tfred

the video is well done and seems sincere attempt at damage control. For it to get to this point (producing a video) X knows that there was a problem that needed to be addressed Classics are coming back, more variety on the menu and chocolate desert every night. The said by Thanksgiving so that is pretty soon. Not stated is the "where's my prime rib steak and Maine lobster tail" every night crowd. I am afraid that they are SOL. If they are looking for that they should go to Fine Cut

Your last line probably shows why X added CoCo Cay.

The meat of the US market is the 7 day Carribbean route. There is no shortage of people who go to the same Florida resort every year because there are no surprises, they like what they like and it is easy to get to. People who are used to land resorts (e.g. JW Marriotts) are the likely targets of X et al looking to replicate that experience on a ship. Other than the Caribbean (especially at a X suite level) I can't imagine taking an X ship. Those trips are mostly port intensive which puts big boats at a disadvantage. Long bus rides to see anything means less time at the site. In general, all you get above Sky Suites is a bigger room. Butler service may be marginally better but you are still eating in Luminae - nice but it is the only restaurant except at the top levels where you can choose specialty. To me the dollars just dont work at the value offering above Sky no matter the route

We booked a 12 night Med on SSea (includes excursions) for a lower price than X in 2024. Small ship with small ports made it a no-brainer. We like Luminae but we liked the choice on SSea as it is much broader why do people book on X? Easy to get to Florida gateways (not St Martin or Barbados). One week segment that fit into their vacation schedule. Luxury lines have the word "formal" in their brochure. X is somewhat known as a name. Almost 40% of pax dont get off the ship in the Caribbean so the big boat concept of activities is a plus for many

They would if it is presented as a resort that moves. Looking at X advertising, that is what they are doing.

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/your-business/cost-now-less-important-leisure-travelers-stats then there is this

the other number of interest is what the average extra revenue from the pax on board. Cruise fare and occupancy rates are one thing as it covers the cost but X needs spa, specialty restaurants and other add ons to push profit.

I would have. CC is a very specific (small) set of people who have very strong opinions. That isn't what you are looking for in a survey although it may be a good idea of what CCers are thinking. Bad news is that no is going to run a business based on what anyone says here Surveys are designed to get a clear(er) view of what are the trends. Survey Questions ask the same thing twice but in a different way to make sure they are truthfully answered

that was a total softball, underhand throw interview with prearranged questions with a very friendly interviewer. The only purpose was to let people see that she acts like a normal. likable person. Mission accomplished

then whats the point of your survey - a very narrow group of people with an even smaller subset that replies? You know what the result would be without the poll

They aren't giving anything away at AI Resorts like Sandals. A quick lookout some of their locations for a week gives a price of $6K. . Looking a 7 night on Edge Class at the same time is $5k in a veranda room with tips, booze and food. My recent stay at a Marriott Key Largo resort for 3 days was about $3k with room, A la carte booze and food. Both AI and X have drinks , snacks, pools, bars, tv - so pretty much the same X's advertising is centered on the resort that sails from island to island. They can give the average vacationer a familiar concept (resort ) that offers a different view every day.

Only shows the CC people on this site. Not valid for the population including newbs who dont look at CC

I would love to see the % of pax who are new cruisers now. My guess is that it is higher than you think. I look at X FB pages and there many new cruisers asking the usual new cruise questions X et al are trying to replicate the land based resort experience. That experience doesnt include OBC or free anything. Stay at any Marriott resort and see what the experience is - expensive, no entertainment, with very few freebies unless you are a very high status person (and even then there isnt much) It is easy to spend upwards of $1k/night with just a standard room. BTW - those land resorts are jammed with people Cruise Critic is comprised of long term cruisers who want much of what they had before - way before. New people have no idea of yesteryear and if X can follow the land resort model they won't care or know what it used to be like.

generally drinks are included at the top end - Crystal, Regent Seabourne whether you want them or not. Retreat, MCS YC generally include drinks. Oceania et al there is always some kind of a al carte drinks program that maybe you can opt out of

where do you like to cruise? Caribbean? Europe? Some of your answer may be swayed by that. The major lines have very regular Caribbean cruises and are easy to find something. Smaller ships dont always have regular schedules. smaller ships also have somewhat more attention to dress code where everyday jeans may be an issue. For the most part they have what you are looking for -casino and entertainment - but on a smaller scale. Stages are smaller so there are no big production shows Have you booked The Retreat on X? We like it - private restaurant and lounge, less crowded feel but with all the big ship pizazz Small ship pricing would be comparable to The Retreat so you are paying for it in both cases

I saw recently that Delta Airlines has gone from 30% pax load paying for First Class (the rest were upgraded at NC) to 80% paying for first, the remaining 20% were upgraded. If first had 16 seats, only 3 people would get upgraded off that list. airline loyalty now is guest recovery - plane was cancelled - how do I get home, priority stand by . Obviouslynsome high mileage folks get more but many in the middle get very little. My Marriott status (lifetime) gets me access to the lounge and some occasional better rooms - not suites. any loyalty program costs some money . X is looking at the returns from that money and time spent to see if it actually adds to profits "Being nice" is not in the lexicon of most corporations especially if they cab see that the program doesnt get them more profitable business. I think the free drinks program has run its course. What would make sense ? priority something - seats, reservations at specialty, tender. Knock off the bottom levels of CC (where's my free water?)and add points for total revenue maybe with a suite or AQ bonus

There has to be a revenue component as well. Higher revenue pax who buy specialty, excursions and airfare are more profitable than inside cabin who bring their own wine. airline and hotel programs are low on actual loyalty benefits these days (upgrades are very tough) but are good for guest recovery. there also has to be a time cutoff for inactivity Maybe 3 years like MSC.

Doesn’t matter. It’s going to be revenue based. Cabin type, excursions , specialty restaurants, air by X. Add all those together for Elite status in the future. “ I sailed on the Century and it was better” won’t cut it anymore

My guess is that video is correct. X and R will eliminate the lower levels Very top will be grandfathered in. Marriott status really doesn’t get you much at Ritz Carlton and no one is that miffed so SSea connection is out. “I’m an Elite on X!” Would not be a plus on SSea. on flyertalk.com, long term low profit customers are referred to as cheap elites and coupon cutters No programs are being designed for those folks as all they are doing is churning dollars. I used to fly about 100k miles year and 80 nights in Marriotts. I don’t think that I would be at the top anymore

This guy is absolutely on target. Every hotel chain has something like this AND you have to requalify every year or you are gone. Every year might sound harsh but you have to cut off non profitable customers and concentrate on higher revenue guests. before I got lifetime status from Marriott I had to have a certain number of nights total, make a status every year for a number of years and meet revenue parameters. With X it is an accumulation of cruises

I think that part of this is the "where's my steak every night" crowd - as that is to them a barometer of good food. The natural complement to that is mashed potatoes There is no shortage of steak and potato eaters on every ship (X and non-X ) that I have been on that said, mashed are cheap and scalable to demand at low cost

no on the Retreat. you can, on space available, pay for them to eat in Luminae with you

There’s always space somewhere. Zs won’t like it as it won’t be very extravagant when it does happen. It won’t be the suite passengers that are diverted to the secondary location as they have paid for Retreat and expect to get it. x will see how many Zs are on board and make a determination prior to sailing.

the X Italy cruise is in a suite. The SSea is in their standard veranda Both are about $10k or so. SSea includes excursions and a better port selection (smaller) . Food is at least similar to Luminae We have been on Apex suites and liked Luminae we like suites on X as we like big ship activities but want to avoid the crowds when we want to. To us it also applies when flying. International business class with lounge access The SSea selection is mainly on port choices as small ships can go to smaller ports. The big ship Med cruises are mostly in ports that are 1-2 hours to the actual city. In the Caribbean it doesnt matter since we are happy with staying on the ship and a wander through the port town.

3 cruises in 6 months is way more than the average vacationer out there. Not many people can afford to or take the vacay time for that X would be looking for those who take just 1 (maybe 2) vacations a year. Me thinks that people who take multiple cruises every year would have very specific needs that the once a year crowd would not.