New Platinum/Diamond Top Tier Event - What did you think?

[stewpapa]

Voyager 2/20/11 sailing - New Platinum/Diamond Top Tier Event.

 

Bottom Line: We were very impressed. It was very nice. Drinks and Hors D'oeuvres. Attached is the menu/program. We think RCI treats past cruisers very special.

 

Sad Note: We were sitting next to some very rude Diamond/Diamond Plus cruisers who actually said they were just there to criticize the new event. They were very condescending to the wait staff, making fun of them and saying they were there to report for Cruise Critic and would be critiquing the food and the whole event for CC. They took photos of the servers and told them the food wasn't passing their approval and telling them they would be putting their pics on CC. Very very rude. They left as soon as they got a few pics without actually experiencing the event. We enjoyed it and felt sorry for the very nice servers who smiled and politely offered them more food and drinks.

 

The Voyager has the best crew and staff ever. Extremely friendly. We were made to feel special by RCI every day of our cruise and we are just Platinum, now Emerald. We went home rethinking all of our booked Carnival cruises!

 

Thanks RCI for a great time.

 

 

[cruisenfever]

This Platinum/Diamond Top Tier Event must be something new or it is just on Voyager.

 

I wonder why they didn't include Emerald as Emerald is before Diamond?

[DarthGrady]

This Platinum/Diamond Top Tier Event must be something new or it is just on Voyager.

 

I wonder why they didn't include Emerald as Emerald is before Diamond?

 

They do. We were Emerald on Radiance last month and were invited to the event.

[Rancher Dave]

Sad Note: We were sitting next to some very rude Diamond/Diamond Plus cruisers who actually said they were just there to criticize the new event. They were very condescending to the wait staff, making fun of them and saying they were there to report for Cruise Critic and would be critiquing the food and the whole event for CC. They took photos of the servers and told them the food wasn't passing their approval and telling them they would be putting their pics on CC. Very very rude. They left as soon as they got a few pics without actually experiencing the event. We enjoyed it and felt sorry for the very nice servers who smiled and politely offered them more food and drinks.

 

That is awful!!!

 

Glad you enjoyed the event. Parents were still Gold on Voyager so they didn't get invited to that event thus we did not go ourselves. Oh well I will check it out next time, possibly as soon as April.

[Stevie Lawson]

They do. We were Emerald on Radiance last month and were invited to the event.

 

 

They don't. We are just off the Brilliance and weren't invited to this event.

Our invitations were for the feneral welcome back party and champagne breakfast.

[kimberley]

SOme people just don't have class and appreciate what is offered. They sure do give Cruise Critics a bad name. The event looks really exciting. Thank you for sharing. Kimberley

[Familygoboston]

I am continually shocked at how negative people can be...I always try to remember that traveling is a privlege most people in the world can only hope to afford...everything I do and everywhere I go is so much more enjoyable if I approach it with a positive attitude.

 

I had a sad experience on one of my 2nd or 3rd RCI cruise. We were at a table for 10 and one couple, Ross and Myrna, were from the middle of the country, had never been to the ocean, and were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. The crusie was absolutely AWFUL! The crew had a terrible attitude, the ship was old and in poor repair, the food was terrible, there was a huge obnoxious group of charter passengers from my hometown:o. But Ross and Myrna were DELIGHTED with their vacation. Also at our our table for 10 was a well traveled couple who complained continuously. The rest of us at the table also were not pleased with the cruise, but we were polite enough not to ruin the wonderful time that the Ross and Myrna were having. The complaining couple made every dinner awkward. It was a good lesson to learn early in my travel life!

 

That said I feel that mass market crusing is one of the best travel values out there...sure things sometimes go wrong or aren't always top shelf, and occassionally, a cruise turns out to be a real clunker, but it might be the trip of a lifetime for someone else! After following the boards here, I rarely hear of anyone paying more than $100-$200 pp a night for their cruise (sometimes far less!). Then C & A then adds discounts and several free or reduced perks on top of that for it's members!! It always feels like a good deal to me!

[SecretSK]

They don't. We are just off the Brilliance and weren't invited to this event.

Our invitations were for the feneral welcome back party and champagne breakfast.

 

It must vary from ship to ship. We were on Serenade last week, we're Platinum and my parents are Emerald and we all got invitations to the "top tier" event.

[bmarchal]

It's people like these passengers that kept us from joining Cruise Critic for the first 8 years that we cruised. Our first encounter with a member of CC was very unpleasant as they indicated that they were there to critique the cruise line and they broadcast the who they were to intimidate the crew members and get what ever they wanted.

 

Then a couple years later we ran into two couples who were wearing name tags like the crew members wear. We watched them as they stood in the middle of the promanade as if they were someone special. Since they were wearing name tags, passengers just assumed that they worked for the cruise line. These people were so rude and nasty that I'm sure they gave a lot of passengers a really bad impression of the company. We approached them and asked why they were wearing the badges since they weren't crew. They told us that they were frequent cruisers and that they had been given the tags as a special recognition. They really got full of themselves when they announced that they had 16 and 18 cruises. We just acted impressed and walked away. Later at the welcome back party we watched their expressions as we were recognized as having over 50 cruises. They were crushed that their names were not even mentioned. They wore those stupid name tags everywhere, even on their formal wear. I understand wearing the lapel pins but the nametags need to be taken from passengers like them.

[cruisegirl1]

Thanks for the info. Seeing the info sheet and menu, the event looks nicer than the D/D+ event in the past. Our upcoming Freedom cruise will be the first cruise since the changes. I will look forward to seeing what they offer. We were on the Allure the week of the C&A changes.

 

M

[Paul65]

They don't. We are just off the Brilliance and weren't invited to this event.

Our invitations were for the feneral welcome back party and champagne breakfast.

 

Was probably just a mistake that you didn't get an invitation. Emerald is supposed to get all the same benefits as Platinum, plus a couple small 'extras.'

[Paul65]

It's people like these passengers that kept us from joining Cruise Critic for the first 8 years that we cruised. Our first encounter with a member of CC was very unpleasant as they indicated that they were there to critique the cruise line and they broadcast the who they were to intimidate the crew members and get what ever they wanted.

 

Most likely, that was not your first encounter with a member of CC - just your first encounter with someone who wanted to make it known that they were a member of CC.

[negc]

It's people like these passengers that kept us from joining Cruise Critic for the first 8 years that we cruised. Our first encounter with a member of CC was very unpleasant as they indicated that they were there to critique the cruise line and they broadcast the who they were to intimidate the crew members and get what ever they wanted.

 

Then a couple years later we ran into two couples who were wearing name tags like the crew members wear. We watched them as they stood in the middle of the promanade as if they were someone special. Since they were wearing name tags, passengers just assumed that they worked for the cruise line. These people were so rude and nasty that I'm sure they gave a lot of passengers a really bad impression of the company. We approached them and asked why they were wearing the badges since they weren't crew. They told us that they were frequent cruisers and that they had been given the tags as a special recognition. They really got full of themselves when they announced that they had 16 and 18 cruises. We just acted impressed and walked away. Later at the welcome back party we watched their expressions as we were recognized as having over 50 cruises. They were crushed that their names were not even mentioned. They wore those stupid name tags everywhere, even on their formal wear. I understand wearing the lapel pins but the nametags need to be taken from passengers like them.

 

You apparently have a knack for finding rude, unpleasant people on your cruises. Most CC members we have encountered and most veteran cruisers don't fit the profile of those two couples that you describe. There are certainly rude and unpleasant people almost everywhere we go, but we try not to let ourselves label them as typical of anything else they might be, and we prefer to seek out the company of people who are pleasant and make good traveling companions.

As you no doubt have found, those first two CC members you encountered are not representative of CC members in general or you wouldn't have avoided these boards for eight years. It is unfortunate that you let one experience prevent you from benefitting from the valuable information and insights that folks on this board can provide.:)

[PattyG12]

I took my brother and sister in law on a short majesty cruise last week. My brother came to dinner and told me about a VERY rude cruiser who told him that he was entitled to be at the front of the line because he was a Diamond Plus cruiser. This was the line at the Customer Service desk. I'm glad he was D+ and not demanding special service because of CC ... It would have made all of us look bad.:o

[abhb]

Since Oasis has a Dimond lounge would they still have this event? We are emerald. This would be a very nice treat for us.

[island lady]

We were happy to be invited to the events on Monarch, Jewel, and just last week on the Radiance. They were all wonderful events, and we will always enjoy them. The one on the Monarch was actually the most fun!! :)

 

They are basically Platinum and above, with those invitations left in your room about the 2nd day of the cruise by the cabin steward. If you forget, or did not get an invitation, just show your sea pass on entry. They just like to collect the invitations to get an idea of how many people attended.

 

The one on the Jewel, however, was extremely crowded even in that large lounge. They had given up on walking around with the drinks and platters of munchies. You had to collect them at the door and at the little food buffet they had set up. We never did see any drinks, but enjoyed a glass of wine.

 

I am guessing at some point, with all of us "baby boomers" coming of age, they will have to change it to Emerald and above. Kind of feel sorry for the Gold members, as it seems..."all welcome!! Except you Goldies!!" :eek:

 

Maybe another even for Gold and Platinum? That would seem nice.

[Paul65]

Since Oasis has a Dimond lounge would they still have this event? We are emerald. This would be a very nice treat for us.

 

They should have some kind of Platinum/Diamond event (although I guess they'll have to start calling it "Platinum/Emerald/Diamond/Pinnacle"). But it may or may not be the same format as what they do on other ships.

[caripoo]

Maybe those UNHAPPY people will find another cruise line to NOT ENJOY!!! Obviously they have cruised enough on that line to have gained that status. We are Diamond with RC and Elite with Celebrity and we cruise for the ENJOYMENT, the FUN, CULTURE and MEETING new people, not for cocktail parties. Hopefully they will lighten up!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[sushigirl53]

Sailed on the Oasis in February (We are Diamond) We were not notified on any event, so there was no Diamond Event or we were left out!:(

[Raptor2010]

Voyager 2/20/11 sailing - New Platinum/Diamond Top Tier Event.

 

Bottom Line: We were very impressed. It was very nice. Drinks and Hors D'oeuvres. Attached is the menu/program. We think RCI treats past cruisers very special.

 

Sad Note: We were sitting next to some very rude Diamond/Diamond Plus cruisers who actually said they were just there to criticize the new event. They were very condescending to the wait staff, making fun of them and saying they were there to report for Cruise Critic and would be critiquing the food and the whole event for CC. They took photos of the servers and told them the food wasn't passing their approval and telling them they would be putting their pics on CC. Very very rude. They left as soon as they got a few pics without actually experiencing the event. We enjoyed it and felt sorry for the very nice servers who smiled and politely offered them more food and drinks.

 

The Voyager has the best crew and staff ever. Extremely friendly. We were made to feel special by RCI every day of our cruise and we are just Platinum, now Emerald. We went home rethinking all of our booked Carnival cruises!

 

Thanks RCI for a great time.

 

 

 

When do they normally hold this event? Looks like it would be fun to attend.

[Debde]

You apparently have a knack for finding rude, unpleasant people on your cruises. Most CC members we have encountered and most veteran cruisers don't fit the profile of those two couples that you describe. There are certainly rude and unpleasant people almost everywhere we go, but we try not to let ourselves label them as typical of anything else they might be, and we prefer to seek out the company of people who are pleasant and make good traveling companions.

As you no doubt have found, those first two CC members you encountered are not representative of CC members in general or you wouldn't have avoided these boards for eight years. It is unfortunate that you let one experience prevent you from benefitting from the valuable information and insights that folks on this board can provide.:)

 

Since cruise one I could tell stories of rude and entitled folks boasting CC or status. Is it many-no. Just like you, I enjoy myself, don't let these folks bother me and gravitate towards the folks that are fun. But some do exsist on every cruise. Newbies should know-most CCers and returning guests are some of the nicest folks you'll meet while on vacation.

Although the loyaty program is great-Royal has created some monsters!!;)

[Ronn452]

I've been on CC for several years; mostly to glean helpful information from fellow cruisers or impart what little information I can to newbies. My wife and I have 20+ cruises on RCCL since 1981 and sixteen or so on Carnival. I love to listen to the "doom and gloomers" that are "seasoned" passengers impart their critique about a ship or a cruise line and their snobby attitude towards lesser veteran passengers. I ususally wait until they finish their comments to the peasants and then ask how may cruises have they been on. They always fall into the trap by then asking how many have we been on. Usually, when we tell them and acknowledge the number of ships included and that all were a pleasure overall, they seem to either get really quiet or remember that they have a pressing appointment elsewhere. We don't announce our C&A status or wear our pins. The only time we mention our status is when we are with other Diamond + and then it's to compare notes on ports, ships, and which staff we enjoyed the most. The majority of Diamond, Diamond +, and CC members are wonderful people with a wealth of cruise knowledge that will happily share with anyone who asks.

[hcat]

thanks for posting the menu & new event info...looks very nice--can't wait to try it!!

[negc]

Since cruise one I could tell stories of rude and entitled folks boasting CC or status. Is it many-no. Just like you, I enjoy myself, don't let these folks bother me and gravitate towards the folks that are fun. But some do exsist on every cruise. Newbies should know-most CCers and returning guests are some of the nicest folks you'll meet while on vacation.

Although the loyaty program is great-Royal has created some monsters!!;)

I don't think that the loyalty program has created any monsters. Those people were "monsters" well before they began cruising and would be "monsters" wherever they were or whatever they were doing. Blaming the program for their rude or obnoxious behavior is looking at things the wrong way.

[wendyam76]

I don't know if this helps but is not only RCCL long time cruisers that are like this. Mum and I were Platinum cruisers on our last Disney cruise and were so excited by it. But the rudest people we met (on the special Galley tours etc) were fellow Platinum cruisers. We were unlucky enough to have lots of problems on this cruise - assigned a handicap room, A/C not working, flooded carpet ect - and the hotel director even came to visit us in our stateroom. He kept asking us what he could do to make it better. We must be unusual because we couldn't think of anything - they had already sent us a bottle of bubbly and changed our stateroom so we didn't want to ask for anything else. Must be the British reserve in us!

Wendy