RCCL new Diamond Lounge Policy?

[emoji3] agree with you JC.

 

I hesitated to contribute to this thread, as I disagree with the majority of opinions and think some of the suggestions are absurd - and usually people get flamed for that.

 

Nice to see all the Diamond Plus/Pinnacles weighing in with their opinions about reducing benefits to Diamonds.

 

I imagine you all would have had a different opinion about this issue when you were Diamond.

 

I am a Diamond, and I do enjoy access to the Diamond lounge for breakfast and the free drinks. I DO drink more than 3 drinks in happy hour.

 

I think some of the sanctimonious comments (from people who are above Diamond status) providing ‘solutions’ to overcrowding of the Diamond Lounge by limiting benefits to Diamonds are offensive.

 

I think the use of overflow areas is fine to address the overcrowding issue.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I just wanted to highlight your obvious wisdom.:halo::)

JC

I worked hard to make the money to afford the cruises to make it to diamond. Since many of us do not live near the cruise port, we have to fly at the additional cost. So yes , for many of us to achieve diamond level, we do have to work hard.

Not saying that you did not work hard to pay for the cruise. Was it really work to eat and drink on a cruise to attain your cruise point? I believe everyone that cruises has worked hard for their money to pay for the cruise in one way or another.

Believe me, I know what it costs to fly for a cruise as I pay for this everytime I go on a cruise. Hence we try to do as many b2b as we can since we fly across an ocean and then across a continent to sail out of florida. In fact I am flying 14 hours to do one 7 day cruise in october as my son has to get back to school before his fall break is over. The flights costs as much as our cabin.

Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. All of the suggestions to make the lounges D+ and Pinnacle only are coming from D+ and Pinnacle members. I was excited to make it to diamond, and enjoy being able to pop into the lounge to grab a drink and a soda. I never stay long because I usually have early dinner. That said, I'm not ready to just surrender my benefits because those "above" me think I should.

You shouldn't have to.

RC though have history like when Diamonds were allowed into the CL then they made it D+,P,and suites only so this is probably why people are offering suggestions based on past RC history.

Worked hard? 😱

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

Wow it is hard work going on all these wonderful cruises.

[emoji3]

I don’t know why people are so excited [emoji1360]with the Diamond Lounge[emoji552].I will be Diamond very soon [emoji789]and to be honest the lounge has nothing interesting [emoji322]waiting for me so far. I’m not an expert [emoji408]on the Diamond benefits but I read that your sea pass [emoji388]is loaded with 3 free drinks daily [emoji483] if thats true the lounge is the least place [emoji85]I want to spent my time during the vacation[emoji274]. I booked a suite once and I had access to a lounge [emoji360]( can’t remember the name of it) and to be honest we could grab the drinks and go[emoji237]. I don’t go to a cruise to make new friends[emoji1291]I have my city for that.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I am happy with the Diamond benefits as they stand and hope RCI don't mess with them. Any changes might appeal to some but upset many others in my opinion.

I like spending time in the Diamond lounge especially in the morning and during the day when it is quiet. In the evening it can get very busy. I like to catch a pre dinner drink at the lounge but if it is too busy then I give it a miss.

Having drinks vouchers so I can go to any bar is I believe a great perk. One introduced to deal with rising numbers of D members and over crowding.

I believe that instead of enjoying loyalty benefits and rewards, we tend to moan too much. IMO no loyalty benefit is guaranteed for life and are subject to change. The benefits are of course an incentive for you to continue to sail with them but it should never be seen as a lifetime entitlement (my opinion).

In the UK, a major supermarket recently changed its loyalty card benefits and there was an outrage on social media. I really don't understand this kind of reaction. Symptoms of an entitlement culture?

We were on the Freedom over Xmas this year and used the diamond lounge everyday at 4:30. The room was usually full and there is an overflow outside. It was one of my favorite things to do. The staff was amazing and we always had our drinks full. We also were able to order our drinks in the dining room. I hope they dont change things.

I am happy with the Diamond benefits as they stand and hope RCI don't mess with them. Any changes might appeal to some but upset many others in my opinion.

 

I like spending time in the Diamond lounge especially in the morning and during the day when it is quiet. In the evening it can get very busy. I like to catch a pre dinner drink at the lounge but if it is too busy then I give it a miss.

 

Having drinks vouchers so I can go to any bar is I believe a great perk. One introduced to deal with rising numbers of D members and over crowding.

 

I believe that instead of enjoying loyalty benefits and rewards, we tend to moan too much. IMO no loyalty benefit is guaranteed for life and are subject to change. The benefits are of course an incentive for you to continue to sail with them but it should never be seen as a lifetime entitlement (my opinion).

 

In the UK, a major supermarket recently changed its loyalty card benefits and there was an outrage on social media. I really don't understand this kind of reaction. Symptoms of an entitlement culture?

Tesco encouraged the club card to woo customers from Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrison's etc who in turn brought their own schemes in.

RC have a great loyalty scheme and sail with full ships so any deviations from that will push people to other cruiselines.

We were on the Harmony 2 weeks ago. At the top tier event was a Q&A session with Michael Bayley, who joined the ship in Jamaica.

A diamond member asked him specifically about plans to stop them using the lounge & he assured her categorically that this was NOT going to happen. He said they were looking at ways to better use the lounge space, but this did not involve excluding diamond members.

 

I swear I believe some of those people went into the DL at 3pm just to stake out their place for the 4:30 cocktail hour......LOL

^^^^ this ^^^^

Last spring on Oasis, I went to the DL at 3:45 on the last day to have the concierge print something for me. There was not an empty seat on the place. Everyone there had staked out "their" spot and was just waiting for the free booze to start flowing.

We were on the Harmony 2 weeks ago. At the top tier event was a Q&A session with Michael Bayley, who joined the ship in Jamaica.

 

A diamond member asked him specifically about plans to stop them using the lounge & he assured her categorically that this was NOT going to happen. He said they were looking at ways to better use the lounge space, but this did not involve excluding diamond members.

Did he say what the better use of the lounge would be?.

Thanks.

We were on the Harmony 2 weeks ago. At the top tier event was a Q&A session with Michael Bayley, who joined the ship in Jamaica.

 

A diamond member asked him specifically about plans to stop them using the lounge & he assured her categorically that this was NOT going to happen. He said they were looking at ways to better use the lounge space, but this did not involve excluding diamond members.

Interesting, I had not heard this. Of course, this could be a matter of semantics, as Diamond Plus members were not excluded from the Concierge Lounge either. They just renamed the Concierge Lounge.

Interesting, I had not heard this. Of course, this could be a matter of semantics, as Diamond Plus members were not excluded from the Concierge Lounge either. They just renamed the Concierge Lounge.

He was quite clear that Diamond members would not lose lounge access. He's going to look really stupid if he goes back on that.

RC have a great loyalty scheme and sail with full ships so any deviations from that will push people to other cruiselines.

I totally agree with you that RC has a great loyalty scheme but common sense says they will not be able to sustain it forever as more and more people reach D and higher levels. I don't think people will leave, where will they go because who else offers anything like the benefits that RC does (with the possible exception of Celebrity who are the same company anyway)?

We are D+ now but a few years ago just as we reached D all the diamonds were kicked out of the CL because of overcrowding, lots of people made a lot of fuss and we were given the diamond event where we had free wine and soft drinks in a designated area before dinner. Personally I was very grateful to have that, most of our cruises as D that is all we had.

Even if they do remove Ds from the lounge again they will be better off with the 3 drinks on the card than they would have been a few years ago, it's still a nice perk.

I don't believe RC owe any of us anything, we cruise with them because we like the product and we enjoy the perks but we don't expect them forever.

Julie

Did he say what the better use of the lounge would be?.

Thanks.

If I recall correctly that comment was in relation to the small size of some lounges in relation to the number of D & D+ on ships. He said they were aware that the lounges were, in most cases not big enough to accommodate the numbers & they were looking at ways to improve this. He also said the Royal Caribbean has the best loyalty programme & that they were not going to dilute it.

I totally agree with you that RC has a great loyalty scheme but common sense says they will not be able to sustain it forever as more and more people reach D and higher levels. I don't think people will leave, where will they go because who else offers anything like the benefits that RC does (with the possible exception of Celebrity who are the same company anyway)?

 

We are D+ now but a few years ago just as we reached D all the diamonds were kicked out of the CL because of overcrowding, lots of people made a lot of fuss and we were given the diamond event where we had free wine and soft drinks in a designated area before dinner. Personally I was very grateful to have that, most of our cruises as D that is all we had.

 

Even if they do remove Ds from the lounge again they will be better off with the 3 drinks on the card than they would have been a few years ago, it's still a nice perk.

 

I don't believe RC owe any of us anything, we cruise with them because we like the product and we enjoy the perks but we don't expect them forever.

 

Julie

We are D+ and remember everything that you have said about the Diamond events CL access denied etc.

On P&O our loyalty status affords us 7.5% discount off our sea pass account.

MSC which we have never cruised are matching other cruiseline loyalty levels with their own.

The main Diamond benefits are the free drinks but these drinks at cost price to RC are small.

In the UK the free Deluxe drinks package( not free because they have stuck £200-£400pp onto the cruise price) nullifies the need to go to the DL for free drinks but we lose out because we are forced to pay an inflated cruise price for drinks we don't want.

If I recall correctly that comment was in relation to the small size of some lounges in relation to the number of D & D+ on ships. He said they were aware that the lounges were, in most cases not big enough to accommodate the numbers & they were looking at ways to improve this. He also said the Royal Caribbean has the best loyalty programme & that they were not going to dilute it.

Thanks for the information.

Some of the D lounges especially Harmony are tiny and uninspiring so a relocation to a bigger and better location would be appreciated.

We are D+ and remember everything that you have said about the Diamond events CL access denied etc.

On P&O our loyalty status affords us 7.5% discount off our sea pass account.

MSC which we have never cruised are matching other cruiseline loyalty levels with their own.

The main Diamond benefits are the free drinks but these drinks at cost price to RC are small.

In the UK the free Deluxe drinks package( not free because they have stuck £200-£400pp onto the cruise price) nullifies the need to go to the DL for free drinks but we lose out because we are forced to pay an inflated cruise price for drinks we don't want.

We are D+ and remember everything that you have said about the Diamond events CL access denied etc.

On P&O our loyalty status affords us 7.5% discount off our sea pass account.

MSC which we have never cruised are matching other cruiseline loyalty levels with their own.

The main Diamond benefits are the free drinks but these drinks at cost price to RC are small.

In the UK the free Deluxe drinks package( not free because they have stuck £200-£400pp onto the cruise price) nullifies the need to go to the DL for free drinks but we lose out because we are forced to pay an inflated cruise price for drinks we don't want.

We are in the UK too and have only ever had the drinks promo once. We wait to book when it is not on offer as it's not much use to us and generally as you say puts the price up significantly. The time that we did have it we booked as soon as the cruise came out for a particular cabin and we felt we got a great price anyway. My parents also cruise RCL and have started to book a guarantee as this never includes the drink package and is at a much cheaper price.

We've cruised on MSC with the black card match (and are doing so again in April) and while it's very nice to have, the benefits in no way compare with what RCL offers.

While the P and O benefit sounds nice it wouldn't be worth much to us as our seapass balance is not that high. Even if we spent £1000 (which we don't) it would only be worth £75, I'd much rather have the 3 free drinks a night.:)

Julie

340 points gets you another cabin gift, behind scenes tours, meal with officer, 150% solo surcharge. Most of that does not apply to the short cruises though.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

It may have been D+ >340 who were invited to meal with Officers and Suites/Pinnacles.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Deleted

I totally agree with you that RC has a great loyalty scheme but common sense says they will not be able to sustain it forever as more and more people reach D and higher levels. I don't think people will leave, where will they go because who else offers anything like the benefits that RC does (with the possible exception of Celebrity who are the same company anyway)?

 

 

 

We are D+ now but a few years ago just as we reached D all the diamonds were kicked out of the CL because of overcrowding, lots of people made a lot of fuss and we were given the diamond event where we had free wine and soft drinks in a designated area before dinner. Personally I was very grateful to have that, most of our cruises as D that is all we had.

 

 

 

Even if they do remove Ds from the lounge again they will be better off with the 3 drinks on the card than they would have been a few years ago, it's still a nice perk.

 

 

 

I don't believe RC owe any of us anything, we cruise with them because we like the product and we enjoy the perks but we don't expect them forever.

 

 

 

Julie

I have to disagree… Any common analyst can tell you that there will be some sort of leveling off point where the people in the Uber hire statuses start not being able to cruise anymore Aka dying off. Although I can’t tell you exactly when that will be and/or how many people that will involve… Rest assured l, it will happen.

I, myself, see the future aboard their ships as bright. And as a D member who is closer to D+ versus the latter… All before the age of 33 (not because of my parents, no) I know that this tipping aka leveling point will happen during my cruising lifetime. I think sooner rather than later actually. We are always, by far, the youngest people in any lounge, and get funny looks, which is quite amusing to us lol. (Besides people who are with their parents)

You shouldn't have to.

RC though have history like when Diamonds were allowed into the CL then they made it D+,P,and suites only so this is probably why people are offering suggestions based on past RC history.

And I know you’re enjoying the conversion to Suite Lounges. [emoji33]

Can’t wait until this is phase in is completed. Hope the new SL’s have beautiful views with a window unlike many CL without. Suite Guests should have prime locations to enjoy their FREE drinks and coffee.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

RC have a great loyalty scheme and sail with full ships so any deviations from that will push people to other cruiselines.

I don’t believe it is the loyalty program that keeps the ships full. It helps but there will be someone to take ones place if they decide to go elsewhere.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

He was quite clear that Diamond members would not lose lounge access. He's going to look really stupid if he goes back on that.

He also said in 2016 that all ships would have FOX News to supplement the onboard TV offerings by 2017. There is at least one ship without going into 2018, possibly more.

He also told us on Presidents Cruise that the long term plan is to convert all ships to the Star/Sky/Sea Class environment, where possible. It seems converting CL to SL is part of that goal. I realize there are some issues to do this on many ships.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

It may have been D+ >340 who were invited to meal with Officers and Suites/Pinnacles.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Lately, that has been different lunches and suites generally don't get it.

340+ meal is D+ only in MDR

PC lunch in a speciality venue

Suites have a reception and PC usually invited

This is my experience

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app