Permanent change to lounge access?

[cruisegirl1]

On 2/9/2024 at 10:13 AM, actuarian said:

Now that the Diamond Lounge has become the Crown Lounge, how long before RCCL adds a new tier to Crown & Anchor? They have already given us the name; "Crown" or maybe "Crown Club". Perhaps Crown Club will be for members with 350 points or maybe even 500 points. Then the Crown Lounge will be only for Crown Club and Pinnacle Club members.

Mid tier D+ ( 350 or 525  range) benefits are very close to Pinnacle. (same dinner BOGO, same laundry, same lounge use, same 3 amenities for 525 and Pinnace, just one less drink a day,   If there is another category with increased benefits, then a new D+ category could very easily have better/more benefits than Pinnacle!  

 

M

[frank808]

9 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Mid tier D+ ( 350 or 525  range) benefits are very close to Pinnacle. (same dinner BOGO, same laundry, same lounge use, same 3 amenities for 525 and Pinnace, just one less drink a day,   If there is another category with increased benefits, then a new D+ category could very easily have better/more benefits than Pinnacle!  

 

M

You forget the all important free internet (well at least to me) for the voyage.  That is what I look forward to the most on hitting P.

[teddie]

Apologies if this has already been answered here. 

How would I know if my sailing excludes Ds from HH, and how far in advance would it be made known? 

 

Thank you

Teddie

Edited February 10 by teddie

[deepcman]

5 minutes ago, teddie said:

Apologies if this has already been answered here. 

How would I know if my sailing excludes Ds from HH, and how far in advance would it be made known? 

 

Thank you

Teddie

It's a game time decision. No advanced warning.

[firefly333]

5 minutes ago, teddie said:

Apologies if this has already been answered here. 

How would I know if my sailing excludes Ds from HH, and how far in advance would it be made known? 

 

Thank you

Teddie

Someone on my roll call clicked on that welcome aboard link a month in advance and saw it. I think you might have a idea anyway. .. a new ship coming into Galveston.. it was there 4 out of 5 weeks, not there the more expensive Thanksgiving week, but week before and 3 weeks after. Pinns and high loyalty can sniff out the better prices. 

[teddie]

1 minute ago, deepcman said:

It's a game time decision. No advanced warning.

Thanks;  I guess it comes down to the final breakdown of C&A status on sail date.

 

Teddie

[firefly333]

1 minute ago, deepcman said:

It's a game time decision. No advanced warning.

It was on my b2b2b... weeks in advance. Just need to know where to look. All 3 weeks were already posted when someone found it weeks before. 

[teddie]

1 minute ago, firefly333 said:

It was on my b2b2b... weeks in advance. Just need to know where to look. All 3 weeks were already posted when someone found it weeks before. 

So I am sailing 3/17/2024 on the Anthem, and I just noticed that the Welcome Aboard message is now showing on the app.  No mention of the D restriction.  Might it show up closer to sail date?

 

T

[firefly333]

31 minutes ago, teddie said:

So I am sailing 3/17/2024 on the Anthem, and I just noticed that the Welcome Aboard message is now showing on the app.  No mention of the D restriction.  Might it show up closer to sail date?

 

T

If it's not there you are probably good but wouldnt hurt to check a month before tbh. Not sure when it first comes up, but they do have some idea who is booked and their loyalty level ahead. 

[cruiseboy89130]

It totally surprises me how much people care about that stupid, boring lounge!

[jean87510]

19 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Lines at multiple coffee venues vs a line at one CL coffee machine.

 

I've been on several cruises with a very long line in the AM for the CL coffee machine.  Of course, regardless of the line, people are getting double/triple espressos and 3 or 4 drinks.  😞 

I get coffee at 530 am.  No line.  

[jean87510]

9 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

It totally surprises me how much people care about that stupid, boring lounge!

It is a mystery especially with vouchers available now.  There's so much to see and do on ships, why just sit in a lounge?  

[Mick B]

As I may have said before, elsewhere on here, one of the benefits of the lounge is a nice quiet and  safe place, sometimes with a nice view of the ship if up near the top and sometimes with a nice outdoor area facing the back where when the weather is good, provides a nice private area where you can sit and have a few drinks.

 

But, other than the food and drink, its a place to meet fellow passengers who have travelled roughly the same amount of voyagers has yourself and this gives you (especially if travelling by yourself, or are currently on your own whilst your family does other things) the chance to meet new people (without the noise of a disco etc) drowning out the conversation. 

I have learnt many tips from fellow passengers in the lounge both about the perks and about the upcoming ports that I may not have learned any other way and from time to time get the chance to re-meet old friends from older cruises.

The lounge is a nice place and also there is the concierge there too at certain times who can assist you with many things that cuts your time queuing at guest services for. I for one would rather be in the lounge waiting for the concierge with nibbles and a drink than be stuck in some never ending line at guest services.

 

So, there is plenty reasons for this lounge.

I am D+, so I m ay be OK for now, but I do feel for the Diamonds at HH that may miss out and only find that out just before boarding, or finding out via some leaflet in their cabin on boarding day. I think there must be a better way to deal with the ever increasing amount of C&A members than to bar Diamonds during HH.

 

Mick.

 

[bucfan2]

22 minutes ago, Mick B said:

one of the benefits of the lounge is a nice quiet and  safe place

 

It is generally a quiet place. And all pax accessible  locations on the ship are 'safe', regardless what one comes up with a definition for that term. 

Edited February 11 by bucfan2

[Engineroom Snipe]

14 hours ago, teddie said:

So I am sailing 3/17/2024 on the Anthem, and I just noticed that the Welcome Aboard message is now showing on the app.  No mention of the D restriction.  Might it show up closer to sail date?

 

T

I have also seen it listed under the "Dining" under "Bars & Lounges" where it list a restriction for "Diamond Club" on some of the older ships where they have not updated the app yet to call it "Crown Lounge." Some people also get this confused with Viking Lounge which in most of my recent cruises was never affected by overflow from the more restrictive lounges.

 

My last November cruise was the first one that the app mentioned the "Crown Lounge" not being available to Diamond C&A members before the cruise started during the rush hour periods of 5pm to 8pm. This did not affect me in any way since my wife and I prefer the Schooner Bar music and vibe before our 7:45pm MDR seating.

 

[Tatka]

I’m surprised how many people trust information posted in app way before their sailing when other information is for current cruise.

 

I am checking info for upcoming in March cruise and 12 dayer ends on day #8… menu for day #7 is Bon Voyage … I think they just show current info including C&A info. 

[actuarian]

15 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Mid tier D+ ( 350 or 525  range) benefits are very close to Pinnacle. (same dinner BOGO, same laundry, same lounge use, same 3 amenities for 525 and Pinnace, just one less drink a day,   If there is another category with increased benefits, then a new D+ category could very easily have better/more benefits than Pinnacle!  

 

M

Pinnacle still includes quite a few perks that are not available at other levels: Boarding with the suites, breakfast at a specialty restaurant with the suites, access to the suite sundeck and, most of the time, access to Coastal Kitchen and the Suite Lounge. However Coastal Kitchen and the Suite Lounge are not always available to Pinnacles and the Crown Lounge is often overcrowded. There may come a time when Coastal Kitchen and maybe also the Suite Lounge are strictly limited to guests in suites, as is Luminae on Celebrity. Then the Crown Lounge will be limited to Pinnacles and the new tier that will probably be midway between D+ and Pinnacle. They could also incease the points requirement for Pinnacle. Imagine Crown Club at 500 points and Pinnacle Club at 1,000 points.

Edited February 11 by actuarian
Spelling

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, bucfan2 said:

It is generally a quiet place. And all pax accessible  locations on the ship are 'safe', regardless what one comes up with a definition for that term. 

I agree in general that all areas in the ship are safe but the police were called in at 7:15am in Bayonne, NJ on September 10, 2023, as we tried to leave the terminal parking area.  There was severe shouting and threats from a departing cruiser to all vehicles who stopped him or delayed him from getting out of the cruise parking lot.

 

The police had to threaten him with arrest to get him to comply with their orders to get back into his car and wait for the parking lot to start moving.

 

He was one of a few passengers I observed who were not so well behaved on board.  I could understand the poster saying some places "felt safer" after witnessing the language, profanity, and physical intimidation I observed onboard from those cruisers.

 

Was I intimidated? No. I would be concerned if something happened to my wife? Absolutely.

 

Should someone try to hurt my wife, well: a life sentence does not mean as much anymore since I am on the back end of the bell curve of life.

[OCSC Mike]

4 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

It totally surprises me how much people care about that stupid, boring lounge!

 

Because you deem it stupid & boring that means you can't understand why others enjoy it?

 

There are plenty of things on a ship I personally dislike or have no interest in but I understand why others do. Different strokes... that's the beauty of cruising.

[OCSC Mike]

4 hours ago, jean87510 said:

It is a mystery especially with vouchers available now.  There's so much to see and do on ships, why just sit in a lounge?  

 

Some people enjoy relaxing in a lounge. I could ask why people sit on a crowded pool deck or see Broadway shows that I would find horribly boring... but I don't because, again, different people like different things.

[Engineroom Snipe]

5 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Some people enjoy relaxing in a lounge. I could ask why people sit on a crowded pool deck or see Broadway shows that I would find horribly boring... but I don't because, again, different people like different things.

Exactly.

 

Some people enjoy non-MDR meals. Some people insist MDR meals are the best, Others swear by Unlimited Dining venues versus the non-MDR and MDR meals.

 

The list goes on and on why people like their cruises.

 

You do your cruise your way, I will do my cruise my way. Our paths do not have to meet and it is a waste of my time to convince you that your way is wrong because you will still be doing your way on your next cruise!

 

🤣

[Tatka]

Just a thought.. we have 1 day of free internet for D, 2 days for D+… I think 3 days for D 350 and 4 for 525 would be perfect. 🙂

[Another_Critic]

16 minutes ago, Tatka said:

Just a thought.. we have 1 day of free internet for D, 2 days for D+… I think 3 days for D 350 and 4 for 525 would be perfect. 🙂

FYI - The D+ "tiers" are 175, 340, and 525.

[RFerrington]

5 hours ago, jean87510 said:

It is a mystery especially with vouchers available now.  There's so much to see and do on ships, why just sit in a lounge?  

Honestly....IMO it isn't about wanting to spend time in the lounge(s).  It's about being told you CANNOT go into the lounge that is disturbing to some.

[cruisegirl1]

16 hours ago, frank808 said:

You forget the all important free internet (well at least to me) for the voyage.  That is what I look forward to the most on hitting P.

I wasn't listing every benefit of P and of course the major benefit is a free cruise at 700 points and every 350 points thereafter.  

 

My point was that upper tier D+ already have many of the same benefits as P.  If there is ever a new D+ category, then of course , folks will expect increased benefits. My comment  was that the benefits are already similar to P in many areas. ( of course P has more than D+)  and it was a bit Tongue-in-cheek that D+ benefits will be higher than P  benefits  

 

Keep in mind that the  D+ benefits that are the same  as P are  the same for 525  points and all Pinnacle, not just those with 700 points.  Many cruisers have thousands of points.   There is no increase in benefits from 700 to 2000, 3000 or higher

 

We all need to be happy for what we get and not expect much more.  Me - I hope nothing else is cut - and never expect more!

m