise up about a hundred bucks. When we're booking a cruise, a price difference of several hundred dollars has absolutely no influence on which we choose. Being hit with petty, little charges does. Next time we book, if this line has a price $200 less than the others, I'd pick any of the others due to this petty charge policy. I'd happily pay a little more to get a truly all-inclusive feel.
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