Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor benifits changes

Found this on Royal Caribbean web site. The changes to Concierge Lounge
access are likely to be controversial.


Member Benefits Changes effective July 1, 2009


Starting July 1st there will be some changes to our Crown & Anchor
Society benefits. Crown & Anchor members will continue to receive their
most valued benefits such as discounts on cruises, savings certificates
and priority embarkation and debarkation. Our Platinum and Diamond
members also will continue to receive discounts on suite category
staterooms including the recently introduced upgraded services and
amenities for suite guests.

The changes include:

A new Ultimate Value Booklet with coupons for various onboard amenities.

An upgraded wine tasting event at a special price

A new special event, hosted by our ship officers for Diamond and above
members to meet and mingle with other fellow members, will feature
complimentary wine, champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

Due to limited capacity, the Concierge Lounge has not been able to
accommodate our growing membership, challenging our ability to provide
the optimum experience for our guests. Therefore the Concierge Lounge
will now be accessible to our suite and Diamond Plus guests only.
Diamond Members cruising on Freedom Class ships, Oasis of the Seas and
Allure of the Seas will continue to be able to experience exclusive
access to a dedicated Diamond Lounge on these ships, which feature a
complimentary 'happy hour' from 5-8:30pm daily.

Thank you for your continued loyalty to Royal Caribbean. For the
convenience of all our Crown &Anchor members, the following chart
outlines all benefits, starting July 1.**If you are cruising between
now and July 1 and have questions about your benefits please contact
the Crown & Anchor Society at 1-800-526-9723 or e-mail*then
.*

--
Charles

Charles, it looks like they are eliminating the happy hour for Diamond,
unless you are booked on the overpriced Freedom Class ships. RCL's dining
room service was abysmal on our last cruise in the Independence of the Seas.
We are thinking of jumping ship and going back to Princess.

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
Found this on Royal Caribbean web site. The changes to Concierge Lounge
access are likely to be controversial.


Member Benefits Changes effective July 1, 2009


Starting July 1st there will be some changes to our Crown & Anchor
Society benefits. Crown & Anchor members will continue to receive their
most valued benefits such as discounts on cruises, savings certificates
and priority embarkation and debarkation. Our Platinum and Diamond
members also will continue to receive discounts on suite category
staterooms including the recently introduced upgraded services and
amenities for suite guests.

The changes include:

A new Ultimate Value Booklet with coupons for various onboard amenities.

An upgraded wine tasting event at a special price

A new special event, hosted by our ship officers for Diamond and above
members to meet and mingle with other fellow members, will feature
complimentary wine, champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

Due to limited capacity, the Concierge Lounge has not been able to
accommodate our growing membership, challenging our ability to provide
the optimum experience for our guests. Therefore the Concierge Lounge
will now be accessible to our suite and Diamond Plus guests only.
Diamond Members cruising on Freedom Class ships, Oasis of the Seas and
Allure of the Seas will continue to be able to experience exclusive
access to a dedicated Diamond Lounge on these ships, which feature a
complimentary 'happy hour' from 5-8:30pm daily.

Thank you for your continued loyalty to Royal Caribbean. For the
convenience of all our Crown &Anchor members, the following chart
outlines all benefits, starting July 1. If you are cruising between
now and July 1 and have questions about your benefits please contact
the Crown & Anchor Society at 1-800-526-9723 or e-mail then
at .

--
Charles

Due to limited capacity, the Concierge
Lounge has not been able to accommodate
our growing membership, challenging our
ability to provide the optimum
experience for our guests. Therefore the
Concierge Lounge will now be accessible
to our suite and Diamond Plus guests
only. Diamond Members cruising on
Freedom class, Oasis of the SeasSM, and
Allure of the SeasSM will continue to be
able to experience exclusive access to a
dedicated Diamond Lounge on these ships,
which feature a complimentary 'happy
hour' from 5:00-8:30pm daily.
---
This does change one reason to book RCL for us. We always thought that
RCL Diamond benefits were 2nd only to Princess Elite. Now they are down
anoher notch.

~~DORIS~~
**________*/*/___/*/___/*/_________
*\::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Island Princess 4/2/2009

Pacific Princess 9/2/2009

HAL Westerdam 12/6/2009

Oceania Regatta 3/8/2010

Oceania Regatta 3/21/2010

http://community.webtv.net/DorisIs/AROUNDTHEHORN

In article , G&V
wrote:

Charles, it looks like they are eliminating the happy hour for Diamond,
unless you are booked on the overpriced Freedom Class ships. RCL's dining
room service was abysmal on our last cruise in the Independence of the Seas.
We are thinking of jumping ship and going back to Princess.

Right, Diamonds will no longer have the happy hour, expresso machine,
or breakfast in the CL on ships that do have Concierge lounges, and no
Diamond lounges. On Freedom Class or Oasis and Allure where there is a
Diamond lounges they will still have those loyalty perks. As far as
dining room service, I think you could have that problem on any ship or
cruise line, it depends on who you get as dining room staff.

The lounge access was something no other cruise line has had. I think
the issue that upsets many Diamonds and also Platinum's that were
booking cruises to get to Diamond status is the take away. And also
that without the CL access the Royal Caribbean loyalty program is ho
hum. So now you have to be Diamond Plus or in a suite to get CL access
and who can trust that they won't take the Diamond Plus access away in
a year or two. They have set the expectation now that they could take
away the perk before one makes that level. On Princess you get a nice
internet package and at the next level free laundry.

--
Charles

"G&V" wrote in message
...
Charles, it looks like they are eliminating the happy hour for Diamond,
unless you are booked on the overpriced Freedom Class ships. RCL's dining
room service was abysmal on our last cruise in the Independence of the
Seas. We are thinking of jumping ship and going back to Princess.

On our Viking Group sailing a little over a year ago on the new Crown
Princess, the food was so bad several nights, and the service was so
"surly", nobody wanted to go back on Princess again this year. When a
number of us had half-eaten dinners one night (the food was so bad nobody
finished it), and the maitre d' came by and asked how dinner was, I pointed
to the plates still full of food, and said the food wasn't very good.
Susette our travel agent said to him that their food had declined in
quality, and he loudly snapped at her "Madam, that is just your opinion"...
So Susette jumped right back at him and they both had a yelling match right
there in the dining room. It was also the sailing when the waiters wouldn't
give out salt and pepper shakers in the buffet, and would take them right
out of your hand if you had one. The crew and staff were mean and nasty.

That was the end of Princess for the Viking Group.

If you go back to Princess, let us know if they're declining overall, or it
was just that ship in particular.

--Tom

On Mar 29, 8:50*am, (Cruise Crazy) wrote:
Due to limited capacity, the Concierge
Lounge has not been able to accommodate
our growing membership, challenging our
ability to provide the optimum
experience for our guests. Therefore the
Concierge Lounge will now be accessible
to our suite and Diamond Plus guests
only. Diamond Members cruising on
Freedom class, Oasis of the SeasSM, and
Allure of the SeasSM will continue to be
able to experience exclusive access to a
dedicated Diamond Lounge on these ships,
which feature a complimentary 'happy
hour' from 5:00-8:30pm daily.
---

*This does change one reason to book RCL for us. We always thought that
RCL Diamond benefits were 2nd only to Princess Elite. Now they are down
anoher notch.

~~DORIS~~
**________*/*/___/*/___/*/_________
*\::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Island Princess 4/2/2009

Pacific Princess 9/2/2009

HAL Westerdam 12/6/2009

Oceania Regatta 3/8/2010

Oceania Regatta 3/21/2010

http://community.webtv.net/DorisIs/AROUNDTHEHORN



I just got a message from Crown and Anchor Society. It tells of new
policies then it went on with the July 1, 2009 changes. Here is the
first part of the message that they sent to me.

With 20 ships currently in service around the globe and two
magnificent ships under construction, Royal Caribbean International®
has always regarded the optimum enjoyment of all our guests worldwide
as a top priority. We consistently review valuable guest feedback to
ensure that we are able to continuously improve our services while
keeping the base price of a Royal Caribbean International cruise
essentially the same for nearly a decade. In that process, we
constantly measure and evaluate the satisfaction of our guests.

To enhance the onboard experience, Royal Caribbean International has
recently initiated a variety of programs including:

MyTime DiningSM, which allows guests more flexibility to dine
according to their own schedule, and My Family Time DiningSM, which
provides young children an expedited 40 minute dinner experience and
an escorted return to the Adventure Ocean youth programming facility
so that parents can continue to enjoy dinner at a leisurely pace.

Pre-cruise booking of shore excursions and beverage packages and
advance reservations for specialty restaurants.

Upgraded suite services and amenities including preferred seating and
reservations, exclusive in-stateroom culinary treats, concierge lounge
access, upgraded furniture and more.

An enhanced departure process which provides a quicker and more
seamless experience for guests at the conclusion of the cruise, while
extending access to their staterooms on the morning of departure.

New programming for kids and families, such as Crayola® Beginnings
art, Sitters at Sea, Babies 2 Go!, Fisher Price® toy lending, Stroll &
Roll, and more.

Pool-side towel service which eliminates the need for a guest to
remember to bring towels from their stateroom.

Tom K wrote:
"G&V" wrote in message
...
Charles, it looks like they are eliminating the happy hour for Diamond,
unless you are booked on the overpriced Freedom Class ships. RCL's dining
room service was abysmal on our last cruise in the Independence of the
Seas. We are thinking of jumping ship and going back to Princess.

On our Viking Group sailing a little over a year ago on the new Crown
Princess, the food was so bad several nights, and the service was so
"surly", nobody wanted to go back on Princess again this year. When a
number of us had half-eaten dinners one night (the food was so bad nobody
finished it), and the maitre d' came by and asked how dinner was, I pointed
to the plates still full of food, and said the food wasn't very good.
Susette our travel agent said to him that their food had declined in
quality, and he loudly snapped at her "Madam, that is just your opinion"...
So Susette jumped right back at him and they both had a yelling match right
there in the dining room. It was also the sailing when the waiters wouldn't
give out salt and pepper shakers in the buffet, and would take them right
out of your hand if you had one. The crew and staff were mean and nasty.

That was the end of Princess for the Viking Group.

If you go back to Princess, let us know if they're declining overall, or it
was just that ship in particular.

Tom, we were on the Crown Princess in August '06, just a few months
before you were on it with the Vikings. Our SGC group from the food and
the service to be very, very good and had no problems at all. Our cruise
was out of Brooklyn and I believe yours was out of San Juan and I know I
heard a lot of negative reports right after the Crown started sailing
from there.

We enjoyed our Crown Princess sailing so much that we cruised on the
Emerald Princess, just the two of us, in Jan. '08. Again the food was
excellent as was the service and the crew was very friendly and helpful.

I do not think Princess is declining, just for some reason there were
problems on the Crown Princess sailings out of San Juan.

sue

"Sue Mullen" wrote in message
...

I do not think Princess is declining, just for some reason there were
problems on the Crown Princess sailings out of San Juan.

sue

If it varies that much, who knows what the problem was. But it turned off a
large group to the point where they wouldn't go on Princess this year.
Instead we're going to try HAL - and we're not even "old". When an
experience is so negative that it turns away a group that can range from
50-100 people... that's a problem. Sue even had a problem with the Purser's
desk people. They were mean and nasty. She had to call the US shore-side
office to straighten a problem out that the purser's desk people were giving
her a hard time about.

You liked your sailing. We hated a lot of things about ours. But they
wouldn't even acknowledge the issue at the time. They were combative about
it. Something's wrong there.

And I do think Princess is declining. From out Ocean Princess sailing back
in 2000, to Dawn the next year, to Grand a few years later, to Crown 2 years
ago... there was a definite decline. In food and service. And cleanliness.
But that's my opinion. I raved about Princess back in 2000. No more. I
view Princess as an acceptable option for an itinerary that I want to do,
not as a Preferred Cruise Line like I view Cunard and Celebrity. And it
doesn't have the great Voyager class ships that Royal Caribbean has.

--Tom

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article , G&V
wrote:

Right, Diamonds will no longer have the happy hour, expresso machine,
or breakfast in the CL on ships that do have Concierge lounges, and no
Diamond lounges.

That's NOT making me very happy at all... That was ONE of the things that
really attracted me back to Royal Caribbean. It was a great spot to catch
up with the internet late at night (it has a wifi hot spot) with a decaf
cappuccino when the lounge was empty. Quiet, no smoke. A great place to
decompress. Also a good place to meet people and make friends. The drinks
weren't even that important to me. But the thing I'd miss the most is that
the Concierge is the guy who could call the golf courses in Bermuda and
arrange Tee times for you.

To me this is a VERY BIG NEGATIVE.

You know, I'll throw out an observation...

I haven't been on Celebrity since they gave up the Bermuda run. The Bermuda
run was the thing that also generated interest in other Celebrity ships
doing other itineraries. Without that continuation hook, I became more
interested in Cunard.

Without Celebrity doing Bermuda, RCI that became an acceptable alternative
since we got the Diamond access privileges. The itinerary stinks (2 days as
the wharf), but the Diamond lounge became a social gathering place... a
place to make friends. It kind of softened the blow of Zenith being gone.
And like I previously said, the concierge could book tee times at the local
golf courses.

With HAL coming to Bermuda, and losing the Diamond Lounge privileges, we
might find ourselves moving away from RCI and going with HAL more.

I've already moved away from Celebrity (not that I dislike them, I just
never seem to book them anymore). Now RCI could be next. Not sure if the
Royal Champion team will be too happy to hear that?

--Tom

Tom K wrote:
"Sue Mullen" wrote in message
...
I do not think Princess is declining, just for some reason there were
problems on the Crown Princess sailings out of San Juan.

sue

If it varies that much, who knows what the problem was. But it turned off a
large group to the point where they wouldn't go on Princess this year.
Instead we're going to try HAL - and we're not even "old". When an
experience is so negative that it turns away a group that can range from
50-100 people... that's a problem. Sue even had a problem with the Purser's
desk people. They were mean and nasty. She had to call the US shore-side
office to straighten a problem out that the purser's desk people were giving
her a hard time about.

You liked your sailing. We hated a lot of things about ours. But they
wouldn't even acknowledge the issue at the time. They were combative about
it. Something's wrong there.

And I do think Princess is declining. From out Ocean Princess sailing back
in 2000, to Dawn the next year, to Grand a few years later, to Crown 2 years
ago... there was a definite decline. In food and service. And cleanliness.
But that's my opinion. I raved about Princess back in 2000. No more. I
view Princess as an acceptable option for an itinerary that I want to do,
not as a Preferred Cruise Line like I view Cunard and Celebrity. And it
doesn't have the great Voyager class ships that Royal Caribbean has.

I seem to remember that the problem at the time you were on the Crown
was a new Captain that the crew/staff wasn't happy with. That of course
doesn't say why your food was not good. Your problems on the Crown were
the worst I saw posted anywhere.

On our Crown and Emerald sailings the ships were kept very clean, the
food was very good and the crew were very friendly and helpful.

Right now Princess and the Celebrity Solstice class of ships are on the
top of our list.

So much of the pros and cons of different ships vary from sailing to
sailing. Our one HAL cruise was very nice, but we had the worst dining
room service on any of our now 21 cruises. It was so bad that most of
our table reported the staff to the pursers desk and we were close to
removing all dining room tips from our bill. From everything I have
heard this was just one of those things and it will not keep me from
cruising HAL again.

Now you love RCL and we have for many years sworn off them because the
quality of the food was not good. We are now trying them again on the
Granduer of the Seas and on the Oasis.

sue