Royal Carribean disloyal to loyal cruisers, how not to run a cruise line.

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

No, you would not be able to wheel into bathroom nor is there a seat in the shower.   And sink would be an issue for someone in a wheelchair to access.

I would start another thread regarding accessibility issues to address this thread. I realize that it touches affordability and the desire to continue cruising with RCI. I am just not sure where this subject is best suited to get your desired result.

[davekathy]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:18 AM, welshtiger said:

We see yet again Royal Carribean cruise line , erroding the benefits for the "crown and anchor " club loyalty scheme.  Happy hour diamond club -gone!

No it's not. The HH in the DL is from 5 to 8:PM. Snacks still served during that time. The only change is you now have to use your CAS drinks loaded your SeaPass card in the DL. No more unlimited drinks. No biggie. 

[Sunshine3601]

4 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I would start another thread regarding accessibility issues to address this thread. I realize that it touches affordability and the desire to continue cruising with RCI. I am just not sure where this subject is best suited to get your desired result.

I was simply answering another posters question.  All good here.

[Engineroom Snipe]

5 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I was simply answering another posters question.  All good here.

No judgement, I have been moderated before many times. 😏 We are both trying to be positive and yet have too many judges. 😁

[CruisingHogFan]

1 hour ago, Beeline Cruiser said:

 

One more cruise until Diamond and yes we're super excited about the Diamond Lounge!! It really looks like a special place and. a lot of fun.

Something tells me you will fit in just fine there… Great place to complain about everything!! 

[PhoenixCruiser]

@Cigar Kingif you don't need an accessible cabin, are you really one to state that an Owner's Suite would work?

 

Do they have emergency pull cords?

 

Do they have phones in the bathroom? 

 

Do they have a ramp for the balcony door?

 

Do they have enough space for a wheelchair? 

 

Do they  have pull-down bars in the closets 

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Is that a snake choker?

 

Panthers. A Cartier knockoff

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, Lady Hudson said:

Glad I am not buying that — pretty though it is!!

 

Should have taken a picture of Laura wearing it.

[nelblu]

On 1/7/2023 at 6:46 PM, Lady Hudson said:

My opinion only - I understand the necessity of limiting folks in the lounges due to numbers.  And I think limiting folks to the SL makes sense considering the amount of money paid by Suite guests.  Pinnacles are also not allowed in the lounge when numbers are too high.

 

The vouchers have been a great change and most people enjoy them.  I agree with a previous poster who said it is curious that RC raises the daily gratuity rate and then suggests it may take away nightly service.  Doesn’t make sense to me.  Katherine 

The blow back will be that the cabin steward will be getting less or no add'l grats.  Less service = less pay.

[TwinMamainMN]

15 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

How many did you get?

He's gotta pay for the World Cruise first. 😂 Wonder if he can keep his lovely wife out of the Effy store?

[lovesthebeach2]

10 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

@Cigar Kingif you don't need an accessible cabin, are you really one to state that an Owner's Suite would work?

 

Do they have emergency pull cords? YES

 

Do they have phones in the bathroom? YES

 

Do they have a ramp for the balcony door?

 

Do they have enough space for a wheelchair? YES

 

Do they  have pull-down bars in the closets 

Edited January 9, 2023 by lovesthebeach2

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

The blow back will be that the cabin steward will be getting less or no add'l grats.  Less service = less pay.

They will likely be assigned other work - like more cabins.

[lovesthebeach2]

1 minute ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

 

NevermInd, I read the question wrong.  Just got off Jewel Friday  and brought home Covid and my brain is foggy.

[livingonthebeach]

31 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

NevermInd, I read the question wrong.  Just got off Jewel Friday  and brought home Covid and my brain is foggy.

 

You brought home the "C" souvenir?  Many were reporting the same thing off of Odyssey last month. Hope you had a mild case. Hope you're feeling better. 

[PWP-001]

21 hours ago, Cruisin'allovertheworld said:

I have read up to this point in the thread and I just really, really needed to reply to this particular statement and sentiment.

 

Not everyone is actually able to always 'find a way'- you know that, right? That statement literally reeks of privilege and ignorance. There are many reasons that it may not be feasible for a person/people to cruise in order to maintain a status.

 

My husband and I live in Perth, Australia. In the next couple of years there is exactly 1 cruise departing from our nearest port (Fremantle). It is 18 nights from the 1st of March 2024 on Brilliance of the Seas.

First of all as my husband and I are 36 and working (him)/studying (me) that length of cruise may not be feasible. It would certainly rule me ineligible to study for the semester, delaying graduation etc etc.

An inside cabin (not my preference) is a little over USD$3,000.

 

The cruise finishes in Sydney. We would have to fly back (USD$200-600 per person dependant on dates for an economy seat).

 

Our other closest alternatives for ports are Brisbane, Sydney and Singapore.

 

Accommodation can vary between USD$100-300 per night in these locations.

 

Return flights vary between USD$250-450 per person at a low-season time of year per person for economy seats. Yes- in Australia it can be cheaper to fly return than one way.

 

Why not drive? The drive between Perth and either Sydney or Brisbane costs around USD$1,000 in fuel and takes 44ish hours- the equivalent of driving from Vancouver to New York on the quickest possible route.

 

A cruise (for us...and many others), whilst good value, is NOT inexpensive. USD$4500 (cost for inside cabin cruise, a night or two in a not-fancy Syd hotel, food while we're there and economy flights home) is equivalent to over AUD$6500 for 20ish days of holidays and the ability to keep our status.

 

The average wage in Australia is about USD$1030 per week.

 

If my husband was earning the average wage it would take him 6 and a half weeks (or over 12% of his annual pay BEFORE tax etc) to earn the money to pay for this.

 

We are fortunate that we are more flexible than most for several reasons-

 

1) My husband earns significantly more than the average wage.

2) We do not have children.

 

Check yourself and your privilege, please. It isn't as simple for everyone as it is for you.

 

Since you chose the language as I've highlighted in red, I don't find the need to "sugar-coat" my respond as some gentle flowers on this site require.

 

Loyalty programs are not intended for everyone but instead for those who have the ability and means to regularly patronize the business at a level the business deems sufficient to recognize and reward the customer's loyalty.

 

I have the privilege of living in South Florida close to cruise ports.  I have the privilege of working in an industry where I can conduct business while on board a cruise, and I have the privilege of limited personal commitments which gives me the freedom to travel when I want.  This is the result of LIFE CHOICES that I have made.  Now as a result, when I flew Qantas to Australia and received certain perks it was only because I had a business class ticket.

 

Because of my choice to live in Florida, Qantas will NEVER market to me and I'll never be in a position to gain status in their frequent flyer program.  Boo Hoo for me?  Shed some tears?  NO.  The program is just not for me, a frequent traveler who lives in Florida.  But you don't finding me expressing dissatisfaction with my life choices and accusing Qantas of making a program of "privilege."

 

Businesses who run loyalty programs LOVE customers who "find a way" to keep their status-- because it means additional revenue from a self-motivated customer.  This is of course a less narrow-minded approach to my statement than you offer.  

 

Surely not everyone can "find a way."  But that's life and nothing to belly ache about or get ones knickers in a twist, because loyalty programs are not designed to accommodate everyone.

 

This discussion thread started with an angry OP who presented as so fed up with all the loss of perks that they're jumping ship, per se.  Others have called them out, pointing out how bloated the upper tiers have become, making those perks unsustainable.  I presented an idea that's emerged as common practice for airline loyalty programs, suggesting that one day it may apply to cruise lines as a way to refine whom cruise lines truly value as high repeat revenue producers.

 

I'm sorry that --as you presented yourself with your husband's "significantly more than the average wage"-- that life still appears not to  be as good as you want it to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PWP-001]

On 1/7/2023 at 6:37 PM, cruisingator2 said:

MSC has a policy where your Voyagers Club status will drop back to classic unless you cruise at least once every three years and you must subscribe again to even get that if your status drops back. I think that they’re the only cruise line with that policy. 

Well, what do you know!  Interesting concept that some said would NEVER happen because no one is doing it.

[Cruisin'allovertheworld]

1 hour ago, PWP-001 said:

 

...But you don't finding me expressing dissatisfaction with my life choices and accusing Qantas of making a program of "privilege."...

Please re-read ALL of what I said. I didn't accuse the Cruise Lines of making a programme of "privilege" - I accused your statement that 'If it really matters to people they will find a way...' of reeking of ignorance and privilege.

 

Which it does.

 

The figures and explanation from me were a way to highlight how much ignorance and privilege it was reeking of.

 

PS. Please note the single quotation marks above- indicating paraphrasing.

 

1 hour ago, PWP-001 said:

I'm sorry that --as you presented yourself with your husband's "significantly more than the average wage"-- that life still appears not to  be as good as you want it to be.

 

This is truly bizarre and kinda weirds me out a bit.🕵️‍♀️

 

I am not bothered that less cruises depart from Fremantle than from the multiple ports in South Flordia.

 

I have a happy life that my choices have made.

 

I just dislike ignorance and lack of understanding of privilege and call it out when I see it.

 

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

You brought home the "C" souvenir?  Many were reporting the same thing off of Odyssey last month. Hope you had a mild case. Hope you're feeling better. 

I brought it home from allure. Sick 3 weeks. I'm a little less gung ho for winter cruising. 

 

 

[livingonthebeach]

9 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I brought it home from allure. Sick 3 weeks. I'm a little less gung ho for winter cruising. 

 

So sorry to hear.  Was it the dreaded "C" souvenir or RSV? I was feeling lousy the last day on Odyssey and still not 100% almost a month later. I tested negative for C so maybe it was RSV? Who knows? On that cruise we had to make an emergency stop in Miami to let off a very sick crew member. They did not specify what it was. One passenger died on that sailing as well - again no one knows of what. 

 

I got the new booster (5th shot) just to be on the safe side for the next cruise.  

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, Cruisin'allovertheworld said:

Please re-read ALL of what I said. I didn't accuse the Cruise Lines of making a programme of "privilege" - I accused your statement that 'If it really matters to people they will find a way...' of reeking of ignorance and privilege.

 

Which it does.

 

The figures and explanation from me were a way to highlight how much ignorance and privilege it was reeking of.

 

PS. Please note the single quotation marks above- indicating paraphrasing.

 

 

This is truly bizarre and kinda weirds me out a bit.🕵️‍♀️

 

I am not bothered that less cruises depart from Fremantle than from the multiple ports in South Flordia.

 

I have a happy life that my choices have made.

 

I just dislike ignorance and lack of understanding of privilege and call it out when I see it.

 

You speak like “privilege” is a bad thing

[Cruisin'allovertheworld]

1 minute ago, not-enough-cruising said:

You speak like “privilege” is a bad thing

Not if you acknowledge it and use it for the benefit of others who do not have as much as you.

 

Certainly it is if you wish to make things more difficult for some and then dismiss their increased struggle.

[John&LaLa]

5 hours ago, TwinMamainMN said:

He's gotta pay for the World Cruise first. 😂 Wonder if he can keep his lovely wife out of the Effy store?

 

Cruise actually paid for. They offered 10% discount for paying in full by Jan 6🤑

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

So sorry to hear.  Was it the dreaded "C" souvenir or RSV? I was feeling lousy the last day on Odyssey and still not 100% almost a month later. I tested negative for C so maybe it was RSV? Who knows? On that cruise we had to make an emergency stop in Miami to let off a very sick crew member. They did not specify what it was. One passenger died on that sailing as well - again no one knows of what. 

 

I got the new booster (5th shot) just to be on the safe side for the next cruise.  

I was so busy with my mom I didnt get the last booster. 

 

I'm not sure what it was. I tested negative onboard. I was so surprised. I had been so sure I was going into isolation. Lol I pulled extra obc over and above tips out in the casino and got ready. Self isolated as much as I could. B2b. Wasnt a cold and not that sick, just couldnt get rid of it. 

 

One guy diagnosed with pneumonia said he was booked dec 2023 cancelled and moved to spring. Hes done with winter for a while. I had it in my lungs too. 

 

I'm less eager to cruise, this is twice in a row I got sick from my cruise. Last time was the food. Time to slow down bookings.  B2bs havent been lucky.

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, Cruisin'allovertheworld said:

Not if you acknowledge it and use it for the benefit of others who do not have as much as you.

 

Certainly it is if you wish to make things more difficult for some and then dismiss their increased struggle.

Where did anyone here make a statement that would make anything more difficult for anyone??

What "struggle" exactly are we talking about?  The subsection of humanity that this board applies to certainly have no "struggles" when it come to their cruise vacation time

[Peachy59]

On 1/8/2023 at 7:23 AM, deliver42 said:

I don't need someone to turn down my bed at night.

Me either, but I do like to have ice refilled.