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Diamond Plus - No More Concierge/Suite Lounge Access

DaKahuna

By DaKahuna,
in Royal Caribbean International

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

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, jclinard said:

Simple.  A bone-fide loyalty program has perks they intend to honor as people hit those levels.  A marketing ploy has perks they intended to pull once people start reaching that level.

 

As RCI has pulled back on or eliminated perks as people have started hitting loyalty levels, I'm reconsidering the value of defaulting to a Royal Caribbean cruise.  What would be the point of chasing the 340 point level to get reduced single supplement fees (which is of far more interest to me than most off the other perks) only to hit that level and having RCI discontinue that perk due to the increased ranks of the 340 level.

 

You're reading to much into it.

 

And FWIW, I really don't think they set it up with intentions to change it. Just trying to tame the monster.

 

Also, as I recall Delta used to offer lounge access to upper medallion members, and had to eventually drop it. It's inevitable 

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island lady "Live from...." Rare

island lady

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:


There will be your two seats and our three as well.  We never visit the lounges DL, CL, and SL. It isn’t our thing.

 

I was just wondering if there was a way to make it work for the Pinnacles that can’t go in, but if the vouchers continue it’s all good for some/many Pinnacles. 
 

 

 

Assuming you are talking about "Pinnacles that can't go in"....meaning non-suite Pinnacles not being able to go into the CL/SL.....don't worry about them. 

 

When they are banned from the SL/CL at happy hour time...the ship sets up a private event for them.  It's actually very nice, has great happy-tisers (but no coffee machine due to being in another lounge or roped off section of one).   That is also one way to be able to easily access the LA on board, since she/he hosts the event.  

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cruisegirl1

cruisegirl1

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I feel main culprit was giving solo folks the extra point.

Solo points, double points promotion and points rewarded for complimentary casino cruises. 
 

I know of a few passengers who went from gold  to pinnacle in a year or so. 
 

m

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island lady "Live from...." Rare

island lady

Posted
Posted
51 minutes ago, davekathy said:

 We've got two Celebrity cruises booked in 2023 (🤞).So far one in 2024 with Princess. Not sure after that. 

 

Bummer...we are still with RCI for the next 3 cruises, then over to Viking for a 3 week river cruise.   Back to Wonder for a B2B before the 1st leg WC.  

 

Still want to try Celebrity...but just does not seem to be convenient right now.  Someday.  

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

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, nelblu said:

We could also blame the extra night point for the Suite guests.🤣

 

Smaller scale. However, we booked about 8 JS's to get that final push back in 2017.

 

Go to most top tier events. The Pin with most points is usually solo

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nelblu

nelblu

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Not for Pinnacle though. You still need relationship points as a minimum. Those aren't inherited 

Hey John, when did Royal begin awarding 2X points for suites.  I took a sail on Vision from L.A. in 2003 in a JS and when they converted points to nights, I was told that it wasn't available at that time, therefore no add'l credit.

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jclinard

jclinard

Posted
Posted

"There are other cruise lines out there.   Perhaps they would be a better fit for you?"

 

I'm not married to RCI.  I'm Elite on Princess, though I haven't sailed with them since 2020 (on one of the last cruises before the shutdown).  I prefer Royal Caribbean, but as I've penciled in Australia for January 2024, I may very well select a Princess cruise.  I haven't decided on summer 2024 yet, but I'm willing to be more flexible with the cruise lines.  I'm more open to NCL as my biggest issue was them was with their dining.  They have no idea how to handle solo passengers, but the concept of shared tables seems to have vanished and I've eaten alone on all the RCI cruises since it returned, I'm not holding that against NCL anymore.

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jclinard

jclinard

Posted
Posted

I think I'm reading it perfectly.  The fact remains, intentions aside, they are doing it, and that point isn't up for debate.  

 

If it's inevitable they yank the perks once too many people get them, then that's really a point in favor of my argument, not yours.

 

 

 

 

  15 hours ago, jclinard said:

Simple.  A bone-fide loyalty program has perks they intend to honor as people hit those levels.  A marketing ploy has perks they intended to pull once people start reaching that level.

 

As RCI has pulled back on or eliminated perks as people have started hitting loyalty levels, I'm reconsidering the value of defaulting to a Royal Caribbean cruise.  What would be the point of chasing the 340 point level to get reduced single supplement fees (which is of far more interest to me than most off the other perks) only to hit that level and having RCI discontinue that perk due to the increased ranks of the 340 level.

Expand  

 

You're reading to much into it.

 

And FWIW, I really don't think they set it up with intentions to change it. Just trying to tame the monster.

 

Also, as I recall Delta used to offer lounge access to upper medallion members, and had to eventually drop it. It's inevitable 

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

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Hey John, when did Royal begin awarding 2X points for suites.  I took a sail on Vision from L.A. in 2003 in a JS and when they converted points to nights, I was told that it wasn't available at that time, therefore no add'l credit.

 

No idea. I think we did 12 nights in a GS back in 2010. Got 3 points. Converted to 21

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

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, jclinard said:

I think I'm reading it perfectly.  The fact remains, intentions aside, they are doing it, and that point isn't up for debate.  

 

If it's inevitable they yank the perks once too many people get them, then that's really a point in favor of my argument, not yours.

 

 

 

 

  15 hours ago, jclinard said:

Simple.  A bone-fide loyalty program has perks they intend to honor as people hit those levels.  A marketing ploy has perks they intended to pull once people start reaching that level.

 

As RCI has pulled back on or eliminated perks as people have started hitting loyalty levels, I'm reconsidering the value of defaulting to a Royal Caribbean cruise.  What would be the point of chasing the 340 point level to get reduced single supplement fees (which is of far more interest to me than most off the other perks) only to hit that level and having RCI discontinue that perk due to the increased ranks of the 340 level.

Expand  

 

You're reading to much into it.

 

And FWIW, I really don't think they set it up with intentions to change it. Just trying to tame the monster.

 

Also, as I recall Delta used to offer lounge access to upper medallion members, and had to eventually drop it. It's inevitable 

 

Not really, you said it was their plan to dangle the carrot all along. I disagree. 

 

Sorry, but I can't help you anymore. Probably best to stick with Princess. We liked them, but they weren't in PC, and Ft Lauderdale was to far from Atlanta for a comfortable 1 day drive.

Edited by John&LaLa
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A&L_Ont "Live from...." Rare

A&L_Ont

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, nelblu said:

Hey John, when did Royal begin awarding 2X points for suites.  I took a sail on Vision from L.A. in 2003 in a JS and when they converted points to nights, I was told that it wasn't available at that time, therefore no add'l credit.


It was after 2003. It started after we became frequent RC cruises.  We didn’t get them in 2006 but did get 14 points on our July 2011 sailing. It’s a bit of a window but I’m sure there is someone who knows better out there.  

Edited by A&L_Ont
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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted
34 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:


It was after 2003. It started after we became frequent RC cruises.  We didn’t get them in 2006 but did get 14 points on our July 2011 sailing. It’s a bit of a window but I’m sure there is someone who knows better out there.  

 

I used to have a picture showing the timeline. Might be buried in my Mariner Global Oddysey thread. 

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Jetdriver787

Jetdriver787

Posted
Posted

Last night We flew from Barbados to London. The check-in line took us 50 minutes! “So what?” Well, the line was for First class for a single flight. The queue was 25 deep when we arrived. The flight only had 14 first class seats! Again, the problem is that “loyalty” perks allow various category of coloured card holders to use facilities that they aren’t actually travelling in or paying for. The net effect is that it eventually totally devalues the product. 


In all honesty, I think Royal Caribbean has handled this same problem with a fairly clever and (I believe) generous solution. The only real attraction of the lounges seemed to be the prospect of a few limited option free drinks during the relevant “happy hours.” The canapés and snacks never really set the world alight, and the coffee machine (when it was actually working) could easily have been accommodated in one small venue open to all qualifying loyalty levels. The “vouchers” though, are a significant bonus! Now you can obtain loyalty value of up to $70 per person per day (potentially) if you are D+ to be used pretty much anywhere and anytime you wish. Suite passengers are (in most cases) getting nowhere near this benefit!

 

If you are going to sell a premium product for a premium price then you need to be able to consistently deliver it or it will fail! If you devalue it by giving it away as a “perk” offered as a concession then eventually you will kill your own product. At the moment it is a mess. I appreciate that is because it is an always evolving reality and also the 2 year “covid” hiatus has complicated that evolution. I cannot see why renting a “Grand suite” on some ships gets you free internet, but not on others even though the product is available on all of them in some form or other? Similarly, why does a ship need a “concierge lounge” as opposed to a “suite lounge?” 

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