Erosion of Diamond Plus benefits?

[NightOne]

We don't use the internet a lot on vacation either, buy I think the new program sucks! I logged in at 7:00 am one morning to check something and lost rest of the day b/c I did not use it. That stinks. Love the 45 minutes each so if I wanted to check emails I could. The perks keep going down down down. love Royal but we have booked 3 more Celebrity cruise just b/c the price is about the same and you get the free bev pkg.

 

I love the DL and CL at night, but with the free bev pkg on Celebrity, it makes it a no brainer on what we are choosing. We will never make Pinnacle anyway, so now we look at Royal, Princess and Celebrity and go with the line that gives us the best bang for the buck and the most perks.

 

So it sounds like you are saying that the internet thingy doesn't really matter at all because you are booking Celebrity because of the free beverage package. :)

 

I mean if you got free internet for the whole cruise it would not matter because you "don't use the internet a lot on vacation" anyway. :)

 

I get that wrong?

Edited May 26, 2015 by NightOne

[Ocean Boy]

Also I would think that you would want to reward your best customers over your most frequent customers assuming they are not one in the same.

 

For example, the C&A members who books the E1 with a big balcony discount and then spends virtually nothing on the ship (while sucking down nightly free drinks in the lounge) seems a lot less valuable than the people who spend more onboard than their cruise fare cost.

 

Unless ships are sailing every week with every cabin booked I would say that both groups are just as valuable. You can't adjust staffing on the ship each week according to the number of passengers. Every empty cabin is less passenger provided compensation to wait and cabin staff.

[Cindy]

HAL does a combination of both. Points for nights sailed, plus extra points for onboard spending (I believe it starts at ~$350)

 

 

 

As for loyalty programs, regardless of what people think about RCL's constant changing of perks, it's still the best of all the mass market cruise lines. AFAIK it is the only one that allows reciprocity between brands.

 

 

 

 

 

HAL awards an additional point for each $300 spent for onboard goods and services before or during the cruise. They also award an additional point for a suite. We went from never having sailed on HAL to two star Mariners in one cruise because of that policy.

[Clarea]

But they are already getting extra points for more money spent on the suits. Using suit expense along with number of nights sailed seems to be a pretty good balance to take everyone into account.

My point was that there is normally a huge difference between the cost of a JS and the cost of an OS. Much more than the difference between a balcony and a JS.

 

Ultimately, I think this is a moot (or is that mute?;)) point since I expect Royal to go to a graduated point scheme as they have on Celebrity, where every major category designation has a different number of points earned per night.

Edited May 26, 2015 by clarea

[NightOne]

Interesting to see all the complaints about the free internet. So I have a question... how much free internet do you get on Carnival, NCL, Princess and HAL?

 

I think Carnival's $25 social media internet package is going to be a game changer in the future.

[John&LaLa]

That would certainly help the folks who book Grand and Owner's suites.

 

And Lofts, Aquas, Royals, etc..

 

Maybe the new suite program will offer add'l tiers like Celebrity.

Edited May 26, 2015 by John&LaLa

[NightOne]

Unless ships are sailing every week with every cabin booked I would say that both groups are just as valuable. You can't adjust staffing on the ship each week according to the number of passengers. Every empty cabin is less passenger provided compensation to wait and cabin staff.

 

I was trying to make the point that the latter passengers should get less loyalty rewards.

 

Yes, you need all kinds of people to fill the ship but it is my opinion that the ones who give you the most should get the most from you. :)

[tserface]

We just got back from two weeks on the Adventure and we thought the Diamond benefits were really great. We don't use all of them, but the Diamond Club was really nice. I quickly figured out the right mix for my morning coffee, and the party hosted by Sucel Anderson (Nicaragua) and Melchor (don't know last name, but from the Philippines) was one of the highlights of our days.

 

Melchor always knew what we wanted to drink after the first day and had it ready soon after we sat down. Sucel always came by to ask how our day was going and to see if she could do anything for us. She helped us cancel a reservation and I saw her helping lots of others with future cruise plans, excursions, and other ship questions. Having this place to go to every night before dinner was a real treat. The appetizers in the Diamond Club were also really nice (better than anything from the Windjammer and more to our liking than the starters in the MDR).

 

We were also able to use our vouchers in almost any bar for wine, gin and tonics, margaritas, etc. if we decided we wanted another after dinner. We just walked up to the bar, showed our cards, and they bartenders always said, "Certainly!" Our bar bill was pretty low since we don't drink a lot and got most of what we wanted included (drank way more than our home usual).

 

At first I didn't think the new internet plan was very good, but I quickly got over that. We signed up around 2 in the afternoon and that worked all the way until 2 the next day so it got us almost two days coverage. My wife is also Diamond so we got 2 complete days. The internet is pretty slow so this turned out to be way better than just the minutes they used to give us.

 

We also got a couple free photos and a great discount on our next cruise.

 

There was a special dining room on Adventure for Diamonds to have breakfast, but it wasn't very well attended. There were also goodies and coffee in the Diamond Club. I only paid for one coffee the whole cruise and my wife only a few since she likes iced coffees (they only had warm in the club).

 

We also got a great deal on bingo cards, and lots and lots of hearty "welcome backs" from many of the crew. That made us feel really special.

 

Maybe things are different on different ships, but on the Adventure they really know how to treat long time guests. Everyone we met in the club felt the same.

 

I don't mean to sound like a fanboy or anything or even take away from OPs opinion. We may have just been really lucky. It may have something to do with the concierge and Sucel was really great.

 

We had robes in our closet, but asked for them to be removed so we could use the space (we're not walking around the ship in robes... nope nope). We got a great discount at the logo store and a few free keychains from doing slot pulls (for the fun of it), but other than that we didn't use any of the other benefits.

 

We also got 4 bottles of water each week delivered to our room.

 

The only bad thing is we're back home now and I really miss it... if it had sucked maybe I wouldn't have PCD so bad :rolleyes:

 

Tom

Edited May 26, 2015 by tserface

[Guest maddycat]

Ahh, so your boy friend prefers RCI over Celebrity. I guess I am not alone in that preference.;)

 

You're not alone. We prefer RCI to Celebrity. We find Celebrity to be too formal and reserved for our taste. RCI crews are the friendliest and most accommodating. We also prefer the entertainment and activities on RCI. For us the food is a toss up. They're both OK. We definitely don't think that Celebrity is a step up from RCI.

[Guest maddycat]

And yeah, we are one of those D+ that don't really frequent the DL because it's usually occupied by complainers gritching about the way things used to be.

 

We stop in the Diamond Lounge to get a few snacks and then use our vouchers in one of the bars. Much more pleasant company.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

I do have one question in regards to this change. We have a 15 night TA next year...is the benefit the same regardless of length? We had a 12 night on Quantum, and I didn't notice any difference in the package, although we were on her before this recent change.

 

The benefit is the same for a 3 night cruise as it is for a 17 night cruise.

[steveru621]

I do have one question in regards to this change. We have a 15 night TA next year...is the benefit the same regardless of length? We had a 12 night on Quantum, and I didn't notice any difference in the package, although we were on her before this recent change.

 

The length of the benefit appears to be the same. The dollar amount may be different. It only makes a difference when you apply the dollars to an unlimited package.

 

A few weeks ago on our TA we got 2 - 24 hour 'coupons' EACH. They were worth $59.90 x 4 towards an unlimited plan.

[marci22]

The length of the benefit appears to be the same. The dollar amount may be different. It only makes a difference when you apply the dollars to an unlimited package.

 

A few weeks ago on our TA we got 2 - 24 hour 'coupons' EACH. They were worth $59.90 x 4 towards an unlimited plan.

 

Shouldn't it be 59.90 x 2?

 

(2511) 2 FREE DAYs of internet usage or $59.90 off any Internet purchase. (Valid for ONE device and two individual 24 consecutive hour sessions) D+benefit

 

(2516) 1 FREE DAY of internet usage or $29.95 off any Internet purchase. (Valid for 24 consecutive hours of use on ONE device only) D benefit

Edited May 26, 2015 by marci22

[steveru621]

Shouldn't it be 59.90 x 2?

 

(2511) 2 FREE DAYs of internet usage or $59.90 off any Internet purchase. (Valid for ONE device and two individual 24 consecutive hour sessions)

 

That's correct but each D+ in the cabin gets their own set of coupons. So each cabin will get 4 days. Also the coupon code was (2517) for the TA.

Edited May 26, 2015 by steveru621
add

[marci22]

That's correct but each D+ in the cabin gets their own set of coupons. So each cabin will get 4.

 

I know, we had 4 D+ and we got 8 days of internet but it should only be 29.95 per day. The 59.90 is for 2 days.

 

I'm guessing the concierge can apply whatever amount he wants, but that isn't what the coupon says.

[steveru621]

I know, we had 4 D+ and we got 8 days of internet but it should only be 29.95 per day. The 59.90 is for 2 days.

 

I'm guessing the concierge can apply whatever amount he wants, but that isn't what the coupon says.

 

Sorry I didn't get my edit done fast enough. The coupon code was (2517) for the TA. The concierge said it should have been $59.90 x 4 because it was 15 days. You are correct that's not what (2517) says, but since it was a 15 day he said we should have gotten double days.

 

Obviously it was to our benefit, so I didn't question them.

Edited May 26, 2015 by steveru621

[orville99]

I was trying to make the point that the latter passengers should get less loyalty rewards.

 

Yes, you need all kinds of people to fill the ship but it is my opinion that the ones who give you the most should get the most from you. :)

 

 

Who counts more - someone who sails five times a year in a balcony, or someone who sails once in a suite. If I drop $12K a year and a suite guest drops $12K for one cruise, why should I be treated less than them?

[tserface]

I agree with OP about the internet coupon thing. Even when it worked it only applied $29.95 to the day pass and we had to go to Guest Services to get the other $20 taken off. They did it happily and quickly, but it was annoying to have to remember. However, we got free internet so we couldn't complain too much ...

 

:)

 

Tom

[tserface]

As it turns out if you have a suite (not a Jr. Suite) your key will open the Diamond Club and you could go there instead of the Concierge Club if you want. There are also special places for suite guests in restaurants, the theater, pool, etc. I think it's quite fair for people who pay that much to get extra perks even more than those who sail often.

 

Tom

 

Who counts more - someone who sails five times a year in a balcony, or someone who sails once in a suite. If I drop $12K a year and a suite guest drops $12K for one cruise, why should I be treated less than them?

[John&LaLa]

As it turns out if you have a suite (not a Jr. Suite) your key will open the Diamond Club and you could go there instead of the Concierge Club if you want. There are also special places for suite guests in restaurants, the theater, pool, etc. I think it's quite fair for people who pay that much to get extra perks even more than those who sail often.

 

Tom

 

I've never heard that before, just the opposite. DL is a C&A benefit, not for suites, unless you are Diamond and better in a suite.

[cruisenfever]

As it turns out if you have a suite (not a Jr. Suite) your key will open the Diamond Club and you could go there instead of the Concierge Club if you want. There are also special places for suite guests in restaurants, the theater, pool, etc. I think it's quite fair for people who pay that much to get extra perks even more than those who sail often.

 

Tom

Not exactly correct. Suite Guests who are Diamond/Diamond Plus or Pinnacle Club Members will have their SeaPass Card programmed to open both the Diamond Lounge as well as the Concierge Lounge.

 

If a Suite Guest is not a Diamond/Diamond Plus/Pinnacle Club Member, then their SeaPass Card will only be programmed to open the Concierge Lounge.

Edited May 26, 2015 by cruisenfever

[tserface]

I've never been in a suite so can't speak with certainty, but our Diamond person said any gold card could get in. Couldn't hurt to try it :)

 

Tom

 

Not exactly correct. Suite Guests who are Diamond/Diamond Plus or Pinnacle Club Members will have their SeaPass Card programmed to open both the Diamond Lounge as well as the Concierge Lounge.

 

If a Suite Guest is not a Diamond/Diamond Plus/Pinnacle Club Member, then their SeaPass Card will only be programmed to open the Concierge Lounge.

Edited May 27, 2015 by tserface

[critterchick]

Me too. We've been cruising RCI since 1987 and have never had "free" internet (only coupons for so many minutes), transport to the airport (unless you paid for transfers) or welcome aboard platter and wine in our cabin upon embarkation (have had the box, now bag of goodies and an individual bottle of wine/water/beer as a Welcome Aboard amenity).

 

Yes.....benefits are changing. One that we really like is the addition of 3 vouchers on our Seapass to use for cocktails during CL hours at any bar.

 

You call those goodies?:eek:;) I was also annoyed at people who complained about the baskets, which we greatly enjoyed, but those bags of tasteless cookies and stale almonds are just awful. I wonder how many times they recycle those to the next guests?

 

I do like the vouchers, but it turned out that we didn't use many of them on Jewel last week because we had a great group in the DL/CL overflow (they kept switching the signs around, so it really didn't matter). We got a few sodas, tried some Pinot Grigio in the Schooner Bar and decided that we'd rather spend money on the good stuff in the Champagne Bar instead.

 

Hey, I hate to disagree but I enjoy the perks. Much of the stuff mentioned by the OP was indeed trivial. C'mon, a nightly FREE cocktail hour? Just that one benefit makes it worthwhile.

 

Do I care if it takes me ten minutes to get on the ship or 20? No. Get over it.

 

If it takes a quick visit to the Loyalty Ambassador to get my wine, no problem. Get over it.

 

Do I care about robes? Not really.

 

Johnny Rockets? Seriously?

 

The internet would be the only one I would care about, but I want to see what the new policy really is.

 

As I said, the nightly cocktail time trumps all this trivial stuff!

 

Not if you don't drink. Just sayin'.

[artvlay]

The D+ perks were a reason to book with RC. If there was a similar cruise with another company, the tie went to RC. Now however the lessened perks with RC cause me to not look at the perks as a tie breaker. I have now booked two cruises with other companies that in the past I probably would have booked with RC. There are still good perks with RC, but the nickel and diming are annoying. The biggest annoyance is the D+ breakfast in Chops and similar venues.

[CVU]

We like the robes and the free internet.:)

 

We like the coupon drinks for when we want to sit with others or the D/C Lounge is busy.

 

There are some perks that many may like and some think are useless. We are happy for any perks!!:D