Crown & Anchor Program Revisions - join the merged discussions here

[mjyanne]

I ask you all to......I suggested that they put a Diamond Lounge on all Ships to fix this issue. I really hope they are listening. I'm so disappointed!!!!!! :(

 

This is all about fairness and equity. I pick a cruise based on intinerary first, ship second and cost third.

 

Wow! all of these post from loyal cruisers to RCI who want to jump ship just because they get no more free booze, My question is why are you not flaming yourselves for not being loyal? When non suite guest lost pool side seating and ice showing seating no one had a problem with that, I say either pay for the booze or just suck it up and stay loyal. no flaming please.

 

This isn't about the loss of free alcohol. It is all the other perks that went with it (continental breakfast, better (free) coffee, a quite lounge, and access to a person who could help with issues or problems and not have me waste my time dealing with those issues.

 

Maybe this will be the new entertainment venue on board a Royal Caribbean ship. I will gladly purchase a cold beverage and hang outside the conceirge lounge to watch the fire works! What a great idea from RCI!.

 

Now we know the real reason for the boxing ring on Freedom Class ships:D!

Bottom line: People will now look for the best bang for their dollar. With all things being equal (meaning whatever that person feels is important to them) the CL or earning credits to getting that perk would probably mean the difference between getting a booking and that person going somewhere else for the same money.

The more they cut the more they make the decision easier to look at other options for my travel dollar (other cruiselines, All-Inclusives, etc).

Oh, just for the record: I have 15 cruises with RCI (17 total, 1-Carnival (never again) and one Celebrity (an RCL company)) equaling 95 days (and 6 of those we booked 2 cabins for 3 people). I have 21 credits and will be D+ after my next sailing on Grandeur (which has no CL).

Remember: Loyalty is a two-way street. Take care of me and I'll take care of you. Treat me badly and well...

As someone else posted earlier: Word of mouth advertising is worth a lot.

BTW: No email as of this posting (yes I'm signed up) and I just returned from a B2B on Serenade and heard nothing about the upcoming change from anyone on board either.

[CruiseKeeper]

I completely agree with you Tony!

 

The situation on the Explorer was the last straw. I never considered the prices going up on the Freedom class but you may be right.

 

Mimi

 

 

I agree with Kewl and you Mimi, I've been thinking of the fall out of this and see this as a possible additional reason for the change. Diamonds will be flocking to the Freedom class raising their prices. I wonder if the Explorer's prices will fall?

[Rick Knee]

We are still waiting to board our first ever cruise in May, to Alaska, but yesterday we received the $200 on board credit.

 

Hope we like cruising. Looks like most of you are regulars.

 

We had a cruise on our "bucket list" and now that my wife of 37 years is in remission from Lymphoma we are going to give it a try.

 

Rick

:)

[ColumbiaMDCanadian]

Particularly to those in this thread that think we're all complaining about the loss of free booze in the CL...

 

A lot of us on this (not so tiny and insignificant) board are disappointed by this because it's just the latest in a string of moves by a marketing department that seems to have its head in the sand.

 

RCCL has an excellent product. Many of us have compared them very carefully to other lines and have come to the conclusion that they're the best for us. But the other lines are paying attention and they're changing and offering more. It saddens us to see RCCL go from bonehead move to bonehead move such that the buzz about them on this board (and others, as well as the travel media) is not about their latest innovation but stuff like the decline in food quality over the years, increased nickle and diming, tired Caribbean itineraries (does anyone want to go to Nassau again?), "Royal Champions", and their latest marketing screw up.

 

This is a time when they should be offering their clients more, not less - no matter how apparently insignificantly less. Economics? Is it really the booze that caused the problem? Simple! Keep the access to the CL for your most loyal customers (you know, the ones you promised it to?) and - oh, here's a REALLY difficult one to implement! - put a certain number of 'free drink' coupons in the booklet. Allow use of them anywhere on board and all those that flocked to the CL just for free booze will go to other bars. Betcha' that'll reduce the overcrowding!

 

If I ran the marketing department for one of the other lines, this would be a good time to hit RCCL C&A members with offers of status on my line! They know who we are... why else would I get regular mail from Princess?

[alphakitty]

I am confused on what level means what and what you get with each level. We are a mere gold level does that get anything? :-)

You'll find all the information here:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do;jsessionid=0000bo0QL-sR_euCoeC79DcyTTX:13hldio7n?cS=NAVBAR

[Cancunense]

we found this news really upsetting because we have 6 cruises of 14 days each booked on RCI in the next 2 years and part of our excitement was about the concierge lounge because we met so many wonderful people there in December when we enjoyed the lounge for 24 days solid...actually, there were so many diamond and above people aboard we had Cleopatras enormous lounge for 15 days and it was spectacular..the service, everything.

We will only be affected for 2 cruises next year and then on our 25th cruise we are on the Oasis. BUT we are still upset about the change.

We are leaving in one month so its not affected, in November we sail from Southampton and Ft Lauderdale on a Freedom class ship....but my next two trips to and from Rome for 14 days each will have no priveledges...and thats when we are over 20 CRUISES!!!

Funny because I am currently re reading my book called DEVILS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA and it talks about how the cruise lines can do whatever they want. And its true. I was actually laughing along with what they have gotten away with since 1970 and cruising went mainstream, but now they will be laughing at me as I pay 7.50 for my glass of champagne (x 100)

I am imagining that they will offer us something different as a benefit and I know of course the repeater parties will still be on...but those are nothing comparied to the benefits of the concierge lounge. :confused:

[CGTNORMANDIE]

WHY can't RCI give credits for all of their cruises: Azamara, Celebrity and RCI??? It would seem to me that RCI would do well by its loyal customers to give them credit for all cruises taken within RCI. This business of not transfering credits within RCI seems counterproductive to the bottom line.

[Cancunense]

Bottom line: People will now look for the best bang for their dollar. With all things being equal (meaning whatever that person feels is important to them) the CL or earning credits to getting that perk would probably mean the difference between getting a booking and that person going somewhere else for the same money.

This is so true....even in 'DEVILS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA 'book entirely devoted to the cruise line industry it is a fact that during times of recession people do not stop vacationing, but they simply look for the best value Very bad time to be making these changes to those who have been loyal for .... for me, 24 years, but obviously they had their reasons. Boo.you just reminded me of the other benefits of the concierge lounge, I dont even want to think about it. We are going to feel totally shunned on next years trips and we will be on our 22-24 the time...pretty sad of them to do it

[VillaHappy]

I am a gold C&A member. After this July sailing coming up, my family and I will be platinum. I was really looking forward to planning cruises and spending lots of $$$$$ (4 in our family and we all go together), but this change will impact my future plans. We used to go to all inclusives and I think we will explore plans to spend our vacation dollars there instead of RCCL. :rolleyes: :(

[ChevyCruiser]

Here's what I just sent to Adam Goldstein...he needs to hear from all of us:

 

 

Mr. Goldstein,

 

I am writing again to let you know how disappointed I am with Royal Caribbean's loyalty program. In addition to joining the C&A program after our first RCCL cruise in 2006, we bought 200 shares of Royal Caribbean stock and started using a Royal Caribbean-branded VISA card. As such, we earned certain benefits - the combinability of which were removed effective January 1, 2009. After having that rug pulled out from under us just after purchasing two future cruise credits on the Radiance in September, 2008, our group of cruise friends reconsidered our cruise plans for 2009 and booked two cruises on Princess Cruise Line, the result of which was approximately $25,000 that we would've spent with RCCL went to Princess.

 

Now, just after we all gain Diamond status, I see now that our access to the Concierge Lounge has been revoked.

 

Any wet-behind-the-ears MBA knows that it's cheaper to retain a loyal customer than to find a new one, and yet RCCL seems intent on driving off its most loyal customer base.

 

We are currently sitting on three reservations for 2010 and are considering canceling them and moving our 2010 bookings to another line. I'll wait a while and see if this ill conceived change is revoked or at least revised to "grandfather" in the current C&A benefits that have been promised to current C&A members.

 

I am very, very unhappy with RCCL and see no benefit in continuing to choose RCCL over the other lines available.

 

[mohavemommy]

Wow! all of these post from loyal cruisers to RCI who want to jump ship just because they get no more free booze, My question is why are you not flaming yourselves for not being loyal? When non suite guest lost pool side seating and ice showing seating no one had a problem with that, I say either pay for the booze or just suck it up and stay loyal. no flaming please.

 

Your argument does not apply to me. There are those of us who would rather just enjoy access to a quiet lounge and not care if the free alcohol was gone.

[suekay]

Maybe poppag is right. Maybe we shouldn't complain about the perks being taken away. The community here at Cruise Critic is a very small and insignificant percentage of Royal Caribbean's loyalty base anyway. Fifty people at a M&M compared to a ship with 3000 people?!? So they loose these 50 guests, big deal.

 

Oh for us, it's not really about the booze but it was a nice perk. FYI, for $16 a day you can have unlimited wine and beer at lunch and dinner on board MSC.

Not only CC members are Diamond and not only CC members will be upset

[cruisinfanatic]

I am a gold C&A member. After this July sailing coming up, my family and I will be platinum. I was really looking forward to planning cruises and spending lots of $$$$$ (4 in our family and we all go together), but this change will impact my future plans. We used to go to all inclusives and I think we will explore plans to spend our vacation dollars there instead of RCCL. :rolleyes: :(

What change is that?

No change for gold or platinum

[Anton]

I certainly was not expecting a CL, but no strawberries would have been less insulting than one.

 

Yes, that is the equivalent of leaving a penny instead of no tip when the service at the diner is bad.

[Desert Cruizers]

My husband & I are still Gold and after two Cruises with RCL, with a planned Cruise in 2011, 7 day Mexico, & hopefully a Med/TA in the Fall of 2011 ( b2b) we might make Platinum, I personally feel anyone who has made Diamond, have earned their status, but since we aren't able to cruise that often, just to be able to cruise at all is a reward enough for us.

[39august]

I can't believe RCi is still touting "luggage tags" for D+. I've been told by 2 LA's that these have not been available for a few years! This change will not address the overcrowding problem, as in a few years, with RCI's current policies, there will be too many D+'s! Also, I suspect, that we will still be crowded in the CL, as RCI will probably NOT open additional spaces for overflow when there are hundreds of D+'s on board, as there might be on the longer cruises. This is a real slap in the face to all those who worked to become Diamond.

[Cancunense]

We are going to be diamond plus soon and this will only affect me on two 14 day cruises, which is enough to make me:confused: but...

But it is the principle...and by the way I dont even believe people who booked suites, who could be first time cruises, should be in the diamond line with us at check in (although in Europe there is never the crazy barnyard atmosphere for check in like Miami) .Sure they paid more...that is completely beside the point. The program is about LOYALTY. The concierge lounge benefits were huge..and everyone was working towards getting more benefits. I dont know how many of you had the opportunity to have the concierge lounge be in one of the grand lounges of the ships, but it is spectacular. When everyone else is getting the one special night of a glass of two of champagne on the 5th floor...we were sipping kir royals and eating chocolate covered strawberries until our appetites for 830 dinner were gone.

Argue that its excessive to keep pouring those drinks for us...but it was their program...and they need to offer some serious compensation. The very least they should do is offer those who are already diamond members something...well, there are 300 posts here, something has got to change.

Good job people!!!

[rogicoco]

It is wonderful that the rccl implemented new programs such as this for others To enhance the onboard experience

• MyTime DiningSM, which allows guests more flexibility to dine according to their own schedule, and My Family Time DiningSM, which provides young children an expedited 40 minute dinner experience and an escorted return to the Adventure Ocean youth programming facility so that parents can continue to enjoy dinner at a leisurely pace.

• Pre-cruise booking of shore excursions and beverage packages and advance reservations for specialty restaurants.

• Upgraded suite services and amenities including preferred seating and reservations, exclusive in-stateroom culinary treats, concierge lounge access, upgraded furniture and more.

• An enhanced departure process which provides a quicker and more seamless experience for guests at the conclusion of the cruise, while extending access to their staterooms on the morning of departure.

• New programming for kids and families, such as Crayola® Beginnings art, Sitters at Sea, Babies 2 Go!, Fisher Price® toy lending, Stroll & Roll, and more.

• Pool-side towel service which eliminates the need for a guest to remember to bring towels from their stateroom.

 

But to me this has nothing to do with the loyalty program. since it is only my husband and i who travel we are not really excited about the Crayola® Beginnings art, Sitters at Sea, Babies 2 Go!, Fisher Price® toy lending, Stroll & Roll, and more.

 

All i know is that my diamond status became more of a Diamond-Essence than a real diamond.

there is nothing sparkly about it now.

[Benita]

Then there would be even more Diamond members, making the crowds even worse.

[billscruiser]

We are truly disappointed that this has happened. We enjoyed the one cruise we had the special attention on, LOS last August and I can't really say it was overcrowded (or even crowded) during our visits. We were traveling with another couple that did not have that status and did not spend much time there, but a glass of wine before dinner was delightful. The hassle of not planning your day around standing in line for skating tickets was also a very pleasant surprise. When factoring the comparison price of which cruise for us, we do consider the cost savings of a few glasses of wine or drinks in the evening while meeting other well-travelled cruisers. We are used to cruising on lines with the ability to bring several bottles of wine for that pre-dinner drink. This was an acceptable alternative to not being able to enjoy our own wine on our balcony. We also enjoyed the quiet times up there during the day. Just sort of a refuge from the daily craziness elsewhere. Luckily our next cruises are either before July 1 or on a Freedom class ship, but once our pre-12/31 credits are used up, we will seriously consider other lines. For us, in these economic times, it will be value for dollar. The closer retirement gets, the lower our 401K gets :eek::eek:.

Kathryn

[Blizzard54]

I have been on a few cruises there were 300-400 D & D+ pax. Although sometimes the overflow lounges were crowded, we never experienced some of the problems that some have.

 

We are D+ so we will still have access, at least for now.

 

I expect that the CL will now go back to being under used and quite often empty like is was when we first became Diamond back in 2001.

 

I will miss being able to socialize with the Diamond members in the lounge, we have met many wonderful experienced people there.

 

It it to bad that just when then bring a ship to the west coast that has a CL they take it away from the Diamond members.

[mtu_huskies]

It really will be okay. Diamond member will still have access on Freedom class ships and Oasis. All these people are so upset, but it's been obvious that's there a problem for awhile now and this shouldn't be unexpected. Everyone just needs to calm down.

 

 

I am a gold C&A member. After this July sailing coming up, my family and I will be platinum. I was really looking forward to planning cruises and spending lots of $$$$$ (4 in our family and we all go together), but this change will impact my future plans. We used to go to all inclusives and I think we will explore plans to spend our vacation dollars there instead of RCCL. :rolleyes: :(

 

Seriously? What was so great that you now wont have that you are considering other options?

[49holding]

Change is good...tho I only have 7 credits with RCL, I have nothing to lose cruising with/ trying other cruise lines. Have sailed HAL twice and if you are not cruising with kids its a step above RCL. I was dissapointed on my monarch cruise with regards to the diminshed C&A booklet. I do have a NC deposit so might just use that to take a quick short cruise on RCL, after that its Princess or HAL for me. I feel bad for my 81 y/o father he just after a total of over 50 cruises on various cruise lines attained diamond on RCCL and was looking forward to the lounge...

[ommboz]

Change is good...tho I only have 7 credits with RCL, I have nothing to lose cruising with/ trying other cruise lines. Have sailed HAL twice and if you are not cruising with kids its a step above RCL. I was dissapointed on my monarch cruise with regards to the diminshed C&A booklet. I do have a NC deposit so might just use that to take a quick short cruise on RCL, after that its Princess or HAL for me. I feel bad for my 81 y/o father he just after a total of over 50 cruises on various cruise lines attained diamond on RCCL and was looking forward to the lounge...

 

I agree -- change is good and looking at other lines is what I'll be doing. I do feel that RCCL has dropped the ball in regard to their loyalty customers. Word of mouth means a lot, and I am sure that many people who are not currently RCCL cruisers will be hearing about this from those of us who have been cruising faithfully with RCCL.

[marci22]

All i know is that my diamond status became more of a Diamond-Essence than a real diamond.

there is nothing sparkly about it now.

 

Maybe they should call it Cubic Zirconia status now.