what happened to a classless ship?

[wombie]

Just looked at a photo gallery of Rhapsody of the Seas upgrade. Noticed that there is a lounge called the Concierge lounge accessible only to passengers staying in ship's suites.

 

As an egalitarian Aussie travelling on Rhapsody from Honolulu to Sydney in September, I don't think this is fair. There should be no limited areas on the ship, apart from adults only areas.

 

What do others think?

 

:confused:

[wineforhealth]

I think you should book a suite

[SadieN]

Check on the Royal Board. I think suite pax get more than just the lounge.

[Warmer Climes]

I think you get what you pay for.

[tip]

It is all about the $$$.

[kazu]

Most ships offer some type of amenity and place for their suite passengers. these cabins aren't cheap and the passengers in them have paid well for the extra 'room'.

[navybankerteacher]

Agreed, it is also unfair that someone who pays for hash does not eat as well as someone who buys prime beef. And how about the fellow who buys a bicycle - he can't travel as fast as the man with a Mercedes Benz --- all unfair -- lets make a rule that everyone has to pay one price and get the same thing.

[calliopecruiser]

I certainly think it's fair.......but it obviously doesn't match your personal culture choices. That's fair too.

 

What happened to "classless ships"? Were there ever any classless ships where certain well-paying passengers didn't get perqs that others didn't? I honestly doubt it. And now the mass cruise lines are managing to provide ultra-low fares to a majority of cruisers, and that means courting extra money from other places.......on-board sales (including specialty foods and restaurants), on-shore extras, and extra perqs for passengers who are willing to pay for upgraded accommodation.

[happy cruzer]

Hi, Op, I understand how you feel. But remember you are posting on a board that loves cruising and many prefer to pay and have the suites and what goes with them.

 

Personally, I can deal with it as long as it's not in your face. It does appear on some ships it would be too in your face for me to enjoy. I would not like to sail on a ship that has a "special" area out by the pool, "special" seating in the main show room, etc.

 

A seperate lounge and/or dining area does not bother me because I would not even notice it, it does not take away from the public areas. Special areas in the best spots of the public areas do bother me, and I avoid those ships.

[BlueRiband]

How is a Concierge lounge for the passengers paying the highest prices "not fair"? Is it "not fair" that passengers who paid for first class air tickets get nicer seats and better service than those in economy? The only thing a cruise line cares about is how much money you paid - not your social class.

 

You'll have to give up travel altogether if this bothers you. Hotels often have a Concierge floor that is locked out from guests who have not paid for the ammenity.

[mikewrit]

We could not afford to cruise if the cruise company didn't use all kinds of tricks and gimmicks to squeeze more cash out of the passengers who are better off.

[bbwex]

It is really much simpler than that. You have a large ship. You need to fill it to make money. You have to offer what the customers want, and there is no single group that would fill your ship every time. Some people want to cruise, but they want to do so as cheaply as possible. You see that on these boards all the time -- I just want an inside cabin, I will enjoy the public decks, etc., etc., etc. Then there are those that want more amenities -- bigger cabins, verandas, more service, etc., etc., etc. Does a special lounge make that much difference to me? No. We have had a suite, but we did so for the space not going into a special lounge once in awhile. But the cruise lines increasingly are putting in special lounges for higher category cabins, and that seems to be the new in thing.

 

I've never bothered to break it all down, but I am certain that if you took the "extras" that they give the higher category passengers, and figured out the cost in space and manpower, you will undoubtedly find that they are getting more per square foot (or meter) from the more expensive cabins that the lower cost cabins. It is all a matter of economics for the cruise line. If that's what it takes to make more money, then that's what they will do.

 

Some people are willing to pay more to get more, and the cruise lines are all to happy to let them do just that.

[Taxguy77]

The cruise industry's mass market ships are going back to pre WWI days when the classes were separated the entire cruise.

[luddite]

I think you put a nickel on the counter and tell the couterman what kind of candy you want.

 

I also think that if life were fair, we wouldn't need handicap parking spaces.

 

Life isn't fair. We could ask my brother....but we cannot ask my brother. He's gone.

[sail7seas]

It isn't unreasonable, IMO, to turn the question around and for a Suite guest to think:

 

Hmmm, I paid triple, quadruple and more than many other guests on this ship for more square footage in my cabin. As the economy has put a squeeze on the cruise industry, I'm seeing lots of cutbacks on board with fewer stewards, cut back on bartenders, wine stewards and particularly menu choices. I don't think there's much question the food budget has been cut dramatically and the suite guest could conceivably say they don't think it right they don't have more luxurious menu choices than someone paying $599 for the week compared to their $4,999.

 

Do you think they would have a point?

Of course, the simple answer is 'don't book a suite' if you have a complaint about it but is the answer that simple? Should the suite guest expect and receive 'better'?

[navybankerteacher]

What would be really unfair would be to remove the option people have to pay a bit more, if they wish, to receive more.

 

Those who see identical treatment as the only fair way should be recognized as wanting to control what other people do.

[sail7seas]

What would be really unfair would be to remove the option people have to pay a bit more, if they wish, to receive more.

 

Those who see identical treatment as the only fair way should be recognized as wanting to control what other people do.

 

Yes, I agree.

[DanJ]

The OP better not pay attention to who gets on and off the ship first then LOL. Or go on an RCI cruise in the Caribbean because they won't like that there is this nice big patch of beach on Labadee set aside for suite passengers as well.

[BruceMuzz]

Wombie,

 

How do you feel about the airlines not allowing you to move from your Economy seat to the larger ones in First Class? Doesn't seem fair somehow.

 

What about all the hotels who have the same concierge lounges you are complaining about ?

They should let you in too, even though you only paid for a room with a parking garage view.

 

What about those great box seats at the stadium when you are sitting in the bleachers ?

You should be able to have the same view and amenities as everyone else.

 

Let's bring back socialism and make everyone equal.

[kitty9]

If one were to follow your logic, we'd be living in the old USSR of the 1960's. We're no longer a Socialist society and not all things in life are equal.

[Smokeyham]

I also have to disagree with the OP.

 

The underlying concern might be more about a system of "class" which involved your family, upbringing, social connections, accent, schooling, etc.

 

That doesn't apply here. The system is really about what you are willing to pay for. Some people choose to save, forego other spending, and then enjoy a suite with the improved amenities.

 

I can't afford that for the next cruise we are going on, but I don't begrudge it for those who can.

 

When I can afford it, then I know I won't be turned away because I did not go to the right school, do not have the right accent, or any other factor beyond my ability to pay.

[BlueRiband]

The cruise industry's mass market ships are going back to pre WWI days when the classes were separated the entire cruise.

 

That's not entirely accurate as the pre-WWI ships kept passenger classes entirely separated within distinct sleeping, dining, and recreational areas. The only place where the classes mingled was the chapel, on those ships of state that had one.

 

In the Wall Street Journal last year an article described why Cruise ships have increased ammenities for suite passengers. After taking some focus group surveys the complaint most often heard was "not feeling special" once they left their stateroom. Therefore you see the increase in suite ammenities so these passengers have incentive to pay the higher rates. (Of course the cost of staffing these areas is factored into the suite pricing.) If somebody sees a narrow difference in price between a "standard" cabin and a suite, don't you think they will give serious consideration to uprading? Especially when the upgrade means access to reserved areas that appeal to the passenger?

[JanineM]

Just looked at a photo gallery of Rhapsody of the Seas upgrade. Noticed that there is a lounge called the Concierge lounge accessible only to passengers staying in ship's suites.

 

As an egalitarian Aussie travelling on Rhapsody from Honolulu to Sydney in September, I don't think this is fair. There should be no limited areas on the ship, apart from adults only areas.

 

What do others think?

 

:confused:

 

Classless ships? When were there ever classless ships? And why on earth should there be classless ships, or classless hotels, or classless restaurants, or classless airplanes.

 

If you are bent out of shape over what a suite passenger gets then maybe you shouldn't go on a cruise because that in itself creates a differentiation between yourself and those who can't afford to go on vacation.

[navybankerteacher]

Classless ships? When were there ever classless ships? And why on earth should there be classless ships, or classless hotels, or classless restaurants, or classless airplanes.

 

If you are bent out of shape over what a suite passenger gets then maybe you shouldn't go on a cruise because that in itself creates a differentiation between yourself and those who can't afford to go on vacation.

 

Of course, if he were to compare the conditions enjoyed by all people on board, the egalitarian OP would have to shudder at the disparity between the accomodations and leisure time experienced by staff vs. paying passengers --- just because they can afford the fare, the passengers get so much more: unfair!

[Karysa]

We could not afford to cruise if the cruise company didn't use all kinds of tricks and gimmicks to squeeze more cash out of the passengers who are better off.

 

I do not believe for a second that all of the suite passengers are well off. Some only have 1 week vacation a year and want to make the mot of it, some are celebrating one of life's special milestones, some have been given this as a gift from their family members. Some people who could afford suites choose not to for various reasons. There are those that feel their money could be better spent elsewhere and others who don't want to be asking a butler for things.

I know people with lots of money in the bank who drive beaters and people who have a second mortgage on their house so that they can drive a new Mercedes every other year. To each his own.