A change in C&A levels?

The Royal Caribbean boards on Cruise Critic have been abuzz the last couple of weeks from the anonymous tip that perhaps the membership levels in the Royal Caribbean loyalty program Crown and Anchor, will be changed. As it stands right now, here are the levels and major perks:

• Gold - completed at least one RCI cruise. Perks: a Gold coupon book for use onboard on next cruise
• Platinum - 5 cruise credits. Perks: a Platinum coupon book, priority embarkation line, balcony discounts, invitation to C&A party for Platinum and above
• Diamond - 10 cruise credits. Perks: a Diamond coupon book, priority embarkation and debarkation, larger balcony discounts, invitation to C&A party for Platinum and above, use of Concierge Lounge and Concierge Services (on select ships with a lounge)
• Diamond Plus - 24 cruise credits. Perks: much the same as diamond with some personalized perks depending upon cruise number

The supposed changes seem aimed at increasing the number of cruises to reach both Diamond and Diamond Plus, with perhaps as many as 25 cruise credits required to make Diamond and 50 required to make Diamond Plus.

So if these changes are made, will people still be Loyal to Royal? My guess ... mostly. In my personal experience, the perks are nice, and Royal Caribbean is definitely leaps and bounds past Carnival in recognizing and thanking past guests for returning. However, it hasn't really been the coupon booklet (of which I may use 3 of the coupons) or the priority stuff that has kept me coming back to RCI. Instead, it has been the stackable discounts. As long as I can combine onboard credits with special rates, I'll definitely keep RCI in mind.

With that being said however, I believe that this type of change would make veteran cruisers hesitant to book RCI just for the loyalty program, however. After all, if large changes are made once, what keeps them from being made again or gotten rid of completely?

Decline in quality?

Many people like to bitch about the good ol' days. It doesn't matter what the subject is ... there will almost always be someone complaining that at least some aspect used to be better. In health care, doctors used to make house calls. In schools, students used to respect their teachers. In cruising, it used to be classier with better food.

I really can't remember too much of my first cruise. I just know that it was on Premier (the Big Red Boat), had Disney characters, and had a last night so bumpy that we had to pack sitting on the floor. I also remember my firsts. It was my first time out of the USA, even if I didn't really experience anything truly different. It was the first time (actually ... and only, so far) I saw a water spout. It was also the first time I ever ate snails. Yup ... those lovely escargot made an appearance on our very short trip ... and ever since then, they've been a stand-by on every cruise I've been on.

The question is ... did they used to be better? Well, though I've eaten snails quite a few times in my life (from cruise ships to France to frozed ones out of the Marsh grocery seafood freezer), I've never really thought on a ship ... these used to be better. As a point of fact, I've only really ever compared the cuisine of competing lines as ... in my opinion, that is where better comparisons can be made.

Why do I think this? Well, for starters, I think that comparing my Carnival prime rib in June to my Royal Caribbean prime rib in May allows me to be much more specific in my memory than comparing my prime rib in May 2007 to my prime rib in May 1991. I also think there is a bit of a shine on the food the first time you cruise. After all, if it is your first food-inclusive vacation and you are a foodie, I think just about everyone finds stuff they like, tries stuff they've never had the guts to, and leaves with a good impression. By cruise 16, the shine is a bit tarnished ... but hey, I've never gone close to starving and never will on a cruise.

Have things gone down in quality over the years on mass-market lines? Probably yes ... but then again, pricing has also gone down as cruise ships have started to saturate markets. However, I try not to let "what used to be" get me down ... because if it does, it makes it that much harder to enjoy "what is now."