chops breakfast

[crusinthrough]

 

 

 

You snide people that are happy with your other category rooms. Good on you, you are happy with your value for money. We are looking to write a pretty comprehensive letter to head office, as we certainly don't feel like we got value for money, and we are wondering why other passengers have to look down their nose at us for being prepared to pay more to get extra value? What the hell is that all about?

 

 

 

Sick of the comments at the theatre as well. The whole experience of being in a grand suite was not great. I hope on other ships in the fleet that people are made to feel like they paid extra and it was worth it.

 

 

I may have missed a post but from the posts I did read people were defending the perk for suite guests. Who is looking down on suite guests?

[DrD]

Opposite experience on IoS. The waiter spent most of the time turning away guests who didn't have a gold card. There was a big sign by the door which people couldn't be bothered to read.

 

Well I'm an honest fellow, so if there is a sign I will obey. And I always notice/read signs.

[DrD]

People can be saying that the food is the same, that there are plenty of places to eat breakfast etc, ..........................

 

Sick of the comments at the theatre as well. The whole experience of being in a grand suite was not great. I hope on other ships in the fleet that people are made to feel like they paid extra and it was worth it.

 

I agree. I did a grand suite on another line once, and the cabin was awesome and there were several nice perks. However, the next year when I did it again, most of the perks were gone and I did not feel it was good value. Since then I've just done balcony cabins. The extra space is not worth the money without any perks.

 

It seems like a poor business decision. when I did my grand suite I paid like 10x more for about 4x the space, so it seems like a good money maker. Why not throw in a few perks to encourage folks to book? Of course, it's very possible that the high-end cabins sell out anyway, in which case it's a good business decision.

 

anyway, if I ever feel like blowing big bucks on a cruise again, I'm going to go on a super-premium line rather than get a suite on a mass-market line. Because honestly while the extra space is nice it's not a big deal. And I don't particularly want to feel like I'm "better" than the other passengers, I'd be just as happy on a premium line where everyone is equally a VIP.

[rachel_f99]

So was Chops still free to gold card holders, or is it $15 across the board for anyone?

 

This was one of our favorite suite perks. I hope it isn't too changed. We sail March 27 on Liberty.

[Carole2313]

DH and I sailed last week on Serenade in a GS. Breakfast in Chops was excellent and free of charge. We showed our gold card and gave our cabin number the first day only. There was a sign in front of the door with a gold card on it saying for gold card holders only that you almost have to walk around to enter the restaurant. It didn't stop people trying to get in but an officer was right there checking for gold cards and asking for cabin numbers of those without them. No one without a gold card was allowed to enter the restaurant. We have paid for our perks and we enjoy them very much. I don't feel special or better than anyone else. If people want our perks there is a simple remedy. Book a Suite!

[ShakyBeef]

DH and I sailed last week on Serenade in a GS. Breakfast in Chops was excellent and free of charge. We showed our gold card and gave our cabin number the first day only. There was a sign in front of the door with a gold card on it saying for gold card holders only that you almost have to walk around to enter the restaurant. It didn't stop people trying to get in but an officer was right there checking for gold cards and asking for cabin numbers of those without them. No one without a gold card was allowed to enter the restaurant. We have paid for our perks and we enjoy them very much. I don't feel special or better than anyone else. If people want our perks there is a simple remedy. Book a Suite!

 

 

Good to hear it's being enforced. Thanks! And I feel the same as you about this.:)

[goneclear]

DH and I sailed last week on Serenade in a GS. Breakfast in Chops was excellent and free of charge. We showed our gold card and gave our cabin number the first day only. There was a sign in front of the door with a gold card on it saying for gold card holders only that you almost have to walk around to enter the restaurant. It didn't stop people trying to get in but an officer was right there checking for gold cards and asking for cabin numbers of those without them. No one without a gold card was allowed to enter the restaurant. We have paid for our perks and we enjoy them very much. I don't feel special or better than anyone else. If people want our perks there is a simple remedy. Book a Suite!

 

Yep, that's about it. Ditto. Never felt special either.

[wolfganghowell]

As usual these days with Royal, it varies from ship to ship. Which makes it really confusing. But the current Liberty compass does have it available to all passengers - suites are free but others are $15 per person.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

I'm curious if all ships in the fleet are now offering a Gold Card breakfast.

 

Earlier in the thread I posted that this was not offered last year on Radiance and hope this has now changed. In 2014 Legend had an area on deck 5 of the MDR, with the regular menu, for Gold Card holders for breakfast and lunch . We're sailing on Rhapsody at the end of the month and hoping they offer something for Gold Card holders.

Edited February 18, 2016 by suzyluvs2cruise

[islandchick]

Does anyone have the menu?

[Clarea]

Does anyone have the menu?

Varies by ship.

[Don Pedro]

Ha Ha.... If Pinnacle and suite guests have a perk then D+ should have the same because they paid as much as suite guests over time but not as much as a Pinnacle. The only difference between Pinnacle and D+ are points but perks should be the same. D and suite guests deserve less. At least that's what I've read on many threads.

 

 

Are people really willing to pay for breakfast? If so, the extra charges will never stop as long as there is a demand. It starts at $5 or $10 dollars and before you know it RC is charging $20 to $30 for breakfast in a speciality restaurant. [emoji15]

 

I think it would be nice for D+ to have the same perks but the logistics just don't work. Extending the few exclusive perks that RCCL provides to its suite guests and pinnacle club members would destroy the exclusivity. The D+ members certainly have demonstrated tremendous loyalty and have spend a lot of dollars with Royal Caribbean, there is no denying that. The problem is that there are just too many D+ members.

 

You are right that on several threads some posters have elevated D+ and pinnacle club members above the suite guests. Even to the point of referring to the Concierge Lounge as the D+ Lounge. The lounge was originally designed as a suite benefit. It was not tied to the loyalty program. Somehow over the years quite a few people have turned that upside down and think loyalty reigns over the price of suites.

 

There is also the false assumption that suite guests are one time cruisers. There are many cruisers who sail several times a year in full suites and do so because the enjoy the extra perks that come with the gold card. It has only been a few years since RCCL gave the gold card to its pinnacle club members and extended the suite benefits to them. The points required to make pinnacle are four times that of reaching D+ so I understand the logic of that decision. By some estimates there are only about 850 active pinnacle club members and since many are older cruisers attrition plays a role in that number from increasing too rapidly. When the lounge became too overcrowded in the past the D members lost their access and I suspect that as the ranks of D+ members continue to swell there is a good possibility of seeing a suite/pinnacle lounge and a D+ lounge. I sure don't think you'll see the suite guests and diamond members lumped together.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Don Pedro

[minn0315]

That's right. Exclusive rights for suites guests has nothing to do with loyalty or C&A status.

 

You pay more for your current suite cruise and you get more exclusive benefits and perks.

[wolfganghowell]

Well said Don Pedro. We are D+ and sail exclusively in suites. Many of the people we meet in the CL are frequent cruisers, not one time suite people. I see this misconception here on CC all the time - trying to instigate "fights" between suites and C&A. The Diamonds in December promotion that RCCL did for a few years seems to have created a long term monster regarding benefit levels. We reached D only to get "kicked out" of the CL, now it appears eventually D+ will lose it too. I too, believe that the Diamond Lounge will become D+ and the Diamonds will retain the drink vouchers.

[SULROSS]

So was Chops still free to gold card holders, or is it $15 across the board for anyone?

 

This was one of our favorite suite perks. I hope it isn't too changed. We sail March 27 on Liberty.

 

Just on the Liberty last week. Chops breakfast is free to Gold card holders and $15.00 to others. It was not crowed.

[Carole2313]

Gordon and I were on the Serenade in February. We are almost to Diamond+ and we exclusively sail in GS, but we could not get into either lounge because they were jammed. We thought there must be a lounge for us like on the bigger ships (the only ships we've been on) so we asked a gentleman walking by with his wife. He seemed ticked loff and just shook his head and flashed us his gold card at us. The four of us went to the Schooner Lounge for our "free" drinks. Both husbands needed two drinks before they settled down and stopped cussing. We paid nearly $10K and I know the other couple paid more since they were in an OS. Now my hubby says we are only sailing Oasis class or bigger which really ticks ME off. That means no Alaska, no Australia or NZ or Northern Europe, etc. I hope I can change his mind. I really wanted to go to Australia in 2018. After we get to D+ we'll probably switch to Celebrity.