Diamond Plus Perk now Taken Away on Anthem!

[John&LaLa]

9 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Isn't that because of Casino Royale though?  

 

Not back then. Casino didn't come into play until we were post Pinnacle 

 

This was between 2008 and 2013.  110 paid for nights.

 

It does include 67 bonus points for suites, a few short cruises pre conversion,  the 13 point conversion bonus that most Diamonds got, one solo cruise, and a few Diamond in December trips

 

After 2013 Laura got a ton of solo bonus points.

Their rules.

 

 

 

 

[reallyitsmema]

13 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Not back then. Casino didn't come into play until we were post Pinnacle 

 

This was between 2008 and 2013.  110 paid for nights.

 

It does include 67 bonus points for suites, a few short cruises pre conversion,  the 13 point conversion bonus that most Diamonds got, one solo cruise, and a few Diamond in December trips

 

After 2013 Laura got a ton of solo bonus points.

Their rules.

 

 

 

 

 

Not questioning their rules at all, we have all benefited from them.

[island lady]

4 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

D+ Lounge/Club doesn't have a good ring. Any thoughts on a more appropriate, but catchy name?

 

 

 

Crown and Anchor lounge. Can be adjusted weekly as to access...pretty much what the CL is now.  

Edited January 29, 2020 by island lady

[island lady]

4 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

 

Doesn't the Top Tier party include Platinum and above?

 

Yes... great marketing "carrot in front of the donkey" ploy.   

[island lady]

3 hours ago, frank808 said:

Royal will rename Diamond Lounges into Concierge Lounges.  That would follow the evolution of changing CL into SL.  That way Royal C&A are not "taking" away benefits from D cruisers.

 

Great idea my DS friend. 

 

As of right now we DS seem to be the black sheep of the family.  😞 

Diamonds...no change, (still have their lounge).  Pinnies...no change (still have access to two lounges).  Big change is kicking D+ out of the alternate lounge.  Only D+ are the ones that took the hit.  Trying to jam all Ds and D+ into one smaller lounge....not working.  

 

If changes were fair and across the board for everyone with upper tier:

Ds....drink vouchers to use in any lounge..and Starbucks vouchers.

D+ and Pinnies in the CL (no more DLs).  

Suites lounge...suites only...no Pinnies unless in a suite.

 

Just IMHO...let the howling begin.  

Edited January 29, 2020 by island lady

[Colorado Babe]

I like the idea of just changing the diamond Lounge to Concierge Lounge.  Load 3-5 drinks on card for Diamonds and most are happy. There will always be someone who is not happy, no matter what. 

[GarlicBread]

On 1/27/2020 at 2:18 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

Youth staff are the best. Probably because they are used to dealing with children. I've noticed that when they man the ropes in the theaters

 

I'll take the kids over the adults. 

I know how the YS would deal with this lounge situation though: 

 

Step one: you get what you get and you dont get upset. 

 

Ok, still arguing/crying/not sharing the toy, 

Step two: it just gets taken away completely and then there's nothing to complain about! 👍

[frank808]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Not back then. Casino didn't come into play until we were post Pinnacle 

 

This was between 2008 and 2013.  110 paid for nights.

 

It does include 67 bonus points for suites, a few short cruises pre conversion,  the 13 point conversion bonus that most Diamonds got, one solo cruise, and a few Diamond in December trips

 

After 2013 Laura got a ton of solo bonus points.

Their rules.

 

 

 

 

Wish we were cruising those days.  Having started cruising only 5 years ago we did not get the diamonds in December or qualify for conversion.  Do get suite points but no solo points so far.  Will try booking one in a JS  and the other in inside cabin with solo supplement to see if it is feasible for our trips.

[bigeck]

4 hours ago, frank808 said:

Yes we sure do 😉

 

I believe I have met her and her husband on a previous cruise.  Does she live in Las Vegas with her husband?  Can't remember if I met them on Oasis class or Serenade last year.  Did you meet them recently?

They turned P on the Indy ta.

Frank missed the presentation. Think he was in the casino

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Great idea my DS friend. 

 

As of right now we DS seem to be the black sheep of the family.  😞 

Diamonds...no change, (still have their lounge).  Pinnies...no change (still have access to two lounges).  Big change is kicking D+ out of the alternate lounge.  Only D+ are the ones that took the hit.  Trying to jam all Ds and D+ into one smaller lounge....not working.  

 

If changes were fair and across the board for everyone with upper tier:

Ds....drink vouchers to use in any lounge..and Starbucks vouchers.

D+ and Pinnies in the CL (no more DLs).  

Suites lounge...suites only...no Pinnies unless in a suite.

 

Just IMHO...let the howling begin.  

Sounds like a good idea.

To be honest 80 points to reach a very rewarding Diamond with lounge access was always easy to attain and the main reason of overcrowding.

The 3 free drinks was an excellent idea but it should have been instead of HH lounge access not as well for current Diamonds and the introduction of frozen drink adds a new dimension to get your drinks at a bar.

In a lot of our recent cruises we have rarely used the DL during HH and used our 3 free drinks in bars and speciality restaurants instead.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Colorado Babe said:

I like the idea of just changing the diamond Lounge to Concierge Lounge.  Load 3-5 drinks on card for Diamonds and most are happy. There will always be someone who is not happy, no matter what. 

As D+ 4 free drinks each with frozen now added would please us.

[island lady]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

Sounds like a good idea.

To be honest 80 points to reach a very rewarding Diamond with lounge access was always easy to attain and the main reason of overcrowding.

The 3 free drinks was an excellent idea but it should have been instead of HH lounge access not as well for current Diamonds and the introduction of frozen drink adds a new dimension to get your drinks at a bar.

In a lot of our recent cruises we have rarely used the DL during HH and used our 3 free drinks in bars and speciality restaurants instead.

 

Thanks, my DS friend!  

 

Just seems fair to me (IMHO) to make upper tier changes across the board...not for just one level.  

 

We are not using the lounge on our 3 leg Vision. Used the CL on first leg, kicked out on second leg.  Did not book full suite due to wanting this favorite huge aft wrap JS balcony.   DL is crazy nuts, over crowded, with lines out the door for drinks and very limited seating.  Sardine can. No overflow.  CL is empty now, as Pinnie friends have told us.  

 

No biggie...as we are really enjoying just having a glass of wine on our balcony, and also sitting at the lovely SEEL bar.  Great conversations with other pax there.  

[grapau27]

16 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Thanks, my DS friend!  

 

Just seems fair to me (IMHO) to make upper tier changes across the board...not for just one level.  

 

We are not using the lounge on our 3 leg Vision. Used the CL on first leg, kicked out on second leg.  Did not book full suite due to wanting this favorite huge aft wrap JS balcony.   DL is crazy nuts, over crowded, with lines out the door for drinks and very limited seating.  Sardine can. No overflow.  CL is empty now, as Pinnie friends have told us.  

 

No biggie...as we are really enjoying just having a glass of wine on our balcony, and also sitting at the lovely SEEL bar.  Great conversations with other pax there.  

We were in a midship JS on vision out of Dubai in February 2017.

The DL was tiny and the concierge did most of the drinks serving to help the very slow waiters.

We waited ages for drinks and the lounge was only full 2 nights out of 7.

We sat in schooner bar for 30 minutes each night before dinner getting our free drinks there.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, frank808 said:

Wish we were cruising those days.  Having started cruising only 5 years ago we did not get the diamonds in December or qualify for conversion.  Do get suite points but no solo points so far.  Will try booking one in a JS  and the other in inside cabin with solo supplement to see if it is feasible for our trips.

 

Always check. But balcony and another cabin can be cost effective also. 

 

Someone in our house snores😉

[STANMELB]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Thanks, my DS friend!  

 

Just seems fair to me (IMHO) to make upper tier changes across the board...not for just one level.  

 

We are not using the lounge on our 3 leg Vision. Used the CL on first leg, kicked out on second leg.  Did not book full suite due to wanting this favorite huge aft wrap JS balcony.   DL is crazy nuts, over crowded, with lines out the door for drinks and very limited seating.  Sardine can. No overflow.  CL is empty now, as Pinnie friends have told us.  

 

No biggie...as we are really enjoying just having a glass of wine on our balcony, and also sitting at the lovely SEEL bar.  Great conversations with other pax there.  

 

Hi Pat and Bucky,

 

By your schedule, looks like we will finally sail together again in the future. On the Allure last week we booked the Harmony for 12-05-2021. Still sailing in at least a Grand Suite as one never knows how the Oasis Class will handle SL/CK access in the future.

 

When will the 2 of you turn Pinnacle? Will be good to see both of you again.

[Tulsacoker]

15 minutes ago, STANMELB said:

When will the 2 of you turn Pinnacle? Will be good to see both of you again.

😱

[Milwaukee Eight]

22 minutes ago, STANMELB said:

 

When will the 2 of you turn Pinnacle? Will be good to see both of you again.

Oh my.......

 

You just can’t make this stuff up. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by Milwaukee Eight

[twangster]

5 hours ago, yogimax said:

With a cup of coffee?

 

 

When I sailed Anthem in 2017 the DL overflowed into a very small section of the Music Hall.  Rows of chairs separated the upper Music Hall from the overflow area.  There was one food area and it was hard to get seats.  You had to enter through the DL as the Music Hall on both levels was open to the public.

 

The HH eligible numbers on that 2017 sailing were 643 Diamond, 345 Diamond Plus, 30 Pinnacle or 1,018 guests.

 

On my most recent Anthem cruise this month the HH eligible numbers were 598 Diamond, 354 Diamond Plus, 50 Pinnacle or 1,002 guests.

 

While 1,018 is > 1,002 (by 16 guests) the experience of having the entire upper Music Hall available to HH was a vast improvement.  There were 3 food stations plus an additional temporary bar in 2020 that wasn't there in 2017. 

 

The improvements go beyond a cup of coffee.  The DL experience itself is much better and that isn't because there were 16 fewer guests eligible.  You could actually get a seat in 2020!

Edited January 29, 2020 by twangster

[suzyluvs2cruise]

20 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

When I sailed Anthem in 2017 the DL overflowed into a very small section of the Music Hall.  Rows of chairs separated the upper Music Hall from the overflow area.  There was one food area and it was hard to get seats.  You had to enter through the DL as the Music Hall on both levels was open to the public.

 

The HH eligible numbers on that 2017 sailing were 643 Diamond, 345 Diamond Plus, 30 Pinnacle or 1,018 guests.

 

On my most recent Anthem cruise this month the HH eligible numbers were 598 Diamond, 354 Diamond Plus, 50 Pinnacle or 1,002 guests.

 

While 1,018 is > 1,002 (by 16 guests) the experience of having the entire upper Music Hall available to HH was a vast improvement.  There were 3 food stations plus an additional temporary bar in 2020 that wasn't there in 2017. 

 

The improvements go beyond a cup of coffee.  The DL experience itself is much better and that isn't because there were 16 fewer guests eligible.  You could actually get a seat in 2020!

 

Another well written, logical post. IMHO RCI is doing a good job trying to accommodate a burgeoning Loyalty program but many can't see the forest for the trees. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by suzyluvs2cruise

[actuarian]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

When I sailed Anthem in 2017 the DL overflowed into a very small section of the Music Hall.  Rows of chairs separated the upper Music Hall from the overflow area.  There was one food area and it was hard to get seats.  You had to enter through the DL as the Music Hall on both levels was open to the public.

 

The HH eligible numbers on that 2017 sailing were 643 Diamond, 345 Diamond Plus, 30 Pinnacle or 1,018 guests.

 

On my most recent Anthem cruise this month the HH eligible numbers were 598 Diamond, 354 Diamond Plus, 50 Pinnacle or 1,002 guests.

 

While 1,018 is > 1,002 (by 16 guests) the experience of having the entire upper Music Hall available to HH was a vast improvement.  There were 3 food stations plus an additional temporary bar in 2020 that wasn't there in 2017. 

 

The improvements go beyond a cup of coffee.  The DL experience itself is much better and that isn't because there were 16 fewer guests eligible.  You could actually get a seat in 2020!

All of the above is true but it also ignores the original point of this thread.  In 2017, only the 643 Diamond members had a reason to scramble for the seats in the DL.  The other 375 people could just go to the Concierge Club.  However, now only the 50 Pinnacles had that option.  The other 952 had only the DL.  So the real numbers to compare are 643 vs. 952, not 1,018 vs. 1,002.  It is also interesting that the number of D+ members went up by only 9.  If these cruises are typical, then the CL is certainly not being overwhelmed by new D+ members.  The group that is growing seems to be Pinnacles.  Are D+ members being penalized because there are too many Pinnacles?

[Milwaukee Eight]

6 minutes ago, actuarian said:

All of the above is true but it also ignores the original point of this thread.  In 2017, only the 643 Diamond members had a reason to scramble for the seats in the DL.  The other 375 people could just go to the Concierge Club.  However, now only the 50 Pinnacles had that option.  The other 952 had only the DL.  So the real numbers to compare are 643 vs. 952, not 1,018 vs. 1,002.  It is also interesting that the number of D+ members went up by only 9.  If these cruises are typical, then the CL is certainly not being overwhelmed by new D+ members.  The group that is growing seems to be Pinnacles.  Are D+ members being penalized because there are too many Pinnacles?

Of course more and more active Pinnacles. Don’t forget Suites also have access to the CL. I know the Suite Guest complained about the overwhelming numbers in the CL. 

[twangster]

5 minutes ago, actuarian said:

Are D+ members being penalized because there are too many Pinnacles?

 

On the most recent cruise 35 ascended to D+, 5 ascended to pinnacle.  That's a 7:1 ratio.  The shear numbers at each level also track a 7:1 to 11:1 ratio.

 

I realize it's easy to blame this on Pinnacle but the numbers don't support that.   Without question at some point Pinnacle will also have more change coming.  They already do on certain Oasis class cruises.  That trend will continue.  Until, the numbers of D+ far exceed the numbers of P, directly related to the large gap between the two thresholds.  

[Milwaukee Eight]

24 minutes ago, actuarian said:

The group that is growing seems to be Pinnacles.  Are D+ members being penalized because there are too many Pinnacles?

Really?  Is this your argument?

[suzyluvs2cruise]

34 minutes ago, actuarian said:

All of the above is true but it also ignores the original point of this thread.  In 2017, only the 643 Diamond members had a reason to scramble for the seats in the DL.  The other 375 people could just go to the Concierge Club.  However, now only the 50 Pinnacles had that option.  The other 952 had only the DL.  So the real numbers to compare are 643 vs. 952, not 1,018 vs. 1,002.  It is also interesting that the number of D+ members went up by only 9.  If these cruises are typical, then the CL is certainly not being overwhelmed by new D+ members.  The group that is growing seems to be Pinnacles.  Are D+ members being penalized because there are too many Pinnacles?

 

It's the number of D+ members that impacts the CL. A too crowded CL affects the experience of Suite cruisers. If/when the # of Pinnacle members is higher CL access may be revisited again. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

3 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

It's the number of D+ members that impacts the CL. A too crowded CL affects the experience of Suite cruisers. If/when the # of Pinnacle members is higher CL access may be revisited again. 

I just don’t understand why others here don’t seem to comprehend this. Thanks