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Portunus Club Changes


RJChatsworth

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When we were on Artemis last August Carol Marlow gave a talk and the Portunus Club featured heavily. She said that changes were necessary (too many at the Gold lunches perhaps!) and getting the right balance was proving difficult, but she would be announcing a new structure for the Portunus Club early in the New Year (2011). Has anyone seen anything please?

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I never understand how there can be too many people on a GOLD lunch? when we would all be eating lunch on board anyway... just arrange smaller groups on different days if you want to limit the numbers attending.. simples.. no need to create a GOLD with knobs on tier...

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I never understand how there can be too many people on a GOLD lunch? when we would all be eating lunch on board anyway... just arrange smaller groups on different days if you want to limit the numbers attending.. simples.. no need to create a GOLD with knobs on tier...

Not simple for P&O - you haven't taken into account the free booze they drink! Also, it is usually the best three course meal served on the ship - all the stops are pulled out to impress the frequent travellers.

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I never understand how there can be too many people on a GOLD lunch? when we would all be eating lunch on board anyway... just arrange smaller groups on different days if you want to limit the numbers attending.. simples.. no need to create a GOLD with knobs on tier...

The numbers attending the Gold lunch apparently vary widely by ship. In August on Ventura (West Med) there were 60, in Dec on Oceana (Panama Canal) there were only 19. Our loyalty manager told me however, that on Oriana and particularly Aurora there had often been over 200. If P&O wish to limit the numbers attending the easiest way would be to invite to the lunch the (say) 100 passengers with the most Portunus points on that cruise.

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The numbers attending the Gold lunch apparently vary widely by ship. In August on Ventura (West Med) there were 60, in Dec on Oceana (Panama Canal) there were only 19. Our loyalty manager told me however, that on Oriana and particularly Aurora there had often been over 200. If P&O wish to limit the numbers attending the easiest way would be to invite to the lunch the (say) 100 passengers with the most Portunus points on that cruise.

 

I think that would be a hard sell to the 101st and onward Portunus members, especially as, on Oriana and Aurora especially, that they had done many, many cruises.

 

I think this is an issue all the lines are facing as the number of multiple repeat customers gets very high. Inevitably, I think, the rewards will be scaled back.

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There are a couple of threads on the P&O website forum as some information is now available. According to the P&O admin, details will be sent out in the next few days. It looks to be a more complicated system with six tiers. The top two tiers require 80 or 200 nights in the last 3 years plus 2001 points. Guess we will see the full detail soon.

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If what has been posted on the P&O site is correct those of us in the lower level of Gold will be demoted and lose many of the benefits currently available - 8.5% discount instead of 10%, no special lunch, no priority check in, no embarkation lounge......... not impressed at all. I expected an extra tier above with perhaps extra priviliges but not to lose them!

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I've read the P&O forum thread. For me, the most interesting thing is that new P&O cruisers will need to have done 15 nights before they qualify for any benefits. So not only will that initial party cruise, or the Fjords cruise, not qualify them for benefits for their next cruise, but neither will a 14 night W Med cruise, if that's the first cruise they do. In fact the worst-off passengers would be those who did two 14-night cruises as their first cruises: as I read it, they won't get any benefits until they start their next cruise after that.

 

Hmm - that's quite hard. But I suppose they need to strike a balance between encouraging really loyal customers, and trying to encourage 2nd cruise passengers. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, the number of Portunus members must be costing them.

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According to the post on the P&O community site the new Peninsular Club, replacing Portunus, comes into being in April 2012. Is this correct, or a slip of the finger? If it is correct they are giving plenty of notice and doing the right thing by those who have already booked cruises from the current brochure, and were expecting certain perks.

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Looks like the Gold Lunch has been dropped so that should please those who said too many people were attending !!

According to the post on the P&O forum the new Caribbean tier (2001 points and over) get a "senior officer hosted dining experience on cruises 8+ nights". Sounds like the Gold lunch to me, but the bar for attening is being raised from 1501 to 2001 points.

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According to the post on the P&O forum the new Caribbean tier (2001 points and over) get a "senior officer hosted dining experience on cruises 8+ nights". Sounds like the Gold lunch to me, but the bar for attening is being raised from 1501 to 2001 points.

 

:(

 

1990 points here :(

 

????

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It doesnt come into effect until April 2012, so time to do another cruise (or two!)

Brian

 

:)

 

Now there's a good excuse :D

 

It will have to be this year because I am 'Business and House sitting' from January to the end of April next year with daughter and son in law away again ;)

 

.

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Pretty poor for new to P&O cruisers to be honest , it will be your third 2 week cruise before you even make it into the bottom tier !!! whilst at present it would be offered immediately on my 2nd cruise , what is my encouragement to sail with P&O again other than the experience , two week cruises at peak summer season is not cheap , to have to do that three times in order to get a 5% discount on on-board spend hardly seems worthwhile to be honest , maybe i'm just moaning for the sake of it !! lol

 

Hopefully my first P&O experience is a happy and enjoyable one !!

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Pretty poor for new to P&O cruisers to be honest , it will be your third 2 week cruise before you even make it into the bottom tier !!! whilst at present it would be offered immediately on my 2nd cruise , what is my encouragement to sail with P&O again other than the experience , two week cruises at peak summer season is not cheap , to have to do that three times in order to get a 5% discount on on-board spend hardly seems worthwhile to be honest , maybe i'm just moaning for the sake of it !! lol

 

Hopefully my first P&O experience is a happy and enjoyable one !!

 

Well, they're still better than the average cruise line loyalty scheme - the others don't have discounts at all.

 

I don't suppose we know if basic members (i.e. less than 15 nights members) will qualify for the 'cruise price' discount on Portunus cruises? Will they still do these, in fact?

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Pretty poor for new to P&O cruisers to be honest , it will be your third 2 week cruise before you even make it into the bottom tier !!! whilst at present it would be offered immediately on my 2nd cruise , what is my encouragement to sail with P&O again other than the experience , two week cruises at peak summer season is not cheap , to have to do that three times in order to get a 5% discount on on-board spend hardly seems worthwhile to be honest , maybe i'm just moaning for the sake of it !! lol

 

Hopefully my first P&O experience is a happy and enjoyable one !!

 

 

Well this may be true if this was not a wind up. Or is it. The OP on the P&O site claims he got this information yesterday morning ie the 24th. He says it came in the post from P&O. So if this is true why is he the only one so far??

 

If it is a wind up it is a very good one. It has got many people agitated over on the P&O site and other sites.

 

If you think it is a wind up then it makes the thread over there very funny.

 

If not then I think it is great as we hit the levels just right.:D

 

But have a look and make your own mind up.:rolleyes:

 

 

:)Happy Cruising:)

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

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Its not a wind up. I happened to see it momentarily on the P&O website before it disappeared. It was exactly as described with the grades named after seas. I expect it will be there for all to see in the next few days

Brian

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