Any chance of C & A level adjustments/changes coming anytime soon?

[wikoffclan]

Periodically some cruise lines make changes to their Loyalty levels. Prior to Covid, I was scheduled on 3 Solo cruises which would have easily gotten me to Diamond in 2020. Now I'm 7 points short of Diamond and have a 4 day Solo cruise scheduled for November. This will give me 8 points and put me over the edge. UNLESS they make a change to C & A before November. I'm hoping to reach Diamond before my cruise with DH on Radiance in December.

 

I reached Platinum on Carnival with 10 cruises right before they switched their program to days sailed. I didn't get double points when I sailed solo on a 16 night TA on Voyager in 2012. They changed the program to double points for solos post-2012. So I'm concerned there might be changes coming up.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has heard any rumors about potential changes to the C & A program. Appreciate any insight/info

[Ashland]

No rumors about changes....but now there may be some that will start.

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Ashland said:

No rumors about changes....but now there may be some that will start.

Yup, let the speculation begin... again.

[broadwaybaby123]

Rather than starting a bunch of rumors and speculation, it's better to ask the C&A folks directly on the RC website.

[Ocean Boy]

15 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

Rather than starting a bunch of rumors and speculation, it's better to ask the C&A folks directly on the RC website.

Not in the mood for reading fiction?😄

[Lady Hudson]

Just my opinion - I think it would be foolish to make changes to the program after promoting double points for a specific time period.  Would be a great way to annoy people — sort of like a “bait and switch”. I believe Royal has more to be concerned about now than the C & A program.  To your specific question - I have heard nothing and have sailed 9 times since the restart.  Katherine 

[Joseph2017China]

Strange question.....there is no rumors, speculation or announcements, but yet we will now have a whole thread on basically nothing?

[RFerrington]

9 hours ago, wikoffclan said:

This will give me 8 points and put me over the edge. UNLESS they make a change to C & A before November. I'm hoping to reach Diamond before my cruise with DH on Radiance in December.

Even if they were to make a change to the C&A program that would affect your booking, you would not be negatively affected b/c your booking is already in place using the existing rules.  I was in a very similar situation waaay back when they switched over to the new way of counting cruise credits (2013 I think) so I called to see what would happen.  The CSR told me that b/c I had already booked all of the cruises that would be necessary to take me to Diamond, the changes would not affect me.  So....if they do make any changes (doubtful), just call and make sure that your points will be properly calculated.

[twangster]

New loyalty director just started but no one knows what she is thinking.  

 

There is always a chance of change.  Changing tier qualification is like moving goal posts during a game and that has a lot of risk and downside for them.  My crystal ball reports that chance as unlikely.   

 

Change, if there is any, is more likely to alter benefits as opposed to what it takes to qualify for a specific tier level.  

 

At some point there will be change.  No one knows if that will be soon or years away and no one knows what that change might be.  At this point you are best to assume there will be no changes that impact you in the near term.  

 

Edited June 6, 2022 by twangster

[HicksRA]

I heard that points for all C&A members will be reset to zero and Pinnacles will be asked to return their shiny badges….

 

Everyone will have to start over.  

[wikoffclan]

Thank you for your quick replies. I did have some hesitation about posing the question... that it might generate some corporate interest in revisiting the current program. But... I'm sure I have no such influence so I went ahead with the post. 

It's a legitimate question if you've been caught (or almost caught) on the wrong side of the adjustments. I might have taken my  solo TA in 2013 instead of 2012. I did get my 10th Carnival cruise in sooner rather than later when the rumors of the program change started. I might schedule another solo Royal cruise before November, if there's a chance they'll switch up C & A.

But my biggest disappointment continues to be the cruises that didn't happen. Particularly the Montreal to Miami cruise in October 2020. A cruise that will probably never be repeated... at least on Royal.

[molly361]

My cabin attendant told me that he heard from the busboy who head from one of the deck hands that changes ARE indeed forthcoming😇

[John&LaLa]

Definitely the $64,000 dollar question

 

But likely a hard no

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, molly361 said:

My cabin attendant told me that he heard from the busboy who head from one of the deck hands that changes ARE indeed forthcoming😇

I asked my Magic 8 Ball and it said, "cannot predict now, ask again later". 

[vjmatty]

Just now, davekathy said:

I asked my Magic 8 Ball and it said, "cannot predict now, ask again later". 

 

Ah, the crystal ball of the 80's....do they still make those?

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, vjmatty said:

 

Ah, the crystal ball of the 80's....do they still make those?

 

Sure, and Ouji boards as well

[neverbeenhere]

January 21, 2031

 

20 year anniversary of the last major conversion.

[davekathy]

5 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Ah, the crystal ball of the 80's....do they still make those?

My Magic 8 Ball is about ~ 62 years old. Thank you Santa.🎅

Edited June 6, 2022 by davekathy

[topnole]

I remember a lot of speculation on here about this before we became D+.   A lot of it seemed centered on it taking more to become D or it would take being D+ to get the old D benefits because there were so many Ds on most cruises.  I do remember thinking if they make changes I sure hope I’m D+ first and we are grandfathered in against any negative changes that required more points for a certain level.  I didn’t stress or book cruises around it.  I just hoped there weren’t significant changes.  Many years later and no major changes to the negative IMO and no changes in points required to get to D, D+, or P.  
 

I wouldn’t waste a moment worrying about it.  There will surely be some changes, but most will probably be incremental like going to 3

vouchers during HH and then finally to 4,5,6 or vouchers (depending on level) and no unlimited drinks during HH.  It is a big change, but almost everyone thinks it is a change for the better.  Don’t worry and just enjoy your cruises.  You can always buy whatever perks you want if they change things.  Sailing in a

suite is much better than being D+ when you are in a big ship.  In fact, it is as good or better than being Pinnacle.  You can always pay for any perk you want.  Enjoy.  

Edited June 6, 2022 by topnole

[cruisegirl1]

1 hour ago, HicksRA said:

I heard that points for all C&A members will be reset to zero and Pinnacles will be asked to return their shiny badges….

 

Everyone will have to start over.  

Why just pinnacles? Shouldn’t other groups have to return badges/pins as well? Why do we always pick on pinnacles? 
m

[cruisegirl1]

I agree with the poster above who guessed that the point structure would be the same but the benefits might (at some point) change. And of course change usually equates to reduce
 

n

 

 

[Cigar King]

Don't ask questions like this here.  Go straight to the source:

 

Welcome to Ask 8-Ball, The Ultimate Online Oracle (ask8ball.net)

 

😉

[rudeney]

Many companies have changed their loyalty programs over the last several years, and I mean over the last decade, not the last two years "because...COVID".  Most of them have one thing in common: They tie it to an affinity credit card.  You might still get some loyalty benefits, but to reap the biggest rewards, you have to use their branded credit card.  I would not be surprised to see RCCL do something along those lines.  They could change the points earning structure so that if you don't pay with their card, you don't get as many points.  Or, they could add points based on spending rather than nights on the ship, and give double points for charging everything on the card.  Transferring the cost and management of loyalty programs to the extremely profitable credit card issuers (Chase, Citi, CapOne, BofA, etc.) is a huge benefit for companies like Disney, Marriott, and it could translate very well to RCCL.  

 

[topnole]

10 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

I agree with the poster above who guessed that the point structure would be the same but the benefits might (at some point) change. And of course change usually equates to reduce
 

n

 

 

5 drinks at any point in the day for D+ hardly seems like a reduction in benefits for most people.  Change doesn’t always mean reduce.  Just different.  

[Bound4Bermuda]

After you hit Pinnacle, you become Third Officer and on up. At that point, pins are replaced by stripes. Once you hit First Officer, the Captain lets you steer the ship every second Tuesday of the month and lets you lead a Q&A session with the passengers each Friday since you know everything you need to know about RCI by then.