Pinnacle travelling pattern (popular dates/itineraries) + Coastal Kitchen Q

[Pratique]

1 minute ago, twangster said:

To fix C&A they could adjust the levels (P 1000, D+ 500, D 350, etc) but that extends the problem into the future.  It's still a top heavy system that never cleans itself out unless some one dies.  Permanent status never works in a system that is designed to reward and encourage spend - that is what loyalty is, continued spend, not spend from 30 years go when the industry was remarkably different.  

Or implement blackout periods. No or fewer perks offered on cruises during the blackout. It's not an ideal solution, but some companies do it with their loyalty programs. It forces the loyal customers to visit/travel during the "slow" periods (if there's still any such thing as a slow period). This might help with the president's/holiday/transoceanic top tier overcapacity issues.

[twangster]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

In my opinion, the President's Cruise was a loyalty event.  It's just once a year on one ship.

 

They really should market it that way so innocent victims don't get caught up in the top tier stampede.  

[Milwaukee Eight]

9 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Yes, I remember, but President Cruuse is way from typical.  I also recall you, as a suite passenger, was told to avoid President Cruise. 😉

 

In my opinion, the President's Cruise was a loyalty event.  It's just once a year on one ship.

 

I'm hoping to book the 50th birthday cruise with Laura's free Prime certificate.   You think that will work?

Yes, we knew going in that there might be issues. However, I am with Andy C, sailing with lots of Pinnacles does dilute the Suite experience. Not to mention that 12 months before a GS was almost $12k for the week. 

 

Using the Prime Certificate would be interesting. I curious to see if you can. 

Edited November 23, 2018 by Milwaukee Eight

[John&LaLa]

11 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Pinnacle isn't shared with spouses, only up to D+.  

 

To fix C&A they could adjust the levels (P 1000, D+ 500, D 350, etc) but that extends the problem into the future.  It's still a top heavy system that never cleans itself out unless some one dies.  Permanent status never works in a system that is designed to reward and encourage spend - that is what loyalty is, continued spend, not spend from 30 years go when the industry was remarkably different.  

 

There were rumors late last year that Pinnacles would need 1400 pts to have CK benefits

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

There were rumors late last year that Pinnacles would need 1400 pts to have CK benefits

 

I'm sure it's easier for them to apply a quick fix like this.  Overhauling the entire platform is a major effort.

 

There is also some reference to merging Celebrity and Azamara loyalty programs into something more common across the brands.  That's a huge undertaking on its own but gives them the opportunity to shake things up.

[audome78]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

With all this lack of CK seating, pity the poor Sea Class guest who read this benefit:

 

 

"Look dear!  We can eat every evening in the Coastal Kitchen.  Gosh! Golly!  Let's upgrade to a Sea Class!"

 

Reality is they can't even get in the door unless they slip through with a departing Suite/Pinnacle who is leaving.

In addition to not having key card access and having to bang on the door to get in, then you are treated as a second class citizen because you are D+ sailing in a JS. On our first Oasis cruise, we had CK reservations for only one night, because we had heard how wonderful it is. We waited outside for the magic door to open, then waited 20 minutes while the hostess continually walked into the SL to get other guests while we just stood there. The capper was the couple that used their cards to come in 10 minutes after us, and were seated immediately. 

 

We left and haven't even tried to come back since. 

 

Bottom line... RCI's suite/sky/sea propaganda as shown above is exactly that. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Laura will be on with you.  I have to stay home and remodel the condo.

 

Gorgeous weekend here, when do you get in town?

 

 

Your remodeling the Condo???  I mean your doing the labor??  Lol

[John&LaLa]

49 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Absolutely incorrect, right John?

 

Correct

 

There might be a change someday. Do they really need to recognize SO now that marriage for anyone is legal

 

This is going to get me in so much trouble.

Edited November 23, 2018 by John&LaLa

[reallyitsmema]

20 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Correct

 

There might be a change someday. Do they really need to recognize SO now that marriage for anyone is legal

 

This is going to get me in so much trouble.

 

Nope, they don't, that was my point.  Your wife, who is your SO, made Pinnacle, thus making you Pinnacle.  They would greatly reduce the number of Pinnacles if they made everyone earn it by obtaining 700 points on their own or even sailing 700 actual nights.  

[alexkrn46]

My husband and I were talking about the Presidents Cruise and Pinnacles today. The vast majority of the Pinnacles are lovely one on one but put them together and their is a mob effect which is not pleasant to a suite guest. Add to mix Pinnacles know how to beat the system which leaves the Suite guest behind,

 

Secondly airlines loyalty as well as hotel loyalty is based on yearly use and spend. My guess the pinnacles spend less than the average passenger.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Pratique said:

Or implement blackout periods. No or fewer perks offered on cruises during the blackout. It's not an ideal solution, but some companies do it with their loyalty programs. It forces the loyal customers to visit/travel during the "slow" periods (if there's still any such thing as a slow period). This might help with the president's/holiday/transoceanic top tier overcapacity issues.

 

There are some blackout periods now for different things.

 

TA's are generally done in slow periods and generally loss leaders.  Pretty sure Royal needs loyalty members to fill those

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, audome78 said:

In addition to not having key card access and having to bang on the door to get in, then you are treated as a second class citizen because you are D+ sailing in a JS. On our first Oasis cruise, we had CK reservations for only one night, because we had heard how wonderful it is. We waited outside for the magic door to open, then waited 20 minutes while the hostess continually walked into the SL to get other guests while we just stood there. The capper was the couple that used their cards to come in 10 minutes after us, and were seated immediately. 

 

We left and haven't even tried to come back since. 

 

Bottom line... RCI's suite/sky/sea propaganda as shown above is exactly that. 

 

5 trips in JS prior to PC, treated very well every time.  Once in 2015, 4 times in 2017.  We did tip well, that may have helped. 😇

[John&LaLa]

14 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Nope, they don't, that was my point.  Your wife, who is your SO, made Pinnacle, thus making you Pinnacle.  They would greatly reduce the number of Pinnacles if they made everyone earn it by obtaining 700 points on their own or even sailing 700 actual nights.  

 

But Laura is not my SO. She is my wife of 33 years. I think I'm around 500 C&A points now.

[John&LaLa]

13 minutes ago, alexkrn46 said:

My husband and I were talking about the Presidents Cruise and Pinnacles today. The vast majority of the Pinnacles are lovely one on one but put them together and their is a mob effect which is not pleasant to a suite guest. Add to mix Pinnacles know how to beat the system which leaves the Suite guest behind,

 

Secondly airlines loyalty as well as hotel loyalty is based on yearly use and spend. My guess the pinnacles spend less than the average passenger.

 

Pretty sure Royal knows the answer to that better than any of us.

[reallyitsmema]

2 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

But Laura is not my SO. She is my wife of 33 years. I think I'm around 500 C&A points now.

 

Well, I consider my DH of 30 years to be my SO.  I have more points than he has right now.

[shirazcruiser]

After reading about the large number of Pinnacles on TA sailings, I began to think about our upcoming first transatlantic (16 days) on an R class.  We’re D+, always book a GS and enjoy the suite breakfast in Chops/Giovanni’s.  Do Pinnacles have access to this breakfast or is it only for full suite guests?  I’ve never asked in the past, but just curious if it will be overcrowded on this sailing and will have to allow for extra time before touring.    

[reverie4401]

We had the luxury of eating in CK while we were D+ and that gave us the incentive to work toward Pinnacle.  We also ate dinner in CK while in Junior Suites prior to becoming Pinnacle early last year.  CK is a great incentive to continue cruising with Royal.  Since becoming Pinnacle, we prefer to cruise on ships with CK.  We also continue to book Junior Suites.

 

I have some additional thoughts on the monster.  1) Royal gives outrageous suggested cabin numbers for all cabins including suites.  This can add to the crowding in CK and the SL, and sometimes results in enormous tables in CK,  2) We have seen  suite cruisers not observing the dress code, while dining in CK.  The staff does not suggest following the dress code for the evenings.  So, many suites cruisers are in jeans and T-shirts while in the CK and SL.  They should be eating in the Windjammer,  3) For some reason the Concierge Lounges on Freedom, Voyager, and Radiance ships are small and generally grungy.  Additionally, these ships do not have a CK,  and 4) As noted some cruises have large number of Pinnacles on board, such as the Symphony TA.  We originally booked that cruise, but after hearing the experience of the Harmony TA, we opted to fly to Australia and cruise on the Ovation.  Some of the Oasis cruises out of Port Canaveral have excessive Pinnacles.

  

Royal needs to address the overcrowding issues for Suites, Pinnacles, D+, and D.  The solution is not to trash either the Suite Program or the Pinnacle Program.  But, spread out the Suites and Pinnacle cruisers on the Freedom, Voyager, and Radiance ships with equal perks as the Oasis and Quantum ships.  From my perspective, having the Suite Lounge and CK makes the cruise much more enjoyable.  As stated above, the combination of the SL and CK, makes cruising on the Oasis and Quantum ships more pleasurable.  So, I suspect many of the Pinnacles gravitate toward those ships as well. That contributes to the crowding problem.

 

David   

[Pratique]

12 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

There are some blackout periods now for different things.

 

TA's are generally done in slow periods and generally loss leaders.  Pretty sure Royal needs loyalty members to fill those

I don't think that those are loss leaders. A loss leader is a product or service offered at a low price to entice a new customer to add additional, more expensive services or buy more expensive products. For instance, the plumber will come out for $80 to inspect my water heater knowing that sooner or later I'll need a $3,000+ replacement unit, which is where he'll make his money. The inspection service is the loss leader. The entry level sedan is a loss leader. A transatlantic cruise is not a loss leader.

 

On the Symphony TA, only one person raised his hand when the CD asked if anyone was on their first cruise. The top tier guests who were the majority on the ship did not need a cheap TA to encourage them to spend more money on future cruises, they would just find another cruise. Royal would probably be better off financially repositioning ships without passengers. It must cost a small fortune to feed and entertain 5,400 passengers for 13 days, and they could use the time to do repairs and maintenance instead.

[twangster]

20 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

There are some blackout periods now for different things.

 

TA's are generally done in slow periods and generally loss leaders.  Pretty sure Royal needs loyalty members to fill those

 

Price is what fills those and people who are retired or who can take long periods of time for a cruise with a lack luster itinerary.  They don't need loyal C&A members to take them, C&A member take then because they are generally cheap and don't mind lots of sea days.  Most new cruisers are all about the most ports per cruise.  

[John&LaLa]

10 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

After reading about the large number of Pinnacles on TA sailings, I began to think about our upcoming first transatlantic (16 days) on an R class.  We’re D+, always book a GS and enjoy the suite breakfast in Chops/Giovanni’s.  Do Pinnacles have access to this breakfast or is it only for full suite guests?  I’ve never asked in the past, but just curious if it will be overcrowded on this sailing and will have to allow for extra time before touring.    

 

Yes, Pinnacles generally have access to Chops breakfast on ships that dont have CK.  It really isnt a problem.  We are on Rhapsody in a JS next month.

[shirazcruiser]

4 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Yes, Pinnacles generally have access to Chops breakfast on ships that dont have CK.  It really isnt a problem.  We are on Rhapsody in a JS next month.

Thanks John!

[John&LaLa]

17 minutes ago, Pratique said:

I don't think that those are loss leaders. A loss leader is a product or service offered at a low price to entice a new customer to add additional, more expensive services or buy more expensive products. For instance, the plumber will come out for $80 to inspect my water heater knowing that sooner or later I'll need a $3,000+ replacement unit, which is where he'll make his money. The inspection service is the loss leader. The entry level sedan is a loss leader. A transatlantic cruise is not a loss leader.

 

On the Symphony TA, only one person raised his hand when the CD asked if anyone was on their first cruise. The top tier guests who were the majority on the ship did not need a cheap TA to encourage them to spend more money on future cruises, they would just find another cruise. Royal would probably be better off financially repositioning ships without passengers. It must cost a small fortune to feed and entertain 5,400 passengers for 13 days, and they could use the time to do repairs and maintenance instead.

 

Apologies for using an incorrect  term.  TA's are a way for the cruise lines to put bodies on a ship during a reposition from one market to another.  Other than the August TA on Serenade, they are ridiculously inexpensive.

 

FWIW, it costs around $13 a day to feed the passengers.

Edited November 24, 2018 by John&LaLa

[audome78]

23 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

5 trips in JS prior to PC, treated very well every time.  Once in 2015, 4 times in 2017.  We did tip well, that may have helped. 😇

As always, YOUR mileage varies from mine. I would have tipped well also, but was never given the opportunity. Instead, I was ignored. 

 

Besides, I'm not sure why Why should I have to tip prior to even getting in the door? 

[John&LaLa]

17 minutes ago, reverie4401 said:

We had the luxury of eating in CK while we were D+ and that gave us the incentive to work toward Pinnacle.  We also ate dinner in CK while in Junior Suites prior to becoming Pinnacle early last year.  CK is a great incentive to continue cruising with Royal.  Since becoming Pinnacle, we prefer to cruise on ships with CK.  We also continue to book Junior Suites.

 

I have some additional thoughts on the monster.  1) Royal gives outrageous suggested cabin numbers for all cabins including suites.  This can add to the crowding in CK and the SL, and sometimes results in enormous tables in CK,  2) We have seen  suite cruisers not observing the dress code, while dining in CK.  The staff does not suggest following the dress code for the evenings.  So, many suites cruisers are in jeans and T-shirts while in the CK and SL.  They should be eating in the Windjammer,  3) For some reason the Concierge Lounges on Freedom, Voyager, and Radiance ships are small and generally grungy.  Additionally, these ships do not have a CK,  and 4) As noted some cruises have large number of Pinnacles on board, such as the Symphony TA.  We originally booked that cruise, but after hearing the experience of the Harmony TA, we opted to fly to Australia and cruise on the Ovation.  Some of the Oasis cruises out of Port Canaveral have excessive Pinnacles.

  

Royal needs to address the overcrowding issues for Suites, Pinnacles, D+, and D.  The solution is not to trash either the Suite Program or the Pinnacle Program.  But, spread out the Suites and Pinnacle cruisers on the Freedom, Voyager, and Radiance ships with equal perks as the Oasis and Quantum ships.  From my perspective, having the Suite Lounge and CK makes the cruise much more enjoyable.  As stated above, the combination of the SL and CK, makes cruising on the Oasis and Quantum ships more pleasurable.  So, I suspect many of the Pinnacles gravitate toward those ships as well. That contributes to the crowding problem.

 

David   

 

CK was the reason we accelerated our cruise schedule to make Pinnacle.  It is also the reason we only booked JS prior to becoming Pinnacle.   It also didn't hurt that Oasis was going to be our hometown ship in 2017

[John&LaLa]

Just now, audome78 said:

As always, YOUR mileage varies from mine. I would have tipped well also, but was never given the opportunity. Instead, I was ignored. 

 

Besides, I'm not sure why Why should I have to tip prior to even getting in the door? 

 We didn't tip prior to getting in the door. 🤔

 

We tipped at the end of the first week.

 

We found a letter inviting us to CK to make reservations in our cabin when we boarded