Well Richard I mentioned this over on CC, but you've gone into more detail here, so I'll respond here as well. :)
I personally wouldn't have expected Radisson to actually only increase their pricing by $15 a day for all inclusive. Keep in mind, he was telling you what it would cost THEM (if I'm reading you right). What company only charges "at cost"? Of course they're going to put a huge markup on that -- that's what businesses do, especially when it comes to liquor. Not only that, certaintly the perceived value of all-inclusive to the customer is much more than $15 per day, which surely factored into how much they increased their prices to add it.
And as others have mentioned, there are various other reasons for increasing their pricing that have nothing to do with the all-inclusive. I'm sure it all factored into their new pricing. Do I LIKE paying more for Radisson cruises? No, of course not! But it seems to me that the reasons for Radisson to be lower than the other luxury lines are now gone, so why should we expect them to be lower? If they can continue to fill their ships at these prices, then what kind of company would they be if they didn't try to charge the highest amount the market will bear? Again, that's capitism for ya.
Also, perhaps the other luxe lines aren't raising their prices as much because, well, they were already kinda high to begin with, whereas Radisson was on the lower end of that market. And now, with the massive increases in cruise passengers as more time passes since 9/11 and more Americans are comfortable traveling to exotic locales, and the word has gotten out about what a great product they offer, they can command this price.
It's all about what the market will bear. I sure hope they don't price themselves out of my reach either! To tell you the truth, I was stunned to find out I COULD afford them to begin with. I'll be sincerely bummed if I have to give them up! But so far, even with the '07 prices, it appears I can still keep them in my vacation plans.
I hate to see you feeling so betrayed and used. I'm sure there were many factors besides what those of us on CC and LCT posted, that led them to their policy and pricing decisions. And you are right -- if they are charging too much, folks won't cruise 'em, and the prices will go down again! :)
