Letter to Diamond Members (Merged Threads)

[SpekiTrout]

Hi Ocean Boy,

 

Thank you for your support. :D

 

I intend to survive for a long time. I hope to "croak" on a cruise ship at age 95. I told my DH to just dump me overboard. :):cool:

 

 

Congrats to you Nancy ... and LOVE your outlook on life !

[WoodyWindy]

Have a great trip Nancy! You deserve it, and all of the happiness this life can provide!

[sealord]

Sealord,

 

I may not agree with your posts.....:o

 

but, I love the picture of the puppy. :)

 

Please tell us about her/him. :)

 

Our dogs are treated like royalty.

 

Our dogs are "they who must be petted":eek:

 

I would be a bit surprised if anyone who is already Diamond Plus, or anyone who routinely books a 'real' suite, has a great deal of sympathy for those of us who only recently became Diamond. Let us not forget also that it was fairly recent that 'Diamond' was the zenith of C&A. In my view the Diamond Plus level was established to facilitate 'moving the goal posts'. Or, is it to believed that one would be 'loyal' for fourteen more cruises to obtain the coveted prefered 'dining table location'? There was very little reward for being Diamond Plus until they took the CL benefit away from the Diamonds, effectively transfering it to Diamond Plus. "Concierge Lounge benefit after ten cruises ... oops ... we didn't mean that, we meant 24 cruises." That would be a 240% increase thank you very much.

Anyway, just a short rant to stay on point.

 

The puppy is a cockapoo named Jack. We also have a blonde one named Rocky. They are big boys for cockapoos ... thirty and forty pounds.:)

[curley23]

Dog washing is a great time to contemplate since they don't have much to say.

 

I thought about your idea ... and I decided that if I were RCI, the last place in the world I would want my 'loyal' (albiet disgruntled) customers to go, would be aboard the competition ... where they will be rubbing shoulders with hundreds, indeed thousands of 'potential' customers. If I were AG for a day, I would be continuing the 'damage control' to try to retain, or retrieve, my customers before they take their displeasure into a 'sea' of potential RCI customers aboard the competition. After all, the people who dissauded me from cruising on certain other cruise lines that I will keep 'nameless', were aboard 'Royal' ... not the other cruise line. Sending your currently upset customers to the competition would be a bad way to 'air' your dirty laundry. The way that RCI is going to succeed in this market, is to attract customers away from the competition ... not send their 'loyal' customers over to 'them'.:rolleyes:

 

I think AG has done his damage control. From the reponses of most from this and another thread on the subject, one may tend to think that there aren't very many who now cannot accept what is happening. One could also think that most were fairly satisfied that Mr.G actually wrote back and addressed the issue further, and at least offered a more positve change, and at least let pax know they had been heard.

If you read his letter, And I am sure you did, they anticipated some unhappy pax. I doubt now that the brass at RC will be really worried about some people going on the competition and putting in the bad word. It happens everyday on all cruise lines. No company, no matter what they sell is going to please everyone, although most try like hec. It really is too bad you don't seem to get that, but that is your choice. There are other people who also come to RC from other cruise lines as well for various reasons, and some unhappy with other lines.

It just does not make any sense to me, why such a disgruntled pax like you would still want to give RC your $$$. You seem to take this reward thing as some type on entitlemant program. I hate to tell you, however, it is not.

Time will now tell whether RC has made a good , bad or, indifferent decision. This will not be something that will play out in the near future

[Montana]

Having left Mariner this A.M. I have to say that although this privilege as we knew it is gone there were some problems. The first day at sea was the worst. Security was called twice to the concierge lounge to remove unruly customers. One woman could not understand why her son 2 weeks short of his 18th birthday could not have alcohol with her in the lounge. She was unpleasant and possibly intoxicated. A few other adults were going in to get snacks and were serving pre-schoolers in the hallway where they were waiting for their parents inside drinking. It was embarassing. They could have ordered chicken and cheese from room service for the kids.The Mariner opened the Dragon's Lair as an option and it was never busy, but the concierge room was always busy. It looks like we will not ever reach diamond plus status due to our age and the fact that we also sail celebrity so we are sad to lose the lounge, but it looks like we contributed to this loss by bad behavior by our peers.

[Rancher Dave]

Good to see the whole letter. I was hearing some rumors about what it said while on VY this past week. Sounds like good decisions stepping in the right direction based on feedback. Of course the threads here and email, etc...all help get the message to corporate! Good work all!

[we like it hot]

I too am tired of this subject. It's like a car crash that you can't stop looking at. After recently becoming a diamond member, we are disappointed that we will not bea ble to take advantage of the CL on the smaller ships. We enjoyed it very much on our last cruise. To give us 25% off drinks is an insult, 50% would have been easier to swallow. "Moving the goal posts", is a good analogy to how many of us feel. We have to question our loyalty to Royal when they do this kind of stuff. With all that said, atleast I feel they are trying to do dammage control. What upsets my husband and me the most, is the inability to combine discounts. We had planned on booking two, possibly four additional cruises on our last cruise, 4 weeks ago. What is the point? If you can't get onboard credit for doing this? It is foolish of RCI to do this. Every new car salesman knows that it is easier to make the sale when the customer is in the car for the test drive. I realize times are tough for everyone. By allowing us to combine discounts, we were able to spend as much money while on the ship, especially on excursions and art. You know they get a nice kickback on those items

We have only cruised on RCI. After our first cruise with them, we never wanted to tempt fate, and try another line. We have bragged to no less than 100 people about RCL but feel we can't do that anymore. Royal Caribbean- close, but no cigar

[sealord]

No company, no matter what they sell is going to please everyone, although most try like hec. It really is too bad you don't seem to get that, but that is your choice. There are other people who also come to RC from other cruise lines as well for various reasons, and some unhappy with other lines.

It just does not make any sense to me, why such a disgruntled pax like you would still want to give RC your $$$. You seem to take this reward thing as some type on entitlemant program. I hate to tell you, however, it is not.

Time will now tell whether RC has made a good , bad or, indifferent decision. This will not be something that will play out in the near future

 

1. I will continue, less frequently, to give RCI my cruise $$$ when and where it makes sense. The 'loyalty' gig is history.

 

2. No, not an entitlement program. It was a "you do this, and you get that" program. In their words, "the more you cruise, the more you get". The fine print notwithstanding, "the more you cruise, the more you get" was an obvious 'overstatement'. I have cruised more, and now I'm getting less than what I was getting before. So, "the more you cruise, the more you get" is something a bit stronger than an 'overstatement'. "Some people don't seem to get that". So I'm not "entitled" ... as in 'welfare', I earned, as in, "you give me your cruise dollars, and this is what you get".

 

3. One more analogy. You are walking down the street in Barcelona, and a polite mugger comes up and bumps into you. He says, "excuse me". While you are distracted, his buddy slits the strap on your wife's purse with a razor blade, takes the purse, and her watch. A bunch of C&A witnesses are standing around and start to get rowdy. Beginning to worry about what is going to happen next, the muggers apologize and give back the watch, but they keep the purse. They think that will molify the crowd, and they can get away without further ado.

 

Maybe they can, maybe they cannot. That remains to be seen. But it is clear that some of us don't know when we have been mugged. And some of us have been given temporary immunity by the 'muggers union'. Some are really not even in the game because they stay in a room that is attached to the airport.;)

 

I agree with it 'not playing out in the near future'. Cruises, and getting to and from, are a long range planning issue. People with current bookings have arranged vacation time, air travel, hotels, etc. It will probably take six months to a year before they know what the reaction will be for true. But I think C&A is 'toast' as a loyalty program. Few will pay much attention to it if they know that it will take 24 cruises to get anything worthwhile. Too bad, I thought it 'was' a great program. I signed up a bunch of my friends. That is what I'm :mad: about.

[jbond]

3. One more analogy. You are walking down the street in Barcelona, and a polite mugger comes up and bumps into you. He says, "excuse me". While you are distracted, his buddy slits the strap on your wife's purse with a razor blade, takes the purse, and her watch. A bunch of C&A witnesses are standing around and start to get rowdy. Beginning to worry about what is going to happen next, the muggers apologize and give back the watch, but they keep the purse. They think that will molify the crowd, and they can get away without further ado.

You truly cannot be serious. Your Stockholm Syndrome was way overboard, but if you think this latest post is even close to an analogy, you have a serious problem. You need to step back and reread your posts, they're becoming outrageous. Sorry, but you have lost your grip on reality.

[sculptress]

I think I might have a solution to all this bickering and bad feelings on this thread......:rolleyes:

Since RCI says it treats everyone the same and "gives them no vacation on Earth like their vacation", and since it really has no loyalty to it's long time cruisers or anyone else for that matter, why doesn't Adam Goldstein (President & CEO of RCI) just cut out the Conceirge Lounge for everyone including the Suite owners and Diamond Plus! He can then have us all meet in this wonderful room that he's preparing to give us house wine and champaigne!

By doing this he could afford to give us all beer and soda and we'll all be very very grateful to Mr. Goldstein and all the other thrifty executives who should love this idea at RCI.

This should get rid of all the anomosity for RCI Crown & Anchor program. Looking for input on this idea folks!!! :cool:

[aloha of the seas]

When all is said and done, It is still all about the cruise and the service and the destinations and entertainment. RCI is still my choice for those reasons. Yes they can do better taking care of past passengers, but I am willing to give them a chance to correct their mistakes

[Bobblsc]

....

 

Last week I was invited to complete a survey about our last cruise from Galveston. I was surprised how extensive the survey was. It took me 40 minutes to complete. At the end of the survery I had the chance to add additional comments. I told them they were in left field for suggesting the reason for the changes was the conceirge lounge was too small to accommodate both Diamond and Diamond Plus. I explained that the Conceirge has been too small for years and surely they had another reason for their change in policy. I also suggested they could accomodate Diamond Plus there and take care of Diamond elsewhere including the special show tickets and priority tender tickets. I was surprised to see the change in policy just 2 days later. Now the real problem is this; we all know the conceirge isn't big enough for Diamond Plus members. If we have a special Diamond lounge for wine and champagne, where does the overflow Diamond Plus crowd go? They haven't thought through this whole process. (emphasis added) I am grateful we have a place to meet and socialize as Diamond members, but am completely unhappy with what they have taken away. We will probably be sorry as we reach Diamond Plus; as we learn the special lounge only serves wine and champagne. We will all have to go to the tiny concierge for hard liquor, and as Mr Goldstein tells us most ships can't even have such a lounge. If you look past the end of your nose, you will realize this benefit we have enjoyed for our loyalty has just been permanently removed. Happy sailing.

 

This post has some intelligent analysis, as do a few others on this thread. I include my post, number 133, and do so without modesty. That post addressed the same issue I have emphasized above.

 

I summarize. We have sailed RC on only the Jewel and Brilliance. We booked Grand Suites on both, and therefore had Concierge privileges.

We would have had these privileges anyway by means of transfer of Celebrity status. If we sail RC again, we will probably book a GS again.

 

My argument with RC management is from the prospective of an owner of stock. I want my investment to recover in value. I do not believe top managements always make the best decisions. I believe RC management has blundered here.

 

Referring to the Brilliance class, there are 24 suites Grand and above. This generally equates to 48 people. My memory is that there are not even 24 seats in the Concierge Lounge. If most of the 48 suite guests go to the lounge, even in two dinner "shifts", the lounge is full. Then where do the Diamond plus members go? There must be an overflow lounge designated for them. (If you want to be picky, there may be a mix of suite and diamonds in each lounge.)

 

Now RC states that another "VIP" lounge will be designated for the Diamond members. That totals three lounges. Where are the resulting cost savings here? "Overcrowding" has now been addressed as it always could have been. Or it has been addressed in a less efficient manner by having two satellite lounges rather than one.

 

The issue of cost has been addressed by several other posts here and in the closed thread. I believe there will be lost bookings resulting from RC decisions. If so there is an "opportunity" cost of the decisions as they now stand. My interest is in the stock price and the hope that it recovers to a decent level.

 

This is a discussion forum. Some have reasonable arguments on both sides of this issue. Others appear to continuously post such ridiculous comments as "Get over it," or statements of no value to the discussion.

 

Several have made constructive suggestions, such as a two drink limit per evening. We would like to see Royal Caribbean soften their Concierge Lounge stance even more to retain their competitive position in this challenging economic environment.

 

I do have to complete my letter to RC. It may or may not be read.

 

Bob :cool:

[Foncai]

I spent three years, $60,000 AUSSIE Dollars and 144 hours flying. Now I am only a few cruise credits away, 7 & 18 months from my next cruises where after I would be Diamond. Where being diamond and being able to 'hang out' and 'have a drink' with our Diamond Plus friends.

Yeah I just wanted a free drink. Would probably save me $1500 a year in alcohol onboard, then I could fit in a extra cruise every few years.

 

I bet they didn't account for how much free champagne I can drink.

[mojitodiva]

When all is said and done, It is still all about the cruise and the service and the destinations and entertainment.

 

 

Exactly.....:rolleyes::cool::)

[beachbuddy]

This post has some intelligent analysis, as do a few others on this thread. I include my post, number 133, and do so without modesty. That post addressed the same issue I have emphasized above.

 

I summarize. We have sailed RC on only the Jewel and Brilliance. We booked Grand Suites on both, and therefore had Concierge privileges.

We would have had these privileges anyway by means of transfer of Celebrity status. If we sail RC again, we will probably book a GS again.

 

My argument with RC management is from the prospective of an owner of stock. I want my investment to recover in value. I do not believe top managements always make the best decisions. I believe RC management has blundered here.

 

Referring to the Brilliance class, there are 24 suites Grand and above. This generally equates to 48 people. My memory is that there are not even 24 seats in the Concierge Lounge. If most of the 48 suite guests go to the lounge, even in two dinner "shifts", the lounge is full. Then where do the Diamond plus members go? There must be an overflow lounge designated for them. (If you want to be picky, there may be a mix of suite and diamonds in each lounge.)

 

Now RC states that another "VIP" lounge will be designated for the Diamond members. That totals three lounges. Where are the resulting cost savings here? "Overcrowding" has now been addressed as it always could have been. Or it has been addressed in a less efficient manner by having two satellite lounges rather than one.

 

The issue of cost has been addressed by several other posts here and in the closed thread. I believe there will be lost bookings resulting from RC decisions. If so there is an "opportunity" cost of the decisions as they now stand. My interest is in the stock price and the hope that it recovers to a decent level.

 

This is a discussion forum. Some have reasonable arguments on both sides of this issue. Others appear to continuously post such ridiculous comments as "Get over it," or statements of no value to the discussion.

 

Several have made constructive suggestions, such as a two drink limit per evening. We would like to see Royal Caribbean soften their Concierge Lounge stance even more to retain their competitive position in this challenging economic environment.

 

I do have to complete my letter to RC. It may or may not be read.

 

Bob :cool:

 

Bob, Good post!!! To be honest, we don't drink a lot and having 2 coupons per night to use each is more than enough for us. I just think it's so tacky the way they are going to do it now....................it's like saying "come to a party but bring your own food and buy your own drink". Not everyone drinks wine or champayne........okay, I drink wine but don't always want it that early because it makes me sleepy..........DH will maybe have wine with a meal but that's about it.........he's not much of a wine drinker and definitely not champ. We won a bottle of champ on one of our crusies and we gave it away to another cruiser that we met. Maybe there are some that go to the CL and drink heavily, but from what I've seen I would think the majority doesn't, at least I haven't seen anyone act like that.

 

I absolutely agree with your post about the crowding issue.........I would like D and D+ to be able to be in our own lounge and leave the CL to the Suites because that was originally the reason for the change (overcrowding). I know that D+ will be allowed to come to the "party" for D's each night but why would they if they can only have wine or champ and have to pay for their drinks. We have lots of friends that are D+ so this is disappointing to say the least. That's one of the reasons that I'm hoping RCCL softens their new plan because I think eventually, the D+ will be outed from the CL as well and will end up with D's buyng their own drinks too. That's why I think the D+ people should be writing to RCCL and voicing their opinions too because sometime down the road I think this will effect them as well.

 

I also agree about those that are just on the thread with no opinions and no suggestions and tell everyone to "get over it". Everyone is entitled to their opinion on this issue, however, no one is entitled to tell anyone to "just get over it". Let's all try to respect each other!! To me I'm more upset at how RCCL went about this whole think...........just showed me that I'm not sure I can trust their honesty and integrity.

[curley23]

1. I will continue, less frequently, to give RCI my cruise $$$ when and where it makes sense. The 'loyalty' gig is history.

 

2. No, not an entitlement program. It was a "you do this, and you get that" program. In their words, "the more you cruise, the more you get". The fine print notwithstanding, "the more you cruise, the more you get" was an obvious 'overstatement'. I have cruised more, and now I'm getting less than what I was getting before. So, "the more you cruise, the more you get" is something a bit stronger than an 'overstatement'. "Some people don't seem to get that". So I'm not "entitled" ... as in 'welfare', I earned, as in, "you give me your cruise dollars, and this is what you get".

 

3. One more analogy. You are walking down the street in Barcelona, and a polite mugger comes up and bumps into you. He says, "excuse me". While you are distracted, his buddy slits the strap on your wife's purse with a razor blade, takes the purse, and her watch. A bunch of C&A witnesses are standing around and start to get rowdy. Beginning to worry about what is going to happen next, the muggers apologize and give back the watch, but they keep the purse. They think that will molify the crowd, and they can get away without further ado.

 

Maybe they can, maybe they cannot. That remains to be seen. But it is clear that some of us don't know when we have been mugged. And some of us have been given temporary immunity by the 'muggers union'. Some are really not even in the game because they stay in a room that is attached to the airport.;)

 

I agree with it 'not playing out in the near future'. Cruises, and getting to and from, are a long range planning issue. People with current bookings have arranged vacation time, air travel, hotels, etc. It will probably take six months to a year before they know what the reaction will be for true. But I think C&A is 'toast' as a loyalty program. Few will pay much attention to it if they know that it will take 24 cruises to get anything worthwhile. Too bad, I thought it 'was' a great program. I signed up a bunch of my friends. That is what I'm :mad: about.

 

You seemed to forget to mention that there was also a statement in the fine print, actually not even in the fine print, where RC stated the program could change without notice at any time. Do you only look and read what you want to believe and not the whole picture??, or was your thought, oh! the'll never do that?? The way I see it most people who have 10, 12, 15 or what ever cruises have already enjoyed most , or all of the benefits of the program already, so what are you crying about. Seems to me there have been perks all along the way, which is more than a lot of reward programs in which you have to accumulate points and such before you get anything.

The program is toast?? Even with the changes, and they are only for some ships, as they haven't changed for the ships that will carry 40% of RC's pax, RC's reward program is still better than most. Maybe you would rather have a free shoeshine, instead for your 16 cruises,or 150 sea days, elsewhere??

[Charles4515]

When all is said and done, It is still all about the cruise and the service and the destinations and entertainment. RCI is still my choice for those reasons. Yes they can do better taking care of past passengers, but I am willing to give them a chance to correct their mistakes

 

The service and destinations on all the mass market lines is very similar. On that alone there is no reason to choose Royal Caribbean over any of the other cruise lines. It is distinguishing characteristics that can make people choose one over the other. How they take care of past passengers like access to the Concierge Lounge on Royal Caribbean or free laundry and internet on Princess could make a difference to some. To me the loyalty program is not a primary factor but I think it is valid that the lounge access is a primary factor to some.

[curley23]

The service and destinations on all the mass market lines is very similar. On that alone there is no reason to choose Royal Caribbean over any of the other cruise lines. It is distinguishing characteristics that can make people choose one over the other. How they take care of past passengers like access to the Concierge Lounge on Royal Caribbean or free laundry and internet on Princess could make a difference to some. To me the loyalty program is not a primary factor but I think it is valid that the lounge access is a primary factor to some.

 

Lounge access is a factor to a few. To the majority, it is about Free Drinks.

[Ocean Boy]

The service and destinations on all the mass market lines is very similar. On that alone there is no reason to choose Royal Caribbean over any of the other cruise lines. It is distinguishing characteristics that can make people choose one over the other. How they take care of past passengers like access to the Concierge Lounge on Royal Caribbean or free laundry and internet on Princess could make a difference to some. To me the loyalty program is not a primary factor but I think it is valid that the lounge access is a primary factor to some.

 

Possibly the service and destinations are similar between lines but, in my opinion, nothing out there is similar to the physical asthetics of RCI's Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom class ships. So for me that puts RCI heads and tails above the other mass market lines. The sevice, crew, and general atmosphere aboard the ships just make RCI that much more my cruise line of choice.

 

I completely understand that we all cruise for different reasons. Maybe free laundry would be a deciding factor for some. Loss of a CL lounge could be a deciding factor for some. However, in my mind RCI is still doing far more things right than they are doing wrong. I think it is great that people offer suggestions for improvement. I think it is great that folks let RCI know what they don't like. Unfortunately, over the top statements around here like...."RCI is a terrible company" or "Maybe we can force RCI into bankruptcy" detract from the discussion and just leave many people shaking their heads. Folks here talk about RCI loosing its credibility. What do statements like the one's that I just mentioned do for the credibility of those posters?

[Charles4515]

Possibly the service and destinations are similar between lines but, in my opinion, nothing out there is similar to the physical asthetics of RCI's Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom class ships. So for me that puts RCI heads and tails above the other mass market lines. The sevice, crew, and general atmosphere aboard the ships just make RCI that much more my cruise line of choice.

 

I completely understand that we all cruise for different reasons. Maybe free laundry would be a deciding factor for some. Loss of a CL lounge could be a deciding factor for some. However, in my mind RCI is still doing far more things right than they are doing wrong. I think it is great that people offer suggestions for improvement. I think it is great that folks let RCI know what they don't like. Unfortunately, over the top statements around here like...."RCI is a terrible company" or "Maybe we can force RCI into bankruptcy" detract from the discussion and just leave many people shaking their heads. Folks here talk about RCI loosing its credibility. What do statements like the one's that I just mentioned do for the credibility of those posters?

 

The Voyager class and Freedom class ship have innovative physical features but the Radiance class does not. I prefer the Celebrity ships built on the same hull as Radiance class and I prefer the Princess ships, Island and Coral Princess which are about same size to the Radiance class. I also prefer the Grand and Crown class ships to Radiance class. And Celebrity, Princess and even Carnival have better food than Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean is certainly not heads and tails above the other mass market cruise lines. Some of the their ships are better but they slip in other areas. They tend to be less maintained, let the carpets get dirty, and I have found frayed furnishings. The food on Royal Caribbean is a weak point for sure.

 

I don't think Royal Caribbean is a terrible company. They do lose credibility when they take away an amenity because it was too successful! When something is successful you don't take it away. It is not unexpected that would get people annoyed. They have made a mistake which they have adjusted somewhat but the damage is done.

 

This year I have cruises booked on the Crown Princess and the Westerdam. Looking to book another cruise this year and it could be on Royal Caribbean or any other cruise line. The loyalty programs won't have much to do with it. I will probably tend to book RCI ships that have Diamond lounges but that is about it. I definitely will be booking on Oasis or Allure next year. I would not miss sailing on the new RC class ships for anything! I think they will be winners.

[jensenbeach]

I really liked Sealords analogy to being mugged !! I guess that was the feeling after investing to get to Diamond and then having part of it wiped away. Taking that a step further it appears that on this thread some feel it is OK as long as only part of what you worked for is taken from you.

What an interesting theory to believe that if you only take some away it is OK and that is still being honorable?

[sealord]

You truly cannot be serious. Your Stockholm Syndrome was way overboard, but if you think this latest post is even close to an analogy, you have a serious problem. You need to step back and reread your posts, they're becoming outrageous. Sorry, but you have lost your grip on reality.

 

OK ... Ok ... it was a bad analogy ... for two reasons.

First, my story was a real mugging. Perhaps that is why I can recognize one when I see it. (Some people have called this a 'compromise'. No, a compromise implies some sort of agreement between the parties. This was a take it or leave it ... kind of like Henry Ford when he said you can have any color you want so long as it's black.)

Second, in my story the watch was given back. In our 'real' story, what was given back bears little resemblance to anything that was taken away.

(Nothing was given back in the 'real' mugging near the Ramblas.:mad:)

Why are you concerned? Don't you have mugger (D+) immunity from the mugger's union?;)

 

{I like the overboard pun. I guess my Stockholm Syndrome is right beside the Crown & Anchor program.}:rolleyes:

[sealord]

You seemed to forget to mention that there was also a statement in the fine print, actually not even in the fine print, where RC stated the program could change without notice at any time. Do you only look and read what you want to believe and not the whole picture??,elsewhere??

 

Actually, Curley, I have my Crown & Anchor application form right in front of me. The only 'disclaimer' on the form says, "Terms and Conditions Available On Request".;)

[hellosailer]

Very odd - before the recent concession/addition of the 'new' Diamond Lounge, it wasn't about the free drinks - it was all about the socialising.

 

Now the socialising has been dealt with, its all about the free drinks!!:eek::D

 

If I were RCCL, I would now just sit back - most of those who 'defect' will return. We have tried most of the competition - RCCL is the best of the mass-market cruise lines. And this new Diamond Lounge is still the best loyalty Lounge on the high seas!!

 

Most of us were aware of changes which had to happen due to the ridiculous overcrowding in the Lounge during free drinkies.

 

I see no reason for RCCL to withdraw the CL from Suite Guests - it was specifically set up for them in the first place. You gets what you pays for in life - and they are paying!!!! As far as Plussers are concerned, it is up to RCCL to decide what they receive under the loyalty programme. And many Suite guests and Plussers don't set foot in the CL!!! So, there should be room for all Suitees and Plussers.

[CruiseKeeper]

Very odd - before the recent concession/addition of the 'new' Diamond Lounge, it wasn't about the free drinks - it was all about the socialising.

 

Now the socialising has been dealt with, its all about the free drinks!!:eek::D

 

If I were RCCL, I would now just sit back - most of those who 'defect' will return. We have tried most of the competition - RCCL is the best of the mass-market cruise lines. And this new Diamond Lounge is still the best loyalty Lounge on the high seas!!

 

Most of us were aware of changes which had to happen due to the ridiculous overcrowding in the Lounge during free drinkies.

 

I see no reason for RCCL to withdraw the CL from Suite Guests - it was specifically set up for them in the first place. You gets what you pays for in life - and they are paying!!!! As far as Plussers are concerned, it is up to RCCL to decide what they receive under the loyalty programme. And many Suite guests and Plussers don't set foot in the CL!!! So, there should be room for all Suitees and Plussers.

 

I've read every post on the subject and there were so many diverse statements regarding disappointment in the program that the remark you made just is not true. Your remark diminshes all that were disappointed to being liars. That's simply not true. We should at least try to be fair in our comments.