bdchili

Do you really think they are going to up the price that much?  That is more than an A1 category costs now and they are 830+ sqaure feet with a Balcony of 800+., with two bedrroms and two baths. While I do find it weird that they charge the same for A1 as they do A2, I just think they will "jump the shark" if they try to charge more for an A3/A4 which is considerable smaller.  If they re-classified the A1's to another name..then maybe it would fly.

 I guess we will have to wait and truly see, but my guess is you guys are correct.  They won't strip any of the existing perks of guest, staying in a GS, but add additional perks for differnet teirs of suites.  From a business stand point, if they do this it will help them maximize what they can charge for the larger suites, by offering more than just the amazing accommodations.  Think about it, what's a free beverage package cost RCCL for a suite guest, when they already have access to the Concierge Lounge?  Now that they are having more al acarte resteraunts, whats throwing in free dining in those spaces? For that matter, not charging the additional fee on all or a designated number per cruise, for the signature dining?

From a marketing standpoint it is a slippery slope, but could really end up being a rewarding move if they handle it right.  They would have to make sure the Perks for C&A stay beneficial and sperate from the suite amenities.  They would need to make sure they don't strip any of the existing perks for suite guests but make sure they promote what extras you get by booking more expensive accommodations.  If passengers are booking their top tier suites way out, it gives them much more budgetary predictability.  

Not all the time but sometimes, I am willing to spend whatever it takes to have an all-inclusive experience and as it stand right now RCCL doesn't really offer this in one clean package.  I personally can't wait to see what they do.  If handled correctly it could really encourage some people to spend a bit more up front to have a grander experience on their vacation.

There are other classes of ships (besides the Oasis class) that have Royal Family Suites. I just got off the Freedom yesterday and we were in a Royal Family Suite, but I understand the purpose of your question.

 

I certainly hope that they do NOT "tier" the Suites' benefits. That is so divisive, IMO. I guess, in a way, there already are 2 suite tiers as the Junior Suites are suites in name only and do not qualify for most of the benefits of the "suite package" (the ones offered once onboard, at least) but to further tier suites and graduate the suite benefits is just unnecessarily patrician. Okay...so the suite guests want to feel that they are special. I get that. I am a suite guest most of the time and I LOVE the suite benefits...but to say that some suite guests are MORE special than others is ridiculous. It already infuriates many cruisers when they are turned away from a venue or events b/c they aren't suite guests. Why further class-divide your most loyal and lucrative customers ??

 

I will admit that RCI has a problem to solve - there are ever-increasing numbers of senior level loyalty customers (Diamond and Diamond Plus) every day and when you combine those with the Pinnacles and Suite-level guests you have something of an overcrowding problem.

 

I mentioned above that we just got off the Freedom. We were able to get seats in either the Diamond Lounge or the Concierge Lounge a grand total of 3 times during that 7 day cruise. All other times we tried we just looked in, turned around and left b/c there were no seats available. This is b/c there were so many Diamond, D+, Pinnacle and suites guests on that sailing. I suspect that this same problem is repeated on many, if not most, of the RCI ships sailing every day.

 

IMO the solution is NOT to subdivide the groups but to reward them ! Provide bigger/better facilities for their senior/exclusive customers. The Concierge Club on the Freedom was a joke. It was a small, dingy, interior space that was both unappealing and inadequate. If RCI really wanted to do something special for their special clients, make the Concierge Club a bigger, more cheerful venue with a da*n VIEW !

 

What they are doing by tiering everyone, IMO, is to DESUADE people from trying to achieve the senior levels/suites. How do you achieve the senior levels ? You cruise MORE ! Why would they want to penalize guests for doing that ? What kind of a marketing scheme is that ?? If every time you take a step forward they move the goal posts 2 steps further ahead, how long do you think they are going to keep up that trek ? Not long, I assure you. REWARD your senior levels don't make them feel devalued !

WAAAYTOOO,

I hear ya, unlike Celebrity, RCCL has a much greater difference in their suite offuring and now with double digits worth of ships 160K tons or larger they have a "opportunity" on their hands.  The question is:  How do they keep the cost of the suites where they are and assure that they stay in high demand?  My guess will be there will be some sort of "leveling" much like there is in Crown&Anchor.  I bet it will be a combination of "All-Inclusisvness" and special spaces on board.  

They will have to find the balance between the high volume cruisers that don't invest in suites so they can tavel more often and those who spent 12K plus for one week every two years.  I totally agree that if they start tiering the suite benefits, they will need to make sure the C&A program is viewed as a different set of benefits completely.

Disney has been dealing with this delima (annual pass holders vs high dollar one offs) for half a century and sometimes they have gotten it right and others they bombed.  The balance between loyalty and the mighty dollar is a slippery slope.  I suspect RCI will test the waters and I believe they will adjust as needed.  They have been pretty responsive to guest feedback as of late after testing some new concepts, so lets see.  

If they were to offer unique opportunities to high end suite guests, what are your thoughts on whats fair?  Should it be on dollars spent or class of room?

So, based on that, where do you think the different catagories of suites will fall?  Every ship has a GS, OS, RS but what about the larger ships that have Crown Loft Suites, Royal Family Suites, Aqua Theater Suites etc?

I am actually pretty intrigued by the idea because the RCI large ships have many more suite options than Celebrity ships do.

Being that my next cruise isn't until June 16' and RCCL just announced that they will be "putting some meat on the bones" of the amenities that passengers who book suites receive:  WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WILL LOOK LIKE?

• Will it be a copy of Celebraties program?
• WIll there be different categories for different suite types?
• WIll it impact free upgrades?

I realize this topic may be short lived, because they could release details any day, but for now....What are your thoughts?

Mike,

Thanks for reminding me of all those science classes back in the day.  The Walkie Talkies (in my case) really only worked well if both parties were topside.  They ran into some issue when say one person was by the pool and the other was below deck getting ready for dinner.  What you just said makes complete sense as far as the length of the radio curve and hopefully that means those gotenna's will work well.  I really ordered them so when we are traveling internationally we can use texting without having to activate a data plan, but just maybe it will work on the ship as well.  I really like the Ripple App concept hopefully they can figure out a workaround for the blocked Wifi signal.

Hmmmm, Ripple Cruise Communicator looks pretty cool.  So if I understand it correctly, you can tie into the ships WiFi without haveing to purchase a package?  Hopefully, by June 16 the people at Ripple will have work arounds for all the blocks.  

Matt, Did you check out those Gotenna's the site is www.gotenna.com and they look promising but you will have to have the transmitter and your phone with you.  I am concerned the metal in the ship may cause breakup just like it does for Talkabouts, but who knows?

So, I pre-purchased these things called Gotenna, while they aren't avaliable yet and are marketed for Hiking and Camping "off the grid", they may work on a ship. It is hard to explain what they are but here is a try:  They are devices that come in pairs like walkie talkies and use radio frequency to allow you to use your smart phone to text without cell service or wifi.  My only real question will be, will these devices have the same issues the Motorola walkie talkies have when it caomes to all the metel on a ship?

I am sure many of you will have gone on at least one cruise before I go again in June 2016, so if anyone gets them and uses, make sure to give a review as to if they work. 

It is my understanding that Classic will be a structured "2 Laps" around the three restaurants that were the MDR.  The menu will change at each restaurant at the halfway point on a week long cruise to keep the experience fresh.  Your dinner party and wait staff will remain the same but location changes i.e. Disney.

General Question:

What is everyones "GO TOO" way of staying in touch while on the ship.  Tips and Tricks?  Most affordable vs Most Convienent? 

Over the years I have used Walkie Talkies (with some success on pool decks) and Royal Connect (waist of time and not sure they still offer) 

Whats your trick?

Ok, so I want to tap into the brain of anyone who has been on the Oasis since the refurb and has been able to see or take photos of the new suites added to the Oasis overlooking the Aquatheater.  Specifically the ones Deck 11 and above, these were the secret balconies before the dry dock.  RCCL has them classified as A2-A4, and their website gives square footage but no current images.  I booked my cruise for June 16' and was able to reserve a A1 on deck 8, but curious about these newer additions.  

Photos and Feedback appreciated.

B-

I agree, If RCI does one thing really well is they maintain their ships until they decide they are selling them off.  I had heard  from a buddy that they may have refreshed some of the suites, but I didn't know for sure.

Thanks Matt.  My money says ES=C1 and MS=C2 as well.  Would make the most sense for them and limit the confusion at transition.  Never know though.

I actually had the experience where they honored the discounted PP fee, even though I had prior reservations.  I am sure that isn't something they advertise or maybe isn't even common, but I was always taght to ask and this time it paid off.

Do you understand it as: if you are already booked as "My TIme Dining" they will roll you straight into "Dynamic Dining"? Early=Classic1 and Main=Classic2?

Question:

If you have been on the Oasis since its dry dock could you tell me if the cabins as a whole where refreshed with carpet etc?  I know about the new cabin/suite additions but wanted to know how extensively they refreshed the living quarters in general (carpet, furniture,TV's).  I ask selfishly because I am going on the Allure in 2016 post dry dock.

Has anyone stayed in one of the Aquatheater Suites. I am booked in a Cat A1 for June 2016 and honestly I have always stayed in rooms more mid-ship.  The balcony looks insane and due to my family being made up of 5 people it looked to be a good option.  Any feedback would be great.

BTW, I got an answer about connecting rooms, with one being a suite. Here is the concierge reply to my email to them yesterday...

"Although the Concierge Services, amenities and reserved areas for suite guests are exclusively for guests with Gold SeaPass cards only (suite guests), we will make sure we can accommodate the rest of you family as well."

Needless to say I am impressed with their quick response and obviously with thier willingness to work to accommodate my families needs. Its gonna be a good week!

Bryce,

I was always under the same impression until recently.  I spoke to RCCL and as long as the rooms are connecting you can have children booked in a separate room.  We have cabins 7260(GS) &7262(D4), our group consitss of two adults and 3 children 13,10,& 9. The GS sleeps 3 and the D4 sleeps 2, so we have placed two of our kids are in the D4.  We have two reservation numbers, becasue that is required with multiple rooms but they are tied together.  What I am curious about is if anyone knows about Oasis specific policy on family members and concierge benefits i.e. pool chairs etc.  This cruise is during Texas spring break and pretty sure it is close to full.

B-

Ok,

I know the official RCCL response, "It is up to the specific ship"....So I am hoping someone on here can help me out.  We are heading out on the Oasis, March 8th, I have a family of 5 booked in a Grand Suite that connects to a Balcony Stateroom.  We are one family and booked together, so will the two people (kids) in the stateroom have the same privileges as the others in the suite?  I am not sure if it really matters or not, but pool side, shows...etc.  I understand at times the percs of the suite come in handy.

Thanks

Brian

Thank you guys for this input.  So based on your feedback here is my initial idea....please tell me if this makes sense and BTW I will still be pressing American to move us to a flight leaving out of FLL for my return.  I don't always win these battles, but I fly enough with them that if there is a way they sometimes make it work with minimal additional cost.

So here we go:

• I get an SUV to take mi famillia from West Palm to our hotel (TBD) on Friday
• Take Shuttle or Van to Port early Sat
• On return take Van back to hotel and tip bellman that I will have already spoken to before we checked out that previous Sat to store the 500 bags we will have.
• I will either get suggestions from the concirege on transpiration (shuttle to West Palm) or one way rental back.

Based on this...it leads me to my next question:

Our flight leaves at 6:15pm if you were going to take in the sights with a 13/10/9 year old kids...Lauderdale or West Palm?  If West Palm.. we could alway go the rental car option and drive to airport in AM check bags, then tour around for the day without all the luggage. Thoughts?

Here we go....do to my procrastination and choosing to sail on the Oasis during Spring Break, plane tickets from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale or Miami....went throught the roof.  There are 5 of us and I just couldn't absorb the 8oo+ per ticket the airlines were asking, so I chose to fly into West Palm Beach instead and save....oh... 3 thousand dollars.

I realize its only 50 miles or so away and I am coming in a day early.  The plan is to stay in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night, and get to the ship early on Saturday.  So two questions:

• Best way to get to Fort Lauderdale and back?
• Does the "Luggage Program" work for PBI(West Palm) on return?  (Unfortunalty, I think I know the answer to this one.)

Our return flight doesn't leave until 6:15pm, so we have a silly amount of time on the back end, but we will also have a ton of luggage to tote around, if someone doesn't have a great idea as to what to do with it.....Somebody please lend me your expertise.

B-

Yes I realize I just started this Topic off with horrible grammar...How about this WHERE :P

Curious....I am looking for two different things, best experience and best value.

As far as BEST EXPERIENCE, I would like some input on Resorts or Hotels that have provided you with an impression of, "Man... I started this Vacation off right and in style".

The BEST VALUE answer doesn't lend itself to cheapest but rather, one that leaves you with a "money well spent" feeling.

Clearly this is subjective and everyone may approach this differently, but I would love to read what you think. 

B-

Tylor/Matt

Thanks for the feedback. I am glad to here it isn't terribly hard to get reservations for specialty restaurants. I am a planner so I am sure I will use the online resevation service before our trip on something but that takes the pressure off a bit. Have either of ya'll stayed in a stateroom that has the suite perks?  If so does that help with flexibility of dining options while on the ship?  Matt, I am going to take a look at the menus you have posted and see if I can narrow down my alternate evenings for restaurants.   

B-