Pinnacle Perks - will Royal keep them in the long run?

[John&LaLa]

35 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

So, in your opinion, Pinnacles spend a lot on each cruise, more so than others? Specialty Dining, Royal Excursions, Drink Packages, the faster VOOM, Casino, Park West, Spa ( I know a John likes massages) and so on?

 

What is your conclusion?

 

I think she said you are just making an unsubstantiated assumption 

[Andy C]

Where RCI's loyalty program fails is when it interferes with the quiet enjoyment of premium passengers.  Passengers who pay a premium (i.e., books suites, travel international business class or first, etc...) are paying for an exclusive experience.  Hence the ship within a ship concept (as in NCL Haven). RCI has tried to adopt a similar model with Oasis and Quantum class and have failed in that they have tried to please God and the Devil (no pun intended).  The entire upper tier loyalty class that RCI has created will eventually topple on itself - it is called physics.  

 

The suite marketing materials for RCI falsely market an exclusive experience when it is not.  Enter NSPPs.  These NSPPs are enabled by RCI to use the same areas they market to suite guests as exclusive.  The result as @Milwaukee Eight and a few others including myself have shared here is that our experience was cheapened and diminished.  The president's cruise last year (which I was not on because I could care less to sail with Michael Bailey or Richard Fain or dine with Captain Johnny or Captain Gus) was a train wreck for anyone who paid for a suite.  They gave out full refunds as FCCs.  The staff, concierges and managers cried foul to many of us, me included, for the position they were placed in.  It was and is uncomfortable for the staff that caters to suite paying passengers to continuously be apologizing for an experience that was less than what was advertised.  

 

In sum OP,  you like so many of our fellow suite guests, should strongly consider spending your money elsewhere particularly if your intent is to get suite benefits without paying for a suite.  That boondoggle isn't going to last.  

[John&LaLa]

15 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

They made some, presumably, effective changes between the Presidents cruise and the Symphony TA. I don’t recall anyone on the Symphony TA reporting the ridiculous situations that were reported on the Presidents cruise. I suspect those changes will resurface on the cruises you mention. I’ll let you know —-I have a GS on the 11/1/20 Allure TA and am just a lowly D+. I expect to be in CK often. 

 

Either they keep using overflow locations to deal with the D lounge crowds, or it becomes a D+/Pinnacle lounge and D’s get “x” drinks on their sea pass card. I do believe the chances of any day-to-day carryover is between slim and none. 

 

mac_tlc

 

They fine tuned it more for Oasis TA, but alas, it never happened.  I'm on the next CK TA, Allure in spring. We booked STAR and may never eat in CK. 🤣

[mac_tlc]

3 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

They fine tuned it more for Oasis TA, but alas, it never happened.  I'm on the next CK TA, Allure in spring. We booked STAR and may never eat in CK. 🤣

I’m still contemplating that one too! Only JS’s left but not a bad price.

Can I have one of your A1’s😂? 

[John&LaLa]

10 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

I’m still contemplating that one too! Only JS’s left but not a bad price.

Can I have one of your A1’s😂? 

 

Sure 9330 is $11,600 right now. Not sure what it goes to if/when it goes on the open market. 

I keep thinking I'll call C&A to 'negotiate' the terms of it's release. 🤣

[Coralc]

We booked a GS on an Allure TA, because we expect to experience the perks that go along with the expense and a suite booking. Sky class should have a priority over Pinnacle. Coastal Kitchen, Suite Lounge, free wi-fi, dining en-suite, free room service, show seating. 

 

We are way up there in D+ points, but Pinnacle is not something that we really aspire to. It is still a vacation, not a hobby/lifestyle, especially when we have to fly from the West Coast. 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Coralc

[Lionesss]

I wish that all can enjoy what ever level

they have attained in the RCI —-C & A  level of perks.  

As for me a soon to be Diamond +, I have already enjoyed Pinnacle. 

And others can too , no

matter what their status is. 

 

[George C]

We book suites only did one ship with a CK that was Oasis a year ago, lots of pinnacles but only issue with CK was first day after boarding it was packed. Love the view on CK but food really was not that good after two nights wife wanted to eat in specialty restaurants which we did for rest of cruise, we did like lunch and breakfast there. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

44 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I think she said you are just making an unsubstantiated assumption 

The P cheerleaders would have one believe so. Offer some known facts to counter. 

[neverbeenhere]

And now, the great seer, soothsayer, and sage, Carnac the Magnificent will predict that in 20 years there will be one million pinnacle members. 

 

 

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, neverbeenhere said:

And now, the great seer, soothsayer, and sage, Carnac the Magnificent will predict that in 20 years there will be one million pinnacle members. 

 

 

My Magic 8 Ball never lies..."cannot predict now". 

[John&LaLa]

24 minutes ago, George C said:

We book suites only did one ship with a CK that was Oasis a year ago, lots of pinnacles but only issue with CK was first day after boarding it was packed. Love the view on CK but food really was not that good after two nights wife wanted to eat in specialty restaurants which we did for rest of cruise, we did like lunch and breakfast there. 

 

We don't go very much anymore. Breakfast everyday, lunch the first 4 days and a couple of dinners

[John&LaLa]

17 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

The P cheerleaders would have one believe so. Offer some known facts to counter. 

 

You have none as well.

I/we spend enough. I just don't do a drink pkg, it doesn't work for us. Unless it's $18, and even then, I passed on buying it one of our cruises next year.

 

You say I'm not typical, but what do you base that on?

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

You have none as well.

I/we spend enough. I just don't do a drink pkg, it doesn't work for us. Unless it's $18, and even then, I passed on buying it one of our cruises next year.

 

You say I'm not typical, but what do you base that on?

Well, they all are not staying in Suites. I know that for sure. 

[John&LaLa]

6 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Well, they all are not staying in Suites. I know that for sure. 

 

Many are.

We had a suite in August, I have another one in December.

And a STAR suite in March. 

You can't win this debate.

Edited October 4, 2019 by John&LaLa

[Lady Hudson]

To get back to the OPs question. No one knows what Royal will do with top tier benefits in the future.  They could be diminished, they could be improved.  There have been changes in the past and there will be in the future.  Benefits are very nice but that is not why we sail.  If Royal changes the program and I feel that I can get a better experience elsewhere, then I will leave Royal.  Simple as that. 

[xpcdoojk]

1 hour ago, Andy C said:

Where RCI's loyalty program fails is when it interferes with the quiet enjoyment of premium passengers.  Passengers who pay a premium (i.e., books suites, travel international business class or first, etc...) are paying for an exclusive experience.  Hence the ship within a ship concept (as in NCL Haven). RCI has tried to adopt a similar model with Oasis and Quantum class and have failed in that they have tried to please God and the Devil (no pun intended).  The entire upper tier loyalty class that RCI has created will eventually topple on itself - it is called physics.  

 

The suite marketing materials for RCI falsely market an exclusive experience when it is not.  Enter NSPPs.  These NSPPs are enabled by RCI to use the same areas they market to suite guests as exclusive.  The result as @Milwaukee Eight and a few others including myself have shared here is that our experience was cheapened and diminished.  The president's cruise last year (which I was not on because I could care less to sail with Michael Bailey or Richard Fain or dine with Captain Johnny or Captain Gus) was a train wreck for anyone who paid for a suite.  They gave out full refunds as FCCs.  The staff, concierges and managers cried foul to many of us, me included, for the position they were placed in.  It was and is uncomfortable for the staff that caters to suite paying passengers to continuously be apologizing for an experience that was less than what was advertised.  

 

In sum OP,  you like so many of our fellow suite guests, should strongly consider spending your money elsewhere particularly if your intent is to get suite benefits without paying for a suite.  That boondoggle isn't going to last.  

 

Why do you premium cruisers choose to sail on a entry level cruise line?  Should not the rich sail with their rich brethren on Silverseas or at least Asmara?  Why do they choose to sail with commoners while expecting to be treated like the lords and ladies that they are by birthright?  I am all for the suite passengers to sail where they truly belong and not try to pretend like they are common folk by sailing lowly mainstream cruiselines.  

 

Enjoy your afternoon tea with the duke and duchess and leave us lower classes to our flowriders and cheap wine.  I can’t believe you drink the stuff they call wine in the suite lounge.  Good lord, you will be kicked out of your club.

 

jc

[cindivan]

1 hour ago, Coralc said:

We booked a GS on an Allure TA, because we expect to experience the perks that go along with the expense and a suite booking. Sky class should have a priority over Pinnacle. Coastal Kitchen, Suite Lounge, free wi-fi, dining en-suite, free room service, show seating. 

 

We are way up there in D+ points, but Pinnacle is not something that we really aspire to. It is still a vacation, not a hobby/lifestyle, especially when we have to fly from the West Coast. 

I would appreciate hearing your opinion after you cruise if your expectations were met.   I have read many things about people being disappointed when booking a suite on a cruise on which many pinnacles are typically on.   We will most likely never get pinnacle, just don’t have that much vacation time currently, but enjoy the benefits that suite guests enjoy and pay for.  So we are not in a hurry to book suites on longer and/or off-season cruises on RC.   And most responses I get to this type of comment are from pinnacles who say it’s not always that way. Which to me implies it’s that way enough to make an impact. 

 

But getting back to OPs question. If RC keeps up with their current benefits for pinnacles I think it will decrease suite desire. Personally I think airlines have it right. Keep flying to maintain your status. Same with hotels.   

 

So we will never cruise this way or that to get points because I think at some point RC will have to address this issue 

Edited October 4, 2019 by cindivan

[Iamcruzin]

10 hours ago, tomservo said:

This thread was actually inspired by one over in the NCL forum when people were complaining about how pointless the Ambassador status is (top tier), and how there are only less than 40 total left (they're dying off faster than they are being replaced). I'm relatively young by cruising standards, and have a few good decades (or more) left in me. The Pinnacle benefits look very attractive to me and you get almost all of the benefits of being in a suite (priority embark/debark, concierge lounge, priority show seats, suite restaurant, etc). I've only sailed NCL before and I have a few RCI cruises coming up as well, but I'm wondering if I should focus more of my cruise dollars on RCI to try to get to Pinnacle faster. If I sail in Jr Suites/Suites and average 15-20 nights/year, I can hit Pinnacle in about 17-23 years.

 

However, my concern is that by the time I get there, the benefits will be reduced or removed. I think we've all seen the cruise product slowly deteriorate over time, with cutbacks and quality being reduced while prices keep rising. How protective is RCI about its loyalty benefits? Have they made cutbacks before?

 

Oh wise cruisers of Cruise Critic - will Pinnacles have the same perks 20 years from now?

If I have learned anything from CC it's that sailing strictly to reach a status is of no benefit unless you are happy with the product and that goes for any other travel incentive loyalty program.   I wish I had the dime for every time I read I'm elite plus diamond plus sailed 100 cruises with ( insert cruise line) and now they don't care about their loyal customers. Never mind the cut backs to Pinnacle status worry about the cut backs for the average passenger who hasn't reached a high status. All lines are changing across the board. You may sail with one line hit the top and something will change that no longer meets your expectations. The best bet is to pick a cruise on a cruise line that has value for you today, whether it's price, itinerary,  or on board experience and don't worry about empty promises for the future.

[twangster]

Pop quiz - When was CAS first introduced?

 

Pop quiz #2 - When was Pinnacle added as a tier level?

 

Given the age of the program and specifically the Pinnacle level being less than 10 years old, trying to predict twice that time span into the future is pure entertainment.  

 

Twenty years from now we'll all have have smart chips embedded into our bodies and Pinnacle members will be recognized 10 miles before they arrive at the port.  Signs and doors will automatically present themselves to Pinnacle members while other levels will feel a mild shock if they try to use them.  Shock level decreases as members advance up through the CAS.   Mere Pinnacle members will vie for the coveted Pinnacle Plus level that includes levitated self moving lounge chairs that will whisk P+ members around the ship like sideways moving elevators.   

[frank808]

Do P members get the plain surf or surf and stream?  Just wanted to know.  Sailing Sky class get surf and stream but wonder what P members get when not sailing GS or higher.

 

Thanks

[twangster]

4 minutes ago, frank808 said:

Do P members get the plain surf or surf and stream?  Just wanted to know.  Sailing Sky class get surf and stream but wonder what P members get when not sailing GS or higher.

 

Thanks

 

S&S

[frank808]

Just now, twangster said:

 

S&S

Glad to know that if we make it to P I would not have to buy the Surf and Stream package.  

[Coralc]

I was a Silver C&A member in 1992. Everyone else seems to have surpassed us in points. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Many are.

We had a suite in August, I have another one in December.

And a STAR suite in March. 

You can't win this debate.

If many P’s are in Suites, as you imply, then there really wouldn’t be an issue, now would it?  Mic 🎤 drop.