Casino Royal "players club"

[payitforward]

On all of my RCCL cruises, I've spent at LEAST 4 hours a day in the casino. I always figured I wasn't betting enough until I read some of these threads. Last week, I emailed CR asking why I had never been rated, or if I had and just didn't know it. This is the response I received:

 

Good Afternoon Julie Anne,

 

Thank you for contacting Royale Caribbean’s Club Royale! Our Casino VIP program has always been an invitation only program and individual players where invited to join at the discretion of our Casino Host’s onboard. As such it is possible that lesser players who made themselves known to the host may have received invitations while guests who played more seriously, unfortunately did not.

 

As of 15 March, 2016 we began transition to a new open enrollment program. Our new player program will track all play on each individual SeaPass account and rate players accordingly. While this will not have any retroactive effect, we are happy to inform you that this will be the case beginning with your very next cruise onboard Royal Caribbean.

 

To get the most accurate prices and availability customized to your best cruise vacation, please call us toll-free at 1 888-561-2234 and speak with one of our skilled Club Royale agents. We are available from 8:00am to 10:00pm, Monday through Friday, and from 9:00am to 7:00pm, Saturday and Sunday (Eastern/Miami Time). [Our toll-free number is accessible from most countries by first dialing your country’s Exit Code. If you are unable to reach our toll-free number, please call 1-305-539-6000, between 8:00am and 5:00pm Eastern time, Monday through Friday, and ask to be transferred to Club Royale, Extension 28586.] You may also reach us at ClubRoyale@rccl.com.

 

Based on this response, I honestly have NO idea if I will get any discounts or comps by calling, but I guess I can try. Thoughts?

Edited June 19, 2016 by payitforward

[maryjaden]

I would definitely call and check with your next booking. If you play slots make sure your card is in the machines. If you are a table player, ask them to rate you.

[OHCruisinDad]

Nice,

The key is to book with CR then transfer, so you can confirm it cannot be done the other way round.

TIA

CR will not give TA any CR booking codes

 

I think someone said they gave their TA a code from CR to book

Maybe I am so lost in this program:eek:

 

Just to clarify to everyone...your TA CAN call CR on your behalf and get casino rates ....from recent experience I know this :D. Then TA has the rezzy transferred to them so you get the additional perks added on from them ( OBC, wine, dinners, etc). Though I too prefer booking directly with CR for ease. Also, even if your rezzy is with a TA, still call CR about any ADDITIONAL discounts they may be able to offer you...they can apply these directly to your rezzy without going back thru your TA.....just have your TA print you off an updated invoice! :D

 

Mark

 

As I noted several pages ago in my initial post, I was not a member of the old CR program. When booking the Oasis for next month through my local TA who has the reservation via an old Next Cruise Certificate, I asked her about the promo code on my mailer. She was able to call the CR desk and they told her they would adjust my cruise fare. I later received an updated booking confirmation and the discounts were listed with the YH07 and YHP5 codes. I have several other future cruises booked and I plan to call CR following our Oasis cruise to see if they will offer any additional discounts or adjustments.

[troykahack]

Welcome to the YH07 Club!!! :)

 

With free nightly drinks in concierge/suite lounge now coming with your GS, plus free drinks in Casino (allowed by virtue of that sticker they'll add to your seapass on first night from host) why buy drink package? :). I've found between these two it's cost prohibitive to buy drink packages....ill just buy a beer at pool now and then, but the rest of my drinks I get free between these two afforded options.

 

YMMV

 

Mark

 

As far as drinks go... Maybe in the later future I might not buy drink packages. At this time, the lady and I spend very little time in a Lounge that offers free drinks. While she sleeps/naps, I play in the Casino. On occasion she might watch me play. We just like to have a drink when and where we want. We love the convenance of the packages. Normally, we are beer drinkers, however, in cruises, we tend to have nicer cocktails. A Bloody Mary or two by the pool, mojito, good scotch on the rocks later. It's nice to sample different drinks.

 

Just very nice to get what you want when you want it.

 

Good suggestions though.

[troykahack]

On all of my RCCL cruises, I've spent at LEAST 4 hours a day in the casino. I always figured I wasn't betting enough until I read some of these threads. Last week, I emailed CR asking why I had never been rated, or if I had and just didn't know it. This is the response I received:

 

Good Afternoon Julie Anne,

 

Thank you for contacting Royale Caribbean’s Club Royale! Our Casino VIP program has always been an invitation only program and individual players where invited to join at the discretion of our Casino Host’s onboard. As such it is possible that lesser players who made themselves known to the host may have received invitations while guests who played more seriously, unfortunately did not.

 

As of 15 March, 2016 we began transition to a new open enrollment program. Our new player program will track all play on each individual SeaPass account and rate players accordingly. While this will not have any retroactive effect, we are happy to inform you that this will be the case beginning with your very next cruise onboard Royal Caribbean.

 

To get the most accurate prices and availability customized to your best cruise vacation, please call us toll-free at 1 888-561-2234 and speak with one of our skilled Club Royale agents. We are available from 8:00am to 10:00pm, Monday through Friday, and from 9:00am to 7:00pm, Saturday and Sunday (Eastern/Miami Time). [Our toll-free number is accessible from most countries by first dialing your country’s Exit Code. If you are unable to reach our toll-free number, please call 1-305-539-6000, between 8:00am and 5:00pm Eastern time, Monday through Friday, and ask to be transferred to Club Royale, Extension 28586.] You may also reach us at ClubRoyale@rccl.com.

 

Based on this response, I honestly have NO idea if I will get any discounts or comps by calling, but I guess I can try. Thoughts?

 

The 800 number is FREE and just might save you some money. I read about CR here on CC and simply called them. It saved me more than $2k on our 11 day Serenade cruise and another $400 on our 4 day Enchantment cruise. All for a simple phone call. They also upgraded my cabin from Deluxe Bal to Sup Bal, and wait listed us for GS. Yesterday we got our GS. Net result was we got our GS for close to what we originally booked the Deluxe Balcony. The CR folks are wonderful on the phone.

 

Call them. Worse they can say is no.

[payitforward]

The 800 number is FREE and just might save you some money. I read about CR here on CC and simply called them. It saved me more than $2k on our 11 day Serenade cruise and another $400 on our 4 day Enchantment cruise. All for a simple phone call. They also upgraded my cabin from Deluxe Bal to Sup Bal, and wait listed us for GS. Yesterday we got our GS. Net result was we got our GS for close to what we originally booked the Deluxe Balcony. The CR folks are wonderful on the phone.

 

Call them. Worse they can say is no.

 

Wow! Thanks.

[5soonerfans]

On our last cruise dear hubby "earned" a $400 cruise certificate. We already had a 4 day Enchantment cruise booked. I called to have the certificate applied and after we rebooked with the casino rate we saved an additional $500. A savings of $900 is not bad for a 4 day cruise. She told me they are working on the new program and there will be two types of points. Those you earn onboard towards the cruise certificate and the goodies and those that go towards the new tier program. She said she does not have all the information yet and to be watching email and regular mail in the future.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Just called CR today to add my son to our booking next spring break. I asked about what they showed for my (significant) BJ play on the Allure 5/29 sailing. He went into "we can't see that right now... we've got a new program in the works...". He did say that he saw many sailings that I was eligible to take advantage of -- naming one for Halloween where I'd get an ocean view cabin. I pointed out that we only sail in suites (it's a Royal Loft Suite for spring break), and that dangling an ocean view cabin in front of me will have no effect. ;)

 

How freakin' long are they going to draw this thing out !!

 

Tom

[RFerrington]

I returned from a cruise on Freedom in early July. During that cruise both the DH and I each received FCC's.

 

We never take any of the "free" cruises that they push as they are pretty much all crap itineraries on ships we really don't want to sail on and are generally too soon after the cruise that we just took, even if we saw one we liked.

 

So we took both of these FCC's and combined them towards paying off a cruise on Harmony that we booked a long time ago (the cruise is in Feb. 17). The value of these 2 FCC's are shown on our revised cruise confirmation with code YHP5 - Casino slots (that always throws me b/c neither of us are slots players !!!). We are very happy with this solution (as opposed to having to take one of their "free" cruises we don't want or having to book an entirely brand new cruise that we weren't planning for).

 

I learned a few things from the host and manager on the Freedom (both Carlos and Alexander are very good, IMO).

 

1. There are now 2 categories of Club Royale members. Those that are VIP members and those who just sign up without the invitation. They are advertising that anyone can join CR...and that's true. But only the invited players are getting the really BIG discounts.

2. The VIP players qualify for cruise fare discounts (ranging in the 42 - 50% range...these discounts are the same for every VIP member and are set by the Revenue department. The exact Club Royale price varies from sailing-to-sailing). Those non-VIP players do not qualify for the special cruise fare pricing.

3. As we all know, they are giving the FCC's out like candy BUT only the VIP players are able to combine the discounted cruise fare and the FCC values. Non-VIP members just get the FCC $$ off the lowest published fare - whatever it happens to be - BOGOHO or 30% off or 60% off the second person. Whatever promo they are running.

4. New CR members (non-VIP'ers) do not receive a CR number BUT they ARE still using our old CR VIP numbers for some things. They still ask for my CR VIP number whenever I call into CR and ask for Casino pricing on a cruise.

5. They ARE still inviting people to join Club Royale VIP (one of my friends got invited on the cruise we just finished)....so that program is not gone. It's just kinda gone underground.

 

Will they ever fully "roll out" a new program ? Who knows. But it does look as if they are slowly moving towards SOMEthing new.

[5soonerfans]

I was kind of surprised that on our last few cruises that dear hubby was never invited to join the club since he does bet a lot and plays a lot on the table games, mainly blackjack and craps. Somehow we did end up getting free drinks on the Navigator in February. This past cruise on Allure he spoke to the casino host and checked in with her at the end of the cruise.

 

After rebooking with the casino rate today I looked at our new invoice and we did receive a discount of just over 50% which is better than the ongoing promotion at the time plus the additional savings of our cruise credit. It also said the same about slots, which he does not play.

 

If he ever gets a free cruise credit can it applied to the cost of a cruise of our choice or to a suite since that is our preferred stateroom?

[cruisejess]

The certificates can be applied to any cruise and stateroom. The "free cruise" amount can be issued for $500, $750, $1000 depending on play. I only know that in slot play 2400 points = $500, 3600 points = $750 and 4800 points= $1000. We have never been able to take the cruises offered, but have often used them to book 9 night cruises in Grand Suites. There is an expiration date. An additional Casino Royal discount is usually given. Good luck!

Edited July 18, 2016 by cruisejess