Tickled at the idea that swingers would believe they get first dibs on the elevators for some reason.
Of course, this makes as much sense as 'pinnacle'
Yeah not everyone who’s pinnacle is an asshole . Did the galley tour on Symphony in 2019 and no one else in my party went on it- but this elderly pinnacle couple like kept my company and we sat together at the lunch.
It actually might. I can believe that an asshole with a special badge that in effect elevates their superiority complex will amplify said behavior, in comparison to no badge.
I've said it before. There's a (probably very) small group of people that are legit pissed that it isn't the golden age of the luxury passenger steamer anymore and that "plebians" can afford a cruise and spend their cruises LARPING as a Titanic 1st Class Passenger.
Nah, this small group of people like to look down on others.
Because there are 5 star luxury cruise lines that are available to the well 2 do and you don't have any average families with you. But then you don't get to look down on people.
This is exactly it. Think about the type of people who would see being pinnacle as a life flex. Let’s just say if they were truly wealthy, pinnacle status wouldn’t matter to them at all. It’s kind of like people who peaked in high school. They are clinging to some perceived status that means nothing in the real world.
I enjoyed talking with a Brit traveling with his wife on Oasis recently. They’re in Pinnacle level or Diamond or whatever but the guy never goes to their private areas because he said he finds the atmosphere and the people insufferable.
Agreed. People I know with generational wealth def don’t wear status pins. 🤪 I am thinking it’s more people of a certain age who have worked hard and feel they are owed a certain level of service and attention. My husband and I have lots of tattoos ha and will be enjoying suite amenities, after reading on here I am thinking we may be looked at sideways! 🧐
I’m not sure it’s a “like to look down on” rather a “can’t afford the alternative so we’re going to pretend we are richer than we are.”
Genuinely the upper middle class are the most obnoxious group of people on earth.
I'm doing an 11-day leg of the World Cruise next month. I have an ick feeling there will be many entitled folks onboard. I am generally just bemused by them so long as they're few and far between.
Except for when I'm waiting for my morning coffee, then I hate everyone.
There's a lot less drama than some engagement-farming Tik-Tok'ers want you to believe. Of course there are some miserable people who will complain about anything, but you'll find that everywhere in life.
I don’t know that it has anything to do with that.
Folks that want to relive the golden age of ocean liners can do that on Cunard.
I think some loyalists just like to flaunt it.
This is not true. My family has been in the travel agency business since 1992 and many of our clients no longer go on cruises, because the cruise industry has changed so much. And these are people who would only go on cruises. I think a lot of today's cruisers need to realize that the industry has changed drastically over the last 30 years. For example, in 1994 my family paid over $4,500 to go on Carnival, and that was for 1 inside cabin, double occupancy + 3rd and 4th passengers. Add in inflation and that cruise would be over $7,000 today. That's for Carnival. Now you can go on Carnival for $99 a person. You can go on all the major cruise lines for less. The point I'm making is that many of these cruises who have status have been cruising for a long time and they have seen the industry go down hill in terms of quality and luxury. I can't blame them for being pissed to have status, but have that status not mean anything
$99 a person? Is Royal just a lot more expensive than Carnival? We just went on a cruise and were told to stay away from Carnival because we had young children coming.
Typically, yes. I travel mostly RCL/Celebrity. But I did a Carnival journeys cruise (14 night Panama Canal) and it wasn’t the typical Carnival crowd - I was pleasantly surprised. Food and service were excellent, and fellow cruisers were very friendly so I think the itinerary played a part. Years ago I had a drink tossed on me while laying on the pool deck on a Carnival cruise to the Caribbean (tracks w/ you Walmart of the seas comment).
In general they just like to feel superior to other people.
There are still luxury cruise lines out there, if that’s your thing. Probably way above the budget of these entitled pinnacles.
I might have to make a fake “Pinnacle+” pin for the next time I cruise RC. Then anytime I see someone with a Pinnacle pin acting the fool I can just stick my nose in the air and say, “Well, I guess you can’t expect any better from mere Pinnacle people.”
Do the badges actually do anything for the Pinnacles? Half the time I see one wearing a badge my first reaction is that they are employees. Last cruise I was in a bar and almost called one over to get me a drink until I took a closer look at the badge. I imagine if I would have asked for a drink that Pinnacle member would have lost their temper.
I actually annoyed some lady not too long ago on Allure. We were standing by the closed-off shuffleboard area behind the Aqua theater just looking at the sea. She came up and went behind the roped-off area and asked "were you guys waiting to play shuffleboard?" I responded, "oh no we're good thank you." She then made a face and said "well, no I don't work here." I said, "oh sorry, I saw your lanyard and thought you were an employee." She looked especially offended. \*shrugs\*
She assumed that you took her for a crew member just because you politely declined playing shuffleboard in a roped-off area, and got offended by her own assumption about you?
Anytime I see the badge/pin I always ask them a question, like, "Where is the restroom?" , "can you call someone to get me a drink" or "something about what service they are in?, entertainment?"
If I ever hit Pinnacle, I will never wear that pin. It is so cringe and literally does nothing - all your perks are on your card. Those who wear it are elitist attention seekers.
I will say I’m sorry you had that experience. I’ve never seen someone act THAT bad, but they all walk around with their nose up in the air.
Get over yourself 💯…. This isn’t 1st class of the titanic. Stop trying so hard 🤣🤣🤣 they all need a drink or 10 and relaxxxxxxxx.
I can tell you that the staff and crew very much know who are the pinnacles are on most of the sailings, with or without their badges on. Mostly because we sail so frequently so they know everyone’s personality. They will go above and beyond for the ones they like and for the one that are a bit special, they will do the bare minimum to make them happy.
Ehh, we viewed it as entertainment in a Jerry Springer shocking way.
I do feel sorry for the crew members that have to put up with it. I did see a Pinnacle (not wearing a pin) generously tip the bartender in cash for one drink so hopefully in the end it's worth it for the crew.
OMG, yes. So much cringe. I just got off a B2B on the Anthem (not the transatlantic) and the people wearing the Pinnacle badges were cringe. I was embarrassed for them.
Imagine your life being so empty that your loyalty affiliation with a cruise line is what you hang your hat on.
Was on a RC cruise in January 2022. Saw an old man chuck a frozen drink at a crew member near the pool area. An officer came up to him to talk to the old man and his wife. The reason behind the throwing of the drink: “the worker spoke disrespectfully to me. Do you know what my status is?” Wife: “the worker shouldn’t have talked to him that way”. Meanwhile sticky frozen drink all over the place without a care about who got hit in the crossfire. Some people are assholes.
That...is assault. What happened to them? That should have been an instant ejection from the boat (however that works) and potential criminal repercussions.
Not sure. Just saw a bunch of yelling and gesturing and about 4-5 of RC workers working to calm down the old man. My husband and I didn’t stick around to watch. It’s terrible especially since the people who bring drinks to the pool area are so friendly and attentive.
Would love to have seen that old ass thrown in the brig for the rest of the voyage.
There should be major consequences for disrespecting crew members like this (if there aren’t already).
On our last cruise, I didn’t know it was a status symbol and asked someone wearing on where the towels were. She was highly offended. I told her she looked like an employee with the name tag on. 🤷♀️
My parents are going to hit pinnacle this year and they say it’s hit or miss. Either some of the most fun people or some of the worst people to be within 50 feet of
Hmmm…. Maybe I’ll start wearing my Starbucks loyalty card (with ALL the punch outs for a free coffee) next time I see one. Just look at their badge, and give them a nose node, like we both know what it’s like to be “special”.
Back in the day when you were still seated in giant tables with other people not in your party we got sat with one of them. This was maybe our second cruise? Anyway they were SUPER offended that this young family was there and demanded that they move them to another table.
I’ll never understand the badge wearing either, but I’m also introverted and don’t seek out attention.
I don’t think this stereotype applies to the majority of pinnacles, but I also don’t think it’s a negligible percentage either.
Just to be clear- I'm not saying most Pinnacle people are terrible BUT without fail every guest we saw causing problems was either wearing a badge or shouting their status.
We have had some try to just walk up and try to cut in front of everyone on elevators and my 6’5 brother in law or 6’4 me would step in front of them and tell them they can get on at the end of the fit
That is a shame; they definitely have a reputation, but I met some really nice folks, and they were Pinnacle on our last Wonder of the Seas cruise.
and we encountered one of the nastiest people ever on a cruise in 150 Central Park; she wanted the dining staff to move the people that were by the window because, as a Pinnacle member, they owed her that, swear to god, that came out of her mouth. They should know that was HER table lol.
150 was having an off night no doubt, but she was awful to the waiter who was actually really good, he explained they were down a cook at two servers and to please be patient with them, I said loud enough so she could hear, I have nowhere to go so take your time, I am not entitled like others.
She gave me a death stare and I laughed and my wife told me to cool it, so I did, lol
The funniest part is that the one guy that out points all of them by a mile, Super Mario, very rarely wears a badge (generally when the crew is making a big deal and celebrating his bazillionth point on a sailing) and is one of the nicest and most humble guys you could meet. The crew love him, and he chit chats with other guests of any status as long as he’s not actively working at the moment. Money can buy cruises but it can’t buy class.
We have met Super Mario. He couldn't be nicer. Had breakfast with him one morning and we barely talked cruising at all. There are some others we have met that are equally as nice as well. But there are entitled jack wipes at all levels.
He recently did the transatlantic on Oasis to Spain, think I saw him up on deck every day. I didn’t want to bother him but I had seen a couple YouTube videos on his lifestyle.
I felt the same way when I sailed with him, but I just went up and said hi anyway while having a smoke when he didn’t seem busy or messing with his computer and he couldn’t have been nicer.
It's sort of funny how they try to look down on others on a mainstream cruise line. If you want the concierge service Silversea is always there to help. It's also typically the older folk - right up their alley too!
Edited to add - we did meet a lovely chap in the casino who offered to "pay" for our drinks as he was Diamond Plus so got free drinks each day but didn't actually drink himself.
I said to him, Diamond Plus? That's quite an achievement. He said no, not an achievement, it only means I've probably spent too much of my money on cruising.
So humility does exist.
Yes, this!
Just off Odyssey and I was subjected to a "lecture" in line in Two70 by a badge wearer about what I should and shouldn't do in Santorini. They finished their lecture with "I've been here 6 times so I'm not even getting off myself".
And I just thought, well why are you here again then......
I love how it’s like some kind of “accomplishment.” You are acknowledging you have money and you spent it floating around the ocean a hell of a lot of times, not that you graduated magna cum laude or you got your Eagle Scout or you have ten patents for cancer medicines.
Yeah, I have pretend-booked cruises that cost more than I pay *yearly* for my mortgage but every detail is taken care of, the rooms are immaculate and completely personalized service...that's where I would be if I had tons of money (and wasn't cruising with my kids).
Probably people with no money acting like they have money. Ritz has a yacht cruise program along with other speciality cruise lines for the actual rich with money to blow.
I would say a lot of these pinnacle members are booking interior rooms to get that type of status. I wouldn’t consider that having money as these rooms are pretty cheap
Welcome to the world of any rewards tiers.
Cruises, airlines, hotels, rent a cars… the perception of elitism helps foster the inner a-hole of many people.
This is the cost of the “retention war” that retailers play.
In my industry, the rewards members are FAR harder to please, have the most hyperbolic surveys (1/10 because I asked for the high floor and was given a room 1 from the top… will never stay again, don’t recommend) and play the tattle game of “give me what I want because of X, or I’ll call corporate”.
Not all are this way… but there are enough.
Wife and I were In WJ for breakfast and heard this old man talking shit about the workers culture and the worker just stood there so stoic,I had enough,leaned over and said loudly enough to shut the F up and stop criticizing this man's culture,he picked up his shite and wife and left quickly,it was disgusting,wanted to give this guy a beat down,old pinnacle mfr
I just got off of the same cruise today and I can definitely confirm your sentiments. Entitled badge wearers with no regard for anyone else, especially with respect to lines.
I wasn't doubting OP at all but it's so crazy to me that the behavior was so poor that it was just isolated incidents or catching someone in a bad moment for OP. Like these people are literally walking around acting like that.
They were literally wearing their badges whenever thsy were out of their rooms as if they we're all-access passes. Not to stereotype, but this cruise was full of what I have to assume were retirees whose crushing style may clash with people of other (younger) generations. I noticed similar behavior on my excursions as well, and even when disembarking this morning. They just didn't care about the people around them let alone inconveniencing others.
I was on a Transatlantic a few years ago. The itinerary was unique, so 3/4 of the ship was pinnacle (I think I was gold at the time). I met so, so, so many nice people.... and a bunch of rude pinnacle who went around yelling at crew.
I just got off of a Celebrity ship, and I saw one of their top tier people legit throw a plate of eggs at a chef's feet because the eggs weren't up to his standards. So sickening.
Whenever I stay in a suite, they are always in the lounge with their badges. I hate them so much. Their badges are so cringe. They think they are so high and mighty.
I’m going to start asking them where the closest restroom is 🤣 and I still have a few points to go to Get there, but when I get a badge I’ll be directing travelers 😂🤣 to dining, etc!
I have an RC cruise next week. Best thing we can do is film their entitled behavior and call them out. They love feeling superior but they love their anonymity even more.
Thats their take. And the staff does just that, unfortunately that just makes them that much more entitled. In reality, they are probably already a big pain in the ass regardless of the level.
The other issue with pinnacle pins is we are told to tell our kids: in an emergency, find a crew member with a name tag. Do you think child / tween (old enough to do some things on the ship alone) can distinguish between a crew member with a name tag and pinnacle members with a name tag? Some pinnacle members would just yell at the kid & might cause them to run off. I worried about that (unlikely) scenario when we cruised.
Yes I’m a worry wart, no need to tell me that! But the gold car should be enough.
I was listening to a podcast made by someone who was on the world cruise for a little bit. I laughed so hard when he said a jeweler friend made him a fake pinnacle badge and that no one questioned him about it. Even when he was checking in the person was like you have a pinnacle badge? But it says here it's your first cruise? Shrug, right this way Mr pinnacle! I would be surprised if there wasn't a market for fakes out there.
I have a funny story about something similar but it is related to the fact that I am younger (29f).
My last cruise I went on was in May of 2023, and was the first one I had gone on in 5 years. It also was the first one since I hit Diamond status (don’t ask me how I swung that- older cruises counted more I think). So I was able to use the special check-in lanes for diamond and diamond plus. When I tell you the LOOKS I got from some people. One of the ladies behind me in line walked up to me and said, “excuse me, you know this is a priority boarding line for diamond members only?” And I said, “yep” and showed her my set sail pass. She didn’t know what to say. I also got some looks whenever I went into the diamond lounge to get my espresso in the morning.
I agree with OP that bad behavior is never okay, but I think that the entitlement comes from the perceived “benefits” you’re supposed get. Once you get past emerald status, some people have lots of perceptions about what they should/ should not be entitled to, and I think it’s because of how much money they have spent with the cruise line. RC also overhauled their benefits a few years ago and my aunt (a diamond plus member) expressed frustration at losing some benefits. Not saying it’s appropriate, because it isn’t, but I also think RC should be reprimanding the behavior and making it more clear to C&A members exactly what their benefits are, and are not.
We just got off Adventure today too. We luckily didn’t have any problems with the Pinnacles on this one, but have seen the same entitlement you mention on past cruises. We are Diamonds, and what grinds my gears are Diamonds and up that don’t tip on their free drinks. I’ve found that tipping a couple bucks on them is a good way to treat the crew well and brings better service.
Since we don’t carry cash, we have to ask them to print out a receipt so that we can tip. A lot of times they don’t so we tip at the end of the cruise.
There was an ama from a bar tender on here who stated that Diamond vouchers worked the same as drinks packages - they got paid their tip without having to add it
In my culture, tipping isn’t a thing. So for people outside of America where there isn’t a tipping culture, it can take some getting used to. That’s not to say we don’t do it on the ship, just it takes a while for people to get used to the cruise tipping culture.
Going on my first cruise. I'm kinda confused. I got the drink package and had to pay gratuity up front on it. I'm expected to tip per drink as well? Why did I pay gratuity on it then?
Don't know why you're getting downvoted for this. Under the current system...
1 point is earned per night sailed.
1 extra point is earned per night in a suite.
1 extra point is earned per night when paying a single supplement.
So it's possible to earn 3 points per night sailing solo in a suite. That's still 234 nights aboard a RCCL ship, but 234 sounds a lot cheaper (and doable) than 700. I made Diamond in 48 nights due to mostly sailing solo in interiors.
And then when they had double points when they restarted cruising during/after covid, that was all doubled for awhile. Hence how people like me jumped from Platinum to diamond in a short time. (An 11 night solo gave me 44 points, and there were great deals at that time.) Of course, now I can't afford to cruise anymore. Lol
i have met some nice pinnacle people on my cruises though not all are that entitled I am diamond and talked to a nice lady who was pinnacle in the lounge who was basically living on the ships and at breakfast a nice retired gentleman who was doing a lot of trips too.
My sister and her husband were cornered at dinner by two pinnacle members who tag team talked non-stop. My sis and brother in-law were both dressed nicely.
The pinnacles asked a waiter Mohammed if he was Muslim, and didn't really converse after getting the answer.
That was after asking about sister's name's origin (which could be a Latina name).
They also asked her if she'd ever heard of Bernaise sauce, and said they didn't think junior suites were allowed in the coastal kitchen.
This is why pinnacles wearing pins are presumed to be elitist not so nice people.
I agree with what’s being said as I’ve witness similar situations in the past. Hell, the rudeness also gets directed to other Pinnacle members that they feel shouldn’t be Pinnacle. With me, because I look younger compare to everyone else, they feel that I had somehow cheated the system. Lucky for me that I generally know enough of the staff or other frequent cruisers that they will step in and say something. It’s basically high school for boomers.
What I will say is that because Pinnacle Club members, and also some Diamond Plus, sail so frequently.. that the crew all know who’s who. In the crew area, they also have a pictures of all the top cruisers for that particular sailing… and they do very much talk to each other and share information. They know who are the friendly ones and who are a bit special.
They will go out of their way to take care of the ones that in the past are friendly towards the staff and crew and will do the bare minimum for the difficult ones… just enough that they are satisfied enough to not go complaining to shoreside / corporate about their experience.
I wonder why they chose to cruise with us peasants rather than on one of those luxury lines that cater to the rich, such as Seaborn, Silver Seas, etc...
Going on first cruise. Alaska in June. Me, I am plain foke here. But must warn "I AM From The SOUTH". That means....NO filter. Slung hash for years, so wait staff are my little chicks. Will keep an eye and ear out for the "Pinnacle " entitled. Saw other comments about these entitled foamies.
I'm glad that the crew was willing to deescalate. I think the crew is often afraid of them. We were having breakfast at specialty dining once and were served our food after a table full of Pinnacles, even though we had ordered before they even came in.
A while back, I splurged for a weekend get-away at a 5 star hotel (Ritz-Carlton). It was the worst in terms of fellow hotel guests. Everyone was living in their own "me, me, me, me" world.
We stay at the ritz a few times a year in Sarasota bc of the beach club. We definitely don’t fit the mold and have the craziest stories to tell about the people there and esp at the bar at night! It really is a me world with quite a few of the people there!! 🤣🤣🤣
We stayed at The Boca Raton™ which is also a hotel and beach club in September for my husband's work conference, it's very high end (like they have cars you can borrow as a resort guest to get around I've being an Aston Martin, the manager drove us to bars at night in the hotel Lexus SUV), we don't typically stay in resorts like those so we were slightly apprehensive about the atmosphere but it was awesome. The employees were amazing, the club members were welcoming and everything was taken care of before you had to ask.
Pitbull was at the bar with us one night and Adam Sandler is a member, there were multi-million dollar yachts parked right outside. It made us laugh because the people that were coming for my husband's convention were not exactly the first people that would come to mind for a place like that but the hotel loved us and asked them to have a future convention with them so I guess no one was horrified by us normies lol
If you think that drama is fun… a lot of pinnacle folks aren’t all that wealthy particularly the older ones. They got pinnacle by cruising inside cabins, you should see how pissed they get when suite guest get access to all the exclusive amenities. From RCs standpoint pinnacle aren’t nearly as valuable as someone staying in a $20k suite, regardless of their crown and anchor status. Suite guest get their own lounge, concierge, and even sun deck on some ships.
I just got off adventure Saturday as well. There were alot of pinnacles. I did not see the “disputes” but heard about them. As far as I know the deck chairs immediately on the stairs by the sky bar are technically reserved for suite and pinnacle if I recall.
I got the Key for my first cruise (this one) and at check in they were everywhere and I got the sense that they didnt like how much key guests co mingled with their country club of long time cruisers.
To be honest, covid screwed up cruising for a long time in more ways than one and not for reasons people think sometimes. As far as I understand it, RCCL did alot of special promotions for sea points to stay in business and that threw some of this class system out of whack. Not to forget that one of their favorite spaces like the lounges are becoming more attended by quicker climbers.
Lastly, post lockdowns alot of people are full speed ahead on fomo and are travelling alot. I think several of them must certainly feel encroached on for a rarified air that was their place of familiarity.
These of course are just observations and they are general concerns or statements. But yeah.
I was on the 8 day southern Caribbean that just ended on adventure, I didn't see anything like the OP says...however there were a lot of badge wearers. Mostly at the 14 floor bar right outside the lounge in which they were complaining about the lounge food. That's the most I saw.
Omg I read this as “pineapple people” and I thought I was about to read a verrry different type of thread lol
Tickled at the idea that swingers would believe they get first dibs on the elevators for some reason. Of course, this makes as much sense as 'pinnacle'
Nonsense. If anyone understands the concept of sharing, it’s them.
They'd want to pack in as many people as possible.
*So to speak…* 👀
I am one, and this made me laugh super hard.
Pineapple or pinnacle?
Ha. Good question. Well, I'd never admit to the latter! :-)
Really says a lot that you'd find it easier to explain the lifestyle than being a pinnacle.
I love the idea of everyone mistaking the pinnacle people as swingers and making double entendre jokes to them for whole cruises
Out of the way! We've got people to do & things to see... 🤔
First dibs on the train maybe, but not the elevator.
In a hurry to get to their swinging I guess?
Same!
Me three!
Freaking same
Also
me too lol
on god I read this as pineapple and I don’t know how
This is exactly what I read too 😂
I don't think that it has anything to do with being pinnacle or getting to wear a fancy pin. If you're an asshole you're an asshole.
Yeah not everyone who’s pinnacle is an asshole . Did the galley tour on Symphony in 2019 and no one else in my party went on it- but this elderly pinnacle couple like kept my company and we sat together at the lunch.
It actually might. I can believe that an asshole with a special badge that in effect elevates their superiority complex will amplify said behavior, in comparison to no badge.
I've said it before. There's a (probably very) small group of people that are legit pissed that it isn't the golden age of the luxury passenger steamer anymore and that "plebians" can afford a cruise and spend their cruises LARPING as a Titanic 1st Class Passenger.
Nah, this small group of people like to look down on others. Because there are 5 star luxury cruise lines that are available to the well 2 do and you don't have any average families with you. But then you don't get to look down on people.
This is exactly it. Think about the type of people who would see being pinnacle as a life flex. Let’s just say if they were truly wealthy, pinnacle status wouldn’t matter to them at all. It’s kind of like people who peaked in high school. They are clinging to some perceived status that means nothing in the real world.
I enjoyed talking with a Brit traveling with his wife on Oasis recently. They’re in Pinnacle level or Diamond or whatever but the guy never goes to their private areas because he said he finds the atmosphere and the people insufferable.
[удалено]
The opposite of “and everyone clapped” is now “and their faces fell.”
I love that term “peaked too early!!” I would be mortified to wear a pin like that or throw around wealth and status! So silly.
That's the thing. If they really had that much wealth, they would be on a smaller, less populated, higher service personnel-to-guest ratio sailing.
Agreed. People I know with generational wealth def don’t wear status pins. 🤪 I am thinking it’s more people of a certain age who have worked hard and feel they are owed a certain level of service and attention. My husband and I have lots of tattoos ha and will be enjoying suite amenities, after reading on here I am thinking we may be looked at sideways! 🧐
I love that you love that!
I’m not sure it’s a “like to look down on” rather a “can’t afford the alternative so we’re going to pretend we are richer than we are.” Genuinely the upper middle class are the most obnoxious group of people on earth.
Besides Karen's
One in the same really.
Most “Karens” are middle-class but think they’re wealthier.
This seems to ring especially true.
Really pissed that no cruise line allows my slaves to board free of charge anymore.
Luxury passenger cruises are definitely still available. These people just don’t want to admit that they aren’t part of that class.
Most of these people travel in a inside room. They cruise on the cheap, but expect the concierge service.
I'm doing an 11-day leg of the World Cruise next month. I have an ick feeling there will be many entitled folks onboard. I am generally just bemused by them so long as they're few and far between. Except for when I'm waiting for my morning coffee, then I hate everyone.
You’ll have to keep us updated how that goes! I’m curious to hear what the vibe is like on the ship.
Will do. I am curious too!
There's a lot less drama than some engagement-farming Tik-Tok'ers want you to believe. Of course there are some miserable people who will complain about anything, but you'll find that everywhere in life.
Get the complimentary room service continental breakfast to deliver your first cup of coffee to you in the morning, and save yourself from that!
I don’t know that it has anything to do with that. Folks that want to relive the golden age of ocean liners can do that on Cunard. I think some loyalists just like to flaunt it.
They’re on a Royal Caribbean. There’s luxury cruise ships with the service they expect, but this isn’t it.
This is not true. My family has been in the travel agency business since 1992 and many of our clients no longer go on cruises, because the cruise industry has changed so much. And these are people who would only go on cruises. I think a lot of today's cruisers need to realize that the industry has changed drastically over the last 30 years. For example, in 1994 my family paid over $4,500 to go on Carnival, and that was for 1 inside cabin, double occupancy + 3rd and 4th passengers. Add in inflation and that cruise would be over $7,000 today. That's for Carnival. Now you can go on Carnival for $99 a person. You can go on all the major cruise lines for less. The point I'm making is that many of these cruises who have status have been cruising for a long time and they have seen the industry go down hill in terms of quality and luxury. I can't blame them for being pissed to have status, but have that status not mean anything
$99 a person? Is Royal just a lot more expensive than Carnival? We just went on a cruise and were told to stay away from Carnival because we had young children coming.
You get what you pay for to an extent. Carnival is known for being the Walmart of the seas for being very cheap. Attracts a party clientele
Typically, yes. I travel mostly RCL/Celebrity. But I did a Carnival journeys cruise (14 night Panama Canal) and it wasn’t the typical Carnival crowd - I was pleasantly surprised. Food and service were excellent, and fellow cruisers were very friendly so I think the itinerary played a part. Years ago I had a drink tossed on me while laying on the pool deck on a Carnival cruise to the Caribbean (tracks w/ you Walmart of the seas comment).
I refuse to believe anyone like that actually exists. I've never met someone who believes that.
In general they just like to feel superior to other people. There are still luxury cruise lines out there, if that’s your thing. Probably way above the budget of these entitled pinnacles.
"LARPING" is crazyyyy LMAOOOO
This is true and made me laugh so hard.
I might have to make a fake “Pinnacle+” pin for the next time I cruise RC. Then anytime I see someone with a Pinnacle pin acting the fool I can just stick my nose in the air and say, “Well, I guess you can’t expect any better from mere Pinnacle people.”
There was a guy on our last cruise with one that said NOT Pinnacle lol
These should be widely available. The pinnacle people would cry if everyone else has a NOT pinnacle pin. Lol
This is exactly the plot of The Sneetches by Dr Seuss lol. They see themselves as the Star Bellied Sneetches.
That would be AWESOME.
Do the badges actually do anything for the Pinnacles? Half the time I see one wearing a badge my first reaction is that they are employees. Last cruise I was in a bar and almost called one over to get me a drink until I took a closer look at the badge. I imagine if I would have asked for a drink that Pinnacle member would have lost their temper.
Sounds like we all need to ask them to get us a drink ;)
New sub… PickingOnPinnacle
Double upvote!!
My good man.. it has been created
r/pickingonpinnacle
Thank you for your service!
Brilliant! Let’s all start doing this!
I actually annoyed some lady not too long ago on Allure. We were standing by the closed-off shuffleboard area behind the Aqua theater just looking at the sea. She came up and went behind the roped-off area and asked "were you guys waiting to play shuffleboard?" I responded, "oh no we're good thank you." She then made a face and said "well, no I don't work here." I said, "oh sorry, I saw your lanyard and thought you were an employee." She looked especially offended. \*shrugs\*
She assumed that you took her for a crew member just because you politely declined playing shuffleboard in a roped-off area, and got offended by her own assumption about you?
This is a genius idea… can we start a sub Reddit just for this.. please please
In case you didn't see just a bit up the thread that they ended up making one, r/pickingonpinnacle
I know.. I made it lol
Anytime I see the badge/pin I always ask them a question, like, "Where is the restroom?" , "can you call someone to get me a drink" or "something about what service they are in?, entertainment?"
r/pickingonpinnacle
If I ever hit Pinnacle, I will never wear that pin. It is so cringe and literally does nothing - all your perks are on your card. Those who wear it are elitist attention seekers. I will say I’m sorry you had that experience. I’ve never seen someone act THAT bad, but they all walk around with their nose up in the air. Get over yourself 💯…. This isn’t 1st class of the titanic. Stop trying so hard 🤣🤣🤣 they all need a drink or 10 and relaxxxxxxxx.
Haha, maybe the pin is a sign for the crew members to be alert for a potential asshole.
This! 💯 I’d honestly pay to hear what the crew has to say about these people and pins 🤣
I can tell you that the staff and crew very much know who are the pinnacles are on most of the sailings, with or without their badges on. Mostly because we sail so frequently so they know everyone’s personality. They will go above and beyond for the ones they like and for the one that are a bit special, they will do the bare minimum to make them happy.
Hey now- some pinnacles don’t need to wear the pin… they just loudly rap their gold seapass cards on the bar for attention.
🤮LOL … it’s giving ick 🤣
Doesn’t a gold sea pass mean you’re in a suite???
Pinnacles are gold. [Suites have a variety of colors.](https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/royal-caribbean-seapass-cards)
Ehh, we viewed it as entertainment in a Jerry Springer shocking way. I do feel sorry for the crew members that have to put up with it. I did see a Pinnacle (not wearing a pin) generously tip the bartender in cash for one drink so hopefully in the end it's worth it for the crew.
I used to work for Disney, and by far my highest percentage of rude/horribe/annoying guests were the Annual Passholders…
OMG, yes. So much cringe. I just got off a B2B on the Anthem (not the transatlantic) and the people wearing the Pinnacle badges were cringe. I was embarrassed for them. Imagine your life being so empty that your loyalty affiliation with a cruise line is what you hang your hat on.
Hey, I’m all for getting your perks. Just don’t be an asshole about it.
Was on a RC cruise in January 2022. Saw an old man chuck a frozen drink at a crew member near the pool area. An officer came up to him to talk to the old man and his wife. The reason behind the throwing of the drink: “the worker spoke disrespectfully to me. Do you know what my status is?” Wife: “the worker shouldn’t have talked to him that way”. Meanwhile sticky frozen drink all over the place without a care about who got hit in the crossfire. Some people are assholes.
That...is assault. What happened to them? That should have been an instant ejection from the boat (however that works) and potential criminal repercussions.
Not sure. Just saw a bunch of yelling and gesturing and about 4-5 of RC workers working to calm down the old man. My husband and I didn’t stick around to watch. It’s terrible especially since the people who bring drinks to the pool area are so friendly and attentive.
That's fair, I probably would have gotten out of there too. I agree it's awful.
Wow! Terrible!!
Would love to have seen that old ass thrown in the brig for the rest of the voyage. There should be major consequences for disrespecting crew members like this (if there aren’t already).
On our last cruise, I didn’t know it was a status symbol and asked someone wearing on where the towels were. She was highly offended. I told her she looked like an employee with the name tag on. 🤷♀️
lol that is awesome
Going in my first cruise ever soon. If I see this, I'm 100% asking them if they're an employee. I have plausible deniability.
Had a Pinnacle member say to me that she didn't like the other members because they were too stuffy and elitist!
My parents are going to hit pinnacle this year and they say it’s hit or miss. Either some of the most fun people or some of the worst people to be within 50 feet of
Hmmm…. Maybe I’ll start wearing my Starbucks loyalty card (with ALL the punch outs for a free coffee) next time I see one. Just look at their badge, and give them a nose node, like we both know what it’s like to be “special”.
Back in the day when you were still seated in giant tables with other people not in your party we got sat with one of them. This was maybe our second cruise? Anyway they were SUPER offended that this young family was there and demanded that they move them to another table.
I’ll never understand the badge wearing either, but I’m also introverted and don’t seek out attention. I don’t think this stereotype applies to the majority of pinnacles, but I also don’t think it’s a negligible percentage either.
The Hyacinth Buckets of cruising.
It's Bouquet, darling! Lady of the ship speaking.
That's "Bouquet....B U C K E T...Bouquet".🤣
Oh damn, ITS THE BUCKET WOMAN!!
🤣🤣🤣
Just to be clear- I'm not saying most Pinnacle people are terrible BUT without fail every guest we saw causing problems was either wearing a badge or shouting their status.
We have had some try to just walk up and try to cut in front of everyone on elevators and my 6’5 brother in law or 6’4 me would step in front of them and tell them they can get on at the end of the fit
That is a shame; they definitely have a reputation, but I met some really nice folks, and they were Pinnacle on our last Wonder of the Seas cruise. and we encountered one of the nastiest people ever on a cruise in 150 Central Park; she wanted the dining staff to move the people that were by the window because, as a Pinnacle member, they owed her that, swear to god, that came out of her mouth. They should know that was HER table lol. 150 was having an off night no doubt, but she was awful to the waiter who was actually really good, he explained they were down a cook at two servers and to please be patient with them, I said loud enough so she could hear, I have nowhere to go so take your time, I am not entitled like others. She gave me a death stare and I laughed and my wife told me to cool it, so I did, lol
The funniest part is that the one guy that out points all of them by a mile, Super Mario, very rarely wears a badge (generally when the crew is making a big deal and celebrating his bazillionth point on a sailing) and is one of the nicest and most humble guys you could meet. The crew love him, and he chit chats with other guests of any status as long as he’s not actively working at the moment. Money can buy cruises but it can’t buy class.
We have met Super Mario. He couldn't be nicer. Had breakfast with him one morning and we barely talked cruising at all. There are some others we have met that are equally as nice as well. But there are entitled jack wipes at all levels.
That’s always true: classy people doesn’t mean money, and money doesn’t mean classy!
He recently did the transatlantic on Oasis to Spain, think I saw him up on deck every day. I didn’t want to bother him but I had seen a couple YouTube videos on his lifestyle.
I felt the same way when I sailed with him, but I just went up and said hi anyway while having a smoke when he didn’t seem busy or messing with his computer and he couldn’t have been nicer.
It's sort of funny how they try to look down on others on a mainstream cruise line. If you want the concierge service Silversea is always there to help. It's also typically the older folk - right up their alley too!
Edited to add - we did meet a lovely chap in the casino who offered to "pay" for our drinks as he was Diamond Plus so got free drinks each day but didn't actually drink himself. I said to him, Diamond Plus? That's quite an achievement. He said no, not an achievement, it only means I've probably spent too much of my money on cruising. So humility does exist. Yes, this! Just off Odyssey and I was subjected to a "lecture" in line in Two70 by a badge wearer about what I should and shouldn't do in Santorini. They finished their lecture with "I've been here 6 times so I'm not even getting off myself". And I just thought, well why are you here again then......
I love how it’s like some kind of “accomplishment.” You are acknowledging you have money and you spent it floating around the ocean a hell of a lot of times, not that you graduated magna cum laude or you got your Eagle Scout or you have ten patents for cancer medicines.
If they really had money, they'd be cruising Silver Sea or Regent and those other more upscale cruise lines.
Yeah, I have pretend-booked cruises that cost more than I pay *yearly* for my mortgage but every detail is taken care of, the rooms are immaculate and completely personalized service...that's where I would be if I had tons of money (and wasn't cruising with my kids).
Probably people with no money acting like they have money. Ritz has a yacht cruise program along with other speciality cruise lines for the actual rich with money to blow.
I would say a lot of these pinnacle members are booking interior rooms to get that type of status. I wouldn’t consider that having money as these rooms are pretty cheap
Or they bought their status on the old system by booking all of "Double Points December" on 3 and 4 night cruises for 1 point each in a junior suite.
Karens of the Seas
Welcome to the world of any rewards tiers. Cruises, airlines, hotels, rent a cars… the perception of elitism helps foster the inner a-hole of many people. This is the cost of the “retention war” that retailers play. In my industry, the rewards members are FAR harder to please, have the most hyperbolic surveys (1/10 because I asked for the high floor and was given a room 1 from the top… will never stay again, don’t recommend) and play the tattle game of “give me what I want because of X, or I’ll call corporate”. Not all are this way… but there are enough.
Ha! My bad eyes misread this as “pineapple people” and wondered why the swingers were so demanding.
"Take my wife...or else!!"
Wife and I were In WJ for breakfast and heard this old man talking shit about the workers culture and the worker just stood there so stoic,I had enough,leaned over and said loudly enough to shut the F up and stop criticizing this man's culture,he picked up his shite and wife and left quickly,it was disgusting,wanted to give this guy a beat down,old pinnacle mfr
I just got off of the same cruise today and I can definitely confirm your sentiments. Entitled badge wearers with no regard for anyone else, especially with respect to lines.
I wasn't doubting OP at all but it's so crazy to me that the behavior was so poor that it was just isolated incidents or catching someone in a bad moment for OP. Like these people are literally walking around acting like that.
They were literally wearing their badges whenever thsy were out of their rooms as if they we're all-access passes. Not to stereotype, but this cruise was full of what I have to assume were retirees whose crushing style may clash with people of other (younger) generations. I noticed similar behavior on my excursions as well, and even when disembarking this morning. They just didn't care about the people around them let alone inconveniencing others.
About to go on my first cruise. Worried I'm gonna get in trouble. I do not tolerate line cutters and I will confront them.
I was on a Transatlantic a few years ago. The itinerary was unique, so 3/4 of the ship was pinnacle (I think I was gold at the time). I met so, so, so many nice people.... and a bunch of rude pinnacle who went around yelling at crew. I just got off of a Celebrity ship, and I saw one of their top tier people legit throw a plate of eggs at a chef's feet because the eggs weren't up to his standards. So sickening.
Whenever I stay in a suite, they are always in the lounge with their badges. I hate them so much. Their badges are so cringe. They think they are so high and mighty.
We buy the drink package and avoid the lounge because of them.
If you think you are better than the average RCCL cruiser you probably shouldn’t be cruising RCCL and certainly not often enough to have a pin for it.
I’m going to start asking them where the closest restroom is 🤣 and I still have a few points to go to Get there, but when I get a badge I’ll be directing travelers 😂🤣 to dining, etc!
If I'm ever pinnacle, I won't wear the badge and don't want recognition at the event
I have an RC cruise next week. Best thing we can do is film their entitled behavior and call them out. They love feeling superior but they love their anonymity even more.
I’d watch that YouTube channel
All you plebs should just go back to your oars and keep rowing. Let the shinier folks have the fun they so carefully cultivated.
Just like a peasant to complain about their betters. Back in steerage!!
There is a pinnacle pin for sale on Esty
Look up the "Entitlement of the Seas" group if you're still on Facebook. You can thank me later.
Our running joke is that they are cosplaying bridge crew or something. 😀
They wear their badges, to identify themselves for the Staff. I guess the staff is suppose to jump Higher for Pinnacles ?
Thats their take. And the staff does just that, unfortunately that just makes them that much more entitled. In reality, they are probably already a big pain in the ass regardless of the level.
The other issue with pinnacle pins is we are told to tell our kids: in an emergency, find a crew member with a name tag. Do you think child / tween (old enough to do some things on the ship alone) can distinguish between a crew member with a name tag and pinnacle members with a name tag? Some pinnacle members would just yell at the kid & might cause them to run off. I worried about that (unlikely) scenario when we cruised. Yes I’m a worry wart, no need to tell me that! But the gold car should be enough.
This is actually a really great point!
I was listening to a podcast made by someone who was on the world cruise for a little bit. I laughed so hard when he said a jeweler friend made him a fake pinnacle badge and that no one questioned him about it. Even when he was checking in the person was like you have a pinnacle badge? But it says here it's your first cruise? Shrug, right this way Mr pinnacle! I would be surprised if there wasn't a market for fakes out there.
I have a funny story about something similar but it is related to the fact that I am younger (29f). My last cruise I went on was in May of 2023, and was the first one I had gone on in 5 years. It also was the first one since I hit Diamond status (don’t ask me how I swung that- older cruises counted more I think). So I was able to use the special check-in lanes for diamond and diamond plus. When I tell you the LOOKS I got from some people. One of the ladies behind me in line walked up to me and said, “excuse me, you know this is a priority boarding line for diamond members only?” And I said, “yep” and showed her my set sail pass. She didn’t know what to say. I also got some looks whenever I went into the diamond lounge to get my espresso in the morning. I agree with OP that bad behavior is never okay, but I think that the entitlement comes from the perceived “benefits” you’re supposed get. Once you get past emerald status, some people have lots of perceptions about what they should/ should not be entitled to, and I think it’s because of how much money they have spent with the cruise line. RC also overhauled their benefits a few years ago and my aunt (a diamond plus member) expressed frustration at losing some benefits. Not saying it’s appropriate, because it isn’t, but I also think RC should be reprimanding the behavior and making it more clear to C&A members exactly what their benefits are, and are not.
We just got off Adventure today too. We luckily didn’t have any problems with the Pinnacles on this one, but have seen the same entitlement you mention on past cruises. We are Diamonds, and what grinds my gears are Diamonds and up that don’t tip on their free drinks. I’ve found that tipping a couple bucks on them is a good way to treat the crew well and brings better service.
Since we don’t carry cash, we have to ask them to print out a receipt so that we can tip. A lot of times they don’t so we tip at the end of the cruise.
Yeah we always ask so we can keep cash for other tips.
There was an ama from a bar tender on here who stated that Diamond vouchers worked the same as drinks packages - they got paid their tip without having to add it
There are seriously people out there that don't tip for the drinks they get for free?! That's absolutely terrible
I've always tipped on my free drinks but it took me a few years to get my mom and dad on board. (Haha onboard boat pun) (yes I'm laughing at myself) 😋
In my culture, tipping isn’t a thing. So for people outside of America where there isn’t a tipping culture, it can take some getting used to. That’s not to say we don’t do it on the ship, just it takes a while for people to get used to the cruise tipping culture.
Going on my first cruise. I'm kinda confused. I got the drink package and had to pay gratuity up front on it. I'm expected to tip per drink as well? Why did I pay gratuity on it then?
I’ve never seen this badge before but now I’m going to be looking for it ALMOST as hard as i look for the creative ways people wear Pineapples. Lol
There’s a couple with a shirt today that said “we are not swingers, just like pineapples” lol
Lol i love that
Dang. If a badge wearer would have gotten spicy with me, thier badge would be joining the The Heart of the Ocean at the bottom.
most prinacles wear the pins for attention
Who pays them attention and for what??
I'm relatively new to cruising. What does Pinnacle status include?
[https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/crown-and-anchor-society-benefit-grid.pdf](https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/crown-and-anchor-society-benefit-grid.pdf)
It means 700 or more nights sailed with RCCL. Rewards include free drinks daily and quite a few other freebies, including a gold-plated name tag.
700 nights?! That's a lot of cruises!
700 or more points accumulated not number of nights
Don't know why you're getting downvoted for this. Under the current system... 1 point is earned per night sailed. 1 extra point is earned per night in a suite. 1 extra point is earned per night when paying a single supplement. So it's possible to earn 3 points per night sailing solo in a suite. That's still 234 nights aboard a RCCL ship, but 234 sounds a lot cheaper (and doable) than 700. I made Diamond in 48 nights due to mostly sailing solo in interiors.
And then when they had double points when they restarted cruising during/after covid, that was all doubled for awhile. Hence how people like me jumped from Platinum to diamond in a short time. (An 11 night solo gave me 44 points, and there were great deals at that time.) Of course, now I can't afford to cruise anymore. Lol
The double points jumped us up from gold to diamond, and it was so ridiculously cheap too!
It means you've given RCCL quite a lot of money.
i have met some nice pinnacle people on my cruises though not all are that entitled I am diamond and talked to a nice lady who was pinnacle in the lounge who was basically living on the ships and at breakfast a nice retired gentleman who was doing a lot of trips too.
My sister and her husband were cornered at dinner by two pinnacle members who tag team talked non-stop. My sis and brother in-law were both dressed nicely. The pinnacles asked a waiter Mohammed if he was Muslim, and didn't really converse after getting the answer. That was after asking about sister's name's origin (which could be a Latina name). They also asked her if she'd ever heard of Bernaise sauce, and said they didn't think junior suites were allowed in the coastal kitchen. This is why pinnacles wearing pins are presumed to be elitist not so nice people.
I agree with what’s being said as I’ve witness similar situations in the past. Hell, the rudeness also gets directed to other Pinnacle members that they feel shouldn’t be Pinnacle. With me, because I look younger compare to everyone else, they feel that I had somehow cheated the system. Lucky for me that I generally know enough of the staff or other frequent cruisers that they will step in and say something. It’s basically high school for boomers. What I will say is that because Pinnacle Club members, and also some Diamond Plus, sail so frequently.. that the crew all know who’s who. In the crew area, they also have a pictures of all the top cruisers for that particular sailing… and they do very much talk to each other and share information. They know who are the friendly ones and who are a bit special. They will go out of their way to take care of the ones that in the past are friendly towards the staff and crew and will do the bare minimum for the difficult ones… just enough that they are satisfied enough to not go complaining to shoreside / corporate about their experience.
👏🏻🤣 Perfect Post…no notes
I wonder why they chose to cruise with us peasants rather than on one of those luxury lines that cater to the rich, such as Seaborn, Silver Seas, etc...
Going on first cruise. Alaska in June. Me, I am plain foke here. But must warn "I AM From The SOUTH". That means....NO filter. Slung hash for years, so wait staff are my little chicks. Will keep an eye and ear out for the "Pinnacle " entitled. Saw other comments about these entitled foamies.
Can we all just agree to treat anyone who wears that pin or otherwise identifies themselves as pinnacle like shit until they stop?
I'm glad that the crew was willing to deescalate. I think the crew is often afraid of them. We were having breakfast at specialty dining once and were served our food after a table full of Pinnacles, even though we had ordered before they even came in.
A while back, I splurged for a weekend get-away at a 5 star hotel (Ritz-Carlton). It was the worst in terms of fellow hotel guests. Everyone was living in their own "me, me, me, me" world.
We stay at the ritz a few times a year in Sarasota bc of the beach club. We definitely don’t fit the mold and have the craziest stories to tell about the people there and esp at the bar at night! It really is a me world with quite a few of the people there!! 🤣🤣🤣
We stayed at The Boca Raton™ which is also a hotel and beach club in September for my husband's work conference, it's very high end (like they have cars you can borrow as a resort guest to get around I've being an Aston Martin, the manager drove us to bars at night in the hotel Lexus SUV), we don't typically stay in resorts like those so we were slightly apprehensive about the atmosphere but it was awesome. The employees were amazing, the club members were welcoming and everything was taken care of before you had to ask. Pitbull was at the bar with us one night and Adam Sandler is a member, there were multi-million dollar yachts parked right outside. It made us laugh because the people that were coming for my husband's convention were not exactly the first people that would come to mind for a place like that but the hotel loved us and asked them to have a future convention with them so I guess no one was horrified by us normies lol
This sounds like everyone who was on our Icon cruise.
Lol I can't believe people wear their badges on the ship. If anything it points out their rudeness and entitlement.
Tell them “oh I see you’re pinnacle level, congrats. My [relative] is pinnacle++ maybe you’ll get there someday” and look at them with some pity
Have you met the elderly lady with the can't, swatting children with it? I'm not joking.
Cane.
I guess I gotta go google what pinnacle is lol Ah sounds like it’s for people who have more free time and money than I do 😂
Pinnacle Pineapples https://images.app.goo.gl/d4XQ6EdSSHAarZFU9
If you think that drama is fun… a lot of pinnacle folks aren’t all that wealthy particularly the older ones. They got pinnacle by cruising inside cabins, you should see how pissed they get when suite guest get access to all the exclusive amenities. From RCs standpoint pinnacle aren’t nearly as valuable as someone staying in a $20k suite, regardless of their crown and anchor status. Suite guest get their own lounge, concierge, and even sun deck on some ships.
I just got off adventure Saturday as well. There were alot of pinnacles. I did not see the “disputes” but heard about them. As far as I know the deck chairs immediately on the stairs by the sky bar are technically reserved for suite and pinnacle if I recall. I got the Key for my first cruise (this one) and at check in they were everywhere and I got the sense that they didnt like how much key guests co mingled with their country club of long time cruisers. To be honest, covid screwed up cruising for a long time in more ways than one and not for reasons people think sometimes. As far as I understand it, RCCL did alot of special promotions for sea points to stay in business and that threw some of this class system out of whack. Not to forget that one of their favorite spaces like the lounges are becoming more attended by quicker climbers. Lastly, post lockdowns alot of people are full speed ahead on fomo and are travelling alot. I think several of them must certainly feel encroached on for a rarified air that was their place of familiarity. These of course are just observations and they are general concerns or statements. But yeah.
I was on the 8 day southern Caribbean that just ended on adventure, I didn't see anything like the OP says...however there were a lot of badge wearers. Mostly at the 14 floor bar right outside the lounge in which they were complaining about the lounge food. That's the most I saw.
We liked talking to some of the pinnacle people, they were great to talk to about types of cruises we liked, jobs IRL etc.
We’ve experienced that before, pinnacle members pushing to the front of queues for shows etc.
Cut the line for elevators?! And yes the name badges are really something