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Did anyone else get this survey today?

ATC cruiser

By ATC cruiser,
in Royal Caribbean International

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TheTruthCanHurt

TheTruthCanHurt

Posted
Posted
I've always thought that the true reason for the member fee at Costco, Sam's, etc. was to force you to shop at one or the other since it makes little sense to pay for more than one card.

 

 

LOL John, I have always thought the same, However I have a friend that goes to both as he swears they have different stuff, and for some reason he prefers sams club.

 

On another note. and looking at this from a non cruise perspective..

 

Lets say you and your family save all year to go to an all inclusive resort in Cozumel Mexico. it's 10 am and your family is leisurely enjoying the morning sitting on the beach watching the ocean.. when BAM a bus full of cruise ship passengers show up who bought day passes.(essentially status for the day) ...So this really does happen in many different businesses..So while people are complaining that they dont want chocolate in their peanut butter, I wonder if they have put there peanut butter in other peoples chocolate?

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later

later

Posted
Posted (edited)

So the higher the status the higher the cost. Definitely smells like a scam. Someone who received the email needs to forward it to Royal for verification so if it is a scam it can be addressed.

 

-Tim-

Edited by later
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venicia

venicia

Posted
Posted

got the email, did the survey and my take on it was that if you were a member you would get reduced cruise costs. they did provide examples of the regular cost for "X" night cruises and what the reduced fee would be for persons that paid the fee. did not seem worthwhile to me at all. I don't think there would be a way to compare what your discount would really be since it would depend on the ship and the dates it sails........

 

there was no set amount that would be discounted........NAH, would not join this and stated that.

 

not sure we will even be staying with Royal after our January cruise on Oasis,

time will tell. but will be doing more cruises on Regent even though the passengers on there have some complaints about cut backs. the good thing for us is we are fairly new to them and enjoy pretty much all inclusive and YES, you really do pay for it.

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Ourusualbeach

Ourusualbeach

Posted
Posted
I've always thought that the true reason for the member fee at Costco, Sam's, etc. was to force you to shop at one or the other since it makes little sense to pay for more than one card.

 

Not sure if this is the same down in the US but up here n Canada by Costco bring a members only stre and them charging a fee they pay significantly less in property taxes as they are taxed as differently than retail stores.

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted
Not sure if this is the same down in the US but up here n Canada by Costco bring a members only stre and them charging a fee they pay significantly less in property taxes as they are taxed as differently than retail stores.

I believe with proper documentation and a business account they can wave the sales tax

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

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mrizer7773

mrizer7773

Posted
Posted

Probably not going to make any friends with this post, but oh well...

 

As an early 30s newbie cruiser to Royal, I'd definitely be in on a "pay to play" program. You technically paid over many years by buying cruises to earn your status. I would definitely pay, and at an extreme premium, to have some of the benefits, and not have to wait until I'm ancient to enjoy them.

 

It's not about what's "fair", it's about what is profitable for Royal, and in demand from the next generation of cruisers...

 

---anybody wanna hug it out?---

[emoji3]

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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A&L_Ont "Live from...." Rare

A&L_Ont

Posted
Posted (edited)
Probably not going to make any friends with this post, but oh well...

 

As an early 30s newbie cruiser to Royal, I'd definitely be in on a "pay to play" program. You technically paid over many years by buying cruises to earn your status. I would definitely pay, and at an extreme premium, to have some of the benefits, and not have to wait until I'm ancient to enjoy them.

 

It's not about what's "fair", it's about what is profitable for Royal, and in demand from the next generation of cruisers...

 

---anybody wanna hug it out?---

[emoji3]

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

If you want to pay to play try a full suite. You will have full perks right from your first cruise.

 

Virtual Hugs for you too.:)

Edited by A&L_Ont
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dasi11

dasi11

Posted
Posted
If you want to pay to play try a full suite. You will have full perks right from your first cruise.

 

Virtual Hugs for you too.:)

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Plus, you get double points and faster to diamond.

 

I went back and looked at my daily emails I get spammed with by Royal. I did not get any email like this offering me any survey or program. I am Diamond + and have been for a few years. While I am not one to feel entitled, I would feel offended by Royal if they gave away those perks for a few bucks. I have been loyal to Royal, and I am not real thrilled with the direction of the cutbacks.

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mrizer7773

mrizer7773

Posted
Posted
Exactly what I was thinking. Plus, you get double points and faster to diamond.

 

I went back and looked at my daily emails I get spammed with by Royal. I did not get any email like this offering me any survey or program. I am Diamond + and have been for a few years. While I am not one to feel entitled, I would feel offended by Royal if they gave away those perks for a few bucks. I have been loyal to Royal, and I am not real thrilled with the direction of the cutbacks.

 

Have tried to go the suite route twice now. Unfortunately both times they were sold out well in advance.

 

The latest crusade on an upcoming cruise was trying to book a 5 person minimum suite with only being a family of 4. After several discussions we discovered you could book the suite, using our family of 4 as occupants, create a ghost occupant to meet the minimum 5th person, and then that person just never shows up. :D *It sold out before I could finalize...

 

Pretty sure I'd be in on a pay to play program as opposed to paying for an extra 5th person just to get the perks!

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TiiiSailor

TiiiSailor

Posted
Posted

Wow! I didn't realize RCCL was hurting this much for money. If it's really from RCCL look out. There are enough people that will pay for the seemingly cheap path to all the perks that were previously earned. RCCL is fishing to see what the market will bear, as their ships are already sailing with mostly full ships. As long as the passengers will pay more, the prices will continue to rise.

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ARCruisinNana

ARCruisinNana

Posted
Posted
it does seem a bit odd that the higher up the loyalty program you are - the more you pay ??? weird...

 

 

 

Would love to know if its legit :confused:

 

 

Totally agree. Why would a Diamond pay to have access to what they already have??? Same for D+, who would have to pay more than D and would also have access to CL. And no Pinnacle would pay even more when they already have access to the Diamond Club. concierge lounge and Suite Lounge. I don't think the survey is legit.

 

 

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MaritimeR&R

MaritimeR&R

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Totally agree. Why would a Diamond pay to have access to what they already have??? Same for D+, who would have to pay more than D and would also have access to CL. And no Pinnacle would pay even more when they already have access to the Diamond Club. concierge lounge and Suite Lounge. I don't think the survey is legit.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I received this survey and the internet addy seems suspicious, so on most of the questions I chose "prefer not to say". I chose that I would not purchase the perks and when it asked why this was my reply:

 

I believe loyalty should be earned not bought. I have spent many years and dollars to earn the loyalty perks that I currently had. I feel that allowing others to "buy into" those perks is a slap in the face to those passengers that have earned their perks as a result of the number of cruises or days spent aboard RC ships and would not add my dollars to support any program that would do so.

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goodml

goodml

Posted
Posted (edited)

This does not surprise me at all unfortunately. After spending the last 9 nights on Navigator I can say the changes to RCCL's product are very noticeable and not in a good way. From an overflowing toilet, to the worst bed I've ever slept on (where did the wonderful mattresses and Royal bedding go?!?) to a room steward who twice didn't even show up and several times grumbled to us about how terribly the management treats her, to dining room menus with far less appealing options, to a list that just goes on and on. For the first time in almost 30 years of cruising, my husband and I and our group are very disappointed in a cruise. There were 700+ diamond and above on this ship and just no place to get a seat if you arrived at the lounge between 5 and 6. My husband kept going because he enjoys meeting people there but I gave it up after 2 visits. I've been saying all week that some huge change to that perk is brewing because there's just too many of us.

 

Another note about the toilet. On arrival there was a note saying that we'd notice black particles in the toilet bowl and not to be alarmed because it was due to a part that is being replaced as required and would not affect the operation. I call baloney. I got in the shower and when I shut the shower off and went to step out the bathroom was flooded. Originally I thought I somehow let the water out of the shower but then saw that water was gushing out of the toilet. So now what? Stuck in the shower, gross water all over floor and more pouring out by the second. In their amazing generosity they gave me a coupon to wash my skirt and underpants that were on the floor when I went into the shower. Yes the coupon said, we'll launder 2 articles of clothing for you. No thanks, I threw them away along with the dumb voucher. I should be more of a complainer. One couple told us they threw a fit over the dining room menu one night and got a bottle of champagne and a future cruise credit.

 

Earlier this week we booked a future cruise on board to try an oasis class but I doubt we'll do it. Will see how we feel over time. I'll be reading here over the next few months to see how long time cruisers comment on the changes. I honestly am starting to feel like it may be a strategy to offload some of the expensive long time cruisers and replace them with revenue generating new cruisers who haven't experienced the old ways. I'm not saying it may not make business sense but it's disappointing none the less.

Edited by goodml
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ATC cruiser

ATC cruiser

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Totally agree. Why would a Diamond pay to have access to what they already have??? Same for D+, who would have to pay more than D and would also have access to CL. And no Pinnacle would pay even more when they already have access to the Diamond Club. concierge lounge and Suite Lounge. I don't think the survey is legit.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

Maybe they're thinking of doing away with the entire program and starting with this

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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StolidCruiser

StolidCruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)
This does not surprise me at all unfortunately. After spending the last 9 nights on Navigator I can say the changes to RCCL's product are very noticeable and not in a good way. From an overflowing toilet, to the worst bed I've ever slept on (where did the wonderful mattresses and Royal bedding go?!?) to a room steward who twice didn't even show up and several times grumbled to us about how terribly the management treats her, to dining room menus with far less appealing options, to a list that just goes on and on. For the first time in almost 30 years of cruising, my husband and I and our group are very disappointed in a cruise. There were 700+ diamond and above on this ship and just no place to get a seat if you arrived at the lounge between 5 and 6. My husband kept going because he enjoys meeting people there but I gave it up after 2 visits. I've been saying all week that some huge change to that perk is brewing because there's just too many of us.

 

Another note about the toilet. On arrival there was a note saying that we'd notice black particles in the toilet bowl and not to be alarmed because it was due to a part that is being replaced as required and would not affect the operation. I call baloney. I got in the shower and when I shut the shower off and went to step out the bathroom was flooded. Originally I thought I somehow let the water out of the shower but then saw that water was gushing out of the toilet. So now what? Stuck in the shower, gross water all over floor and more pouring out by the second. In their amazing generosity they gave me a coupon to wash my skirt and underpants that were on the floor when I went into the shower. Yes the coupon said, we'll launder 2 articles of clothing for you. No thanks, I threw them away along with the dumb voucher. I should be more of a complainer. One couple told us they threw a fit over the dining room menu one night and got a bottle of champagne and a future cruise credit.

 

Earlier this week we booked a future cruise on board to try an oasis class but I doubt we'll do it. Will see how we feel over time. I'll be reading here over the next few months to see how long time cruisers comment on the changes. I honestly am starting to feel like it may be a strategy to offload some of the expensive long time cruisers and replace them with revenue generating new cruisers who haven't experienced the old ways. I'm not saying it may not make business sense but it's disappointing none the less.

 

Please be sure to come back and let us know if you keep the future booking made on a sailing that disappointed you so greatly. Such decision will be very enlightening.

Edited by StolidCruiser
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Ourusualbeach

Ourusualbeach

Posted
Posted
Totally agree. Why would a Diamond pay to have access to what they already have??? Same for D+, who would have to pay more than D and would also have access to CL. And no Pinnacle would pay even more when they already have access to the Diamond Club. concierge lounge and Suite Lounge. I don't think the survey is legit.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I'm wondering if they are looking at the possibility of "selling" status in addition to those earning it the old fashioned way...by actually cruising.

 

Basically everything stays the same for C&A members however anyone that wants to "buy" their way into the program can.

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