We will always be loyal to royal, but what is happening????

[LMaxwell]

I wonder how Super Mario would answer that.

 

P.S. During his speech at the Top Tier event last week, he mentioned ship design, crew and C&A perks as the reason he is loyal to Royal.

 

If he isn't trying competition, how does he know what he is missing in terms of ship design and crew? To be honest, I find crew between most cruise lines to be nearly interchangeable. Housekeeping and dining room staff, the two areas that guests interact with the most, are from crewing agencies and tend to be eastern European, Caribbean, or from southeast Asia region. I don't find much variance at all in friendliness, efficiency, effectiveness.

 

The C&A perks offset some of his cost of doing business from a ship, but he'd reach similar rank on any competitor in fast order with his frequency...

 

But for Mario the repetition and knowing what to expect are probably very comforting. And let's face it, he is truly treated like Royalty onboard RCI ships, something that would be lost on him going to an unknown.

[Tapi]

One of the smartest things that MSC has done is to extend their loyalty program to people who are past guests on other cruise lines. It’s a great way to attract customers who are deathly afraid to loose their past guest perks by sailing on another cruise line. That played a role in my decision to give MSC a try and now we’re booked on them again.

 

 

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[rukkian]

I wonder how Super Mario would answer that.

 

P.S. During his speech at the Top Tier event last week, he mentioned ship design, crew and C&A perks as the reason he is loyal to Royal.

 

At first I thought you would talking about the plumber, and was thinking you were saying he should be getting bored with always having to go save the princess over and over and over!:D

[SteelMagnolia9]

I think some people just stay despite not having overall positive experiences because their status on a particular cruise lines loyalty program makes them feel like they are ‘somebody’ and not just ‘anybody’. We all read “I’m ______

(fill in loyalty level) and am unhappy with my recent experiences on ______ and want ______ (fill in cruiseline ) to change/do something about this cutback/etc. The feeling of being a ‘somebody’ and having a less than positive experience overrides trying a new experience and being ‘anybody’ for them.

[CrossBluePerchance]

makes them feel like they are ‘somebody’ and not just ‘anybody’.

 

 

Pretend prestige is a huge part of every sales pitch from fancy autos right down to discount grocers, ("Only smart people shop at Jim Bob's clearance food store")....get someone to believe they're special and the hook is set.

[mcatmcat]

One of the smartest things that MSC has done is to extend their loyalty program to people who are past guests on other cruise lines. It’s a great way to attract customers who are deathly afraid to loose their past guest perks by sailing on another cruise line. That played a role in my decision to give MSC a try and now we’re booked on them again.

 

 

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I wish they were an option to me, I didn’t like them at all onboard Divina [emoji854]

 

 

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[bamelin]

For me personally if I felt that I had to spend the kind of money Oceania and Viking charge to enjoy myself I'd stop cruising.

 

That’s what it costs to enjoy the “old days” of cruising again.

 

A poster earlier disagreed with me that Oceania and Azamara give the service delivered on cruises back in the 90s. I disagree with him ... if you want food quality and service you remember from 15 years ago gotta up your game to Azamara or Oceania.

 

Personally for me those two lines are too old demographics wise. If I’m looking for luxury I’ll sail in a Yacht Club on MSC or The Haven On Norwegian. Both deliver a luxury experience while allowing access to the bells and whistles main stream cruise lines offer in terms of breadth of entertainment and breadth of demographics.

 

But seriously the complaints about how things have changed .... what did you expect. A G per passenger for one week ... something had to give. It’s SO cheap to cruise right now. For the bare basics balcony experience a G (1000 USD) Per passenger for a week still gets you an amazing buffet, great wedding dinner quality MDR dinners, and awesome shows. It’s still a freaking steal for middle class folks.

[bamelin]

 

[sparks1093]

That’s what it costs to enjoy the “old days” of cruising again.

 

A poster earlier disagreed with me that Oceania and Azamara give the service delivered on cruises back in the 90s. I disagree with him ... if you want food quality and service you remember from 15 years ago gotta up your game to Azamara or Oceania.

 

Personally for me those two lines are too old demographics wise. If I’m looking for luxury I’ll sail in a Yacht Club on MSC or The Haven On Norwegian. Both deliver a luxury experience while allowing access to the bells and whistles main stream cruise lines offer in terms of breadth of entertainment and breadth of demographics.

 

But seriously the complaints about how things have changed .... what did you expect. A G per passenger for one week ... something had to give. It’s SO cheap to cruise right now. For the bare basics balcony experience a G (1000 USD) Per passenger for a week still gets you an amazing buffet, great wedding dinner quality MDR dinners, and awesome shows. It’s still a freaking steal for middle class folks.

 

It's funny that something from 15 years ago is considered "the old days". Since I wasn't cruising 15 years ago I guess I can't miss what I never had and today's experience suits me fine.

[bigbeergut]

People often forget that marketing and product offerings need to mimic societal expectations. They cannot maintain standards for 25% of the customer base and remain solvent. Society is becoming more relaxed, we see it in hotels, airlines and restaurants. It is unfortunate as I do feel it down classes the experience, but as a business person I completely understand hat they are doing. With each regression they have maintained capacity sailings. Believe me that no amount of complaining will fix this until they see a retraction in capacity due to changes in their offerings. If the product fails to meet your acceptability standards, it is time to take your money elsewhere. That is the only way to send an international for-profit business a message. Complaining, while continuing to purchase their offerings will not.

 

You are 100% correct in your observations and analysis, but I will add an additional factor. RCCL has been actively working to expand it's passenger base by marketing their cruises to more international passengers. This is not a slam against international passengers, but their expectations and customs may be different from many US/Canadian/British passengers. In order to reduce conflicts, RCCL has taken the position to eliminate or not enforce rules that may alienate a larger international community. As you indicated, until the core US/Canadian/British passenger begins to take their business elsewhere this trend will continue. But most importantly "

Complaining, while continuing to purchase their offerings will not."

[Biker19]

If I’m looking for luxury I’ll sail in a Yacht Club on MSC or The Haven On Norwegian. Both deliver a luxury experience while allowing access to the bells and whistles main stream cruise lines offer in terms of breadth of entertainment and breadth of demographics.

Icon class will likely have such features.

[Trekker954]

I just got off the Carnival Vista and can't believe I'm going to say this, but we had an awesome time. The CD Matt and his staff were the best I've ever had (over 40 cruises). We love comedy clubs and Carnival had so many comedy shows (4 per night). They switched singers half way through and unfortunately the incoming could not sing and their venues are far too small for the number of guests. Carnival can do dessert that is for sure. We've never cared for Royal's desserts. At 64 I really enjoyed their tube waterslide too. lol You'll likely never see me on one of their older ships, but I will consider their new ones.

[tugboat]

I just got off the Carnival Vista and can't believe I'm going to say this, but we had an awesome time. The CD Matt and his staff were the best I've ever had (over 40 cruises). We love comedy clubs and Carnival had so many comedy shows (4 per night). They switched singers half way through and unfortunately the incoming could not sing and their venues are far too small for the number of guests. Carnival can do dessert that is for sure. We've never cared for Royal's desserts. At 64 I really enjoyed their tube waterslide too. lol You'll likely never see me on one of their older ships, but I will consider their new ones.

 

 

 

My sister keeps at me to try Carnival may have to take her up on it.

 

 

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[ano]

My sister keeps at me to try Carnival may have to take her up on it.

 

About 20+ years ago we took a cruise on Carnival and it was great. Yes they were the budget cruise but I think they were always fair and tried to do a good job without excessive cost. We went on a bunch more Carnival cruises, then Royal, Celebrity, Princess and Norweigian. Royal was nicer than Carnival back then, but over the years, all the cruise lines sunk lower and lower, but Carnival in most respects stayed constant. Sure the midnight buffets are gone, and a few other things, but they always seemed a good value. The quality of the others dropped fast, much faster than their prices dropped.

 

Today none of the major cruise lines are very different from one-another except in some pretty minor ways which don't deserve any difference in price. Royal, Celebrity, and Princess still try to promote themselves as "premium" but those days are long gone. Carnival has stayed the most true-to-form.

 

Its a bit like the airlines. Remember when Southwest was the "economy airline." Today Southwest doesn't charge for seats, doesn't charge for bags, and lets you change your flight an hour before departure without a penalty. No other airline compares because of the other airlines to nickle-and-dime-and-$1000 you.

Edited January 24, 2018 by ano

[Crazy planning mom]

I just got off the Carnival Vista and can't believe I'm going to say this, but we had an awesome time. The CD Matt and his staff were the best I've ever had (over 40 cruises). We love comedy clubs and Carnival had so many comedy shows (4 per night). They switched singers half way through and unfortunately the incoming could not sing and their venues are far too small for the number of guests. Carnival can do dessert that is for sure. We've never cared for Royal's desserts. At 64 I really enjoyed their tube waterslide too. lol You'll likely never see me on one of their older ships, but I will consider their new ones.

Glad you had a wonderful time on the Vista. Its great to try new ships. I don't believe in being loyal to a Corporation.

They do whats best for their bottom line and I do what I think is best for me.

[griffy116]

We're Diamond on Royal and our TA kept telling us we needed to try Celebrity so last year we took a cruise on Royal and one on Celebrity. Normally we can only afford one cruise a year, but this was a really good price and we got a good deal on airline tickets. We travel as a family, 3 generations between the 6 of us. We had a great time on both cruise lines. I don't have a problem with the food on Royal...in the WJ or the MDR. I didn't have a problem with Celebrity, but in no way did I feel their buffet or MDR food was better or had a bigger variety but we aren't picky. We enjoyed being handed a drink as we boarded. We enjoyed getting a bag of laundry free, since reciprocity meant we were Elite on Celebrity. That's a nice perk I wish we got on Royal. I enjoyed being handed a wash cloth in the restrooms, but I did feel a bit guilty about dirtying a clean cloth every time I went to a public restroom. I don't wear the robes and in the future, I'll let the steward know that he can take them. The WiFi was better on Celebrity than we experienced on Royal. My Grandson and a friend of his were with us and they were a little disappointed by the lack of anything to do late at night on Celebrity and they missed the flow-rider and some of the other "bells and whistles" on Royal ships but didn't tell us they were disappointed until they found out we were looking Royal for this summer and they told us how thrilled they are to be going back on a Royal ship. The loungers by the pools on Celebrity win, hands down. I practically lived in the little pastry shop on Celebrity (although I can't remember the name of it at the moment). Loved the coffee, loved the pastries.I spent more time there than I did in my cabin. I missed the promenade cafe with the little sandwiches and cookies, and I can't believe I'm saying this but I missed the street parties on Royal (I used to complain about the crowd....lol). Some of the places like the gelato shop were great but they had weird hours and were closed a lot of the times I would have liked to have a scoop. I liked being able to walk up and get a can of Diet Coke instead of a fountain drink with my drink package.The crew was fabulous on both ships. My daughters missed the Coke Fountain machines. We have a cruise booked for June on the Allure but if the price and the dates were good, we'd go on Celebrity again. We aren't thrilled with the room service charge but we would only order room service maybe once or twice during a cruise. Considering how much we spend on airfare, hotel, shuttles, tips and the cruise itself, the $8 isn't going to make us stop cruising, which is probably why they are able to get away with the charge.

[squadron]

Oh that's quite sad about the room service fee. I always enjoy breakfast in the room just one time.

 

No fee for continental breakfast

[parrotfeathers]

If he isn't trying competition, how does he know what he is missing in terms of ship design and crew? To be honest, I find crew between most cruise lines to be nearly interchangeable. Housekeeping and dining room staff, the two areas that guests interact with the most, are from crewing agencies and tend to be eastern European, Caribbean, or from southeast Asia region. I don't find much variance at all in friendliness, efficiency, effectiveness.

 

The C&A perks offset some of his cost of doing business from a ship, but he'd reach similar rank on any competitor in fast order with his frequency...

 

But for Mario the repetition and knowing what to expect are probably very comforting. And let's face it, he is truly treated like Royalty onboard RCI ships, something that would be lost on him going to an unknown.

 

Very true. In the CL the bartender was going to the Viking Crown bar to get his drinks. The captain called him to the podium when introducing key people on the ship. Of course he has earned his status and level of recognition. He really was a very personal guy in the CL.

[SRF]

Newer, younger CD's have less to draw on from the past. I don't know how much freedom they are allowed in coming up with their own things.

 

Having talked to them with some ideas, not very much freedom.

 

They do the party shtick.

[SRF]

Hey when is that 70’s Cruise? I think I’d like that!![emoji7]

 

 

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Same here.

[SRF]

For those complaining about nickle and dimeing, need to do an Orlando vacation.

 

Disney, $100 per day per person. For ENTRANCE. Room extra. So for 2, $350 or so per day for entrance and hotel. NO FOOD INCLUDED.

 

Food - Breakfast (not in Disney hotel) buffet, $63 for 2 with tax and tip.

Lunch/Dinner (at Disney, for 2) - $25 - $50 for counter food (like fast food). Buffet - $100 - $140 with tax and tip, no alcoholic beverages. Sit down service - $140 - $160 with one drink per person.

 

And other that water fountains and rest rooms, nothing is free. T-shirt - $30. Sweat Shirt - $65

 

Waits for rides - 30 minutes to 5 HOURS or more. FOR ONE RIDE.

 

Oh, and $20 to park. :)

 

So, $350 + $63 + $100 + $150 + $20 = $683 per day, not including snacks and any additional drinks.

 

And I can do a 9 night cruise, inside, for 2 people, for $1000 - $1200?

 

Cruising is CHEAP. :D

[LMaxwell]

Having talked to them with some ideas, not very much freedom.

 

They do the party shtick.

 

It's too bad they can't think of a new joke for themselves "Do the crew sleep onboard?" "Does this elevator go to the front of the ship?"

[DeputyDawg46]

Agree. As a D+ we have seen a decline in service and perks on RCCL and available foods/breads.

[grandgeezer]

For those complaining about nickle and dimeing, need to do an Orlando vacation.

 

Disney, $100 per day per person. For ENTRANCE. Room extra. So for 2, $350 or so per day for entrance and hotel. NO FOOD INCLUDED.

 

Food - Breakfast (not in Disney hotel) buffet, $63 for 2 with tax and tip.

Lunch/Dinner (at Disney, for 2) - $25 - $50 for counter food (like fast food). Buffet - $100 - $140 with tax and tip, no alcoholic beverages. Sit down service - $140 - $160 with one drink per person.

 

And other that water fountains and rest rooms, nothing is free. T-shirt - $30. Sweat Shirt - $65

 

Waits for rides - 30 minutes to 5 HOURS or more. FOR ONE RIDE.

 

Oh, and $20 to park. :)

 

So, $350 + $63 + $100 + $150 + $20 = $683 per day, not including snacks and any additional drinks.

 

And I can do a 9 night cruise, inside, for 2 people, for $1000 - $1200?

 

Cruising is CHEAP. :D

$500 p.p. for a 9 night cruise. That include taxes, fees, and tips or don’t you have to pay that.

Cheap doesn’t equate to a good time unless your expectations are really low. And your comparing a Disney vacation, with an inside cabin? It would probably be more accurate to compare it to a suite but that wouldn’t give the bias you are trying to achieve,

[mr walker]

For those complaining about nickle and dimeing, need to do an Orlando vacation.

 

Disney, $100 per day per person. For ENTRANCE. Room extra. So for 2, $350 or so per day for entrance and hotel. NO FOOD INCLUDED.

 

Food - Breakfast (not in Disney hotel) buffet, $63 for 2 with tax and tip.

Lunch/Dinner (at Disney, for 2) - $25 - $50 for counter food (like fast food). Buffet - $100 - $140 with tax and tip, no alcoholic beverages. Sit down service - $140 - $160 with one drink per person.

 

And other that water fountains and rest rooms, nothing is free. T-shirt - $30. Sweat Shirt - $65

 

Waits for rides - 30 minutes to 5 HOURS or more. FOR ONE RIDE.

 

Oh, and $20 to park. :)

 

So, $350 + $63 + $100 + $150 + $20 = $683 per day, not including snacks and any additional drinks.

 

And I can do a 9 night cruise, inside, for 2 people, for $1000 - $1200?

 

Cruising is CHEAP. :D

 

WOW - dare I ask how much is a beer?? :)