Crown & Anchor Program Revisions - join the merged discussions here

[VASOXFANN]

All the more reason to give some other lines a try. If RC isn't going to remain loyal to me, why should I remain loyal to them?

 

I'm nowhere near Diamond status, but whenever I wanted to cruise, I always checked with RC first. I only booked with another line (ie the horrible NCL-A :eek:) if RC didn't have what I was looking for.

 

Not anymore! If DH and I like our upcoming cruise on Princess, the next time I go to book a cruise, I won't look to RC first; I'll look at itinerary, price, and ship, and if Princess wins out, we'll cruise with them.

[CAT GIRL]

Does anyone know how many diamond plus members there are?

[cruiseknots]

Now, let's bring in the financial part. Anybody watch Cruise Inc. on CNBC? It's $7.25 per day per person - that's just to break even. If 400 Diamonds are boozing it up for free it makes it that much harder to sell the needed amounts of beverages.

 

Both major cruise corporations are SERIOUSLY in trouble right now. Forget about their stocks - that's speculative anyway but a good indicator. Both of them just got their debt downgraded: Carnival from A- to BBB+ and RCL, which already was a junk rated company, went from BB to BB-. S&P didn't even stop there, they downgraded AND slapped a negative outlook at the same time. That's quite severe and should give us all pause.

 

This is no time for both RCL and CCL to be giving out a lot of freebies. What are we all gonna do? Cruise NCL? MSC? Doubtful, who are we trying to kid. It's sort of like me swearing I will never fly American Airlines again but in the end I do...

 

(Oh, and even though CCL hasn't announced any cuts in loyalty benefits lately, do not be surprised if they do something to that effect as well soon. Monkey see - monkey do.)

 

If drinks were $5.00 a drink instead of $8.00+ I would spend more money on drinks. Since I feel as though I am being raped on drink prices, I tend to spend less. My Sea Pass bills have gotten progressively lower each year as drink prices have increased. No this is not because of CL benefits as our last cruise was the first to enjoy those benefits. When drinks were in the $4-$5 range I would easily lose track of drinks. But now that drinks are costing upwards of $8, I keep a very accurate count on my drink purchases.

 

RCI's financial problems don't mean that I should have earned benefits taken away. I have been loyal to Royal in order to achieve some of these benefits. There is absolutely no reason why they can not grandfather Diamond members. I also understand keeping the CL as an exclusive benefit. Certainly, when this idea of allowing Diamond members CL access, somebody had to have enough insight to see this day coming. But I would never agree with taking away a benefit that someone has earned. This could have been handled in a number of ways. As cruises get more and more expensive in comparison to All inclusive land resorts, I will have no choice but consider some alternative.

 

My upcoming cruise on the Mariner, will be my last RCI cruise if this is how RCI treats its loyal guests.

[winncove]

Wow!All of these posts in 7 hrs. Yes, gotta do my venting also! :D

First of all, we all know that CCers are a small % of pax on ships so I hope we count when it comes to "displeasure" being expressed w/unexpected downgrades . We all know CCers know of changes before the CSRs also & agree that you can get 3 diff. answers from 3 diff CSRs! The website would still show the current benefits since the changes aren't in effect yet. Very strange that the news isn't published more conspiculously. How many go to the Benefits site on a regular basis. Maybe the newer pax like Squeeky! No e-mail notice here either!

We got to Diamond using a 4 & a 5 niter cruise which we still pd. more than $100/nite on. Had our first Diamond cruise last Oct. on the Mariner. I didn't realize until after the fact that we didn't get the free picture. We only used the CL 3 nites & it was never close to being filled. We did pick up our Ice Show tickets there vs. getting in a line early in the morning & missing out on tickets that had happened on the last cruise.

I agree w/Carol & it's been brought up before that allowing all of the family credits who've not paid to sail is not right & would delete the # of Diamonds. Maybe # of days @ sea is also a better way to qualify.

One party w/bad wine & champagne is not comparable to having the nightly option in the CL. Almost an insult IMHO.

The main point that really get my blood pressure up was the "discounts on suites" which is what I'm sure they mean. "Upgraded wine tasting w/a special price"? We stopped going to the tastings w/the "free coupon" because we could not hear or understand the MC & the wines weren't that great. Not even one palate cleanser on the plate per person.

After the "no combining" rule we stopped using our Visa card for points and went back to "cash back" card. Now w/no balcony discount it may be put to use again. I wonder how long the Shareholders benefit will stand? Certainly can't afford to sell for @ least a cpl. yrs, if then! :eek:

Accumulatively that's a lot of discouragement to being "loyal"! We were considering a Freedom cruise but now how many will be jumping on that & prices skyrocketing? Not us just for the CL but out of curiousity & because it's out of Canaveral now. Still prefer the smaller ships altho we loved the Mariner which was pulled to the W. Coast. That was big enough!

I feel some better now! Time to send my e-mail to "Adam"!

[psupa]

I'm not "Happy" with the changes, but I knew something would be done. I think they could have somehow grandfathered in the current members and then changed things for new members.

 

I think the lounge is the decision breaker between cruising RCCL or another line, and I do think RCCL will lose buisness of their diamond members.

 

However, the lounges have gotten very overcrowded in the past year, causing many complaints (People complaining over something free), and this is a large cause for this to be done.

 

Maybe if so many people didn't bring their friends who were not diamond members we could have kept a nice perk. Sorry but this is a large part of the problem as well.

[julesbeara]

How many people who aren't on the Cruise Critic Boards are going to expect to get on a cruise ship after July 9th, only to find out their Concierge Lounge privileges etc are gone??? Is Royal Caribbean expecting them to review the website before they cruise to see if the program has changed. Some type of mass communication needs to be sent to all Crown & Anchor Members with the plan changes. My girlfriend is a single parent (Diamond Member) & the bar in the lounge does help her save a few $$$'s.

[Davey Interweb]

How many people who aren't on the Cruise Critic Boards are going to expect to get on a cruise ship after July 9th, only to find out their Concierge Lounge privileges etc are gone??? Is Royal Caribbean expecting them to review the website before they cruise to see if the program has changed. Some type of mass communication needs to be sent to all Crown & Anchor Members with the plan changes. My girlfriend is a single parent (Diamond Member) & the bar in the lounge does help her save a few $$$'s.

 

They did send an email, I received one about an hour ago.

 

"With 20 ships currently in service around the globe and two magnificent ships under construction, Royal Caribbean International® has always regarded the optimum enjoyment of all our guests worldwide as a top priority. We consistently review valuable guest feedback to ensure that we are able to continuously improve our services while keeping the base price of a Royal Caribbean International cruise essentially the same for nearly a decade. In that process, we constantly measure and evaluate the satisfaction of our guests."

 

...blah blah blah.

[VASOXFANN]

They did send an email, I received one about an hour ago.

 

"With 20 ships currently in service around the globe and two magnificent ships under construction, Royal Caribbean International® has always regarded the optimum enjoyment of all our guests worldwide as a top priority. We consistently review valuable guest feedback to ensure that we are able to continuously improve our services while keeping the base price of a Royal Caribbean International cruise essentially the same for nearly a decade. In that process, we constantly measure and evaluate the satisfaction of our guests."

 

...blah blah blah.

 

Love the new avatar :)

 

Much better than the ugly old smoky lady :p

[Host Kewlguy]

Maybe if so many people didn't bring their friends who were not diamond members we could have kept a nice perk. Sorry but this is a large part of the problem as well.

 

This is a fact. I've gotten into arguments with a dear friend of mine who insisted on sneaking his table mates at dinner into the lounge. He would state "that's how I first got into the lounge, someone sneaked me in." So now that he reached diamond he felt obligated to do the same for others. I tried to explain the program would go away if he kept up his actions but he was in complete denial that it would ever change. I guess I'll have to break the news to him without saying "I told you so."

[Davey Interweb]

Love the new avatar :)

 

Much better than the ugly old smoky lady :p

 

Hahah, thanks. Yes, I did in fact change it simply because you asked about the old one. It was as tired as the smoking threads themselves, methinks.

[Host Kewlguy]

They've already had their base income cut by 50% in 2008, so this will have a further negative impact on them. It's no surprise that at least two of the best (Maritza and Andrea) have left the company for careers on land.

 

 

 

If somebody doesn't want to cruise on a floating amusement park, I don't think it could be any worse for them.

 

RCI charges a premium for their product, but they don't deliver a premium product. I understand that times are tough for them right now, but IMHO the short term gain of revenue that may result from banning Diamonds from the lounges (really, how much does that crappy La Terre cost?) is going to be offset and then some by the people who are angry enough about the changes to look elsewhere.

 

RCI isn't the only game in town. Princess offers a comparable product and I"m sure that other lines do, too (I haven't sailed them enough to comment). I think that they need to encourage people to stay, not give them reasons to leave.

 

Saving money wasn't the main reason for this change. The main reason was to enhance the suite perks for the suite passengers. As you are well aware Royal has been attempting to provide a better cruise experience for their highest paying customers since they were coming up short against some of the competition. People who were spending tens of thousands of dollars in the most expensive staterooms couldn't even find a seat for a pre dinner drink in a lounge overflowing with passengers who would sit there the entire night. The cost of the alcohol wasn't the reason for this change.

[seasearider]

Since I feel as though I am being raped on drink prices, I tend to spend less.

 

Oh goodness, what a horrible analogy!!!!

[Hamburg Avon Lady]

Perhaps all the "free booze" that was consumed on the 46-day Mariner of the Seas around South America and Cape Horn contributed to this decision. Ummm, interesting.

[Hamburg Avon Lady]

:cool: Well, if RCCL is looking to "upgrade" the cruise experience for their Suite

passengers (and above) - perhaps they should start with the quality of the meat in the Main Dining Rooms !!!!! We've had better beef at McDonalds' (not to mention much cheaper). :rolleyes:

[Spoarzy]

I ask you all to......

 

Log onto http://www.rccl.com and log into the C&A section of the website. Once you are in your profile, select "contact C&A" and send them a msg about how you are disappointed with the changes. I am pissed about the CL not being offered to Diamond members. I worked hard to make it to the Diamond level and now that I'm just going to be Diamond, they are taking away the best part of the program??????? It will take another 5 years or more to become Diamond + and I'm sure they will change it again just before I get to that. If enough people complain maybe they will do something about it. I suggested that they put a Diamond Lounge on all Ships to fix this issue. I really hope they are listening. I'm so disappointed!!!!!! :(

[ColumbiaMDCanadian]

Let me see if I got this right...

Cruise sales are *way* down, your credit rating has just been dropped to junk bond status, and you choose NOW to annoy your most fervent fans? Remember them? The people that have cruised your line almost exclusively and recommended it with enthusiasm to friends?

Smooth!

 

We just made Diamond in January but can't see us getting to D+. Yes, in the grand scheme of things the loss of access to the Concierge Lounge isn't a big thing to me since the one cruise where we had a 'real' suite (i.e., not JS) we never used it - but it's the cumulative effect of all the changes (not to mention the aforementioned bizarre timing) and the feeling that we're chasing a moving target that's annoying. The shares we own are worth 1/4 of what we paid for them and the ability to combine credits vaporized shortly after we bought them. There's already a problem with vacant deck chairs reserved by long forgotten towels and now more chairs are going to be cordoned off, this time by RCL. [Aside: they can't possibly promise everyone in high end suites deck chairs so aren't they effectively recreating the CL problem on the deck?]

 

Let's see what happens next...

 

(PS: Celebrity - an RCCL company - apparently gives you credit based on the # of days at sea. Surely RCCL saw the CL crowding 'problem' coming, so why not grandfather in those that are D and switch to a per-day point system in advance?]

[Ladylouwho]

Well, yeah, duh? I Agree with you 100%. Royal Caribbean built their Empire upon their Loyalty Program. Plus, the Loyals brought in new Folks by word of mouth (unpaid).

This backtracking in the loyalty program at the same time of an economic downturn is just STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pscruzinboyz]

First off, not to make anyone mad, but this should not be a surprise or shock to anybody that is on the site regularly. When we started crusing 4 years ago, my goal was to get us to Diamond + as fast as possible. We knew that this was not the 70's or 80's and 90's when cruising was meant for the well to do and Retiree's. It has been only in this decade with all of the new ships that have been built, that the prices came down and now it is a family adventure. We were on the inagural Mariner out of LA last month and this topic came up everynight when we were in the CL, we were only Diamond. We all knew it was coming. As more and more people cruise, RCCL, as a business, they had to raise the bar to try to cut costs. Like many of you, I am sure in a year or two, this bar will be raised again, maybe to 30 cruises. What they should do is do a grandfather effect, Keep the CL/Alternante on the Voyager class ships for diamond and this should keep most of US happy. I personnally save a TON of money since we like to drink and most of our drinks are done in the CL.

Maybe what RCCL should do is take a week long cruise, lower the price of booze and drinks, and see if they sell more without the problems of to many intoxicated people, If they raise the revenue on that ship, do it fleet wide and keep everyone happy. I for one hate to spend over $7.00 for a beer.

 

Mike

[swcruise]

We are just regular gold memebers and enjoyed the experience of the welcome back party, on our last trip there were just over 200 repeat cruises out of 3,300 guests. At the welcome back party prob approx 70 guests in attendence. I don't think that it would cost RCI much to continue with this perk for gold cruisers, I always saw it as a nice low cost touch for returning customesr to show that you are valued...

[PSCruiser]

Saving money wasn't the main reason for this change. The main reason was to enhance the suite perks for the suite passengers. As you are well aware Royal has been attempting to provide a better cruise experience for their highest paying customers since they were coming up short against some of the competition. People who were spending tens of thousands of dollars in the most expensive staterooms couldn't even find a seat for a pre dinner drink in a lounge overflowing with passengers who would sit there the entire night. The cost of the alcohol wasn't the reason for this change.

This may be the case, but they could have fixed the problem by going to a D lounge on all ships that have a CL, just as they have on the new ships, and as "overflow" lounges on the longer cruises. Wouldn't need to be a full-time facility, just breakfast and evening.

[cruisecrasy]

The benefits now read:

 

Gold: Recognition at Captains Cocktail/Welcome Party**

 

Platinum: Platinum and Diamond Event

 

Diamond: Diamond Event hosted once per cruise on ships without a Diamond Lounge

 

So they are adding a Diamond event in exchange for lack of concierge lounge access.

 

Is there a suite pax party also or perhaps they will be invited to the Diamond party?

 

Thanks for the info!

[beachchick]

Obviously, by eliminating 95 % of the guests, the concierge lounge will be a more pleasant experience and we will enjoy ourselves more. However, RCL is really screwing over the people who are Diamond members, by not providing a lounge for their use. For all these years, RCL has been dangling this carrot in front of the passengers - cruise 10 times and you will be rewarded. It is not the Diamond passenger's fault that there are too many of them - it is RCL's fault. They were too generous in providing the lounge privileges with such few cruises., but to go back on what they promised and delivered for all these years is a slap in the face to their loyal cruisers. I am not stupid and see the writing on the wall - Diamond Plus sailers will be the next to be eliminated, when we become too numerous.

 

Yes and no. Programs change all the time. Anyone who doesn't realize that is just asking for disappointment. But the way that it's RCI's fault has more to do with the way they "bestowed" C&A status than on the number of credits required to become Diamond. For so many years they've done the "everyone who lives at the same address is the same status thing" and then allowed that to get to the point where C&A status earned by one person ended up being given to 20 people. For example (and this is an actual thing I remember, although the exact specifics are not quite right): Parents had earned Diamond status the "old fashioned" way; daughter had cruised with them twice (or so), but was given Diamond status while a college student living at their home; daughter moves out on her own (at which point, the fair thing would be that she should have gone to the status she earned from cruises she was on--not from cruises her parents took); daughter marries and her new DH, who has never cruised before, is given his wife's "inherited" Diamond status; they have kids who will automatically be given Diamond status when they turn 18, even if their parents only take them on one RCI cruise, so they are inheriting their status from their grandparents; then the DH's mother moves in with her son and DIL and is automatically given Diamond status when she cruises with her son and DIL; later, DH's mother remarries and moves in with new hubby, who has never cruised, but is given C&A equal to his new wife's--So this guy has Diamond C&A status because his wife's son's wife's parents earned Diamond C&A status. RCI really, um, messed up with that, IMO. Many of us pointed out that eventually it was going to come around and bite them in the you-know when all the thousands upon thousands of "inherited" status members deluged the lounges. Gosh, it's happened!:rolleyes:

 

I feel really bad for anyone who had earned their Diamond status by actually taking cruises. I would never, under any circumstances, resent them getting any and all perks and benes from the cruise line. I did resent all those "three generations removed" non-cruisers who RCI allowed to have the perks and benes they didn't do a thing to earn. (Little rant finished.)

 

beachchick

[BILL-WI]

My only post on this subject is short and to the point. Royal can fool me once, they even fooled me twice (my bad), but they will never fool me again...

 

 

Today's events with the C&A have forced me to change my signature and my future cruise options...:mad::(

 

Yes the CL is VERY important to Rosie and me, and yes, I will vote with my feet in the future...

 

ROSIE AND I, ARE NO LONGER LOYAL TO ROYAL!!!!

 

BILL

[alphakitty]

i didn't get an email either.............diamond here.

 

Just FYI .... Email came in here at 3:41AM today, Saturday, March 28.

[cruisingrightalong]

As usual, management often does not "think too clearly!".... not even an email or a survey to us that may ask...what can you live without...we need to cost cut!

 

I assume they think this will drive people to the larger Freedom and Oasis class of ship...however the Diamond Lounge is still tiny with no overflow area. My favorite ship the Radiance class will be taken away because they will fill the larger ones but not the smaller ones.

 

They could have limited my drinks for example in the CL to say 3 a night....no problem.....they could have taken away my robe and the washing of it...no problem....they could take away the staff CL person (they got a big cut in pay!)...no problem....they haven't been helpful (except for 1) due to no pay no nice-y! and then no tip.

 

They made the issue when they decided that cruises counted not number of nights sailed....so my 104 nights and $30,000 since 2003 and my stockownership are now nothing.

 

Oh....yeah take away the "special parties" except for 1 welcome aboard and save money. Give me coupons that allow me specials without "buying specials"....example a tour of the areas, bring a guest to the CL one night (oh that's right I can't go now!), a bottle of wine or credit towards something.

 

I like the companionship that I get in the CL each cruise...have made good friends for the sailing and some good friends forever.

 

Lou