The new "unfair" cheap points

[waterbug123]

I am a Platinum member who was 2 cruises from Diamond. With the new point system, I cannot even make it to Emerald and I still have to sail 25 more day- which is 4 more sailings instead of 2.

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Sounds slightly inaccurate. If you were Platinum and 2 cruises from Diamond, that means you had 8 cruise credits, right?

 

Based on the conversion formula that was used, your 8 credits = 69 points.

8 credits x 7 = 56 + 13 = 69

 

You now need 80 points now to be diamond. That is only 11 more cruise nights, not 25. :confused:

 

Oh, and you should actually be Emerald now, not Platinum. :)

[traveling1969]

Loucat...........you made a statement about sailing on Princess......you can bring aboard all of the liquor needed (drinks) so that no CL is needed.

 

Could you elaborate on that statement? My understanding is that you can bring on wine, but no hard liquor.

 

I drink martini's, and the CL has the martini of my liking. How would Princess compare?

 

Thanks in advance for your input.:)

 

Rick

 

Princess does allow you to bring on all the wine and champagne you wish (our max was a whole case for a 21 night transatlantic) but they do not allow liquor to be carried on board. That said, we have been allowed, even encouraged to by liquor at duty free shops in San Juan and Venice and carry it on board. Hello Beefeater! We picked up some vermouth and additional wine at ports of call. The shops were right on the piers just before the scanners and after check-in and we were limited to 1 liter each. Also, Princess is not terribly vigilant in monitoring checked luggage for liquor. Please don't ask me how I know this.:D:D:D Bon Voyage!

[Maraprince]

Sounds slightly inaccurate. If you were Platinum and 2 cruises from Diamond, that means you had 8 cruise credits, right?

 

Based on the conversion formula that was used, your 8 credits = 69 points.

8 credits x 7 = 56 + 13 = 69

 

You now need 80 points now to be diamond. That is only 11 more cruise nights, not 25. :confused:

 

Oh, and you should actually be Emerald now, not Platinum. :)

 

You are 100% correct!

 

I now am Emerald and was just one credit short of making Diamond -- still needed to do an additional cruise. Now I have 76 credits -- need 80 for diamond. So again, I still need to do one more cruise to get to the next level. Only difference now with Emerald I get a well back gift where before at Platinum I was getting nothing.

 

We did a 10 night sailing and received one credit and you want to equate that with a 4 night sailing and still get one credit? Sure the old system benefitted cruisers who could do the shorter sailings. Up in the Northeast, we did not have 4 or 5 day sailings. To pay airfare to fly to Florida and book an overnight hotel stay for the 4 or 5 day sailings would have negated any price savings.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Maraprince]

Part of the change on how cruise credits were calculated had to do with so many people making diamond and diamond + so quickly (with family members who traveled with the main passenger who actually earned the credit level being included as well). RCI had to come up with a more equitable system to deal with the overcrowded special lounges.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[goddessgrrl]

It's amazing to me how caught up in the points system people get. You all do realize that until you get to Pinnacle that the benefits are pretty cheesy? Even for Diamond Plus. ESPECIALLY considering what you spent on all the cruises to get there.

 

Yippie...a robe to use onboard (not own)

Yippie...a behind the scenes tour

Yippie...a crappy boarding gift

Yippie...a concierge lounge where I can look down on others as though they are from steerage.

 

The benefits just aren't worth complaining or arguing about. It's kind of like my Speedway gas card. I spend $20,000 in gas to get a $20 gift card. Hardly worth the effort.

 

My $.02

(I am Emerald and 11 points away from Diamond...yippie...)

 

I'm with Schmeed on this one. Everyone gets all caught up in this level & that level, & in reality, you're not really getting anything tangible for your loyalty to one cruise line. FYI, I'm going on my 4th cruise in 2 weeks & I've only cruised RCL because my friend usually cruises RCL & she lets me tag along! :p

[caribbean sailor]

I do not understand the complaints, the new point system seems fair to me.

 

ENJOY YOUR NEXT CRUISE. :)

 

 

 

 

 

[teajak]

I do not understand the complaints, the new point system seems fair t

 

 

 

 

 

 

I totally agree, we were one cruise away from Diamond+,same place after the change. I don't understand why some people can't realize free perks are just that and not an entitlement. Anything the cruise line gives us over and above what we paid for is a bonus, enjoy them instead of complaining.JMHO:eek:

[waterbug123]

I'm with Schmeed on this one. Everyone gets all caught up in this level & that level, & in reality, you're not really getting anything tangible for your loyalty to one cruise line. FYI, I'm going on my 4th cruise in 2 weeks & I've only cruised RCL because my friend usually cruises RCL & she lets me tag along! :p

 

The balcony discount is equivalent to cash in hand. We do several cruises a year, so the balcony discount could easily = $500 or more. In my world, that's a pretty tangible benefit.

[griffy116]

For some of us, the new program is more in line and makes more sense. We took an 11 night cruise to Hawaii with a balcony cabin and got one (1), ONE cruise credit while people here on the Boards boasted about being Diamond by taking 3 night cruises by driving a few blocks from their home. I never once went on the Boards whining and crying and moaning about how unfair the rewards were because we had actually cruised more nights. We are Emerald now and after the 2 cruises we have planned, we will be Diamond. It's a FREE REWARDS program. We have 69 points. We have a 4-night and a 7-night upcoming cruise. We would have been Diamond after 2 cruises with the old calculation. We're just happy with anything we get. The rewards aren't why we cruise RCCL. We cruise with them because we love the ships, love the crew and get a good experience everytime we cruise with them. If we weren't happy with RCCL, the rewards certainly wouldn't make it worth it to cruise with them.

[dplusd]

Since there have been a lot of complaints about the conversion process from people taking longer cruises. I decided to show up the new "unfair" system that we have now put into place.

 

Yes, believe it or not, like every system and policy, there are some fair points to it, and unfair points to it.

 

For all the complaints about the "cheap 3/4 night cruisers" racking up credits. I decided to look at the NEW cheap point gainers... transatlantics! Yep, for all the many long cruiers complaints, those now get the cheap points gainers. Forget the 3 nighters, they don't hold a candle to the mass point gainers that you can get now. *grin*

 

For example:

 

14-Night transatlantic on Grandeur, in a suite - $1249

 

Yep!! You can get 28 points for just $1249. Now this is the cheapest of them, but you can do a 13-night for $1349, and a 14-night for $1399. So it's not an isolated incident. Forget the 3-nighters getting into Diamond in 5 cruises, you can now do it in 3. And for just as cheap (if not cheaper). Just means you will be "stuck" on a cruise ship for more days. *sly grin*

 

Actually I shouldn't pick on transatlantics alone, as long repositioning cruises do just as well.

 

So can we now please put the cries of the old unfair system to bed, because we now have the new winners of the cheap cruise point getters. *wink*

 

 

(And yes, in a couple years when my wife gets more vacation time, we hope to be one of them! *sly smile*)

 

Consider the cost of one-way airfare to Europe and a couple of days expenses pre-cruise which is necessary to be sure you don't miss the "boat". These are not cheap vacations like the short cruises for those living near a port. I bet my airport parking bill was more than some of these short cruises!

[schmeed]

For some of us, the new program is more in line and makes more sense. We took an 11 night cruise to Hawaii with a balcony cabin and got one (1), ONE cruise credit while people here on the Boards boasted about being Diamond by taking 3 night cruises by driving a few blocks from their home. I never once went on the Boards whining and crying and moaning about how unfair the rewards were because we had actually cruised more nights. We are Emerald now and after the 2 cruises we have planned, we will be Diamond. It's a FREE REWARDS program. We have 69 points. We have a 4-night and a 7-night upcoming cruise. We would have been Diamond after 2 cruises with the old calculation. We're just happy with anything we get. The rewards aren't why we cruise RCCL. We cruise with them because we love the ships, love the crew and get a good experience everytime we cruise with them. If we weren't happy with RCCL, the rewards certainly wouldn't make it worth it to cruise with them.

 

You JUST DID complain... ;)

[caribbean sailor]

My wife and i have cruised seven times with Royal Caribbean.Six seven night cruises and a nine night cruise.3/20/2011 we will sail on the Explorer of the seas for an eleven night cruise.That will make or level emerald 63 points.WHO CARES we sail Royal Caribbean because we love the company,and we love cruising loyalty program are not.If there are a few perks in it so be it we'll take it.That being said let's all go to the CARIBBEAN.:):)

[koterry]

I'm with Schmeed on this one. Everyone gets all caught up in this level & that level, & in reality, you're not really getting anything tangible for your loyalty to one cruise line. FYI, I'm going on my 4th cruise in 2 weeks & I've only cruised RCL because my friend usually cruises RCL & she lets me tag along! :p

There are many benefits with the RCI reward system. The list is actually quite extensive when you reach D and D+;)

[Ginnylou]

I don't find TA's to be cheap as a matter of fact it is a major investment! Add airfare and hotel and it is now a small fortune. Add in no single supplement for July and August and it is now well never mind, it is what it is.

 

:)

[nydiana]

If you are talking about getting to Diamond faster the B2B2B etc. still does it in a shorter elapsed number of days. The TAs are only twice a year. So even two 15 days in a suite you earn 60 cruise points. You still would need another 10 days in a suite to add to 80.

 

Also one-way air fair to Europe is very expensive.

 

Diana

[wg6530]

If you are talking about getting to Diamond faster the B2B2B etc. still does it in a shorter elapsed number of days. The TAs are only twice a year. So even two 15 days in a suite you earn 60 cruise points. You still would need another 10 days in a suite to add to 80.

 

Also one-way air fair to Europe is very expensive.

 

Diana

 

I think the "unfair, cheap" comments were probably tongue in cheek. On many of the transatlantic cruises, the per deim cruise fare is very low, right now one can buy An inside at less $40 per person per day including taxes and port fees. So the cruiseline's don't earn much (they get their ships repositioned), but the airlines (and government air tax collectors) do well. If one does spring and fall transatlantic, one can buy roundtrip airfare, generally much cheaper than one ways. Of course, it would take 6 passages (or 3 years presumably) to make diamond (non suite) but cruise fare might be less than $3400 pp. Airfare is hard to guess, but might be $2400 pp over the three years. good value if you love sea days and a bit of time on the other side of the pond.

 

On a B2B2B, the cruise lines would probably get a higher daily fare while the airlines presumably get a smaller bite from one's wallet.

[Janet524]

Let's remember that on the TA cruises one is onboard the ship alot more than a comparable length port-intensive cruise. This gives one the "opportunity" to spend more $$$ onboard the ship, providing more onboard revenue for the cruise line.