D+ on Freedom class

[PSCruiser]

Been away for a few weeks (on NCL, most likely never again). Anyway, has it shaken out well enough that it has standardized as follows:?

On: 1. ships with no CL or D lounge
2. ships with just a CL
3. ships with both a CL and D lounge

For Ds, what has been the nature of the breakfast, evening lounge (time, locations, snacks, any soda, beer, etc.) Also nature of the single "event"?

For D+s, admittance to the CL? Any other perks above the Ds?

[SherriZ366]

[quote name='mommabean']That's what we did a lot, too. The CL always had seats available although Francois said the conditions were not acceptable :confused: :confused: and he's going to let Adam and Richard know about it next month when he sees them. As much as we liked Francois, it was obvious he does not like D+ and does not want them in the CL. Did you notice any of that attitude when you were there?

Gina[/QUOTE]According to the thread on Current Concierges, Francois will be an Oasis Concierge so he will not really affect FOS and the Oasis has a much larger CL. We are on Freedom on July 17, 2010.

[tnaseas]

[quote name='cruisinisforme']Well we were in a little different situation in that we were not only diamond plus but were also in a suite. I personally did not have a problem with francois but I heard some grumblings from a few other people[/quote]

We were in the same situation, D+ in OS. We thought Francois was the best concierge we have had in a long time and can't wait to sail with him on the Oasis! We enjoyed the CL, as suite guests, and would have been very upset if there had been standing room only due to too many D+ cruisers. When paying 3 to 4 times more for one's cabin, passengers do deserve special perks, imho, and enjoying the concierge lounge without "the show" should be one of them. The DL was absolutely fine with the D/D+ members before the change and not clear why they would reintroduce the D+ members into the CL on ships with DL. CL will become overcrowded again and something else will have to be done to insure suite guests are taken care of first and return to RCCL. The grumblings were from suite guests unable to enjoy the concierge lounge as promised when they booked their cabin and I can understand their frustration. I predict it won't be long until the D+ are back in the DL on ships that have DL and that should be okay, unless you have a suite and can go to both. This is just my observations and opinions, everyone is entitiled to theirs as well.

[mommabean]

[quote name='SherriZ366']According to the thread on Current Concierges, Francois will be an Oasis Concierge so he will not really affect FOS and the Oasis has a much larger CL. We are on Freedom on July 17, 2010.[/QUOTE]

That's right. He will go overseas get Oasis started up and then remain on board. And at that time he will tell Adam and Richard that D+ should not be in the CL at all on ANY of the ships with a DL. Not just Freedom.

My opinion is that fall cruises tend to be more crowded with D and D+ passengers and this still didn't affect the CL on the cruise I was on. We were 2 of the few D+ who used the CL and the over crowded conditions only affected the DL - NOT the CL. The DL had to open an overflow lounge. The CL was nearly empty once first seating began.

With over 400 D on board - 90 of them D+ - the overcrowding in any lounge would be alleviated by dropping the D passengers from the DL and calling it the D+ lounge. No, I don't think they should do this.

We did enjoy Francois. But I don't support his efforts to eliminate CL access to D+ on ships with both lounges. There was NOT standing room only at any time in the CL even with 90 D+ on board. For all I know, we may have been the ONLY D+ in the CL who weren't in a suite. I never asked the other few D+ what cabins they were in.

I also never asked Francois to do anything for me. But I will say that Willie offered to do extras for us on several occassions - offers which I declined - offers that were made with a smile on his face even though he DID have extremely overcrowded conditions in his lounge. Willie seemed to thrive on the crowd. I guess it's all a matter of attitude. We liked the crowd, too. That's why we headed back to the DL when the CL got way too dead for us.

Gina

[kruz]

[quote name='mommabean']That's right. He will go overseas get Oasis started up and then remain on board. And at that time he will tell Adam and Richard that D+ should not be in the CL at all on ANY of the ships with a DL. Not just Freedom.

My opinion is that fall cruises tend to be more crowded with D and D+ passengers and this still didn't affect the CL on the cruise I was on. We were 2 of the few D+ who used the CL and the over crowded conditions only affected the DL - NOT the CL. The DL had to open an overflow lounge. The CL was nearly empty once first seating began.

With over 400 D on board - 90 of them D+ - the overcrowding in any lounge would be alleviated by dropping the D passengers from the DL and calling it the D+ lounge. No, I don't think they should do this.

We did enjoy Francois. But I don't support his efforts to eliminate CL access to D+ on ships with both lounges. There was NOT standing room only at any time in the CL even with 90 D+ on board. For all I know, we may have been the ONLY D+ in the CL who weren't in a suite. I never asked the other few D+ what cabins they were in.

I also never asked Francois to do anything for me. But I will say that Willie offered to do extras for us on several occassions - offers which I declined - offers that were made with a smile on his face even though he DID have extremely overcrowded conditions in his lounge. Willie seemed to thrive on the crowd. I guess it's all a matter of attitude. We liked the crowd, too. That's why we headed back to the DL when the CL got way too dead for us.

Gina[/quote]

We spent the week in the DL overflow with Allan and had a fantastic time.

[stretch44]

[quote name='mommabean']That's right. He will go overseas get Oasis started up and then remain on board. And at that time he will tell Adam and Richard that D+ should not be in the CL at all on ANY of the ships with a DL. Not just Freedom.

My opinion is that fall cruises tend to be more crowded with D and D+ passengers and this still didn't affect the CL on the cruise I was on. We were 2 of the few D+ who used the CL and the over crowded conditions only affected the DL - NOT the CL. The DL had to open an overflow lounge. The CL was nearly empty once first seating began.

With over 400 D on board - 90 of them D+ - the overcrowding in any lounge would be alleviated by dropping the D passengers from the DL and calling it the D+ lounge. No, I don't think they should do this.

We did enjoy Francois. But I don't support his efforts to eliminate CL access to D+ on ships with both lounges. There was NOT standing room only at any time in the CL even with 90 D+ on board. For all I know, we may have been the ONLY D+ in the CL who weren't in a suite. I never asked the other few D+ what cabins they were in.

I also never asked Francois to do anything for me. But I will say that Willie offered to do extras for us on several occassions - offers which I declined - offers that were made with a smile on his face even though he DID have extremely overcrowded conditions in his lounge. Willie seemed to thrive on the crowd. I guess it's all a matter of attitude. We liked the crowd, too. That's why we headed back to the DL when the CL got way too dead for us.

Gina[/quote]

I was on the same cruise as you (possibly met you in the CL). I saw the exact opposite. The CL was overcrowded much of the time we were there. The people who were in the RS twice came in with no place to sit. I agree with Francois that ships with both a DL and CL, the CL should only be for suites. After talking with him, I believe he feels he cannot provide the service he wants to give suite room guests if D+ are allowed to use the CL. I know the times when I spoke with him we were constantly interupted by phone calls. He also told us he would get the chance to speak to the bosses about this and we wished him luck. I know I'm going to get a lot of heat from D+ members here but one of the major reasons we get a suite is to avoid some of the crowds. We found that although there were times when the CL was empty, many times it was standing room only. Like I said before the cruise, I was amazed the RCCL gave D+ access to both lounges, something they did not have before. The new benefits were supposed to enhance the suite experience. Oddly enough in this case, the experience has been diminished.

[stretch44]

[quote name='tnaseas']We were in the same situation, D+ in OS. We thought Francois was the best concierge we have had in a long time and can't wait to sail with him on the Oasis! We enjoyed the CL, as suite guests, and would have been very upset if there had been standing room only due to too many D+ cruisers. When paying 3 to 4 times more for one's cabin, passengers do deserve special perks, imho, and enjoying the concierge lounge without "the show" should be one of them. The DL was absolutely fine with the D/D+ members before the change and not clear why they would reintroduce the D+ members into the CL on ships with DL. CL will become overcrowded again and something else will have to be done to insure suite guests are taken care of first and return to RCCL. The grumblings were from suite guests unable to enjoy the concierge lounge as promised when they booked their cabin and I can understand their frustration. I predict it won't be long until the D+ are back in the DL on ships that have DL and that should be okay, unless you have a suite and can go to both. This is just my observations and opinions, everyone is entitiled to theirs as well.[/quote]

Very good points. We were first time RCCL cruisers in an OS. I am amazed by the attention and benefits given to D+ members. I wish the airline I travel frequently gave me first class service everytime I fly, even when I'm sitting in coach. All they give me is the ability to upgrade on occasion to first class. I wish the hotel chain I stay at would give me all the benefits they give their full suite guests even though I'm staying in one of their bargain rooms.

The DL for D+ and CL for suite guests makes sense. Then take one of the bars and hold a diamond event just like they do on the other ships.

[cruisinisforme]

As a first time cruiser on rccl if you thought the CL was crowded you should have seen it when both diamond and DP were allowed. I was in the CL every night and had a seat every time, and we got there late...and for the record I only got a two drinks all week, I truly enjoy the company and the people we meet while we are in there.

As for Francois thinking the DP should not be allowed...I very much disagree. I talked to many people in that lounge last week and was truly impressed with the number of cruises some of them had been on, I had met so many people having been on over 80 cruise and a few over 100 cruises, those people are truly loyal to royal and I believe deserve to be in that lounge. Not only that many of them, like myself, were not only diamond plus but were also in suites as well.

[mommabean]

[quote name='stretch44']I was on the same cruise as you (possibly met you in the CL). I saw the exact opposite. The CL was overcrowded much of the time we were there. The people who were in the RS twice came in with no place to sit. I agree with Francois that ships with both a DL and CL, the CL should only be for suites. After talking with him, I believe he feels he cannot provide the service he wants to give suite room guests if D+ are allowed to use the CL. I know the times when I spoke with him we were constantly interupted by phone calls. He also told us he would get the chance to speak to the bosses about this and we wished him luck. I know I'm going to get a lot of heat from D+ members here but one of the major reasons we get a suite is to avoid some of the crowds. We found that although there were times when the CL was empty, many times it was standing room only. Like I said before the cruise, I was amazed the RCCL gave D+ access to both lounges, something they did not have before. The new benefits were supposed to enhance the suite experience. Oddly enough in this case, the experience has been diminished.[/QUOTE]

I agree it was very crowded but only up until 6pm. But no where near the overcrowding of the DL. We always found a place to sit in the CL prior to 6 as long as we were willing to sit with strangers. This was only a brief window of overcrowding but it helped to alleviate the extreme conditions of the DL and it's overflow lounge. I still believe this is not the norm for a cruise. Frequent cruisers tend to book during the cheaper cruise season and that's what it is during Sept. I don't think the ship will have as many D+ on board during most of the year.

We went up to the DL before 6pm on 2 occassions and turned around and went back to the CL where we found the conditions not as extreme and could find a place to sit. It was standing room only in the DL at times.

All concierges go through periods of busy times...phone ringing...people waiting in line...no matter how many or few guests they have. Usually this is early in the cruise when everyone wants tickets, reservations, excursions at once.

I also think most D+ are going to stay in the DL anyway with their frequent cruiser friends. That's what I've noticed on other cruises when an overflow DL was opened on ships with only a CL. Most D and D+ who still had CL access at that time didn't visit the CL during cocktail hour. Again, we'd go back and forth to visit friends in both locations and we DID stand in the little Radiance lounge when often times there were no seats available.

I still think having the option of going to either lounge for D+ helps to alleviate the crowding in one location or the other. I wonder how many D+ who were NOT in a suite even asked the CL concierge to do something for them. It's very possible it was none of them. We sure didn't ask.

Gina

[PSCruiser]

[quote name='stretch44']Very good points. We were first time RCCL cruisers in an OS. I am amazed by the attention and benefits given to D+ members.
.[/quote]

No, we wouldn't want them giving too many benefits to the frequent repeat cruisers that keep them in business. Try a calculation of the money spent by a D+ with at least HALF A YEAR onboard their ships to the money you spent for a week in an OS. No reason at this point for them to think you will even repeat.
However, I'm in agreement that RC needs to come up with solutions on each ship that reward both suite occupancy as well as loyalty, with ways to accomodate both groups equally and comfortably.

[mommabean]

I wanted to add...

As a D+ in the CL I [U]never[/U] had to wait for a turn at the coffee maker unless my husband was in front of me.

I had the place to myself for breakfast (boring) although I admit to getting up earlier than most people on a cruise.

I got a really good picture of the reserved suite seating by the pool. I didn't see any reason for them to hold both sides for suites since both sides were completely underused. I would prefer to sit near other people but of course we know I prefer a crowded lounge to one with just a few people. ;)

Gina

[mommabean]

[quote name='PSCruiser'][COLOR="Red"]No, we wouldn't want them giving too many benefits to the frequent repeat cruisers that keep them in business. [/COLOR] Try a calculation of the money spent by a D+ with at least HALF A YEAR onboard their ships to the money you spent for a week in an OS. No reason at this point for them to think you will even repeat.
However, I'm in agreement that RC needs to come up with solutions on each ship that reward both suite occupancy as well as loyalty, with ways to accomodate both groups equally and comfortably.[/QUOTE]

LOL

I might add that people cruise for fun and entertainment - they fly because they have to. We are stuck with the airlines to get us from point A to point B so they don't have to do anything special to keep us. Many times our flight options are limited to schedule and price without a lot of competition in each market.

Now as for cruising, they have to do something to keep us since we have plenty of options for our not required vacations and holidays. We don't even have to cruise! And RCI seems to done a good job offending their D members - many who I believe when they say they are going to explore their other options.

Gina

[stretch44]

[quote name='mommabean']I wanted to add...

As a D+ in the CL I [U]never[/U] had to wait for a turn at the coffee maker unless my husband was in front of me.

I had the place to myself for breakfast (boring) although I admit to getting up earlier than most people on a cruise.

I got a really good picture of the reserved suite seating by the pool. I didn't see any reason for them to hold both sides for suites since both sides were completely underused. I would prefer to sit near other people but of course we know I prefer a crowded lounge to one with just a few people. ;)

Gina[/quote]

You are correct there. We never had to wait in line for the coffee maker (something I used a lot)! Also agree about the pool seats. My biggest problem with them for us was their location. We had kids with us who used the H20 Zone so we had to be there. With PFS and RFS, you would think it might be good idea to give back some of the chairs at the family pool and reserve some at the H2O Zone. Just a thought.

We enjoyed the CL and met new people there everyday. Have no problem sitting with others (actually prefer it) but we found ourselves trying to "time" our visit by when we thought there would be seats. Kind of defeats the whole purpose. We enjoyed the services of Francois as he was able to make, cancel and change all of our speciality restaurant reservations. He truly seemed frustrated when he wasn't able to arrange a bridge tour for us due to so many D+ members. Kids were sure hoping.

[stretch44]

[quote name='cruisinisforme'][COLOR=red]As a first time cruiser on rccl if you thought the CL was crowded you should have seen it when both diamond and DP were allowed.[/COLOR] I was in the CL every night and had a seat every time, and we got there late...and for the record I only got a two drinks all week, I truly enjoy the company and the people we meet while we are in there.

As for Francois thinking the DP should not be allowed...I very much disagree. I talked to many people in that lounge last week and was truly impressed with the number of cruises some of them had been on, I had met so many people having been on over 80 cruise and a few over 100 cruises, those people are truly loyal to royal and I believe deserve to be in that lounge. Not only that many of them, like myself, were not only diamond plus but were also in suites as well.[/quote]

I believe on Freedom class ships the CL did not allow D or D+ members, just suite guests before 9/1.

[stretch44]

[quote name='PSCruiser']No, we wouldn't want them giving too many benefits to the frequent repeat cruisers that keep them in business. Try a calculation of the money spent by a D+ with at least HALF A YEAR onboard their ships to the money you spent for a week in an OS. No reason at this point for them to think you will even repeat.
However, I'm in agreement that RC needs to come up with solutions on each ship that reward both suite occupancy as well as loyalty, with ways to accomodate both groups equally and comfortably.[/quote]

Try thinking it terms of "profit margin". We used one week's worth of room, services and food. For the same amount of money spent for a OS, how many week's worth of room, services and food (don't forget liquor) will RCCL have to provide for a frequent traveler who is staying in let's say, an oceanview room?

[gadaboutgal]

[quote name='stretch44']Try thinking it terms of "profit margin". We used one week's worth of room, services and food. For the same amount of money spent for a OS, how many week's worth of room, services and food (don't forget liquor) will RCCL have to provide for a frequent traveler who is staying in let's say, an oceanview room?[/quote]
[I] On the other hand, you could think of all the additional revenue brought in from "incidentals" on all those weeks of cruising that D+ have done. After all, the true profit margin is in those "extras" we all love in cruising.[/I]

[mommabean]

[quote name='stretch44']You are correct there. We never had to wait in line for the coffee maker (something I used a lot)! Also agree about the pool seats. My biggest problem with them for us was their location. We had kids with us who used the H20 Zone so we had to be there. With PFS and RFS, you would think it might be good idea to give back some of the chairs at the family pool and reserve some at the H2O Zone. Just a thought.

We enjoyed the CL and met new people there everyday. Have no problem sitting with others (actually prefer it) but we found ourselves trying to "time" our visit by when we thought there would be seats. Kind of defeats the whole purpose. We enjoyed the services of Francois as he was able to make, cancel and change all of our speciality restaurant reservations. He truly seemed frustrated when he wasn't able to arrange a bridge tour for us due to so many D+ members. Kids were sure hoping.[/QUOTE]

Wow! This must all be a matter of perspective. This was the smallest bridge tour we ever saw. The Captain said it was the largest he ever saw. :confused: How few people do they usually have? And for that matter, there were only 14 on the galley tour - I thought to count and was surprised it was so small.

I don't think behind the scenes tours are a suite perk though, are they? Due to "security" issues they may reserve this priveledge for their frequent D+ cruisers who they know have been around and risk free for a while. :eek: No telling.

People with kids could be staying in any type of suite, so you'd think that maybe when the concierge contacts the suite guests prior to cruising about pre-boarding dinner reservations, they might ask where and if they would like reserved pool seating - main pool or kids pool. Then they might only need to rope off one side of the main pool seating if the need isn't that great.

There were so many chairs available all over the pool deck though that no one had to look at the reserved chairs and then wonder why they couldn't sit there. This is just like the CL....some cruises there are plenty of places to sit, sometimes there's never enough. It's a rare cruise I've been on where pool seating can't be found any time of day. Others complain about this constantly.

I will say that I much prefer a crowded, busy concierge lounge rather than a quiet and boring one. And the few concierges I've had contact with on previous cruises seemed to thrive on the challenge and never seemed frustrated...or at least they didn't let on. We've spent time calculating the tips in our heads of one concierge in particular. :D He loved the standing room only crowds and they (at least the D and D+) loved him, too. :p

Gina

[mommabean]

[quote name='stretch44']I believe on Freedom class ships the CL did not allow D or D+ members, just suite guests before 9/1.[/QUOTE]

That is true.

I think Janet was referring to the other classes of ships. And she is correct. The crowds on the other ships I saw were much greater prior to Sept 1 than what I saw on Freedom in the CL after Sept. 1. But I've never seen the amount of people like I saw in the DL on Freedom. It was fun though.

The only bad part was that it's hard to patrol 410 people flowing in and out of one lounge. We saw one drunk pass off his drink to someone else before going in and then taking orders and going back out to pass off the fresh drinks to his friends.

Gina

[cruisinisforme]

[quote name='stretch44']I believe on Freedom class ships the CL did not allow D or D+ members, just suite guests before 9/1.[/quote]

They allowed them in both, this was my third time on the freedom and the previous two times was as a diamond member so I could go to both lounges......I know a lot of people were unhappy about the changes this year but the fact is that the lounge was really too crowded to enjoy anymore which is why they had to make the change. Francois told me there were over 400 diamond members on board which accounts for the crowding in the lounge on deck 14..there were not as many diamond plus. If you met us you would remember...we were the girls wearing the head boppers most nights lol!

Like I said I personally found that almost all diamond plus members that were there were also in a suite, not to say all of them, but the ones we were talking to were.

[mommabean]

[quote name='gadaboutgal'][I] On the other hand, you could think of all the additional revenue brought in from "incidentals" on all those weeks of cruising that D+ have done. After all, the true profit margin is in those "extras" we all love in cruising.[/I][/QUOTE]

You got it! I know of frequent cruisers who love to pump a load of money into the casino and they BUY drinks while they do it. :eek: Give 'em a few free drinks before they go to the casino and WOW - RCI hits the jackpot. :D

Gina

[cruisinisforme]

LOL Looks like you answered as I was typing!

[stretch44]

[quote name='gadaboutgal'][I] On the other hand, you could think of all the additional revenue brought in from "incidentals" on all those weeks of cruising that D+ have done. After all, the true profit margin is in those "extras" we all love in cruising.[/I][/quote]

I would think that D+ buys fewer "incidentals" and "extras" than most. Think about it. They don't need t-shirts. logo items, etc. etc.

They already have them!

[mommabean]

[quote name='cruisinisforme']They allowed them in both, this was my third time on the freedom and the previous two times was as a diamond member so I could go to both lounges......I know a lot of people were unhappy about the changes this year but the fact is that the lounge was really too crowded to enjoy anymore which is why they had to make the change. Francois told me there were over 400 diamond members on board which accounts for the crowding in the lounge on deck 14..there were not as many diamond plus. [COLOR="Red"]If you met us you would remember...we were the girls wearing the head boppers most nights [/COLOR]lol!

Like I said I personally found that almost all diamond plus members that were there were also in a suite, not to say all of them, but the ones we were talking to were.[/QUOTE]

You mean the flashing little things sticking up like pink ears? Ahhhhh! :D LOL I remember you.

We must have been the ONLY ones in that CL who didn't belong. We were NOT in a suite. :o

Gina

[SherriZ366]

[quote name='mommabean']That's right. He will go overseas get Oasis started up and then remain on board. And at that time he will tell Adam and Richard that D+ should not be in the CL at all on ANY of the ships with a DL. Not just Freedom.

My opinion is that fall cruises tend to be more crowded with D and D+ passengers and this still didn't affect the CL on the cruise I was on. We were 2 of the few D+ who used the CL and the over crowded conditions only affected the DL - NOT the CL. The DL had to open an overflow lounge. The CL was nearly empty once first seating began.

With over 400 D on board - 90 of them D+ - the overcrowding in any lounge would be alleviated by dropping the D passengers from the DL and calling it the D+ lounge. No, I don't think they should do this.

We did enjoy Francois. But I don't support his efforts to eliminate CL access to D+ on ships with both lounges. There was NOT standing room only at any time in the CL even with 90 D+ on board. For all I know, we may have been the ONLY D+ in the CL who weren't in a suite. I never asked the other few D+ what cabins they were in.

I also never asked Francois to do anything for me. But I will say that Willie offered to do extras for us on several occassions - offers which I declined - offers that were made with a smile on his face even though he DID have extremely overcrowded conditions in his lounge. Willie seemed to thrive on the crowd. I guess it's all a matter of attitude. We liked the crowd, too. That's why we headed back to the DL when the CL got way too dead for us.

Gina[/QUOTE] Winter cruises on the IOS were really full with D/D+. We had around 700 on our Jan. 2009 cruise and another week had 700. We had drinks in the disco (whch some folks on this board did not like) and our Concierge, Columella kept the hors d'oerves well stocked. Great bar waiters. The DL in the morning was more active than I have ever seen it. You could always find a seat but Columella reordered the fruit tray once or twice in the morning.

Willie was very helpful with spa appointments and luggage tags etc.

[mommabean]

[quote name='stretch44']I would think that D+ buys fewer "incidentals" and "extras" than most. Think about it. They don't need t-shirts. logo items, etc. etc.

They already have them![/QUOTE]

They DO come out with new and improved and more stylish things all the time in the shops on board. Different t-shirt designs are always released. I'm sure some D+ers are shopaholics, too. Not us though. We only bought a 2010 calendar and a massage this time. I've been known to "need" a new color of pashmina or a new bracelet from time to time. :)

I know there are frequent cruisers who buy a ship replica or some sort of souvernier on every cruise.

I AM trying to wind down my photo purchases though after buying far too many of them on far too many cruises. I only came home with 3 pictures this time.

Gina