It's All About the Upsell - Where does DCL try to "Getcha"?

[kenthanson]

Didn't have a novelty cup offered at MDR, photographers wanted to take pictures during Star Wars day and pirates night but that was it for during dining photos. I was asked a couple of times if I wanted beer or water coolers but nothing aggressive. The biggest cash grab that I saw from Disney was during Star Wars fireworks on deck 11 they had the multi colour light up light sabres for sale but by that time of night everyone had bought one from the gift shop already.

 

[OrcaPotter]

Hard upsells: the spa
Soft upsells: embarkation day water and beer packages, pirate night light up cups, DVC
Available upsells: adult restaurants, alcohol, photos, canned soda from bars and room service, popcorn and candy, specialty drinks, some classes, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, specialty ice cream (Dream class ships), specialty coffee.

I’ve had experiences in the spa ranging from aggressive product pushing during my (first) facial to absolutely no mention of buying products at all. It depends on the tech and maybe the ship. Worst pushing was on the Fantasy, the least on the Magic.

One of the reasons I love DCL is that there is less in-your-face upsells; but I agree part of that is due to the premium paid in advance compared to “cheaper” lines.

 

[YawningDodo]

The only time on DCL (or any cruise line, actually) that I felt the upsell push was in the spa. And it was bad, really, really bad (this was on Disney). You are sitting there all calm and relaxed and then the hard sell comes on to buy product, product and more product. I've pretty much signed off on cruise line spa treatments as I've never once experienced that in land based spas - and gotten much better treatments for a much better price.

I don't want to knock the spa since I know a lot of people on these boards enjoy it and I know they're just trying to make a living, but...Idk. When I toured Senses on embarkation day it just felt different to me than the rest of the ship. I think it was the only time I felt like someone was pushing me to make a purchase decision on the spot while I was on the ship. Every other time I spoke with someone selling something (beer package, DVC, my placeholder) -- i.e. Disney crew members rather than contractors -- an "I need to think about this" was met with a "sure, we'll be here if you have any questions" rather than a renewed attempt to sell.

And yeah, price does factor in. Senses massages cost more than half again what a massage costs in my home town, and when I had so many other things on the ship to keep me busy it was hard to justify the cost to myself.

I have never been "pushed" to purchase anything on DCL in 16 cruises.

The most annoying thing is on embarkation day around the ship. It drives us crazy that 37 different times we are asked if we want to purchase a case of water or beer mugs or wine package. Its not being pushy, but over and over gets old really fast. Of course nothing you can do, thats these poor crew members job, they probably hate doing it as much as I hate hearing it.

Maybe they profile when they decide who to ask and who to let pass by? Idk, maybe I just don't look like a beer drinker. I saw the carts around the ship on embarkation day but I had to edge my way in and strike up a conversation in order to get the details on the offer.

 

[squirk]

I have never been "pushed" to purchase anything on DCL in 16 cruises.

The most annoying thing is on embarkation day around the ship. It drives us crazy that 37 different times we are asked if we want to purchase a case of water or beer mugs or wine package. Its not being pushy, but over and over gets old really fast. Of course nothing you can do, thats these poor crew members job, they probably hate doing it as much as I hate hearing it.

^ This. It does get old pretty quickly, especially when they approach you while you're sitting down and eating at Cabanas. However, I never get annoyed with the CM. Like you said, they are just doing their job, and when you have 4,000 people rushing onto the ship, nobody is going to know or remember that I'd already been offered the water package three times.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hard sell is also in the eye of the beholder. If I want a case of water, I don’t see that water-selling cm as being pushy; I see them as useful. If I want to book the couples massage, I don’t see that as being pushy. If I don’t want those things and am offered them (perhaps more than once) then I might not like it.

And who you’re with makes a difference. I like the Dvc presentations for something to do and for free mimosa, but I’m on guard for my husband suddenly buying more points. To me the Dvc things are the hardest sell there is because they get you on emotional levels. We have no parents that could or that we would want to travel with (my dad has met my 13 year old something like four times, so there’s no loving family reunions happening any time soon), we have just one kid, etc, but somehow seeing other families having lovely times pulls that wallet out of the pocket quicker than any spa presentation. So I have to be careful.

But then I don’t see what Royal does as being pushy or tacky or a hard sell either. If I want a fake pandora bracelet or an invicta watch I’m glad that I know exactly when and where to get one.

 

[squirk]

To me the Dvc things are the hardest sell there is because they get you on emotional levels.

They also ply you with alcohol - the aforementioned mimosas. Sure, maybe it's just to promote a convivial atmosphere. However, alcohol is cheap, and if two or three mimosas makes a passenger even a little more likely to open their checkbook? I'd be amazed if that did not factor into DVC's planning and forecasting at all.

 

[lbus42]

Photographs will want to take you picture when you get on board and in the MDR every single night.

How is this an example of upsell? The photographers don’t ask you to buy the photos.

 

[gotomu212]

On the Fantasy in December the embarkation water package was a little much. We were in Cabanas for about 45 minutes eating and we were asked 6 times if we wanted to buy water. We actually started counting when the 3rd person came by and I put it on our survey. It was more than once every 10 minutes. The people next to us did finally speak a little sharply to someone because they were getting it too. I don’t know if maybe we were in an area where a few of their “territories” overlapped.

The photographers at dinner one night were a little aggressive too. We LOVED them on this last cruise, but for some reason on formal night the guy would not take no thank you for an answer. I said twice that we didn’t want a picture, and that I was not moving to the other side of the table. He then proceeded to take my picture without me posing and then started telling my son to move his drink and pose. It felt like an upsell because they are interrupting your meal to try and take a picture to then sell to you.

 

[darnheather]

Two cruises on DCL and felt no upsell pressure. Was not approached at the pool to purchase drinks. Sat in cove cafe with a book and was not approached to purchase coffee. Of course photographers took our picture but not one tried to sell me anything regarding the photos.

 

[mmouse37]

IMHO, DCL does not upsell the way other cruise lines do (RCCL, NCL, etc.). There are no tacky flyers left in the staterooms or laundry package offers. Even the gift shops are much classier. The only place I've experienced the upsell is in the spa (as you've mentioned) and the fitness center, which are not managed by DCL but by Steiner (who manages the spas and fitness centers for many cruise lines). After some very bad experiences in DCL spas (including the upsells), I just don't go to them anymore. I can get better massages and facials at better prices at home.

I disagree with the flyers....almost every night of our cruise, along with the Navigator, there was a flyer for DVC or for the port shopping places. We just got off the Wonder this morning and I tossed a bunch of the flyers out.

Only one night in the dining room did I feel they were upselling and that was for a plastic cup that lit up. We were a table of all adults and they asked if we wanted a cocktail in the cup (it was pirate night) and they were asking at all the tables. No hard sell though.

MJ

 

[mmouse37]

I agree that they “getcha” right at the beginning, when you pony up that cruise fare that’s 25%-50% higher than the rest of the cruise industry.

The spa upsells are annoying in that they seem to deliberately not tell you how much that stuff costs. Are all spas like this (I don’t do spas very often)? I made a mistake in not asking the cost of the 5 oz. jar of Elemis face moisturizer my technician was pushing on me. I never dreamed it would be $200 until I saw it on my folio at the end of the cruise. I could have taken it back, I suppose, but the fault was mine for not asking the price before agreeing to buy. In subsequent visits to Senses, a simple “no, thank you” was all that was needed.

It also bugs me how they present the novelty cups in the MDR. Your server brings them out, turns on the flashy-lights that immediately grab the kids’ attention, and then ask if the kids want them. Of course they want them; the cups were designed for kids to want them. It’s crappy to dangle them in front of the kids, baiting them into an impulse buy and putting a parent in a position to have to be the “bad guy” in refusing the sale.

Overall, though, while there are plenty of opportunities to rack up a big folio, as @over50visits detailed, I’ve really not found it to be very pushy.

Especially at $9 bucks for a flashy cup.

MJ

 

[mj2vacation]

They also ply you with alcohol - the aforementioned mimosas. Sure, maybe it's just to promote a convivial atmosphere. However, alcohol is cheap, and if two or three mimosas makes a passenger even a little more likely to open their checkbook? I'd be amazed if that did not factor into DVC's planning and forecasting at all.

Nope. Even if it was, there is a 10 day cooking off period. They can’t keep force feeding anyone mimosas that long.

We have been on many DCL cruises, and a few shorter ones, we spent nothing onboard.

The last one, we spent quite a bit, but it was all on us!

 

[squirk]

Nope. Even if it was, there is a 10 day cooking off period. They can’t keep force feeding anyone mimosas that long.

I know. I’m just saying that the alcohol, coupled with the emotional appeal that @bumbershoot mentioned, makes the guests more likely to entertain the notion of a purchase, start preliminary discussions, etc.

From a sales perspective, it’s far more preferable to have people stroke a check first, and then maybe rescind within the cooling-off period (or maybe not), than have them stroke no check at all.

 

[squirk]

Especially at $9 bucks for a flashy cup.

MJ

I don’t even care about the price. We like some of the cups; we still use our flashy pirate mugs at home.

I just hate feeling like someone’s trying to manipulate me like that - “I’ve hooked the kids by dangling the flashy cups right in front of their noses. Now, parent, you have a choice - buy the cup, or be the buzz-kill who brings the room down for the rest of dinner.”

Fortunately, my kids aren’t the kind to throw a fit or pout if I refuse the cups.

 

[brewcrew]

I noticed on our last cruise in December that if we told a waiter that we didn't want a drink, the waiter would put the napkin plain side up. Never got "bothered" again.

 

[tlprice]

I have no idea what people are talking about with the water and beer packages. I have been on 4 Disney cruises and never once been approached about buying a water or beer package. I didn't even know that was a thing until I read it on here.

 

[mab2012]

I'm surprised that so many posters have never been approached about water/beer on embarkation day. I wonder what I have to do to get that treatment? Maybe avoid Cabanas? On each of our 3 DCL cruises since 2013, we've been approached at least 4-6 times about the drink packages. Mostly (maybe exclusively?) at Cabanas. It's not a huge deal, but it does get annoying.

Other than that, I haven't really noticed anyone explicitly trying to sell me anything. There are, of course, plenty of opportunities to spend money, but I don't remember being approached beyond the drinks. Even when I attended the DVC sales presentation, there was no need to say "no thanks" . IIRC, there were magnets or something like that with timeslots to schedule a follow-up discussion with the salespeople. (Ahem. Sorry, I meant "guides".) If you were interested, you could take one. Otherwise you left to go about your day, no questions asked.

 

[mevelandry]

Oops. Double.

 

[mevelandry]

How is this an example of upsell? The photographers don’t ask you to buy the photos.

Are those pictures free or do they take them just because we are cute? . All jokes apart, they are hoping to sell them.

They welcome you with pictures, they come at your table at every meal.

Some people find that very annoying and DH and I are part of them.

 

[Trera]

I have never been "pushed" to purchase anything on DCL in 16 cruises.

The most annoying thing is on embarkation day around the ship. It drives us crazy that 37 different times we are asked if we want to purchase a case of water or beer mugs or wine package. Its not being pushy, but over and over gets old really fast. Of course nothing you can do, thats these poor crew members job, they probably hate doing it as much as I hate hearing it.

^^^^ this.