So much for hoping for platinum

[glrounds]

Looks like those of us with 8 sailed and 3 booked will have to go way back down the ladder for any chance of reaching platinum...Check attached link.. I have 49 points now with 3 cruises booked for 17 more points , so it looks like RCCL here I come, and the heck with CCL unless they do give us a break and "grandfather" us..:mad:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1640591

 

You can't be serious ? Over VIP boarding, chocolate strawberries, and FREE laundry?

With all due respect, the wording in your last line makes you sound like a spoiled child. (and I stress RESPECT).

 

Last SPLENDOR cruise . . . barely used VIP boarding, gave away the chocolate strawberries and never used the FREE laundry this time.:rolleyes:

 

Much ado about nothing, IMHO. (or an insignificant PLATINUM card):D

 

[glrounds]

i don't really understand why so many are upset. Free laundry and a couple of watered down drinks at a past guest party is not really worth much. I'm not platnum and have only been on 3 cruises for a total of 19 days. However, i do always book a suite so i get priority on and off and it's really not anything special. i just don't see the different levesl as being worth much at all.

 

and that, my friend, is precisely the problem!

 

exactomundo :D

 

[marshhawk]

I'm not near platinum yet, but I go from red to gold in the middle of the next cruise-do I get invited to half the party? Will someone run down a gold card to me in the middle of the cruise? Or since I will hit that mark do I start out with a gold card? Just another thousand questions...

 

oh and i just went to the site, and it says that that page does not exist yet.....

[DarthGrady]

I think everyone needs to just chill and wait until the final product is rolled out. They very well may tweak things before it's officially launched. If they do roll it out with the problems we see in the leak, then get upset. I'm not thrilled with the new Platinum perks either, but we don't know that this is set in stone yet.

 

Also, for those worried about their new "place", I also advise to wait and see. When RCI switched to a "nights cruised" system they had a conversion formula to switch everyone over. It gave a certain number of new credits for each of the old ones. It (more or less) put you about the same distance to your next level as you were before. Some folks might wind up better off if CCL does something similar.

[CorvetteLady]

I don't really understand why so many are upset. Free laundry and a couple of watered down drinks at a past guest party is not really worth much. I'm not platnum and have only been on 3 cruises for a total of 19 days. However, I do always book a suite so I get priority on and off and it's really not anything special. I just don't see the different levesl as being worth much at all.

 

You might think differently about priority debarkation if you had ever done regular debarkation. For us it is the best perk. We are platinum now but would only have 67 days under this system, so we would need 8 more days. I sure hope we get grandfathered into the new program.

 

My husband and I have talked about how hard it would be to go on another cruisline now that we have priority debarkation. When you are driving home, sometimes 13 hrs., it is really nice to be the first ones off the ship.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Somebody said June 23 ? I just hope Mr. Heald didn't lie to me about grandfathering...I also heard a rumor about a 18 month grace period. If this WERE true, you and I would be fine.

I am right there with ya. We have 8 cruises with 3 currently booked. We have a back-to-back booked in December and then another cruise booked for December 2013 on the Sunshine.

They better grandfather us in......:mad:

Do You know when this takes effect???

[CENTEX CRUISER]

It means that I will have to book about 3 more cruises to get to where I already am. That's the unfair problem with it.:mad:

You are gold now and you will be gold under the new system. So what is the problem? You were almost at 10? Haven't you heard, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

 

By the way, I've got eight cruises and two more booked. Now I'll need three more cruises to make platinum. No sour grapes from me.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Another thing is Royal only requires 30 points for platinum , where CCL will require 74 or 75 , whatever the hell it is. So why is CCL so far off from theirs ?

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Here we go with the snarks again

You can't be serious ? Over VIP boarding, chocolate strawberries, and FREE laundry?

With all due respect, the wording in your last line makes you sound like a spoiled child. (and I stress RESPECT).

 

Last SPLENDOR cruise . . . barely used VIP boarding, gave away the chocolate strawberries and never used the FREE laundry this time.:rolleyes:

 

Much ado about nothing, IMHO. (or an insignificant PLATINUM card):D

 

[jerseyjjs]

Another thing is Royal only requires 30 points for platinum , where CCL will require 74 or 75 , whatever the hell it is. So why is CCL so far off from theirs ?

 

 

 

 

Because of the difference in the cost of a typical RCCL sailing to a Carnival cruise, one would have to fork up about the same amount of money to achieve the respective platinum statuses.

[ccruisequeen]

I am right there with ya. We have 8 cruises with 3 currently booked. We have a back-to-back booked in December and then another cruise booked for December 2013 on the Sunshine.

They better grandfather us in......:mad:

Do You know when this takes effect???

 

I think the other thread mentioned June 23, as someone else said.

 

I would be two cruises away from Platinum after Nov. I was looking forward to the Priority boarding, free gift & pin. Now I'll still be only half way there

[musicgal]

Well, just a post from a lowly red member here.

We obviously will not give up much with this new program except the past guest party (which I enjoy) on one cruise, if we plan a Bahamas or Panama trip in the next year on CCL. I expect to get an invitation on the Spirit in a few days because the "change" has not gone into effect. From what I've read, there are also some nice things about sailing the Spirit right now... won't go into detail because I know the bean counters are scouring these boards right now along with some shills. But then, when I plan (and it is I who plan because my husband is indifferent to cruising)- I will be choosing a 7 day cruise where I am "demoted":p Not a big deal... right? Well, not now maybe. But we are not retired yet. And, if by rights I got points for other cruisers I have paid for... I'd be well close to Platinum by now... and be able to teeter onto the ship with VIP boarding without having to book a suite.

My mother became a cruising widow in the 90s- her sig would read like War and Peace. At 81, those little niceties of a loyalty program mean a lot to her- she uses a cane and really benefits from expedited boarding. Likewise, she is very gregarious and loves the social interaction of the past guest parties. On our first cruise, I was her date at the HAL past guest party, and I was so impressed that the line recognized its patrons in that way.

So, just saying that it is not the "perks", or loss of them that may be upsetting to people. As a general rule, people don't like... let me rephrase that- people HATE being lied to. From the used car salesman to the politician- we don't appreciate being lied to even though we don't care about the content necessarily of the lie. Makes you think about the integrity of the whole outfit and your other options... typed that while a Sandals commercial came on TV:p

[BarJen]

Somebody said June 23 ? I just hope Mr. Heald didn't lie to me about grandfathering...I also heard a rumor about a 18 month grace period. If this WERE true, you and I would be fine.

 

My PVP told me the same about the 18 month grace period and the grandfathering, the grace period doesn't begin until the announcement is made.

 

 

Barry

[KruznKel]

So does this mean that those that are gold.. platinum and milestone already keep their status?:confused:

[BarJen]

So does this mean that those that are gold.. platinum and milestone already keep their status?:confused:

 

 

That's what I was told.

 

 

Barry

[Frank12]

So does this mean that those that are gold.. platinum and milestone already keep their status?:confused:

It's all speculation at this point. We won't really know until the official announcement is made.

[ccruisequeen]

Somebody said June 23 ? I just hope Mr. Heald didn't lie to me about grandfathering...I also heard a rumor about a 18 month grace period. If this WERE true, you and I would be fine.

 

Noticed the last line of your signature. Are you going to have to Change that?:)

[Redsfan]

if those already designated grandfather the changes in nobody can really complain. Although we have only had 2 cruises, we were Gold. We wanted to go to the Past Guest Party as it does give you somewhat of a thank you from Carnival. We couldn't get away as our Kid's make it difficult doing so, but I would try to do it in December on Breeze..take it away from me is a bit of a stretch since we gained the Party last cruise, not sure how they now pull it and make past guests happy. If they phase it in, everyone would be fine..

[keiko618]

My issue is I do have my 10th booked and was planning on Platinum, like I was told by my PVP would happen. It isn't about a pin or color of my card, it's the perk of priority embarkation/debarkation and tendering. It's also about honoring what they said. So I'll be watching the official announcement before taking this as fact. With any luck, the 18 month grace period will be honored and my 10th cruise will be Platinum.

 

So either CCL isn't a tight ship with security of information like this or the let this slip out to test the water? My guess is they are watching for reaction and if it's ugly, expect good ol' boy John Heald to come to our rescue to calm the seas. That is one of his biggest roles.

[charliedog]

My issue is I do have my 10th booked and was planning on Platinum, like I was told by my PVP would happen. It isn't about a pin or color of my card, it's the perk of priority embarkation/debarkation and tendering. It's also about honoring what they said. So I'll be watching the official announcement before taking this as fact. With any luck, the 18 month grace period will be honored and my 10th cruise will be Platinum.

 

I'm in the same boat (no pun intended), booked my 10th in January for October cruise. Called my PVP last weekend and only a few had the what she called training for the new loyalty program. She told me to call back after June 6th, everyone should have had their "training" by then. So I'll call after the 6th to get it straight from my PVP and try not to speculate between time. But I really want to know now!!!!

[KruznKel]

Technically after you step off the ship after your 9th cruise you are Platinum... so maybe they will grandfather those that have sailed 9 times would be nice.. :psince I have sailed my 10th and my hubby has sailed 9:D

[Elaine515]

I too am upset right now BUT I'm going to wait unit Carnival themselves officially announces the new program ONLY BECAUSE based on what John has said all along...

 

1. If you're close to the next level, you should be ok and grandfathered in

 

2. Also, and this is why I'm doing the "Wait and See" thingy is that John has said all along that noone will lose anything.... With this new loyalty list, as a Platinum Cruiser, although not used often, WE DO LOSE unlimited laundry... WE DO LOSE free entry into either the slot or blackjack tournament...

 

I haven't really gone over the list fully as I'm going to wait... now I've read June 11th or June 23rd is when the "real" announcement will be out...

 

I am upset because I'm hoping that we haven't been lied to over the past couple of months about losing some perks and being close and being grandfathered in...

 

At this point, everyone needs to take a chill pill....let Carnival deliver the Breeze and then hopefully the official announcement will be made....

[musicgal]

I don't dislike John at all... but, I've noticed that he often doesn't communicate what is actually going on to us- an example of that was the Bon Voyage liquor rate hikes. That was just a few weeks ago- I remember tons of people saying that all of us who were placing our orders early based on a "leak" were fools because John had not confirmed any hikes. So, I saved about 30-40 dollars ordering early from the information I picked up here... and that made him look uninformed when the prices were indeed hiked.

I have to think that he either does not know, or that he deliberately misleads us. Either way- it does not reflect well on Carnival's PR program. None of this affects me/us too much- we pay for what we want on a cruise or do it ourselves (laundry). But as I said in another post- people don't like the impression that they are being lied to. Doesn't matter how trivial the content of the lie is. My son remembers the worst chastenings of his childhood not over breaking stuff or fighting with his sister, but over lying about something. If someone lies to you about one thing, you wonder what else they may be lying to you about. If that were not true, the divorce rates would sure be lower:cool:

[jackdis]

It is about more than just free laundry service or free logo gear. It is about your loyalty to a company especially when you are so close to Platinum.

For me I was most looking forward to Priority Embarkation. :rolleyes:

 

Agreed! It is about loyalty. We the consumer make the choice of which cruise line to sail, and which cruise line to tell our friends to sail.

 

I hope this whole "change" doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth for Carnival. We have sailed 9, 10 is booked for August. Have been looking forward to becoming Platinum.

 

The whole other part that gets me mad is yes, I am amongst those people who have taken 4-5 day cruises in my 9 total. But it was NOT to just add another cruise to my list towards platinum. It is because of when I can take vacation time. In my profession, vacations are during the high seasons of travel. So in fact, I have paid a lot more for my shorter cruises than 7 day trips that are available off season. Also, I agree with another poster, from another thread, I think, who mentioned that he books balconies and suites, and that should be considered in this determination as well as price paid per cruise.

 

I am really hoping that this will all work out and everyone will be "happy" as we have been told.

[Cuizer2]

You can't be serious ? Over VIP boarding, chocolate strawberries, and FREE laundry?

With all due respect, the wording in your last line makes you sound like a spoiled child. (and I stress RESPECT).

 

Last SPLENDOR cruise . . . barely used VIP boarding, gave away the chocolate strawberries and never used the FREE laundry this time.:rolleyes:

 

Much ado about nothing, IMHO. (or an insignificant PLATINUM card):D

 

 

If we are on the same cruise, can I have your chocolate strawberries?