Diamond Plus Perk now Taken Away on Anthem!

[Tulsacoker]

18 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Concierge dings a bell at 30 minutes prior to HH and announces all but Suites must leave until an hour or so after HH starts.  Remaining guests must show SeaPass. Only Suites have access during this time. This ensures the majority of Suites have access and a seat if desired. Typically, what we see, many D+/P get to the lounge very early before HH. I have even seen them saving seats (chair hogs). I was sternly told by a D+ on a cruise that those seats were reserved. The group rotated the chair hog nightly.
 

Easy to manage  

Sound like Lanyards should be required 

[actuarian]

45 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Concierge dings a bell at 30 minutes prior to HH and announces all but Suites must leave until an hour or so after HH starts.  Remaining guests must show SeaPass. Only Suites have access during this time. This ensures the majority of Suites have access and a seat if desired.

I think that "dings a bell" may sound a little like a joke but, other than dinging the bell, it is normal procedure on Celebrity.  There is no dedicated Elite venue on most Celebrity ships so the Elite Happy Hour is held in a venue where other events such as trivia games are held at other times.  About 10 minutes before the start of the Elite HH (at 5 PM), they announce that that room is being used for a private event and that the room is to be cleared.  A few minutes later, they ask to see the Sea Passes of everyone who is remaining and, if those Sea Passes do not say Elite (or higher), the people are escorted out of the room.  For the next two hours, they have a crew member checking sea passes at the door.  When the Elite HH ends at 7 PM, the room is reopened to the general public.  So it can be done and there is no need to ding a bell.

[yogimax]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

So you’re  suggesting limiting access to the CL for first hour of HH to Suites only. Open access after first seating to D+/P. 

That wasn't what I was suggesting, but I give you credit for creative thinking.  You wouldn't even have to limit it to when early seating was over, but when it was beginning.  On Rhapsody, early seating began at 5:30 and the lounges would rapidly clear at that time.  If RCCL had competent IT people, it would be able to program the data onto Sea Pass cards, specifying a specific time of entry.  Of course, that would cost money. 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

1 hour ago, Tulsacoker said:

probably their first cruise. Parents  gave them Pins

 

Children do not get Pinnacle status from a parent like they do for the other Tier levels, They have to earn Pinnacle themselves.

We met the family from South America a few years ago. At that time the daughter was about 8 years old.  

 

 

[actuarian]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

The Diamond level already took the hit a several years ago when they were kicked out of the CL. 😊

That was over ten years ago.  Most of the people who were Diamonds then (myself included) are long since Diamond Plus now (except a few who have stopped cruising on Royal Caribbean or are Pinnacles).  Therefore, the same people are taking the same hit twice.

Edited January 30, 2020 by actuarian

[davekathy]

15 minutes ago, actuarian said:

That was over ten years ago.  Most of the people who were Diamonds then (myself included) are long since Diamond Plus now (except a few who have stopped cruising on Royal Caribbean or are Pinnacles).  Therefore, the same people are taking the same hit twice.

Agree. Include us a diamond at that time frame. But HBE4 isn't speaking from first hand personal experiences. Only what is posted on CC about the D, D+ and Pinnacle issues with the DLs, CLs and SLs and other associated perks/benefits that have been changed over the years and possibly going to change. Maybe the C&A society should change the required cruise points for diamond to 180 starting 1 February 2020. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by davekathy

[RFerrington]

2 hours ago, Tulsacoker said:

probably their first cruise. Parents  gave them Pins

I didn't think parents could bestow Pinn on children

[DaniDanielle]

What happens to those already Diamond, do they get demoted if they don’t have enough points?

 

[RFerrington]

2 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

That CATS thing was spooky. 

Agreed.  It was scawwwy

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

What happens to those already Diamond, do they get demoted if they don’t have enough points?

Not usually.

[Tulsacoker]

8 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

I didn't think parents could bestow Pinn on children

Pinnacles are very powerful 

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, actuarian said:

I think that "dings a bell" may sound a little like a joke but

A bell 🔔 on a ship is common. But I’m sure there might have been a little humor by the poster. 

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Look at it another way. On Twangster cruises, 20% of the passengers were in the top 3 tiers.  

 

Lets look at in another way. I wonder if RCI would have been able to fill up the ship at the fares it was charging if those 20% of passenger who are causing such an issue were not aboard.🤔

[davekathy]

48 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

What happens to those already Diamond, do they get demoted if they don’t have enough points?

 

No. Only those that haven't reached the required 180 cruise points. Make the required cruise points for D+ at 300 starting 1 February 2020 also. 

[DaniDanielle]

Okay, grandfathered in.   Albert not a bad idea,however, February is a little soonto start that.  I am sure a lot of cruisers booked their cruises to make the next level.

 

 

[davekathy]

Just now, DaniDanielle said:

Okay, grandfathered in.   Albert not a bad idea,however, February is a little soonto start that.  I am sure a lot of cruisers booked their cruises to make the next level.

 

 

Oh well. Bummer.  BTW so was the very short notices from RC that advised the D+ we no longer have access to the CLs. A lot of changes happen on short notices. Even some for the good.   

[DaniDanielle]

Good point.  Don’t know where Albert came from, sorry!!!!

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Agree. Include us a diamond at that time frame. But HBE4 isn't speaking from first hand personal experiences. Only what is posted on CC about the D, D+ and Pinnacle issues with the DLs, CLs and SLs and other associated perks/benefits that have been changed over the years and possibly going to change.

 

Possibly why I can have a more objective view of my current and soon-to-be benefits  as my still valid opinion is not clouded by any personal bias or perceived "slight" from Royal.

 

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Maybe the C&A society should change the required cruise points for diamond to 180 starting 1 February 2020. 

 

LOL. Why wait and not start Jan 31?

 

Either way,  that would be their right. It would not impact my planning of future cruises nor make me regret any past cruises I've taken with Royal.

 

[reallyitsmema]

4 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

Good point.  Don’t know where Albert came from, sorry!!!!

 

You had Albert from CK on Anthem on your mind. 😁

[Ocean Boy]

8 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

Okay, grandfathered in.   Albert not a bad idea,however, February is a little soonto start that.  I am sure a lot of cruisers booked their cruises to make the next level.

 

 

If people are booking cruises just to make it to the next C&A level then I submit that they are cruising for the wrong reason. Much like when people would ask if they could buy points. Really, buy points, or book a cruise, just to move up in a program that could end tomorrow? I have better reasons for spending my money.

[clochette]

As a lowly diamond, I would be really upset if all of a sudden we did not have access to the diamond lounge anymore.  I understand that they are the victim of their own success but just expand the lounges if you have too.  I have traveled on Anthem in January for the past 4 years and this year where the DL should have been more crowded as D+ were also using it, was actually not as crowded as in the past, never had an issue getting a table.

[DaniDanielle]

We booked a Junior Suite for the double points last December.  We were going on that cruise anyway but were so close to D+ that we went for it.  I guess, based on this thread, it was a good thing we did😉

I guess Albert was on my mind, he was terrific.

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, clochette said:

As a lowly diamond, I would be really upset if all of a sudden we did not have access to the diamond lounge anymore.  I understand that they are the victim of their own success but just expand the lounges if you have too.  I have traveled on Anthem in January for the past 4 years and this year where the DL should have been more crowded as D+ were also using it, was actually not as crowded as in the past, never had an issue getting a table.

I don't know if RCI is going to be expanding lounges when their trend seems to be to add passenger cabins to more and more, formerly, public spaces.

[louvanh]

After reading all the comments here from people saying suite guests think they are high and mighty, well think it is rather funny. Guests who pay those high prices to stay in a little bigger broom closet should get something for their money. People saying it cost the 30k to make diamond, okay in how many cruises, I have spent 20 k just in 2 cruises last year alone. Have been in CL overtaken by D+ and P on board Grandeur, saving all the seats, acting like the world revolves around them. So thank heaven Rccl finally woke up, Celebrity gets it, treat suite guest like any hotel treats top tier guest. I am a D and do not expect free perks because of that status, but you can bet I expect perks when paying 10 or 12k for my room. So you want to go to the SL, get a suite. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

9 minutes ago, louvanh said:

After reading all the comments here from people saying suite guests think they are high and mighty, well think it is rather funny. Guests who pay those high prices to stay in a little bigger broom closet should get something for their money. People saying it cost the 30k to make diamond, okay in how many cruises, I have spent 20 k just in 2 cruises last year alone. Have been in CL overtaken by D+ and P on board Grandeur, saving all the seats, acting like the world revolves around them. So thank heaven Rccl finally woke up, Celebrity gets it, treat suite guest like any hotel treats top tier guest. I am a D and do not expect free perks because of that status, but you can bet I expect perks when paying 10 or 12k for my room. So you want to go to the SL, get a suite. 

Love what you said. However, I believe Suite Guest pay for Amenities and not perks. C&A are perks. 
 

Yep, Chair Hogs in the CL seem to be a big thing from what I have seen. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by Milwaukee Eight