BlerkOne

So brands and not bribes. But a lot of people cruise for booze.

Bribes.rcl.com

0% has worked well for me.

As it is, there is too much for a person to do in a week on Carnival's "mega ships", Mardi Gras and Celebration. Half a ship is plenty.

If you can provide evidence of earlier cruises, Carnival will give you credit. Did you buy any photos on the earlier cruises? There are many whale watching excursions. I've been on a few including Harv and Marvs. Next time we are trying https://jayleensalaska.com/

All cruise lines sell illusions and loyalty programs are one. Giving away trinkets and baubles is fine, but giving away revenue generators is something else. The resources on a cruise ship are limited and if you give them away, the bottom line takes a hit Marketing programs exist to achieve a certain ROI, and have budget constraints. When they fail, spending more on them is not an option. Getting into a bidding war over bribes is never a good solution. The customer is not always right, quite often is wrong, and only worth so much. FTTF actually subsidized some of the P/D benefits so isn't the demon some P/D members claim it to be.

Platinum has nothing to do with it. Carnival has wrecked their loyalty program by allowing gambler's cruises to accumulate loyalty points. They are the people with the highest number of sea days But other cruise lines also comp cruises. But yes, they can be considered bribes to a niche market.

Some more mature customers seem to have forgotten why they started cruising with Carnival, or what kept them coming back. I haven't, and I have always been at the highest Carnival level when one is introduced. I sail on Carnival because I like the brand - no bribes required.

Yes, we disagree. Carnival ships are mostly not suites and Carnival suites don't come with the sweet bribes that other cruise lines provide, including reserved venues for suite guests. Suites are simply not Carnival's target market. Carnival really should beef up the lower levels to keep the novice cruisers from straying too far, but has too many Platinum and Diamond cruisers. By limiting bribes, they will cull themselves. All loyalty programs are marketing programs and none are sustainable without change. It's basic math. Nothing is earned or owed and all is subject to change or disappear without notice. Betting the farm on older customers with limited years isn't where it is at. Carnival thrives on younger blood and it is their past, present and future. Always has been.

Airlines love business travelers who book flights at last minute at exorbitant prices. For the peons though, rewards are as elusive as ever with fewer and fewer seats costing more and more miles. Why? Because the demand is greater than the supply. If you need a bribe to stay in the fold, you just aren't Carnival material. It is the new cruiser that spends more, and is more valuable to Carnival. If you want to stay, that is fine - they won't turn you away.

RCL focus certainly seems to be making the ship the destination. As long as they give away enough alcohol they could hold the passengers hostage anywhere forever and open up the malls.

If only that were true, but alas.

Not only do they not release numbers by individual lines, they don't release numbers on a port basis and there is no way anyone draw any credible conclusion about LA ports. The fact remains that Carnival Corp and Carnival Cruise Line have multiple ships in the area and at least one more coming next year.

As Carnival Corp doesn't release numbers for individual cruise lines, there may be a lie somewhere.

I would hope so.

and before the Imagination and Inspiration were some of the cheapest in the fleet. The LA area just doesn't command premium pricing. Royal has to charge more because their costs are higher. Carnival can base two ships there and still make money.

Carnival is the worldwide leader. Period. Full stop. Carnival Corp has fewer ships post-Covid but there are the same or more cruise ports. Holland America sails from San Diego. No need for Carnival Brands to compete against each other. Royal almost never ports in San Diego except for repo cruises. Carnival is there seasonally and leaves for hurricane season. Spirit will return. No other cruise line attempts to sail from Mobile. Carnival Corp has fewer ships post-Covid but there are the same or more cruise ports. Princess sails from Fort Lauderdale. Carnival sails from Miami. Almost a suburb. No need for Carnival Brands to compete against each other. A Carnival ship will still be there. How is that abandoning. Quite a stretch. No other cruise line attempts to sail from Norfolk. You may have found one. Royal ports a 26 year old rust bucket there. NCL will be sailing their new flagship from there later this year. Hmmmm.

It never goes away. Just turns into microplastic. They are everywhere and are causing problems.

I would expect an overhang. It will also somewhat protect you from rain and possible soot. I would be more concerned with noise from the scraping of deck chairs above.

Carnival has never said that. Carnival has said they want cruisers who like the brand and not because of perks.

How much status can they achieve if they cruise less than one cruise every three years?

Link? I seriously doubt it is a law. Some programs, like airlines, will expire if you don't generate points periodically. Loyalty programs are marketing programs and it is a two way street.

Arby's fish sandwich is garbage and is on the limited time menu https://www.arbys.com/menu/limited-time/

If you think you want to try another brand, you really should. Nobody is irreplaceable. If you like the Carnival brand you don't need additional incentive to stay. You also don't have any reason to look outside of the family when you mature out of Carnival. My doctor doesn't bribe me to keep using him, others might be younger or have more modern offices, yet I stay.

Carnival does offer something and obviously they do retain sufficient repeat business or they would change. Many Carnival customers do try other lines but return to Carnival. Many graduate to other Carnival brands. There is peace and harmony in the Carnival Universe. It's a balancing act in more than one way - there are only so many resources on a ship that have to be shared by all. Carnival also knows many cruisers overvalue themselves. Some of them need to be pruned.