Crown & Anchor Program Revisions - join the merged discussions here

[lady of the seas]

I do not agree with this metaphor at all.

 

Speaking for myself, I did not work to gain diamond status. It was something that was given to me after I took so many cruises on my cruise line of choice.

 

I don't think any of your fellow cruisers will want to hear the whining. Remember most people go on vacation to relax and enjoy away from home, work and whining....:cool::rolleyes::p

 

 

 

If you think there won't be plenty of other diamond members on board talking about the changes, you are being naive. :rolleyes:

[Aquahound]

If you think there won't be plenty of other diamond members on board talking about the changes, you are being naive. :rolleyes:

 

Not to me they won't.

 

I cruise to relax, not to be a grief counselor.

[rubrrick]

So' date=' are most of your cruises short (7 days or less), or are you retired? According to my calculator, that works out to about 6+ cruises per year! Do you live near a cruise port?

 

I love cruising, and would LOVE to do it 6 times a year! But by the time you add airfare to the cruise fare (the main reason I've never sailed in a suite!),

that takes it right out of my reach!

 

My husband and I figured out the other day, that since 2002 (our first cruise) we've spent about 148 days at sea on 15 cruises. Have you ever figured out how many you've done- must be a huge amount!!!

 

Honestly, this just fascinates me![/quote']

 

OK.........I work 24/7! That is 24 hours per week, 7 months a year!:D I believe one could call that semi-retired.:)

 

Our longest cruise was 47 days, and we have had some on the Monarch 3/4 night...........but you are probably right, that the average cruise is not quite 9 days.

 

We have done TA's including b2b TA/Baltics. We have also done some 7 night b2b.

 

I have not figured out the exact number of days at sea, but somewhere over 1-1/2 years spent at sea.

 

Rick

[aurelius180]

But it did say an event, not nightly event. Do you honestly think the ship's officers are going to host this each evening?

 

"An event" can occur over multiple days. That's all I was saying.

[gemcam1]

"An event" can occur over multiple days. That's all I was saying.

 

 

Here is the asnwer from RCI website next to diamond" benefits"

 

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

[aurelius180]

Here is the asnwer from RCI website next to diamond" benefits"

 

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

 

I get that now. You already posted it.

 

It's still incredibly amazing that after over 3k posts, people complaining about their free drinks being taken away still didn't realize they get a party with what...free drinks and food! :rolleyes:

[dutchess43]

I get that now. You already posted it.

 

It's still incredibly amazing that after over 3k posts, people complaining about their free drinks being taken away still didn't realize they get a party with what...free drinks and food! :rolleyes:

 

All Diamonds were given a Diamond party once on a cruise with senior officers so you see they are not giving anything extra! As it has been posted over & over it is not just the CL it is all the other things in addition that has been eliminated.

[LindaAndBillTravel]

Gotta agree. Unless I see something in writing (and there is nothing new on the website) I am skeptical.

Just to be clear, I'm skeptical about what I was told too. That is why I was wondering if anyone else had had a similar call. This conversation was not with a person who picked up when calling customer service, but rather a person calling me from the office of Vicki Freed. In fact, this person left me messages twice before actually getting me in person, which surprised me a lot. She is supposed to send me something in writing. When I get that, I will scan and post.

[aurelius180]

I would actually rather that they just give me the free drink coupon that is already in the Platinum C&A booklet and not infringe on my time. Thanks but I can find plenty of other ways to occupy myself when I am aboard of of RCI's awesome ships.

 

Here, here! At 5-6pm I'm usually sleeping off the days round drinks so I can be refreshed for my late seating dinner and ready for the evening round of drinks. :D

[Ocean Boy]

All Diamonds were given a Diamond party once on a cruise with senior officers so you see they are not giving anything extra! As it has been posted over & over it is not just the CL it is all the other things in addition that has been eliminated.

And I bet the officers just look forward to these parties so much. I bet they can't wait to have to go get changed into their dress whites after a day of work to go mingle with some people that they have no interest in talking to anyway. I can't believe that they actually like being forced into that week after week. If I ever become a doc on one of these ships it will be in my contract that after office hours I will be in my shorts hanging out with the crew. No dress up parties for me.

 

Some people seem to go on cruises for reasons very different from my own. Not to say there is anything wrong with that. I have said it before... awesome ship, ocean, food, clean cabin, family, no pager, no cell phone, no interupted dinners to go to the hospital. Its all good. :)

[JaneMP69]

Remember what grandma said " half a pie is better than no pie at all.";)

 

Or visit the grandma that gives you more pie.;)

[hellosailer]

And I bet the officers just look forward to these parties so much. I bet they can't wait to have to go get changed into their dress whites after a day of work to go mingle with some people that they have no interest in talking to anyway. I can't believe that they actually like being forced into that week after week. If I ever become a doc on one of these ships it will be in my contract that after office hours I will be in my shorts hanging out with the crew. No dress up parties for me.

 

:)

 

But that's their job!! If they don't like it, they should go and work on a cargo ship!!

 

Anyway, in the good ol' days, the senior officers had a table in the Dining Room EVERY night!! Fun it was too!!!

[dutchess43]

But that's their job!! If they don't like it, they should go and work on a cargo ship!!

 

Anyway, in the good ol' days, the senior officers had a table in the Dining Room EVERY night!! Fun it was too!!!

 

I forgot about that your right it was a while ago.

[Cindy]

I would actually rather that they just give me the free drink coupon that is already in the Platinum C&A booklet and not infringe on my time.

 

There wasn't a free drink coupon in the Platinum C&A booklet on Voyager last month. Not even a buy one/get one free like there used to be in the Gold booklet.

[jbond]

But that's their job!! If they don't like it, they should go and work on a cargo ship!!

Anyway, in the good ol' days, the senior officers had a table in the Dining Room EVERY night!! Fun it was too!!

You also see quite a few in the bars late at night and they look as if they are enjoying themselves. May be they prefer that to hanging with the crew. Takes all kinds.

[sealord]

Here is the answer right from RCI website under the Diamond "benefits":

 

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

 

Thanks for clearing that up.:)

 

In any event, those who have not yet experienced the advertised Concierge Lounge 'benefit' previously/about to be removed from the C&A Diamond level, it might be helpful to point out that the happy hour is not the 'only' issue. It is an issue no doubt, because it was among other things not a 'house' brands or 'welcome back party' selection. It was a 'top shelf' happy hour. But, the 'benefit' started with the coffee machine in the morning which made capachinos, lattes, espresso, etc. There was a nice breakfast setup ... and ta da ... a toaster. This was probably the only place on the ship where you could get 'hot', 'fresh', toast, bagels, and english muffins. Imagine putting butter on one of these and having it melt ... on a cruise ship!:rolleyes: I never saw a 'crowd' at breakfast. The Concierge service for reservations, shore excursions, luggage tags ... any thing you would normally stand in line for at guest relations. And all of the Concierge staff that I talked with worked at guest relations first. So they new the game better than most of the staff who worked guest relations. There were several computers with internet access. It was a nice quiet place to read and drink coffee during the day ... and never a crowd during the day ... with comfortable chairs that do not exist in any 'public' area of the ship that I know about. It was a place where you could interact with your fellow passengers ... most of the public areas do not afford the type of setting that actually promotes meeting and talking with your fellow passengers. You also tend to see and talk with the same people on multiple occassions. So instead of only a 'sea' of people in a cast of thousands, you can actually build friendships. So folks, those who think it is (just) about a 'few drinks' are missing the big picture. The 'drinks' are just a little piece of the lower right hand corner of the big picture.;) And that is why some of us are really :mad:. We 'earned' this benefit by doing what RCCL said we had to do ... and we did it. The benefit is still there, it is just now being given to a different group. That would be 'bait and switch'. That is not an honest way to do business, and it reflects a total lack of corporate integrity.:cool:

[lb0103]

We are platiumn and just got back a week ago from a 6 day cruise our shortest yet.

 

We were hoping to get to diamond before our next 14 day or so that we have NOT yet booked.

 

There was a free drink coupon in the book. But now we have NO incentive to book another cruise because that will make 10 and diamond but so what.

 

We usually book on itinery and we will go back to that and forget when we make diamond.

 

We have tried other lines and there are some some products out there.

 

I enjoy RCCL and will sail with them when they have someplace new we want to go.

 

I will get on my soapbox and say that if they hadn't given the level to first time cruisers sailing with a diamond then they would not have this problem. For the current cruise that is OK but forever and now the loyal royals will try other lines and find they like them just as well.

 

Your loss RCCL

[mojitodiva]

If you think there won't be plenty of other diamond members on board talking about the changes, you are being naive. :rolleyes:

 

I'll be far away from them and won't be hearing them. ;) I'll be in my usual fun cruise mode! :D:cool:

 

4 months until I'm onboard a Royal ship. Ahhhhh!! Life is good! :p

[Driftwoodgal]

Just an FYI, the new SetSail Pass shows clearly the level of C&A. I was surprised to see it when we printed it out for our upcoming April 19 cruise.

 

When did you print yours out? I printed mine on 3/24/09 and there is no mention of our Diamond level? Does it have anything else on it regarding Crown and Anchor?

[jbond]

When did you print yours out? I printed mine on 3/24/09 and there is no mention of our Diamond level? Does it have anything else on it regarding Crown and Anchor?

We printed ours out on 3/14. It also shows up on page two in the block with the primary pass holder info in it. Ours is a small pale blue square, about 1/8th inch square, with a white D+ in it. The only other mention of Platinum, Diamond etc is in the Checking in info.

[Desert Queen]

After only three cruises with RCI, soon to be four, I probably don't have the right to respond, but I have been reading this thread now for several days, and I do understand why so many are unhappy with these changes. At first I wasn't interested because even though we enjoyed the little coupons and things we received, we never really thought about the fact that we were moving up the ladder with C&A and would eventually receive more "perks". We were hooked from that first sailaway and knew that we would continue to cruise because it was so much fun to visit all those lovely places and only had to unpack once. We always book a balcony cabin because we live in the Arizona desert and don't have an ocean (yet).

That said, it was very disappointing to learn that such a wonderful company would actually take away benefits from their loyal customers, many of whom have been so generous with their advice and made our cruising experiences even better. As small business owners ourselves, it would never occur to us to take away the benefits we offer to our loyal customers. We may not be able to add many new freebies, considering the current economy, but take them away? Never!

If we are fortunate enough to be able to continue cruising and someday make it to D+, we probably would not use the CL as it really isn't our cup of tea, but it's obvious that many, many cruisers do look forward to it, and I am sad for those who will have to miss it.

Will we continued to cruise RCI? Absolutely! However, we have no interest in the "big" ships with ice skating (again, desert dwellers) and rock climbing (too old), but we do love the Serenade as it meets our needs beautifully, with all that glass where you can see the ocean from almost anywhere, so why would we change? Cruising is still the most economical way to have a grand vacation.

Moving up the C&A ladder isn't really that important to us, but the fact remains that these changes were a really bad idea. So sorry to all of you who are affected, but many thanks to those who have helped us "learn the ropes".

[Driftwoodgal]

It's at the top of the pass in the center and also in the name boxes on page 1. You have to have the new set sail.

 

What is the definition of new?? I printed mine out on 3/24/09 and it does not have any mention of my Crown & Anchor level on it.

 

Edited

 

Mine block does not have this information. It does have my name, reservation number, ship name, sail date, sail time, boarding time, port of departure, deck number and stateroom number. It doesn't have my C & A level. I started my set sail pass several months ago before final payment, I wonder if this makes a difference. It does say on it "Check in, Diamond Plus, Diamond and Platinum, follow the "Diamond Plus, Diamond adn Platinum Check-in signs."

[dutchess43]

Thanks for clearing that up.:)

 

In any event, those who have not yet experienced the advertised Concierge Lounge 'benefit' previously/about to be removed from the C&A Diamond level, it might be helpful to point out that the happy hour is not the 'only' issue. It is an issue no doubt, because it was among other things not a 'house' brands or 'welcome back party' selection. It was a 'top shelf' happy hour. But, the 'benefit' started with the coffee machine in the morning which made capachinos, lattes, espresso, etc. There was a nice breakfast setup ... and ta da ... a toaster. This was probably the only place on the ship where you could get 'hot', 'fresh', toast, bagels, and english muffins. Imagine putting butter on one of these and having it melt ... on a cruise ship!:rolleyes: I never saw a 'crowd' at breakfast. The Concierge service for reservations, shore excursions, luggage tags ... any thing you would normally stand in line for at guest relations. And all of the Concierge staff that I talked with worked at guest relations first. So they new the game better than most of the staff who worked guest relations. There were several computers with internet access. It was a nice quiet place to read and drink coffee during the day ... and never a crowd during the day ... with comfortable chairs that do not exist in any 'public' area of the ship that I know about. It was a place where you could interact with your fellow passengers ... most of the public areas do not afford the type of setting that actually promotes meeting and talking with your fellow passengers. You also tend to see and talk with the same people on multiple occassions. So instead of only a 'sea' of people in a cast of thousands, you can actually build friendships. So folks, those who think it is (just) about a 'few drinks' are missing the big picture. The 'drinks' are just a little piece of the lower right hand corner of the big picture.;) And that is why some of us are really :mad:. We 'earned' this benefit by doing what RCCL said we had to do ... and we did it. The benefit is still there, it is just now being given to a different group. That would be 'bait and switch'. That is not an honest way to do business, and it reflects a total lack of corporate integrity.:cool:

 

Brillantly written I totally agree it is not just the free drinks as some have made it out to be!

[seatraveler24]

Thanks for clearing that up.:)

 

In any event, those who have not yet experienced the advertised Concierge Lounge 'benefit' previously/about to be removed from the C&A Diamond level, it might be helpful to point out that the happy hour is not the 'only' issue. It is an issue no doubt, because it was among other things not a 'house' brands or 'welcome back party' selection. It was a 'top shelf' happy hour. But, the 'benefit' started with the coffee machine in the morning which made capachinos, lattes, espresso, etc. There was a nice breakfast setup ... and ta da ... a toaster. This was probably the only place on the ship where you could get 'hot', 'fresh', toast, bagels, and english muffins. Imagine putting butter on one of these and having it melt ... on a cruise ship!:rolleyes: I never saw a 'crowd' at breakfast. The Concierge service for reservations, shore excursions, luggage tags ... any thing you would normally stand in line for at guest relations. And all of the Concierge staff that I talked with worked at guest relations first. So they new the game better than most of the staff who worked guest relations. There were several computers with internet access. It was a nice quiet place to read and drink coffee during the day ... and never a crowd during the day ... with comfortable chairs that do not exist in any 'public' area of the ship that I know about. It was a place where you could interact with your fellow passengers ... most of the public areas do not afford the type of setting that actually promotes meeting and talking with your fellow passengers. You also tend to see and talk with the same people on multiple occassions. So instead of only a 'sea' of people in a cast of thousands, you can actually build friendships. So folks, those who think it is (just) about a 'few drinks' are missing the big picture. The 'drinks' are just a little piece of the lower right hand corner of the big picture.;) And that is why some of us are really :mad:. We 'earned' this benefit by doing what RCCL said we had to do ... and we did it. The benefit is still there, it is just now being given to a different group. That would be 'bait and switch'. That is not an honest way to do business, and it reflects a total lack of corporate integrity.:cool:

 

Sealord, Your post is exactly what I've been saying all along. There are so many people out there that think that this issue was about free drinks.

They are flat out WRONG,WRONG ,WRONG.I had to shout it 3 times in hopes of penetrating their thick skulls. The drinks were a tiny piece of the equation.Even if there were no happy hour with free drinks I would still be upset at the loss of the CL. It is about so much more then free drinks.

David

[lady of the seas]

David, I have to admit that we were one of those people that before we became diamond, went into the CL with our D+ friends. And your right, we shouldnt have been there and yes, the concierge didnt say a word. Maybe if RC is so concerned about overcrowding, then they should enforce the rules.I am not saying this cause we are now D people because we sail with gold and Plat members and for respect to others in the lounge, we wont bring them into the CL.

There are defin other areas of the ship to move the CL to if there is overcrowding.

 

Question: I dont know if this has been asked before in the previous 170 pages but.....does anyone think that RCCL is following this thread?

 

 

 

Of course they are following this thread...do they care that so many people are angry.....doubt it or they wouldn't have made such a poor marketing decision especially at a time when many are cutting back on expenses and vacations are expensive.

 

 

It's obvious they looked at Carnival and decided that with their young, party hardy, drinking crowd they could increase their appeal by emulating them. With rock climbing walls, in-line skating, and now zip line rides of all things, they are trying to lure a whole new group of passengers. All this is begining to remind me of an amusment park:eek: and frankly, if I wanted that type of circus atmosphere I would just go to one of them instead of taking a cruise that costs significantly more.

 

If I were the type of cruiser that spent many thousands of dollars for some of the suites they offer, I would prefer to cruise on one of the luxury lines that offer more personalized service, superior food, and more interesting itineraries.:) Luxury cruising would also offer a cruise without a lot of rowdy boozing adults who refuse to contain their screaming and obnoxious children.:(

 

So, now that they've eliminated so many things we long time RCCL cruises have come to expect in addition to the loss of the so called loyalty perks, combined with the fact they they hardly offer the best deals, it will remain to be seen if their decision pays off or they will suffer the consequences of passenger defections.