Will dl/cl lounges go away?

[04cruises]

With the new drink vouchers, do you think that the DL/CL will become part of the good old days? I like to meet fellow cruisers who also love to cruise and RCCL. Please, RCCL, don't ''cost cut'' them.

[Clarea]

I don't think the CL will go away. I think it will continue as a perk for the suite guests. DL, I don't know.

[CRUISEBOY305]

Royal has invested time and money adding Diamond lounges to the older ships, I doubt they'll take away the DL anytime soon.

[FLACRUISER99]

Absolutely not at this time. However things can change in the future.

[marci22]

We are just back from a cruise. We asked a bar server about D+ in the CL. He told us that he was recently told that from now on, only suites in the CL, not Pinnacle OR D+. We said, but we are D+, should we be in here? He said, "did your card work? I guess you're fine then."

 

We then asked the concierge if we were allowed in. He said the same thing: "Did your card work? Then don't worry." But I believe CL will go to all suite passengers eventually.

Edited July 17, 2014 by marci22

[molly361]

I also think eventually the CL will be suites only. That's okay except for on the Oasis/Allure. Those ships have a REALLT nice CL

 

 

Edit- I wonder if there will be advance notice if/when that happens??

Edited July 17, 2014 by molly361

[39august]

Pinacle members get a gold card exactly like suite pax. They also get nearly all the other perks that suites get. So I don't see Pinnacles denied the CL anytime soon. And I don't see RCI doing away with DL's since they have gone to the expense of adding them to older ships and building them in on the newer ships. I do, however, expect D+ to be denied the CL after all ships have a Diamond lounge available.

[spookwife]

my SWAG is that the DL will be limited to D+ but Ds will get the vouchers to keep them from rioting.

 

CL for Suites and Pinnacles.

[marci22]

Edit- I wonder if there will be advance notice if/when that happens??

 

I doubt it. My impression is that one day my card will not work in the CL. Then they will say, 'just use your vouchers'.

 

As a side note, a lot of suite guests were coming in wearing shorts and other sorts of pool wear. I heard a guest ask an employee if there was 'a dress code'. He said, 'You are fine. It's a free country. Wear what you want.' It seems like they are really catering to suite guests. A lot of kids in the lounge this time. Many did not use the tongs provided. Crew did their best to wrangle them.

Edited July 17, 2014 by marci22

[molly361]

I doubt it. My impression is that one day my card will not work in the CL. Then they will say, 'just use your vouchers'.

 

 

That's what I was thinking after I read your post-:) Surprise!!!! Door won't open

[marci22]

That's what I was thinking after I read your post-:) Surprise!!!! Door won't open

 

When I told the employee that I was D+ and had just used my key to get in, he seemed really surprised. That has never happened to me before.

[molly361]

When I told the employee that I was D+ and had just used my key to get in, he seemed really surprised. That has never happened to me before.

 

:eek::eek: I imagine we will hear about it here on CC first when/if it happens.

[MichaelCMTX]

When I told the employee that I was D+ and had just used my key to get in, he seemed really surprised. That has never happened to me before.

The other side of this was when we were told in the CL "You should try your keys in the DL, they probably work."

 

We'd just turned Platinum. Yep, they worked.

[ARCruisinNana]

my SWAG is that the DL will be limited to D+ but Ds will get the vouchers to keep them from rioting.

 

CL for Suites and Pinnacles.

 

 

Agree.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Kokomo91165]

We were on Independence in March 2014 and Had the pleasure of meeting at the Suite cocktail party the new director of operations from Miami. He was joined by some other people from the Miami HQ, along with the hotel director of the Independence. They said that Celebrity would be introducing new suite benefits that month, which they did, and that they were hoping feedback from us suite guests would allow some modifications of the current suite program on RCL.

 

Except for the concierge lounge, RCL is really lacking in their suite amenities. Read the suite benefits of NCL, Celebrity, MSC, & Princess - suite passengers on RCL don't even get slippers anymore.

 

Bottom line from our conversation - which was brought up again when I ran into this person of the Freedom later this summer - is that there will be no more overflow lounges - hence the new voucher. Once the DL/CL is full, then you are welcomed to enjoy other parts of the ship, as there will be no secondary lounge. As for future eligibility for D, D+, & PC, it was our understanding the CL would be for suites with the new black card, while PC (gold card) and D+ would get access to the DL.

[Yorkvillain]

my SWAG is that the DL will be limited to D+ but Ds will get the vouchers to keep them from rioting.

 

CL for Suites and Pinnacles.

 

Lol. I can definitely see this happening.

[CP3o]

my SWAG is that the DL will be limited to D+ but Ds will get the vouchers to keep them from rioting.

 

CL for Suites and Pinnacles.

 

I'm only D, and can't see getting to D+, but this seems fair if DL has crowd issues. Maybe the vouchers will help with crowding for awhile but if they get too crowded as more pax become D, then restricting to D+ makes more sense than opening another overflow lounge.

 

Maybe toss the excluded D's a latte coffee voucher a day b/c that's what I liked most about sailing with a DL.

[marci22]

Bottom line from our conversation - which was brought up again when I ran into this person of the Freedom later this summer - is that there will be no more overflow lounges - hence the new voucher. Once the DL/CL is full, then you are welcomed to enjoy other parts of the ship, as there will be no secondary lounge. As for future eligibility for D, D+, & PC, it was our understanding the CL would be for suites with the new black card, while PC (gold card) and D+ would get access to the DL.

 

Sounds like this is the way things are headed.

[cruisegirl1]

my SWAG is that the DL will be limited to D+ but Ds will get the vouchers to keep them from rioting.

 

CL for Suites and Pinnacles.

 

My thoughts also. With the voucher system moving right along, any bets to the timing?

 

 

 

M

[marci22]

My thoughts also. With the voucher system moving right along, any bets to the timing? M

 

If I have to guess: sooner than we think!

[cruisegirl1]

I'm only D, and can't see getting to D+, but this seems fair if DL has crowd issues. Maybe the vouchers will help with crowding for awhile but if they get too crowded as more pax become D, then restricting to D+ makes more sense than opening another overflow lounge.

 

Maybe toss the excluded D's a latte coffee voucher a day b/c that's what I liked most about sailing with a DL.

 

Well if the D's get vouchers to be used most anywhere, and then a coffee voucher, this is almost a better perk than the lounge ( for D+). After all, the voucher allows one to take a drink anywhere even dinner/show, the lounge does not.

 

As a one per evening cocktail drinker, 3 drinks is plenty, I get my "money's worth" from the specialty coffees, not the alcohol.

 

enjoy

M

Edited July 17, 2014 by cruisegirl1

[FLACRUISER99]

my SWAG is that the DL will be limited to D+ but Ds will get the vouchers to keep them from rioting.

 

CL for Suites and Pinnacles.

I'm sure if you and others keep posting your guesses It will happen.

[MichaelCMTX]

Except for the concierge lounge, RCL is really lacking in their suite amenities. Read the suite benefits of NCL, Celebrity, MSC, & Princess - suite passengers on RCL don't even get slippers anymore.

 

As for future eligibility for D, D+, & PC, it was our understanding the CL would be for suites with the new black card, while PC (gold card) and D+ would get access to the DL.

 

I know we have always booked a suite considering the CL to be the #1 suite amenity far and away. The free happy hour certainly soothes me not getting slippers. Didn't really find any other line with the same thing. However, I think CL for Suites only and sending the PC's to the DL will get seriously ugly. Gonna take a brave individual to tell someone with 1000+ C&A points they can't go someplace they've been going for years.

 

my SWAG is that the DL will be limited to D+ but Ds will get the vouchers to keep them from rioting.

 

CL for Suites and Pinnacles.

 

This seems more likely. Still rioting, but maybe not so harsh as if the PCs were out of the CL. However D+ to PC is a huge gap. I'm wondering if there is something else coming, like when Celebrity brought in a few more steps to the upper levels of the Captains Club program.

 

Either way becomes a delicate issue. 3 drink vouchers isn't going to pacify people who've become used to the CL from years of loyalty, and no doubt they'll make their feelings known. Wouldn't be surprised to see some other lines start offering a status bump to dissatisfied former-loyal-Royals high up in C&A points to win their business. If I were in Marketing at Princess or NCL I'd be watching this one closely.

[Merion_Mom]

Lots of opinions on this thread. Mostly in agreement, interestingly enough. ;)

 

Here is mine, much of which I have previously posted:

 

The introduction of vouchers heralds the coming of "no overflow lounges" to start with.

 

Following a period of adjustment, RC will tell Diamonds that they can ONLY have the vouchers.

 

The Diamond Lounges will then be limited to Diamond Plus.

 

Eventually, after a period of adjustment, D+ will be limited to just the vouchers, and the Diamond Lounges will be re-vamped into other, revenue-producing space. SOME Diamond Lounges had been carved out of existing spaces, and they will just remove those walls and return the area to what it had been. Examples: Diamond Lounge on the Enchantment in the Viking Crown Lounge, Diamond Lounge on the Grandeur in the South Pacific Lounge.

 

I do not think that Pinnacles will EVER be thrown out of the Concierge Lounge. Now THAT would be STUPID on Royal Caribbean's part. We can argue until the cows come home about whether frequent cruisers or suite cruisers ultimately spend more money on Royal Caribbean or are more valuable to the cruise line, but clearly Pinnacles are a major plus for Royal.

 

What is this BLACK CARD of which you wrote, Kokomo? :confused:

 

Anyway, let the discussion continue............ :)

[Merion_Mom]

I know we have always booked a suite considering the CL to be the #1 suite amenity far and away. The free happy hour certainly soothes me not getting slippers. Didn't really find any other line with the same thing. However, I think CL for Suites only and sending the PC's to the DL will get seriously ugly. Gonna take a brave individual to tell someone with 1000+ C&A points they can't go someplace they've been going for years.

 

 

 

This seems more likely. Still rioting, but maybe not so harsh as if the PCs were out of the CL. However D+ to PC is a huge gap. I'm wondering if there is something else coming, like when Celebrity brought in a few more steps to the upper levels of the Captains Club program.

 

Either way becomes a delicate issue. 3 drink vouchers isn't going to pacify people who've become used to the CL from years of loyalty, and no doubt they'll make their feelings known. Wouldn't be surprised to see some other lines start offering a status bump to dissatisfied former-loyal-Royals high up in C&A points to win their business. If I were in Marketing at Princess or NCL I'd be watching this one closely..

 

That's what people said when Diamonds were kicked out of the Concierge Lounge. DIDN'T HAPPEN. Won't happen now. :)