First time being denied shareholder benefit...

At least I had fun with this response to my application being denied...

(And I just might have to retire my pom poms and cheerleading sweater.)

I have been a fairly loyal customer of both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises for a few years now... sailing numerous times on itineraries that are of significantly longer duration than your typical seven night cruisers.

Here is a listing of those cruises where I (or the person I was cruising with) received the shareholder benefit...

Nov/2012 Celebrity Constellation, 15 nights for $609pp with $250 shareholder credit

April 2013 Celebrity Silhouette. 15 nights for $599pp with $250 shareholder credit

Nov/2013 Celebrity Reflection, 15 nights for $449pp with $250 shareholder credit

April/2014 Celebrity Silhouette, 15 nights for $599pp with $250 shareholder credit

Sep/2014 Celebrity Century, 23 nights for $799pp with $250 shareholder credit

Oct/ 2014 Celebrity Reflection 15 nights for $649pp with $250 shareholder credit

April 2015 Celebrity Silhouette 15 nights for $699pp with $250 shareholder credit

Nov/2015 Celebrity Constellation, 15 nights for $699pp with $250 shareholder credit

April 2016 RCCL Explorer OTS, 11 nights for $618pp with $200 shareholder credit

April 2016 RCCL Explorer OTS 24 nights for $1049pp with $250 shareholder credit

Not included above, is a 14 night Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Infinity, and a 15 night Transatlantic cruise on Celebrity Solstice from a time BEFORE I became a stockholder.

I booked my upcoming cruise in EXACTLY the same way, through the EXACT same agency as before, with absolutely NO indication whatsoever from either the agency, OR from your company, that there was some "Dollars Off price code that is not combinable with the Shareholder Benefit program."

I find it difficult to understand how my PREVIOUS cruises (some with a LOWER price per night) WERE eligible...while THIS cruise is somehow INELIGIBLE.

If this is some new policy, designed to screw over your loyal customers, who were so satisfied with your product that they invested thousands of dollars purchasing stock in your company... you MAY want to consider how counterproductive that policy might be.

I am ALSO already booked on two more cruises...Jewel OTS in November and Brilliance OTS in April... for ANOTHER 26 nights.

If this is in fact your policy, to deny a WHOPPING and corporate-profit-breaking $100 on board credit... to a loyal customer of five years, 15 booked cruises, that encompass 226 nights on board your ships, I will most certainly be looking much more closely at booking future cruises with companies that are more appreciative of my business.

At least I had fun with this response to my application being denied...

 

 

 

(And I just might have to retire my pom poms and cheerleading sweater.)

 

 

 

 

 

I have been a fairly loyal customer of both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises for a few years now... sailing numerous times on itineraries that are of significantly longer duration than your typical seven night cruisers.

 

 

 

Here is a listing of those cruises where I (or the person I was cruising with) received the shareholder benefit...

 

 

 

Nov/2012 Celebrity Constellation, 15 nights for $609pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

April 2013 Celebrity Silhouette. 15 nights for $599pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

Nov/2013 Celebrity Reflection, 15 nights for $449pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

April/2014 Celebrity Silhouette, 15 nights for $599pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

Sep/2014 Celebrity Century, 23 nights for $799pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

Oct/ 2014 Celebrity Reflection 15 nights for $649pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

April 2015 Celebrity Silhouette 15 nights for $699pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

Nov/2015 Celebrity Constellation, 15 nights for $699pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

April 2016 RCCL Explorer OTS, 11 nights for $618pp with $200 shareholder credit

 

 

 

April 2016 RCCL Explorer OTS 24 nights for $1049pp with $250 shareholder credit

 

 

 

Not included above, is a 14 night Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Infinity, and a 15 night Transatlantic cruise on Celebrity Solstice from a time BEFORE I became a stockholder.

 

 

 

I booked my upcoming cruise in EXACTLY the same way, through the EXACT same agency as before, with absolutely NO indication whatsoever from either the agency, OR from your company, that there was some "Dollars Off price code that is not combinable with the Shareholder Benefit program."

 

 

 

I find it difficult to understand how my PREVIOUS cruises (some with a LOWER price per night) WERE eligible...while THIS cruise is somehow INELIGIBLE.

 

 

 

If this is some new policy, designed to screw over your loyal customers, who were so satisfied with your product that they invested thousands of dollars purchasing stock in your company... you MAY want to consider how counterproductive that policy might be.

 

 

 

I am ALSO already booked on two more cruises...Jewel OTS in November and Brilliance OTS in April... for ANOTHER 26 nights.

 

 

 

If this is in fact your policy, to deny a WHOPPING and corporate-profit-breaking $100 on board credit... to a loyal customer of five years, 15 booked cruises, that encompass 226 nights on board your ships, I will most certainly be looking much more closely at booking future cruises with companies that are more appreciative of my business.

I also just received an email denying stockholder credit due to having a gobig bev package .

This has happened to me. My suggestion is to call crown and anchor and have one of their reps look at the details of your booking. D+ desk tel:1-800-526-9723

What happened on my bookings that were affected was that I had booked during a promotion where a minimal OBC was slapped on my bookings. The rep can tell you what the impediment is on your booking and whether it can be removed. Both times I gave up a small OBC to get a much larger shareholder OBC. I have to do this again for a cruise in May where I will give up $25 to get $100. I still consider this an excellent deal since I did not book the cruise based on the gratuitous OBC being offered by Royal at the time.

To the OP.

It doesn't appear that they were making much money off your loyalty. Just sayin.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

To the OP.

 

It doesn't appear that they were making much money off your loyalty. Just sayin.

I have a feeling RCI is not like GM of old that they hope to make it up on volume. They might be glad the OP chooses some other line.

The Miami bean counters have made it nearly impossible to get RCCL stockholder credit. It is not combinable with anything any more. This is a good example of how your cruise experience is enhanced by taking something away or severely limited its value. Carnival Corp ( includes Princess etc) stock is still combinable. We will continue to prefer RCCL until it no longer provides us a satisfactory cruising experience at a price we are willing to pay.

 

It doesn't appear that they were making much money off your loyalty.

 

 

They might be glad the OP chooses some other line.

 

I hope you don't mind if I take those comments as compliments. :)

Most people spend more on a single cruise than I spent in total ($3,050) to get to Elite/Diamond in 5 cruises/74nights. :eek: :D :rolleyes:

My requirement has always been to ONLY book for LESS than $50pp/night, and I even managed to get a couple of them for $30pp/night. :cool:

Might have to try more cruises with Princess and their incredible stacking of multiple OBCs, and save RCCL for the REALLY inexpensive ones... :o

There's a 15 night Panama Canal cruise on Infinity for only $659pp... and a 13 night T/A on the Jewel for $594pp!

People will get angry and complain over & over.

Then turn around and book another cruise with them......

I did not think that many people were able to get the shareholder OBC anymore since it is not combineable with anything including the never ending BOGOHO sales.

I did not think that many people were able to get the shareholder OBC anymore since it is not combineable with anything including the never ending BOGOHO sales.

That and anything including an obc or free tips won't fly.

They do honor the shareholder obc when it's the 30% off deal in my experience

I hope you don't mind if I take those comments as compliments. :)

 

Most people spend more on a single cruise than I spent in total ($3,050) to get to Elite/Diamond in 5 cruises/74nights. :eek: :D :rolleyes:

I gather that getting bargains is a hobby for you - just don't be surprised if RCI no longer wants to support that hobby.:cool:

I gather that getting bargains is a hobby for you - just don't be surprised if RCI no longer wants to support that hobby.:cool:

We have our cruising records going back 10 years and we have averaged about 100 cruise nights per year on RCCL alone.. While each year prices have increased, during the last two they have increased dramatically. That being the case, only a fool would not try to get the most for their vacation budget and it is these fools that business counts on to increase their profits. Royal enjoys and caters to a loyal and frequent cruiser because it is still profitable even at "bargain prices."

I did not think that many people were able to get the shareholder OBC anymore since it is not combineable with anything including the never ending BOGOHO sales.

I believe it was combinable, as it is with the 30/30 discount which is better than the BOGO. It was not combinable with the balcony discount.

To the OP.

 

It doesn't appear that they were making much money off your loyalty. Just sayin.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

Royal enjoys and caters to a loyal and frequent cruiser because it is still profitable even at "bargain prices."

...and my point is that it will be even more profitable if RCI keeps chipping away at some of the previous perks, such as the shareholder benefit.

We have our cruising records going back 10 years and we have averaged about 100 cruise nights per year on RCCL alone.. While each year prices have increased, during the last two they have increased dramatically. That being the case, only a fool would not try to get the most for their vacation budget and it is these fools that business counts on to increase their profits. Royal enjoys and caters to a loyal and frequent cruiser because it is still profitable even at "bargain prices."[/QUOTE]

 

Prices are going up and in the last two years prices have increased DRAMATICALLY.

 

Royal caters to a loyal cruiser because it is still profitable at bargain prices.

 

These two statement are inconsistent. Is Royal Caribbean offering bargain prices or is Royal Caribbean increasing its prices to the point that it is the price leader? It cannot be doing both.

 

In general Royal Caribbean is more expensive than Carnival or NCL. I will leave it to each individual to determine if Royal Caribbean's premium prices:

 

1) Reflect the level of service provided, and

2) Whether that service is worth the price increase over Carnival and NCL.

People who buy the stock for obc never read the terms and conditions, but they do post on cc

The Miami bean counters have made it nearly impossible to get RCCL stockholder credit. It is not combinable with anything any more. This is a good example of how your cruise experience is enhanced by taking something away or severely limited its value. Carnival Corp ( includes Princess etc) stock is still combinable. We will continue to prefer RCCL until it no longer provides us a satisfactory cruising experience at a price we are willing to pay.

I just got off a cruise where my shareholder benefit was reduced to $50 because I already had a $50 OBC. On the ship we booked a future cruise which gave us a $50 OBC and we were told it was not combinable

We have our cruising records going back 10 years and we have averaged about 100 cruise nights per year on RCCL alone.. While each year prices have increased, during the last two they have increased dramatically. That being the case, only a fool would not try to get the most for their vacation budget and it is these fools that business counts on to increase their profits. Royal enjoys and caters to a loyal and frequent cruiser because it is still profitable even at "bargain prices."[/QUOTE]

 

Prices are going up and in the last two years prices have increased DRAMATICALLY.

 

Royal caters to a loyal cruiser because it is still profitable at bargain prices.

 

These two statement are inconsistent. Is Royal Caribbean offering bargain prices or is Royal Caribbean increasing its prices to the point that it is the price leader? It cannot be doing both.

 

In general Royal Caribbean is more expensive than Carnival or NCL. I will leave it to each individual to determine if Royal Caribbean's premium prices:

 

1) Reflect the level of service provided, and

2) Whether that service is worth the price increase over Carnival and NCL.

When the Company has trouble filling a ship, they offer bargain prices. ALL cruise lines do this. Smart cruisers, watch for those real bargains and the others pay the high price. In pricing the only consistency is inconsistency. By the way, other cruise lines than Carnival and NCL are cheaper than RCCL and we are not foolish enough to shop around. There are; however, are people who put other than price as their most important criteria.

When the Company has trouble filling a ship, they offer bargain prices. ALL cruise lines do this. Smart cruisers, watch for those real bargains and the others pay the high price. In pricing the only consistency is inconsistency. By the way, other cruise lines than Carnival and NCL are cheaper than RCCL and we are not foolish enough to shop around. There are; however, are people who put other than price as their most important criteria.

I'm Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean, Platinum on Carnival and will soon be on my third cruise on NCL (all three over one week in length). I also have three cruises on Princess and two more booked.

Royal Caribbean's quality has been slipping lately.

Both my husband and I are Diamond Plus on RCCL and Elite on Princess. I own enough shares on both Carnival (who owns Princess) and RCCL to qualify for the Shareholder's Benefit. I have been able to use my Shareholder's Benefit on every cruise we have taken on both Princess and Carnival plus being able to combine it with any other discounts offered. So far I have not been able to use my Shareholder's Benefit on a single RCCL cruise even though I have requested it. There is "always" some reason why I can not do so. But on many RCCL cruises we have chatted with others who were able to use their Shareholder's Benefit in addition to discounted fares............It is very frustrating since we love the RCCL experience but since we can combine our Shareholder's, Military and any other discounts we can find on Princess and Carnival we tend to choose their cruises even if we would rather go on an RCCL cruise...........just saying maybe RCCL should think about that..........

Both my husband and I are Diamond Plus on RCCL and Elite on Princess. I own enough shares on both Carnival (who owns Princess) and RCCL to qualify for the Shareholder's Benefit. I have been able to use my Shareholder's Benefit on every cruise we have taken on both Princess and Carnival plus being able to combine it with any other discounts offered. So far I have not been able to use my Shareholder's Benefit on a single RCCL cruise even though I have requested it. There is "always" some reason why I can not do so. But on many RCCL cruises we have chatted with others who were able to use their Shareholder's Benefit in addition to discounted fares............It is very frustrating since we love the RCCL experience but since we can combine our Shareholder's, Military and any other discounts we can find on Princess and Carnival we tend to choose their cruises even if we would rather go on an RCCL cruise...........just saying maybe RCCL should think about that..........

Because of the lack of a shareholder OBC you book elsewhere? Because of $100?

Because of the lack of a shareholder OBC you book elsewhere? Because of $100?

Depending on how many cruises one takes, that $100 can add up. Besides, who are you to tell someone how to run their finances? If the person feels Carnival is a better choice, then they have every right to book with Carnival, just as you have every right to book with Royal Caribbean.

Because of the lack of a shareholder OBC you book elsewhere? Because of $100?

It's not the money, it's the principle. I prefer cruise lines who appreciate my business and do so by allowing, even encouraging combining incentives. Case in point, on our next Princess Cruise we have future booking onboard credit, military onboard credit, shareholder's onboard credit AND a deluxe drink package. Oh, I nearly forgot, a reduction in price due to our Captain's Circle status. Love cruising RCCL. Just wish they would allow combining incentives. Something's wrong when in 22 cruises with RCCL we have never been able to get a Shareholder OBC.

I hope you don't mind if I take those comments as compliments. :)

 

Most people spend more on a single cruise than I spent in total ($3,050) to get to Elite/Diamond in 5 cruises/74nights. :eek: :D :rolleyes:

 

My requirement has always been to ONLY book for LESS than $50pp/night, and I even managed to get a couple of them for $30pp/night. :cool:

 

Might have to try more cruises with Princess and their incredible stacking of multiple OBCs, and save RCCL for the REALLY inexpensive ones... :o

 

There's a 15 night Panama Canal cruise on Infinity for only $659pp... and a 13 night T/A on the Jewel for $594pp!

Oh my..... How much maintenance did you require while onboard?