Diamond Status Inherited By Our Daughter Who Then Gets Married

[little britain]

1 minute ago, CRUISEFOUR said:

Let me take this one step further. Does my daughter need to be married for her spouse to assume her status or can the two of them just be living together with the same address?

DSS inherited his diamond status from me, he now lives with his girlfriend. They have taken 2 cruises together.... yes she is now diamond too...

[Billy Baltic]

58 minutes ago, little britain said:

This is where the system is flawed... so the daughter A has inherited status from parents and gets married to B...

 

A and B are both diamond

A and B divorce

A moves in with C and C becomes diamond

B moves in with D and D becomes diamond

A and C split up.

A moves in with E and E becomes diamond

C moves in with F and F becomes diamond......

 

No wonder the lounge is overcrowded! 

 

I think you’re watching too much TV 😊

[h20skibum]

It sounds like A has commitment issues.

[icsys]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

It's the free booze that make DL's crowded.   Take away the unlimited DL drinks and the DL crowds will be much better.

 

Great idea... just take away all the benefits..... I'm sure those that have legitimately earned them will be very happy with your suggestion !!

 

1 hour ago, little britain said:

This is where the system is flawed... so the daughter A has inherited status from parents and gets married to B...

 

A and B are both diamond

A and B divorce

A moves in with C and C becomes diamond

B moves in with D and D becomes diamond

A and C split up.

A moves in with E and E becomes diamond

C moves in with F and F becomes diamond......

 

No wonder the lounge is overcrowded! 

 

Joking aside  ^^^ this^^^ has to be contributing to the issue. 

 

[Bee Guy]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

It's the free booze that make DL's crowded.   Take away the unlimited DL drinks and the DL crowds will be much better.

 

 

The crowding is evidence that the program is doing what is intended.   That is not a good reason to end it.

[twangster]

 

4 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Sure will diminish over night ... We would Cancel and cruise with another company , more free drink included deals out there now 😊🍻

 

36 minutes ago, icsys said:

Great idea... just take away all the benefits..... I'm sure those that have legitimately earned them will be very happy with your suggestion !!

 

I never said they should end unlimited DL drinks, I only claim it's the source of the crowding issue in the DL.  Plus let's avoid introducing fake free drinks into this.  Nothing is free in cruising.

 

 

13 minutes ago, Bee Guy said:

The crowding is evidence that the program is doing what is intended.   That is not a good reason to end it.

 

Thank you for validating what I said earlier in the thread.

 

5 hours ago, twangster said:

It's a loyalty program that appears to be fulfilling that mission.  If the numbers weren't swelling that would mean more folks are spending money with the competition.  

 

 

FWIW - I'm okay with the crowds in the DL, I know how to navigate them and still enjoy my drinks.

 

A possible solution to DL crowding is to provide better C&A discounts for the DX.  Currently many top elite don't buy the DX because of the unlimited drinks.  You hear this time and again in message threads.  If they expand DX discounts more top elite will buy the DX generating more revenue while reducing DL crowding.  When I have the DX I avoid the DL during happy hour like I did last week while my day time DL visits remained the same.  Increasing DX acquisition rates among top elite seems like a win-win.

 

As far as granting kids permanent lifetime parental status I have mixed feelings.  On one hand it rewards customers who haven't earned it themselves by having their own head on a Royal pillow at night.   On the other hand it creates return customers once they mature and are paying for their own cruises which is what a loyalty program is supposed to do, create return customers.  Keep the tradition going, keep cruising Royal.

 

As far as spousal matches the same can be said.  If someone is Diamond and marries someone who isn't, how awkward is it when only one can visit the lounge?  By matching status they create instant loyalty with the new comer and maintain a happy cruise household.  

 

Stripping status for any reason (turning 18, divorce, etc.) doesn't motivate anyone to return, in fact it drives potential customers away.  That isn't the mission of a loyalty program.

 

It's all interesting fodder for discussions of this nature but in the end is there really a need to change anything?  The program is working as desired.  Why mess with success?

 

[kruzerci]

Did the children policy change in the past couple of years? I have always read that the children should get the same status as the parents until they are 18 years old.  After age 18, they retain whatever status they have accumulated (if they are Diamond because of their parents, they remain Diamond) but they will not get to the next level until they accumulate enough points on their own to warrant the next step.

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

Did the children policy change in the past couple of years? I have always read that the children should get the same status as the parents until they are 18 years old.  After age 18, they retain whatever status they have accumulated (if they are Diamond because of their parents, they remain Diamond) but they will not get to the next level until they accumulate enough points on their own to warrant the next step.

Same policy

[Milwaukee Eight]

7 hours ago, twangster said:

It's the free booze that make DL's crowded.   Take away the unlimited DL drinks and the DL crowds will be much better.

This ^

[young_ens]

Yeah, this is one thing I don't quite agree with.  The kid policy should be share with parents until 18 and after that you go to the level of point you actually have and accumulate from there.  Seems only fair to all of the cruisers who are paying for the program.   

I have nephews who are teens and have diamond plus status..... They cruised a lot but not that much.   So once they reach of age (21), they will be in the diamond lounge pounding back the drinks, au gratis.  

 

That said, Can't say  I agree at all with a 0 cruise point adult cruiser going straight to the D status and DL.......

Edited September 7, 2019 by young_ens

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

A possible solution to DL crowding is to provide better C&A discounts for the DX.  Currently many top elite don't buy the DX because of the unlimited drinks.  You hear this time and again in message threads.  If they expand DX discounts more top elite will buy the DX generating more revenue while reducing DL crowding.  When I have the DX I avoid the DL during happy hour like I did last week while my day time DL visits remained the same.  Increasing DX acquisition rates among top elite seems like a win-win.

 

Agree...sort of.   I won't get the package because of the HH drinks but will buy drinks as I go.  Although I will buy as many drinks as I want, it comes out cheaper than buying the package.  Royal still gets a good amount of money from me, limiting their motivation to offer a package discount.  I'd be first in line though if they were to offer a discount like you describe.

[sgmn]

2 hours ago, Bee Guy said:

 

 

The crowding is evidence that the program is doing what is intended.   That is not a good reason to end it.

Exactly, we cruised with a few lines before we settled on RC. After one or two cruises we really enjoyed the few Gold perks. That's when gold were included in the welcome back party.  It was a contributing factor in us continuing to choose Royal, though of course we are happy with the product. Earned the points one night at a time, so wouldn't be happy if hard won diamond perks were taken away 

[cruisinfromtampa]

39 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Agree...sort of.   I won't get the package because of the HH drinks but will buy drinks as I go.  Although I will buy as many drinks as I want, it comes out cheaper than buying the package.  Royal still gets a good amount of money from me, limiting their motivation to offer a package discount.  I'd be first in line though if they were to offer a discount like you describe.

 

Same here.  DH doesn't drink much, so buying 2 packages is a complete waste.  We come out very much ahead paying as we go vs buying the package, but we still spend a nice chunk.

[squadron]

9 hours ago, gaylemh said:

A lot of people will disagree with me, but this is a big part of why the diamond lounges are so crowded.  A child could go on one cruise and get their parents D or D+ status - marries and the spouse gets the same status and then their children, and it goes on and on, even if they only had a couple of points they earned themselves.  I really think that once the children reach a certain age, they should have to earn their own tiers.

I agree.  An adult should be on their merit.  

[dodgestang]

My kids are diamonds at 9 and 13....and they didn't inherit the status...the sailed everyone of those night (well....we get double points in suites...but still)....I've never understood people who take fancy cruises without their kids....so from my perspective I would expect the average age of diamond to be a lot lower than it appears to be.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, dodgestang said:

My kids are diamonds at 9 and 13....and they didn't inherit the status...the sailed everyone of those night (well....we get double points in suites...but still)....I've never understood people who take fancy cruises without their kids....so from my perspective I would expect the average age of diamond to be a lot lower than it appears to be.

 

Our kids wanted to stop going around 15.

They wanted the money. 🤣🤣

[Merion_Mom]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

 

 

 

5 hours ago, twangster said:

 

 

A possible solution to DL crowding is to provide better C&A discounts for the DX.  Currently many top elite don't buy the DX because of the unlimited drinks.  You hear this time and again in message threads.  If they expand DX discounts more top elite will buy the DX generating more revenue while reducing DL crowding.  When I have the DX I avoid the DL during happy hour like I did last week while my day time DL visits remained the same.  Increasing DX acquisition rates among top elite seems like a win-win.

 

 

 

It's all interesting fodder for discussions of this nature but in the end is there really a need to change anything?  The program is working as desired.  Why mess with success?

 

 

 

Two interesting points, twangster.

 

1. The Deluxe Beverage Package is a much better source of revenue for the cruise line.  They serve cheap free booze in the lounges.  The DBP provides much better more expensive booze.  From their viewpoint, why discount the expensive stuff?

 

2. "Is there really a need to change anything?"

 

They do change things.  For example, they created Diamond Plus.  Then they created Pinnacle.  (we can ignore the creation of Emerald; that was pointless).  They added Diamond Lounges to supplement the Concierge Lounges.  They started putting three daily vouchers on members' SeaPass accounts.

 

So you are saying that NOW they should stop making changes?  They have reached perfection?

[Baron Barracuda]

Our daughters are all D on their own merit, but when the oldest honeymooned on Freedom her new dh became diamond on his first ever cruise.

 

Wouldn't a simple fix be to handle legacy treatment on a cruise by cruise basis?  On sailings where spouse / children accompany  D member they receive D treatment,  otherwise they are treated according to their own earned status.  No permanent status upgrades.

[MichiganMan4]

Cruise lines should look to take a page from the Airline and Hotel industry.... bestow Elite Status on rolling basis - not forever.   Regular purging of the ranks is good for everyone.   Casino Royale already does this today. 

 

Very easy to implement... $$ Revenue or ## of nights over rolling period (e.g 24/36/48 months).   All based up actual travel (aka BIS -Butts in Seats) to count and very limited (if any) ability to transfer to others.   Sorry Junior - you don’t get mom and dads upgrades.   

 

Reward your customers who are actually spending money with you today (not 10+ years ago).  

[Clarea]

9 minutes ago, MichiganMan4 said:

Cruise lines should look to take a page from the Airline and Hotel industry.... bestow Elite Status on rolling basis - not forever.  ...

 

It may come to that, but for most people cruising (not the < 1% on Cruise Critic), a cruising vacation does not happen all that often.  I don't think the airline and hotel industry are that similar to cruising.

[ZiggaZagga17]

Forgetting the 3 drinks bit for a minute -

 

How many drinks do people who use/rely on the lounge for their alcohol ( ie people with packages sometimes don't bother ) actually drink in the time they're in there?

 

2/3/4/5/6?

 

What if Royal put let's say 5 or 6 drinks on your card to be used at anytime of the day - or better still, issue adults with a (?) drink card everyday? (Juniors or people who don't partake in alcohol could get a soft drink or coffee equivalent?)

This subject is one that sometimes 'divides' so many people and the loyalty programme is in someways a victim of it's own success at times in my opinion and the lounges are only gonna get smaller as more and more people qualify - look at the 'overflows' they use on certain ships!

 

I'd prefer the flexibility of a multi drink/anywhere/anytime card - what do others think?

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by ZiggaZagga17
spulling

[twangster]

33 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Two interesting points, twangster.

 

1. The Deluxe Beverage Package is a much better source of revenue for the cruise line.  They serve cheap free booze in the lounges.  The DBP provides much better more expensive booze.  From their viewpoint, why discount the expensive stuff?

 

2. "Is there really a need to change anything?"

 

They do change things.  For example, they created Diamond Plus.  Then they created Pinnacle.  (we can ignore the creation of Emerald; that was pointless).  They added Diamond Lounges to supplement the Concierge Lounges.  They started putting three daily vouchers on members' SeaPass accounts.

 

So you are saying that NOW they should stop making changes?  They have reached perfection?

 

Not at all.  This thread was about children earning Diamond status that morphed into DL crowds.  As far as the topics contained within thread it doesn't need to fixed IMO.

 

As far as more expensive booze, if top elite aren't buying it and sticking with DL drinks, that's lost revenue.  Discount it so that elite buy it and in the process reduce the cost of the give away DL booze.

 

Will they make more changes to C&A?  Absolutely.

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, ZiggaZagga17 said:

 ...

I'd prefer the flexibility of a multi drink/anywhere/anytime card - what do others think?

 

 

Sure, that would be nice, but that is a completely new perk.  The 3 drinks per night are meant to ease crowding in the lounges, where the free drink perk already existed.

[twangster]

4 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

It may come to that, but for most people cruising (not the < 1% on Cruise Critic), a cruising vacation does not happen all that often.  I don't think the airline and hotel industry are that similar to cruising.

 

Exactly.  When I flew frequently I was doing over 250 flight segments per year for several years in a row.  I wasn't even close to a top flier, I was 1,000+ down the list and I was on an airplane every 1.46 days.  

 

There are some frequent cruisers but the average cruiser doesn't take 10 cruises every year, not even close.  The average C&A cruiser is probably 1.25 per year or some fraction like that.    Some cruise every two years, many cruise once a year, some twice a year.  The number doing 10 or more per year as a percentage of all C&A members worldwide is very low.

 

Earning status annually works for airlines but it would need to be earned status every decade for it to work in the cruise industry or it would be very hard to define the thresholds for each level.

[CRUISEFOUR]

I Agree with those who said that the younger adults who inherited their parents status are not that interested in going to the DL for free unlimited drinks during HH. My DD for one is more interested in priority boarding, balcony cabin discounts, free one day internet, and other perks offered. She does take advantage of the HH vouchers but has no interest in hanging out with the older retired folks in the DL (me included). 😉