Inherited C&A Points Holders Beware!

[Andyd513]

Hey all,

 

I'm pretty disappointed right now, but I thought I would share my very recent story here, in case it helps someone avoid this in the future or just prepares you for what is to come.

 

I sailed the Independence in February of 2016. Prior to that, my most recent sailing was Majesty in February of 2008. I had an 8 year gap of sailing the best deals available, or with family, and not sticking to an individual cruise line.

 

My wife and I missed the 'premium' experience of RCCL, and we had 69 cruise points so we were closing in on Diamond member status, so we decided we wanted to book and stick with RCCL for a bit. We booked first an Alaska cruise on Explorer for August '16, and then we found a deal on Independence and took it for Feb '16.

 

My parents were big RCCL loyalists and I was lucky enough to go on 3 cruises with my parents in my teens/early twenties, where I was in the same house-hold and inherited points and status from them. This plus my own cruises got me to the 69 point mark.

 

Well, after I went on Indy, I check my C&A expecting to be at 74 points, but instead I'm at 43.

 

I think.. okay, there must be a mistake, something miscalculated. But two e-mails later and RCCL is sticking by the fact that

 

"Once a member reaches 18 years of age, our program is designed to recognize them as an adult and their membership number is removed from this relationship with their parents."

 

Ok, I get that, and it seems fair. But I've sailed 5 times since I turned 18 in 2002 with Royal Carribean and they had every opportunity to adjust my totals before now.

 

I feel like this is a load of garbage, and I have 3 future cruises booked with RCCL (Alaska August '16, Anthem February '17, Allure April '17) but am now debating cancelling Anthem and Allure and going back to sailing the best deal available. Being 37 cruise points away from a C&A tier upgrade coupled with the copy + paste e-mail responses I got from C&A seriously has me ticked off.

 

I think I'll give this one more shot on the phone when I am not angry, and finish that call with the cancelling of future cruises.

 

Anyone else that inherited household C&A points experience this?

[Clarea]

If you take a look at the C&A benefits page here:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do

 

The fourth paragraph under the General Terms & Conditions says:

 

For all tiers except Pinnacle Club, a relationship is defined as a spouse or significant other and children less than 18 years old. For Pinnacle Club a relationship is considered a spouse and/or significant other. Children will be taken out of a relationship with a parent or guardian upon their 18th birthday date. If it is found that a dependent or child is not immediately removed from a relationship upon their 18th birthday and accumulates a higher tier status outside of this time period, the dependents record will be adjust back to the appropriate tier status.

 

I believe that for many years, Royal missed removing kids from their parents C&A status when the kids turned 18. In the last few years, Royal has put a program in place to check this, and it can be caught at any time.

 

Edited March 23, 2016 by clarea

[tgloersen]

It sounds pretty fair to me, I know you are disappointed, but think of it this way you had 5 years to enjoy the higher status level before they caught up to you for adjustment. If they adjusted right when you turned 18 you would not have had the higher status.

 

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.

[blackshirt]

My understanding is you don't inherit points, only status. You should get points for any cruise you were on, regardless of what age. If you can go back and show you were on those cruises before you turned 18, you should get the points.

[tgloersen]

Yes just to follow up on what blackshirt is saying, you should get your cruise points from 18 on, but the status/points or points that gave you a higher status would go away.

[Andyd513]

I'm definitely not saying that the adjustment when you turn 18 is unfair, but waiting 13 years to do it and being inconsistent is going to make a lot of angry people, including me!

[Clarea]

I'm definitely not saying that the adjustment when you turn 18 is unfair, but waiting 13 years to do it and being inconsistent is going to make a lot of angry people, including me!

I understand, and it's unfortunate that they take something away after so long.

 

Have you checked the cruises you have been on yourself to confirm that the points they have given you now are accurate? There was a major change in how the credits/points were give in Jan 2011, and sometimes they get the conversion wrong. If you list your Pre-2011 cruises, with date, length, and stateroom type, we can at least confirm they did the conversion correctly.

Edited March 23, 2016 by clarea

[cruisingsince94]

I understand the frustration but it's not a case of you being singled out. The rules regarding this is not new. You were given the same status as your parents until the age of 18 at which time your points and status becomes based on what you as now an adult actually earned. It may not have occurred in a timely manner for sure but apparently it has now been corrected.

Edited March 23, 2016 by cruisingsince94

[silvermcs]

I think I am following. If my free loading kids were sailing with me for their first cruise and I was D+, they would be D+ for that cruise. AND earn points in their on right for that cruise only (let's say 7). If years later after they are 18, they keep the 7 cruise points legitimately earned but they would not enjoy my D+ status? Interesting, but I get it.

I think my kids have legitimate points up to Diamond but not D+. This was a very helpful thread. I never actually thought about it.

[Andyd513]

I understand, and it's unfortunate that they take something away after so long.

 

Have you checked the cruises you have been on yourself to confirm that the points they have given you now are accurate? There was a major change in how the credits/points were give in Jan 2011, and sometimes they get the conversion wrong. If you list your Pre-2011 cruises, with date, length, and stateroom type, we can at least confirm they did the conversion correctly.

 

Thanks Clarea - I think they are missing a cruise or two, but the ones they have seem to be calculated correctly (1 cruise credit = 7 cruise points + a bonus for your overall tier status is my understanding of the conversion).

 

I'll contact them to get the missed ones added.

[Clarea]

I think I am following. If my free loading kids were sailing with me for their first cruise and I was D+, they would be D+ for that cruise. AND earn points in their on right for that cruise only (let's say 7). If years later after they are 18, they keep the 7 cruise points legitimately earned but they would not enjoy my D+ status? Interesting, but I get it.

I think my kids have legitimate points up to Diamond but not D+. This was a very helpful thread. I never actually thought about it.

No, they would keep the status that you had when they turned 18.

 

Here's a better example to illustrate the issue.

 

Your kids are linked to you while they are under 18, and you attain Diamond level. Your kids are now Diamond too. Sometime after your kids turn 18, you attain Diamond Plus level. Because Royal did not unlink the kids when they turned 18, your kids are now Diamond Plus. Some years later, Royal finally decides to audit the linkage of your kids, finds that they should not be Diamond Plus, and demotes them back to Diamond, which was your level on the day the kids turned 18.

[Andyd513]

I think I am following. If my free loading kids were sailing with me for their first cruise and I was D+, they would be D+ for that cruise. AND earn points in their on right for that cruise only (let's say 7). If years later after they are 18, they keep the 7 cruise points legitimately earned but they would not enjoy my D+ status? Interesting, but I get it.

I think my kids have legitimate points up to Diamond but not D+. This was a very helpful thread. I never actually thought about it.

 

The interesting part is that even though my points were 'taken away', I'm still an Emerald member despite being below the threshold.

 

So, they're probably still D+ but it will take them forever to reach any status above that.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Andyd513

[cruisinfanatic]

Hey all,

 

I'm pretty disappointed right now, but I thought I would share my very recent story here, in case it helps someone avoid this in the future or just prepares you for what is to come.

 

I sailed the Independence in February of 2016. Prior to that, my most recent sailing was Majesty in February of 2008. I had an 8 year gap of sailing the best deals available, or with family, and not sticking to an individual cruise line.

 

My wife and I missed the 'premium' experience of RCCL, and we had 69 cruise points so we were closing in on Diamond member status, so we decided we wanted to book and stick with RCCL for a bit. We booked first an Alaska cruise on Explorer for August '16, and then we found a deal on Independence and took it for Feb '16.

 

My parents were big RCCL loyalists and I was lucky enough to go on 3 cruises with my parents in my teens/early twenties, where I was in the same house-hold and inherited points and status from them. This plus my own cruises got me to the 69 point mark.

 

Well, after I went on Indy, I check my C&A expecting to be at 74 points, but instead I'm at 43.

 

I think.. okay, there must be a mistake, something miscalculated. But two e-mails later and RCCL is sticking by the fact that

 

"Once a member reaches 18 years of age, our program is designed to recognize them as an adult and their membership number is removed from this relationship with their parents."

 

Ok, I get that, and it seems fair. But I've sailed 5 times since I turned 18 in 2002 with Royal Carribean and they had every opportunity to adjust my totals before now.

 

I feel like this is a load of garbage, and I have 3 future cruises booked with RCCL (Alaska August '16, Anthem February '17, Allure April '17) but am now debating cancelling Anthem and Allure and going back to sailing the best deal available. Being 37 cruise points away from a C&A tier upgrade coupled with the copy + paste e-mail responses I got from C&A seriously has me ticked off.

 

I think I'll give this one more shot on the phone when I am not angry, and finish that call with the cancelling of future cruises.

 

Anyone else that inherited household C&A points experience this?

if you added all of your sailing days and bonus if you get them, what do you come up with?

You can go into the member area of crown and anchor to see your history

Edited March 23, 2016 by SeaUs

[Merion_Mom]

When my father passed away, he had two credit cards with points accumulated.

 

I called each company.

 

American Express said, "Do you have an American Express card? We can move his points into your account?"

 

Yes, please, I replied! :)

 

MasterCard said, "Drop dead. We are closing his account."

 

Did I moan and complain? I did not. I was grateful for what I received and understanding that different companies do things differently.

[nelblu]

No, they would keep the status that you had when they turned 18.

 

Here's a better example to illustrate the issue.

 

Your kids are linked to you while they are under 18, and you attain Diamond level. Your kids are now Diamond too. Sometime after your kids turn 18, you attain Diamond Plus level. Because Royal did not unlink the kids when they turned 18, your kids are now Diamond Plus. Some years later, Royal finally decides to audit the linkage of your kids, finds that they should not be Diamond Plus, and demotes them back to Diamond, which was your level on the day the kids turned 18.

 

Bob, thanks for clarifying as I was getting confused & concerned regarding my kids. The way I understood and you confirmed, the child retains the parent's tier level status (forever) when they were under the age of 18. As an example we reached D status while my kids were under 18. Now we are D+, but my kids stay at the D level. To reach the next tier, the children must earn all of the necessary points

[The Fun Researcher]

Bob, please help me out. Let me see if I have this right.

 

My wife and I will have 36 points (6 points above the lowly platinum :) ) after our 8 night cruise in a couple of weeks. The kids are going with. The kids have only been on one other cruise, a 6 night. So they will have 14 points after this cruise.

 

If we all stopped cruising now. When the kids turn 18 they will be Platinum? …but they will need to accumulate 16 more points to truly be Platinum in their own right, and so on?

 

Another what if:

What if my wife and I continue to cruise without the kids all the way until we reach Diamond, before the kids turn 18. Do the kids inherit this Diamond status forever (even only having accumulated 14 actual points)? …or will they have to cruise with us while we are diamond, before they are 18, in order get Diamond inherited for life?

 

Thanks,

Dan

[Clarea]

Bob, thanks for clarifying as I was getting confused & concerned regarding my kids. The way I understood and you confirmed, the child retains the parent's tier level status (forever) when they were under the age of 18. As an example we reached D status while my kids were under 18. Now we are D+, but my kids stay at the D level. To reach the next tier, the children must earn all of the necessary points

That's correct, and they must earn the points for D+ from their actual total, they don't get to start at the 80 point D level.

[Andyd513]

When my father passed away, he had two credit cards with points accumulated.

 

I called each company.

 

American Express said, "Do you have an American Express card? We can move his points into your account?"

 

Yes, please, I replied! :)

 

MasterCard said, "Drop dead. We are closing his account."

 

Did I moan and complain? I did not. I was grateful for what I received and understanding that different companies do things differently.

 

Last time I checked anonymous message boards on the internet were open for moaning and complaining ;)

 

Beyond moaning, complaining, and getting this off my chest, I think this is something useful to know for people that are going to encounter the situation in the future.

 

Also, of those two companies - which are you more likely to give your business to today?

[bobbie0253]

Just wanted to point out that they need a crown and anchor number before they turn 18 or they will not get your status as parents. We made THAT mistake and now my kids lost our status from when they turned 18 :(

[Clarea]

Just wanted to point out that they need a crown and anchor number before they turn 18 or they will not get your status as parents. We made THAT mistake and now my kids lost our status from when they turned 18 :(

Excellent and important point.

[The Fun Researcher]

So as long as our kids have C&A numbers (they do), they don't need to sail again before 18 years of age but will inherit whatever status we are (at the time) when they turn 18?

 

Dan

[Clarea]

So as long as our kids have C&A numbers (they do), they don't need to sail again before 18 years of age but will inherit whatever status we are (at the time) when they turn 18?

 

Dan

Yes, that's the way it's supposed to work.

[ZoeyVictoria]

Last time I checked anonymous message boards on the internet were open for moaning and complaining ;)

 

Beyond moaning, complaining, and getting this off my chest, I think this is something useful to know for people that are going to encounter the situation in the future.

 

Also, of those two companies - which are you more likely to give your business to today?

 

My SO's credit card was in his late wife's name, with him as an authorized user. When she died, he had to raise a huge stink to keep the points that were earned through joint household purchases and payments. He used the points and switched to another card.

[LMaxwell]

Odd that you mention 13 years OP, because my cruise history is accurate back to 2003 and then before that just has dummy dates and no ships listed. It even has a sailing date listed before RCI, you know, started sailing. Call C&A, sounds like a databse problem to be.

[silvermcs]

Very informative. So the kids points (they have C&A #'s) are their points for life. There status at 18 is our status (currently D+). Post 18, they will have our status and their points. Should they aspire to the next level, they must do so on the accumulation of their own points.

The benefit of retaining your parents status at 18 seems like a very nice perk.

 

So if I provide the kids a good education, teach them to dress appropriately on formal nights, discourage them from buying an ultra premium drink package, teach them to tip properly, encourage late night seating at traditional MDR AND they launch into adult life as D+ RCCL cruisers, then I have done everything a good father can do? Now I won't feel guilty about spending their inheritance one suite at a time :)