Royal Caribbean quietly fixes two major passenger problems
The cruise line has been working behind the scenes to address two major passenger concerns.
Cruise ships have limited space, so they have to be very deliberate with every choice they make. That means that, in most cases, one group or another will always be upset.
When Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, or MSC Cruises, for example, decide to add a new restaurant concept, that often means an old one has to go away. Celebrity Cruises is replacing the Eden area on its next Edge-class cruise ship with Bazaar, an area designed to change daily to reflect the ports of call.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line testing popular new dining option
Invariably, some people will love the new area while others will lament what they have lost. That's sort of the natural cycle of cruise ship design where each company has to make choices to keep as many people as possible happy while knowing they are going to anger others.
Royal Caribbean has been walking that tightrope with two key constituents: gamblers and high-level loyalty members. Really, it's three groups as you break them into gamblers and gamblers who smoke.
All of those groups want more and better space. The cruise line has been working to keep all three happy, and amazingly, it seems to have a plan to make that happen.
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Royal Caribbean making casino changes for non-smokers
Royal Caribbean has struggled with keeping smokers and non-smokers happy in its casinos. It offers smoking and non-smoking space, and, in theory, you can only smoke while actively playing.
That, however, is very hard to enforce, and the smoke itself does not limit itself to the dedicated non-smoking section.
It’s a situation that makes it very difficult for people who are sensitive to smoke. And, many gamblers simply don’t want to be exposed to smoke at all.
Unfortunately, efforts to test fully ban smoking in the cruise line's casinos have failed. Whenever they try it, the company loses money.
As fewer and fewer Americans smoke, however, the cruise line has found a new solution. It added non-smoking casinos and all of its Oasis-class ships in the space that was formerly a jazz club.
It has also gotten clever and recently converted a little-used wine bar on Freedom of the Seas into a non-smoking casino. In addition, it has quietly begun expanding the non-smoking Casino on Utopia of the Seas into a space that is currently occupied by the crown lounge, a private space for high-tier loyalty members.
Royal Caribbean keeps loyalty program members happy
Many top-tier Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Society members have complained that newer ships put the Crown Lounge on level four with no windows. On the older ships. the lounge, which is a private space for Diamond-or-higher members, the Crown Lounge, often sits at the top of the ship.
These older Crown Lounge spaces offer great views, and many have outdoor areas. The newer lounges are on deck four and they're generally more cramped spaces with no windows.
To accommodate the expanded casino on Utopia of the Seas, the Crown Lounge has been moved back to the top of the ship. The same change has been made on Allure of the Seas, another Oasis-class ship that recently completed a dry dock.
In making these changes, Royal Caribbean has appeased non-smokers, kept smokers happy, and given an improved space to its most loyal members. That's a massive win for the cruise line.
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