No more First Cabin Access for Diamonds/Platinums?

So where is this thread that started all of this?

 

JH & Carnival FB

 

I firmly believe that the overwhelming majority of posts on his page referencing CC are made by one or two people who scout out discussions here and write in under false names claiming to be the OPs in threads when they aren’t. They almost always reference him as “Heald” and there are other tell tale signs I have come to recognize.

 

Yes he said it again, but those of us that have been around the block before with other things know better. I won’t believe it until it’s back on the webpage or Carnival makes an official announcement from Corporate. John doesn’t count in that regards.

 

I am starting to see a pattern to his posts and completely agree with you!

Confused Yes but thank you for explaining

 

You are welcome, though I doubt it really clarified anything.

 

Happy sailing from a former resident of Tennessee.

I like how he said "VIFPs". Which ones? Red? Gold? Platinum? Diamond? We're all "VIFP's"

 

So you too noticed the very politically correct response. It was interesting how it was worded.

VIFP Benefits page.

 

https://www.carnival.com/vifp/overview.aspx?icid=CC_vifp-club_1866

I find it interesting that about 60% of those answering the poll have declared themselves to be platinum. That number is likely larger given that there is no way to know who the "not bothered" crowd is. This sample size is either an indicator of reality or an indicator of the typical Cruise Critic user or an indicator of what type of person is likely to answer this type of poll or a mixture of the 3.

Should we take a poll to find out? :D

 

Doesn't bother me in the long run, But, if they remove it from Plats and Diamonds, then they will also remove it from FTTF and that would upset me as I pay extra for FTTF and that would not be right as FTTF is not cheap.

I seriously doubt they remove it from FTTF. That one makes them money.

 

I seriously doubt they remove it from FTTF. That one makes them money.

 

We can only hope.

 

The one thing I have learned for sure is not to count on things at the time of sailing being the same that was offered at the time of booking.

I'm thinking Carnival is on the verge of announcing changes to the VIFP program to overhaul benefits/levels, and this is but one aspect of that.

Tweaks to the VIFP program was a hot topic on CC a little over a year ago. Here's an article from June of last year. It's an interview with Carnival's Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Partnership & Loyalty. It doesn't speak about the change we're talking about here, but is a clear indication that they had another revamp to the VIFP program in their sights. Who knows, they may be ready to start rolling out some of those changes. They consider guests become "cruisers" once they reach their third cruise, so they'd like to concentrate on rewarding first and second-time guests to help them reach that third cruise tipping point. In doing so, they believe they'll be creating a more loyal customer. So while it's not directly in line with what we're talking about here, it does show that a year ago, making adjustments to the loyalty program was, in fact, on Carnival's drawing board. With the new spring/summer cruising season here, maybe they're ready to flip the switch. :confused:

 

 

https://skift.com/2017/06/27/the-business-of-loyalty-carnival-cruise-line-wants-to-win-over-customers-earlier/

Don't have any knowledge, but my opinion is 'if it doesn't cost them money, they aren't taking it away'!

As more get closer to becoming Plat/Diamond, sure, they'll raise the numbers, could do away with the free drink party, gifts/pins, cause they cost money, but not the priority access to tender, cabins, reservations, etc., that doesn't cost $$$$!

You know things will be going downhill, when they get rid of that 'ship(T) on a stick'!-))

I firmly believe that the overwhelming majority of posts on his page referencing CC are made by one or two people who scout out discussions here and write in under false names claiming to be the OPs in threads when they aren’t. They almost always reference him as “Heald” and there are other tell tale signs I have come to recognize.

 

Yes he said it again, but those of us that have been around the block before with other things know better. I won’t believe it until it’s back on the webpage or Carnival makes an official announcement from Corporate. John doesn’t count in that regards.

 

I agree, I totally believe those are not real posters that send him questions. They are always calling him "heald" and have some kind of rude way of asking a question that references a post here. Its so fake. I believe he is actually the one that recreates these posts as letters to rile up his followers

I agree, I totally believe those are not real posters that send him questions. They are always calling him "heald" and have some kind of rude way of asking a question that references a post here. Its so fake. I believe he is actually the one that recreates these posts as letters to rile up his followers

I agree completely. Everyday it's outrageous posts that get people on FB riled up.

 

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Doesn't bother me in the long run, But, if they remove it from Plats and Diamonds, then they will also remove it from FTTF and that would upset me as I pay extra for FTTF and that would not be right as FTTF is not cheap.

No the point is to be able to provide the benefit to FTTF.

 

to get you to pay an increasing amount there needs to be a value differentiator and no reasonable way to get that benefit free.

 

Plus how many P&D on your next cruise? No way to know. Frankly Carnival doesn’t know either until nearly the sailing date. So they have to somewhat limit FTTF sales because they have to be able to service the benefit and the plat and diamond today. Eliminating plat and diamond means Carnival will know a fixed number of FTTF they can sell, maximizing revenue.

 

If you’re paying for FTTF the last thing I’d be worried about is losing this benefit

For those who think it's silly to carry your luggage on, if you've ever had something missing from your luggage, had your luggage go for a swim, had something damaged from being squashed under tons of other luggage, had something ruined because someone's luggage had liquids in it that leaked all over yours or had your luggage lost temporarily or possibly forever, you might not think it so silly.

 

For those who think it's silly to want to board early, perhaps you've never had 11am checkout at your hotel with nowhere else to go. Or perhaps you've never driven to port and arrived around lunchtime. If I have a 5 hour drive, I'm not going to wait until the latest possible time to leave, as I like to account for any car trouble or crazy traffic.

 

I agree with you. If I am doing something that is permissible by the cruise line and in a way that does not create a hardship for others then I don't get why it is such a big deal to others just because it is something different than what they choose to do.

I also carry my luggage on. Every cruise there’s at least in bag to go missing and it would stink to have it be mine. I know this because we get the “Missing bag” fliers in our cabins. We always joke it must be someone who didn’t tip the porters, but really I have no idea. All I do know is it won’t be mine!

I also carry my luggage on. Every cruise there’s at least in bag to go missing and it would stink to have it be mine. I know this because we get the “Missing bag” fliers in our cabins. We always joke it must be someone who didn’t tip the porters, but really I have no idea. All I do know is it won’t be mine!

 

All to often some idiot just throws someone elses luggage under their bed.

All to often some idiot just throws someone elses luggage under their bed.

 

I don’t doubt that, either. How stupid can some people be? Imagine going the whole cruise without your stuff to find out some knucklehead had it all along?! Won’t be me!

As a longtime Diamond member, I have significantly cut back, or even eliminated cruising on Carnival. And this is coming from someone with over 400 nights cruising Carnival. Their premium wi-fi is pathetic. They have cut back on twice a day room cleaning, and the dining staff is basically understaffed. Its very difficult to get the temperature in my stateroom down and cooler to a comfortable level. And again, this is many ships that have these problems. This is not to say that the Carnival Employees are bad, we have always had outstanding service from our room steward and dining staff. But, our last experience on the Vista a while back, was the worst cruise we ever had on a Carnival ship. The main dining room was the biggest problem. Would take 20-30 minutes to get our appetizers and would take 45 minutes to an hour to get our Entree's. Asking for a cocktail at dinner in the dining room could take 30 minutes or more.

 

Again, its not the crew's fault, its Carnival's fault for making bigger ships that carry more passengers, but understaffing the dining room. I figure that management at Carnival does not really care, as they are making hand over fist in profits, and can basically name their price for cabins due to the heavy demand.

 

I have not sailed with Carnival since last fall, and have no future cruises booked with them. I am simply happier sailing Royal Caribbean knowing that my room will be cleaned twice daily, the Internet will actually work, I can turn the thermostat down and make my room freezing cold if I want, and finally, there is adequate service at dinner in the main dining room. It does not hurt that I am Diamond Plus on Royal Caribbean as their loyalty benefits put Carnival's to shame! And, RCCL seems to know how to get 6,000+ passengers on and off their bigger ships. They have a good system and it works. Carnival embarkation is a mess with all the FTTF, Diamond, Platinum, and everyone else cutting lines, being in the wrong place to get on the ship, etc.

Just read on another social media page that they are removing this perk. If true, I will be really upset.

 

 

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And I read on John Heald's page that it is false. Doesn't matter to me either way as I don't cruise for perks.

All I know, is that I have never had less than twice a day stateroom room service - full cleaning in the morning & turndown and towel service at night. My ice bucket filled twice a day and we are given bathrobes, as well. I like the pace of service in the MDR because we ask to sit at larger tables and have an extremely good time getting to know the other 6 to 8 people we sit with and the waitstaff that serves us. If I wanted to scarf down my food in 30 minutes I would eat every meal in the Lido Buffet. I have never had any difficulty ordering a cocktail or glass of wine and getting it in 5 to 10 minutes in the MDR. That is as fast as you can get a cocktail at any bar on the ship. By the second cruise I was well versed on the proper way to get the temperature regulated in my stateroom. I have also learned that is is important to adapt to any situation you find yourself in. Although, I also know that is is impossible for many other people to do that and as a result blame everyone else for their failure to adapt to the situation that they find themselves in. But then again, they will have these problems anywhere they find themselves in. After all, there is no one who can do everything perfectly every single time you have an encounter with them. If you do not believe me, ask every person you have encounters with "How am I doing?"

Edited March 21, 2018 by Retired_to_Cruise

Do they still do Robes on balcony cabins? Its been awhile..going on victory for a 4day may28-june1 got an aft extended balcony.....

I am a shareholder, a consumer, and a Diamond member of Carnival. I do not feel that they have taken a step down for any of those segments. They have developed 2.0 features for their new ships and have been adding them or parts of it on every class of ship in their fleet. And many of the things in 2.0 are NOT additional costs. And they have added some higher end dining options that are additional cost. I will take those changes and enjoy them as opposed to complaining about "cutbacks" like getting rid of cheap chocolates on pillows, not putting razors and lotions in the bathroom because the manufacturers decided to stop giving them free for that purpose, pretending that you can only get your cabin serviced once a day, pretending that there are no robes anymore, and constantly ragging Carnival about things that every other cruise line worth its salt have been doing as well. If you call those things letting the product slip, then you need to just pack up and go somewhere else. You obviously would be much "happier", but you may also realize that your expectations of those other lines will lead you to complaining about them just like you are complaining about Carnival now. Happy hunting.

Do they still do Robes on balcony cabins? Its been awhile..going on victory for a 4day may28-june1 got an aft extended balcony.....

 

We were offered robes on our recent Pride sailing. We were in a balcony, but my understanding is they are offered (or you can request) for any level cabin.

We were offered robes on our recent Pride sailing. We were in a balcony, but my understanding is they are offered (or you can request) for any level cabin.

All can get robes. If not in your cabin already, just ask the steward.

 

They are often by request to cut down on laundry. Probably a good thing.

 

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All can get robes. If not in your cabin already' date=' just ask the steward.

 

They are often by request to cut down on laundry. Probably a good thing.

 

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On Conquest a few weeks ago, we were given a small form to pick:

1. whether we wanted morning, evening or both for cabin servicing

2. extra pillows

3. robes

 

We could check off whatever we wanted.

On Conquest a few weeks ago, we were given a small form to pick:

1. whether we wanted morning, evening or both for cabin servicing

2. extra pillows

3. robes

 

We could check off whatever we wanted.

 

New cruisers will not know that morning and evening service is standard and stewards will push passengers toward one time service as their workload has greatly increased. Eventually one time service will be standard.

All can get robes. If not in your cabin already' date=' just ask the steward.

 

They are often by request to cut down on laundry. Probably a good thing.

 

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We don't use the robes, so I'm glad to have the extra closet space. This is one "cutback" that actually makes sense.