Gold Seapass Card?

[Ladylouwho]

When we sailed last time, he was very cold to us which is disappointing because at that time he wanted the agents to notify him when the suite guests arrived so he could personally escort them on the ship. The day we sailed I personally escorted 3 suites worth of guests to him and he didn't say 3 words to me despite chatting up everyone else in the lounge. I just thought that was crappy of him to treat someone like that after doing something that is not only not in our job description, but something that I didn't have time to do in the first place.

 

We just felt like the step children of the lounge because of our "status" at the pier.

 

And I'm just teasin' about last week ;)

 

Hey girl, he didn't give you your due and for that he was inconsiderate at the very least. I am only sorry I didn't meet up with you. We had a group of 9 and went in the priority line. I didn't see you. Anyway, we live in the DFW area so we will definitely sail out of Galveston again and again.

Take care,

Colleen

[buckanear]

It's a shame we didn't meet! I love meeting all my CC passengers. You should have asked for me. I used to meet alot more of my CC'ers when I was an agent, but now that I'm not checking in the list is starting to dwindle!

[Lushpuppy]

On Celebrity it was (for our sailings as far as I can remember anyway), white for standard cabins, silver for concierge class, and gold for suites.

After the first day, we hardly used our cards, barmen know your suite number anyway within the first $$ :)

 

Personally, I would like a pink sparkly one:D

 

I think men wouldnt really care, me..just being a girly thing yes I would like a nice gold one:)

(My DH freaked when I got us pink credit cards:eek:)

 

There again, I am thinking of having RS tatooed on my forehead:D (only joking before someone hits me!)

[rubrrick]

On Celebrity it was (for our sailings as far as I can remember anyway), white for standard cabins, silver for concierge class, and gold for suites.

After the first day, we hardly used our cards, barmen know your suite number anyway within the first $$ :)

 

Personally, I would like a pink sparkly one

 

I think men wouldnt really care, me..just being a girly thing yes I would like a nice gold one:)

(My DH freaked when I got us pink credit cards:eek:)

 

There again, I am thinking of having RS tatooed on my forehead:D (only joking before someone hits me!)

 

 

I'm looking at my Celebrity cards, and they are all silver, including our last trip in '06........of which we are Elite and stayed in an RS.

 

Now looking back on my Royal Caribbean cards, my first one was gold, and didn't say anything as I was a newbie. My second gold card said.....Gold Member. My next gold one says Platinum member, then they all turned white with Diamond..........Diamond Plus.

 

The question is............why am I saving these useless cards???:D:D

 

Rick

[Ladylouwho]

The question is............why am I saving these useless cards???:D:D

Rick

 

We have asked ourselves the same thing, lol!!!

[capnlars]

Interesting comment Tony. I, for one, have always felt that we were and are treated very well.........with our plain white cards. But then again, I have always felt if my DW and I treat the officers and crew right, they will treat us right.

 

I'll get a feel of what my DW feels about the new card when I next email her and pass on her feelings and reaction. It will be interesting to see if she feels that she is being treated differently..........than Carol (Merion_Mom).....who has a plain white one.

 

Rick

 

I've got to agree with Rick here....we just got off the Monarch (Jan 2 - 5), and they could not find our SeaPass on checkin. We had to wait while they printed new ones that were white.

 

We received over-the-top service, I think, because of how we treat those who are serving us (I don't mean by amount of tip). This was also evidenced by the number of crew that remembered us (by name) from being on the Panama repo cruise a couple of months earlier.

[rubrrick]

I've got to agree with Rick here....we just got off the Monarch (Jan 2 - 5), and they could not find our SeaPass on checkin. We had to wait while they printed new ones that were white.

 

We received over-the-top service, I think, because of how we treat those who are serving us (I don't mean by amount of tip). This was also evidenced by the number of crew that remembered us (by name) from being on the Panama repo cruise a couple of months earlier.

 

Hi Larry........it was a wonderful time with you on the Monarch!! We had fun at the captains table...........and the last night was the greatest for the ladies!!

 

Bobbie is on the Mariner now headed around the horn, and I'm meeting up with her in Chile.

 

Sorry to jump off track ...........of the seapass color vs white!!

 

Rick

[Billaskier]

All passengers should recieve the same gold anchor service regardless of their stateroom accomodations so they shouldn't need a special card to indentify special guests when all their guests should get superior service.

 

As someone in the hospitality business, I really appreciate this comment! Not all of us are able to afford to sail in suites...although there is always someday!!

[cavkc]

NO NO NO NO NO ... We always cruise in a Suite and there is no way I want to be noticeable as such once we are outside of our suite.

 

We sailed in the Penthouse Suite on X and we didn't mention it at all at our dinner table. However half way through the cruise, it did get mentioned and from that moment on one of our fellow tablemates was a pain with his "jokes" such as "it's alright for them they have loads of money" etc etc etc.

Edited January 15, 2009 by cavkc

[Rancher Dave]

We received over-the-top service, I think, because of how we treat those who are serving us (I don't mean by amount of tip).

 

 

That is key as well...treat the crew nicely and you will be treated nicely. Fortunately most of what I saw over NYE was kindness in both directions...although in the past I've seen nastyness towards crew. The crew are people too regardless of where they live when they are off the ship.

 

In my travels around the globe, I've found some of the kindest people are those who Don't live in the USA and don't have many worldly goods.

[Lushpuppy]

NO NO NO NO NO ... We always cruise in a Suite and there is no way I want to be noticeable as such once we are outside of our suite.

 

We sailed in the Penthouse Suite on X and we didn't mention it at all at our dinner table. However half way through the cruise, it did get mentioned and from that moment on one of our fellow tablemates was a pain with his "jokes" such as "it's alright for them they have loads of money" etc etc etc.

 

 

Oh you lucky lucky people! The penthouse is beautiful on X! We had a few nice times in there last year and oh, its just lovely... I went back to my little suite and felt it was a cupboard:D

The funny thing is, the couple who had the penthouse, we met up with them and didnt know they had the penthouse. We had all had a fabulous night in the disco, and we invited them to join us at our dinner in the speciality restaurant the following night. They were SO pleased. They were very shy in telling us they had the penthouse, they invited us for drinks there first (in fact they said "come to 6147") and were so pleased we had fallen in love with THEM, not their $$$$

We did all dine together on Captains table. It was funny, coz the social climbers at the table were none of those who were in suites. All the suite people on X, were full of fun and not snobbery at all... so good point!

[BillOh]

We've always sailed in a JS (except once) and have always had white SeaPass cards. And a JS is not considered a real suite. Maybe they're just cranking out some new colors.

 

One of the concepts I got in watching promotional stuff on Oasis, is RCI really is trying to make ships more class conscious. This seems to be the intention of different colors, at least the way I see it. On every cruise I've been on I've felt that they treated everyone the same at least in the most obvious manner. I don't hold any ill feelings for people who have earned things that come with their C&A status, but RCI seems to have done that in a more tasteful way.

[Lushpuppy]

I'm looking at my Celebrity cards, and they are all silver, including our last trip in '06........of which we are Elite and stayed in an RS.

 

Now looking back on my Royal Caribbean cards, my first one was gold, and didn't say anything as I was a newbie. My second gold card said.....Gold Member. My next gold one says Platinum member, then they all turned white with Diamond..........Diamond Plus.

 

The question is............why am I saving these useless cards???:D:D

 

Rick

 

 

Nope..mine are gold... know this coz we only threw them out the other day. I was going through old stuff for our cruise and had a binning session..so mine are offically binned:D I find them in evening purses I seldom use..along with the odd $$$ which is nice...

[BillOh]

As someone in the hospitality business, I really appreciate this comment! Not all of us are able to afford to sail in suites...although there is always someday!!

 

In my reviews on Freedom I felt like the crew was the best of the fleet and they treated us all great.

[cavkc]

Oh you lucky lucky people! The penthouse is beautiful on X! We had a few nice times in there last year and oh, its just lovely... I went back to my little suite and felt it was a cupboard:D

The funny thing is, the couple who had the penthouse, we met up with them and didnt know they had the penthouse. We had all had a fabulous night in the disco, and we invited them to join us at our dinner in the speciality restaurant the following night. They were SO pleased. They were very shy in telling us they had the penthouse, they invited us for drinks there first (in fact they said "come to 6147") and were so pleased we had fallen in love with THEM, not their $$$$

We did all dine together on Captains table. It was funny, coz the social climbers at the table were none of those who were in suites. All the suite people on X, were full of fun and not snobbery at all... so good point!

 

It is a beautiful suite - I really hope we can repeat the experience at some point in the future.

 

I did have to laugh though, on our first night it was open seating in the dining room and we were seated with 2 ladies who must have told everyone many many times that they were in a Royal Suite. They questioned everyone about their own cabins and then regaled each and every one with how they were in a Royal Suite, including how much it cost etc. All I said was we are on Deck 6 near the back and wouldn't be drawn any further. Anyway later that night, as we were going into our suite as this lady came out of hers 2 doors away from us .... her face was an absolute picture when she realised we were in the Penthouse.

 

But yes, you shoudl like people for who they are not for the amount of $$ they do or don't have.

[Lushpuppy]

It is a beautiful suite - I really hope we can repeat the experience at some point in the future.

 

I did have to laugh though, on our first night it was open seating in the dining room and we were seated with 2 ladies who must have told everyone many many times that they were in a Royal Suite. They questioned everyone about their own cabins and then regaled each and every one with how they were in a Royal Suite, including how much it cost etc. All I said was we are on Deck 6 near the back and wouldn't be drawn any further. Anyway later that night, as we were going into our suite as this lady came out of hers 2 doors away from us .... her face was an absolute picture when she realised we were in the Penthouse.

 

But yes, you shoudl like people for who they are not for the amount of $$ they do or don't have.

Ha! Priceless! Bet you closed the door and had a complete giggle! I would love to have seen her face! One day dont know when or where but one day I am having that suite! I dont think I would leave there for the entire cruise! When we were on Millie on oh I think it was 04 harrison ford had the penthouse! No - we didnt get an invite :)

[madforcruising]

At the same time, maybe I will do a mini experiement. Use the marked card the first few days and then manage to demagnitize it and get it replaced with a plain white one and see if there is a difference in service. :rolleyes:

 

Won´t work as by then they already know and identify you as a suite pax and treat you as this even though the colour of your card has changed:p

[madforcruising]

First of all let me say I´m with all those saying the perks should be inside the room and once stepping out the door every guest should be treated the same. I´ve had suites in the past and my next cruise will be in one again, however I´d prefer this to be not obvious every time I use my seapass card. I´m also opposed to the idea of roped off seats in the theater and at the pool. Actually I´m not a zoo animal that needs to be roped off from the rest. If only roped off seats were available I´d rather exit the theater than having a seat there. I look at it more insulting than anything else. Now some may say it´s the same with the CL, but it´s not to me, as this is an enclosed room and I´m not as exposed as in the roped off seats.

 

 

All I know is my card is the basic white and says Diamond on the bottom. I never really thought about how I was treated based on that one word on my Seapass Card. Now they have Gold for Suites and Silver for JS??? Okay. So those of us dumb Diamond members (or non-CA member first cruisers for that matter) who are paying for 3 or 4 cabins (or more) and 8-12 people,including all charges, drinks, casino, tips, you name it, MIGHT be treated in a lessor manner than a couple who pay for a Grand Suite or an Owners Suite for only 2 people???? Hello, exactly who is buttering whose bread?????? I have been in Suites, Balcony Cabins and in between, Never an inside, But I have paid for them (kids)! Why would a couple spending 10K for an Owners Suite expect to get better treatment (outside of their cabin) than a couple such as my husband and I paying for 4 cabins, 9 passengers (many of whom, drink, gamble, etc.) paying 20K++? That is how you tee off people. Obviously, if we weren't PAYING the others wouldn't be SAILING!!!!!!

 

My understanding was that if you paid for a Suite you received the additional treatment and amenities due a Suite passenger. I have NO problem with that. I am sure you receive better MDR seating. Again, I have No Problem with that. But much past that, the one thing about a Mass Market Cruise Line is its Egalitarian feel, ONCE YOU LEAVE YOUR CABIN!!!!! If the Cruise Line wants to add additional Suite Amenities and/or discounts by all means go for it! The incentive for a Suite Guest to spend more money will be enhanced by the discounts/coupons, etc.

 

But please, like others have said on this thread before me, don't treat passengers differently in the common ares (outside CL) based on their cabin category or C & A level. RCL is Mass Market. I like getting my extras for being Diamond, discounts, Diamond/CL lounge, concierge service, etc. Just as if one books a Suite they should enjoy similar amenities. But there should not be an obvious Mark Of Distinction, meaning all should be treated with Top Notch Service regardless of C & A status or Cabin Level, once they leave their cabin or the CL.

 

RCL seems to be going in the direction of eliminating some perks from Long term, loyal repeat customers. Some say they are going after "new"customers who have never sailed before. Why would they want their "New" customers to come on board a ship for the first time only to be "possibly" treated as second class citizens because they did not book a suite? Maybe "Grandpa" shelled out 50K to take his big family on a cruise, only nobody booked a suite. Should Grandpa be treated in a lessor manor than "Barbie & Ken" who ONLY paid 10K for an Owners Suite?

 

As you can see from my above statement I´m not all for those recognitions, but I can´t follow your argumentation a bit. You just can´t compare those that spend 10K for a suite to those that spend 50K for the whole family. If you want to do a fair comparison you need to factor the per person fare and not what one single person paid. If I would follow your argumentation "Grandpa" forking out the 50K for the big family should be the only one treated special, while the rest of the big family would be "treated like crap" because they didn´t spend a dime on the cruise:rolleyes:.

[rednancy1]

Actually I agree with your comment Bill. But I've spoken to many suite passengers recently on Royal who complain about the lack of special treatment they receive compared to what they receive on other cruise lines. I'm sure Royal is aware of this complaint and searching for ways to rectify it. My guess is the gold cards are a step in that direction. I would expect more of these types of small perks/recognition to follow in the future.

 

 

I agree with you Kewlguy. :) As FL_Cruiser, Oliver, has stated RCI is working on policies to reward it's loyal spenders. I think this just might be a step in the right direction. :cool:

[rednancy1]

Kewlguy is right some folks in those cabins expect more service...I saw in some cabins < OS > as they were being cleaned and I walked by...clearly some pax expect a lot out of their cabin attendant. Who thows all their clothes all over the cabin every day? :eek:

 

Do the cabin stewarts actually pick up clothes?????? :confused:

 

Good grief. :eek: I don't care if we sail in a RS we hang our clothes up and keep the cabin neat as a pin so it can be cleaned.

 

Actually I do the same thing at home. Why pay my house cleaner $$$ to pick up clutter when all I want is a good cleaning?:cool:

 

Some people will never cease to amaze me. :rolleyes:

[rednancy1]

The question is............why am I saving these useless cards???:D:D

 

Rick

 

We save our useless Seapass cards too. :D

 

Dan insists we do so in case of a computer meltdown at RCI,etc so we can prove all our previous cruises. :rolleyes:

[Ladylouwho]

As you can see from my above statement I´m not all for those recognitions, but I can´t follow your argumentation a bit. You just can´t compare those that spend 10K for a suite to those that spend 50K for the whole family. If you want to do a fair comparison you need to factor the per person fare and not what one single person paid. If I would follow your argumentation "Grandpa" forking out the 50K for the big family should be the only one treated special, while the rest of the big family would be "treated like crap" because they didn´t spend a dime on the cruise:rolleyes:.

 

Obviously if any Royal employee treated anyone like "crap" they wouldn't be employed very long. I'm talking about what RCL seems to be doing now a days. Trying to get new customers. And if new customers start feeling like they are second class citizens they might not come back. I was also talking about who is buttering their bread. One couple paying a lot of money for one group of people is a customer that I would think RCL would like to keep as a customer whether they book a suite or not. Treating one customer better than another in the public area will turn a lot of people off. When I have sailed in Suites I expected to have certain amenities that come with my Suite. Same as I expect certain amenities that come with my Diamond status. But I do not expect to be treated better than other passengers in the public areas. I am not trying to argue with you, just trying to clarify my point. And I won't roll my eyes at you because that isn't very nice.

[rednancy1]

As someone in the hospitality business, I really appreciate this comment! Not all of us are able to afford to sail in suites...although there is always someday!!

 

We have sailed in an inside cabin to Suite and always received the same excellent Gold Anchor service RCI is famous for. :)

 

If we wear our D+ pins the crew may notice them and remark but we still get the same service we got when we were on our first RCI cruise in an OV. :cool:

 

If you treat the staff politely and in a friendly manner this is how they will treat you. You reap what you sow.:cool:

Edited January 17, 2009 by rednancy1

[Tranquil Waters]

Interesting comment Tony. I, for one, have always felt that we were and are treated very well.........with our plain white cards. But then again, I have always felt if my DW and I treat the officers and crew right, they will treat us right.

 

I'll get a feel of what my DW feels about the new card when I next email her and pass on her feelings and reaction. It will be interesting to see if she feels that she is being treated differently..........than Carol (Merion_Mom).....who has a plain white one.

 

Rick

 

I think there is one very big flaw in your proposed research plan. It would only be reliable if both your DW and M_M were just one-of-the-masses RCI cruisers.

 

Since I have serious doubts that there is any staff onboard who are unaware of the cruise diva's or M_M, I don't think we can rely on their experiences being the "norm". I am sure everyone is treating both of them with more than excellent service...... ;) :D

[meansun]

We are traveling with 17+ people. Some are in suites and some are not. We will be able to tell first hand if there is any difference. I'll repost on this thread when I get back or if the internet connection is decent, I'll post from the ship.