change of internet benefit for diamond and diamond plus

[KDOG687]

There is nothing free on a cruise on Royal and you know that. It's all paid for when passage is bought. There are things with no up charge or discounts. Royal does not have a supplier giving them booze with no charge nor some sat company giving them a tower or free access to a satalite. It's the age of entitlement.

The age of entitlement would be a first timer cruiser demanding same benefits, this is a rewards based loyalty program which is a token of appreciation for coming back so often.

 

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[psumother]

Yes, $23 for Surf ($27 for Stream) for 24 hours.

 

I see the price increased again. If diamond plus gets 40% off, it will be $15.++ a day which is what it is right now with 20% off for streaming. Why charge so much per day for a service that is not increasing in price anywhere else?

[Clarea]

I see the price increased again. If diamond plus gets 40% off, it will be $15.++ a day which is what it is right now with 20% off for streaming. Why charge so much per day for a service that is not increasing in price anywhere else?

Those prices were for single day purchases. Here are all the onboard prices:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=55188055&postcount=105

[grapau27]

The age of entitlement would be a first timer cruiser demanding same benefits, this is a rewards based loyalty program which is a token of appreciation for coming back so often.

 

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Excellent explaination,we have earned the benefits by cruising a lot on RC ships.

[Charles4515]

I see the price increased again. If diamond plus gets 40% off, it will be $15.++ a day which is what it is right now with 20% off for streaming. Why charge so much per day for a service that is not increasing in price anywhere else?

 

 

 

My dream is that Elon Musks low orbit satellite network will be able to connect directly to smartphones or your own router and be an inexpensive service that kills off the need for buying from Royal. One can dream.....

 

 

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[Biker19]

Why charge so much per day for a service that is not increasing in price anywhere else?

We don't know that - O3B and other sat providers could indeed be raising their rates.

[Blizzard54]

I was just on the Anthem and no one marked my tokens.

 

 

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Like most things Royal it varies ship to ship.

We have found that some mark, some do not.

[Ourusualbeach]

I agree, but they blew us away on Adventure. We got one day (turning in at 5pm, receiving by 5pm the next day) turnaround twice.:)

 

We had the same on Oasis a couple weeks ago. Mind you it was one item that was due to soot raining down during the aqua show and guest service combed it so maybe they put a rush on it.

[Biker19]

My dream is that Elon Musks low orbit satellite network will be able to connect directly to smartphones or your own router and be an inexpensive service that kills off the need for buying from Royal. One can dream.....

Like the lower orbit O3B sats, the system Musk plans will still need dish receivers - you can't get that signal directly to your phone/router (no, RCI won't allow you to install your own dish on the balcony). So O3B may have a competitor in 5+ years (which may lower prices), but you'll still have to buy it from RCI.

[Clarea]

We don't know that - O3B and other sat providers could indeed be raising their rates.

I've heard that the O3b price to RC has gone up dramatically.

[cruiseguy1016]

I've heard that the O3b price to RC has gone up dramatically.

 

But, as I understand it, O3b is on only a few of the RCI ships. Why are they raising the price on ALL of their ships.

 

Yeah, I know, I know, I'll answer my own question. Because THEY CAN!

[Biker19]

But, as I understand it, O3b is on only a few of the RCI ships. Why are they raising the price on ALL of their ships.

Hughes (the other sat provider) could also be raising rates. It also could be that RCI decided that the best way to fix the performance issues (and make a buck) is to raise rates to have fewer people online.

[Peachy59]

This is very disappointing news as we are finally about to get to Diamond. We like to disconnect while on a cruise but do need to check email every two or three days. We would never buy a package and usually just pick up wifi in ports. We were really looking forward to having this benefit on future cruises.

[Addictedtocruising]

I have used the free bag of laundry 4 times this year and turn around time has been a day or day and a half. Always leave a tip on top of the bag too!!

 

When you say "on top" of the bag, do you mean on the outside for the stateroom attendant or on the inside for the laundry crew? Thanks for the tip! :D

[blackshirt]

This was just posted on the Facebook C&A group, we’ll see if it pans out or not:

“Read a posting yesterday regarding Diamond benefit of one day free internet going away. Well I emailed Michael Bayley YESTERDAY and today I received a PHONE CALL from his assistant stating he had forwarded my email and to please address it. No benefits are being taking away! An answer less than 24 hours after asking and a phone call to boot. Was also told I might get an email from Millie with same info.

THIS IS WHY I AM LOYAL TO ROYAL!”

[Merion_Mom]

We had the same on Oasis a couple weeks ago. Mind you it was one item that was due to soot raining down during the aqua show and guest service combed it so maybe they put a rush on it.

And it was on the Oasis that I first experienced the "three day turnaround". :(

[Ourusualbeach]

This was just posted on the Facebook C&A group, we’ll see if it pans out or not:

“Read a posting yesterday regarding Diamond benefit of one day free internet going away. Well I emailed Michael Bayley YESTERDAY and today I received a PHONE CALL from his assistant stating he had forwarded my email and to please address it. No benefits are being taking away! An answer less than 24 hours after asking and a phone call to boot. Was also told I might get an email from Millie with same info.

THIS IS WHY I AM LOYAL TO ROYAL!”

 

It would not surprise me to see the ships misinterpret a change.

 

I’m thinking that the new benefit may be the 1 or 2 free days as it was but instead of taking 22.99 or 45.98 off a package you now have the 20% or 40% off.

 

By doing that they would be stopping people using their free day or 2 and then midway through the cruise applying the $ amount off on a reduced package, now they would get a % off the reduced package.

[Merion_Mom]

This was just posted on the Facebook C&A group, we’ll see if it pans out or not:

“Read a posting yesterday regarding Diamond benefit of one day free internet going away. Well I emailed Michael Bayley YESTERDAY and today I received a PHONE CALL from his assistant stating he had forwarded my email and to please address it. No benefits are being taking away! An answer less than 24 hours after asking and a phone call to boot. Was also told I might get an email from Millie with same info.

THIS IS WHY I AM LOYAL TO ROYAL!”

THEIR definition and YOUR definition of a "benefit being taken away" may not be the same. ;)

 

Also, this may be a case like the balcony discount being disallowed for a cruise booked within six months of sailing. Outcry may have nipped it in the bud.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

THEIR definition and YOUR definition of a "benefit being taken away" may not be the same. ;)

 

Also, this may be a case like the balcony discount being disallowed for a cruise booked within six months of sailing. Outcry may have nipped it in the bud.

 

I agree. They may not have had a clue how many would be upset by this. . . . or how upset they would be. As a few have mentioned, on a long cruise a 40% D+ discount would be more valuable than the free days. But, this would really mostly be true on these long cruises and for those that buy a full cruise package.

 

Edit--Yes, it is still a benefit, just not the same benefit. What they need to say is that the benefit is not changing.

[Clarea]

...

Also, this may be a case like the balcony discount being disallowed for a cruise booked within six months of sailing. Outcry may have nipped it in the bud.

And they figured out a way around that by offering prices with "instant savings" which are not combinable with balcony discounts.

[RoamingRetirees]

And it was on the Oasis that I first experienced the "three day turnaround". :(

 

Us too, including the complementary laundry I got when a waiter dumped over three glasses of sparkling wine.

[grapau27]

And they figured out a way around that by offering prices with "instant savings" which are not combinable with balcony discounts.

We lose out on obc deals in the UK because Royal say they are not combinable with balcony discounts.

[Blizzard54]

I also have a 15 night TA next week.

 

I don't need or want a 15 night Wi-Fi package.....no matter what the discount is.

 

A couple of days was perfect.

 

Maybe Royal released it on Grandeur to test the reactions??

 

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I was thinking the same thing. The Grandeur may be a test before they make the final decision.

As least I hope so and hope they rethink the idea. We have the Mariner Odyssey coming up in about a week. There is not way we are going to but the packages and have 28 days of poor connections. If this happens, we will have to limit our email checks to when we are in port.

[Clarea]

We lose out on obc deals in the UK because Royal say they are not combinable with balcony discounts.

Yes. Because we can get price drops here in the US until final payment, they needed a way to offer lower prices for new bookings and minimize the effect of existing booking getting the lower price. I think that is why they they came up with the "instant savings" trickery.

[Beachammo]

My reply from Michael Bayley's office.....

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dear Mr.*Ammons,

 

*

Thank you for contacting *Michael Bayley regarding your loyalty benefits. My name is Millie Quiles, and I am the Crown & Anchor Society Member Director, and I wanted to make sure I reach out to you personally.

 

*

 

First of all thank you for your loyalty. Our top tier members like yourself are very important to us, and it’s always a priority that we deliver the best loyalty benefits in the industry. In the recent years, the internet benefit has become one of the most highly coveted onboard perks we offer. Therefore, I want to assure you that your internet benefit is still the same and is not being removed.

 

*

 

Mr.*Ammons,*thank you for your email. If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate in contacting me directly. Enjoy your weekend.

 

*

 

Millie A. Quiles

 

Crown & Anchor Society Member Director*

 

(305) 814-1834 | mquiles@rccl.com

 

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