Luke Dawg

makes sense you would get a plate for each member, I know we get twice the wash and fold bags.

John Heald just mentioned on a live feed from his garden to be on the lookout for Boston home cruise port in 2018. That would be exciting! Flights are so expensive and we can drive to Boston. We actually took a 4 day Canadian cruise out of Boston in 2013 and while just one (rainy, foggy) port in Canada wasn't that thrilling, the best part about the whole thing was being able to drive and see the Carnival funnel! I wonder if it would only be Canada cruises or if they'd do Bermuda.

That is great. I was wondering when they would return.

I'd say closer to Platinum cruisers whining about FTTF

 

A lot more people cruise on Carnival than Princess or HAL, so an overrun could happen. If the drunken bikers and spring breakers want to cruise on Princess and HAL they can pay for their cruise and start out in the basement like everyone else.

 

I don't think even the casinos have a merged Frequent Loser Program.

oh yeah FTTF great example. We all go to the same lounge for boarding and disembarkation. No issues there.

Its not cruising for the benefits, its if you have two options and all else being equal, it can definitely break that difference

you are right on point.

Check out portfever.com on a similar day of week your cruise will be returning. You may have to wake up early, but you can monitor when that ship's itinerary usually enters the port. They all don't return at 5 am, that would be nice.

I agree with Tapi, it is a risk you take on. We went through the same thought process, the 11am-12 noon FLL departing flights were a lot more $ (airlines know what they are doing). The SAS rep told us it would not be a problem, he does it all the time. So we booked a 10:25 am flight. It all turn out great. However our driver told us earlier in the week I95 was back up for hours due to a shooting. There are always traffic accidents on that road. MIA to FLL really depends on when your ship arrives.

Port Everglades to FLL I say a 10:30 is fine, I have done it

this is the same old and tired argument that drunken bikers and spring breakers are going to overrun Princess and HAL -

Nov 19 2015 CCL Victory, my party of 8 took SAS Transportation from the Port of Miami to FLL. Our bag tag shows a check in time of 8:58 am. We had a 10:25 SW flight. We self assisted.

CCL has a robust CRM database. It is Business 101 to retain all your current customers. They know the penny pinchers from the ones who walk off the cruise with a sizable S&S accounts. It makes sense to entice maturing customers where ever they are in the customer lifecyle to other cruise experiences within in their control.

Agreed, the boat is the destination for me. I wish they would do more Bermuda type itineraries with one or two overnight caribbean stays

Carnival needs to understand us 40 somethings have more choices. As we get older we see other lines as better fits. We can move to Royal or Celebrity just as easily as HAL or Princess.

wickedhangover understands why the rest don't boggles my mind. I don't understand why people think this is a bad idea. Like wicedhangover said the only real benefit is the priority boarding and disembakation.

How about this, keep all plans in place, that way no one loses out, create a complimentary plan that runs parallel, tier it (based on something) and recognize them on all brands. Like:

travel 10 days any brand = free photo voucher

travel 30 days any brand = priority boarding

travel 50 days any brand = priority boarding/check-in/disembarkation

travel >50 any brand = access to VIP check in lounge

travel > 100 any brand = specialty dinner for two

etc.

Great review ceilidh1 - finally an objective review by a non Carnival cruiser - well done - I hope it changes some of the unfair reviews of Carnival - my wife and I are just the opposite, we primarily cruise Carnival and we are looking forward to 7 days of quiet and relaxation on Regal Princess 11/27. This will be our first Princess cruise and I hope to provide a similar review. I am going in knowing the demographics are very different. We will adjust well, we are in our 40's and will easily blend in and behave accordingly. It is too bad your loyalty to Princess and CCL Corp was not recognized and that you were unable to enjoy priority check-in, boarding and disembarkation. I am also disappointed my Platinum status will not be recognize on Princess. Priority check-in, boarding and disembarkation are our favorite perk. I hope you agree with me there should be some shared benefits across all CCL brands that reward our loyalty to Carnival Corp.

Doug910 we think alike - that is exactly where I was going. We are in our 40's and trying to see what brand best fits us.

DW said her favorite perks, beside early boarding, are the Guest Service P&D line and laundry.

 

We would sail CCL's more expensive lines, but I do not want to start all over at the bottom!

 

P.S. We do appreciate the P&D return cruiser party.

some of our favorites too

It is not just about how much you pay for you cabin. The company only cares how profitable the cruise is. Yes Carnival cabins are more economical but they know they will make up the difference with on-board purchases (Alcohol revenue). At the end of the day CCL wants the highest yield per guest across all their brands.

Remember the majority of cruisers are repeat cruisers, it is crucial to the bottom line to get us back on their ships, not the competitor's

I believe some cruisers fear shared benefits will cause their favorite cruise line to be overrun by spring breakers and tattooed beer drinking bikers. These groups are not travelling on Princess or HAL. I like to have fun, Carnival is a good vacation for me but I also seek a different experience and I am looking forward to our Princess cruise. I would appreciate the company recognizing me for my loyalty.

Respectfully disagree - American and Jetblue created a reciprocal agreement for the NY market, they never merged. It can be done, there are million more airline passenger than cruisers.

Administratively it makes sense and falls within Arnold Donald's vision of collaboration and efficiencies savings. Think about it 10 brands = 10 loyalty departments.

Great point about Sea Born - I started a new thread on the Carnival site called "One Loyalty Program for all Carnival brands" - it is getting some traction - we will see. Thanks

Let's make some noise about this. It is long over due.

I am starting this thread in the hope Carnival Corp will consider combining the loyalty programs of all their cruise brands. I am a frequent Carnival cruiser. I am proud to say I have earned Platinum level with Carnival. Recently my small group booked a November cruise on Princess. This will be our first Princess cruise and we are all looking forward to a new cruise experience. When asked by my PVP why we chose Princess, my reply back was "I wanted to keep it in the family". I have been thinking about what I said "keeping it in the family" and with much thought have come to the conclusion that Carnival Corp. may not feel the same way. Carnival Corp. benefits from my loyalty in terms of market share and profits. So my question is "When will Carnival Corp. combine all their loyalty programs?" My wife and I enjoy priority check-in, boarding and debarkation, appreciation drink, dedicated line at Guest Services, complimentary wash and fold to mention a few. I believe these benefits could easily be recognized on all CCL brands.

As you know combining loyalty programs are not uncommon. It is widely known the Airline industry has been very successful in combining frequent flyer programs. In fact creating one program is the first order of business when carriers merge or enter into a marketing relationship.

Let's go Carnival Corp - one program for ALL!

I have sent a couple of letters regarding this topic. One letter was to John Heald who passed it along to upper management. The airlines have been doing this for years. In fact it is the first order of business when they merge or enter into a marketing relationship - they combine their frequently flyers programs into one. No big deal. The problem here is there are some cruisers who think by having shared benefits their favorite cruise line will be overrun by tattooed beer drinking bikers. In fact if you add up all the on-board purchases I bet you see the avg cost is not that far apart. We are going on our first Princess cruise this fall. We are in our 40's and looking for a different cruise experience. Carnival Corp gets the revenue at least they should recognize our continued loyalty to the family.