Royal Champions

[FinelyCruising]

Whenever someone posts that only D or Dplus should be RC it puts up a flag for me. Do you think that D or Dplus cruisers are more objective than someone who has taken only a couple on Royal? Just the opposite, in my opinion.

 

I think the quantity/history of a D or D+ provides a solid knowledge base that a more occasional cruiser would be lacking.

[BayStateguppy]

I feel the need to point out once again that the issue is not and never was that some people were hurt that they were not chosen to be RCs.

 

The issue was that RCL provided perks in exchange for positive posts.

 

Whether the RCs realize that they were being influenced or not isn't relevant b/c the goal of viral marketing is to influence them w/out them realizing that they are being influenced. In other words, viral marketing worked as it was intended to --- the RCs never felt manipulated.

So of course you never felt manipulated. The viral marketing campaign was a success. RCL has said it was a success. (What exactly did you think they meant by this?)

 

The ones who did recognize the manipulation were the Chumps. And they were soundly thrashed for speaking out.

 

Please understand that the Chumps focus was transparency ---- no one really cares if a person is a Royal Champion... except maybe those who aspire to such recognition. (The "I begged and begged to be included" group). The rest of us just thought you made up a new club for yourselves, like the Anti-Whiners club.

 

And since RCL has decided to continue with the program, I ask all Royal Champions to keep us informed of any further invitations that you receive from RCL so that transparency will have a fighting chance.

[critterchick]

Wouldn't you think that I am interested in this topic? Or else why would I subject myself to all this angst for the past several days? If someone wasn't interested, most likely they wouldn't be participating on this thread. ;)

 

Of course you are interested in the topic, as am I. I'm too lazy to find your exact words, but I inferred that you found it interesting that the RCs don't care about something (I forget what that was). I really must not care if I don't remember what it was you thought it was interesting that I don't care about!:eek::)

 

FL_cruiser 64

 

There is a problem with that. A person tried that a few months ago and was lambasted by a Royal Champion. You tell me how that could be if only RCI has a list. Do members of the Royal Champions have a list?

 

Or is that really a 'friend-pick-friend' program.

 

Oliver, we don't have a list, at least not an officially compiled one. Do you believe me? (Disclaimer: Oliver and I have sailed together, so we actually are personally acquainted, so if he doesn't believe me, he's in trouble:p).

[Bruin Steve]

I was reading a post on cruise critic the other day and a poster apparently inadvertantly let it slip that his cabin was upgraded for free by the cruise line.

 

His review of the cruise was favorable.

 

That is OUTRAGEOUS! How can we trust this poster when he has obviously been bribed by the cruise line with a valuable free upgrade--obviously in exchange for his favorable review.

 

Another poster on another thread mentioned she got an invite to dine at the Captain's Table and was plied with FREE DRINKS...obviously compromising her impartiality.

 

How long has this been going on? We cannot trust any of these CORRUPT posters to supply us with any fair opinion on any subject matter. They have been bribed... bought, sold and paid for by the cruise lines in question.

 

This is underhanded "Viral Marketing". These posters were not rewarded for anything I think they should be rewarded for. It seems to be random at best...probably just to buy their loyalty. And here they are in this Message Board passing on untrustworthy comments. These posters are "on the take" and MUST be stopped...IMMEDIATELY.

 

The cruise lines MUST apologize. And immediately stop the practice of rewarding only certain customers (and not me) with such underhanded benefits as FREE UPGRADES and FREE DRINKS unless they are given to ALL cruisers.

 

And Cruise Critic should be chastized for allowing these criminal posters to continue to post. At a minimum, each such poster should be required to have all of their posts marked with a Scarlet Letter or perhaps a warning that says "BEWARE: CROOKED CHEATING POSTER".

 

I suspect there are more unsavory ways these cruise lines are contaminating our minds and I will not stop posting on this subject until it is all brought to an end.

 

I expect 1,500+ more posts to be added to this thread by at least 50 other people all posting the same message at least 300 times each until these unconscionable tactics are brought to an end and all of the despicable tainted posters are "outed".

 

If you have been given ANYTHING of value by a cruise line EVER, please self disclose and humble yourself before us before we are forced to come get you ourselves. It will not be pretty!

 

You, of course, must confess to being USED by the cruise line. In the future, when we take over, there will be NO free upgrades, no Captain's Table invites, no free drinks, not sales or discounted prices, no onboard credits, no logo item gifts. NOTHING that compromises the purity of the message board in any way.

 

All posters must shed all bias or be banned from posting.

 

Come on you freebie-grubbing liars, you know who you are. Yes, you with the free art print from the onboard auction...and you with the free-to-keep souvenir logo cocktail glass...and you with the $200 off your next cruise coupon. We demand to know who you are and then we must cattle-brand you and never believe you again.

 

I am outraged and I will not give up on this crusade no matter how obnoxious this thread gets. You are with us or against us. Our cause is holy. God is on our side.

[996turbos]

I have watched this for a few days now and sadly I can not accept anything offered by a RC as pure truth anymore, In addition this has severely hurt my trust in CC as a whole. Nothing new here. Been posted many times before by others but I feel the need to express my sadness at this horrid event. It has been like watching a car wreck on the interstate, you hate to see it but can't look away. So sad!:(

[Schplinky]

Very cute but you should brace for impact...

[cruisingcowboy]

Well this is certainly an interesting way to get your post count up;) Just to throw my two cents in;

 

I'm not jealous that I did not get invited to the super-secret RC club and that I was not present when they were passing out the ultra-elite homing device decoder rings;)

 

I'm also not suspicious or tempted to do a credit/background check whenever someone writes a positive or negative review about anything concerning RCI;)

 

I don't count my interactions with the posters on this board as "talking with my friends". I am sharing and receiving information with posters whose monikers and signatures do not sway me in any way, shape, or fashion (honestly I don't usually pay attention to the signatures). So subsequently I do not get my feelings hurt by the posters on this board.

 

And lastly I do not personalize my time spent on CC, which at the end of the day is simply a social media.

 

I do:

 

Gravitate to specific posters whose information has been helpful.

 

Answer questions that I have first hand knowledge of (and leave the unknown to the experts)

 

Get amused at some of the stories, responses, and opinions that I read on this board.

 

Follow my heart and my intuition when deciding what to do with my discretionary vacation income and who should receive it.

 

Just imagine if we were able to harness all of the passion and emotion that has ben poured into this topic over the past several days and create something really meaningful:rolleyes:

 

Bless you Cathy, I think you have summed up exactly what I (and in my opinion what many who have stayed out of this train wreck) have been thinking.

 

Now excuse me but Elvis is on the next thread over and I want to get his peanut butter and nana sandwich receipt!

[Catnip]

Of course you are interested in the topic, as am I. I'm too lazy to find your exact words, but I inferred that you found it interesting that the RCs don't care about something (I forget what that was). I really must not care if I don't remember what it was you thought it was interesting that I don't care about!:eek::)

 

 

Let me refresh your memory......here is my quote in response to another poster:

 

a good many of the RCers either don't feel that they were manipulated, or they don't care. Very interesting to me.

 

I was saying that I find it interesting that many of the RCers do not feel that they were used and/or manipulated by the marketing ploy by RCCL. In fact, one RCer has stated that he doesn't even care about it. That's what I find interesting. I know you don't care, but I just wanted to clear things up. :)

 

 

[Dphipps2]

I bow before you and beg for forgiveness. We received a free upgrade, free art print, free drinks, free fruit plate, free chocolate strawberries and free mints on my pillow. Please please forgive me:D

[xpcdoojk]

No where did she say that. You are putting words in her "MOUTH" so to speak. She did not state any reason why it wasn't in our best interest, she just stated that it wasn't and you shouldn't be reading anything more into it.

 

I was laughing as I read his post, and thinking did they read the same thing I just read. I think it is fairly obvious that there was no secret plan, and that the facts supplied by CC in the beginning were dead square on, but, alas, I do not think it matters at all.

 

There will be no mass acceptance of the facts. This will continue to be a causes celeb for people who are addicted to the attention for their individual nefarious reasons. At this point, and I am not sure a week ago you could have beaten this out of me with a stick, that CC has more credibility than the pot stirrers with their own agenda on this thread. Alas, mine is a minority opinion.:( Further, I have no doubt a few great RCI posters will have a tiny perk or two that might have gone their way will go away. So, the jealous have sucessfully taken something from others. Congratulations.:mad:

 

jc

[theotherchad]

Look out, the irony police are on patrol!!!!:D

[ASeaPrincess1]

 

If you have been given ANYTHING of value by a cruise line EVER, please self disclose and humble yourself before us before we are forced to come get you ourselves. It will not be pretty!

I got a tote bag and baseball cap.....am I corrupt???:D

[firefly333]

I got a free upgrade last year from a inside to a OV. Maybe I should start putting that in my signature, after all I was enriched for no reason I know of. Maybe I should wear something like the scarlet letter, so everyone in real life sees it too when they ask me about where I cruised lately.

[SomeBeach]

Very cute but you should brace for impact...

 

Probably true but it is funny!

 

Gosh, I never thought about those upgrades (probably because I never received one) buying brand loyalty! :p

[Aquahound]

If you have been given ANYTHING of value by a cruise line EVER, please self disclose and humble yourself before us before we are forced to come get you ourselves. It will not be pretty!

 

OK, OK!

 

sniff, sniff...I was given a key chain once for checking the Bingo balls!

 

There! I've come clean! I'm ashamed and I feel terrible. Please be easy on me.

[Davey Interweb]

I think the quantity/history of a D or D+ provides a solid knowledge base that a more occasional cruiser would be lacking.

 

Not really. It is possible be achieve C&A Diamond status without actually having stepped foot on a Royal Caribbean ship.

[Ocean Boy]

Yes, I'm sure most of us understand that concept, as you have said it over & over & over & over & over again many, many times. I get it that you don't personally care. ;)

Some of the RCers, though, are very proud to be a part of the group.

 

And I sure am the only one on this thread that can be accused of doing that.;)

[celle]

I was reading a post on cruise critic the other day and a poster apparently inadvertantly let it slip that his cabin was upgraded for free by the cruise line.

 

His review of the cruise was favorable.

 

That is OUTRAGEOUS! How can we trust this poster when he has obviously been bribed by the cruise line with a valuable free upgrade--obviously in exchange for his favorable review.

 

 

. . . . . . . etc . . .etc .... ad nauseam - (quotes deleted)

 

You are with us or against us. Our cause is holy. God is on our side.

 

You're joking! Being ironic! Right??

 

If not, please take a few deep breathes and think of your blood pressure! ;)

[Dorene1]

I have some questions for you. You state that you have book many cruises based on what you have read on this site. So, what has your personal experience been? What do you feel about the advice that you received here after having gone on the cruises? I expect that the advice was quite helpful or you would have stopped booking cruises based on what you read here. It would have only taken one or two cruises to figure out that the information on these boards is bogus. It would not have taken many cruises.

 

So the big question is why would your opinion about the advice that you get here change when you have your own personal experience to fall back on when judging the information on these boards?

 

No need to attack me, my feelings about this may be shared with others. This is my opinion and you seem to be jumping from one persons opinion to the other. I have been cruising long before I found CC, and I enjoyed the website because I thought when fellow cruisers made suggestions or comments they were based on truth and not for other reasons. Now I really dont know.

 

Dorene

[fridaythe13th]

:confused::confused:

[Ocean Boy]

Not really. It is possible be achieve C&A Diamond status without actually having stepped foot on a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

Are you referring to having that status due to their level, and reciprocity, in Celebrity's Captain's Club?

[magmid]

Really....

[Coolcruise02]

i have watched this for a few days now and sadly i can not accept anything offered by a rc as pure truth anymore, in addition this has severely hurt my trust in cc as a whole. Nothing new here. Been posted many times before by others but i feel the need to express my sadness at this horrid event. It has been like watching a car wreck on the interstate, you hate to see it but can't look away. So sad!:(

 

I agree !! :(

[glgolfer]

steve

 

i wonder if we can get a list of all the free things some posters have been given over the last 2 years. maybe they were part of a viral marketing scheme without knowing it just as some others were.

[Cruzaholic41]

I was given a key chain once for checking the Bingo balls!

 

Paul, you owe me a new keyboard for the coffee I just spit on it.

 

LMAO!