Royal Caribbean Revises Onboard Programs And Crown & Anchor Society Benefits For Past Passengers

As a past passenger, I often receive email alerting me when cruise lines make changes in their on board amenities and past passenger programs. Over the weekend I received such an email from Royal Caribbean International.

With 20 ships currently in service around the globe and two ships under construction, Royal Caribbean has always regarded the optimum enjoyment of all guests worldwide as a top priority. They consistently review guest feedback to ensure that they are able to continuously improve services while keeping the base price of a Royal Caribbean cruise essentially the same for nearly a decade. In that process, they constantly measure and evaluate guest satisfaction.

To enhance the onboard experience, Royal Caribbean has recently initiated a variety of programs including:

• MyTime Dining, which allows guests more flexibility to dine according to their own schedule, and My Family Time Dining, which provides young children an expedited 40 minute dinner experience and an escorted return to the Adventure Ocean youth programming facility so that parents can continue to enjoy dinner at a leisurely pace.
• Pre-cruise booking of shore excursions and beverage packages and advance reservations for specialty restaurants.
• Upgraded suite services and amenities including preferred seating and reservations, exclusive in-stateroom culinary treats, concierge lounge access, upgraded furniture and more.
• An enhanced departure process which provides a quicker and more seamless experience for guests at the conclusion of the cruise, while extending access to their staterooms on the morning of departure.
• New programming for kids and families, such as Crayola® Beginnings art, Sitters at Sea, Babies 2 Go!, Fisher Price® toy lending, Stroll & Roll, and more.
• Pool-side towel service which eliminates the need for a guest to remember to bring towels from their stateroom.

Starting July 1st there will be some changes to the Crown & Anchor® Society benefits based on member feedback and Royal Caribbean's recent enhancements. Crown & Anchor® Society members will continue to receive their most valued benefits such as discounts on cruises, savings certificates, and priority embarkation and debarkation. Platinum and Diamond members also will continue to receive discounts on suite category staterooms including the recently introduced upgraded services and amenities for suite guests. Keeping feedback and cruise experience in mind, some of the changes that will occur include:

• A new Ultimate Value Booklet with coupons for various onboard amenities.
• An upgraded wine tasting event at a special price.
• A new special event, hosted by our ship officers, for Diamond and above members to meet and mingle with other fellow members, and featuring complimentary wine, champagne, and hors d'oeuvres.

Due to limited capacity, the Concierge Lounge has not been able to accommodate growing Crown & Anchor Society membership, challenging the line's ability to provide the optimum experience for guests. Therefore the Concierge Lounge will now be accessible to suite and Diamond Plus guests only. Diamond Members cruising on Freedom class ships, Oasis of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas will continue to be able to experience exclusive access to a dedicated Diamond Lounge on these ships, which feature a complimentary 'happy hour' from 5:00-8:30pm daily.

The chart on CruiseDiva.com outlines the new Crown & Anchor Society benefits, starting July 1st.