Crown & Anchor Platinum and Emerald - Why should I care?

[jeffmw]

42 minutes ago, Pooch said:

And the mouse lost me when they started lightening lanes, genie+, paid early admission.  My DGD is 5 so there will have to be one more trip but then, except for an occasional Epcot F&WF visit, I think I’m done.

Trust me. Overall, I have few complaints about Royal, which is why we continue to go with them.

Disney, where we used to spend most of our vacation money, has gone into Hyperspace Greed Mode over the past 5-10 years. They only cater to high-end families with disposable cash anymore. Things that used to be free and were a huge part of making the experience enjoyable now cost money. The only on-site hotels they are building or investing in anymore are the "Deluxe" resorts, which are $700+ per night even at the most off-peak times of the year. 

We don't even bother anymore. 

[OCSC Mike]

I live close enough to the Magic Kingdom that I can hear the fireworks every night from my house. Haven't been in a park in about 5 years. We make the occasional trip to Disney Springs for dinner but that's it.

Not at all surprised at the comments in this thread. On top of the prices, it's really not the same place anymore.

[crazy4disney]

1 hour ago, jeffmw said:

Trust me. Overall, I have few complaints about Royal, which is why we continue to go with them.

Disney, where we used to spend most of our vacation money, has gone into Hyperspace Greed Mode over the past 5-10 years. They only cater to high-end families with disposable cash anymore. Things that used to be free and were a huge part of making the experience enjoyable now cost money. The only on-site hotels they are building or investing in anymore are the "Deluxe" resorts, which are $700+ per night even at the most off-peak times of the year. 

We don't even bother anymore. 

 

"Hyperspace Greed Mode" is an apt description. My husband and I went to WDW for his first-ever trip in early 2020 right before the world went sideways. It was expensive enough then, but I knew enough tricks and hacks to not have to take out a second mortgage for the trip. Post restart, everything is so different and costs SO much more -- even relatively speaking - there is no way on earth we could afford to go back now. Not to mention just the sheer unnecessary stress and confusion of all the genie+ and lightning lane and park reservations crap. 

[Rackham]

Since people keep bringing up Platinum and up should get separate lines and special activity times, I'm somewhat curious what percentage of cruisers you think would be eligible for these perks on any given sailing? 10%? 17%? 22%?

 

The answer is, based on personal calculations from information here and on Cruise Critic from top tier events, approximately 33% of cruisers on any given sailing would be eligible. To put this into passenger counts, that means Oasis at 100% capacity would have 1,782 passengers eligible for private time on the Flowrider, priority boarding, or whatever else you're thinking of, basically making the perk meaningless. Which is probably why Royal isn't offering such a thing.

(And if you're curious about Vision of the Seas, there would be approximately 804 passengers eligible.)

[DoomSlayer]

25 minutes ago, Rackham said:

Since people keep bringing up Platinum and up should get separate lines and special activity times, I'm somewhat curious what percentage of cruisers you think would be eligible for these perks on any given sailing? 10%? 17%? 22%?

 

The answer is, based on personal calculations from information here and on Cruise Critic from top tier events, approximately 33% of cruisers on any given sailing would be eligible. To put this into passenger counts, that means Oasis at 100% capacity would have 1,782 passengers eligible for private time on the Flowrider, priority boarding, or whatever else you're thinking of, basically making the perk meaningless. Which is probably why Royal isn't offering such a thing.

(And if you're curious about Vision of the Seas, there would be approximately 804 passengers eligible.)

I don't think they would offer that as a C&A perk for Platinum or Emerald because they already sell that privilege as part of the Key.  The last few sailings I have been on, they Key has been sold out, so I doubt they will want to do anything to affect that revenue stream.

[Ryanmw]

RCI also has to juggle the fact that there will be many people on these crosses that are gold or below. They have to provide a positive experience for those people so they can become repeat customers. You don’t want a family’s guest cruise or 2 to feel like an initiation to the C&A and they get the scraps

[Water Baby]

I concur!  RCC is severely lacking in its appreciation of its C&S members.  Many of you may know that in Florida, the only C&S status for priority check-in is for Pinnacle members - where Diamond & Diamond Plus use have access to priority boarding.  The Royal Caribbean Group needs to actively find ways to show its members appreciation on ALL levels.

No Bueno RCC

[pat8635]

On 4/11/2023 at 7:48 AM, mk-ultra said:

I'm D+.  Usually in a suite and with a DBP.  For me, I don't see any substantial benefit until I hit 340 points.  That's where the single supplement drops from 200% to 150%.  That's a pretty decent savings for a solo cruiser.

I only have my fair doubled or 100% more.  It does feel like 200 sometimes, but it only doubles.  I didn't realize that after a year on their ships that changes...not sure at this point that I will get there....wait, that is only a half a year for a single!

[Gilley]

On 4/11/2023 at 9:18 AM, OCSC Mike said:

If you buy the DBP and are in a suite, that makes sense.

The Diamond drinks were a big deal to me b/c I'm frugal, not a huge drinker, and only in a suite if someone else is paying. Plus my wife doesn't really drink so I usually get 1-2 of hers and 5-6 drinks per day is fine by me. I also use the coffee machine in the DL every morning for several cappuccinos and we still like to pop in at night just to check out the snacks. We used to make more use of it before the switch to drink vouchers of course.

There are a couple other perks, of course, like the free pictures we have printed and then don't ever display, lol, but for someone who sails frugally, 8 free alcoholic drinks plus several fancy coffee drinks per day is a substantial perk to me. That's a face value of over $100/day.

At D+, I'll try my best to use up the extra drinks and we'll probably use the BOGO specialty restaurant perk on occasion.

I love the way you cruise.   I’m taking notes.  Only thing I’m a solo cruiser most of the time.  Cruising only out of Jersey to save as I live in Philly.  Take the train for about 30-40 round trip.   Will be Diamond in May on Icon (family trip).  Looking forward to my drink vouchers and using my hubby’s. He got the DBP.

[Gilley]

On 4/11/2023 at 8:35 AM, jeffmw said:

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. 

 

 

The robe is a loaner. 

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, Gilley said:

I love the way you cruise.   I’m taking notes.  Only thing I’m a solo cruiser most of the time.  Cruising only out of Jersey to save as I live in Philly.  Take the train for about 30-40 round trip.   Will be Diamond in May on Icon (family trip).  Looking forward to my drink vouchers and using my hubby’s. He got the DBP.

I'm flattered. Not sure I've ever heard someone say they were taking notes on my posts, lol, but glad I could help. I like how I cruise too.

Congrats in advance on turning Diamond! It was a big deal to me and I'm looking forward to D+ after next week's cruise but the jump to D is the big one, IMO.

I grew up in the Philly 'burbs btw if you've never seen me mention that.

[Gilley]

2 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I'm flattered. Not sure I've ever heard someone say they were taking notes on my posts, lol, but glad I could help. I like how I cruise too.

Congrats in advance on turning Diamond! It was a big deal to me and I'm looking forward to D+ after next week's cruise but the jump to D is the big one, IMO.

I grew up in the Philly 'burbs btw if you've never seen me mention that.

I heard you mention the philly food….. lol but not that you actually grew up in Philly burbs.  I’m around the Penn & Drexel campuses. Will be moving to Atlanta in a few years so I’m already thinking the best way to get to the closest port.

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, Gilley said:

I’m around the Penn & Drexel campuses.

Ha, I went to Wharton undergrad. It was 100% the wrong school for me but I was there. Had a few friends that went to Drexel. Small world.

I followed my now wife down here after college a long time ago. She grew up in the 'burbs too but a little farther out.

[Gilley]

Will they let me use my husband’s WOW band to get his drinks or should I use his sea card?  He will have the DBP so I wanna use all his vouchers.

[OCSC Mike]

25 minutes ago, Gilley said:

Will they let me use my husband’s WOW band to get his drinks or should I use his sea card?  He will have the DBP so I wanna use all his vouchers.

I use my wife's sea pass card all the time. I don't see why a WOW band would be any different but that's just my assumption.

[VillainsGin]

On 4/11/2023 at 5:35 AM, jeffmw said:

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. 

 

 

I've also realized this and always preferred leaning towards casino royale to take care of me when it comes to loyalty. This is ONLY if you already gamble or enjoy gambling responsibly of course. 

 

I could care less about crown & anchor society points anymore since i've discovered how to maximize perks in casino royale. I'm constantly receiving free comped cruised for jr suites/balconies rooms for 2 guest. Every day they send me a bottle of wine or chocolate strawberries into my stateroom AND occasionally I can get discounts or comps on restaurants or merch during my sailing. Also if you're minimum prime you get free alcoholic drinks or higher quality water like evian for free! I basically just hoard those into my stateroom for when I get thirsty.  

Forgot to include they waive the charge fee for charging casino chips onto your stateroom which is extremely advantageous for saving $.

Best part is that while you book comp'd cruises through casino royale they also count towards your crown & anchor points!

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Gilley said:

Will they let me use my husband’s WOW band to get his drinks or should I use his sea card?  He will have the DBP so I wanna use all his vouchers.

Likely ship or even bar dependent.  By policy he has to order a drink from his CAS benefits for anyone.  Wow or card doesn’t change it.  

[Chuck586]

The whole loyalty thing based on nights aboard seems nuts to me.  It seems that a more equitable system would base the status on the amount spent, whether on the room selection or during the cruises.  

I have heard of several people being pinnacle because of the nights spent in an interior cabin all the while demanding that they be allowed in the suite lounge etc because of their status.  That seems like nonsense to me. 

In my case, my wife and I are spending $14,000 + on a 7 day cruise this summer.  I am paying for all of the perks.  I am getting 2 points per night because I stay in a suite. We are going to generate about $500 per point awarded by Royal on just our cabin fare.  I could have booked an interior cabin for two people at $1221.00 per person per day.  That works out to $174.00 per point based on 2 people in the interior cabin.  

Now perhaps a couple in the interior cabin will spend an additional $325.00 per day each on food, drink and other purchases and if they do, they should be rewarded.  If they are drinking lemonade and eat at the Windjammer all week they should not be rewarded the same as if they are staying in a suite. 

Just my $.02!

[smokeybandit]

4 minutes ago, Chuck586 said:

It seems that a more equitable system would base the status on the amount spent, whether on the room selection or during the cruises.  

But what loyalty would that reward?

Someone could book the most expensive suite on Icon, sail once, and never return.

 

For that same cost, someone could take 10+ cruises in an interior room On an older ship.

 

[twangster]

17 hours ago, Chuck586 said:

The whole loyalty thing based on nights aboard seems nuts to me.  It seems that a more equitable system would base the status on the amount spent, whether on the room selection or during the cruises.  

I have heard of several people being pinnacle because of the nights spent in an interior cabin all the while demanding that they be allowed in the suite lounge etc because of their status.  That seems like nonsense to me. 

In my case, my wife and I are spending $14,000 + on a 7 day cruise this summer.  I am paying for all of the perks.  I am getting 2 points per night because I stay in a suite. We are going to generate about $500 per point awarded by Royal on just our cabin fare.  I could have booked an interior cabin for two people at $1221.00 per person per day.  That works out to $174.00 per point based on 2 people in the interior cabin.  

Now perhaps a couple in the interior cabin will spend an additional $325.00 per day each on food, drink and other purchases and if they do, they should be rewarded.  If they are drinking lemonade and eat at the Windjammer all week they should not be rewarded the same as if they are staying in a suite. 

Just my $.02!

I could literally have bought a house for what it cost to reach Pinnacle in cruise fare alone, never mind Voom, drink packages, dining, shore excursions and casino spend along the way.   Is that enough revenue for you?

Everyone runs the math for a Pinnacle based on an interior yet very few Pinnacles stay in just interior cabins from 0 to 700 points.

Then they find the cheapest interior cabin for 7 nights and further run their modeling using that rate even though that rate is not available through the peaks of the cruise year.  That is often the cheapest rate but rarely is that rate available week after week.  There are times when that same interior cabin is double or triple that rate.  

In reality most Pinnacle have stayed in a number of cabin types over the ~100 cruises that a cruising couple must sail for seven nights to reach 700 points. Many top elite looking at D+ and P have stayed in suites at times, some all the time.  The real milestone was 100 cruises, one hundred, seven night cruises, which can be extended into nights on board at 700.  

On my way to Pinnacle my breakdown was suites 31%, balcony 28%, Oceanview 16% and interior 25%.  

Since making Pinnacle I'm in a balcony 65% of the time and my interior is down to 19%.  I have Sea, Sky and Star class suites booked.  I also have cruises booked on all three of Royal Caribbean group's primary family of cruise lines, Royal, Celebrity and SilverSea.   From a corporate standpoint I suspect they are very pleased with the revenue they receive from me.   

Yet time and again people who don't really know run their modeling based on the cheapest cruise of the year and they assume Pinnacles only stay in interior cabins.  

 

[Chuck586]

I absolutely agree.  But if you are staying in suites, you should be moving up the loyalty rankings a lot faster than than the person that is staying in the interior room.  Just like I believe that you should move up the ranks faster if you are staying in a balcony room if you are consistently buying the dining and drink packages.  They should be rewarding the dollars spent and not the number of nights spent.

[twangster]

2 hours ago, Chuck586 said:

I absolutely agree.  But if you are staying in suites, you should be moving up the loyalty rankings a lot faster than than the person that is staying in the interior room.  Just like I believe that you should move up the ranks faster if you are staying in a balcony room if you are consistently buying the dining and drink packages.  They should be rewarding the dollars spent and not the number of nights spent.

Suites earn twice as many points compared to interior.  So you do move up the ladder faster.  

Generally speaking more nights equates to more dollars spent over time.  Most companies prefer a recurring revenue stream compared to a one time or infrequent spend.  That's is exactly what the loyalty program is accomplishing - recurring revenue across the spectrum, not just for more wealthy clients.  Royal's bread and butter are the family cruisers, not the rich.  There are upscale and luxury lines in the family of companies for those clients.  

Suites are not as profitable as you might imagine.  For the same space you can generate more revenue with more people on board meaning more wallets and purses on board to spend money on board.  Royal is trending to reducing suite sizes for this reason.  Much better to have more ma & pa kettles on board.  Royal is not a luxury line and they are not trying to capitalize on the upscale client, that is what Celebrity exists for.   Suites are limited resources because that is not the bread and butter of where Royal makes the most money.  It's not the target demographic.

Royal is a mass market entry level cruise line.  Everything they do is geared towards the masses.  Titling a loyalty program towards the highest spenders tilts the program away from the masses and that is the last thing they want to do.  

[HBCcruiser]

On 4/11/2023 at 3:21 PM, 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. 

I must politely disagree that the loyalty benefits are similar. NCL offers priority boarding, tender tickets and disembarkation, 2 free specialty dinners for 2 - one with a bottle of wine, free laundry, free wine around the world tasting, a ship tour and other discounts for Platinum and above members. Even if we have a suite I love getting those perks and will use them. We usually sail in suites and always get the drink package, so free drink vouchers do not really matter to us - same with the lounge access. I wish Royal's perks offered things that suite passengers could enjoy too. 

[Jolly Ogre]

My next cruise is solo and for the 1st time I am only getting a soda pkg and using my vouchers for the good stuff.

It is only a 4 day sailing so all the perks listed for NCL would be a complete waste. 

[KapHn8d]

My wife and I just made Platinum on our last cruise. I'm kinda looking forward to the photo discount when we sail again next month.

That said, the real perk that provides the most value to me personally is the adult beverage perk at Diamond. We have a ways to go, but it is what I am most looking forward to as we slowly achieve Crown & Anchor tiers.

I don't have much experience cruising outside of RCL, but I have found the onboard experience on every Royal ship I've been on to be amazing. I'm very happy with RCL.

[twangster]

Platinum and Emerald are stepping stones one must progress across to reach higher levels.  

With any tiered loyalty program rarely can someone go directly to a higher level.  The exception are status matches with another program.  Generally speaking everyone progresses through the tiers of a loyalty program over the course of the act of being a returning customer.  

Everyone was once new to Royal.  Everyone has progressed through the tiers and/or earned their way to whatever level they are.   

My son did not inherit my top elite status, he is progressing from zero like any new Royal guests does.  He will soon make Emerald.  His eyes are on the prize, Diamond.  He can't get there with progressing through Gold, Platinum and Emerald.  That is how the program is designed.       

Granted some ship godparents have been gifted Pinnacle but if you can get yourself named as a ship godparent, I'm okay with that.