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BWIVince

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    Crystal

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  1. Totally! Even assuming all of those port calls are based on current availability and not actual contracted, held space, planning those viable alternative itineraries is still WAY more work than anyone in their right mind would do unless the needle is heavily leaning towards a change. That grid speaks volumes. Vince
  2. I'm in the same boat... That info was always so subject to change, I can't imagine ever making plans based heavily on that. The officer info was generally more stable than the entertainers, but even then I has several cruises over the years, around the timing if the "shift change" that flipped from one officer to the other as it got closer and plans were finalized. The entertainer (outside of the residents) and lecturer info was always a moving target -- the vast majority of my cruises didn't get completely finalized until about 7-14 days out from the cruise. It was helpful to get excited about the cruise, and give a general idea, but I repeatedly had lecturers I was looking forward to drop off close to the cruise, or others get added. It's just the nature of the beast. Vince
  3. Symphony's 9043 is sort of an interesting case in that regard, because the lifeboat that was previously (roughly) below that cabin was removed to make one of the new Crystal Penthouses on deck 8. That said, if you stick your head out over the side of the ship you'll always see other parts of the ship that could be considered obstructions in some sense. To directly answer your question though, no, there isn't a lifeboat under 9043, and there are no lifeboats on deck 9. There isn't a nearby object that I would consider to be an obstruction, either above, below or on either side of 9043. Vince
  4. I absolutely agree with the first part of your message, but I'm not so sure on the lesson learned about "all the background" being on the table part... Lest we forget that the travel agent had multiple calls with Crystal on the subject, including a customer-facing one and this was considered a closed issue in Crystal's mind at the time Rob posted it. Exactly how much longer were we supposed to wait before discussing it? I think at that point it's fair game to discuss with all of the qualifiers that we added because we were working with only one side of the story. That said, I find it VERY odd that the issue got as far as it did and got through multiple calls with the agency, including a call with the consortium, and somehow Crystal forgot to explain this detail during any of those discussions? This is SUCH a standard term that it seems like something that could/should have been explained to Rob's agent before any of the subsequent elevations happened. Vince
  5. That’s my recollection as well, but I don’t have it in writing anywhere handy. I did redeem previous milestones on the qualifying voyages prior to that change though, and Crystal did make that change clear when the program was revised. Funny, I was JUST looking at that same brochure yesterday morning! GMTA! I understand the argument to be made on milestones earned on OC that couldn’t have possibly been redeemed because someone didn’t sail the next qualifying sailing to redeem them, and I think that’s a cause at least worth seeking an exception on…. But I agree with Terry that it’s still an exception to the stated policy and I would still set my expectations low on the outcome just in case. Vince
  6. The challenge with commissions is that someone has to do the work and get paid for it. At least in the US travel industry, it’s never been a choice of commission-funded travel agents or book direct and save the commission. No matter what anyone claims, in direct booking scenarios, the supplier just takes on the labor of managing the booking, and funds that in lieu of paying an agent for that support…. And for the most part, what the customer gets in lieu of a professional agent when they book direct, is a minimum wage, high turnover (or worse, outsourced) call center that gives them a lower level of (often incorrect or frustrating) care for pretty much the same price. Suppliers may advertise direct booking savings or price match guarantees, but their contracts with their preferred partners guarantee price parity, so most booking channels end up with the same prices anyway (and better service). I can’t comment on Explora’s commission rates because I don’t know how that’s constructed, but I will say that a 20% base commission would be problematic at best because of how commissions are tiered. Normally, commissions come in two flavors — base commissions and overrides. Base commissions are the same for every agency everywhere, and is customarily around 10% for most suppliers (though some companies have chipped away at that, with varying results). Overrides are paid on top of commissions and vary by agency — these are considerations for things like sales volume, or membership in a buying consortium. So if I was an agency that was a member of XYZ Consortium, I might get a commission of 10% on a booking, plus an override of 4%. In rare cases, a supplier may also offer a promotion, which would be a third type of compensation — sometimes non-cash — on top of both the override and commission, to really help sell. So if 20% is the total amount after overrides and promotions, that would be generous but not unheard of…. But if the 20% is just the commission, that’s a different story. I’ll add one more comment, because things are slightly different for new cruise lines starting out. Most overrides and preferred supplier agreements are based on 2-5 year sales data. New travel suppliers don’t have that with anyone, so overrides become more of a sore point than a go-to, causing new companies to temporarily turn more to slightly bigger base commissions or bigger promotions until they can get long-term consortium or preferred supplier agreements in place, which takes a few years. That may also explain part of the 20% amount, but still sort of leaves open how it’s arrived at. Vince
  7. This is just an example, but travel agents would be that type of external stakeholder. Not saying this is the case, but here's a type of scenario that comes to mind from my experience when I see a sharp reversal like this. Background: Once upon a time in the history of loyalty programs, you could use alternative payment methods to account for award credits, and whatever you "earned" could be basically paid for by a credit or internal transfer that didn't change the price of the product or service being sold. Not that every program worked this way, but it was an option. Modern accounting practices have changed how this works in recent years. Now you'll notice almost universally that earned benefits in a loyalty program reduce the actual selling price of the product or service, pre-tax and pre-commission. Target Circle is an example of this -- gift cards you earn through Target Circle are a payment type and pay for everything post-tax, but applied Target Circle Earnings actually reduce the price of whatever you're buying pre-tax. The same thing goes for cruise fares. AYW credits wouldn't change an agent's commission, but cruise fare savings would, at least in 2024 accounting terms. That's not to say a line couldn't then come behind and manually cut some kind of alternate non-commission compensation to try to make up for the shortfall, but that would have other tax implications and be highly unwieldy because it would have to be separate from the commission structure. Not saying this is the case, but this is the type of scenario I was mentioning. Here I could see consortiums or agent groups pushing back on getting paid less for the same work on the award booking, and Crystal just throwing in the towel on the cruise fare credit as a remedy. Obviously I defer to anyone that has any behind the scenes knowledge of the case here. Vince
  8. Just adding a little bit to what Keith mentioned, in the sizzle reel video that runs on that page, there are a couple of shots of Symphony that really clearly show the exteriors of the forward cabins on deck 7 (at least briefly). That also helps give you a visual about how minimally obstructed they are. Like Keith said, the bulwark on the railing is probably the main obstruction they're considering, but unlike on Serenity, Symphony's promenade deck is recessed from deck 7, so you would have to be looking down and out to see that obstruction -- it's a little less in your line of sight than Serenity's. Vince
  9. This feels way beyond proofreading and vetting, especially since the intent of the program was so clear. Usually when I see a reversal this abrupt, it's because of an uproar -- which in fairness can come in contrast to vetting because different non-company stakeholders have different opinions and can view the consequences differently. Many times the external stakeholders don't realize the consequences until they start to see the process in motion. Vince
  10. What a bizarre backpedal... It repeatedly says "As you wish credit OR Cruise fare savings" over and over again all over the doc -- that intent couldn't be clearer. This is pure speculation, but it feels like they got pushback on the fare savings option from external stakeholders (I can think of some potential cases) and need to scratch the prior plan. Vince
  11. I don't know if they've done the true-up yet with MM&A (or even if they definitely will, considering the marketing value of the promotion)... My remaining credits (such as they are) are still valid too. If anyone wants to use them, now's the time. Vince
  12. Where are the pics of him visiting the Chez while he's making his rounds around town?? Vince
  13. Very valid observation, and one I support entirely! 🙂 I think Vistaman was asking about the Vintage Room experience that OC was offering during the lunch timeframe in more recent years prior to the shutdown, though. Vince
  14. Prior sailings count towards future awards, if that’s what you’re asking? Several people have confirmed they have credit for past sailings already, including myself. Unredeemed milestone awards earned under Genting will never be redeemable, for several reasons, but I think that is perfectly understandable and doesn’t impact one’s ability to pick back up where they left off before Crystal shut down. To your question about A&K, according to the materials Terry posted, it looks like they’re working on a new unified loyalty program long-term. Vince
  15. haha. I forgot about that! Off the top of my head I don't remember what year that was, except it was in the early 2010's... They had the fountain shut off to re-string all the leads. The deafening silence in the Crystal Plaza in the morning and afternoon, except for the occasional echo of voices), was really creepy! I'm so glad that was my only Symphony cruise without the fountain running. 🙂 Vince
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