Crown & Anchor Diamond Plus cutbacks continue!

[grapau27]

11 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Yes 3 times.out of Barcelona

Hi John and Laura.

Our first Harmony cruise was it's second cruise in May 2016 which was out of Southampton.

The next 2 were out of Barcelona in its maiden season June 2016 and again September 2016.

We sailed on Allure in September 2015 again out of Barcelona.

[grapau27]

7 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

Friends of mine love Costa cruises- as many Europeans do. I absolutley don´t like them- neither their ships nor the ambience! Tried them once- which was enough- not that it was a " bad cruise" as such a thing just does not exist in my book.

Anyway- they are at their highest level of the loyality program. With Costa,  when you don´t sail with them for - say two years- for whatever reasons- you get downgraded and you points are striped! So you can move from the highest level down to the lowest. A very strange way to keeep customers coming! I hope for once X or RCCI do not read this! We won´t give them any ideas...!

Never heard of such with other cruise lines.

P&O does something similar with their very top tier where you get downgraded to the next level if you don't Cruise every year a set number of nights.

They don't do that though with the lower loyalty levels.

[gkbiiii]

14 hours ago, Beachin2 said:

 

Despite what the naysayers here say, you are 100% correct.  We are at the 500 point mark with RC and the perceived value just seems to be waning over time.  Recently cancelled our October Adventure B2B (8+6) in a balcony in favor of the MSC Seaside in the Yacht Club balcony suite 14 night.  Interesting, the MSC was about $1,000 more than the RC B2B all in but, of course, includes the drink package, butler, and YC experience.  All of which are missing from the RC sailing.

 

2020 may see us keep our current RC bookings, may not.  It is about price points and value and  the competition is getting much better.

 

Speaking of points, it high time RC got rid of the "coat-tail" status it seems many enjoy.  Would like to see them go to a "you are what YOU cruised" system.

Elsewhere on Cruise Critic there is a survey that shows Diamond, Diamond Plus, & especially Pinnacles; mostly travel in Balconies or JR Suites and above. So it would seem like the highest tiers, already do "you are what you cruised" now.  Few people can make the upper tiers, without booking suites.

[gkbiiii]

On 2/26/2019 at 5:27 PM, Ocean Boy said:

Sounds to me like you are saying that RCI is overpriced for what you get. And then you knock someone for booking the least expensive cabin on RCI that they can find.

Firstly MSC will status match Diamond, to Black Card status.  This gets you VIP parties, cabin perks, Chocolate ship, Picture with captain, and a specialty dinner for two.

 

The main point, is that MSC and others give you points based on what cabin category you book is (like celebrity) as well as what you actually spend aboard.  Also, you cabin category determines where you eat (Bella gets you dinner in the Buffet) and also room service charges.

 

I agree with the poster you quoted, that this is a better system.  The freeloader diamonds, are more a myth (outside short cruises like in Orlando, [a large retired group would spend months aboard Monarch], but this was only Bahamas cruises) as most higher tier, with longer voyages, book Suites.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 minute ago, gkbiiii said:

Firstly MSC will status match Diamond, to Black Card status.

Alternativ fact! 👎 🙄

[gkbiiii]

Just now, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Alternativ fact! 👎 🙄

BS: MSC matched my Diamond, to Black three years ago.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 minute ago, gkbiiii said:

BS: MSC matched my Diamond, to Black three years ago.

Well lucky you! 👍

They stopped this long time ago🥴

[gkbiiii]

I did not know that, as I did it when they first started.

Edited February 28, 2019 by gkbiiii

[Thorben-Hendrik]

Just now, gkbiiii said:

I did not know that.

Yeah the deterioration of benefits... 🙄 😱

[gkbiiii]

MSC has some nice benefits (comped specialty dinner, in cabin Progesso); but NO recognition of Black Tier, as they ONLY care about their Yacht Club, which is 5% of the ship!  I can attest to being 1000% better treated with Inside Yacht Club on Seaside, than Balcony cabin on Divina.

[kernow]

8 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

 

Anyway- they are at their highest level of the loyality program. With Costa,  when you don´t sail with them for - say two years- for whatever reasons- you get downgraded and you points are striped! So you can move from the highest level down to the lowest. A very strange way to keeep customers coming! I hope for once X or RCCI do not read this! We won´t give them any ideas...!

Never heard of such with other cruise lines.

MSC do this too, the time limit is three years. 

I think it's a really good idea as it keeps customers coming back. I wouldn't mind if RCL adopted it, it would also give them actual numbers in each tier at any one time, something they cannot possibly know at the moment.

[Bee Guy]

3 minutes ago, kernow said:

MSC do this too, the time limit is three years. 

I think it's a really good idea as it keeps customers coming back. I wouldn't mind if RCL adopted it, it would also give them actual numbers in each tier at any one time, something they cannot possibly know at the moment.

It would not encourage me to come back!  To the contrary, it would encourage me to look for a better deal!

[kernow]

9 minutes ago, Bee Guy said:

It would not encourage me to come back!  To the contrary, it would encourage me to look for a better deal!

We always look for a good deal anyway and are not exclusively loyal to Royal or anyone else. We like the Royal product (part of which includes the C&A benefits) so often choose them. We did the status match with MSC, liked them too and now consider them when we book a cruise. We will certainly aim to cruise with them at least once every three years to keep the Black status which we have enjoyed. Of course if we had hated our first MSC cruise we would never have sailed with them again.

We would not stick with any cruise line just because of loyalty benefits, we have to enjoy the overall product. Loyalty perks are just the icing on the cake to us.

[Bee Guy]

4 minutes ago, kernow said:

We would not stick with any cruise line just because of loyalty benefits, we have to enjoy the overall product. Loyalty perks are just the icing on the cake to us.

Honestly, it is the loyalty perks that draw us to Royal.  We enjoy longer cruises and often do B2B.  Frequently sail in excess of 3 weeks.  The price of  drinks  each day, laundry every 5 or so days, and the discount on the cruise make Royal very attractive to us.  The value of the perks can easily be over $1K per cruise for us.

[wayne_trisha]

Give us three drinks per night but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't get rid of that glorious coffee machine! Don't cruise for any sort of status BS but sure do love that coffee machine in the DL.

[kjacruiser]

On 2/17/2019 at 1:40 PM, Captain Billy Bob said:

The loss of benefits to C&A members is the result of a small group abusing the program. On our recent cruise the was a group of between 12 to 16 who commandeered a section of the CL every night. One of the group would arrive before cocktail hour move chairs to their preferred area  and reserve them for the rest of their friends. Every night for 12 nights from before 4:30 till after 8:00. It's always a small group that ruins it for the rest of us.

I would have just sat down and advised them of the no reserve of chairs....let alone a few choice New Jersey words....

 

[pcur]

On 2/17/2019 at 12:04 PM, Lady Hudson said:

 

 

Yes, they would be very valuable to Royal.  Just want to be clear — the suite life is not me or my DH.  We do insides, outsides and an occasional balcony.  Didn’t want anyone to think I was implying that we do suites.  

 

I guess the other thing I am unclear on is that some say cruising is “cheaper” than staying home and that is why so many cruise so often.  I honestly don’t see that.  Many of our homes expenses continue when we cruise.  Certainly our home food costs don’t equal the daily cruise cost.  At the port we have to pay a daily parking fee.  We cruise because we like it — not because we are trying to live our retirement years “on the cheap”.   Katherine

 

A cruise is not cheaper than living at home, but the cost of the cruise is reduced by the expenses you do not pay while cruising.  I actually got it down to an average daily cost so I can see the real impact the cost of the cruise has on our budget. 

 

I also discount the cost of the cruise by obc that we use to pay tips, and we get a cash card from our big box TA that reduces our living expenses AFTER the cruise.  It's after cruises we stock up on things with the cash cards. 

 

We have a higher membership level so we get a 2% cash card rebate on all travel expenses per year.  I use half of it to pay for as much of Thanksgiving dinner each year as I can (wine, turkey, crab, lobster).

 

If we go on a long cruise, we will also put our cable service on vacation hold.

 

Basic savings are food, gasoline, and utility bills (we turn the thermostat way down, or off in the warmer months).

 

And last, but certainly not least, I use a Chase Sapphire card to pay for all the travel expenses and get double points.  The points are used either to transfer to travel partners for airfare, or used as a cash credit to the balance on the credit card. 

 

So, the cost of a cruise can actually be a lot less out-of-pocket.

 

When Mr. Pcur wants to know the cost of a cruise, he knows he's getting the "reduced" amount using pcur's "fuzzy math".  😀

Edited February 28, 2019 by pcur

[Captain Billy Bob]

12 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

They all taste the same in a mixed drink. 😉

 

 

After 2 or 3 Martinis everything tastes the same

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, Captain Billy Bob said:

After 2 or 3 Martinis everything tastes the same

 

We used to say 'at 1am, cold beer is good beer'

[Captain Billy Bob]

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by Captain Billy Bob

[ShillyShally]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We used to say 'at 1am, cold beer is good beer'

And at sea or on sand everything tastes better!

[rt1092]

3 hours ago, pcur said:

 

A cruise is not cheaper than living at home, but the cost of the cruise is reduced by the expenses you do not pay while cruising.  I actually got it down to an average daily cost so I can see the real impact the cost of the cruise has on our budget. 

 

I also discount the cost of the cruise by obc that we use to pay tips, and we get a cash card from our big box TA that reduces our living expenses AFTER the cruise.  It's after cruises we stock up on things with the cash cards. 

 

We have a higher membership level so we get a 2% cash card rebate on all travel expenses per year.  I use half of it to pay for as much of Thanksgiving dinner each year as I can (wine, turkey, crab, lobster).

 

If we go on a long cruise, we will also put our cable service on vacation hold.

 

Basic savings are food, gasoline, and utility bills (we turn the thermostat way down, or off in the warmer months).

 

And last, but certainly not least, I use a Chase Sapphire card to pay for all the travel expenses and get double points.  The points are used either to transfer to travel partners for airfare, or used as a cash credit to the balance on the credit card. 

 

So, the cost of a cruise can actually be a lot less out-of-pocket.

 

When Mr. Pcur wants to know the cost of a cruise, he knows he's getting the "reduced" amount using pcur's "fuzzy math".  😀

We also cruise the way you do, but not with big box stores, we use other ways, casino, popslots, turning the booking over for  OBC's and watching RCL's rates about 10 times a. I day wanted to let you know about the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. It gives you 3% back on all restaurants and travel. But it gives you travel insurance at no charge. That gets to become a big saving for those that cruise a lot. For us it gives us about 2 cruises a year at no extra expense. 

[cruisegirl1]

5 hours ago, Captain Billy Bob said:

After 2 or 3 Martinis everything tastes the same

I wouldn’t know. I generally just have one, on a very rare occasion two, but NEVER three. 

 

M

[davekathy]

2 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I wouldn’t know. I generally just have one, on a very rare occasion two, but NEVER three. 

 

M

That you can remember after the first one. 

Edited February 28, 2019 by davekathy

[Captain Billy Bob]

13 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I wouldn’t know. I generally just have one, on a very rare occasion two, but NEVER three. 

 

M

 

Surrrrrre, if you say so.......

🍸🍸🍸

 

I have a 2 Martini limit........except for when I have 3. But three is my absolute limit.

Edited February 28, 2019 by Captain Billy Bob