jeffmw

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

A lot of you keep saying these things cost the cruise lines nothing but that isn't true. Everything cost. Whether it be in actual dollars or goodwill. 

If after one cruise, and becoming Gold, you get priority line and early access, etc. Then what will the next tier need to be? Then the one after that? Those things will add up because in order for things to seem like a perk, they have to either upgrade or downgrade something. Then comes the complaints, which cost the company and that will trickle down. Considering that perception is subjective, so will the value be. Currently Gold gets two 50% off coupons for drinks, 10% of internet and money off services on the ship. That has value. 

This ignores the gist of everything I've been saying so far. From the get-go, I specifically said "Gold" simply means you've been on a cruise before. I never advocated for anyone who has simply been on a cruise before to get wild special treatment. Once you get to Platinum and Emerald, through, it's without question that those customers have exhibited some level of loyalty. With minimal cost and effort, Royal could do a few things of course proportionally less significant to what's provided to the higher levels, to make customers who continue to choose Royal as their vacation provider feel appreciated for their ongoing patronage. 

You mention some costs being non-monetary but rather "goodwill" which proves my point further. The monetary cost of these sorts of gestures of appreciation is negligible. And if a billion-dollar corporation has no "goodwill" left to sprinkle upon its dedicated customers, that corporation surely needs the type of self-examination that I'm advocating in this post in the first place. 

33 minutes ago, ScooterScott22 said:

@jeffmw just wondering what perks you are comparing the Crown & Anchor too?  There are quite a few different programs out there and I would say that the majority don't really have all that great of perks until you get to the highest tiers and even then they might have limited application to a specific individual.  The cruise lines are hampered by the fact that they started all their programs with a "no renewal" policy unlike other travel programs.  That means they have no real way to purge the demand of perks other than by people dying or not using their product.  It makes sense that they would limit the amount of perks until someone establishes a brand loyalty.  

I have been traveling for work for years and have Platinum with American and Delta, A+ with Southwest, Diamond with Hilton, similar with Marriott, Hyatt and IHG, Executive Elite with National, Presidents Circle with Hertz, and on cruises - Royal - Diamond, DCL - Platinum, and MSC - Diamond.  Most of the perks are not that exciting in any of these programs, except for the upgrades with flights.  On the programs with renewal periods some of the services provided can be helpful and some of the "carry over" from year to year is beneficial but as for real gifts or free stuff there is not much.  

Again, I think many of the responses here miss my initial point and the one I've been stressing throughout my replies. Perhaps it's a common complaint to bemoan lack of access to valuable perks or significant discounts at lower levels of loyalty programs. That's not my position here and that's not possible for many of the reasons you list above. 

I don't think free specialty dining or drink packages, etc., is a reasonable expectation at lower levels of C&A. But, again, from a business standpoint, showing appreciationfor loyalty -- even in simple, innocuous ways -- can go a long way and lead to a long-term ROI for minimal cost, particularly for a company like Royal which is competing so vehemently for limited dollars (people's travel budgets) against some massive players (Disney, Marriott, Hilton, other cruise lines, etc.) 

Little, stupid things can make people feel like, "Oh Royal appreciates that I've chosen them again over all those other options." Meaningless boarding priority, separate lines for things, meet and greets with staff or show casts, special hours for certain attractions. Not all of these things. Maybe one or two.

Again, this isn't about me saying, "I WANT FREE CRAP!" It's a mere observation that Royal seems to put minimal consideration into making repeat customers feel appreciated, and I think that costs them valuable opportunities to lock in loyal customers long-term. 

14 hours ago, Rackham said:

No major difference to Carnival's (https://www.carnival.com/vifp) or NCL's (https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program#tier_benefits) loyalty programs at those levels. What this tells me is the mass market lines know they don't need to offer much with their programs to keep people coming back early on. It's keeping people happy who frequently cruise, filling cabins that might otherwise go unsold, happy. People like retirees and those who cruise during the school year happy to keep ships' occupancy high (or at least as high as possible) during the off-season. 

You're right on that. Carnival's doesn't appear to be any better. Norwegian's, though, is a considerable step up. There are larger discounts earlier on plus some of the perks reserved for top-tier C&A levels kick in much sooner. 

Either way, there's no doubt these are developed through intensive consumer research. It's someone's (or, perhaps several people's) job to design and manage this program, so it's not as if the tiers and benefits are developed without thought. 

There does seem to be a bit of laziness in the plan, though. As I've said, it's not about free stuff or massive discounts. There are ways to make repeated customers feel valued (and from a business standpoint, that stuff can get you a lot of ROI for the effort) and they don't really seem to take advantage of that. 

15 minutes ago, Bowen said:

Maybe so, but it’s not enough dedication to make It monetarily viable for Royal to give better perks. Like I said, it took me 20 years, I feel you, but the line is going to look at the bottom line.

This was my original argument (or at least the one I presented midway through the topic). People's perception of a 'perk' can be far greater than the value of the perk itself, and cost a company virtually nothing. Royal is not alone in this (Carnival's loyalty program seems to be similar), but there are plenty of things they could do to make a repeated customer feel more appreciated that cost the company little to nothing.

I totally understand reserving free drink packages, free specialty restaurants, access to the Diamond Lounge where there's limited space for people with greater status. But, for example, offering boarding times by status costs them nothing and makes people feel 'special' even if the time difference is marginal. It's perception. One time during each cruise, have an hour in a lounge where people who are Platinum or better can shake hands with the freaking captain or something (don't take that as a literal suggestion and tell me why it's unfeasible -- I'm simply providing an example of something that costs nothing, wouldn't even interest everyone, but gives people the perception that their loyalty is getting them something.)

There are so many things they could do. And, again, I don't personally really care. But I think it's a massive missed opportunity by RCI to increase consumer enthusiasm for the brand. 

1 hour ago, Bowen said:

They’re reserving the perks for the loyal customers. Not much point in giving great perks to someone who has been on two cruises and splits their time along the other cruise lines. It took me almost 20 years to get to Diamond, in hindsight the half dozen cruises I took on other lines would have been better spent on Royal. Royal would have been happy to Diamond me much sooner.

I agree with that completely. But once you're at 30 nights (Platinum) we're talking most likely 5+ cruises. At 55 (Emerald), we're talking 7-10.

Keep in mind, Royal is targeting families; not retirees who can travel 12 months out of the year. So if you take into account that most families with kids in school, etc., can only take 1-2 big vacations per year (if they're fortunate enough to be able to afford even that), that's considerable dedication. I have a 9-year-old and an 11-year-old. Every time I book with them. I'm choosing Royal over Disney World, cruises on another cruise lines [Disney, Carnival, Norwegian], all-inclusives all over the world, Mexico, D.R., South Florida, and every other potential option for a family with kids. 

So while I get that you don't want to give status to people who aren't loyal customers, I would say once you get to 5+ cruises, for most people in their target audience, that's a lot of dedication to one option. 

1 hour ago, ChessE4 said:

Yes, as others have stated, there isn't much, but the point is to enjoy cruising itself.  How much you spend is really irrelevant.  We worked our way up the ladder and enjoyed the CAS events or pins along the way with an occasional Bingo or drink discount.  It was something, but it wasn't worth paying "extra".  I found we enjoyed putting our $$ towards the best itineraries, not expensive rooms, but that's just us.  Everyone has their preference.  I hope your future travel plans, whatever they may be, are fulfilling for you and your significant others.

My beef really is less coming at this from a consumer's perspective and more from the standpoint of business and marketing, which is a lens I tend to view things from. I don't need or expect a bunch of free things and discounts (although they're obviously appreciated). But it's a big missed opportunity from a marketing and customer loyalty standpoint. People love perks. They love to feel special and appreciated -- that their loyalty gets them something, even if it's not necessarily at a significant cost. 

A lot of the C&A 'perks' are actually self-serving for Royal. Discounts on spa services are only a discount if you already get spa treatments when cruising. What Royal is trying to do (and they're not alone in this -- this is what all sorts of companies do) is get people who would otherwise not book spa services to do so, driven by the minimal discount. It's almost certainly a net positive and a revenue driver for Royal rather than a sacrifice they're making to honor loyal guests. Same goes for discounts on Internet, etc. 

There's a often-referenced study in business that perks like additional days off, free snacks and drinks at the office, etc., are perceived as more valuable to employees than pay raises, even though the cost of the perks don't near that of the pay raise for the individual employee. But there's greater employee satisfaction out of the former because it's tangible and unique. 

Getting two bottles of water in your room after spending 55 nights on their cruise ships just seems lazy. There are so many ways they could make lower-level loyalty guests 'feel' special without affecting their bottom line. 

My family and I are on the verge of going Platinum on Crown & Anchor. 

At first, I was excited to get there, but it really doesn't seem like you get much of anything. I'm sure this has been discussed here often, but do the lower levels of C&A not seem almost insultingly underwhelming?

You literally get Gold for just going on a cruise. And it seems the only additional thing I get for getting up to Platinum (which represents a month on their ships, >$25k spent with their company, etc.) beyond everyone else who has ever been on a cruise before is a bath robe and an additional 5% off spa services and Internet (we're talking <$1 per day on Internet service.) And even the Emerald level, which represents additional 25 days -- and another $~20k spent on their ships -- seems to only get me a couple free bottles of water. 

How is this possible? I realize there are a lot of people at these levels so anything they give away needs to be of negligible hard cost , but how can they possibly pass these things off as legitimate perks for repeat customers? Even to get a discount on a sailing, I have to book a balcony or better. Why would loyal customers who repeatedly decide to vacation with Royal not be provided even a small discount for choosing a lower-cost room?

There are so many things they could offer customers at this level that would cost them little to nothing and make them feel appreciated for their loyalty. To give someone a bath robe and TWO bottles of WATER as a thanks for spending $50k+ with them is almost insulting. 

Again, sure this has been discussed here to death before, but just wanted to see if perhaps I'm missing something. 

9 hours ago, ranchlady403 said:

WOW!!   We are going to be on the Allure in 2 weeks. 

Now, I'm worried about a rampant covid outbreak....

What deck were you on?  

Yeah don't worry about that. COVID is beating treated much like a cold at this point. It's not spreading like wildfire or God forbid killing scores of people like it was before the vaccines. There are almost surely people unknowingly carrying COVID on every single cruise sailing. If you're sick and allow the medical staff to test you, of course they're going to make you stay in your room, but this mostly has to do with the stigma of COVID from the original outbreak and everything it did to the industry. 

I got off Wonder two weeks ago and got pretty sick when I got off (wasn't COVID, we tested). It might've been something I caught on the ship. Could've been from the plane. Couldn't been from somewhere else. People get sick. And certainly there's a chance that after a week on a boat with 5000 people you may catch something. But unless there's some freak outbreak of a flu-type virus, they're not locking down your cruise ship or anything. 

You're getting a lot of support here, which is great. But I think you're asking what to expect from others. Truthfully, I think you'll be fine. It's possible you get the occasional unintentional stare from people less comfortable with your partner's gender expression, but I can't imagine it would be anything overt or direct. Kids who haven't encountered it much in their own lives may whisper or something. But, again, I don't think you'll come across anything intentionally mean-spirited or direct. 

My family was eyeing a December cruise on Grandeur because it goes to some great islands, but I'm having a hard time justifying it. I'm not terribly worried about the condition of the ship, but while my wife and I would love the islands, our kids do love the boat and there really appears to be very, very little on the boat to do, particularly for kids (and we aren't the type to just plop our kids in AO every night.) It's really the old-school model of casino/bingo/shopping/shows with a tiny little pool that feels like you're swimming in a sting ray tank at zoo. After going on Symphony and Wonder, I fear they wouldn't enjoy it. 

Allure was supposed to go in and get Playmakers & the Abyss, etc. (all the stuff the original Oasis ships got if they didn't have them already) in March 2020 and when COVID hit they limited the dry dock to all mechanical, no "AMP". After COVID they announced they scrapped it entirely. 

Good to hear (as said by someone above) that they plan to do it in 2025. 

I just got off Wonder and was shocked at how fast the Internet was. 

Perhaps it was because I was used to what it was always like in the past (where, really, it barely worked.) This time around, the speed and consistency were in line with what I would consider typical wifi access. For example, on the old wifi you could send texts and maybe an email, but websites were slow and there was no chance at video. This time I could watch videos on social media, pull up websites, and use the Internet in other ways we'd consider typical.

No one else seems to be reporting this experience, but it was mine for the entire week on the ship. 

20 minutes ago, Xaa said:

There is a dress code, but it's vague and not enforced. 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/generic-onboard-dress-code

Your shorts are "...welcomed for breakfast and lunch.."

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad nobody gives you guff over your shorts, but they have a printed code.

The vagueness is on purpose to allow each of us to decide to participate in or not participate in any of the nights.  On your primary point that nobody needs to dress formally, we agree.  On the tiny, nitpicky point about whether there is a dress code, we do not.

I agree for the most part. However, the link you sent with the dress code specifically says, "suggested attire." Which clearly denotes an option and not a mandate. 

There is a printed dress code but it's clearly noted as suggested. 

These answers are a bit misleading (no offense to those who provided them.) 

While there are "Dress Your Best" nights, there is absolutely no requirement to dress formally on any night of a cruise. 

Whenever this comes up here, there are always people who suggest formal nights are mandatory. I think this is either because people don't know that formal nights aren't mandatory, or they like to imply that they are because a lot of people are oddly protective of the old-school cruising vibe and want everyone to play dress-up.

I won't wear a t-shirt to the Main Dining Room, but I also do not wear pants. To the MDR, I wear a golf shirt and nice shorts. On top of not wanting to dress up during my beach vacation, staterooms are small and it costs a lot of money now to check larger, heavier bags on flights, so I don't want to bring a bunch of extra formal clothing. 

To summarize, while you should be respectful of the dining room and not dress like a slob, there is NO dress code for "Dress Your Best" nights. 

I think your issue is that the decision will ultimately be made at the port and you have no idea whether or not they're going to let you, even if you were to call RC ahead of time. It seems like one of those things where you are going to show up with it and the person at the port is ultimately going to be the one to make the decision regardless of anything anyone will tell you before that moment. And there doesn't seem to be precedent for it so it could go either way. So unless you're prepared to show up and not be able to bring it, I wouldn't.  

Ours on the Wonder sailing in a couple weeks came up maybe 45 days ahead of time? Might've been 60. 

We were more recently on Mariner and Adventure and they didn't have bookable entertainment, but Oasis definitely should. 

I'm no expert on these things -- and there are people on here and other places online that are -- but I suppose it's possible the stabilizers may be slightly different since the Wonder is newer and maybe the system doesn't work quite as effectively? I don't know if the stabilizing system on the Wonder is identical to the other Oasis ships. It wouldn't surprise me if the technology was slightly different.

But more than likely it was just the sea conditions. 

41 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

Must’ve been a Nole.  I kid , I kid. 

Actually, as a neutral third party with no affiliation to any of the parties involved, I'm sure it was a U fan. 

Just wash your hands and eat. You encounter way more germs going about your everyday life than in the Windjammer, where at least you can be sure 90% of the people have recently washed their hands (which can't be said for everywhere else you go). The surfaces you encounter everywhere you go, your cell phone, your remote controls -- these things have way more germs and bacteria than a buffet that's cleaned thoroughly and regularly. 

This fear of buffets is mostly driven by optics and myth. 

And norovirus is not a major worry on cruise ships. Most outbreaks happen in healthcare settings, nursing homes, schools, etc. 

My wife happened to see the package posted on a Facebook group over the weekend and we booked it right away for our cruise on Wonder in a couple weeks. Right now, it's still showing up on our planner.

If they take it away I won't be taking that lightly. To me, it's just crazy that a massive corporation with billions in revenue should expect its customers to bear the burden of its own mistakes. And it's not as if there are massive hard costs they would be absorbing here by granting the packages at the advertised rate. A ship tour, priority boarding, and Internet access don't actually cost the company anything. Reprimand someone internally. Don't disappoint thousands of loyal customers because someone on your staff messed up. It's not your customers' responsibility to pay for your employees' mistakes. 

A few observations from my own experiences:

• If you're worried about injury or a major issue, I wouldn't be. It's a very controlled environment and they have strict protocols for everything. The kids are behind walls where other adults can't get to, and the check-in and check-out processes are tight.
• If you're worried about the kid getting upset or freaking out, the best thing you can do is check in on them often. Even on the Oasis ships, you can get to the AO from just about anywhere on the ship in 5 minutes. Take turns checking on them every half hour or so. If they're fine, give it an hour. You can easily peak in and see how they're doing. If you're worried about them seeing you and getting upset you can usually do it in a way where they don't spot you. 
• I've found the staff to be hit-or-miss. Much of the time you get staff who legitimately loves kids and enjoy spending time with them, and other times you'll get a group that's more ambivalent and operates more like a babysitter. Talk to the staff and get a sense of their overall vibe. After the first hour or first evening at AO, ask the kid if they had fun. Ask them if the staff was nice. 
• Finally, if your kid is outgoing, encourage them to make friends with some of the other kids. It's a great way to get them to want to go back when they have new friends they want to see. If you see the other parents you can make plans to go back the next night and the kid might be excited to see them again. 

The Oasis class ships handle capacity very well. You seldom feel like the boats are crowded and, while things do get booked, there tends to be availability.

Odyssey, last I checked, has the highest ratio of passengers to ship size. So, theoretically, there is less space per person on a Quantum class ship than an Oasis class ship. But not sure how that manifests itself in the day-to-day of the ship. 

Oh you'll smell it. Don't worry. 

Looking to hear about people's experiences being able to secure Ubers to and from Port Canaveral.

Last time we cruised out of PC we arranged private transportation both ways. Long story short we ended up taking an Uber on the way back to Orlando due to my own mistake. We didn't have very much trouble getting the Uber from the port after the cruise and it was similar in price. This time around, I'm considering just going Uber/Lyft both ways, as it appears it could end up being considerably cheaper.

Has anyone had any trouble getting an Uber/Lyft to or from the port? I've had issues in other cities with drivers not wanting to go places (they can turn down a trip when they see the destination before they pick you up) and I wasn't sure if anyone has had a problem getting a driver from Orlando who is willing to go all the way to the port. Also wondering if our getting the Uber/Lyft relatively easily from the port after the cruise was the norm or if there's ever a considerable wait.

Any experiences one way or the other would be helpful. (Not looking for private transportation recommendations .)

I was on the Nordic Empress back in 1993 (later renamed the Empress of the Seas.) From my recollection, it was essentially a very primitive version of the ships these days. Everything was mostly like it is now, it has just been modernized by 100x. Similar staterooms. Main deck with pool and hot tubs, casino (although it was much more centrally located), MDR, auditorium for shows. I remember the "Wave Review" shows being a lot more cheesy and review-ish than the big production shows they do now.  The MDR felt a lot more upscale, but it might've just been that I was younger. Looking back at the photos, it's pretty similar, just with a super-80s/early 90s feel to the decor and everyone's attire. Lots of big hair and shoulder pads on women.

The first cruise I took with my family (my wife and kids) in 2017, we got to the port in Miami and the Empress was docked right next to the boat we were going on. It felt like some weird kind of fate.

I was also on the Majesty of the Seas a couple years later. Similar vibe but larger, and I remember there being a small, unassuming "movie theater" on one of the stateroom decks that showed movies all day and evening.