Poor treatment of Platinum Cruisers!

[Biker19]

29 minutes ago, L454S said:

Seems some of the other figures in the equation had changed.

Some other fake discount diminishes the real value of the D+ discount.

[shopaholic6]

11 hours ago, blackshirt said:

Emerald gets you a welcome back drink (water or soft drink). That was about the only thing worthwhile. 

And your badge!! I’m looking forward to mine 😂😂😂

[Iamcruzin]

9 hours ago, legaljen1969 said:

I don't think anyone is offended.  I think people just realize that loyalty isn't what it used to be.  

Loyalty programs are doing exactly what they were made to do. Bring you back. From reading many threads and comments there is no doubt that it still works. As for myself I don't put all my eggs into one basket and never really cared what the payout was with these programs as anything worth obtaining was too far out to even consider. Yes had I stayed with one line I would have been at the highest status now but I would have been sacrafing price, itinerary and ship. I probably saved more along the way than the value of any perk in any program.

[mugtech]

The loyalty thing never determines for us which cruise to take.  Back when you could get double points for booking 9 months out we got 58 points each for a 29 day b2b in an inside cabin on NCL Sun.  It was our third cruise, all inside cabins and we hit the highest level, Platinum, at that time.  The two bottles of wine, which we give away, are nice for some.  Two meals for two in specialty restaurants and free laundry plus 60 minutes each wifi were useful, but we only took one of our last 7 cruises on NCL, enjoyed the 12 nights, but our next 7 are all RCCL based on itinerary, price, and usefulness of the ships.  As a nondrinker, turning Diamond next year will have little extra value for us except perhaps booking balconies on Quantum class ships.  Never been on a Radiance class ship, looking forward to Brilliance, Radiance and Jewel after 9 days on Quantum.

[blackshirt]

11 hours ago, legaljen1969 said:

You get BOGO on wine?    By the glass? Bottle?  That's news to me.  I like this news but it's something I didn't know.  
Yes, I always enjoy the loyalty discounts I do receive.   

You get one “buy one get one” coupon on your sea pass card for a glass of wine or beer. That coupon was there at gold status. 

[SRF]

20 hours ago, legaljen1969 said:

If you want to talk about a useless "status"- it's Emerald. We will "level up" to Emerald after this cruise but will get nothing for it. That's the biggest "feel good" useless status ever. LOL 

 

 

That is NOT true.

 

You get a pin on your next cruise. 😄

 

We sail in suites, so even making Diamond does little.

[Clarea]

20 hours ago, blackshirt said:

Emerald gets you a welcome back drink (water or soft drink). That was about the only thing worthwhile. 

 

Plus $25 more in a balcony discount.

[Cruiser-66]

To the person or persons that think we don’t enjoy our cruise because of being denied perks that new cruisers get you are very wrong!  We enjoy every cruise we take!  I’ve just been away from RCCL for a while and was surprised at the way they treat platinum and above past passengers.  We sail mostly with Princess and feel we get appreciated more.  A few extra dollars matter to us. It means more cruises!  The reason we are sailing Royal this time is that we have very good friends that invited us to sail with them and we will enjoy our cruise!!

[Cruiser_1977]

@knutsonl Think of it like this. Your friends only got one benefit...$75 OBC. You got the choice between two 1) the discount on a balcony stateroom OR 2) $75 OBC. 

[Arzeena]

On 10/13/2019 at 5:18 PM, knutsonl said:

My husband and I are cruising the Allure in January  I called to get the onboard spending money they are now offering with the "Great Escape Sale"  I was told because I'm Platinum I would need to give up my balcony discount in order to get it.  Our friends cruising with us are not Platinum and got it with no problem.  What's the point of being Platinum if you're denied benefits given to new passengers!  Our friends received $75 and after giving up our $68 discount we received $7 After all the cruising we've done with them I feel it is very unfair!

Certain promotions are not combinable with the Crown and Anchor Balcony discount. I can understand your disappointment, but that is in no way "poor treatment".

I hope you have a great cruise!

[DISFANS3]

We are Platinum also, I guess I feel great about just boarding early..   

[watson61]

I just made Diamond and am excited about the free happy hour drinks.  I probably won't bother with the deluxe beverage package anymore unless it's dirt cheap (say $18/day, lol).  I usually travel solo so either get an inside cabin or a heavily discounted balcony (booking a couple months before sailing).  Those are getting harder to find though.  

 

I'm Platinum on Princess and the best benefit to me is the free Internet. I forget how many minutes it was but it was more than enough for me.  And on the Regal, it was fast internet; I was able to stream Netflix.  

 

Both Royal and Princess (unlike HAL) give double points for solos - that's why I got to those levels relatively quickly.  I definitely appreciate that.

[HBE4]

On 10/14/2019 at 6:42 AM, Iamcruzin said:

Yes had I stayed with one line I would have been at the highest status now but I would have been sacrafing price, itinerary and ship. I probably saved more along the way than the value of any perk in any program.

 

Couldn't agree more. Why people are willing to pay more for an itinerary / ship that may not be your first choice just for the loyalty status is beyond me. I'd much rather save the money and go with my first choice, even if it 'll take me a few more years to reach diamond.

 

The same goes for Hotel and Airline loyalty programs. I let my wallet do the talking. 

[legaljen1969]

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 12:11 AM, weelv2cruise said:

WOW! After reading this thread I was really taken aback with the mostly negative commentary! I'm getting the impression because people didn't get the most $$$ off of their cruise they didn't get the most OFtheir cruise, didn't enjoy the cruise, and are only looking for "free perks". What also makes our cruise are the people we meet. We meet all kinds of people, enjoy most of them, but quite frankly I'm not sure I want to meet most of you.

I completely agree with you.  Your cruise is what you make of it.  My "benefits" really do not effect my cruise in any way as far as enjoyment.  I enjoy meeting new people. I enjoy being on the sea instead of in my seat at work. 
A few years ago we were planning a cruise and I was considering whether it was worth it to book a suite so that on the next cruise I would be Emerald.  I wondered if there was any significant enhancement in benefits or experience. I was advised that Emerald was mainly just a pass through stepping stone on the way to Diamond and there were no significant "benefits" in Emerald.  So I chose not to spend the extra money to "level up" more quickly. 
I enjoyed the cruise just fine as Platinum. I will enjoy this cruise just fine as Platinum. The next just fine as Emerald.  One day I may get to Diamond and I will enjoy it then too.

I guess my main point is I enjoy cruising for cruising. I don't cruise to get status or perks.  I do wish that Royal Caribbean, like most companies these days, would reward loyalty a little more.  So many of Royal's programs grant benefits to first time cruisers like lots of "suite" benefits and The Key.  Some of you spent lots of vacation time and lots of money to "earn" the loyalty benefits.

Any day cruising is a day not working and doing the mundane stuff of life.  So whether I was back at the bottom of the ladder as a Gold cruiser OR I was Pinnacle- I would still rather be cruising.

[legaljen1969]

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 8:59 AM, blackshirt said:

You get one “buy one get one” coupon on your sea pass card for a glass of wine or beer. That coupon was there at gold status. 

Shows how much I use it. LOL  

[legaljen1969]

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 2:15 PM, SRF said:

 

That is NOT true.

 

You get a pin on your next cruise. 😄

 

We sail in suites, so even making Diamond does little.

I get a pin??  Do people actually wear these pins?

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, legaljen1969 said:

I get a pin??  Do people actually wear these pins?

 

Yes, some do.

[johnjen]

😂😂

[mattb31]

22 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Couldn't agree more. Why people are willing to pay more for an itinerary / ship that may not be your first choice just for the loyalty status is beyond me. I'd much rather save the money and go with my first choice, even if it 'll take me a few more years to reach diamond.

 

The same goes for Hotel and Airline loyalty programs. I let my wallet do the talking. 

 

It's because people are sucked in by the 'perks'. They're willing to forego a $500 savings with another cruise line because they have 'status' with RCCL that only gets them $100 in perks. Loyalty programs are like a bonus for me, I don't cruise because of them, but it's a nice extra surprise when you get something out of them.

 

In a weird comparison, it's like loyalty to a company. Job hoppers (aka the people who try different cruise lines), frequently end up better off than people who are blinded by loyalty (aka the people stuck to one cruise line).

 

We like Royal for the ships and the quality of service they offer. Loyalty perks are just an added bonus.

[BensonFan711]

Oh, for the love of all things holy.....

 

First off, yes, of course you'd give discounts to first time cruisers.  Two reasons:

1. You're giving people their very first cruise experience, which will likely result in brand loyalty OR

2. You're trying to poach customers from competitors (I gave up my NCL status to switch to Royal because of several factors....and I'm not the only one to ever do that).

 

Now, let's look at this criticially.  You say you're Platinum, correct?  Ok, you've spent 15-30 nights on Royal Caribbean cruise ships (depending on your stateroom category, some of those could have been double points).  I hate to break this to you, but you haven't actually spent a lot of money with Royal Caribbean.  That's 2-8 cruises, depending on how long you cruised for and what your point accrual was during those trips.  

 

It seems like you're expecting them to give you every promotion out there, even the ones that you aren't the target demographic for.  You're in that weird space between being a new customer and being a preferred customer worth keeping.

 

There's a solution to this, of course.  Work your way up the tiers and hit Diamond.  At the moment,  you're still paying your dues.

[legaljen1969]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Yes, some do.

I just didn't realize. I guess I need to read my C&A Loyalty information again.  I've just been at Platinum for so long I don't know what's included above me.  And yes I know the wait from D to D+ takes a while and then what feels like a lifetime if I were to ever dare dream of Pinnacle.  I know there's not a lot of "status" in getting to Emerald but it will be a new level for us at the end of December's cruise.

Like I said, I'm usually just so happy to be cruising and not at work I don't even realize what benefits I have.  I've probably not been taking advantage of a lot of things I could have used.

 

 

[johnjen]

Although it's the current situation in how RCL does their business, their whole rewards thing is a shambles and needs work. I (sort of) agree with OP's point. They'll give you the deal or discount, but they'll take something else away in place. Screw that whole incentive idea.

[johnjen]

Great example. Today I noticed a PD on our cruise. Around $86. So I call, she says "yes, I see the price drop difference sir, but you're coded for a Visa card discount so that might go away"

I said "let's not even try this, call a manager in on this please, because the PD is less than $100"

"I see your point sir, let me place you on hold"

So after haggling with them like they're a couple of sellers in a Riyadh market, I finally got the PD - but they were trying to remove a $100 Visa card OBC credit if I took the PD. So, their philosophy now is to try taking something away from you if you want the PD. Glad I debated it. Got the PD without it affecting the Visa card OBC and I reminded them both that this particular discount has absolutely nothing to do with their price drop.

To the OP: I'd write them a letter on this, explain your grievance in a polite way. Show them how your friends, new cruisers, got a better discount, but use tact and you might get what you want from it - but nothing much more than that.

[cindivan]

If you think about the cruise industry, the loyalty program works vastly different than other industries in the travel world such as airlines and hotels. With airlines and hotels you have to earn your status every year. There seems to be more reward in those industries (although arguably not much at the lower levels of airline loyalty) because they help out customers that are currently spending the most money. Cruise lines are stuck in this world of expecting to reward anyone who has ever cruised with them, regardless of how long ago it was or if current spending is minimal.   That has got to be quite a conundrum that I am guessing is often discussed at Royal.

 

We recently made diamond plus, but I can’t remember the last time we’ve been able to use a crown and anchor discount in combination with whatever other discount they were running. I remember the first time I was disappointed, but now it’s just the way things are and I don’t really even think about it. I have been lulled into complaisance on this one. But we don’t cruise Royal exclusively, so it doesn’t really bother me that much. We spend what we think we want to spend on an itinerary and cruise looking at the available discounts and just move forward.

 

Edited October 16, 2019 by cindivan

[HBE4]

4 hours ago, BensonFan711 said:

Oh, for the love of all things holy.....

 

First off, yes, of course you'd give discounts to first time cruisers.  Two reasons:

1. You're giving people their very first cruise experience, which will likely result in brand loyalty OR

2. You're trying to poach customers from competitors (I gave up my NCL status to switch to Royal because of several factors....and I'm not the only one to ever do that).

 

Now, let's look at this criticially.  You say you're Platinum, correct?  Ok, you've spent 15-30 nights on Royal Caribbean cruise ships (depending on your stateroom category, some of those could have been double points).  I hate to break this to you, but you haven't actually spent a lot of money with Royal Caribbean.  That's 2-8 cruises, depending on how long you cruised for and what your point accrual was during those trips.  

 

It seems like you're expecting them to give you every promotion out there, even the ones that you aren't the target demographic for.  You're in that weird space between being a new customer and being a preferred customer worth keeping.

 

There's a solution to this, of course.  Work your way up the tiers and hit Diamond.  At the moment,  you're still paying your dues.

 

Not entirely true. The OP was concerned about the Balcony Discount being reduced when booking the "sale" price. This will still happen even once they reach Diamond status.  But since the Balcony Discount at Diamond is twice the amount at Platinum, at least they would get something, probably the amount they should have gotten at Platinum.  Def more than $7.

 

I get that there are certain promotions / incentives to entice new cruisers to Royal. But why does it have to come at the expense of the loyal customers?