Crown & Anchor Society level changes

[beachbuddy]

I dont think the discount on the actual cruise is the most important C & A perk.

I think that RCCL shold focus on making life easyer - like more free laundry - priorty seats by the pool on all vessels - reserved tables in the windjammer - fokus on the priority line at guest relations.

 

The staff shold focus on reconiction - it cost little, and make a lot of VIP`s happy

 

Those things might be important to you but not to me. I don't care about reserved seats anywhere or free laundry. Everyone has something different that's important to them. I'd like more free internet minutes but not willing to give up my balcony discount for it.

 

They will never be able to please everyone.

[scottbee]

Given this entire thread is speculation, I'll guess that one of the new features of the plan is losing cruise-day credits for attempts to smuggle and/or not wearing appropriate dress on formal night.

[Snick500]

I dont think the discount on the actual cruise is the most important C & A perk.

I think that RCCL shold focus on making life easyer - like more free laundry - priorty seats by the pool on all vessels - reserved tables in the windjammer - fokus on the priority line at guest relations.

 

The staff shold focus on reconiction - it cost little, and make a lot of VIP`s happy

 

More free laundry sounds good. If more "reserved" sections are put aside for VIP'S, it doesn't look good imo. I don't think the best of all the free things should be "reserved". As repeat cruisers we get bonus books, lounges, parties, balcony discounts, etc. I don't think it's good business to make others feel second-class on a vacation they paid for too. Cruising is supposed to be this WONDERFUL first class treatment for all passengers. If they want to go more this way, then the only way to attract new cruisers will be to have ships just for the "lower" levels so they end up with a great vacation too. jmho

[Tranquil Waters]

I think the intent of what I said is being misinterpreted.

 

I intended only to indicate that I cruise for the product and that is what brings me back. How about I say "I am influenced primarily by the product (and by "product" I mean a cruise experience I find positive at a price I am satisfied with)"?

 

But aren't the "perks" part of the product and cruise experience? :confused:

 

If you decide to buy a pair of shoes and 2 stores are selling shoes that you like for the same amount of money. But one store is giving you 3 free pair of socks when you buy their shoes. Both are giving you a good product. And both are giving you what you paid for.

 

But which store are you going to buy the shoes from? ;)

 

The taking away of perks that people have come to expect (whether small in monitary value or not - think Chevy Chase and Christmas Vacation :D) is going to make a number of people look at other "stores" or products...... :)

[Trickie Dickie]

I see nothing changed on the C & A website today. :D

[Lindy Sue]

Just checked my C&A Status.... no changes noted as of yet.

[Tranquil Waters]

Just checked my C&A Status.... no changes noted as of yet.

 

I was sooo disappointed. I was hoping for a 200+ number. :D And was still at my lowly (compared to the frequent cruisers) 26......

[beachbuddy]

More free laundry sounds good. If more "reserved" sections are put aside for VIP'S, it doesn't look good imo. I don't think the best of all the free things should be "reserved". As repeat cruisers we get bonus books, lounges, parties, balcony discounts, etc. I don't think it's good business to make others feel second-class on a vacation they paid for too. Cruising is supposed to be this WONDERFUL first class treatment for all passengers. If they want to go more this way, then the only way to attract new cruisers will be to have ships just for the "lower" levels so they end up with a great vacation too. jmho

 

I totally agree with you on that!

[Ocean Boy]

More free laundry sounds good. If more "reserved" sections are put aside for VIP'S, it doesn't look good imo. I don't think the best of all the free things should be "reserved". As repeat cruisers we get bonus books, lounges, parties, balcony discounts, etc. I don't think it's good business to make others feel second-class on a vacation they paid for too. Cruising is supposed to be this WONDERFUL first class treatment for all passengers. If they want to go more this way, then the only way to attract new cruisers will be to have ships just for the "lower" levels so they end up with a great vacation too. jmho

 

I completely agree with you. If I were a first time cruiser and saw all of that "VIP" reserved stuff for others it would not make me want to book more cruises in order to get access to those areas. It would make me want to find another cruise line where I was treated as if my business were appreciated. There are ways to reward repeat business without flaunting it in the face of new business.

[insulationbabe]

We had a grand suite on the Radiance in November and doing it again the end of January - We felt very skiddish when we went to Guest Relations a c ouple of times and we had a priority line while others were waiting to be helped.

When we started to walk up to get "served" my husband and I got some dirty looks from the others waiting so we offered for a couple of them to go ahead of us and the the gentleman at the desk said on no - we have to serve you first - we were a little annoyed and apologized to the people waiting.

I agree that we do have a lot of perks being diamond plus and having the grand suite - so I would like to see this stopped - makes us feel uncomfortable - Instead - give me a lounge by the pool with my name on it - lol:)

[thelion]

We had a grand suite on the Radiance in November and doing it again the end of January - We felt very skiddish when we went to Guest Relations a c ouple of times and we had a priority line while others were waiting to be helped.

When we started to walk up to get "served" my husband and I got some dirty looks from the others waiting so we offered for a couple of them to go ahead of us and the the gentleman at the desk said on no - we have to serve you first - we were a little annoyed and apologized to the people waiting.

I agree that we do have a lot of perks being diamond plus and having the grand suite - so I would like to see this stopped - makes us feel uncomfortable - Instead - give me a lounge by the pool with my name on it - lol:)

 

No one forced you into that priority line. If it made you uncomfortable, you should have waited your turn with the regular folk.

[chucknmarilyn]

More free laundry sounds good. If more "reserved" sections are put aside for VIP'S, it doesn't look good imo. I don't think the best of all the free things should be "reserved". As repeat cruisers we get bonus books, lounges, parties, balcony discounts, etc. I don't think it's good business to make others feel second-class on a vacation they paid for too. Cruising is supposed to be this WONDERFUL first class treatment for all passengers. If they want to go more this way, then the only way to attract new cruisers will be to have ships just for the "lower" levels so they end up with a great vacation too. jmho

 

 

I thoroughly agree with this. A good example are the reserved seats at the pool on the Voyager and Freedom Class ships. I had clients deliberately choose one of those ships because they loved the tiered seats in the past. They were very disappointed when they had no access to them and most of the seats remained unused throughout the full week. My daughter had a similar experience on Liberty. They were all blocked off and she said she only saw a couple of people use them for the full week. I would love to see them have some means of reserving space just on request of those who want them and are eligible for that perk rather than having the whole area go unused.

 

We are very close to D+ and thought about doing 2 short cruises to get that level locked in but just could not justify the cost compared to what we would probably gain by doing so. On the other hand, I have friends that did exactly that. I would have liked the extra free internet and discounts but they are more into the CL and just "being D+". Her words.:)

[GHarkness]

When we started to walk up to get "served" my husband and I got some dirty looks from the others waiting so we offered for a couple of them to go ahead of us and the the gentleman at the desk said on no - we have to serve you first - we were a little annoyed and apologized to the people waiting.

I agree that we do have a lot of perks being diamond plus and having the grand suite - so I would like to see this stopped - makes us feel uncomfortable - l:)

Well, there's no law that says you HAVE to get in the priority line at GS. You could just get in the regular line, and no one would be the wiser.

 

We just received a packet from my TA for a group cruise this month, and it had armbands that say "VIP." (They are for some group activities we have planned). I about laughed my behind off, especially after all our discussion here of late.

 

I wish those armbands said ANYTHING but "VIP." After all, I have always thought I was just a regular person....what a shock to discover all of a sudden that I'm "Very Important" :D

[erbunny]

Well, there's no law that says you HAVE to get in the priority line at GS. You could just get in the regular line, and no one would be the wiser.

 

We just received a packet from my TA for a group cruise this month, and it had armbands that say "VIP." (They are for some group activities we have planned). I about laughed my behind off, especially after all our discussion here of late.

 

I wish those armbands said ANYTHING but "VIP." After all, I have always thought I was just a regular person....what a shock to discover all of a sudden that I'm "Very Important" :D

HMMM, not really wanting to hijack thread, but my most embarassing travel experinece was being escorted ahead of thousands of Chinese waiting for hours to get into Mao's tomb. And I didn't even care to see the waxen dude.

[storm1of4]

no one forced you into that priority line. If it made you uncomfortable, you should have waited your turn with the regular folk.

 

 

can i get an amen up in here!!!

[Tranquil Waters]

I have never really been bothered by "perks" whether I am watching others get them (I figured they paid for them one way or the other - whether through a very high price for their cabin or by being very frequent cruisers) or whether I was using them myself (on the few occasions we have booked suites).

 

In a way it comes back to what others have said about accepting whatever RCI does about the C&A program. If I pay for the product and I get the product I pay for (and the web site does state clearly that there are perks for suite guests and levels of C&A) then I am not going to worry that someone who paid more (one way or the other) gets "more". That is kind of the way life is.......

[bob278]

But aren't the "perks" part of the product and cruise experience? :confused: Not from my point of view. There were no perks on our first few cruises so that is not what made us love cruising and the perks are not what RCL is selling.

 

If you decide to buy a pair of shoes and 2 stores are selling shoes that you like for the same amount of money. But one store is giving you 3 free pair of socks when you buy their shoes. Both are giving you a good product. And both are giving you what you paid for.

 

But which store are you going to buy the shoes from? ;)

 

The taking away of perks that people have come to expect (whether small in monitary value or not - think Chevy Chase and Christmas Vacation :D) is going to make a number of people look at other "stores" or products...... :)

 

Your point about one vendor adding a little extra is valid and what I (and several others) have said more than once. Given similar base products, the extras could make the difference but the socks are not what I am in the market for so they won't be the deciding factor

 

If the store without the socks is the one I have been trading with for several years and has treated me well, then I may not even look around enough to know about the other offer.

 

It's also a little easier to determine that I would like the shoes from the other store (a "thing" rather than something like service and ambiance). With a cruise, there are so many things that are subjective that you can't know you will like the competitor's product.

 

And the analogy isn't exactly on point since in the case we are all discussing ad infinitum, the other cruise line is not going to be offering more perks than we are getting now (even if we lost some of them). On the other hand, taking something away that was previously given does create enough potential hostility to cause people to look somewhere else. That's the business risk of changing a program that has gotten out of hand due to its own success.

 

And I would not say that I would never try some other cruise line, but losing a few perks would not be the main reason. It would be my expectation that their "product" (the cruise without regard for perks) would be at least as good as what I already know and like.

 

And on the more recent subject about VIP treatment, I agree that making several things so visible and elitist is not something I am in favor of. There are too many ways to make me feel valued that don't poke other people in the eye. It is fine for people who pay more to get more, but it is bad business to make other people feel they are giving up something so the VIPs can get their extras.

[Puffinater]

can i get an amen up in here!!!

 

 

You sure can. Here it is.... AMEN!!!!

[brmoqueen]

We had a grand suite on the Radiance in November and doing it again the end of January - We felt very skiddish when we went to Guest Relations a c ouple of times and we had a priority line while others were waiting to be helped.

When we started to walk up to get "served" my husband and I got some dirty looks from the others waiting so we offered for a couple of them to go ahead of us and the the gentleman at the desk said on no - we have to serve you first - we were a little annoyed and apologized to the people waiting.

I agree that we do have a lot of perks being diamond plus and having the grand suite - so I would like to see this stopped - makes us feel uncomfortable - Instead - give me a lounge by the pool with my name on it - lol:)

 

I agree....I won't use that line again. Used it on RD and a lady waiting in the regular line was really mad. The GR said "these are our important guests"....Made me feel small and made her angrier...she said apparantly I'm not important....

 

he quickly tried to hush her over....didn't quite work..

 

Will NOT use that line again......I have no problem waiting.

 

Just a fyi, she was the only person in the other line...so it wasn't like she waited long...

 

Now, I do like priority tender but only when they issue tender tickets....I don't like walking to the front of the line.

[Tranquil Waters]

Your point about one vendor adding a little extra is valid and what I (and several others) have said more than once. Given similar base products, the extras could make the difference but the socks are not what I am in the market for so they won't be the deciding factor

 

If the store without the socks is the one I have been trading with for several years and has treated me well, then I may not even look around enough to know about the other offer.

 

It's also a little easier to determine that I would like the shoes from the other store (a "thing" rather than something like service and ambiance). With a cruise, there are so many things that are subjective that you can't know you will like the competitor's product.

 

And the analogy isn't exactly on point since in the case we are all discussing ad infinitum, the other cruise line is not going to be offering more perks than we are getting now (even if we lost some of them). On the other hand, taking something away that was previously given does create enough potential hostility to cause people to look somewhere else. That's the business risk of changing a program that has gotten out of hand due to its own success.

 

And I would not say that I would never try some other cruise line, but losing a few perks would not be the main reason. It would be my expectation that their "product" (the cruise without regard for perks) would be at least as good as what I already know and like.

 

And on the more recent subject about VIP treatment, I agree that making several things so visible and elitist is not something I am in favor of. There are too many ways to make me feel valued that don't poke other people in the eye. It is fine for people who pay more to get more, but it is bad business to make other people feel they are giving up something so the VIPs can get their extras.

 

I do understand your points. :)

 

I guess I look at it the same as I would, say, theater or concert tickets. I buy the "cheap seats", I am satisfied with my cheap seats. I don't think the theater is poking me in the eye because they have sold better seats - at a higher price - to other theater goers.

[SeaBaby]

Well, there's no law that says you HAVE to get in the priority line at GS. You could just get in the regular line, and no one would be the wiser.

 

We just received a packet from my TA for a group cruise this month, and it had armbands that say "VIP." (They are for some group activities we have planned). I about laughed my behind off, especially after all our discussion here of late.

 

I wish those armbands said ANYTHING but "VIP." After all, I have always thought I was just a regular person....what a shock to discover all of a sudden that I'm "Very Important" :D

 

That's too funny! Be prepared for a lot of dirty looks. ;)

 

Suzanne

[cruisenfever]

And on the more recent subject about VIP treatment, I agree that making several things so visible and elitist is not something I am in favor of. There are too many ways to make me feel valued that don't poke other people in the eye. It is fine for people who pay more to get more, but it is bad business to make other people feel they are giving up something so the VIPs can get their extras.

Bob, I couldn't agree more. We just did a cruise on EN in December, so we got to experience the Diamonds in December Celebration where D/D+ Members were "supposed" to be treated royally!! Unfortunately I didn't get that feeling. We were actually glad because I think everyone who boards a ship should be treated equally no matter what level they are with C&A.

 

They gave D/D+ Members magnetic pins to wear. Talk about standing out in a crowd or asking for special attention!!:( We did see some folks wearing them.........but I certainly didn't see a red carpet being rolled out for them!

 

They should reward people privately so as not to make those that are not getting those same rewards uncomfortable.

[Debde]

I agree that we do have a lot of perks being diamond plus and having the grand suite - so I would like to see this stopped - makes us feel uncomfortable -

 

You're probably in the minority here.;)

 

Sooner or later the dreaded VIP/suite guests/public pace thing would come up.

Lots of folks here frown on the whole reserved pool seats for suite guests. This catches lots of flack. If the general opinion seem to be that none of this should be flaunted then it should be done across the board.

 

No VIP section by pool for suite guests.

Get rid of all the lounges.

Give suite guests a bar set up-give returning guests drink coupons.

Get rid of the roped off MDR section for the D breakfast

One line for boarding.

No reserved seating for shows.

 

There ya go-nothing in anyones face!!! No one would know who you are.

 

Up the coupon books, Give discounts to returning passengers for all rooms. Interior through suite. This way-nothing is done in anyones face.

 

But-how many loyal guest say-'I want to feel special'? Would you still feel special if it was all done behind the scenes???

[GHarkness]

That's too funny! Be prepared for a lot of dirty looks. ;)

 

Suzanne

 

Nah,....we won't put them on until we get to the door of the private party. It's not like we will be taking up space that others want, anyway. Last year it seemed to be in a dungeon! Nobody wants to party with a bunch of us old-folk Lion's Club peeps anyway Talk about dull......:D

[Aquahound]

They gave D/D+ Members magnetic pins to wear. Talk about standing out in a crowd or asking for special attention!!:( We did see some folks wearing them.........but I certainly didn't see a red carpet being rolled out for them!

 

Patti, I was going to ask if you actually wore those things. :p

 

I saw the note with the pins that said to wear them in order to be recognized. No way was I going to put one of those things on.

 

Tina really hated those pins. As a joke, I tried to sneak one on to her, but the weight of it about pulled her shirt off.

 

We did get a good laugh at the people who never took them off though! :D