CAS Changes

[brmoqueen]

I've been thinking about how most people say they cruise for other things and would never pick a cruise/cruise line based on a loyalty program and feeling kind of guilty that it seems to make so much difference to me. Then I remembered that we often go to Las Vegas and where we stay is always determined by their loyalty program and what offers they send us. So I guess that's just the kind of person that I am. Thus I will no longer hide or make appologies for putting so much emphasis on the loyalty program when I cruise.

 

Face it, a lot of people shop at certain stores, fly certain airlines, stay at certain brand hotels for ONE reason...the loyalty programs.....

 

I just checked what it would cost me to do a quickie cruise to lock in my Dplus....I'm not willing to spend over $1,000 to do it...NOT worth it, since we don't know what's going to happen....

[Debde]

Thus I will no longer hide or make appologies for putting so much emphasis on the loyalty program when I cruise.

 

why should you? :(

I think no one should ever hide or make apologies for their opinions as lomg as they are not hurting anybody.

 

Some people keep telling me I'm wrong with my opinion as the lounges are not crowded but ya keep reading and more info. keeps surfacing that I may not be all that wrong.!!:eek:

 

Seriously-Royal has a perfect shot at re-vamping everything and possibly reward folks and not jam them into some room!!! They may actually come up with a new good idea that many might even like. Wouldn't that be somethin'!!!:D;)

 

Just because some of our opinions differ on this subject-you should still post your feelings and I'll bet some of us could possibly meet on a cruise and put this whole forum aside and enjoy a day at sea together!!!:D

[seasearider]

well, I must be on there bad side ,I have 228 days of cruising and have been a D+ for 3 years and have never been upgraded. heck I have never been invited to the officers table:rolleyes:

 

You're not alone, we have 255(48 cruise credits) and have never had a call form the upgrade fairy.

 

What's interesting will be to see how many cruise days people who primarily cruise the short trips but have over 100 cruise credits end up. I'm guessing they will be under the 700/750 to be in the new Pinnacle level.

[brmoqueen]

What's interesting will be to see how many cruise days people who primarily cruise the short trips but have over 100 cruise credits end up. I'm guessing they will be under the 700/750 to be in the new Pinnacle level.

 

Is it possible that the "100 cruises" moving to Pinnacle is really 100 cruises and NOT 100 cruise credits????

[lordtimothy]

Come one BB, aka LT , fess up. Just how old are you?:p Hee he, probably in your 20"s !!! I don't think so ;)

 

 

If I make it to 70; it's approximately 22 more years.

[rascalious]

Here is my view. I was a hesitant cruiser when my wife first suggested cruising back in 2001. After the first I was hooked. We both decided to cruise once a year, if possible. That has turned into 2 or 3 times a year. We took a NCL cruise and then a Carnival cruise. In 2003 we had our first RCI cruise and have never looked back. I am no RCI cheerleader, but joined the C&A program after that first cruise with them in 2003.

Each year we book well ahead and save, save, save for that ONE BIG CRUISE. It has often been challenging to budget for it, but always been worth it. Because of the financial discipline and sacrifice to do this, we have also looked to the benefits to keep us focused on the goal of the next level to realize added perks and discounts.

I will not lie, I really enjoy "free" drinks in the CL. That was taken away when we had reached the Diamond level. But, I also appreciate the priority boarding and many other perks.

We do not cruise just for the perks, but as long as we have been C&A members, those Saving Certificates, Balcony Discounts, etc. were always very fore-front in our decision to go with RCI. We have saved many hundreds of dollars with just a phone call to C&A - mostly due to price drops or realizing a higher discount when we reach a certain level before another pre-booked cruise was paid for. I just called yesterday to get my D+ discount for a balcony - on a cruise I already booked for a Diamond Discount. Automatic $25 savings!

 

Everyone is in a different situation. No vacation, no funds for extra cruises, etc. I have been reading of the rumored changes for some time here. We had just done a very expensive 12-night Med cruise in Sept. Within a week of returning, I was already booking a B2B aboard the Navigator - not in the budget. My wife did not have the necessary vacation time left, but I did. After much consideration, I sailed the first leg alone - a first for me. She joined me for the second leg

 

What does this all mean?

1. I knew about the coming changes.

2. we had 19 cc and need 24 cc

3. I cruised alone to get 2 cc (outside my comfort zone)

4. My wife and I spent extra for a suite to get 3 more on the second leg

5. We are D+ before the changes we "knew" were coming.

6. Despite not being too excited about either itinerary (we had done them before) - we had a wonderful vacation - which is really what it is all about.

7. We were not alone in this venture - many, many C&A members on our cruise were doing the same thing - trying to achieve the next level.

 

Not bragging or being smug, but just saying what we did to avert a problem and get to D+.

We chose to do this at a sacrifice for a smaller Christmas at home. No big ticket items this year- these cruises were our Christmas to each other.

[DarthGrady]

I've been thinking about how most people say they cruise for other things and would never pick a cruise/cruise line based on a loyalty program and feeling kind of guilty that it seems to make so much difference to me. Then I remembered that we often go to Las Vegas and where we stay is always determined by their loyalty program and what offers they send us. So I guess that's just the kind of person that I am. Thus I will no longer hide or make appologies for putting so much emphasis on the loyalty program when I cruise.

 

As well you shouldn't. ;) The lines offer those perks to entice you to come back. I'm not sure why so many on here vilify folks who want to attain those perks as fast as possible or choose one line over another based on the perks offered.

 

We have been cruising RCI more often to get the better perks offered at the higher levels. Thats why this possible "moving of the carrot" really sticks in my craw. Being so close to the next level and now having to worry about the game being changed is disconcerting.

[celle]

why should you? :(

I think no one should ever hide or make apologies for their opinions as lomg as they are not hurting anybody.

. . . (some content deleted) . . .

 

Seriously-Royal has a perfect shot at re-vamping everything and possibly reward folks and not jam them into some room!!! They may actually come up with a new good idea that many might even like. Wouldn't that be somethin'!!!:D;)

 

Just because some of our opinions differ on this subject-you should still post your feelings and I'll bet some of us could possibly meet on a cruise and put this whole forum aside and enjoy a day at sea together!!!:D

 

While Royal has a perfect opportunity to re-vamp, here's what I'd like - equal treatment for International cruisers who are C&A members.

 

At the moment, I can't log in to the Members Only part of the C&A site, can't access my cruise history, never get coupons or notifications of specials, don't get any information apart from what is available to all and sundry, even though my email address is recorded.

 

When I try to access the Members Only area, I get a message that says, in effect, "We're working on it. Watch this space." Well, I've been watching since 2003 and nothing has happened here!

 

Equal treatment for all C&A members, I say, regardless of where they live.

[island lady]

That's a shame for you! I'm so sorry - I'm being sympathetic, not sarcastic.

 

Our last cruise made us Diamond and we will be happy if we can stay at that level.

 

Currently, we have 10 credits, 66 days with RCCL, gained from only 6 cruises and no suites. Our cruise lengths were 12, 7, 14, 14, 12, 11 nights. We live where we have to fly long distance to cruise, so we try to take long cruises.

 

We cruise for the itinerary first, and then for the cruise line, although given 2 cruise lines offering the same itinerary we would choose RCCL.

 

We've got 6 credits (42 nights) with Celebrity - 3 x 14-day cruises (RCCL didn't go there. We had actually booked 28 days on Radiance but then RCCL pulled her from South America). We'll gratefully accept any increased status perks we get on Celebrity thanks to our RCCL status.

 

Next year, we're doing 27 days on HAL - because their transatlantic repo cruise goes to Iceland and Greenland.

 

For us, the itinerary definitely comes first and the status perks are just that - a little icing on the cake, but not a deal breaker. I realise that others have different preferences.

 

Thanks...that was sweet of you to notice and care. :)

I hope your status remains the same and congrats on making Diamond!! :D

 

Same thing, ....that I choose for itinerary, but also love using our home port and the convenience of living just 5 miles from it, to mix it up with spur of the moment short cruises too. In all but one of our trips before we retired (and had real income ;) ), we had opted for suites...which is a cash cow for RCI of course.

 

The thing I was striving for upon making Diamond, was the big jump between Platinum and Diamond for the future cruise discount. It sure helps now that we are recently retired and on a fixed income!! :eek: ;)

[JTJ]

Can someone post a link or tell me where I look for the numbers in the C&A tiers. How many actually have over the 100 cruises credited or how many D+,,, Diamond and so on.. Just curious.. Also how many total members in C&A..

 

I'm not sure if total C&A members would be a great statistic. There are plenty of C&A members that are deceased that still show up. C&A like CC doesn't remove the dear departed from their ranks. How would they or any forum type membership know?

 

How many on board an individual cruise is the best. BTW; If you want plenty of seats in the lounges don't go on a saving certificate cruise date. According to the Concierges I've talked to, many D & D+ book insides where the savings certs. are the main discount for non balconys. I noticed that a long time ago and don't go on those dates, I use the balcony discount.

[fancycroozer]

LT - wanted to make sure you can read this.

DH & I met you on the Serenade in November and thought you were quite funny andmade us laugh quite a bit.

You are just as funny on these boards - again making me laugh.

[Coralc]

I'm not sure if total C&A members would be a great statistic. There are plenty of C&A members that are deceased that still show up. C&A like CC doesn't remove the dear departed from their ranks. How would they or any forum type membership know?

 

 

What a great business idea ! :D We could start a service to remove the dearly departed from websites and online things. <jk>

 

When we took my mom on her first cruise a few years ago, some other person's C&A number showed up on the setsail pass. I called C&A and they asked if she lived in Plano, TX and had a birthdate at least 10 years before my moms?

 

Since this other person would have been in their mid 90's, my mom jokingly said "You could have just left it on. She may not be using it anymore...and I could have had her credits. LOL" :)

[Tranquil Waters]

marci22

 

PH8 did not mean that I am one of the over 70 year olds; (not that there is anything wrong with that)

I am much much younger than that; but that I am one of the over 100 Cruises Cruisers. :D

 

And one of the "square footage" leaders on CC..... ;):D

[lordtimothy]

 

Priority Check-In ? ? ?

 

So the only Guests who don't have Priority Check-In are the Gold Members ?

 

Well that is just rediculous ! ! !

 

Diamond and above should be the ones who have Priority Embarkation and/or Debarkation.

[lordtimothy]

LT - wanted to make sure you can read this.

 

DH & I met you on the Serenade in November and thought you were quite funny andmade us laugh quite a bit.

 

You are just as funny on these boards - again making me laugh.

 

fancycroozer

 

Thank you for your kind words.

The two (02) night triple Cruise Credit Cruise aboard the Serenade was a fun Cruise wasn't it. (Ok people don't get upset; it really was a seven (07) night Cruise.

PS: Not only can I read it; it is quite beautiful in all it's c o l o u r s.

Must think out of the Box !

[LBcruzman]

[quote name=brmoqueen;27289371

I just checked what it would cost me to do a quickie cruise to lock in my Dplus....I'm not willing to spend over $1' date='000 to do it...NOT worth it, since we don't know what's going to happen....[/quote]

 

You are so right. We are pretty close to D+ and could have taken a back to back in a JS on the cheapie, short, older ships out of FL in December for 3 credits each. Instead we went on a more expensive land trip we preferred to those itineraries and ships.

 

Reaching D+ will be nice when it happens but I can wait, no big hurry. Unless there is something detrimental to all that hasn't come out yet about the changes, those of us who always did the 7 night or longer cruises won't lose anything with this new system.

[lordtimothy]

And one of the "square footage" leaders on CC..... ;):D

 

Tranquil Waters

 

Thank you

I love it ! ! !

[darkauf]

We are always looking for perks. We use a Hilton Honor's card to get free hotel rooms wherever we travel. We have frequent flyer mileage so that we don't have to pay for airfares to and from wherever we are picking up a ship. The balcony discount is fantastic and so is on board credit. We use a big box store travel agency because they give us more on board credit. Every once in a while we will redeem some RCL points for more on board credit. We wouldn't be able to travel as much as we do if we didn't use the perks. It is very helpful when you don't have to pay for your hotel before and/or after a cruise and that the flights are also covered. As much as I love the CL, the only reason I really like it is for the cappuccino. We don't drink. Both Larry and myself drink soft drinks. Once in a while I will have something to drink but I do enjoy meet and mingling with friends that I know on the ship from cruise critic or other cruises.

 

Now with that carrot dangling, if it takes us another year to get to Diamond plus with the new program, so be it. We are only 1 point away and no visible means of obtaining that point until we sail in Feb. I am proud to say that we love to finagle and use all the perks that anyone offers us...

 

Darlene

[J & G]

There are plenty of C&A members that are deceased that still show up. C&A like CC doesn't remove the dear departed from their ranks.

 

It's when their post count increases that it becomes worrisome! :confused::confused:

[beachbuddy]

Priority Check-In ? ? ?

 

So the only Guests who don't have Priority Check-In are the Gold Members ?

 

Well that is just rediculous ! ! !

 

Diamond and above should be the ones who have Priority Embarkation and/or Debarkation.

 

LT,

It's always been like that- Gold and non- C&A members use the regular one, but I have to agree with you..........I think priority should be for D and up too.

[FUN33]

I just hope RCCL takes this opportunity to eliminate the "household" rule that gives a child the same number of cruise (points-credits-nights-whatever) as the parents who actually earned them.

 

I have no problem with a child, in the same household, accumulating their own points actually earned while on cruises with their parents. To bestow 100-400 or more credits on a newborn is just wrong.

[rt1092]

I just hope RCCL takes this opportunity to eliminate the "household" rule that gives a child the same number of cruise (points-credits-nights-whatever) as the parents who actually earned them.

 

I have no problem with a child, in the same household, accumulating their own points actually earned while on cruises with their parents. To bestow 100-400 or more credits on a newborn is just wrong.

That only works to diamond status after that you have to earn them.

My MIL lives with us we are D+ and she is Diamond with 22 cruises.

[Tucker in Texas]

As another poster mentioned, it might be a good business decision on Royal's part not to implement the changes right away but a few months down the road. Why? Because all those cruisers who are close and want the next level might book a cruise if the credits will get them there. Apparently, a lot of people in the past have booked short cruises in suites to ramp up their credits so probably would do it again.

 

As for me? Made Diamond and only had one cruise before the CL lounge was taken away. Scheduled to make Diamond+ this year with a 16 night trans-Atlantic which would have given me 24 credits under the old system. Now I will need an additional 13 nights to make it after completing that cruise to get to 175 if the rumors are correct. All my cruises have been 7 days or longer.

 

Would I jump on a couple of cruises to make those 13 nights if given the opportunity? Don't think so. That $1K cruise fare will buy me a lot of drinks and extra internet time (lol).

 

Tucker in Texas

[fancycroozer]

fancycroozer

 

Thank you for your kind words.

 

The two (02) night triple Cruise Credit Cruise aboard the Serenade was a fun Cruise wasn't it. (Ok people don't get upset; it really was a seven (07) night Cruise.

 

PS: Not only can I read it; it is quite beautiful in all it's c o l o u r s.

 

Must think out of the Box !

 

Luv how you make little waves - eye test - can you ead this?????

 

We did have a great time on the Serenade. We just got off the Jewel and got home right before the snow storm hit the east coast and I have to say I was pleased how nice the Jewel looked compared to the Serenade. But am now looking forward to seeing the Allure next month.

[rubrrick]

Can someone post a link or tell me where I look for the numbers in the C&A tiers. How many actually have over the 100 cruises credited or how many D+,,, Diamond and so on.. Just curious.. Also how many total members in C&A..

 

Larry..........you wanted some statistics, and what I have is from Randy , who is with the marketing department of RCCL.

 

There are approximately 6.5 million Crown and Anchor members

There are 3 people that have over 300 cruise (or cruise credits) They are, with the leader being Mario, and then Jerry and Greta.

 

There are 7 people that we know of that have over 200 cruise credits, including Harry and Doris, Herb and MaryAnn, actually one couple that I have met but can't remember their names, and then pulling up the rear, is Claude, with something in the way of 208 points.

 

Then there is something less than 100, maybe about 95 that have more than 100 points, but less than 200 points. We are in that group, and as of now, we are at 112 cruise points.

 

Then come the D+, of which I'm told that there are some 6,500 D+ members. I don't know the count on the rest.

 

My friend LT......the guy that writes with his crayon in BOLD colors on this thread is sitting somewhere around 150, as is another friend, who does not even show his face on CC at 148.

 

As of three weeks ago, there were exactly 103 members (some couples) that have more than 100 cruises.

 

I don't know if this helps you.......but those are the stats from the beginning of December.

 

If I have left anything out LT..........please fill in the blanks!!:D

 

Rick