Is Royal transitioning concierge lounge into a suites only lounge?

[ShipRiders]

No. Money spent. That is the only fair way. Total money spent over your entire cruise history with RCCL.

 

I could be in an Inside cabin and you an Owners Suite,

 

But this is my 80th cruise and this is your 10th.......who should have RCCL's attention..who has spent the most.....It'[s not the suite owner....

Edited October 12, 2014 by ShipRiders

[LMaxwell]

So what is the $ amount for extra on board spending? How may Tshirts......keychains can a person buy?. OR are you only talking casino money which is a whole different animal

 

Don't buy junk, but do a little bit of all the money makers for Royal; specialty dining, gambling, excursions. Etc. Casino is totally different, I agree. I don't spend enough time or money I casino to have full grasp

[PompeySailor]

It's a loyalty program, not a credit card reward program. Loyalty is based on usage, not just spend, like a credit card reward. Someone who sails 1x every other year for 20 years with Royal has shown more loyalty than a one timer who stays in the top tier cabin. Thankfully RCI recognizes the first persons loyalty and the second persons spend. If the program changed to total lifetime spend I think you'd see people bail out on ever reaching the higher levels.

 

A spending rewards program isn't the same as a loyalty program. I don't spend time in Vegas so can't really speak to what works in their industry.

 

The one word which Sums it all up LOYALTY!!!

RC has a Loyalty Program, not a reward program.

[PompeySailor]

I could be in an Inside cabin and you an Owners Suite,

 

But this is my 80th cruise an this is your 10th.......who should have RCCL's attention..who has spent the most.....It'[s not the suite owner....

 

Depends

Sailing solo or 4 guests.. Factor in pax and gratuities and x4 excursions x4 spend

10 OS at $8k a pop

80 interiors at $1k a pop

Obviously comparison on spend other than cabin is an Incalcuable figure.

 

Does that add up equally to $80K hmmmmm! (Cabins only)

I think RC will be giving equal attention to both parties:cool:

 

Now if they are all 7 night cruises

10 OS will be 140 points (Diamond)

80 Interior will be 560 points (Diamond +)

Looks like the Loyalty will reward the Interior cruiser more.

So both spent $80K and the frequent Loyal cruiser has been rewarded accordingly... Nearly a Pinnacle as well:D

[daljettjockie]

I could be in an Inside cabin and you an Owners Suite,

 

But this is my 80th cruise and this is your 10th.......who should have RCCL's attention..who has spent the most.....It'[s not the suite owner....

 

Absolutely! The one who has spent the most. Because the one who is spending the dollars pays the bills! And for your information it is not my 10th cruise! So you have been on 80 cruises, congratulations! If I have spent more than you than I am the one who should be awarded! Simple as that.

 

Your post really flames me. I don't care how many cruises you have been on. If I have spent more than you, then who is more important to the bottom line?

Edited October 12, 2014 by daljettjockie

[ShipRiders]

Depends

Sailing solo or 4 guests.. Factor in pax and gratuities and x4 excursions x4 spend

10 OS at $8k a pop

80 interiors at $1k a pop

Obviously comparison on spend other than cabin is an Incalcuable figure.

 

Does that add up equally to $80K hmmmmm! (Cabins only)

I think RC will be giving equal attention to both parties:cool:

 

Now if they are all 7 night cruises

10 OS will be 140 points (Diamond)

80 Interior will be 560 points (Diamond +)

Looks like the Loyalty will reward the Interior cruiser more.

So both spent $80K and the frequent Loyal cruiser has been rewarded accordingly... Nearly a Pinnacle as well:D

 

Keep Calm Pompey Sailor, but I believe RCCL bases prices on double occupancy and not solo or x4.

 

Can you convert your points to $ to see the real picture.

[LMaxwell]

lets say a coffee shop says buy 9 coffees and get 10th free. I buy 9 regular coffees. You have bought 5 mocha frappe double espresso rocket fuels at a higher cost than 9 regular coffees. Who gets their next one free? Me. It's a loyalty program. By being loyal 9 times that is 9 times I didn't spend money elsewhere. That's how loyalty programs work.

 

Now let's say the local coffee shop says spend $50 and get a free coffee. I have bought 9 regular coffees. You bought 5 MFDE Rocket Fuels and spent more money. Who is closer to the freebie? You are. The shop isn't concerned about loyalty, they are rewarding spending.

 

RCI created a strong program of perks, amenities, and discounts achievable through loyalty. If you want to bypass loyalty you can spend more for some of those benefits on a temporary basis while still building towards permanent loyalty status.

 

Now, will the program be a victim of its own success? Sooner or later and in some way yes. It is inevitable. RCI doesn't want to discourage loyalty.

[PompeySailor]

Keep Calm Pompey Sailor, but I believe RCCL bases prices on double occupancy and not solo or x4.

 

Can you convert your points to $ to see the real picture.

 

:) calm as a cucumber :cool:

Would never publish my spend;)

 

But being Black Diamond, that grey area between D+ & Pinnacle I know my investment in RC is substantial enough to reap the rewards:)

 

On last calculation, the $80K, that was conservative, however in that example both guests would have access to the CL:D

Edited October 12, 2014 by PompeySailor

[Woe is me]

Reading this thread,I get the feeling that everything is about money, the almighty dollar, how sad!:(

[Ourusualbeach]

Absolutely! The one who has spent the most. Because the one who is spending the dollars pays the bills! And for your information it is not my 10th cruise! So you have been on 80 cruises, congratulations! If I have spent more than you than I am the one who should be awarded! Simple as that.

 

Your post really flames me. I don't care how many cruises you have been on. If I have spent more than you, then who is more important to the bottom line?

 

And you have been rewarded. You have a gold seapass card and all of the suite benefits that go along with it that none of the C&A members get (other than Pinnacle).

 

The LOYALTY program is totally separate from the rewards that you receive from spending more.

 

Unfortunately I think that RCI made a mistake years ago in letting C&A members into the CL lounge. It may have been OK at first but as LMaxwell said they are a victim of their own success which has led to overcrowding.

 

I think that they are trying to eliminate some of this with the changes to the Oasis and having the lounge on 17 for Suites only, the CL for Suites D+ and Pinnacle and the DL for C&A D and up members.

 

This is IMO a great program that RCI has whereby they are rewarding both those who spend and those who sail.

[ShipRiders]

Reading this thread,I get the feeling that everything is about money, the almighty dollar, how sad!:(

 

Yep you are absolutely right......RCCL,RCI could not agree more.

Edited October 12, 2014 by ShipRiders

[jamesr3939]

So we do it like hotels. You stay a certain number of nights you earn points you spend it for get extra stuff, but if you want to pay for that same extra stuff you can. No lifetime entitlement you earn it you spend it you start over.

[Starry Eyes]

lets say a coffee shop says buy 9 coffees and get 10th free. I buy 9 regular coffees. You have bought 5 mocha frappe double espresso rocket fuels at a higher cost than 9 regular coffees. Who gets their next one free? Me. It's a loyalty program. By being loyal 9 times that is 9 times I didn't spend money elsewhere. That's how loyalty programs work.

 

Now let's say the local coffee shop says spend $50 and get a free coffee. I have bought 9 regular coffees. You bought 5 MFDE Rocket Fuels and spent more money. Who is closer to the freebie? You are. The shop isn't concerned about loyalty, they are rewarding spending.

 

RCI created a strong program of perks, amenities, and discounts achievable through loyalty. If you want to bypass loyalty you can spend more for some of those benefits on a temporary basis while still building towards permanent loyalty status.

 

Now, will the program be a victim of its own success? Sooner or later and in some way yes. It is inevitable. RCI doesn't want to discourage loyalty.

 

Nice analogy. The coffee shop owner might decide to run two parellels programs. Maybe the owner will offer the buy 9, get one free card; everybody can use it, whether an inexpensive coffee or a fancy MFDERF. The owner might also offer a "free" scone with each purchase of fancy MFDERF. We all know the price of the " free" scone is incorporated into the price of the fancy drink; it is a good deal for scone fans, not so much for non-scone eaters. Whether I like scones or not, if I drink simple, regular coffee, there's no reason for me to complain about the scone going to the person who orders the expensive drink, even if the other person only enters the coffee shop once. If later the coffee shop owner wants to change or eliminate the buy 9 get one deal, the regular customers might get upset, so the owner had better be careful if and how he modifies that program. nevertheless, if the buy 9 get one program is altered, there is still no reason to look askance at the bonus scone with fancy coffee offer; they are separate programs. Both buyers spend money; both get what they order.

[karena1]

It's a loyalty program, not a credit card reward program. Loyalty is based on usage, not just spend, like a credit card reward. Someone who sails 1x every other year for 20 years with Royal has shown more loyalty than a one timer who stays in the top tier cabin. Thankfully RCI recognizes the first persons loyalty and the second persons spend. If the program changed to total lifetime spend I think you'd see people bail out on ever reaching the higher levels.

 

A spending rewards program isn't the same as a loyalty program. I don't spend time in Vegas so can't really speak to what works in their industry.

 

 

Totally agree. It should have nothing to do with how much you spend. It is a LOYALTY program not a "let's see who can spend the most money" program. It should be based on what they are exactly doing now. # of nights on the cruise. Period. I am fine with the double points for suites, b/c they pay more. $$ spent should not be a factor at all except for getting the double points for suites. I like the way they do it now with the a point earned for each night on the cruise. Hopefully, they leave it alone.

[gone2c]

For anyone that has cruised with Holland, they know that their loyalty program consists of 1 point for every night, 2 points for a suite and 1 point for every $300 spent (including pre cruise reservations). It seems to be working for them. I am interested in knowing how RCCL would handle all the OBC we usually manage to get in figuring the amount spent on a cruise. It does affect the bottom line of my bill. We are lucky to be D+ so except now for Oasis and Allure we could care less whether we sit in the DL or CL.

[auntiedodo]

On the Freedom of Seas there is a Suites Lounge, Diamond plus can still use it but are bluntly told "suites come first". The Diamond Club is for everyone with 80 points to 699 points. The diamonds and D+ are lumped together which is lovely for diamonds...

[beachnative]

On the Freedom of Seas there is a Suites Lounge, Diamond plus can still use it but are bluntly told "suites come first". The Diamond Club is for everyone with 80 points to 699 points. The diamonds and D+ are lumped together which is lovely for diamonds...

 

You MIGHT have been told this. I was NOT told this when we were on board at the end of August. Actually, just the opposite, we were WARMLY welcomed into the Concierge Lounge!!

 

You started another thread making this statement but never explained yourself. You never put the quote into context. In your opening statement on that thread you also slammed a fantastic concierge on another ship….yes, another concierge whom we have also observed multiple times and have never seen him be anything but gracious.

 

PLEASE, give details here.

Edited October 12, 2014 by beachnative

[Bobal]

In your opening statement on that thread you also slammed a fantastic concierge on another ship….yes, another concierge whom we have also observed multiple times and have never seen him be anything but gracious.

 

PLEASE, give details here.

 

To be fair the opening statement named one concierge but she/he later came back to say they had the wrong name and were talking about a different person - in fact the person to whom they referred is the only one who has ever made us feel that we were less important because we were not in a suite (Rahul for those of you who are wondering). I think the fact is that there are some concierges who people 'click' with and some they don't - and some 'suite' concierges who have different perceptions to 'diamond' concierges.

 

If they do what I (rarely) ask of them it really doesn't bother me.

[cruisenfever]

On the Freedom of Seas there is a Suites Lounge, Diamond plus can still use it but are bluntly told "suites come first". The Diamond Club is for everyone with 80 points to 699 points. The diamonds and D+ are lumped together which is lovely for diamonds...

On Freedom of the Seas there is a Concierge Lounge and a Diamond Lounge. There is no Suites Lounge on Freedom.

 

The CL is for Suite Guests, Diamond Plus (those members with 175 to 699 cruise points) and Pinnacle Club Members (700+ cruise points). The Diamond Lounge is for Diamond, Diamond Plus, Pinnacle Club and those Suite Guests who are also D/D+/PC C&A Members.

 

The "Suites Come First" comment was made to us on Freedom back in 2012 when we did our b2b in December. Different Concierge, but same attitude. So this statement is nothing new.

Edited October 12, 2014 by cruisenfever

[FLACRUISER99]

On the Freedom of Seas there is a Suites Lounge, Diamond plus can still use it but are bluntly told "suites come first". The Diamond Club is for everyone with 80 points to 699 points. The diamonds and D+ are lumped together which is lovely for diamonds...

Never saw a Suites lounge on FR only a Diamond lounge and Concierge lounge?:rolleyes:

[beachnative]

To be fair the opening statement named one concierge but she/he later came back to say they had the wrong name and were talking about a different person - in fact the person to whom they referred is the only one who has ever made us feel that we were less important because we were not in a suite (Rahul for those of you who are wondering). I think the fact is that there are some concierges who people 'click' with and some they don't - and some 'suite' concierges who have different perceptions to 'diamond' concierges.

 

If they do what I (rarely) ask of them it really doesn't bother me.

 

"To be fair", here is the quote from the opening statement I was referencing: "We ran into this same attitude in July on grandeur, so a dozen of us D +++ and P went to the diamond lounge instead."

 

I took exception because I did a B2B on the Grandeur (2 of 11 on the GR this year alone) and that particular concierge is fantastic and treats everyone equally.

 

Maybe some people "don't click" with some concierges. A prime example is a concierge on a ship we were on this summer who had to tell a suite guest that he could not bring his party of 24 non-suite guests into the Concierge Lounge. That guest left the lounge and bad mouthed the concierge the entire cruise.

 

IMHO, if a poster wants to say something negative about some one that is not present to defend himself, they should at least put the negative statement into context.

Edited October 12, 2014 by beachnative

[ssb]

On the Freedom of Seas there is a Suites Lounge, Diamond plus can still use it but are bluntly told "suites come first". The Diamond Club is for everyone with 80 points to 699 points. The diamonds and D+ are lumped together which is lovely for diamonds...

 

Unless something has changed?

 

I agree with cruisenfever:

 

The Concierge CL is for Suite Guests, Diamond Plus (those members with 175 to 699 cruise points) and Pinnacle Club Members (700+ cruise points).

 

The Diamond Lounge is for Diamond, Diamond Plus, Pinnacle Club and those Suite Guests who are also D/D+/PC C&A Members.

[FLACRUISER99]

Just read a description of the deck plans on deck 17 of the Oasis and it mentions a Suite lounge for the exclusive benefit of guests in Grand Suites & higher. Interestingly, when getting off the Vision this past week, we noticed new "Suite Lounge" folders sitting on the concierge desk. Furthermore, a friend on the Serenade in Europe noticed the exact same thing.

 

Maybe it is a coincidence with the name or is something really transitioning here from the concierge lounge being a suite & loyalty lounge to a new Suite Lounge for suite guests exclusively?

IMO there will be 3 lounges on Oasis class ships Suite Lounge, Concierge Lounge, and Diamond Lounge. If that's what is going to happen I think it's one of the best ideas RCI & C&A ever had.

[John&LaLa]

IMO there will be 3 lounges on Oasis class ships Suite Lounge, Concierge Lounge, and Diamond Lounge. If that's what is going to happen I think it's one of the best ideas RCI & C&A ever had.

 

Seems awfully hard to balance the load.

 

Current program.

Diamond, goes to DL, unless they are in a suite, then they can also go to CL & SL.

Diamond Plus, goes to DL & CL, unless they are in a suite, then they can also go to SL.

PINACLE, go wherever they want.

Suite guests go to SL & CL, unless they are Diamond or better and can also go to DL.

 

How about this.

Diamond in DL

Diamond + and Pinacle in CL

Suites in SL

If you have friends if a different caste, go to a bar. :beer:

 

Cheers

 

 

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Edited October 12, 2014 by John&LaLa
spacing issues

[FLACRUISER99]

Seems awfully hard to balance the load.

 

 

 

Current program.

 

Diamond, goes to DL, unless they are in a suite, then they can also go to CL & SL.

 

Diamond Plus, goes to DL & CL, unless they are in a suite, then they can also go to SL.

 

PINACLE, go wherever they want.

 

Suite guests go to SL & CL, unless they are Diamond or better and can also go to DL.

 

 

 

How about this.

 

Diamond in DL

 

Diamond + and Pinacle in CL

 

Suites in SL

 

If you have friends if a different caste, go to a bar. :beer:

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

 

 

Why? Everything stay the same as deck 17 is restricted to suits/Gold cards now on Oasis Class Ships.

 

 

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