$$ Spent v. Number of Cruises

Some of the airlines are now basing their "frequent flier" status on the basis of dollars spent rather than number of miles flown. Should Oceania (and other cruise lines) do the same? Generally speaking, we spend 30K or more for each voyage but find that others who have spent 1/10t of that have a higher status because of the sheer number of trips. Is this fair?

If you are spending that kind of money per cruise, you must be in one of the larger suites with all sorts of perks.

What other perks are you looking for that others who spend less are getting?

Not sure what you are looking for.......a free cruise?......... free internet?....... free laundry? If you pay $30,000 per cruise you would spend $900,000 for 20 cruises which would get you a free cruise under the current plan Is it worth it to you?

I wonder if anyone sails on a particular cruise line only for their benefits? IMO, I prefer benefits that increase as our days on board increase. Although we will reach 20 cruises on Regent next year, that would mean that we would have had to wait 11 years to get it. Note: Regent does not offer free cruises but gives benefits along the way. Top benefits are reached with 400 nights.

Is it fair? That is a difficult question to answer. Keeping with changing "cruises" to dollars, I suppose Oceania could give a free cruise to passengers that pay $5,000 per cruise when they reach $100,000, those that pay $10,000/per cruise when they reach $200,000 on so on. On the other hand, do you think it is fair to make people that pay $10,000 per cruise to wait until they reach the dollar amount that you pay before they get a free cruise?

The longer I discuss this and think about it, the more convoluted it seems. Maybe your thoughts could be clarified a bit?

When I talk to Officers on the ship, I get the distinct impression that we, my DH and I are not as important to O as others who do cruises in some of the lower categories. I will say that I feel that O makes more from our cruises than they do from those who cruise in lower categories. I don't see us getting any benefits on O. Of course on Regent there benefits along the way. That is a good thing. Personally it makes me feel bad that the company does not seem to value our cruise dollar as much. This is a sticky subject.

I guess it all depends on the reason you cruise. If you cruise for status , maybe another line would suit you better. If you cruise for itinerary, Oceania has some of the best. HAL counts cruise days and gives extra credit for booking suites and for money spent on the cruise. Princess gives full cruise credit on very short hops.

I guess people should walk around with a sign saying how much they spent on the cruise so the crew will bow down |& give them special treatment :rolleyes:

Who really cares it is your choice to spent the $$$ just as it is other people's choice not to spend $$$

I guess people should walk around with a sign saying how much they spent on the cruise so the crew will bow down |& give them special treatment :rolleyes:

 

Who really cares it is your choice to spent the $$$ just as it is other people's choice not to spend $$$

Totally agree with you. The staff only knows that you are a passenger on the ship. They really don't care where you sleep - VS or Deck 3!! They treat everyone equally and that's how it should be. We have our 19th coming in a few weeks. Yes it's nice to get a free cruise, but it's equally as nice to sail on ships that we love so much and sail mainly because of those ships and the places where they go. Not all ship's can go where Oceania goes and that's what makes the line so wonderful. FWIW, sailing in a "lower end" cabin on Oceania is tantamount to sailing in a suite on say Celebrity or Princess. Arlene

To the OP, I would ask this--if you do your 19 cruises in top suites, then would your "free" 20th cruise be also in a top suite? If so, that's fair.

When I talk to Officers on the ship, I get the distinct impression that we, my DH and I are not as important to O as others who do cruises in some of the lower categories....

Carol, are you sure? That doesn't make sense to me (having never actually travelled in a top suite, I've visited several on Regent at least, and the occupants were treated very, very well.

I guess people should walk around with a sign saying how much they spent on the cruise so the crew will bow down |& give them special treatment :rolleyes:

...

Ha ha, yes! I like it that, outside the suites, everyone gets treated with the same respect and level of service.

Some of the airlines are now basing their "frequent flier" status on the basis of dollars spent rather than number of miles flown. Should Oceania (and other cruise lines) do the same? Generally speaking, we spend 30K or more for each voyage but find that others who have spent 1/10t of that have a higher status because of the sheer number of trips. Is this fair?

I'd be interested to see how many cruisers paid $3k ("1/10th" of your 30k) total for their 5 or more cruises to be at a higher status than you.

When I talk to Officers on the ship, I get the distinct impression that we, my DH and I are not as important to O as others who do cruises in some of the lower categories. I will say that I feel that O makes more from our cruises than they do from those who cruise in lower categories. I don't see us getting any benefits on O. Of course on Regent there benefits along the way. That is a good thing. Personally it makes me feel bad that the company does not seem to value our cruise dollar as much. This is a sticky subject.

Caroldoll,

Are you serious? We all know you only cruise in OS - you have told us over and over again. Is that huge space in the OS not enough luxury and reward for your money? I am certain that the butlers treat you very well, I am sure that you can have any number of specialty restaurant reservations you wish and I am sure just about any other request you make is honored.

What else do you want? What benefits are you missing? Do you really want the staff to bow and curtsey to you like to royalty?

There is a curious irony in the fact that O's popularity is causing the heat about its loyalty program. On our last cruise in March of 2013, almost everyone we met was an O repeater. Many had cruises already booked. By the end of that cruise, so did we. Having to reward almost everyone is a challenge. Still, it is unwise for O or any line to rest on its laurels and assume that passengers can be taken for granted.

Do the officers know what cabin we are in? On Seabourn, all the crew learn your name in about a nanosecond, but I don't think that includes what cabin you are in, or what category it is. Since this will be our first Oceania cruise in October, I am a little confused!

I guess people should walk around with a sign saying how much they spent on the cruise so the crew will bow down |& give them special treatment :rolleyes:

 

Who really cares it is your choice to spent the $$$ just as it is other people's choice not to spend $$$

Yes, also don't forget to ask for the time machine if it turns out you spend a lot more during the course of the cruise so that when it turns out your final bill is really large, you can then be warped back in time to get your full special treatment you deserved like the person who pre-paid everything.;)

So someone who goes to a restaurant once and drops $500 for a dinner for two should be treated better than a long time customer who's been eating there for years who spends "only" $150 each time. Loyalty means something and it isn't just $ spent for one transaction.

Perhaps other cruiselines have better appreciation models that are more to your liking, like Cunard - no need to even see the riff-raff frequent but low-paying cruisers there. :rolleyes:.

Do the officers know what cabin we are in? On Seabourn, all the crew learn your name in about a nanosecond, but I don't think that includes what cabin you are in, or what category it is. Since this will be our first Oceania cruise in October, I am a little confused!

They are not likely to know your name on your first cruise (except maybe your room stewards will know your name). The O ships tend to be larger than Seabourn ships - it would be a challenge for anyone to instantly learn 1200 names and link them with their photos (and to repeat this every 10 or 14 days all over again).

They do, however, frequently remember the repeat cruisers.

If being recognized by name is important to you, you may want to stay with Seabourn (or Silversea).

One of the top cruisers on O sail in lower end cabins but yet they seem to keep coming back & they ARE recognized by the crew

I guess anyone with 60+ cruises would be known to the crew

I do not think it really matter what cabin you are in after a few cruises the crew know you & sometimes you get extra special treatment ;)

I agree with LHT28's last comment "I do not think it really matter what cabin you are in after a few cruises the crew know you & sometimes you get extra special treatment".

In terms of Seabourn and Regent - being all-inclusive luxury cruise lines, the crew really do not know what category of suite you are staying in (unless they are your butler or steward/stewardess). This is very different from Oceania when you have to present your room key to purchase drinks, etc. Anyone who swipes your card knows what category stateroom or suite you are in which gives them the ability to treat passengers differently.

cotto: Yes - some officers do know what suite you are in. It is available on their computer which also has your picture, etc.

I agree with LHT28's last comment "I do not think it really matter what cabin you are in after a few cruises the crew know you & sometimes you get extra special treatment".

 

..... This is very different from Oceania when you have to present your room key to purchase drinks, etc. Anyone who swipes your card knows what category stateroom or suite you are in which gives them the ability to treat passengers differently.

 

cotto: Yes - some officers do know what suite you are in. It is available on their computer which also has your picture, etc.

I have sailed on 18 Oceania cruises in cabins from an Oceanview to an Owners Suite and I must tell you, I have never been treated differently because of the room I was in and/or the color of my cruise card. We keep coming back, because we love the service and the genuineness of the staff. Yes, with the number of Oceania cruises we have been on we are constantly meeting crew we have sailed with before and we are all so happy to see each other again, but that has to do with loyalty, not to room status.

Cenia

They are not likely to know your name on your first cruise (except maybe your room stewards will know your name). The O ships tend to be larger than Seabourn ships - it would be a challenge for anyone to instantly learn 1200 names and link them with their photos (and to repeat this every 10 or 14 days all over again).

They do, however, frequently remember the repeat cruisers.

If being recognized by name is important to you, you may want to stay with Seabourn (or Silversea).

Chill! I never said that knowing one's name was important. I was actually posting in response to an earlier post where the poster was concerned that she was not receiving adequate respect from Officers due to the suite that she was in. I was tryingto show surprise that crew, especially Officers, would know what category one was in.

On Seabourn, knowing your name did not extend to knowing what suite/cabin you were in, at least not to my knowledge. And neither did it on any other cruise line we were on. Once you leave the cabin, all cruisers are treated the same. I would assume that would be the case also on Oceania, where I plan to be welcomed on my next cruise.

I would be quite surprised that any crew member would treat you differently depending on the colour of your sea pass

Makes you wonder where some people get these ideas from

When I meet people I do not ask to see their cards to see if they are "our sort" by the colour of their sea pass :eek:

Who really cares :rolleyes:

Who really cares; obviously the people who are in the OS or VS. We have a white card - but that doesn't preclude anyone treating us any differently than if we had a gold card. In fact, DH enjoys his tomato juice at lunch and dinner. On our last cruise we spoke to the very wonderful Restaurant Manager about this, and Allan's tomato juice was at very lunch and dinner. That's service above and beyond and it couldn't have been any better if we had the Captain's Suite!! The majority of us sail because we love the ships and the itineraries and the service we get regardless of how much we spend on our suites or cabins. Oceania does not have a class system, although some of these posters think so. Arlene

I would be quite surprised that any crew member would treat you differently depending on the colour of your sea pass

 

Makes you wonder where some people get these ideas from

 

When I meet people I do not ask to see their cards to see if they are "our sort" by the colour of their sea pass :eek:

 

Who really cares :rolleyes:

I was tryingto show surprise that crew, especially Officers, would know what category one was in.

Unlike on some cruise lines (Azamara comes to mind) there is very little interaction between officers and passengers on Oceania. Not only are they unlikely to know what cabin you are in, you are not very likely to have any interaction with officers at all.

However, you are likely to be welcomed the same as every other passenger as all passengers are treated the same.

I hope that you will enjoy your first Oceania cruise.

Who really cares; obviously the people who are in the OS or VS. We have a white card - but that doesn't preclude anyone treating us any differently than if we had a gold card. In fact, DH enjoys his tomato juice at lunch and dinner. On our last cruise we spoke to the very wonderful Restaurant Manager about this, and Allan's tomato juice was at very lunch and dinner. That's service above and beyond and it couldn't have been any better if we had the Captain's Suite!! The majority of us sail because we love the ships and the itineraries and the service we get regardless of how much we spend on our suites or cabins. Oceania does not have a class system, although some of these posters think so. Arlene

I agree

We had one waiter that knew we liked Cappuccino after dinner ..whether we were in the GDR or the Terrace if he was working there he would come by & ask if we were ready for our coffee yet

I guess some people like to sit around looking at the colour of others key cards ...I for one have better things to do :D

Lyn

I have sailed on 18 Oceania cruises in cabins from an Oceanview to an Owners Suite and I must tell you, I have never been treated differently because of the room I was in and/or the color of my cruise card. We keep coming back, because we love the service and the genuineness of the staff. Yes, with the number of Oceania cruises we have been on we are constantly meeting crew we have sailed with before and we are all so happy to see each other again, but that has to do with loyalty, not to room status.

Cenia

+1. All passengers are treated well, a big positive IMO.

Caroldoll,

Are you serious? .

What else do you want? What benefits are you missing? Do you really want the staff to bow and curtsey to you like to royalty?

Boy, I have to disagree..Paul...

First YES the cruise lines should award points not golden rings at the end of a rainbow.

Second You should get like the airlines do points directly related to what you spend over all

In this way there is no free cruise after 20.... its all points like booking a free or discounted flight you can use your points for Hotels Rental cars, Golf Clubs, Up grades, Economy , Business or First class flights...... Why can't the cruise lines offer a similar structure? Say 50,000 points get 10% off a a 14 day cruise inside, 90,000 points get 10% off a Penthouse for 14 day.

200,000 points get a 14 day cruise inside cabin or 300,000 points get a 14 day penthouse... Stuff like that

The airlines have been doing it that way for years.

Third if you say take over 24 days of cruise a year then you get a 25% bonus on your points earned. Over 34 days a year get a 50% bonus etc etc.

I can understand Carol completely in wanting to get a return on her money... who doesn't Its why I do EVERYTHING on miles or points earning credit cards.

Yes..Yes....it is all about getting a return on your investment... If you spend $50,000 a year every year with Oceania and I only $25,000 your darn toot'in you deserve more than I.....

Time to get rid of loyalty programs. No matter how loyalty points are calculated, it will never be fair to some subset of repeaters.

The cruise lines should use the money they currently spend on loyalty programs into improving the ships for everyone.