Please stop the Suite/Tier Negativity

[yogimax]

31 minutes ago, Pratique said:

If the loyalty program went away tomorrow we would not care, that's not what we sail for and it might take care of some of the entitlement problems we see. The C&A perks are fine but not especially valuable to us.

That is apparently true in your case, but please remember that the C&A  Loyalty program is very, very important to the majority of us who have given our loyalty and $$$ to RCCL over the years.

[reallyitsmema]

47 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Never had anyone ask for my age.  The usual question, "are you retired?"

 

Never been asked before or since.

[grapau27]

24 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

You'll need to update it in a week and see what changes😉

Thanks.👍

Is it done weekly/monthly?

Congratulations for being second.

Edited July 28, 2020 by grapau27

[grapau27]

15 minutes ago, yogimax said:

That is apparently true in your case, but please remember that the C&A  Loyalty program is very, very important to the majority of us who have given our loyalty and $$$ to RCCL over the years.

+1.

[snaefell]

3 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Generally for us it gets down to “what do you do for a living”. Hate that question. 
 

M8

Interesting,on our last cruise I tried engaging the couple on the next table about things like weather,news,sport & yes, what they did for a living,quite frustrated to hear the reply, "sorry,we only talk about cruises",a great conversation killer when you are not a regular cruiser!

Another problem for people new to cruising on CC can be how many(I've done it too!) resort to abbreviations assuming that everybody reading will know what it means(i.e. OBC,MDR,DL,etc)!

[Pratique]

10 minutes ago, yogimax said:

That is apparently true in your case, but please remember that the C&A  Loyalty program is very, very important to the majority of us who have given our loyalty and $$$ to RCCL over the years.

 

Just now, grapau27 said:

+1.

I appreciate that. I'm just expressing my viewpoint, which has no effect on what Royal decides to do to your benefits. As I said, I don't care one way or the other.

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, Pratique said:

 

I appreciate that. I'm just expressing my viewpoint, which has no effect on what Royal decides to do to your benefits. As I said, I don't care one way or the other.

That's okay.

On numerous occasions C&A benefits have been the difference between us sailing Royal, Princess or P&O.

[Captain Billy Bob]

20 hours ago, Tim and Shauna said:

My husband and I were mistreated in the CL lounge by a group of D+ and Pinnacles. We purchased a suite and were told by a couple members of this group that we should go to the DL. We gave no indication of our level. It is interactions like this that place bias on levels and stateroom categories. 

We had a similar experience

[grapau27]

15 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Never been asked before or since.

Last time I was asked my age was in a pub when I was 16 and the legal age was 18 ( UK)🤫😇

[Pratique]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

That's okay.

On numerous occasions C&A benefits have been the difference between us sailing Royal, Princess or P&O.

I wish that was the case for us. I have been "loyal" to many companies over the decades: General Motors, Delta Air Lines, Hilton, Westin, Royal Caribbean, to name a few. Rarely if ever are the perks worthwhile. There always always always seems to be a string attached that makes the benefit unavailable to me. Blocked dates, fare restrictions, minimum spends, etc. I've long since grown weary of these programs. All I ever get for them is a ton of marketing emails. In turn, they track all of my spending and monetize my data. That's just been my experience with "loyalty." It's a one way street.

[yogimax]

22 minutes ago, Pratique said:

 

I appreciate that. I'm just expressing my viewpoint, which has no effect on what Royal decides to do to your benefits. As I said, I don't care one way or the other.

No problem.  If you stick with Royal, though, you may begin to appreciate some of those benefits.

[grapau27]

2 minutes ago, Pratique said:

I wish that was the case for us. I have been "loyal" to many companies over the decades: General Motors, Delta Air Lines, Hilton, Westin, Royal Caribbean, to name a few. Rarely if ever are the perks worthwhile. There always always always seems to be a string attached that makes the benefit unavailable to me. Blocked dates, fare restrictions, minimum spends, etc. I've long since grown weary of these programs. All I ever get for them is a ton of marketing emails. In turn, they track all of my spending and monetize my data. That's just been my experience with "loyalty." It's a one way street.

I can understand that.

Often it is new customers who get the best deals in the UK.

We only use half of our RCL and Princess benefits with the HH drinks and cabin drinks on embarkation being a big plus.

[Pratique]

1 minute ago, yogimax said:

No problem.  If you stick with Royal, though, you may begin to appreciate some of those benefits.

I'm D if that matters. Honestly I can take it or leave it. My #1 priority is the quality of the product, not the value of the benefits. We love the ships and the experience and that's what brings us back to Royal.

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, marci22 said:

Everyone is on the list. You can't get off the cc grid.

Darn.....

[Pratique]

4 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Often it is new customers who get the best deals in the UK.

I noticed the same with the U.S. automakers. A Lincoln owner gets a much better deal on a Cadillac than a loyal Cadillac owner does. And vice versa as they try to poach each others' customers.

[yogimax]

5 minutes ago, Pratique said:

I'm D if that matters. Honestly I can take it or leave it. My #1 priority is the quality of the product, not the value of the benefits. We love the ships and the experience and that's what brings us back to Royal.

Excellent!

 

Let's just hope that the quality of the product will return when cruising finally resumes!

[Pratique]

2 minutes ago, yogimax said:

Excellent!

 

Let's just hope that the quality of the product will return when cruising finally resumes!

Yes and I'm sure it will. Their continued existence depends on it.

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Pratique said:

The cabin subject has always been a friendly discussion for us. People are curious (or nosy). Has not been an issue.

 

No guests ever ask about our C&A status. A few Pins in the SL have looked down their noses at us but it's water off a duck's back. Others have been chatty during dinner and we indulge them. They sometimes have interesting stories to tell and they don't seem to mind if I stuff my face with food while they're talking to us. My wife and I play "spot the Pinnacle" and "spot the obnoxious suite guest" on the first day or two to size up the crowd. If we see our server in CK excessively doting over a Pin then we play dumb and ask if a celebrity is on board, just to let the server know we're onto it. Sometimes we learn something interesting about the guest that humanizes them, as opposed to being a random guest who's just a distraction to our server. When there are thousands of other people on the ship it helps us to just go with the flow. We always have fun otherwise we wouldn't do it.

 

If the loyalty program went away tomorrow we would not care, that's not what we sail for and it might take care of some of the entitlement problems we see. The C&A perks are fine but not especially valuable to us.

We've been very entertained many times with just people watching..sometimes it's the best show onboard 

[Pratique]

4 minutes ago, Ashland said:

We've been very entertained many times with just people watching..sometimes it's the best show onboard 

I tell you what. We love the aft-facing Crown Lofts for this reason. I love staring at the sea but it gets boring after awhile!

[BND]

1 hour ago, Pratique said:

 

 

No guests ever ask about our C&A status. A few Pins in the SL have looked down their noses at us but it's water off a duck's back. Others have been chatty during dinner and we indulge them. They sometimes have interesting stories to tell and they don't seem to mind if I stuff my face with food while they're talking to us. My wife and I play "spot the Pinnacle" and "spot the obnoxious suite guest" on the first day or two to size up the crowd. If we see our server in CK excessively doting over a Pin then we play dumb and ask if a celebrity is on board, just to let the server know we're onto it. Sometimes we learn something interesting about the guest that humanizes them, as opposed to being a random guest who's just a distraction to our server. When there are thousands of other people on the ship it helps us to just go with the flow. We always have fun otherwise we wouldn't do it.

 

If the loyalty program went away tomorrow we would not care, that's not what we sail for and it might take care of some of the entitlement problems we see. The C&A perks are fine but not especially valuable to us.

DH and I have a theory about some Pins (not those like John and LaLa for sure) that they were never the most popular kids in school and this is the way they get the attention they never got in HS and how in some way it makes them feel good to "get back" at those that mistreated them and get praise and stuff the rest of us can't.  It's not a popularity contest, nor is it something someone has accomplished.  It's what they bought.  We've seen all types at all levels.  Like the guy who snapped his fingers and yelled across the lounge (and also at the suite breakfast) on Explorer to the waiter and basically demanded the guy come immediately and kiss his ring (actually get what he wanted immediately).  He didn't care if the waiter was helping someone else at the time.  He was such a blowhard.  This guy was either D+ or Pin. It was a member's cruise and he was probably the worst.  Second worst was the woman who had her entourage and made it very clear she didn't like kids in the CL.  It wasn't up to her, but it was right after they started allowing it during happy hour.   DH and I just shake our heads at some of them.  And, what they don't get is, no one is impressed.

Edited July 28, 2020 by BND

[PompeySailor]

[Pratique]

1 minute ago, BND said:

DH and I have a theory about some Pins (not those like John and LaLa for sure) that they were never the most popular kids in school and this is the way they get the attention they never got in HS and how in some way it makes them feel good to "get back" at those that mistreated them.

I think you're right about at least some people. In a former life I worked at Walt Disney World for over a decade and I saw all kinds of guests, including people acting like this. That's why I say go with the flow when you're stuck on a ship with these people. It makes it easier to deal with. At least for us.

[Ashland]

Well one of the funniest things we've seen (not everything happens onboard) was while in port in Aruba and we were in the Pandora shop and this guy comes busting through the doorway with his onboard posse following him that we had watched with amusement in the CL and announces loudly "D+ coming through"....Now that was something 

[HBE4]

4 hours ago, marci22 said:

Well I started reading and it is fairly compelling. I may catch up during this pandemic.

 

4 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I've tried a few times.  Just don't enjoy it. 

 

 

I've perused a few pages. Now I'm really hungry. The food p0rn looks amazing!

 

I need to stay away.😀

[HBE4]

Any chance this thread title can be changed to "How not to start a conversation"?

 

I've been taking notes. ☺️