Diamond Club Theory when we return

[grapau27]

4 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

 

Agree! loved the Elite bar setup and have done the SF to Hawaii and back cruises a few times.

Just one problem (pun intended)...with so many sea days, we tend to drink the alcohol a bit too fast.  The Elite bar setup "should be for 2" if both husband and wife are Elites...wink, wink........or add a few more of those small bottles if the cruise is longer than 7 days. The current Elite bar setup has the same number of alcohol regardless of how many days your cruise is.  We'd be happy if Royal did this...just don't forget the vouchers for specialty coffee.

I agree.

As we were both Elite it would have been nice to have had a top up but still very welcome anyway.

We had some cocktails in the Elite Lounge which were reasonably priced although we get spoiled on RC with the free lounge drinks.

[Billy Baltic]

4 hours ago, ownedbypets said:

Maybe the Diamond lounge can be by reservation only. 30 minute limit. Someone can invent a timer that shocks your seat after 30 minutes and then sanitizes it when you get up. You can only go once during your cruise to ensure other have an opportunity to enjoy. So much speculation!

You can only go once during the cruise because due to the health issues caused by shocking people after 30 mins ⚡️🏥 😂

[Milwaukee Eight]

Royal is likely to sail with less capacity and less revenue. Alcohol sales have a high profit margin. Why would anyone think they would give out more “free” drinks?  
 

What’s your reasoning?

 

M8

[suzyluvs2cruise]

While not what any of us want....RCI could decided this is a good opportunity to make changes to a very successful loyalty program without the push back they would have had pre-Covid. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by suzyluvs2cruise

[Oxo]

2 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Royal is likely to sail with less capacity and less revenue. Alcohol sales have a high profit margin. Why would anyone think they would give out more “free” drinks?  
 

What’s your reasoning?

 

M8

Forget I am posting this. However, to amplify your comment.

Would RCI be ahead $ wise if they did away with DLs and instead of giving 3 drinks on your card for HH, plus the DL HH, gave you 5 drinks on your card for a daily use? My opinion would be YES , it would save them $.

When X gave out 3 drinks instead of the Lounge HH, you could not use the 3 on any other date as each coupon had a specific date.

So,  I believe if they gave you 5 drinks each day instead of 3 plus DL HH, RCI would save$. The max number of drinks they would provide free per passenger/day would be 5. Not 3 plus DL unlimited from 5 to 8 or whatever hours as each ship may differ. 

Your opinion? 

[Milwaukee Eight]

15 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Forget I am posting this. However, to amplify your comment.

Would RCI be ahead $ wise if they did away with DLs and instead of giving 3 drinks on your card for HH, plus the DL HH, gave you 5 drinks on your card for a daily use? My opinion would be YES , it would save them $.

When X gave out 3 drinks instead of the Lounge HH, you could not use the 3 on any other date as each coupon had a specific date.

So,  I believe if they gave you 5 drinks each day instead of 3 plus DL HH, RCI would save$. The max number of drinks they would provide free per passenger/day would be 5. Not 3 plus DL unlimited from 5 to 8 or whatever hours as each ship may differ. 

Your opinion? 

My opinion is based only on the assumption that sailings are at half capacity or less. 
 

If Royal dropped the free drink perks and required everyone to pay, ala carte, would you drink?  Would you still cruise with Royal?  
 

M8

[HicksRA]

All I can say is that if they screw up cruising like this scenario and a lot of the others, I‘ll buy another motor home and go back to land cruising.....

[Wine-O]

39 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

While not what any of us want....RCI could decided this is a good opportunity to make changes to a very successful loyalty program without the push back they would have had pre-Covid. 

Also good opportunity to do away with smoking in the casinos.  🍷

[Oxo]

9 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

My opinion is based only on the assumption that sailings are at half capacity or less. 
 

If Royal dropped the free drink perks and required everyone to pay, ala carte, would you drink?  Would you still cruise with Royal?  
 

M8

Yes, I have been cruising with Royal since 1986, Diamond +. I do cruise other cruise lines, too. Example: this year Feb 2020 we did NCL and Celebrity. This June we had to cancel MSC and RCI. Nov we have 2 on RCI. Feb 2021 one on NCL.

We are not big drinkers as we may have a total of 6 or 7 drinks a day. Wine at dinner. Our biggest buy is the 7 SDPkg. We always buy that. On NCL a drink package per day is about $100/passenger/day plus 20% gratuity. MSC has the best price on their BPkg which is about $50/passenger/day. 

[davekathy]

6 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

Also good opportunity to do away with smoking in the casinos.  🍷

Waaay over due!

[yogimax]

2 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

When a coffee benefit  has been added to the card, it has been ONE per day/per person.    Our  last cruise that offered a  specialty coffee  on the card, was Rhapsody, Feb, 2020.  The coffee drink was only valid at the  solarium coffee bar, Not Café Latitudes.  

 

M

You are correct.  Indeed, it was one coffee a day.  RCCL had the nerve to say that was to make up for kicking us out of the CL.

[yogimax]

4 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

We always buy the drink package. Not entitled to any drinks. 
 

M8

"Not entitled to any drinks?"  So you're not even Diamond?

[Milwaukee Eight]

7 minutes ago, yogimax said:

"Not entitled to any drinks?"  So you're not even Diamond?

We are Diamond. 

[NateUpNorth]

3 alcoholic drinks a day on the SeaPass, anytime, and eliminate the "Diamond Lounge Happy Hour Menu", allow 3 drinks of any kind.

2 alcoholic drinks with your meal, again not off a Happy Hour Menu.

2 specialty coffee's a day on the SeaPass 

 

 

Close the lounges and put in a pay restaurant or turn it into some extravagent level of suites people will pay ridiculous sums of money to sleep in.

 

The free booze still flows for those fixated on it and RCCL/RCI/RCG revenue is satisfied they may end up ahead because of the Luxury Elite Moon Dust Category Cabins. 

[CSHS1979]

11 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

We are Diamond. 

 

Isn't everyone, that's the problem 

[twangster]

3 hours ago, pcur said:

Maybe multiple HH lounges.  Depends on the ship

 

Multiple lounges requires multiple sets of crew.  Reduced capacity includes reduced crew.  I don't see them doing something that increases demand on crew resources. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Multiple lounges requires multiple sets of crew.  Reduced capacity includes reduced crew.  I don't see them doing something that increases demand on crew resources. 

Certainly, lots of changes coming. 
 

Royal dumped C&A Molly in first round. That should suggest something. 😇
 

M8

 

[badvector]

If I'm not mistaken isn't the benefit just supposed to be only 3 drinks? They let the drinks flow in the lounge during HH without tracking them but it still is supposed to only be 3, correct?  Just wondering why they would increase the benefit to 5.  It would be just as easy for them to keep the lounge closed and tell you to get your drinks at any of the bars or during dinner.  This would take care of crowding at the lounge and probably reduce their expense on alcohol.   

[Oxo]

3 minutes ago, badvector said:

If I'm not mistaken isn't the benefit just supposed to be only 3 drinks? They let the drinks flow in the lounge during HH without tracking them but it still is supposed to only be 3, correct?  Just wondering why they would increase the benefit to 5.  It would be just as easy for them to keep the lounge closed and tell you to get your drinks at any of the bars or during dinner.  This would take care of crowding at the lounge and probably reduce their expense on alcohol.   

Three drinks on your card per HH. Unlimited drinks in the DL during HH plus the 3 drinks on your card. 

[Ashland]

8 hours ago, little britain said:

Agree.

Or have unlimited drinks during that window at any bar which is what X does.

The reason so many are in the lounge is because it is free flow in there.

 

 

No, not really...I'm there for the snacks too 

[Ashland]

39 minutes ago, CSHS1979 said:

 

Isn't everyone, that's the problem 

Why is that a problem ?...They've earned it just like we've earned D+.

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

My opinion is based only on the assumption that sailings are at half capacity or less. 
 

If Royal dropped the free drink perks and required everyone to pay, ala carte, would you drink?  Would you still cruise with Royal?  
 

M8

They could easily follow how it's done on Celebrity.

[reallyitsmema]

23 minutes ago, badvector said:

If I'm not mistaken isn't the benefit just supposed to be only 3 drinks? They let the drinks flow in the lounge during HH without tracking them but it still is supposed to only be 3, correct?  Just wondering why they would increase the benefit to 5.  It would be just as easy for them to keep the lounge closed and tell you to get your drinks at any of the bars or during dinner.  This would take care of crowding at the lounge and probably reduce their expense on alcohol.   

 

Drinks in the lounges are unlimited.  They added the three drinks to sea pass cards because of the over crowding in the lounge.  They also now allow you to use your three drinks in the MDR and specialty restaurants in an effort to reduce the demand at bars.  People drink in the lounges and then also use their three drinks on their sea pass card in the MDR.  There are going to be changes and eliminating the lounges and increasing the drinks on the sea pass to 5 is just one of the ideas that makes some happy.  

[DaniDanielle]

7 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Why is that a problem ?...They've earned it just like we've earned D+.

Exactly, people forget we earned it.  Getting to D+ was why we continued to sail Royal, although it is our favorite cruise line.

[molly361]

10 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Drinks in the lounges are unlimited.  They added the three drinks to sea pass cards because of the over crowding in the lounge.  They also now allow you to use your three drinks in the MDR and specialty restaurants in an effort to reduce the demand at bars.  People drink in the lounges and then also use their three drinks on their sea pass card in the MDR.  There are going to be changes and eliminating the lounges and increasing the drinks on the sea pass to 5 is just one of the ideas that makes some happy.  

I never understood why they they started allowing people to use the drinks on their sea passes in the dining room.  Kind of defeated the whole purpose of them IMHO  The idea was to keep people out of the D/CL lounge not have them drink there and then go use the drinks in the dining venues

Edited July 10, 2020 by molly361