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Diamond vs. Diamond Plus

MLP12

By MLP12,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Milwaukee Eight

Milwaukee Eight

Posted
Posted
Totally agree.

 

 

 

The Suite Lounge, bar opens 11-11, with CK is a great perk for PC and Suite guests. The open bar is a perk. Typically the SL side was about 3/4 full during "Cocktail hours". On our off season cruise, almost half the passengers were Diamond or above and D+ about 3/4 of Diamond totals. I don't think there is enough room to handle D+ with Suite Guest and PC. I think what maybe you should be asking for is to bring back breakfast and lunch with wine and beer at lunch, to the Diamond Club. But what would you do with the Diamonds? Exclude them during breakfast and lunch? What would they do without the coffee machine?

 

 

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cruisegirl1

cruisegirl1

Posted
Posted
Most of the time we prefer to sit in one of the lounges/bars to enjoy our drinks rather than in the DL .

 

SAME HERE. On Oasis, we like sitting outside at the Trellis Bar. It is not crowded, we are outside and there is soft live music. On most ships, there are so many choices. Also - we can use a voucher to have a drink during a show or in the casino.

 

I am happy there is a lounge or drink benefit. I thought I would not like the DL/SL split and removal of a dedicated CL but it has had no real impact for most cruises especially as we generally use other locations. We do use the DL for breakfast and like to meet the concierge.

 

I love the comment about ships not having a lounge. I recently sailed a 7 night on Empress and there was not a DL/SL or even ( as far as I knew) a place for those MDR D breakfasts with complementary specialty coffee. For our sailing, they gave upper tier D+ ( over 350 points) and Pinnacles access to (suite) breakfast in Chops - but I understand the upper tier D+ benefit is not done for every cruise. Depends on the numbers. Our sailing had very few Pinnacles or D+ ( over 350). Never felt like I was missing anything, it was just the nature of the ship. Of course no D or Suite concierge but there was a great loyalty ambassador who was able to assist us with a small issue.

 

When they went to vouchers I expected to lose the lounge benefit, but I am happy it still remains for breakfast and a quiet place during the day, or for those who like to use the lounge in the evenings.

 

BYW - if given a choice I would rather have the 3 vouchers than a lounge. I never use all three vouchers, so three is plenty, I am not tied to a single location, I never eat the food as if we are in the lounge in the evening, it is likely just before dinner. I think I am in the minority and that is OK. I guess we had this on Empress. No dedicated lounges just the vouchers.

 

Oh - and why does it matter if one has 80, 175 or 699 points, we all have access to the same benefit. I good benefit!

Thanks -

M

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Grandma Dazzles

Grandma Dazzles

Posted
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Another point often overlooked. Not all diamonds/diamond plus passengers travel in inside cabins. There is no difference between insides and balconies when computing points! Please don't assume points were all from frequent inside cabin cruises. I travel solo in a balcony cabin.

 

Personally I now travel solo and pay the single supplement. Pretty close to the diamond plus single supplement bonus, which I will definitely use and appreciate. I really don't need the size of a suite.

 

As I continue to say, there needs to be new point levels between diamond plus and pinnacle. Using a system based on money spent would help.

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Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
A FAKENEWS conspiracy theory

 

What would you suggest Royal do with the D+ on ships with Suite Lounge?

Rename the Diamond Lounge to the Plus Lounge, and relegate the Diamonds to the drink vouchers.

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Grandma Dazzles

Grandma Dazzles

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Rename the Diamond Lounge to the Plus Lounge, and relegate the Diamonds to the drink vouchers.

 

That would be a good idea.

 

Incidentally, although I will have a couple of glasses of wine in the lounge, for me it's more the ability to meet friends in the same place each evening more than the drinks. A little quieter and more chance of seeing the same people each evening.

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Atlantix2000

Atlantix2000

Posted
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While not exactly fare based, Celebrity awards varying points/night based on cabin category booked. Much fairer way to "reward" loyalty, IMHO. So, Royal doesn't have to look very far to see another method.

 

mac_tlc

How does different points per cabin category reward loyalty? A first time cruiser can book the most expensive category and get the most points per night. That's not loyalty. That's just money.

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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
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Totally agree...just because they renamed the CL to SL...like we wouldn't catch on to that move :rolleyes:...still makes it bottom line that D+ are kicked out of the other lounge. It was a nice perk to attain D+ and have a choice of two lounges...now that has been taken away on Oasis.

 

Not all of us want to blow extra retirement dollars on high end suites just to get back what we were enjoying previously. ;)

I agree totally.

On a ship the size of Oasis class they need more than 1 lounge for D and D+.

 

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island lady "Live from...." Rare

island lady

Posted
Posted
Rename the Diamond Lounge to the Plus Lounge, and relegate the Diamonds to the drink vouchers.

 

That is what I thought would happen when the vouchers came out.

 

3 drink vouchers for D's in any lounge, (or/and back to Diamond event? We enjoyed that on Freedom before the DL was installed. Just beer and wine and a cup of peanut munchies, remember that one?)

 

C&A lounge (D+ and Pinnacle)

 

Suite Lounge (GS and above)

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grapau27

grapau27

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C&A benefits or perks, as you have seen may be adjusted, changed, removed at any time. Nothing engraved in stone. Same with Suite perks.

 

You feel it is an entitlement, you are entitled to them, but Royal can simply change them at any time.

 

The tiers continue to grow. Getting top heavy. One day soon people need to be prepared for changes. Creating Suite Lounges for PC and Suite guests is a step in the right direction.

 

 

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Nothing wrong with suite perks but there are numerous D and D+ members who would jump ship from RC if they took away perks that people have sailed 20+ times with them to accrue.

 

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mac_tlc "Live from...." Rare

mac_tlc

Posted
Posted
While I can somewhat see your point, if one goes with the assumption that paying more means you are more loyal, it doesn't seem to really be a way to reward "loyalty" to me. I guess it depends on what one considers brand "loyalty."

 

 

 

I would say the one who is "loyal" is the one who continues to cruise with the line, no matter what cabin class they cruise in. Maybe that "loyalty" might pay off in an upgrade at some point, which would be nice- but not that likely anymore it seems.

 

 

 

I don't know what the "fare based" extra points would be, but if they were double points- for example- one cruiser could cruise 2x/yr in a balcony cabin for 2 years and another could cruise for one week every other year in a suite and have the same number of loyalty points and extra perks.

 

 

 

I know, it's "pay to play" and if you pay for those high priced cabins, you should get perks. And I never knew there was a "problem" with how many Diamond and Diamond + cruisers exist, as previously mentioned in this thread. It seems it would be getting more and more to a "class" system where those who can afford it can pay to advance to the top quickly and those who can only afford to cruise inside cabins would have a very hard time climbing the loyalty ladder, especially if there were a cap on how many Diamonds and Diamond + cruisers could exist at a given time. Then those who paid could keep out those they didn't want in- i.e. those who can't afford the super luxury.

 

 

 

Hence my quotation marks. I think Royal defines loyalty different than its customers. The Celebrity method, I think, strikes a balance between those who cruise frequently and those who spend a lot and may cruise less frequently (or may not). It also recognizes that the "value" of each of those customers to RCCI may not be the same. How many posts have we all read about the seasoned cruisers commenting on having a zero (or less) balance when they leave? I'm as guilt as some in that I have not actually paid for a photo in probably 5 years....our free D photos are fine with us.

 

Certainly the prior Royal method of a point per cruise (2 if a long cruise) was probably the worst method, hence the large number of D and D+, and the current overcrowding issues.

 

The entire industry is sliding towards more of a class system as you can see with "suite-only" restaurants, lounges and other spaces.

 

mac_tlc

 

 

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Milwaukee Eight

Milwaukee Eight

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That is what I thought would happen when the vouchers came out.

 

 

 

3 drink vouchers for D's in any lounge, (or/and back to Diamond event? We enjoyed that on Freedom before the DL was installed. Just beer and wine and a cup of peanut munchies, remember that one?)

 

 

 

C&A lounge (D+ and Pinnacle)

 

 

 

Suite Lounge (GS and above)?

 

 

 

Not sure Pinnacles would agree with you. I do believe some D+ like the ability to set with PC in CL.

 

 

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Milwaukee Eight

Milwaukee Eight

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Nothing wrong with suite perks but there are numerous D and D+ members who would jump ship from RC if they took away perks that people have sailed 20+ times with them to accrue.

 

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You are correct, jumping ship is the best place to protest. Suite Guests are likely to do the same if they were to lose perks (i.e. Open SL to D+).

 

 

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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
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A FAKENEWS conspiracy theory

 

What would you suggest Royal do with the D+ on ships with Suite Lounge?

 

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As the number of passengers on Oasis class is double most other ships and probably the same ratio D and D+ there should be a new bigger lounge or a second lounge for P and D+ only.

 

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grapau27

grapau27

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Another point often overlooked. Not all diamonds/diamond plus passengers travel in inside cabins. There is no difference between insides and balconies when computing points! Please don't assume points were all from frequent inside cabin cruises. I travel solo in a balcony cabin.

 

Personally I now travel solo and pay the single supplement. Pretty close to the diamond plus single supplement bonus, which I will definitely use and appreciate. I really don't need the size of a suite.

 

As I continue to say, there needs to be new point levels between diamond plus and pinnacle. Using a system based on money spent would help.

Good point.

In our case just on RC we have done 25 balcony cabins out of 27 RC cruises.

 

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