I personally love when the PR and Marketing folks get a hold of these announcements of degradation of a service and always put it under the category of, "...based on our valuable guest feedback...we are taking something away from our most loyal customers...But we recently added things like the Crayola coloring book for kids, so that should make up for it." Gotta love it.

Cruises are slowly becoming less and less desireable, with the slow pullback from the traditional "all inclusive" model. Guess they're not selling enough of the overpriced shore excursions. For the occasional cruise line customer like me, it will be one more disincentive to be a repeat guest of RCCL.

We are also Diamond members with RCI. While I'm not cancelling my two upcoming cruises, I will begin to look at the other cruise lines. Achieving Diamond status had a feeling of exclusivity. Access to the Conceirge Lounge gave us a great feeling, even if it was only for happy hour and even if we really didn't drink but 1 or 2 beers per cruise. It was something to look forward to when we weren't Diamond members and something to cherish after we became diamond members.

Now, being a diamond member doesn't really feel all that special anymore. Who cares! I can get nearly the same treatment on any other cruise line out there.

These changes won't keep us from sailing RCI. They will, however, get us to look at other cruise lines. To date we have sailed RCI exclusively. I believe those days are gone.

I thought these types of programs were basically contracts that couldn't just be unilaterally canceled.

@razremytuxbuddy:

There's those little words in the fine print that states they can change the rules and/or benefits at any time.

This 'diamond status' reminded me of this:


+ Watch video

That's a bummer. They had to know what was behind the 'Platinum' door.

Um, I just read through the changes and it looks to me that the Diamond Plus members,like the one quoted in the post, will see no drop in service. It does suck though that the number of people who've taken 25+ trips is likely going to be a pretty small number. I just thought that the comments from people who aren't going to see a service change(or may even see an improvement) threatening to go elsewhere was odd.

Call me bitter, but while these haute couture d-bags complain about their Diamond Plus whatever, while people like me are on food stamps and trying to find work to pay next months rent.

Seriously? Cry me a river guys, then go drown in it, please.

@SarasiPolyxena: I think the point is that if they can make this change, what is to stop them from going a step further and making more cuts to service.
I consider myself to be a loyal customer. As long as you treat me fairly I'll use your business for life. If you try to pull a fast one on me even once I'll take my business elsewhere.
I've only been on two cruises in my life, both times with Carnival and I had an awesome time. To that end... anyone that has the time and money to log 25-50 cruises with any carrier... Well those people DO deserve perks. That kind of loyalty should certainly be rewarded.

I am trying to fathom how someone manages to take 25-50 cruises? You would have to be going 3 or more times a year at least.

Any service that starts nickel and diming you at every turn just isn't worth it. I would rather pay more up front and not have to worry constantly if I am incurring another charge.

@bohemian: No joke, there's a lady in our organization that goes on 3-4 cruises a YEAR. For some, it never gets old I suppose.

Hi, this is Harrison Liu of Royal Caribbean International. Please let me clear up a point of confusion. Diamond Plus level Crown & Anchor Society members will still have access to the Concierge Lounge aboard ships that offer this amenity. Through the life of our Crown & Anchor Society program, the increased membership has affected the Concierge Lounge experience. 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. Diamond level Members cruising on Freedom- and Oasis-class ships will continue to be able to experience all current amenities in the dedicated Diamond Lounge on these ships, which features a complimentary happy hourfrom 5-8:30pm daily. All Crown & Anchor Society members will continue to receive their most valued benefits such as discounts on cruises, special recognition, priority embarkation and debarkation. Additionally, Royal Caribbean does offer a NY Sirloin steak as part of the 10 complimentary dinner entree choices in our main dining room. Guests have an 11th option for a Chops Grille Filet Mignon for $14.95.

@Suaveydavey: Ten points for a great Frasier reference. Heh.

@poserofalltrades: Troll much? I don't know your specific situation, but it certainly sounds like woe is you. Keep wallowing in it and being bitter about those more fortunate than you, that'll take you far in life.

"Sonny Vincer from Racine, Wis., is outraged by the changes to the Crown & Anchor program. Vincer, who just completed his 50th cruise on Royal Caribbean, is a Diamond Plus member and says he feels "abandoned" by the changes and is thinking of canceling an already-booked voyage."

!@$% this guy for his complaining. I wish I had the kind of cash to go on even 1 cruise, let alone 50. Some guys just have it so rough.

@poserofalltrades: Found any work yet on this website?

@SarasiPolyxena:

First, there are still a few people out there who will take exception to an unfair policy change even if they are not personally affected. Perhaps these days, that is so unusual, it could be classified as "odd."

Also, when I read the article I figured that even if the Diamond Plus members quoted are not losing any perks, they might have friends they regularly cruise with who are going to lose these perks. Therefore during future cruises they will no longer be able to socialize together in the concierge lounges, board together, etc. with their cruising buddies

@poserofalltrades: Unless you are on a library computer at 10:20 AM on a Sunday, might I suggest a cost saving that you could take advantage of to help out your situation....

Ah yes, The Nation of Why Not (Check out another cruise line.)

@bohemian: It's especially bizarre to the .01% of us who don't find the idea of a cruise that appealing in the first place. I love to travel as much as my finances will allow, but can't understand why anyone would spend so much money trapped on a boat with a bunch of strangers when there are so many actual places to see.

@Melt: Reminds me of a bank branch in a grocery store than closed 1 hour earlier than before. The sign said "New hours to serve you better". I asked the teller how does closing early serve me, or any other customer, "better". I've seen more intelligent looks from deer in my headlights.

@richcreamerybutter: Took my first cruise last month with the kids. It was more fun than I thought it would be, too. The nice thing is that you are treated first class. Food anytime of the day or night, and there's more to do on the ship than you would think (live entertainment, casinos, movies, etc). Not for everyone, but not as "trapped" as you would think.

Would I do it again? Probably. Not for a while, though. I don't see myself becoming a Diamond-level at all.

I've been following this hot topic on Cruise Critic and have come to the conclusion that the Diamond members are a bunch of crybabies and need to get a grip. The sense of entitlement is mind boggling. I'd be irritated if I earned my D+ the hard way or purchased a Royal Suite and was unable to access the Concierge Lounge because it was so crowded with Diamonds who are just in there for the free booze.

I cruise with RCCL because I enjoy it. I've never had a bad experience. I'm not looking to change lines and I say good riddance to the whiners! The only "perk" I've ever used is the priority embarkation/debarkation. Oh and for my upcoming cruise, for the first time ever, I'm using the balcony discount.

For the record, I am not a Royal Champion and I'm a lowly Platinum C&A member LOL!

@WindySaturday_GitEmSteveDave: oh, Snap!

Still amazed that people take 25 cruises. Actually, I'm amazed people go on more than one, considering how cheesy it is.

@1stMarDiv:

The same back at you for complaining about someone who busted his ass for years to earn enough to take lots of cruises. Nothing like a little wealth envy by non-hackers. BTW, I know this guy and he is a Marine Vietnam vet. Semper Fi, "1stMarDiv".

Note to self... buy some Carnival stock. Royal looks like they only care about their profits and the customers will just deal with it.

@Yamunation: I'm glad your feelings of superiority still fill you with a sense of wonder. Don't ever take it for granted!

Wow, I've got about 10 cruise points with RCCL - and growing. Last year I organized a 40-person family reunion cruise on one of their ships, and am just in the midst of planning an even bigger one (80+). We were going to go with RCCL for this next one solely because of the Crown & Anchor benefits. I'm very glad to know this now, so that I'm free to look at other cruise lines. I no longer have any loyalty to RCCL.

95% of these perks comes with booking any sort of Suite on their ships. Even as a non-exclusive-whatever-club sailor on RC ships, if you book any suite you get priority check-in and boarding, private lounge on the ship, private concierge, etc. So I really don't understand why people are so upset. It seems like most of the people who would be part of this club would book suites anyway, so it would not really matter.

@bohemian: There are people who are actually LIVING on cruise ships. It can actually be cheaper than living on "land".

@SacraBos: I guess I can see the appeal once in a great while under certain circumstances (with young kids, or if you have limited mobility), but it's just so...sanitized! :) Vacation days are so precious and limited I feel as though I should be covering some personally unexplored territory as long as I don't have small kids.

@mxjohnson: It's not a feeling of superiority, but genuine curiosity. You have to admit that 25 cruises is pretty excessive...don't people have the urge to see the world anymore?

@SacraBos: Given that the teller in question probably saw the new-and-improved hours as less wages for her as well, I'd be willing to believe that his or her unintelligent look was masking thoughts of Howzabout you ask the people who have anything at all to do with that decision instead of bugging me, schmuck?

@richcreamerybutter:

So what isn't "pretty excessive" in your opinion? 10? 4? 25 cruises is not excessive. Nor is 50 or 100 if you care to look beyond your own prejudices and realize some people have been cruising for many years, and some of us can manage to do so 2 or 3 times per year. Those of us who like to cruise for a vacation do so not just for the ports. We like the onboard experience. Many experienced cruisers would be happy if a ship didn't stop anywhere.

I went on a cruise in February 2008 with Royal Carribean, before the extra charge for steak and other stuff. At the time it was awesome, some of the people in my dinner group would simply ask for two entrees, like the steak and also whatever second meal. They gave them both, no problem; it was practically encouraged.

Also, it turns out that there are a ton of friendly people who've been extremely loyal to the cruise line, gone 5, 10, 20 times, that you can't help but meet while on a cruise. This could be the last mistake RC makes; the loyalists have very good reason to be upset.

@Kevin Baum:

Bad assumption. Most repeaters do not book suites, so therefore it does matter.

I get the whining complaint. But if RCCI held up these perks as reason and inducement to keep cruising with them only to pull the perks away, it's borderline fraud. They have right to feel ripped off. The fact that many feel ripped off suggests the cruises weren't worth it to begin with, so that's their bad.

For those who complain about having enough money to cruise, well take your class warfare to Washington, DC or the UK where you'll get sympathy. Some of us still believe in those who work hard should be rewarded. I know you're guys the President but he won't be for long and the government will swing back to the middle.

/ Been on two cruises with the family and sacrificed a LOT to be in the position to do so.
// Not an RCCI cruiser and after this not planning to be. Overpriced and nickel-and-diming is no way to run a ship. Go with Carnival and let the drunks subsidize your fun!

@1stMarDiv:

If you knew Sonny (I do), you'd know how asinine and uncalled for your remarks are. Oh, and he is a former Marine too. Still want to diss him with the "have it so rough" crap?

I'd be really annoyed if I had been cruising for years looking forward to those benefits only to have them yanked on you. Most of my cruise have been with celebrity, which is the same company, so I'm hoping they don't axe the program there too.

For those of you having a hard time getting your mind around taking that many cruises, thing of the airline status programs? What if you were about to get elite status for priority security lines, boarding, and occasional free 1st class upgrades and they decided to end the program you'd been working towards for awhile?

Well its one more provider i will not use .

I don't have anywhere near the money to take a cruise-the closest I could get is packing a cooler and rowing an inflatable raft out. Still, I'm having a hard time understanding the anti-passenger posts above. Yes, there are bigger problems in this world then a lack of free booze, but it's still bad faith action on RC's part. If a car company sells a consumer a lemon, it doesn't matter if it was Ford or Mercedes-Benz-it's still a scam.

@richcreamerybutter: Same here. Though my aversion to cruises includes what you said + a fear (irrational, probably) of weird cruise ship bacteria. Things that grow in hot tubs and might get all over the place. Totally irrational, I know, but I don't think I'd be able to relax and enjoy it.

Small chartered boat, yes. Time to make some more $$!

@Yamunation: A cruise is actually a really good deal, if you consider the comparative other is an all-inclusive resort which would cost more. Plus, unlike a resort, weather is less of a concern - the ship can adjust the itinerary to avoid bad weather. Jamaica on the other hand could get rained out or worse.

I would recommend trying a 3-day cruise, just to see what the fuss is about. You can get one dirt-cheap.

Guess Im buying puts on RC! Can Loose.

@oneandone:

Quite timely! I'm counting down to my 8th Carnival cruise in 42 days! We're taking my fiance's parents with us as well. We're waiting for 10 to hit "Platinum" - which the biggest perk is to cut the line for embarkation/debarkation. You get some other free stuff too, but mostly, VIP registration is the best part.

How to take so many cruises? I'm 25. Last year we went on 2. This year will likely be 2 as well (picking which cruise for our honeymoon in October). The way I see it: I have a stressful job and it's worth the money for the week relaxation.

My fiance has been on 4 cruises (5th upcoming), all since we've been together (6+ years), so it adds up.

If we take 1 cruise/year for 20 years, well... you get the point.

- Jess

@Jessica Schwartz:

Oh, and PS: taking 20 2-day cruises to nowhere is the same as taking 20 16-day transatlantic cruises. ;)

@loogee: I believe, IIRC, you get special perks if you own a certain amount of Carnival stock.