A Note from a Former Cruising Chick... Loyal to Royal (Royal Caribbean)
My husbands brother in law wants to do this big celebration for his 50th by taking a trip. The hubs suggested a cruise plenty of things to do on the ship, different places to visits, and good price points. His brother in law was thrilled with the idea.
Cruising holds a special place in our hearts. Our very first cruise was in 2006 when the hubs best friend got married on a Royal Caribbean cruise, The Adventure of the Seas. We were the youngest people on that ship. Even though we were the youngest in our 20s and everyone was older we didn't care. After that first cruise it had us hooked! We couldn't wait to do another one. When the hubs was my boyfriend at the time said we would never travel any way else ever again! And he meant it. We took several more cruises after that and even had our honeymoon on a Royal Caribbean cruise!
I remember when someone asked us, "How can you love Royal Caribbean so much if you haven't been on another cruise line?" We even tried a competitor after that statement was made and it didn't compare. We knew after that cruise, we were Loyal to Royal. I even have the tank top to prove it, "Cruising Chick" that I purchased on board a Royal Caribbean ship. The more we cruised the demographics of cruising changed with us. We went from being the youngest on the cruise ship to having people our age. We met some really good people on our cruises some we still talk to and interact with on social media til this day.
I remember when we found out about the Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society and signed up. We never planned on stopping cruising so a perk for doing something we loved was a win win for us. We loved the idea and the fact that the more you cruised the more points and perks you would get. It was a bonus for us. Easier check ins, special lounges, and to realize at some point when we decide to have kids we could use this perk and not have to pull our hair out or stress about the worry of long waits with kids... JACKPOT. I saw parents and children alike lose their patience with the long lines and long wait time when it came to check in and boarding the ship. And we didn't have kids at the time but I knew I would want to avoid that when we had them.
We were Platinum status with just a few points away from Emerald once I got pregnant with our son and had to take a break. It was my dirty 30 celebration that the hubs surprised me with a cruise. That cruise we introduced the hubs other best friend to cruising. That was a super fun trip we even left with a surprise/souvenir of our own. Yes, you may have guessed it my son was even conceived on that Royal Caribbean cruise, Allure of the Seas. Once, I found out that I was pregnant we called him Baby Allure until we found out he was a boy. It was even on the list of baby names we had picked for a girl.
We even had another cruise booked which we decided to take him on, it would be his first cruise when he would be about a year and a half. Then we were hit with another surprise, I was pregnant with baby number 2. Which had me realize I would be pregnant on the cruise, how would that work, and would our cruise be in jeopardy because of my pregnancy? Long story short it was! I was told that I couldn't take the cruise because by that point I would be in my 3rd trimester and would be too much of a liability. My husband tried everything for us to be on that cruise from trying to become a doula and midwife so we could share the cruise experience with our son, family, and friends. We were going to introduce new people to the world of cruising something that we loved but all fell short because of my pregnancy. Sorry, guys I know you were all excited!
So, to be able to get back to something that we loved we were finally going to be able to share that experience and make great memories with our boys, family, and friends we were so excited. So, the hubs got to planning the trip. He didn't mind it in fact, there was a glimmer in his eye when he talked about the trip and a excited way about him when looking up information about it. He was even more excited when he found out that kids sail free sale was on. He was ready to book and it was like everything aligned, he found the best cruise for us and the time worked perfect for family and friends, and with the sale made it easier for all of us to go since we were all taking our kids or so we thought.
The hubs goes to book the cruise and to our surprise we have to pay a $250 deposit on all guests that are going to be in our stateroom. Bro, that's a $1,000 dollars! When we first started cruising we were college kids with little money making it work. Now, we're older making more money but married with a family to raise. Our financial dynamics has changed that we just can't drop that amount of money on a trip like we use to when we were younger. We're parents now and we have to be financially responsible with our money. With the way the prices are set up for a young and/or small family it makes it almost impossible to take a cruise. With disappointment we didn't book and went to social media for answers.
I feel like if there is a sale and kids sail free do just that! Let the kids sail for free. No deposit required. I'm not saying taxes and fee should not be paid but don't lie to me and say kids are free when in reality they are not. I wouldn't be so upset about the point if it was booked after the sale has ended then I see the need for a deposit. The deposit should be null and void under a sale price just pay the taxes and port fees. That's my take on it but the hubs sees it a little differently then I do. As a Crown & Anchor Society member he feels you should not have to pay a deposit on the 3rd & 4th guests that will be staying in your stateroom. Your deposit should be waived or you should just pay a reduced deposit amount. I like the way he thinks give the perk to the loyal customer regardless to when they book. I'll side with him on that perk because when you are loyal to a brand or particular company you are not going to go somewhere else you just don't want to.
Me, I was thinking differently a perk for all when it came to the Kids Sail Free sale. I truly feel like there is a demographic of families that would love to travel with their kids but don't know how and cannot because of things like a huge deposit. They already have to pay for the flights, lodging, rentals, and food just to get there which everyone does of course but to put the numbers down on paper and look at the cost just to get to the trip and look at their finances they are already at a disadvantage and decide not to go. Simply, because they can't afford to put their selves in financial ruins or a financial hardship just for a large deposit required upfront for a vacation. I feel like Royal Caribbean is trying to tap into that demographic but is missing the mark with that one.
With the Kids Sail Free sale coming to an end at the end of this month and looking at my husband trying to figure out how to put his family, other family members, and his friends family on the Royal Caribbean cruise I no longer see that glimmer in his eye and that excited way about him. And it's starting to look like and a tough pill to swallow that we will not be able to introduce new people to what we love and make great memories with our loved ones.
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