Royal Champions

[fungirl28]

We were never gone and if anyone thinks that what has transpired will keep us from posting they are going to be very disappointed. I have been posting on this board for a long time and my style of posts have not changed from day one. If anyone decides that they cannot trust me then that is their choice and I respect that but don't think for one moment that the Royal Champions are going to run with our tail between our legs and hide.

 

I might not be posting on this thread much anymore, but I am still around.

I also intend to remain all over the place and post as I always have. ;)

As I have been doing.

My avatar will stay the same, my name will remain the same and I will not change my signature.

And, I have a very long tail. Much too long to hide.:D

 

I'm certainly not running anywhere.

 

 

Thank God! It's people like you who actually help the newbies(as I once was:p) find the information they need once they are booked and are faced with the ,"Now what" question.

[emmy]

I have noticed one constant about all the RC's, and that is they post a lot. I'm not just talking about a couple thousand posts but more like 10,000 or more. I guess this is one of the things RCI was looking for, and that makes sense. I've been a member here longer then most, and I thought I posted a good bit. I'm quickly discovering that is not the case. I've been here since 2000 and I "only" have 2500 posts. I guess I better get busy! ;)

 

Ernie

 

Ernie ~ you need another roll call thread like the Freedom inaugural one we were both on :) One like that will up your post count :)

[eroller]

I recently book a deluxe stateroom gaurantee on the navigator. I was assigned 6692. This does not look like the best location,,,,,,,,,,,,,in the back maybe a lot of motion? Above the ddining room loud? Has anyone stayed here have any suggestions? Thank you

 

 

You are really in the wrong place for this question, but let me try to answer. You are not actually above the dining room, but the galley (kitchen). The deck plans are not lined up correctly when you look at them in the brochure.

 

I'm going to be honest here. The cabin itself will be great. It's nice and large and it will be well appointed. This being said it's not a location I would pick. You are quite a distance from the stairs and elevators, and the aft cabins on the Voyager/Freedom Class ships are not the greatest. You are going to have a large platform in front of your balcony that will prevent you from looking down at the ocean. You will be able to look straight out to the ocean, but it will be across a large, unused, and railed off deck area.

 

Now that you have been assigned a cabin, I would look at availability online and see if a side facing cabin of the same category (JS) is available. If so I would request the cabin to be changed and RCI will do it.

 

Good luck!

 

Ernie

[Elizanessie]

I'm certainly not running anywhere.

 

I am not running either...(might be crawling up to bed soon though,its kinda late here :o)

[Host Kewlguy]

Thank God! It's people like you who actually help the newbies(as I once was:p) find the information they need once they are booked and are faced with the ,"Now what" question.

 

Anyone who is familiar with my posts over the past 4+ years knows the last thing I'am is a cheerleader for Royal. I was just criticizing them a couple of weeks ago over the lack of upgrades for diamond plus members. I've got nothing to prove to anyone. And could care less others opinion of me.

[hazence]

Why should anyone "run?" Why should anyone be made to feel they SHOULD run? What gives anyone...no matter what you call yourself on a vacation opinion Board... think they have a right to run off others with differing opinions?

 

We all have a right to be here.

 

CC has no validity unless we do.

 

I'm pleased to have us all share the same cyber space. I came here expecting, but not, unfortunately, receiving that same attitude.

[Ladylouwho]

Why does what is supposed to be a fair and honest discussion of issues seem to be a shouting match between people wearing ear plugs?

 

• Will CC put in place a policy in regards to content authenticity? (like Trip Advisor)
  
• Will RCL publicly comment on this fiasco?
  

Who ever is keeping the list of which side people are on tell me which side of this argument I'm on... since I don't even know.

 

All generalizations are false, even this one.

 

I agree with this post BIG TIME!!!!!

[Alexis]

I recently book a deluxe stateroom gaurantee on the navigator. I was assigned 6692. This does not look like the best location,,,,,,,,,,,,,in the back maybe a lot of motion? Above the ddining room loud? Has anyone stayed here have any suggestions? Thank you

 

You have picked a great location on a great ship. The aft of the ship is a choice location that people go for when picking cabins.

You should have no problems at all back there as there are cabins above you.

The Navigator is a beautiful ship that I have sailed on twice.

Enjoy your cruise.

[eroller]

Thanks Ernie. It's been a difficult week to say the least. Many of us have had our integrity questioned and it's been hard to hold back at times. Yes, I have a lot of posts. I spend most of my time on this board over all the others. I love to talk about cruising and sharing with others my experiences. I have also had the pleasure of speaking with many of the other Royal Champions and I can assure you that they have the same love of cruising that I and many others have. I can only hope that things will get back to some type of normalcy soon. :)

 

 

Just try to remember this is all supposed to be fun! We are talking about cruise ships, vacations, and companies here. I think we tend to get a bit carried away (myself included) and forget in the big scheme of things this is all very trivial. Of course you know me, I love a little controversy to keep things interesting. ;)

 

Don't let any posts questioning your integrity get to you. Remember for the most part these are perfect strangers and they basically know nothing about you or you about them. I know that is sometimes easier said then done.

 

Also, when I made the comment about the number of posts the RC's all seem to have, that was not directed at you or meant to be negative. It's just something I noticed and then I had a look at how many posts I have. I was surprised at how few because I feel like I post here often and I've been here for a long time!

 

Ernie

[megr1125]

I recently book a deluxe stateroom gaurantee on the navigator. I was assigned 6692. This does not look like the best location,,,,,,,,,,,,,in the back maybe a lot of motion? Above the ddining room loud? Has anyone stayed here have any suggestions? Thank you

 

please post this as it's own thread...it will never be seen here in this chaos......

[eroller]

Ernie ~ you need another roll call thread like the Freedom inaugural one we were both on :) One like that will up your post count :)

 

 

You're right Emmy! Of course that was a very special thread and cruise, and that kind of camaraderie is not always easy to come by.

 

Ernie

[5waldos]

please post this as it's own thread...it will never be seen here in this chaos......

 

I suspect it may have been an attempt at a diversion? A reminder of what most of this board is about?

[Alexis]

:

Originally Posted by cruisingator2

We were never gone and if anyone thinks that what has transpired will keep us from posting they are going to be very disappointed. I have been posting on this board for a long time and my style of posts have not changed from day one. If anyone decides that they cannot trust me then that is their choice and I respect that but don't think for one moment that the Royal Champions are going to run with our tail between our legs and hide.

 

:

Originally Posted by Alexis

I might not be posting on this thread much anymore, but I am still around.

I also intend to remain all over the place and post as I always have.

As I have been doing.

My avatar will stay the same, my name will remain the same and I will not change my signature.

And, I have a very long tail. Much too long to hide.

 

:

Originally Posted by kewlguy

I'm certainly not running anywhere.

 

 

Thank God! It's people like you who actually help the newbies(as I once was:p) find the information they need once they are booked and are faced with the ,"Now what" question.

 

I also like helping a newbie. I remember me on here the first few weeks, months. :eek:

To tell a newbie to "go look it up in the search feature"

is like putting someone in a car for the first time and saying,

"Drive it."

You made my week. (((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))

[fungirl28]

I also like helping a newbie. I remember me on here the first few weeks, months. :eek:

To tell a newbie to "go look it up in the search feature"

is like putting someone in a car for the first time and saying,

"Drive it."

You made my week. (((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))

 

 

I was a MESS my first couple of weeks on here. :D

[jaxon41]

Viral marketing is here to stay. Hazence and Jaxon have been part of a viral campaign and you don't even realize it.

 

While I understand your word of mouth point, the nuance may be missed on some.

 

Language nuances can be important in discussing hot issues and campaigns. Take Human Rights. Call it gay rights, and in conservative, rural areas, the Rev Phelpses of the world fire up their pickets. Good people can be hurt, promising careers ruined because human rights folks think that their should be no discrimination in jobs and housing, and don't see a Human Rights bill that requires human rights for everyone in the same way that the Rev. Phelpses' see it.

 

I think we know what we are talking about here, and it is not word of mouth marketing.

[Ladylouwho]

welcome home -- nice trip, I hope.

 

Yes, We were in Denver for our daughters Volleyball Tournament. Great weather all weekend, the team did well and we parents did a little partying in the great city of Denver! Glad to be home as always.

 

A little surprised at the length and intensity of this thread, but then I really shouldn't be. I think a lot of CCers, long timers and short timers who don't necessarily post a lot are coming out of the woodwork to voice their opinion on this issue. That takes a certain amount of guts nowadays as posters with few posts are automatically jumped on as trolls, employees of other cruise lines, complainers, whiners, haters, and oh yeah, (my personal favorite) guys making posts on computers in their parents basements who are asked to prove who they are!! (JJ are you listening, LOL!)

 

I have ever so briefly commented on a few posts tonight. Got home fairly late and now have a glass of wine and am try to speed read through the thread. Will post my thoughts later.

 

Imagine my surprise when I got back tonight and saw this "Sticky Thread" on the Main RCL Boards. Yeah, score one for FREE SPEECH!!!!

 

Nice of you to notice I was back.

 

Colleen

[5waldos]

Yes, We were in Denver for our daughters Volleyball Tournament. Great weather all weekend, the team did well and we parents did a little partying in the great city of Denver! Glad to be home as always.

 

You should have stopped and said hello! I am old enough to have bought some wine to serve and mom usually lets me out of the basement!:D

Oh wait- I'm the mom. I let myself out! And I agree- the weather was wonderful all weekend- I was personally hoping for a bit of snow- makes taking off next week that much sweeter!

[gagirl7143]

Why does what is supposed to be a fair and honest discussion of issues seem to be a shouting match between people wearing ear plugs?

 

• Will CC put in place a policy in regards to content authenticity? (like Trip Advisor)
  
• Will RCL publicly comment on this fiasco?
  

Who ever is keeping the list of which side people are on tell me which side of this argument I'm on... since I don't even know.

 

All generalizations are false, even this one.

 

How is the electric slide going???????? Any cruises up for you 2? Gail

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

The following was posted on Monday, March 16, 2009 at 5:53pm ET:

 

What is a Royal Champion?

 

Over the past week there has been heated debate, conjecture, misinformation, and misinterpretation about the Royal Caribbean marketing program called Royal Champions, as a result of how it was portrayed recently on some blogs.

 

Here is an official statement from Royal Caribbean about the program:

Royal Champions are a small group of passionate travel enthusiasts and prolific individuals, who were identified by an independent third party on behalf of Royal Caribbean International, as frequently engaging in online discussions and sharing information about cruising on the internet. With the proliferation of online social networks, blogs and discussion boards on the internet – many of which serve as forums where vacationers visit consistently in search for travel information and advice – Royal Caribbean decided to engage these enthusiasts knowing that they would be a valuable source of information for our current and prospective customers. Thus in early 2007, in keeping with our legacy of innovation, we initiated a program in which the Royal Champions were invited to learn more about our brand, our ships and our amenities.

 

We have provided the Royal Champions with the opportunity to experience our product during pre-inaugural sailings so that they can provide their independent opinions in the online spaces they are participating in. On a few occasions, they also have served as focus groups providing us with valuable feedback on a number of topics. Royal Champions have been invited - along with traditional media, top travel partners, and loyal Crown & Anchor Society members - to preview new ships and programs and share their opinions if, when and how they see fit. They are responsible for their own travel arrangements and expenses, which are not paid by Royal Caribbean. Royal Champions do not receive any compensation for their participation nor do we influence what they share, where they share it, or how they participate in their online discussions.

 

We are gratified by the enthusiasm these Royal Champions have for cruising and our goal is to continue to incorporate their insights to continually improve the Royal Caribbean vacation experience for all of our guests.

 

 

Here is an official statement from Cruise Critic:

 

Royal Caribbean contacted Cruise Critic and asked us to obtain permission from a group of members they gave us, so that they could extend an invitation to Liberty of the Seas pre-inaugural sailings in May, 2007. We agreed to forward the information on to this group of members, and asked for their permission to share their contact information with Royal Caribbean. This is Cruise Critic's sole involvement in this program. We did not help develop the program, nor did we help choose the participants. At the time of the request there was no formal name associated with this group or program; we were merely asked to forward an invitation to an event on behalf of Royal Caribbean. We received a second, similar request, in October, 2008.

 

We have absolutely no reason to believe that any Royal Champion has done anything other than express his or her own candid opinion about Royal Caribbean’s products. They share both positive and negative opinions and give helpful advice and information. They did this before they became a Royal Champion and they continued to do so after. As a result, Cruise Critic welcomes them along with any other member who wants to share his or her opinions about Royal Caribbean in this forum.

 

Some have requested that Cruise Critic have a formal policy requiring Royal Champions to identify themselves as such. While we can suggest that members disclose their affiliations, it’s unrealistic for us to require it and impossible to enforce. We are operating an anonymous online community and there’s no way for us to verify that anyone is or isn’t who they say they are. As a result it will continue to be a policy that we will not require Royal Champions or any member of any other group to identify themselves.

 

At this time, we have decided that it is not in Cruise Critic’s best interest going forward to contact members on behalf of Royal Caribbean or any other cruise line.

 

For more information about the Royal Champions program, see Cruise Critic’s Q&A with Bill Hayden, Royal Caribbean’s Associate Vice President of Marketing:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=18545037&postcount=287

 

 

I am wondering if this whole thing could have been settled earlier had the management of Cruise Critic made a statement earlier?

 

I think this would have cleared up this mess a lot sooner and answered some questions that many of us had.

 

I do not agree that Cruise Critic used its members to help RCI this way. RCI should have done its own dirty work. I guess I am a bit disappointed that the board management even got involved as far as they did, and even more disappointed that they failed to be forth coming with information until it got so deep that people where hating each other.

 

I further believe that, and this is ONLY MY OPINION, that the integrity this board and its management is not what I thought it to be.

 

But thanks for finally clearing things up for us.

[Ladylouwho]

I really hope that you're not here to drum up business for your own board. I took a look at it. Looks like the other small boards out there with very little activity. Cruise Critic is the largest board of information out there. Now all the little boys are taking pot shots at them hoping to win some new members. Funny isn't it?:rolleyes:

 

Now this comment bothers me a little. Just because this poster has a small travel board with a smaller amount of activity and Cruise Critic is the largest cruise board of information means that bigger is better or more important or more relevant or more correct?

 

And the small upstarts are only "little boys taking pot shots" and spreading misinformation?

 

Yeah right, just like Pravda was the "largest board of information" in the former USSR. Did that make the local upstart fliers, pamphlets and newsletters put out in the local communities "little boys taking potshots" hoping to win new members to...what? Uh...Freedom of information possibly?

[Kathleen Tucker]

I agree with this post BIG TIME!!!!!

 

Royal Caribbean has responded publicly -- see first post now in the thread.

 

I posted earlier re: TA policy in reply to jj's similar question -- sorry too tired to find it.

 

Kathleen

[aqhacruiser]

I'm certainly not running anywhere.

 

and neither am I

[Kathleen Tucker]

I am wondering if this whole thing could have been settled earlier had the management of Cruise Critic made a statement earlier?

 

I think this would have cleared up this mess a lot sooner and answered some questions that many of us had.

 

I do not agree that Cruise Critic used its members to help RCI this way. RCI should have done its own dirty work. I guess I am a bit disappointed that the board management even got involved as far as they did' date=' and even more disappointed that they failed to be forth coming with information until it got so deep that people where hating each other.

 

I further believe that, and this is ONLY MY OPINION, that the integrity this board and its management is not what I thought it to be.

 

But thanks for finally clearing things up for us.[/quote']

 

We did post a Q&A with Bill Hayden last week, but it quickly got overlooked. I agree with you that we should have come out with a statement earlier, however, half the staff was out of the office, the other half had no idea what was going on and a lot of what took place on this forum happened over the weekend.

[aqhacruiser]

Royal Caribbean has responded publicly -- see first post now in the thread.

 

I posted earlier re: TA policy in reply to jj's similar question -- sorry too tired to find it.

 

Kathleen

 

Here's the link for everyone:)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=944526

[Ladylouwho]

You should have stopped and said hello! I am old enough to have bought some wine to serve and mom usually lets me out of the basement!:D

Oh wait- I'm the mom. I let myself out! And I agree- the weather was wonderful all weekend- I was personally hoping for a bit of snow- makes taking off next week that much sweeter!

 

If you live in Denver (or Colorado) you have a lovely city and state. We had a wonderful time. I grew up in Minnesota and lived in Chicago so having been in Texas now for ten years we were actually hoping for snow during our Denver trip also. But that 60's-70's sunshine was wonderful!

 

Have a fun week off!

 

Colleen