Where to next

[Wetmib]

We've been loyal to royal, enough that we're 3 nights from diamond plus. 

Does anyone think that royal will create a cruise experience for those not needing/wanting the bells and whistles of the megaship that rci is investigating their capital in. I have no problem with their direction- makes sense for shareholders.  I'm just missing the experience we started with. 

Any thoughts on what to try? Or, if celebrity could pick us up, with not just benefits shared, but adding to a singular reward account.

Thanks for listening.  Stay warm for those in the cold,  and enjoy the sun those on the seas.

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

If you are Diamond on Royal you would be Elite on Celebrity. [there is no singular reward account] While I do not feel their loyalty benefits are as good as those with Royal, they still enhance the experience.  We do not sail with them often because of distance to embarkation ports and price, but they do provide more overnight stays and experiences, etc.  

 

Have you taken a one-way cruise from Quebec City on Royal?  Those a fairly small ship cruises and we feel Quebec City is a great place to spend a few days before you embark.  There is so much to see and do in a city that makes us feel like we are in Europe. 

 

 

[PhillyFan33579]

RCI currently has a lot of “older” ships that don’t have all the latest bells and whistles. These ships will likely be around for at least another decade if not longer. I would stick with Voyager class ships or smaller based on your comment. 
 

Celebrity is a great alternative and their ships, even their new ones, are on the smaller side compared to RCI. I cruise on Celebrity several times a year and recently completed a 9 day cruise on Celebrity. The experience on Celebrity is a lot different. I am in my late 50s and every time I sail on a Celebrity ship I am always one of the younger ones on the ship. Also, there usually isn’t much going on around the ship after 11 PM. 
 

Although Celebrity matches your status up to Elite, I don’t get 5 free drinks a day like I do on RCI as a D+. Celebrity does have a happy hour with free drinks for Elite and above, but it is very limited and only available at certain bars. At a Q and A with ship officers last week, someone asked a question about combining RCI and Celebrity loyalty programs. They said there are no plans to combine the programs, but there have been discussions concerning reciprocity of benefits. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

7 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

 

We sailed the Celebrity Beyond about a year ago.  She was their newest ship at the time.  At 1,071 ft for the Beyond vs 1,184 ft for Symphony of the Seas there is not that much difference in length.  So I would avoid this class if you like smaller ships.

 

I did not really care for the Beyond.  I love the martini bar on the S class, but do not like the way they made the martini bar into a very large three tier centrum.  The Eden area was very unique.  However, we were not able to get a dinner reservation. [We visited at other times.]  Our loyalty status allowed us to sign up for events held there.  However, we tried to do this immediately when we got the invite but got replies that all slots were taken. The larger ship had more people but most venues were not that much larger.  JMHO

[Mick B]

Hi,

I would suspect Royal will try to remove more and more perks for those of us who are Diamond and Diamond Plus over the next few years to save money.

It has been possible to book some cruises such as TAs on the older ships for a fairly low price if you book an interior cabin.

And then when you factor in the 4 or 5 drinks per day they give you along with some other things such as a free photo, then its possible if you do not spend any extra money on a drinks package, restaurants and spa treatment etc, then they are basically giving you a free cruise from a certain point of view.

I know the ships also have passengers who are below Diamond status and also those who pay for Suites to offset the expense of the C&A program, but with more and more becoming Diamond and above, I would suspect something has got to change in the near future.

 

So, no, I cannot see Royal doing anything new for us loyal folks.

 

Lets look at some of the things that Diamond and Diamond Plus get or used to get that made cruising a bit more special, but may have gone away or may be  going away some time in the near future:

 

1) Priority boarding for Diamond and above (Now Pins and Suites)

2) Reserved seating at the shows (now Diamond Plus, Pins and Suites)

3) Free Wash and Fold (D+)

4) Bottle of Wine in your cabin (D+)

5) Access to the Crown Lounge (Diamond and above, but may be limited to D+ and above during happy hour depending on numbers?)

6) Bridge and Galley tours - Not since that pandemic as far as I know)

7) Free Internet (24hrs etc)

All of these things make or made me feel special, but one by one they seem to be going.

 

I have a suspicion (and I will ask staff on my next cruise and post here if they know and let slip) that a new tier around the 340 mark may come into play in the next few years and all the perks left above may only start from the 340 mark.

However, this is just my thoughts and not necessarily what's going to happen, but I would bet that if this is Royal's plan then they will somehow let it leak out nearer the time to make anyone who is say 20 points short of 340 points and who normally books only interiors, suddenly swap to JS and above to get double points in time to get to 340 in time, making them more money in the process.

 

Mick.

 

 

 

Edited January 19 by Mick B

[cruisegirl1]

On 1/17/2024 at 10:19 AM, Wetmib said:

We've been loyal to royal, enough that we're 3 nights from diamond plus. 

Does anyone think that royal will create a cruise experience for those not needing/wanting the bells and whistles of the megaship that rci is investigating their capital in. I have no problem with their direction- makes sense for shareholders.  I'm just missing the experience we started with. 

Any thoughts on what to try? Or, if celebrity could pick us up, with not just benefits shared, but adding to a singular reward account.

Thanks for listening.  Stay warm for those in the cold,  and enjoy the sun those on the seas.

 

Ships are what they are.  There is talk of a smaller ship at some point.    As for Celebrity, your category will transfer over, but the benefits are not the same (read up before you make a switch).  And, at this time, Celebrity and RCLL have separate loyalty programs.  Neither line has anything to gain by combining to a singular program.   If that every happens, category/points will certainly be devalued as there will be mobs of folks in every category.   

 

Your status with Royal (but good for you for noting  that you are almost D+)  will make no difference in their decision to create a smaller ship for you or have Celebrity/RCCL revise the loyalty program parameters.  

m

 

 

 

[Tatka]

 We never were very loyal till after pandemic  ... next cruise will be a tie for RCI and other 7 lines 31 times with Royal vs 31 with others 🙂 , but for us Royal offers a nice variety of various ships. We cruise from Vision to Oasis classes every year (except for Radiance class which escapes us for some reason.) From now on we may look to other lines for some exotic itin once in a while (NCL can surprise) or Celebrity as a sister line.

Edited January 19 by Tatka

[Tree_skier]

deleted

Edited January 19 by Tree_skier

[cruisegirl1]

21 minutes ago, Mick B said:

Hi,

I would suspect Royal will try to remove more and more perks for those of us who are Diamond and Diamond Plus over the next few years to save money.

It has been possible to book some cruises such as TAs on the older ships for a fairly low price if you book an interior cabin.

And then when you factor in the 4 or 5 drinks per day they give you along with some other things such as a free photo, then its possible if you do not spend any extra money on a drinks package, restaurants and spa treatment etc, then they are basically giving you a free cruise from a certain point of view.

I know the ships also have passengers who are below Diamond status and also those who pay for Suites to offset the expense of the C&A program, but with more and more becoming Diamond and above, I would suspect something has got to change in the near future.

 

So, no, I cannot see Royal doing anything new for us loyal folks.

 

Lets look at some of the things that Diamond and Diamond Plus get or used to get that made cruising a bit more special, but may have gone away or may be  going away some time in the near future:

 

1) Priority boarding for Diamond and above (Now Pins and Suites)

2) Reserved seating at the shows (now Diamond Plus, Pins and Suites)

3) Free Wash and Fold (D+)

4) Bottle of Wine in your cabin (D+)

5) Access to the Crown Lounge (Diamond and above, but may be limited to D+ and above during happy hour depending on numbers?)

6) Bridge and Galley tours - Not since that pandemic as far as I know)

7) Free Internet (24hrs etc)

All of these things make or made me feel special, but one by one they seem to be going.

 

I have a suspicion (and I will ask staff on my next cruise and post here if they know and let slip) that a new tier around the 340 mark may come into play in the next few years and all the perks left above may only start from the 340 mark.

However, this is just my thoughts and not necessarily what's going to happen, but I would bet that if this is Royal's plan then they will somehow let it leak out nearer the time to make anyone who is say 20 points short of 340 points and who normally books only interiors, suddenly swap to JS and above to get double points in time to get to 340 in time, making them more money in the process.

 

Mick.

 

 

 

Have not heard that # 3,4,5.7 will be going away?  Will you quote your source?

 

Removing wash and fold benefit?

Removing the selected amenity?  One to three and varying items depending on number of C&A points.   

Permanent changes to Crown Lounge are pure speculation.

Removing Internet, one day ( 2 for D+, full cruise for P)? 

 

I agree we will see changes one day, sooner than later, but it only cases rumors if one speculates.  

 

M

 

 

[Tree_skier]

42 minutes ago, Mick B said:

1) Priority boarding for Diamond and above (Now Pins and Suites)

2) Reserved seating at the shows (now Diamond Plus, Pins and Suites)

3) Free Wash and Fold (D+)

4) Bottle of Wine in your cabin (D+)

5) Access to the Crown Lounge (Diamond and above, but may be limited to D+ and above during happy hour depending on numbers?)

6) Bridge and Galley tours - Not since that pandemic as far as I know)

7) Free Internet (24hrs etc)

Of these 7 the only ones that are removed have nothing to do with "saving money". It has to do with capacity and access. Why would you accuse them of removing benefits to save money when there is no evidence that that is the case.

 

What you haven't included in your list is the benefits that they have added.  The biggest being 5 drinks per person per day.  This is very valuable for most people and vastly exceeds the inconsequential changes like priority boarding and reserved seating. Most people get to board whenever they want. At many ports they have streamlined the boarding process so efficiently that you are curb to ship in less than 15 minutes.  There are always seats available in the Main theatre for almost every show and very few are truly bad seats.  How many times do you want to go on a bridge tour.  That's a one and done for me...  

 

You still get wash and fold

you still get your wine

you still get access to Crown Lounge. Your speculations about limiting access to D's is only a minor degrading of the benefit.

you still get internet for 24 hours, 48 if you are d+

 

The constant hand wringing and pearl clutching over degrading benefits on this forum gets old...

 

It still the best loyalty program in the cruise industry by a fair measure.

Edited January 19 by Tree_skier

[Tree_skier]

16 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I agree we will see changes one day, sooner than later, but it only cases rumors if one speculates. 

We'll see change for sure... That the changes will be negative is entirely speculative.  

 

I remember when they cancelled the free wine and beer at HH in the diamond lounge in lieu of the vouchers.  Some posters thought the sky was falling.  Now everyone realizes this is a tremendous upgrade in loyalty benefits.

Edited January 19 by Tree_skier

[Mick B]

Yes, I have to agree having the 5 free drinks (and of most brands instead of just limited as before) at almost any bar at any time is a great perk.

Not sure if it was designed to cut the bottleneck of top tier cruisers trying to get a seat in the old DL at 5pm or whether it actually saves RCI money as it was possible before to get quiet a few more drinks in during the happy hour and many a person used to slip the server a $5 bill to get good service.

 

Now, I know removing the priority check-in for Diamond and D+ probably doesn't save money and I know the time it now takes to get on board has been speeded up somewhat. However, firstly, it was nice to have your own dedicated line upon arrival (and remember the OP asked about making the cruise special) and there was nothing better than the feeling you got from the staff on arrival. Secondly, although the boarding time is quicker, the rules do not seem to be enforced regarding your arrival time, so at some ports there can be hundreds waiting at 11am who should not be boarding until after 12noon, so having our old dedicated line back would allow us to avoid any hassle. Barcelona was one such port where this happened a few times.

 

One of the other best things they have done since covid (and I really hope they keep) is the new muster drill.

Now you can do this when boarding or around 1pm meaning you can get on early and have some lunch, do the drill and then the day is yours with no interuptions.

I can remember when you would have to stop what you were doing and go to the muster station at 4pm (or whenever) and then there was a mad rush to get to the DL for a seat.

 

The bridge tour seems to have now evolved into a pay for service. I know once you've been on a bridge you may think you have seen them all, but it was always nice to get to see the bridges on different ships and it would be nice if they re-introduced this for at least new qualified members as a one-off.

 

As for the seating in the shows, to me it depends on the show. If its a good tribute band then the first 4 rows is where I like to be for great sound. However, if its a comedy act wanting audience participation, then those D+ seats upstairs are just the ticket. I do find on some of the ships that the reserved seating can be far from the stage, so not good for some things. On some ships they allowed you to arrive early and choose your seats (as long as they weren't marked Star/Key whatever).

 

I must say ln the whole, the current cruise conditions for Diamond and above is absolutely great. Even though some other cruise lines offer a similar cruise at a lower price, once you factor in all your C&A perks then RCI seems a winner.

 

My comments before about RCI removing some of them is not based on any source, but based on what they might do in the future to save money as they are a business and profit comes first. I can assure you all too, that I hope I am wrong with my feelings that some of the things we get will be taken away, but for now let's hope they all stay, and may we all enjoy our cruising.

 

Mick.