Diamond (Crown Lounge) Access

[outtoseacruise]

On 11/2/2023 at 11:34 AM, The Fun Researcher said:

 

 

Your bitterness regarding the suite lounge is duly noted 🤣 but there is no need to take it out on Diamonds.

The best solution is to make the Crown Lounge the Pinnacle Only Lounge! The writing is on the wall for more changes from Royal coming soon.

[OCSC Mike]

35 minutes ago, schooner_Drinker said:

1722 on both Wonder and Utopia are on the left (Port Side)  Just so not to confuse anyone wanting to book 1722

And they’re fantabulous!!!

[island lady]

47 minutes ago, schooner_Drinker said:

1722 on both Wonder and Utopia are on the left (Port Side)  Just so not to confuse anyone wanting to book 1722

 

 

LOL...you think I don't know where 1722 is?  We walked past it several times a day this week, plus four weeks last year...and will again next week.  😄  

 

My comment was in response to my friend from Orlando that made the statement I booked the wrong side...with him knowing I was on the starboard side.   It is my friend that likes to book 1722, not me.  😉 

[OCSC Mike]

39 minutes ago, island lady said:

It is my friend that likes to book 1722, not me

 

Not my fault I know how to pick my GS's better than you even though I've only had one twice ever, I'm just now about to hit D+, and I didn't even earn half those points. 🤷‍♀️

 

The irony is I didn't actually pick 1722 and that wasn't even supposed to be our cabin. The family member who booked that cruise screwed something up, lol.

[SelectSys]

RCCL was smart to change the name of the Diamond lounge to the Crown Lounge.  The sign went up during our Ovation cruise to Sydney.  It makes sense as the ship had almost 1000 Diamond and above members.

 

Let’s all face the facts that the C&A society elite status isn’t well designed as points never expire and largely the credits aren’t tired to directly to customer spend.

 

I must confess that I would miss the lounge if I was banned due to a lack of status mostly because we enjoy the people we meet there as at least we all share an interest in cruising.

 

For me the change is just another reason to consider alternative cruise lines.

 

 

[AlwaysNeedSun]

I never cared for the Damond Lounge. The views are awesome but the food has always been sitting out to long and old. The last time I was in one with my son, I was getting eyed up like “why are they in here”.  As long as we still get the  3 drinks a day, I’m good. 

[island lady]

13 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Not my fault I know how to pick my GS's better than you even though I've only had one twice ever, I'm just now about to hit D+, and I didn't even earn half those points. 🤷‍♀️

 

The irony is I didn't actually pick 1722 and that wasn't even supposed to be our cabin. The family member who booked that cruise screwed something up, lol.

 

LOL...you must have misread my post on why I prefer starboard side, .....or you are messing with me...as usual.  Funny boy!  😄  

 

I like the starboard side for the quiet atmosphere...I have no hallway foot traffic, except for what suites are over here "on the dark side".  And nice to have the keyed entry on this side as well....that is when they actually close the doors...some are too lazy to do so.   😒   But your super convenient cabin is indeed nice, and perhaps you don't mind all the hallway foot traffic to CK/SL.  

 

BTW...I need the extra walk from over here anyway...eat/drink too much on these cruises.  😲

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2023 by island lady

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, island lady said:

you are messing with me

 

Mostly this but 1722 is still the optimal GS. 😁

[island lady]

2 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Mostly this but 1722 is still the optimal GS. 😁

 

OK you win!!  😄 

[jakarta4104]

I just read the Diamond members area no longer allowed in the club lounge

[Host Kat]

6 hours ago, jakarta4104 said:

I just read the Diamond members area no longer allowed in the club lounge

 

Hello @jakarta4104 and welcome to the Cruise Critic message board!

 

Your new thread has been posted on an incorrect forum where it is not on topic. To help you out I have merged your new thread into an existing thread regarding your topic. It is Diamond (Crown Lounge) Access and is located on the Royal Caribbean International forum. Start at page 1 to read all the posts from your fellow Cruise Critic members.

 

The Cruise Critic website and the message boards are both great resources for new as well as experienced cruisers and we are glad you found us! Please feel free to browse the message board categories list for our various forums. Click here Cruise Critic Community. Please read a few threads in the different forums to get a feel for what each forum is about. Make sure you read any pinned threads (aka Stickies) on the top of the first page of threads in most forums. You will find very important instructions or information there. 

 

Please remember the following portion from the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships:

Browse Before You Post
Browse a topic first to see if your question has already been asked or answered by someone else. Also, many of the major cruise lines forums have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) topic that has been created by our members. Give that a try first. Browsing is your #1 best resource! Please post your messages in an appropriate topic so that you'll receive the best possible response. It is very time consuming to move misplaced messages that are in the wrong topics.

 

Anytime you need to start a new thread on a forum, first make sure you are in the correct forum for your topic. Word your new thread title in a way to help the members know exactly the information you seek. This greatly helps the members browsing through the thread titles and if they know the information, they will reply to you.

 

Also, it is best to limit each inquiry to only one topic such as one cruise line, one ship, one port of call, etc. and of course, on the correct forum. You will get more replies that way. Be sure to mention your cruise line, ship, port or sail date in your message if that sort of information will help your fellow Cruise Critic members help you.

 

If you want to address a particular post already in a thread, be sure to use the Quote feature on that post as I did yours so all will be aware of what your post concerns. You type your message UNDER the light blue quote box then click the dark blue Submit Reply button. If the member has used the Follow feature on the thread, they will get a notification that you have quoted their post.

 

If you ever need technical help in regard to using the Cruise Critic message board software, go to the Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here! forum. You will see a large amount of "How to..." pinned threads toward the top of the forum's first page. Also, browse through the threads in the forum looking for threads of interest. You will probably find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that may be of interest to you.

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful to someone new to posting on our message boards. We are glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[firefly333]

8 hours ago, jakarta4104 said:

I just read the Diamond members area no longer allowed in the club lounge

Some ships have limited diamonds during happy hour. 5 to 8 pm. You can still go in all day and get coffee, go in the morning for fruit and pastries. Supposedly it depends on how many high loyalty are onboard, though I have my doubts. I board harmony sunday and it's already posted under the welcome aboard banner the next 3 weeks. I saw the  numbers this week and seem low to me, not even 20 pinnacles. 

 

Idk but with the rising prices it wouldnt surprise me if high level who used to book for months onboard, saying NO. More newbies and less high level. 

[cruisin from florida]

And at the current prices, it's going to cost new cruisers a LOT of money to get the points needed for D or D+. It's certainly going to cost me a lot more to get to Pinnacle than it would have pre-covid. 

[firefly333]

51 minutes ago, cruisin from florida said:

And at the current prices, it's going to cost new cruisers a LOT of money to get the points needed for D or D+. It's certainly going to cost me a lot more to get to Pinnacle than it would have pre-covid. 

I'm thinking the same thing after this harmony I board sunday, my cruises fall off big time. Left time next year for big taxes and then moving, selling etc. Then 2025 onward and i looked at out of PC and went omg. I thought moving to florida I'd cruise all the time but not at those rates. Need just 200 more after this next time ... going to take longer than i hoped. .. and I've been considering more with other lines like others. Maybe I'll never get to pinnacle. Maybe last minute deals will look better in 2025 onward. Prices are awful from PC.

 

It really is a looooong way from D+ to pinnacle. I'm sure you and me arent the only ones saying wow this pinnacle pin going to cost a mint. I've had pinnacle members say it's their most expensive piece of jewelry. I'm going to be saying that too if I do make it.

[BND]

On 10/31/2023 at 10:25 AM, Slidell_Cruiser said:

Just received an email from one of my clients very frustrated that as a Diamond, he was totally LOCKED out of Diamond Lounge on just completed Jewel sail, Cape Liberty to Quebec City..

I was on the b2b sailing to QC and back.  D was not "locked out" completely.  They had access all but 5-8 pm.  430-5 they were allowed in for appetizers.  Also, all but the top 20 Pinnacles were blocked from the CL.  It was an unusual sailing as there were so many D and above onboard due to it being a somewhat unique sailing.   Something like 1/2 the ship was D and above.   Also, the Crown Lounge sign was put up a few days into the 20 Oct sailing.

Edited November 24, 2023 by BND

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Maybe last minute deals will look better in 2025 onward. Prices are awful from PC.

 

Let things settle down a bit. Those new Adventure prices are definitely awful, no two ways about that.

 

There are some reasonable Wonder deals (they were never going to be great b/c Wonder still carries a premium) but older Oasis class from South Florida are always cheaper so it depends on your point of reference. There are good prices for Wonder and good prices in general... two different scales. If you're unwilling to pay the Wonder premium, that's obviously fair, I'm certainly not telling you to pay extra just b/c I'm OK with it.

 

Star will obviously be terrible so that's not going to help.

 

A solo friend who posts here got a balcony on Wonder for early next month during a GGG sale with a base price of $799 (I don't know the solo math, she's over 340 pts, you can extrapolate). That's a very good price for a Wonder balcony (again, only speaking for Wonder). I'd happily pay that for an interior (my March cruises are around there once you factor in OBC from group rates, June was a bit more, July was not a good price).

 

In any case, I guess I'm saying I don't like hearing that you're moving to PC just in time for prices you find unacceptable but don't give up all hope. I do think there will be the occasional last minute deals.

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Let things settle down a bit. Those new Adventure prices are definitely awful, no two ways about that.

 

There are some reasonable Wonder deals (they were never going to be great b/c Wonder still carries a premium) but older Oasis class from South Florida are always cheaper so it depends on your point of reference. There are good prices for Wonder and good prices in general... two different scales. If you're unwilling to pay the Wonder premium, that's obviously fair, I'm certainly not telling you to pay extra just b/c I'm OK with it.

 

Star will obviously be terrible so that's not going to help.

 

A solo friend who posts here got a balcony on Wonder for early next month during a GGG sale with a base price of $799 (I don't know the solo math, she's over 340 pts, you can extrapolate). That's a very good price for a Wonder balcony (again, only speaking for Wonder). I'd happily pay that for an interior (my March cruises are around there once you factor in OBC from group rates, June was a bit more, July was not a good price).

 

In any case, I guess I'm saying I don't like hearing that you're moving to PC just in time for prices you find unacceptable but don't give up all hope. I do think there will be the occasional last minute deals.

Are you interested in bella2 or bella3. Our TA blocked off cabins for bella3 on oasis because it's cheaper than adventure. Gotta get to ft Lauderdale.  I'm booked ta out of PC may 2025 then nothing until bella3, oasis b2b if you want, or some just the 8 day "southern". It doesnt matter if you want to hang out with us or not. A little extra obc. I guess feb 2026 doesnt work for you though. I think he was worried even those prices wouldnt last so he blocked off cabins on the best he could find. 

 

I'll be looking for a $799 pp ggg on wonder. Sure I'd snap it up. I'm paying about that much for wonder feb 2025 after all my discounts. Lol. 

Edited November 24, 2023 by firefly333

[island lady]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

I'm thinking the same thing after this harmony I board sunday, my cruises fall off big time. Left time next year for big taxes and then moving, selling etc. Then 2025 onward and i looked at out of PC and went omg. I thought moving to florida I'd cruise all the time but not at those rates. Need just 200 more after this next time ... going to take longer than i hoped. .. and I've been considering more with other lines like others. Maybe I'll never get to pinnacle. Maybe last minute deals will look better in 2025 onward. Prices are awful from PC.

 

It really is a looooong way from D+ to pinnacle. I'm sure you and me arent the only ones saying wow this pinnacle pin going to cost a mint. I've had pinnacle members say it's their most expensive piece of jewelry. I'm going to be saying that too if I do make it.

 

Funny thing is...we made it to Pinnacle, then started booking other lines after being "Loyal to Royal" for the last 20 years.  😉 

[OCSC Mike]

8 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Are you interested in bella2 or bella3

 

I can only sail when school is out (with some random exceptions like the last minute deal on Allure last month b/c it was WED-MON and there was no school that Friday). My wife has a bazillion paid days off but it's a huge pain for her to miss work b/c she has to spend hours making sub plans. Teaching in Florida is awful. I also have no interest in South Florida or Icon in general and February doesn't really work for me either. Thanks though!

 

If my wife could get back to an out of the classroom job like she had last school year we'd be a bit more flexible but budget cuts eliminated her position so she's back to just a standard Kindergarten teacher. I'm flexible but pretty tied up from NOV-FEB anyway.

 

We're set for now given our limitations. Got the next 2 spring breaks and next summer covered. Just waiting for Summer 2025 and March 2026.

[BND]

24 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Funny thing is...we made it to Pinnacle, then started booking other lines after being "Loyal to Royal" for the last 20 years.  😉 

That's actually our plan when we hit P in spring 2025.  We're at 607 pts right now.  We'll mix in Royal, but will try out other ships from other lines also.

[asctony]

Really what are the main PIN perks  that mean so much?

I am Diamond+, cruise Celebrity Elite +, HAL, MSC Diamond, NCL Sapphire & Princess Elite.

They all offer perks and are cutting back their perks.

They all offer pluses & minuses plus variety in the sense of food, entertainment, ports, etc.

Never dedicated or cheerleader of one cruise line. 

[BND]

3 hours ago, asctony said:

Really what are the main PIN perks  that mean so much?

I am Diamond+, cruise Celebrity Elite +, HAL, MSC Diamond, NCL Sapphire & Princess Elite.

They all offer perks and are cutting back their perks.

They all offer pluses & minuses plus variety in the sense of food, entertainment, ports, etc.

Never dedicated or cheerleader of one cruise line. 

You do you.  That's what it's really all about.

[firefly333]

3 hours ago, asctony said:

Really what are the main PIN perks  that mean so much?

I am Diamond+, cruise Celebrity Elite +, HAL, MSC Diamond, NCL Sapphire & Princess Elite.

They all offer perks and are cutting back their perks.

They all offer pluses & minuses plus variety in the sense of food, entertainment, ports, etc.

Never dedicated or cheerleader of one cruise line. 

For me included free wifi is the one I want. 

 

Personally I think royal perks are better. I enjoy my free drinks as D+ and 2 days, just want more wifi lol.

 

I'm on carnival in January and will miss those free perks. Sorry but I do like them.

[reallyitsmema]

3 hours ago, asctony said:

Really what are the main PIN perks  that mean so much?

I am Diamond+, cruise Celebrity Elite +, HAL, MSC Diamond, NCL Sapphire & Princess Elite.

They all offer perks and are cutting back their perks.

They all offer pluses & minuses plus variety in the sense of food, entertainment, ports, etc.

Never dedicated or cheerleader of one cruise line. 

 

Exactly, perks change for loyalty programs constantly.  Some just have a hard time dealing with that fact and like to complain constantly.

[Another_Critic]

3 hours ago, asctony said:

Really what are the main PIN perks  that mean so much?

6 daily drink vouchers (vs 5 for D+ or 4 for D)

Coastal Kitchen access (Oasis and Quantum class)

Daily breakfast at a specialty restaurant

FREE Unlimited SURF+STREAM Internet access for 1-device only for the length of your voyage

*** Personalized lapel pin ***  

Milestone Cruise Certificate valued at the prevailing rate of a 7N Balcony Stateroom for 700 and 1,050 cruise points