Recent reports that Royal Caribbean International might have been considering charging an added fee for fare at its Sorrento’s Pizza casual dining venue seem to have sparked a fiery uproar among the cruise-going community.
The onboard pizza place is a popular option among kids and adults at any time of day, but is notably one of the only included free options available late-night. The New York City-style pizzeria freshly bakes thin-crust pies in flavors like cheese and pepperoni, and a daily selection of specialty pizzas, such as “Caribbean Dream” or “Carnivore”.
Internet rumors began circulating after guests who had recently sailed made mention of a contentious question that appeared on their post-cruise customer surveys, asking whether or not they’d eat at Sorrento’s if a nominal fee were added for pizza.
It didn’t even seem to matter whether or not past cruisegoers even liked the quality of Sorrento’s pizza. The implication that they might soon be asked to pay for something that’s, up to this point, been included in the cost of their cruise fare evidently incensed most Royal Caribbean loyalists on the web, igniting a controversy so fierce that the company’s president and CEO, Michael Bayley, finally had to allay their fears.
For all those who were up in arms over the possible policy change, Bayley definitively confirmed on social media that the cruise line would not be charging for slices from Sorrento’s. According to Cruise Hive, he explained, “A couple of weeks ago we conducted one of frequent small group guest surveys. As usual we asked questions on this and that, including customer thoughts on charges for pizza,” adding, “To calm all our pizza lovers, don’t worry, we are not charging for pizza.”
Royal Caribbean also revealed the results of the general survey queries pertaining to pizza that had been responsible for all the online outrage. The survey had asked whether guests would still dine at Sorrento’s if it came at a fee, as well as how charging a fee for food at Sorrento’s Pizza might impact their likelihood to sail with Royal Caribbean in the future.
Reportedly, the overwhelming majority (80 percent) of survey respondents were entirely opposed to the idea of paying for pizza, while the other 20 percent said that would still enjoy some slices if a nominal fee were to be charged. What’s really interesting is that one-quarter of those surveyed said they would look at sailing with other cruise lines if Royal Caribbean implement the practice of charging guests for pizza.
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