Breaking News - C&A Changes/Enhancements

[Garavar]

Here is a revenue idea for Royal...

 

Make Diamond Lounge for Diamond & Diamond Plus

 

Suite Lounge for Suites and Pinnacle BUT Diamond Plus can go in there if they booked a JS or higher. There you go, less D's in Interiors Royal, you are welcome. Get me a raise.

[Merion_Mom]

That's pretty rude in my opinion. Get it from the new cruisers, we already paid our share.

 

Well, it's not meant for you to read. It's an internal memo, posted here by a member of Cruise Critic, obtained in some unknown way.

[peteukmcr]

Well no doubt I'm going to ruffle a few feathers on here. It's about time IMHO. The CL has been far too packed with D+ and Pinnacles on some ships for a long time to the detriment of suite guests. We've been there where we couldn't get a seat as a suite guest because the chair hogs who turn up 30 minutes before cocktail hour starts and are clicking their fingers waiting for the bar to open and not leaving until the end of the cocktail hour and we have the temerity to turn up for the last hour.

 

As for beverage package discounts, well we do drink and so the 40% discount we got by asking the beverage manager on Serenade back in Feb was very welcomed thank you (thanks to Patti reminding us) Will it encourage us to purchase a beverage package in future and contribute more revenue to RCI, well heck yes.

 

Are we bothered about 3 free drinks between what is to us very restrictive hours as we rarely consume an alcoholic beverage before 7pm, heck no.

 

Are we bothered about visiting a lounge that has a few nibbles, heck no.

 

Would we rather sit at a bar with nicer views, more choices of beverages, a wider range of clientele, heck yes.

 

Discount a premium package from $49 plus 18% gratuity to just over $29 plus 18%, I'm all over it.

 

Thank you RCI.

Edited April 17, 2016 by peteukmcr

[Coachpoz]

by that same token, suite pax who are NOT diamond are also finding it damn near impossible to get a seat in the CL. at least D+ have a fall back if the CL is packed. but Suite pax have no such luxury nor do they get the three drink vouchers nightly(unless of course they are D/+ in their own right)

 

SOMETHING has to be done to alleviate the overcrowding in BOTH lounges.

 

I have said it many times before: give the D+ the lounge exclusively and let Ds get their drinks via voucher., I'll even be nice and give them one free specialty coffee per day to forestall the inevitable b!tching about the loss of the coffee machine access.

 

Very big of you I believe they named it the Diamond Club not the Diamond + Club

[Coralc]

When did this come out?

 

We kept hearing about it before our Serenade cruise but, when we asked about it they looked at us like we had 3 heads :eek::cool:

 

We each received (at least) 25% off the drink packages on Serenade Barry. I think Bill's was closer to 40% on the premium package. We purchased onboard, and I was told 25% for the select package. When it didn't appear, we went down to guest relations; they emailed the F&B Mgr., and I eventually received it. Peter received the discount, too....but I didn't know that you purchased packages. :)

Edited April 17, 2016 by Coralc

[cinnamon]

About to take our second cruise as Diamond Plus on Rhapsody on 3rd May. First one was a TA last year on Vision with hundreds eligible to use the CL which took over the whole VC. Was looking forward to having our first regular experience of the CL. :(.

 

What we most like is having a peaceful lounge to retreat to during the day, after a port morning tour or on a sea day. I expect the Diamond Lounge to be very busy now.

Edited April 17, 2016 by cinnamon

[peteukmcr]

That's pretty rude in my opinion. Get it from the new cruisers, we already paid our share.

Oh come on, what have you paid your share for? You paid for a cruise, or several at the going rate that you were happy with at the time of purchase. You weren't buying shares in the company to receive a dividend.

 

You weren't making an investment to receive interest, you bought cruises. All loyalty programs can and are changed by the providers. You have the choice to cruise on other lines, there are many out there.

[curry767]

My takeaway is they are still making money even after offering a 50% discount!

 

Clearly demonstrates the value in the drinks packages, NOT!

[Powersboyee2]

I agree but what I am saying is IF they make the drink package sharable for D's people might actually buy it. But 30% off a $60 per person package isn't incentive at all. Now $40 for 2 people maybe people would do it.

 

 

 

Lol. I think this is exactly what they are getting at. People who want it all just because of their status.

 

Each ship is pretty much like its own corporation. Those corporations need to make a certain $$ amount of revenue per passenger per day to maintain profitability. You can bet your booty that they track what each person/status/demographic spends before their cruise as well as onboard.

 

So needless to say... It doesn't really matter how much money you have spent with RCCL in the past, as that does not affect their bottom line what so ever on the current sailing you may be on.

 

I can imagine that they make a LOT more money off of people not sitting in the lounge all night every night sucking down free drinks and apps.

 

I, myself, just turned 31, and will be hitting diamond after my cruise that leaves tomorrow on Indy. I always sail with the premium drink package and pay for it ahead of time. I'm not a huge drinker either, but it's nice to just have it and not worry about "oh it's not diamond drink time yet, I have to wait" or other silly things like that. I realize that's not the case for me yet but you get what I'm saying I'm sure.

 

Will getting free drinks stop me from getting the package? Nope. Will them offering a discount make me happy? You betcha. Sounds amazing.

 

So in conclusion, no I don't think it's a slap in the face at all... I believe they really do need to make more money off of the lounge leaches to balance things back out, or they wouldn't even consider a discount. I, for one, will be happy if they do!

 

Bon voyage!

[Powersboyee2]

That's pretty rude in my opinion. Get it from the new cruisers, we already paid our share.

 

 

 

Lol. See my last post....

[MattInFLL]

People, re-read the memo.

 

 

 

As usual "you all" have the wrong point of view.

 

 

 

The C&A, i.e. Loyalty Program, is NOT to benefit YOU. It's to benefit Royal Caribbean.

 

 

 

Top tier people don't spend enough money on board.

 

 

 

These discounts are an attempt to recoup some of that revenue.

 

 

 

RC is NOT going to let you "share the package".

 

 

 

They KNOW that some people ONLY drink the free drinks.

 

 

 

They want to entice you into spending SOMETHING on board!

 

 

 

And yes, Herman, there are several mistakes.

 

 

 

out

 

 

 

in to

 

 

 

Emerald is missing

 

 

 

Penultimate sentence has no subject.

 

 

 

But the tone makes me laugh. Bald-faced wording: "Let's get some money out of those grubby, cheap, top tier *guests*. Damn it, how dare they want to take full advantage of the perks that we have been dangling in front of them".

 

 

 

;)

 

 

Carol, I can always count on your for the laser sharp assessment :)

 

I am D+ and I've enjoyed CL and DL and CL on the newer ships has been a nicer experience. I've never seen or participated in the snobbery some mention and hope never to see it.

 

Since I like to enjoy my full day of cruising, I would truly appreciate and benefit from the drinks package discount. Even if I am just an additional revenue source.

 

I'm made a run for D+ last year expecting "big" changes. Meh.

 

EDIT - cc app for iPad is horrible for editing :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited April 17, 2016 by MattInFLL

[Retired LEO]

Top tier people don't spend enough money on board.

 

My credit card bill respectfully disagrees. :D

[travelgoddess1]

We found the same situation in the CL on the Voyager, Mariner and Navigator. Never could get a seat, and it was always the same lot there. They came at the start of the complimentary cocktails and stayed until the bitter end. We tried going early, or going late and it never made a difference. They just would not give up their seats for anyone. Found out that most of them were Pinnacles, many in inside cabins.

Really made DH mad since we paid the freight for the suites.

 

Such a cliche. You spoiled your argument with your generalizations. Most of it is just plain wrong. How would you know, anyway, since apparently, you never took the opportunity to talk to any of the people you are maligning.

 

I have to tell you that most people do not spend their time in the lounge talking about their status, whether it is C&A, suite, whatever. And even on the most crowded cruises, we have managed to go at a time when there was room to sit down. And sorry (not sorry!) for wanting to sit and chat with my friends in the lounge. If I want to spend an hour having drinks with them, who are you to criticize?

 

People, re-read the memo.

 

As usual "you all" have the wrong point of view.

 

The C&A, i.e. Loyalty Program, is NOT to benefit YOU. It's to benefit Royal Caribbean.

 

Top tier people don't spend enough money on board.

 

These discounts are an attempt to recoup some of that revenue.

 

RC is NOT going to let you "share the package".

 

They KNOW that some people ONLY drink the free drinks.

 

They want to entice you into spending SOMETHING on board!

 

And yes, Herman, there are several mistakes.

 

out

 

in to

 

Emerald is missing

 

Penultimate sentence has no subject.

 

But the tone makes me laugh. Bald-faced wording: "Let's get some money out of those grubby, cheap, top tier *guests*. Damn it, how dare they want to take full advantage of the perks that we have been dangling in front of them".

 

;)

 

Thank you.

[Powersboyee2]

Well no doubt I'm going to ruffle a few feathers on here. It's about time IMHO. The CL has been far too packed with D+ and Pinnacles on some ships for a long time to the detriment of suite guests. We've been there where we couldn't get a seat as a suite guest because the chair hogs who turn up 30 minutes before cocktail hour starts and are clicking their fingers waiting for the bar to open and not leaving until the end of the cocktail hour and we have the temerity to turn up for the last hour.

 

As for beverage package discounts, well we do drink and so the 40% discount we got by asking the beverage manager on Serenade back in Feb was very welcomed thank you (thanks to Patti reminding us) Will it encourage us to purchase a beverage package in future and contribute more revenue to RCI, well heck yes.

 

Are we bothered about 3 free drinks between what is to us very restrictive hours as we rarely consume an alcoholic beverage before 7pm, heck no.

 

Are we bothered about visiting a lounge that has a few nibbles, heck no.

 

Would we rather sit at a bar with nicer views, more choices of beverages, a wider range of clientele, heck yes.

 

Discount a premium package from $49 plus 18% gratuity to just over $29 plus 18%, I'm all over it.

 

Thank you RCI.

 

 

 

Heck yeah!

[peteukmcr]

Lol. I think this is exactly what they are getting at. People who want it all just because of their status.

 

Each ship is pretty much like its own corporation. Those corporations need to make a certain $$ amount of revenue per passenger per day to maintain profitability. You can bet your booty that they track what each person/status/demographic spends before their cruise as well as onboard.

 

So needless to say... It doesn't really matter how much money you have spent with RCCL in the past, as that does not affect their bottom line what so ever on the current sailing you may be on.

 

I can imagine that they make a LOT more money off of people not sitting in the lounge all night every night sucking down free drinks and apps.

 

I, myself, just turned 31, and will be hitting diamond after my cruise that leaves tomorrow on Indy. I always sail with the premium drink package and pay for it ahead of time. I'm not a huge drinker either, but it's nice to just have it and not worry about "oh it's not diamond drink time yet, I have to wait" or other silly things like that. I realize that's not the case for me yet but you get what I'm saying I'm sure.

 

Will getting free drinks stop me from getting the package? Nope. Will them offering a discount make me happy? You betcha. Sounds amazing.

 

So in conclusion, no I don't think it's a slap in the face at all... I believe they really do need to make more money off of the lounge leaches to balance things back out, or they wouldn't even consider a discount. I, for one, will be happy if they do!

 

Bon voyage!

Totally agree. Thanks for putting another perspective on it and enjoy your cruise tomorrow.

[Garavar]

My takeaway is they are still making money even after offering a 50% discount!

 

Clearly demonstrates the value in the drinks packages, NOT!

 

They do, RC sponsors our charity event for children and they donate so much booze because they get it so cheap.

 

Hence why the Package should be sharable between Diamond and Above couples.

[Charles4515]

This thread is misnamed. It is not breaking news. It is breaking rumors. No changes have been made. I don't see any reason to trust the source of the rumor.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Charles4515

[Dave4120]

Seems to me, that there can never be an ending to this subject or conversation until there is silence, or, we are no longer on the face of the earth.

 

As I said before, we are not huge drinkers. Yes, the CL lounge is nice, but, we were fine when it wasn't an option for us in our early cruise days.

 

One question I will bring up because friends of ours have discussed it with us many times. Again, I don't think there is a good answer to the following because everyone will probably have a different opinion, and, we don't know the answer to part of:

 

Our friends have told us, that they are approaching 40 cruises. They have paid close to $120,000 total for those cruises, in addition to spending even more between ship tours, shops, etc.

 

They are D+. They mentioned with this new policy a Suite guest could get more benefits than they do as D+. However, if a person buys a suite, say, even for $8,000, but is only a casual, or one time cruiser, and, spends far less in total dollars than a D, D+ and Pinnacle member who has already spent over 6 figures, how is that fair??

 

Obviously if a couple gets a suite every time and cruises a lot, all of this is a mute point. Maybe it should by dollars spent on the cruise portion itself since many people with the old system moved up the ladder by getting $400 inside cabins, while a balcony person got the same amount of points paying double or more for a sane cruise. Even more descrepency if you had a suite.

[RoamingRetirees]

This stinks for those of us who are D+

 

Pushing us into the D lounge with the multitudes of D's already there will cause severe overcrowding on many cruises.

 

Like others, I want to wait and see what the plans actually are. I simply find this "solution" to "overcrowding" to make no sense, since it adds to the problem.

 

It makes perfect sense. They are solving the problem they care about -- suite guests and Pinnacles not finding seating in the CL.

[LMaxwell]

Well, it's not meant for you to read. It's an internal memo, posted here by a member of Cruise Critic, obtained in some unknown way.

I don't even think it is rude. Just common sense.

[goodycruising]

Interesting change, we are D+ and like to hang out in whichever is the lounge with the nicer views, we are on Anthem in two weeks and were looking forward to being in the CL with the nice aft views, if it's back to just once lounge (as we won't make pinnacle) then there is not a big difference or any real incentive for Diamonds to progress. Interested to see what the new perks (if any) for D+ will be.

 

We had booked on Ovation in a cabin right near the CL on Deck 12 aft, as we would be D+ by that cruise, and thought it would be nice for a quick coffee and breaky. We got very nervous that it would end up with us having to walk a long way from next to the CL right down to the DL forward on Deck 4. It would be great for them to make it clear, set a firm date, and then we can book our cabin knowing what we are able to access.

 

---------------------

 

We have currently cancelled all our RCI bookings, not just because of this change, but it was a bit part of the Ovation cancellation decision. Looks like we made the right decision for us. We were looking forward to visiting the CL on Radiance, as we have done a number of cruises on her, and it was an incentive to push us to get to D+. We are feeling a bit hollow about that exciting feeling of reaching D+ now.

 

People can sneer but it was something we looked forward to, and a goal that meant something to us...

[10ACLADIES]

Sorry for those that don't believe the 'rumors' but, I have confirmation from officers onboard that these changes are occurring. And, there will be restrictions to D Lounge access, D+/PC. The CL will be renamed the SL for suites and PC only. D members will have 3 drink vouchers on card. This has been in the works for quite awhile and should come as no great surprise to anyone, imho.

[Paulette3028]

On, or around, May 1, Royal Caribbean will announce and/or implement the changes in the Crown and Anchor program.

 

No more Welcome Back (repeaters) Party on any ship. The Trials with this, on two ships back in February (?), was considered a success. Top Tier will continue.

 

Meal with an Officer will be for D+ (340) only and Pinnacles will have a meal at the Captain's Table or Specialty Rest. with the Capt. or HD.

 

No change in Tiers or Points structure.

 

Some other benefits for D+ and Pinnacles that I could not get the precise details.

 

All ships were notified two days ago so that they could prepare for the changes.

 

Sorry, but I will not reveal my source. Believe it or not. I'm still trying to find additional details, but combine this info with that from CruisenGrandmom

on Liberty and I think the CL-->SL on all ships is imminent.

 

When it comes out from Royal, I will know what the changes are...until then this just fuels the 'rumor mill'.

[Garavar]

Sorry for those that don't believe the 'rumors' but, I have confirmation from officers onboard that these changes are occurring. And, there will be restrictions to D Lounge access, D+/PC . The CL will be renamed the SL for suites and PC only. D members will have 3 drink vouchers on card. This has been in the works for quite awhile and should come as no great surprise to anyone, imho.

 

If this is true they need to rename it to the Diamond Plus Lounge.

 

So which rumor is true Diamond Lounge for D and D+ or D+ and P? We've heard both in this thread.

[KittyCatRya]

I will miss the past guest party. As a gold member, it was one thing that seemed to make it look like RC wanted to take care of ALL repeat guests not just the highest tiers. You don't get to D+ etc without going through Gold and Emerald.