Breaking News - C&A Changes/Enhancements

[vickiw0318]

Thanks everyone. At least, I am not crazy, or at least I am not crazy about the way I remembered this one.

[icsys]

On, or around, May 1, Royal Caribbean will announce and/or implement the changes in the Crown and Anchor program.

 

No more Welcome Back (repeaters) Party on any ship. The Trials with this, on two ships back in February (?), was considered a success. Top Tier will continue.

 

Meal with an Officer will be for D+ (340) only and Pinnacles will have a meal at the Captain's Table or Specialty Rest. with the Capt. or HD.

 

No change in Tiers or Points structure.

 

Some other benefits for D+ and Pinnacles that I could not get the precise details.

 

All ships were notified two days ago so that they could prepare for the changes.

 

Sorry, but I will not reveal my source. Believe it or not. I'm still trying to find additional details, but combine this info with that from CruisenGrandmom

on Liberty and I think the CL-->SL on all ships is imminent.

 

Ovation - welcome back party held on day4 in theater for Gold, Platinum and Emerald.

Tonight is a top tier event in Two70 for Diamond and above guests

Edited May 7, 2016 by icsys

[Thetrail]

The last few pages of this thread have brought up so many thoughts in my mind I don't know where to start!!

 

It appears to me, and maybe because I frequent these boards more than others, that Royal has the largest number of people chasing their higher tiers. My MIL is Elite on Princess and she does two TAs a year plus two other cruises (usually 14 days each) during other parts of the year. I have never heard her even mention "special" things like Crystal Blocks or special breakfast/lunch/dinner. Of course I am not as familiar with Captains Circle as I am with Crown and Anchor. It truly gets me wondering if the other cruise lines have this same type of thing going on within their Loyalty program.

 

Something else that I have noticed/thought about. I am newly Diamond, only about a year and a half in. But I have noticed that cruises with a high number of Diamond and above members really messes with the LA. For example- in October I was on one of the Jewel California Coastal cruises. This was our first official Diamond cruise. We received NOTHING in our room. No welcome basket/drink selection. No Diamond pin. Not even a flyer with the coupons listed. My dad, in the next room, is Gold and didnt receive any C&A notices either. Not sure if the LA was slacking or what.

 

I know there were a large number of D, D+, and P onboard. We never received invites to events onboard either. I am not saying that upper tier members don't deserve the recognition, but it's definitely a strain on the resources at times!

What exactly are you implying by saying "it's definitely a strain on resources???......:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Don Pedro]

It was. The signage is still onboard, causing confusion. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Yes, and we also missed our 140 block, as were past that stage when they moved the goalpost backwards. :eek: And, as mentioned, no retroactivity.

 

I could very well be wrong but it seems that blocks were first awarded at 210 and later it was changed to 140. Also when we got our first block both my wife and I both received one - later it became one per cabin/family.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Don Pedro

[travelgoddess1]

The last few pages of this thread have brought up so many thoughts in my mind I don't know where to start!!

 

It appears to me, and maybe because I frequent these boards more than others, that Royal has the largest number of people chasing their higher tiers. My MIL is Elite on Princess and she does two TAs a year plus two other cruises (usually 14 days each) during other parts of the year. I have never heard her even mention "special" things like Crystal Blocks or special breakfast/lunch/dinner. Of course I am not as familiar with Captains Circle as I am with Crown and Anchor. It truly gets me wondering if the other cruise lines have this same type of thing going on within their Loyalty program.

 

Something else that I have noticed/thought about. I am newly Diamond, only about a year and a half in. But I have noticed that cruises with a high number of Diamond and above members really messes with the LA. For example- in October I was on one of the Jewel California Coastal cruises. This was our first official Diamond cruise. We received NOTHING in our room. No welcome basket/drink selection. No Diamond pin. Not even a flyer with the coupons listed. My dad, in the next room, is Gold and didnt receive any C&A notices either. Not sure if the LA was slacking or what.

 

I know there were a large number of D, D+, and P onboard. We never received invites to events onboard either. I am not saying that upper tier members don't deserve the recognition, but it's definitely a strain on the resources at times!

 

I'm sorry that you didn't get the amenities that you should have had onboard Jewel in October. We were on both those Coastal Cruises on October 3 & 10, and got everything we were supposed to. I can tell you that if we had not received them, I would have contacted the LA Mariya, and she would have made sure we received them. She is a very organized and efficient lady, IMO. Yes, there were a lot of C&A members on those cruises (a lot of us are from the West Coast, and do not get much opportunity to drive to a port). As a Diamond member, you know that you can talk to Guest Services/LA regarding your lack of C&A invitations and amenities. I wonder if your C&A numbers were attached to your reservation? I have had that happen occasionally, and it is easily fixed with a visit to the LA. Just a thought. :)

Edited May 7, 2016 by travelgoddess1

[PompeySailor]

Will be interested to hear if anyone has had a block from Allure recently. I'm still waiting for mine from last October and have chased several times. Latest excuse is that there is a supply backlog

 

Yes

We received ours on Allure, March 12th sailing (3rd day into the cruise):)

Was in our cabin

Edited May 7, 2016 by PompeySailor

[Don Pedro]

It was. The signage is still onboard, causing confusion. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Yes, and we also missed our 140 block, as were past that stage when they moved the goalpost backwards. :eek: And, as mentioned, no retroactivity.

 

I could very well be wrong but it seems that blocks were first awarded at 210 and later it was changed to 140. Also when we got our first block both my wife and I received one - later it became one per cabin/family.

[cruise wizard]

Will be interested to hear if anyone has had a block from Allure recently. I'm still waiting for mine from last October and have chased several times. Latest excuse is that there is a supply backlog

 

We have been waiting now for over 6 months for our Splendour of the Seas block from our October cruise out of Venice - C&A said the same thing - blaming the vendor............but since Splendour is now out of the fleet, I am beginning to think that it will be a lost cause.

[pema]

It is odd when I look back to my first cruise on the old Nordic Prince in October, 1986 New York to Bermuda. We had the midnight buffet, tiny hors d'oeuvres on the bars and a book listing all the passengers by name and home towns. We thought it was great at the time and it was. And don't forget the one dining room for all three meals at the assigned table. Over the years the Nordic Prince has gone through growing pains and much competition and become a behemoth in both ship size and passenger levels. We have seen the perks slowly grow over the years to what they are now and the changes on the ship have been accepted. No more pillow chocolate, no more bar hors d'oeuvres, no more passenger manifests. But we still cruise because we love it. We will reach the D+ milestone on our next cruise in November. What lounge I have to go to at that time, or if I have one at all is of little concern. I am going to be on a beautiful ship, cruising with a couple thousand people that enjoy being at sea as much as I do and everything else is just frosting on the cake. Just my opinion.

 

Okay, stepping down from my soapbox now and happy cruising all.

 

Dave

Yeah !!!!

I agree with you .....we are all blest to have the means and health to cruise like we do

My Dh and I are thankful for anything and everything we encounter on our sailings

Meeting some of the nicest people

[Arzeena]

The last few pages of this thread have brought up so many thoughts in my mind I don't know where to start!!

 

It appears to me, and maybe because I frequent these boards more than others, that Royal has the largest number of people chasing their higher tiers. My MIL is Elite on Princess and she does two TAs a year plus two other cruises (usually 14 days each) during other parts of the year. I have never heard her even mention "special" things like Crystal Blocks or special breakfast/lunch/dinner. Of course I am not as familiar with Captains Circle as I am with Crown and Anchor. It truly gets me wondering if the other cruise lines have this same type of thing going on within their Loyalty program.

 

 

You are right!

We also think that Royal's loyalty program is the best.... C and A Balcony discounts, exclusives on some cruises like reduced deposit,etc; the 3 drink coupon upload to the card, the diamond and concierge (for pinnacles) lounges, etc. Princess loyalty program sucks! We just got off a Hawaii cruise on Princess and are laughing hard at their loyalty club offerings!

But as for those glass blocks that Royal gives,..... to me, they are useless dust magnets!:D

[NanciRDH]

AFAIK it was never at 350. I think it used to be 100 under the old Point System.

 

Thanks. I guess I was calculating to halfway lol. We made it to D under the old system, and then got to D+ within a few years, thanks to the Diamonds in December progam a few years back, got triple points in a suite giving us the biggest jump lol. I'm not sure if DH and I will ever see P, but I'm betting our 11yo DD will. She's already D+ on her own. At least until they change it again. :p

[CptSticky]

Does anyone know how many pinacle and diamond plus there actually are?

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? No one outside of Royal seems to know. The number of Pinnacles has always been "top secret". It seems like Royal wants us to believe around 1K but the consensus guess is more like 3k. In just the last week I've read of 5 more couples making it here on the CC boards. I can't remember being on a cruise in the last year that did not have someone turning Pinnacle. If that's true for all ships, that's a lot per year so maybe even 3k is way to low. On my Harmony TA this fall it's said that there are more than 130 P's onboard.

[Clarea]

I could very well be wrong but it seems that blocks were first awarded at 210 and later it was changed to 140. Also when we got our first block both my wife and I received one - later it became one per cabin/family.

You are correct Pete, but that change occurred when we still had cruise credits.

 

It used to be that you got the first block at 30 cruise credits and every 10 thereafter. Some folks reported getting a block at 20 on Enchantment, but to my knowledge, this was the only ship that gave a block at 20.

 

About the time they kicked Diamonds out of the CL, they changed the first block to 20 cruise credits. That converted to 140 points in Jan 2011.

[ARCruisinNana]

You are correct Pete, but that change occurred when we still had cruise credits.

 

It used to be that you got the first block at 30 cruise credits and every 10 thereafter. Some folks reported getting a block at 20 on Enchantment, but to my knowledge, this was the only ship that gave a block at 20.

 

About the time they kicked Diamonds out of the CL, they changed the first block to 20 cruise credits. That converted to 140 points in Jan 2011.

 

 

I received my first block on Monarch in June 2010. I was at 20 cruises.

[Don Pedro]

You are correct Pete, but that change occurred when we still had cruise credits.

 

It used to be that you got the first block at 30 cruise credits and every 10 thereafter. Some folks reported getting a block at 20 on Enchantment, but to my knowledge, this was the only ship that gave a block at 20.

 

About the time they kicked Diamonds out of the CL, they changed the first block to 20 cruise credits. That converted to 140 points in Jan 2011.

 

Thanks Bob,

That is exactly as it occurred. As usually your memory is much better than mine.

[MattInFLL]

No changes to C&A perks yet. Hope you continue to be on the mend.

 

 

 

Thanks Bob. Good as new :)

[Clarea]

I received my first block on Monarch in June 2010. I was at 20 cruises.

That makes sense because Diamonds lost access to the CL in September 2009, which is when I remember the first block going from 30 to 20.

[ARCruisinNana]

That makes sense because Diamonds lost access to the CL in September 2009, which is when I remember the first block going from 30 to 20.

 

Yep, when I became Diamond, Diamonds were allowed in the CL, but before I could take my next cruise, they were kicked out.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[MattInFLL]

My longtime Pinnacle friends tell me that even though there was no official tier - once they hit 100 cruises they definitely got extra special treatment.

[vickiw0318]

We have been waiting now for over 6 months for our Splendour of the Seas block from our October cruise out of Venice - C&A said the same thing - blaming the vendor............but since Splendour is now out of the fleet, I am beginning to think that it will be a lost cause.

 

 

Interestingly, Royal is still offering an excursion in Kotor only for those cruising on the Splendour of the Seas. Saw it when I was checking out options for my September Vision cruise yesterday.

[Clarea]

My longtime Pinnacle friends tell me that even though there was no official tier - once they hit 100 cruises they definitely got extra special treatment.

They did get a free cruise at 100 cruise credits and every 50 credits thereafter. Some also got a name badge that looked just like the crew name badge, but that was abused and now they have the big heavy badges.

[Tagsalong]

Ovation - welcome back party held on day4 in theater for Gold, Platinum and Emerald.

Tonight is a top tier event in Two70 for Diamond and above guests

 

Some traditions take longer to die than others. This is one event that has actually been officially cancelled by shoreside. The Benefits page had the Welcome Back Party taken off the page about a month ago. I guess some Captains and Hotel Directors still feel like they can do things that are not in the corporate matrix. This is a good thing, in most cases.

 

Or maybe snailmail as not yet reached that part of the world?!

[Sunkissed Mommy]

What exactly are you implying by saying "it's definitely a strain on resources???......:rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

 

Resource = loyalty ambassador.

Sorry I wasn't more clear.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

As a Diamond member, you know that you can talk to Guest Services/LA regarding your lack of C&A invitations and amenities. I wonder if your C&A numbers were attached to your reservation? I have had that happen occasionally, and it is easily fixed with a visit to the LA. Just a thought. :)

 

 

Absolutely. I did not go to the LA because in all honesty a can of Coke and little bag of cheap cookies are not the reason I cruise and I did not think it warranted a visit. We knew about our drink coupons and used those a few times. For my dad's sake I had to explain it all to him as far as Gold benefits.

 

My # was definitely on my reservation. Our Sea Pass cards said Diamond. I just chalked it up to being a cruise with heavy C&A presence and therefore resources AKA "the LA" was spread thin. That was my whole point of bringing it up- certainly not to complain. We had a wonderful cruise and loved exploring the West Coast as Floridians!

[travelgoddess1]

I could very well be wrong but it seems that blocks were first awarded at 210 and later it was changed to 140. Also when we got our first block both my wife and I received one - later it became one per cabin/family.

 

You are correct. Sorry if you misunderstood my post. :)

 

They did get a free cruise at 100 cruise credits and every 50 credits thereafter. Some also got a name badge that looked just like the crew name badge, but that was abused and now they have the big heavy badges.

 

Nothing was given for 150 cruise credits until Pinnacle tier was created. We reached 150 credits well before that, and unfortunately no free cruise, and no retroactive free cruise when they started offering them. Small point. :rolleyes:

 

We never got the name badge you mention, and I'm kind of glad, since it was abused by some. :eek:

Edited May 7, 2016 by travelgoddess1