Royal Caribbean recently announced that it is modifying some of the recently announced changes to its loyalty program, the Crown & Anchor Society. As I posted recently, Royal Caribbean has announced that Crown & Anchor Diamond members will be losing access to Concierge Lounges onboard its ships. This set off howls of member protests, with many promising on cruisecritic.com that they’d not cruise on Royal Caribbean again.
The protests must have taken Royal Caribbean by surprise as they have modified some of the other changes to the program in an apparent effort to meet disappointed Diamond members halfway. According to royalcaribbean.com, effective September 1 the following changes will be implemented:
- A new ultimate value booklet will be offered containing discount coupons for various amenities
- Upgraded wine tastings at a special price
- A new exclusive nightly event for Diamond and Diamond Plus members including complimentary wine, champagne, and special discounts on other beverages
- A continental breakfast with a crew member available to provide services such as obtaining ice show tickets and other assistance
As I posted previously, I’d rather have access to the Concierge Lounge than not have it, but losing access is not a deal-breaker for me. I think Royal Caribbean offers fantastic ships, great itineraries and consistently good service. Better yet, I think the modifications they’ve announced are a reasonable gesture to their loyal Diamond members, and I’ll look forward to taking advantage of these new benefits on future cruises.
Dan, I agree completely. In fact, there are some new positives in these changes…. “happy hour” with comp wine and champagne on ships that don’t have any lounges…. This is something that previously was not available.
Nothing’s going to replace the CL but this a very good effort by RCL. You can’t make everyone happy – before the change everyone was whining that the lounges were too crowded!
At least RCL is now putting in lounges just for diamonds.