Letter to Diamond Members (Merged Threads)

[jmcal123]

Undeliverable energy is not a healthy thing. :rolleyes:

 

Ha ha ha :) There goes my spell check thinking for me again. I meant "Unbelievable". LOL I guess that totally discounted my statement when I can't even get the word right huh? Duhhhh :p

[Alan13]

Lets see, at 6:30 AM one can pick up a cup of coffee at the Cafe Promenade or the Windjammer and find tons of quiet areas on a seemingly almost deserted ship. Of couse, it is possible that you are not aware of this because you have been confined in the CL.;)

 

Thanks Ocean Boy for your snide remarks and assuming that I know nothing about the layout of a Radiance Class Ship or any ship for that matter.

 

Yes I can go to the Windjammer and get coffee which I do many mornings.

And if it's nice weather I'll sit outside by the Seaview Cafe where there is no bouncy music being played at 630a.

 

I like the Concierge Lounge on some mornings when the weather is not great.

I can make a latte, cappucino, or regular coffee and have a light breakfast at 730a when the cart is rolled in.

 

And yes, I do know where every quiet area on the ship is located!

[Alamogirl]

Does a "lowly Platinum" level and not one of the "wonderful people" you can visit with dare to be part of this board?

 

I have never in my 61 years heard such a bunch of cry babies! For what, no CL, free drinks and able to mingle with fellow D and D+ :confused:

 

We started cruising after deciding vacations did not always have to be visting family. So, every year 1 vacation is for us and that is a cruise. Levels haven't meant anything other than look how many cruises we have been "fortunate" enough to be able to go on. Not to mention all of the wonderful people we have met, and never asked, "what level are you" .

 

People get a grip, life is too short for such pettiness. Be greatful that you can go on a cruise. If you don't like RCL then go somewhere else, just know that the grass isn't always greener. A perk is a perk and not a given IMHO.

 

RCL is the cruisline of choice for us regardless of being a D or D+ or 1st timer, we would still enjoy or time on their ships.

[Larryhnj]

Just one more little request. Can RCCL include soda along with the wine and champagne as I am not allowed to drink wine or liquor for medical reasons and dont ever eat any of the food.

 

As you can see we have a few cruises booked and at this time are not changing our loyalty.

 

Larry

[sealord]

The irony in this whole kerfuffle is, it was all about giving out free drinks for Royal and all about getting free drinks for diamond cruisers.

 

Royal wanted to generate more revenue, it was never a space issue and Diamond members really wanted free drinks, not to be able to mingle with others.

 

"kerfuffle" ... some ... not me ... might wonder if that is the missing 'k'.

 

Perhaps you should have been the RCI spokesperson ... they claim it was 'crowding' that was the issue. But we can try your approach.

 

"Calling all Crown and Anchor Diamonds. In order to generate more revenue, we are taking away your earned benefits and effectively reverting you all back to Crown and Anchor Platinum."

 

I wonder how that would have gone over? That is essentially what they did. They created C&A Diamond Plus a short time ago ... a level that essentially had no appreciable additional benefits. Once that level was established, they moved the Diamond benefits to Diamond Plus, left the Diamonds with basicly the Platinum benefits, and raised the bar for everyone.:cool:

 

We have pointed out previously all of the "Diamond" benefits we enjoyed in the past, including the daily happy hour. But, the happy hour, once again, is only the lower right corner of the big picture.

[jmcal123]

Does a "lowly Platinum" level and not one of the "wonderful people" you can visit with dare to be part of this board?

 

I have never in my 61 years heard such a bunch of cry babies! For what, no CL, free drinks and able to mingle with fellow D and D+ :confused:

 

We started cruising after deciding vacations did not always have to be visting family. So, every year 1 vacation is for us and that is a cruise. Levels haven't meant anything other than look how many cruises we have been "fortunate" enough to be able to go on. Not to mention all of the wonderful people we have met, and never asked, "what level are you" .

 

People get a grip, life is too short for such pettiness. Be greatful that you can go on a cruise. If you don't like RCL then go somewhere else, just know that the grass isn't always greener. A perk is a perk and not a given IMHO.

 

RCL is the cruisline of choice for us regardless of being a D or D+ or 1st timer, we would still enjoy or time on their ships.

 

Alamogirl - RIGHT ON!!!!

[texlatin1]

After 'sleeping on' Goldstein's most recent 'publication', I decided that the RCI revision to the "enhancements" is not adequate. There are some attractive features, but they have still substantially denegrated the benefits 'earned' by the Diamond people using the 'overcrowding' excuse as the reason. I have sent the following E-mail to Mr. Goldstein.

 

Dear Mr. Goldstein:

 

Although your revised "enhancements" are clearly a step forward, they are

also clearly inadequate for a number of reasons. I will list them for you:

 

1. The 'reason' for the change in the Concierge Lounge benefit was given to

be "crowding". Your "VIP" party proposal for Diamond members is clearly a

solution to the "crowding". You have not solved the issue of 'reciprocity'.

Diamond members were promised the Concierge Lounge benefit after 10 cruises,

therefore the "VIP" party should have the same "benefit" as the Concierge

Lounge, if we are to accept it as a proper substitute for the 'advertised'

Diamond level Concierge Lounge benefit. That would of necessity include

complimentary "cocktails" not a 25% discount, and it would include the same

'snacks' that are served in the CL. It would include the coffee machine

with specialty coffees throughout the day. Your proposal still 'reneges' on

the bargain we made when we signed up for the C&A 'program'. We signed up

for the steak, and you are now offering us hamburger ... and we have to pay

for the hamburger.

 

2. If I had known these changes were forthcoming, or that I was going to

need more 'cruise credits', I would have cruised differently. For example,

I would never have gone on that 'eleven' day Panama Canal cruise in

December. I would have taken something twelve days or longer to get the

extra cruise credit. I would not have tried out the Celebrity Infinity. I

would have done another double credit cruise on RCCL. When you are striving

for those 'credits', which take a very long time to accumulate, you are

counting on the integrity of the offer. RCI has shown that 'they' don't

understand the concept of 'integrity'. These are some of the possible

changes I would have made in my cruising 'profile'. In reality, if I knew

that it was going to take 24 credits to get what RCCL said I could have at

ten, I would not have been cruising RCCL, or certainly not to the exclusion

of other lines that might have been more convenient or economical. RCCL got

my business under 'false' pretences.

 

3. RCCL has demonstrated that 'they' have no reservations about 'raising

the bar' when it comes to the advertised benefits. So why should we believe

that even the 'new' benefits will be there when we 'get out there'? You

offered benefits that required a major commitment from your customers, and

now RCCL has decided to not uphold their part of the bargain. Many

customers, including me, have started to become wary of the Royal Caribbean

Visa/Royal Points program as well. Many of us will be using up those Royal

Points while we still can, and canceling the card. Actually, I just

discovered that, in spite of the fact that the written words say you get

double points for charges made to Royal Caribbean International, my charges

made on Celebrity do not get double points. The 'words' do not say charges

to RCCL get double points, they say charges to RCI get double points. I

would call that another 'integrity' failure.

 

If the benefits to the Diamond Members are not restored in 'equal kind' to

what they were prior to these changes made necessary due to 'crowding', RCCL

will have failed to restore the 'trust' and 'loyalty' of some of their best

customers. These revised 'enhancements' are definitely a step forward, but

they were in response to 'two steps' backward. At that rate I should be

back the Crown and Anchor "Gold" in no time at all.

 

Still :mad:

 

 

Well did you cruise for perks or for the cruise experience? Why would anyone have cruised so much without regard to first reading the terms and conditions of the C&A policies??? Whether or not this quote "Royal Caribbean reserves the right to change this program" is in "fine print" does not exclude the fact that it is written on their contract. As the consumer, it is OUR responsibility to know what we're getting into before we agree to sign anything. One thing that is true is that we ALL certainly have the option to change cruise lines as see fit. I will only be wishing you good things on your next voyage and hopefully you can find a line that will most certainly meet all your needs.

[texlatin1]

if i book a grand suite on the enchantment 4 d cruise do i get 2 cruise credits? I drink a lot of wine from 5-8pm and could use diamond status pronto. (lol)

roflmao!!!!

[Debde]

alamogirl - right on!!!!

 

i agree too. Spot on post!!!!

[sealord]

Does a "lowly Platinum" level and not one of the "wonderful people" you can visit with dare to be part of this board?

 

Levels haven't meant anything other than look how many cruises we have been "fortunate" enough to be able to go on ...

 

I have to agree with you. Until you get past the Platinum level, the C&A benefits didn't 'mean anything'. Now they don't 'mean anything' until you get to Diamond Plus. And I might add, the 'word' of RCI doesn't mean anything either.

[texlatin1]

Just one more little request. Can RCCL include soda along with the wine and champagne as I am not allowed to drink wine or liquor for medical reasons and dont ever eat any of the food.

 

As you can see we have a few cruises booked and at this time are not changing our loyalty.

 

Larry

 

Larry, you can certainly bring your own soda/water on board if you wanted to at check in. There are no restrictions on that and in MY experience (before everyone chimes in that it can't and hasn't been done), there have actually been guests who have brought in cases of their own water and sodas through the security check line and it was not confiscated. We usually bring a small luggage piece with wheels and place a 12 pack Dr. Pepper (hard to come by on most cruise lines) and a 12 pack water. We have the room steward remove all the items in the mini-fridge and load our supplies in. The leftover empty luggage piece works out well for souvenirs or clothing used during the sailing. Just FYI

 

(now back to our regularly scheduled program)....

[texlatin1]

Does a "lowly Platinum" level and not one of the "wonderful people" you can visit with dare to be part of this board?

 

I have never in my 61 years heard such a bunch of cry babies! For what, no CL, free drinks and able to mingle with fellow D and D+ :confused:

 

We started cruising after deciding vacations did not always have to be visting family. So, every year 1 vacation is for us and that is a cruise. Levels haven't meant anything other than look how many cruises we have been "fortunate" enough to be able to go on. Not to mention all of the wonderful people we have met, and never asked, "what level are you" .

 

People get a grip, life is too short for such pettiness. Be greatful that you can go on a cruise. If you don't like RCL then go somewhere else, just know that the grass isn't always greener. A perk is a perk and not a given IMHO.

 

RCL is the cruisline of choice for us regardless of being a D or D+ or 1st timer, we would still enjoy or time on their ships.

 

Finally, someone with enough cojones to tell it like it is!!! Thanks Alamogirl!!! DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS (LOL).:cool:

[reggierail]

None of this affects me but it still affects many of my friends and clients.

I will sail in a few days and many of my clients and friends affected should and will express their feelings while on board. About 1/3 of my Mariner group on 4-19 are affected, not on this sailing, but on future cruises.

 

Reggie

[sealord]

Well did you cruise for perks or for the cruise experience?

 

 

Why would anyone have cruised so much without regard to first reading the terms and conditions of the C&A policies?

 

First, that would not be an either/or proposition. It would be an "and". I cruise for the cruise experience first, and the perks second. And the perks became a part of the cruise experience that made it better. And once I 'earned' the access to the Concierge Lounge, the cruise experience became a lot better.

 

 

Second, I've visited this question before, so I will try another approach. If you read your cruise contract carefully, you will also find that the cruise line can change your itinerary, omitting the advertised destinations anytime at their discretion. (I know that this would be primarily due to weather conditions.) But the contract says they can do it, so why not avoid all those expensive port fees by just pulling out of Miami and floating around for a week? Look at all the fuel they would save also.

 

Just because the fine print says they can do it, does not mean that it's the "right" thing to do!

[dutchess43]

Sealord while I agree with you that we received nothing this perk will come to pass. Once passengers will be paying 75% for their drinks they will not to go there. First if I can sit with my friends & drink anywhere the 25% is not going to make a difference to me. Eventually this will happen & then you will see this go away because it will be noted that there was poor attendance.

[texlatin1]

I've visited this question before, so I will try another approach. If you read your cruise contract carefully, you will find that the cruise line can change your itinerary, omitting the advertised destinations anytime at their discretion. (I know that this would be primarily due to weather conditions.) But the contract says they can do it, so why not avoid all those expensive port fees by just pulling out of Miami and floating around for a week? Look at all the fuel they would save also.

 

Just because the fine print says they can do it, does not mean that it's the "right" thing to do!

 

Oh my goodness, now that is just silly!!! You're upset because a company decided to use their ability to modify changes in their program as stated in their contract and YOU say it's not right??? Your back up response to explain your post now is changing itinerary destinations and the right to do it by the company. FYI, it does and will happen! It happened on a previous cruise when the weather to too bad in Costa Maya, we had to lose that port and spend an extra day at sea. They're certainly not going to change it just to throw a monkey wrench in everyones plans! But it still happens and many times even during a cruise!

 

Listen, if you have go further with making such remarks as "But the contract says they can do it, so why not avoid all those expensive port fees by just pulling out of Miami and floating around for a week? Look at all the fuel they would save also" perhaps its better and will probably give you peace of mind to go out and by a personal boat. Going further with such comments only diminishes anything you may have said earlier!

 

..."pulling out of Miami and floating around for a week? Look at all the fuel they would save also" LOL

[Alamogirl]

I have to agree with you. Until you get past the Platinum level, the C&A benefits didn't 'mean anything'. Now they don't 'mean anything' until you get to Diamond Plus. And I might add, the 'word' of RCI doesn't mean anything either.

 

 

Frankly my DH and I could care less about level - and if the amount of $$ spent on ship counted - trust me we would be D+ easily. We enjoy good wine, champagne and I also shop on the ship. We can pay for our own drinks and mingle in any of the great bars with "wonderful" people, preferably the Champagne Bar, where I can BUY the champagne of my choice. I can also get my own tickets and shore excursions. I don't need a level to have a GREAT cruise!!

[texlatin1]

Frankly my DH and I could care less about level - and if the amount of $$ spent on ship counted - trust me we would be D+ easily. We enjoy good wine, champagne and I also shop on the ship. We can pay for our own drinks and mingle in any of the great bars with "wonderful" people, preferably the Champagne Bar, where I can BUY the champagne of my choice. I can also get my own tickets and shore excursions. I don't need a level to have a GREAT cruise!!

 

 

[Alamogirl]

texlantin1.. are you my "little darlin" that was wearing that great red coat that I had my pic taken with?

[dutchess43]

Texlatin1

I have a question I never sailed on Carnival & see that you have how would you compare it to RCI? I have sailed on Princess, Hal, RCI, Celebrity & NCL.

[rednancy1]

I also must admit that the most recent change, if I'm reading it correctly, will bring the Vision class back into consideration.

 

As D+ we've always considered the Vision and Sovereign class. In fact we've sailed 28 nights alone on the Monarch, 3 nights on the Soveriegn and 14 nights on the Vision. There are no CLs on either of these ships.

 

If a ship has a CL that's great. If not we find another place to socialize.

 

We also buy a wine package for dinner. :o So the "free" cocktail before dinner is a nice perk, but we still spend money onboard. :)

[missbogota]

Frankly my DH and I could care less about level - and if the amount of $$ spent on ship counted - trust me we would be D+ easily. We enjoy good wine, champagne and I also shop on the ship. We can pay for our own drinks and mingle in any of the great bars with "wonderful" people, preferably the Champagne Bar, where I can BUY the champagne of my choice. I can also get my own tickets and shore excursions. I don't need a level to have a GREAT cruise!!

[texlatin1]

texlantin1.. Are you my "little darlin" that was wearing that great red coat that i had my pic taken with?

 

yes!!!!

[BecciBoo]

Wow, I must really be easy. But I feel like this is great news. I get my happy hour back and I never drink anything but wine mostly. And their house wine Terre is excellent, IMHO only of course.:rolleyes: I think it's a concession, but a good one and I would like the 25% off cocktails...better than full price.:o And a party every day is better than the one party. I'm pleased. But I agree with Tex...some of em all the time, some of em sometime, but never everybody all the time. O Well!:cool:

[Alamogirl]

yes!!!!

When I really looked at your pic, I just knew it was you!! Just in case, I was the one in the blue dress that your darlin SO fixed for me.

 

 

 

I figured I would get slammed for my comments but hey, it's how I feel. Glad to see there were others that understood my comments!