Went on the 9 night Bermuda and eastern/southern caribbean cruise on Explorer. Our group included 2 diamond members, and 4 gold members in the C&A. Before departing we discovered via Cruise Critic of the damage to the ship. Also RCL had notified us of the C&A program changes and communication has been made with appropriate management about the unacceptable changes. Enough with the background off to the cruise.We are from the NY/NJ/PA area so we drove up the day of and had a friend drop us off at the port. Bayonne is Bayonne, being from there it's standard but the Russian monument for 9/11 is great and there are good views of the city on a good day. Unfortunately we left in fog and rain, but alas that was our worst weather.We began our cruise with lunch in the Windjammer. Standard fare. I for one miss the grill feature of the older ships. Just my opinion nothing wrong with the indoor grill, but prefer the poolside grill. The windjammer food was average with a better dessert selection than the dining many nights.  After lunch we all checked out our cabins and unpacked. The group had 2 balcony rooms and an interior stateroom. The cabins were adequate although the balconys needed to be touched up.The food at dinner was ok at best. The menu was limited, one steak, one pasta, a fish and 2 vegetarian entrees an evening. Of course the alternate menu was always available. One night in the dining room, the menu presented filet of beef tenderloin. It turned out to be 2 slices of london broil. We have also noticed the portions are smaller and it is now a 3 course meal instead of 4 courses. Another old touch that is missed is the after dinner cordial or as we call it the shot tray. We just miss the little RCL shot glasses with that nights concoction. The service was spectacular from our waiter and assistant waiter. The head waiter simply made rounds. We found the wine package to be a good investment, especially as our evenings were Concierge Club, Dinner, back to the club. Yong in the CC lounge is fantastic. We had a great group and will miss this if our membership is not grandfathered come September. More on this to come.The lunches in the dining room were fantastic. The salad station offered great variety and there were many appealing choices despite the menu being on a two to three day rotation. Breakfast for us was the Windjammer and repetitive by choice. The selection was good and the food hot so it is what it is.We also had dinner at Portofino's one evening. The food is excellent but 2 and a half hours of eating is just gorging for us. What the dining room lacks in portion and presentation Portofinos more than makes up. Service here again was impeccable.After dinner we did trivia and the shows. We're not gamblers so no idea if the tables were hot.Being well-read learned types we finished near the top in each round of trivia and despite missing a round almost won the Ultimate Trivia.The shows were pretty good. Some of the dancer lacked enthusiasm but many of the staff were approaching the end of their contracts. This was extremely noticeable with the cruise director's staff. We do not mind the staff having fun but for the staff to be openly drinking heavily is inappropriate. There were other shenanigans beside the drinking but we'll write that off to kids being kids and their contracts being up. This cruise was a slightly above average cruise for us. The reason for this being above average was the attentive nature of our waitstaff, Merrick and Henri, our cabin stewards, Winston and Franklin and Yong, the concierge lounge attendant. The reason this cruise was not excellent is the lack of variety for food, lack of food/snacks, in the sports bar and English pub, the disinterest of the cruise director's staff and the little cutbacks. The cutbacks were the chocolates on the pillows, the cordials, the smaller portions, and the drink of the day not being pre-poured. These are minor cutbacks but signify a shift in the cruise lines attitude. Historically the cruise is an almost all-inclusive vacation with constant attention. Now we're seeing this change. THe most noteable change is the treatment of the loyalty programs members. As discussed elsewhere on cruise critic and in e-mails and postings by RCL, the diamond members are being excluded from the concierge club. Our disagreement is not in the paying for our drinks but the loss of camraderie. The CC represents a place to re-connect with old friends and meet new ones. Now it will take our group another 10 years at least to re-gain the treatment we believed we had earned through our past loyalty with RCL. For the first time in a long time our multi-generational group is considering other lines and alternate vacations. RCL you have a fantastic product and a loyal customer base. Treat us with the dignity and respect we deserve. We have graciously forked over tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to sail with you. We earned our benefits and wish to keep them. Keep up the good work your doing and return to your greatness.