Big Changes Coming to RCCL's Loyalty Program

[worktocruise08]

They can make the lounges bigger---get rid of the boxing ring, simulated golf and art auction area.....

 

While, I think adding some cool features like flow rider is an asset so isn't rewarding loyality.

 

If I left RCL, it wouldn't necessarily be about the diamond status but the overall decline of services we have seen onboard the last few years.

 

Thats because there thought process is bigger ships and larger tinker toys and not the quality and quantity of service and repeaters they get.

[karena1]

I am really glad we are going on our short cruise next Friday that will take us to Diamond level. At least if they do change the rules then, we will still have our Diamond status. To me that was much more of what I wanted than worrying about Diamond Plus, so if they change it after we make Diamond, I don't really care if we ever make Diamond+ (hope we do, but not a big deal).

 

At least once we have Diamond if we decide to try another Celebrity cruise we will get the same treatment there, so that is all we really cared about - and having access to the DL.

 

But I for one will not worry about rumors until it becomes fact. I have more to do with my time and energy than to worry about things that may or may not happen.

[PH8]

Everyone beats the system one way or the other either by going to a suite with 4-5 people or living at cruise ports and milking those 3-4 day cruise to get full credits.

 

I beg to differ as well as my DH has not gotten the status of Diamond that I hold. MY future cruise shows him as still gold with me being Diamond so not everyone get that perk. Count your blessing if you did

...

 

 

First of all,speaking for myself,I did NOT milk the system to get to DP......... I live in FL and those 3 night Sovereign cruises are very affordable to get away for the weekend.........cheaper than staying at the beach.......so dont assume people take those cruises JUST to BEAT THE SYSTEM:rolleyes: to make D/DP......We are empty nesters who like to go away as much as we can.......

 

Second of all,your husband should be Diamond......everyone DOES get that perk(family members living with you)...so if I were you,I'd call and get that straightened out.........

[Cruising89143]

First of all,speaking for myself,I did NOT milk the system to get to DP......... I live in FL and those 3 night Sovereign cruises are very affordable to get away for the weekend.........cheaper than staying at the beach.......so dont assume people take those cruises JUST to BEAT THE SYSTEM:rolleyes: to make D/DP......We are empty nesters who like to go away as much as we can.......

 

Second of all,your husband should be Diamond......everyone DOES get that perk(family members living with you)...so if I were you,I'd call and get that straightened out.........

 

I agree Kathy that it's not milking the system. If I still lived down in Florida, I would be taking the Sovereign or Majesty every other month. First of all I love both of those ships and RCI is the one that set the policy. No one should be faulted for gaining cruise credits when the cruise line themselves were the one that set the policy. :)

 

I also agree each person regardless of age should earn their cruise credits by the number of cruises taken and not by the parents status.

[worktocruise08]

First of all,speaking for myself,I did NOT milk the system to get to DP......... I live in FL and those 3 night Sovereign cruises are very affordable to get away for the weekend.........cheaper than staying at the beach.......so dont assume people take those cruises JUST to BEAT THE SYSTEM:rolleyes: to make D/DP......We are empty nesters who like to go away as much as we can.......

 

Second of all,your husband should be Diamond......everyone DOES get that perk(family members living with you)...so if I were you,I'd call and get that straightened out.........

 

 

I beg to differ, I am not assuming anything and Im sure you speak for everyone in FL. I have read on these boards and talked to many people on the ships which have graciously given me that info. Even thou you may not be one there are alot out there that specially do it to reach that level.

 

I will admit that its a perk to live in FL or LA that have the short cruises and I would also take them to get away once in awhile but dont you have a FL resident rate for hotels down by the beach and if you leave close to the beach how could that really be higher then cruising. you pay for the cruise. drinks.excursions. Doest cost much to seat a towel chair and cooler on your local beach at least it doesn't for me...

[marle7]

I have written about my current credits as well and didn't get that response but rather none at all...........:cool:

 

I wrote to them as well, and today I got this back

 

Dear Marlene,

 

Thank you for your recent e-mail and taking the time to share your concerns regarding how your account information is displayed online. We apologize for any delay in our response. Recently, the Crown & Anchor Society has implemented a new computer software program. This change may cause some of your cruise history to reflect inaccurately. While we understand that the implementation of our new software and the technical difficulties that have followed are very frustrating, we are unable to offer a date o f resolution. We want to take this opportunity to reassure you that we look forward to resolving this matter, and are working very diligently to do so. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

 

Marlene, we look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon.

[Priusprof]

My wife and I have been diligently working toward Diamond Plus in the hopes that the upgrade fairy might visit us one of these days. We achieved Diamond a while ago and will only need a couple of cruises after this year to hit D+. There is not a heck of a lot more that comes with Diamond Plus so I'm not going to fret about it. I may be more interested in another line in the future if D+ appears out of reach. Chances are that most people won't go back to square one with another line.

[PH8]

I beg to differ, I am not assuming anything and Im sure you speak for everyone in FL. I have read on these boards and talked to many people on the ships which have graciously given me that info. Even thou you may not be one there are alot out there that specially do it to reach that level.

 

I will admit that its a perk to live in FL or LA that have the short cruises and I would also take them to get away once in awhile but dont you have a FL resident rate for hotels down by the beach and if you leave close to the beach how could that really be higher then cruising. you pay for the cruise. drinks.excursions. Doest cost much to seat a towel chair and cooler on your local beach at least it doesn't for me...

 

I did say I was speaking for myself.........:cool:

 

And no.......we do not have FL resident rates for hotels, last minute cruises..heck,hardly anymore FL resident rates for Disney or the parks....

 

Take for instance,our upcoming GR cruise..............4 nights costing us $600.......an avg nice hotel would cost at least $100 on the beach......then if you factor in 3 meals a day,snacks, entertainment,etc...you're way over $600..........so yes,it is cheaper to cruise..............

 

Im with you Gordon about the MJ......shes a great ship...........its just that trek to Miami:eek:

[sea-cruise]

no one mentioned the issue of families that book 2 cabins...one for mom and dad, another for the kids. Frankly, in many cases, this costs more than a suite....

....if we go by money spent, we should get credit for the other cabin as well...

I never see anyone mention this issue when talking about cruise credits.

I'm another person who usually pays for 2 balconies for different married kids, and only gets 1 credit, (and only 1 balcony discount), but there are so many cruiselines out there who don't give a credit or a discount for even one balcony, so hey...at least we're still getting something if you think of it that way. :)

[PH8]

My wife and I have been diligently working toward Diamond Plus in the hopes that the upgrade fairy might visit us one of these days.

Dont worry about losing out on the upgrades......they are not that readily given out............and now, C and A starts with the ones with most credits first and work their way down the list..........used to be you could call them 3 weeks out and ask for an upgrade.............now its "dont call us,we'll call you"...

[negc]

As with so many things in life, the biggest problem occurs when people stop thinking of benefits as something extra given to them as a reward and begin thinking of them as entitlements and woe to anyone who suggests that they be reduced, removed or made more difficult to attain.

If you cruise RCI primarily because of the benefits you receive as a frequent guest and not because you enjoy the style of cruising it offers, perhaps any changes in the benefits are justification enough to go elsewhere. (I would warn you that you are not likely to find a cruiseline that is more generous to its loyal clientele.) I like those perks as much as anyone but I began cruising with RCI and continued to do so, because I enjoy sailing on their ships and until that changes, I will continue to do so,perks or no.:rolleyes:

[ziggypup]

They should just have a lounge for the Crown & Anchor people and leave the Concierge Lounge for the GS suites and above people.

 

Maybe RCCL will add a few more levels after the diamond plus. Maybe like a Titanium, Ruby and Sapphire levels.

 

Then they can have one lounge for the Platnium, Gold and Diamond. And another lounge for the Diamond Plus, Titanium, Ruby and Sapphire levels.

[dirtgirl]

I´m not sure if 25/50 cruise credits are so out of reach. When I attend the C&A parties onboard they usually ask for putting your hands up when announcing how many cruises people have been on. 25/50 is by far not out of reach when counting the hands up.

 

 

I guess it is not out of reach if you are wealthy and/or don't have to fly to hop on a cruise ship for those lucrative 3/4 nighters. :rolleyes: It costs me $800+ to fly to Florida, and $400-600 to fly to LA.

[Host Kewlguy]

I think kewlguy is talking about children living in the same household and getting the same status without being on the same amount of cruises, thus the parents did NOT pay the 3rd person price for them.

 

That's precisely what I meant. Thank you.

[katstoy]

If it's true, (I still hear there's lobster, brown sugar and almonds on board) then I hope it doesn't happen until July. I'll be diamond by then:D !

[PantherFan]

They should just have a lounge for the Crown & Anchor people and leave the Concierge Lounge for the GS suites and above people.

 

Maybe RCCL will add a few more levels after the diamond plus. Maybe like a Titanium, Ruby and Sapphire levels.

 

Then they can have one lounge for the Platnium, Gold and Diamond. And another lounge for the Diamond Plus, Titanium, Ruby and Sapphire levels.

 

Maybe Cubic zirconia?:D

[FL_Cruiser64]

It is, but only to the point where the costs start outweighing the benefits. Sounds like we are rapidly approaching that point.

 

This has been mentioned before, but corporations do not place much value in loyalty these days. They may pay lip service to it, and you may get a few token perks, that that's about it. I'm not saying it's right; I'm just saying things have changed.

 

What loyalty? Just look at this thread and you see quotes like "if they change I leave", "I only cruise this many times this year to reach diamond, if they change, I leave", "if they change, I cruise somewhere else, others have better prices and itineraries anyways" etc (all paraphrased)

 

This is not cruisers loyalty. That is hogging benefits, like coupon clippers.

 

If I am a company owner I can pee on those. I think people forgot what actually loyalty is these days.

 

Loyalty is a two way street. In 2003 RCI attempted to make benefits more fair by awarding extra points for suites. It has quickly been abused. And RCI makes changes. In the C&A program it clearly says:

 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has the right to terminate the Crown & Anchor Society Program (“the Program”) or to change the Terms and Conditions of participation and benefits, in whole or in part; at any time without notice.

 

It is their program to reward LOYAL cruisers. Not those who are just coupon clippers. Heck, look at the statement a few posts above "so that is all we really cared about".

 

And to those who live in Florida like Parrothead8: No, living in a convinient location is not an abuse. We have to deal with other issues down here. Overpriced housing, high insurance rates etc. Taking a quick cruise is not an abuse but rather a benefit of the location. I do the same. I used to do quick getaways in an ocean view (single points). It is our getaway down here. Unfortunately I am now forced into a JS as a smoker... :mad:

 

I really hope that RCI changes the program....

[FL_Cruiser64]

As with so many things in life, the biggest problem occurs when people stop thinking of benefits as something extra given to them as a reward and begin thinking of them as entitlements and woe to anyone who suggests that they be reduced, removed or made more difficult to attain.

If you cruise RCI primarily because of the benefits you receive as a frequent guest and not because you enjoy the style of cruising it offers, perhaps any changes in the benefits are justification enough to go elsewhere. (I would warn you that you are not likely to find a cruiseline that is more generous to its loyal clientele.) I like those perks as much as anyone but I began cruising with RCI and continued to do so, because I enjoy sailing on their ships and until that changes, I will continue to do so,perks or no.:rolleyes:

 

Whoever you are...I like you. This sentence

when people stop thinking of benefits as something extra given to them as a reward and begin thinking of them as entitlements

says it all.

 

:)

[pmshirl]

The terms and conditions on the RC Stock benefit OBC, can also be changed and taken away! Is that NEXT?

[Annieeee]

Just for the record: This was told to me by someone who would be in the know. I certainly wouldn't start a thread about this if I was told by a waiter or someone on that level (no offense to waiters). It was told to me as a fact, a done deal. I asked when and was told he did not know. But he did say those close to Diamond would have the opportunity to reach the next level within a certain amount of time. Since the solution has already been decided I would assume the announcement of the changes would be VERY soon.

 

 

Would this apply to those that are 2 or 3 cruises or 2 or 3 credits from acheiving Diamond Plus status? After this weeks cruise I will be either 2 cruises or 2 credits away from DP. I can take a cruise and sail in a suite for those 2 credits, or sail twice, in either case I will need 2 more after next week.

 

Annieeee

[critterchick]

As for the children's credits, they do get the credits for the actual cruises they have taken so if they were to cruise alone and had only 2 cruise credits they would not be considered platinum if their parents had 8 completed cruises.

 

My understanding is that, if they are living with you, they are Platinum whether you cruise with them or not. I'm not sure what happens once you kick them out of the nest, though. I believe that they keep their status, which is what people are talking about not being "right".

 

I think 25 cruise credits to Diamond is nuts. If they're worried about having too many Diamonds (and the attendant costs of providing the perks, which are pretty nice IMHO) and they had asked my opinion, I would have eliminated double credits for short sailings and also for the JS category, even though that's how I got to DP so quickly (although I'm DP in my own right now with 25 or so actual cruises).

 

The JS really isn't a suite for any other purpose, except priority embarkation (and not even in every port) and a huge price difference between that class of cabin and a D-1. So make the price of a JS only slightly higher than that of a D-1 instead of up to $2000pp more on some of the longer sailings. I think people who pay the really big bucks on a cruise for the GS, OS and RS should get the double credits (regardless of the length of the cruise) and those who sail 10+ nights (instead of the current 12) should, too.

 

No automatically getting your parents/spouse's level, either. Maybe make it so that, when you sail together (as in the same cabin), you get the perks, but if you sail separately you don't.

 

Or do like Princess, give only one cruise credit regardless of the length of sailing or accomodations, but count the lesser of number of cruises or days required (5/50 for Platinum, 15/150 for Elite) to determine status.

[Host Kewlguy]

Would this apply to those that are 2 or 3 cruises or 2 or 3 credits from acheiving Diamond Plus status? After this weeks cruise I will be either 2 cruises or 2 credits away from DP. I can take a cruise and sail in a suite for those 2 credits, or sail twice, in either case I will need 2 more after next week.

 

Annieeee

 

I would think it probably does. As someone said earlier lets just take a wait and see approach and once the announcement is made we'll have a better idea of exactly when these changes will be made and how Royal plans on dealing with those who are close to Platinum or Diamond, Diamond+. I knew meetings were taking place for the past few months about this problem but wanted to make the Cruise Critic community aware that a decision had been made and an announcement would be coming soon. I didn't realize it would cause such a firestorm of emotion. Hopefully this information can benefit people by getting them to reach their desired status asap.

[jzerocsk]

This is not cruisers loyalty. That is hogging benefits, like coupon clippers.

Are you talking about clipping coupons or counterfeiting coupons? I hate when business owners whine about people using coupons. If you don't want people to use coupons, don't offer them.

 

It is their program to reward LOYAL cruisers. Not those who are just coupon clippers.

 

I disagree. We may call them loyalty programs or affinity programs, but it is not to reward loyalty nearly as much as it is simply to encourage you to curise with them. There's a slight nuance there - it's not that RCCL loves you, it's that RCCL wants your money and if tossing you a bathrobe and a coupon book gets you to cruise with them again instead of trying NCL, it's a job well done.

 

Getting points was a good differentiator for comparable cruises, but it only worked (for me) because it at least seemed like I could get to the higher levels in my lifetime. Personally, I wouldn't blackball RCCL if they changed the levels, but if I feel it takes too many points to get to the higher levels, I won't be choosing RCCL over other comparable cruises just to get a point as I have in the past, but I would still pick RCCL if I like their offering best. No skin off my back.

[PantherFan]

So let's say you have a customer that has been doing business with you for several years and has spent thousands of $$'s with you.

 

Wouldn't you want to make sure you kept that customer?

 

We are taking 19 new cruisers on an upcoming cruise (look at that as referrals) sure, we could have chosen another line but RCL treats us nicely and appears to appreciate our business.

 

We want to share that experience with others, will I be benefiting for referring 19 new people? No, I am not a TA and don't expect a discount from RCL. (We don't have 8 cabins but, rather more expensive suites and apparently, that doesn't count as a 'group')

 

It is only human nature to want to go where you are appreciated:)

[negc]

The terms and conditions on the RC Stock benefit OBC, can also be changed and taken away! Is that NEXT?

 

The fact that terms and disclaimers usually have such a disclaimer doesn't mean that elimination is likely now or in the foreseeable future. Only a very naive company with lawyers not doing their jobs, would commit themselves unconditionally to offers that might at some point be disadvantageous to them. However the fact that they have the right to make changes doesn't mean that they will ever exercise that right.

In the matter of the shareholder's benefit you need to consider the benefits that RCI gains by offering that OBC. First it provides casual investors with another reason to purchase their stock. Secondly the OBC only kicks in if the shareholder actually books a cruise. When they do so, the price they pay and the onboard revenue that they generate far outweighs the OBC that RCI provides. It is probably a less expensive marketing tool than running ads in the print media or on TV. So, even though they retain the right to change or eliminate the benefit, it is very difficult to see a situation where they would want to do so.

 

As yet they haven't changed or eliminated the loyalty program so why worry about them doing something similar to the stock benefit?:rolleyes:

 

Worry about those things that you can change, not those that you can't. It doesn't do any good.:rolleyes: