So much for hoping for platinum

[GRAMMYTAN]

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.

 

The first thing I want to say about all of this is that I agree with this statement about "testing the waters."

Second, we have cruised CCL exclusively since 2003 with the exception of one RCCL cruise last year with our grandsons. Had I been able to count the days for the cruises I have paid for for my adult kids and grandkids we would be well over the 200 day mark but I knew that going in.

We stayed with CCL because 1) we like the product 2) value for the dollars spent and 3) working toward's milestone to get 25% discount - we were getting pretty close.

We have been Platinum for several years and are well past the minimum 75 days on the new chart but still a good ways from Diamond - we were much closer to milestone. LOL Since the Milestone discount has been removed, I find no reason to continue my loyalty with CCL. I will continue to cruise CCL but will also begin to look at the other cruise lines regularly when I decide to cruise.

That said, we all have to deal with change in life - our families, our loves, our jobs and careers etc. It happens in all aspects of our lives. I just try to remember the Serenity Prayer - "God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I can't change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."

As for me, there are just bigger things in life to worry about than the perks of cruising with one line or another.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Probably so :D

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

[Lisah101]

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:

 

John didn't "lie" to anyone. Someone asked him about BV prices, he asked corporate and they told him no price hikes, which he then relayed to us. He probably asked someone who didn't know the price hikes were in the works. If there were no John Heald, none of us would have near the information we do about CCL. It's social media...if anything, John was the one who was lied to, but I still wouldn't categorize it as a lie because I don't think anyone intentionally misled anyone, just a communications SNAFU which hopefully Carnival will take as a learning experience.

 

If someone at Corporate did intentional lie to John, then then I hope Carnival takes note of the implications and doesn't allow it to happen again.

[montekat]

I gotta agree with you on this. I think the change will even the playing field for all cruisers regarding loyalty points or whatever. I cruise Carnival because I get great value for my vacation dollar. Looks like I'm gold by the new standards and over halfway to platinum. I'm happy with that. Don't get credit for my first cruise since it was before they kept records, it was over 20 years ago, don't really care. I'd rather they just keep the cruise prices down and willing to forgo extra trinkets at the expense of all passengers.

 

You should contact Carnival about the first cruise. We cruised in 1986 and got credit for ours.

[maxandmolly]

Oooh, so since it'll be my second cruise my S & S card will be red?! Wow. I feel awesome. :rolleyes:

[Cushing985]

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:

 

Why would you be "loyal" to a particular cruiseline? And if you are loyal, isn't your loyalty a bit of a farce if you're willing to go to another line (not you but others who have posted on this thread and others) if you don't get free laundry or Priority Embarcation?

 

Personally, I'm only loyal to my wife and family and friends. Any other loyalty is misplaced IMO.

[Not_Done_Living]

I am surprised no one is complaining about the equality of class. .

Why does a 1a inside get the same credit as a GS? the folks in the GS paid 3X's as much as the ones in the 1A -- so shouldn't they get more points as well?

[musicgal]

"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."-musicgal

 

"John didn't 'lie' to anyone. Someone asked him about BV prices, he asked corporate and they told him no price hikes, which he then relayed to us." - Lisah101

 

One of the first things you learn in Public Relations is that -Perception is Reality-

You will note that I did not choose lying as the only option for JH, but in terms of his importance as the most visible spokesperson for the company, you think someone might be feeding him accurate information, maybe?? Reminds me of house hunting 3 weeks ago. My husband toured the home with the man of the house and I toured with the wife. When I asked her how much they were asking for the house, she came up with a price that was seven thousand more than what the husband told my husband. Were they lying? Well, no- but it sure made them look stupid.

[Topo Gigio]

I am surprised no one is complaining about the equality of class. .

Why does a 1a inside get the same credit as a GS? the folks in the GS paid 3X's as much as the ones in the 1A -- so shouldn't they get more points as well?

 

But only 1 is sleeping on a real bed:p

[CENTEX CRUISER]

I sent Carnival this message

 

Hello, I am sure you are aware about the training info that was "leaked" by one of you PVP's regarding the new program..There was even a photo of the loyalty levels and points required. I really believe it is time for CCL to start being honest about all this and give us some concrete details, so we can decide whether to continue to cruise with you or not..Personally, I have 8 sailed , and 3 booked, and have been trying my best to make it to platinum..Now it looks as if I will have to book at least 3 more cruises to get to where I am now..Why is Carnival requiring 75 points for platinum as compared to RCCL requiring 30 for the same benefits? This makes no sense..John Heald keeps telling us if you are close, you'll be fine mate. Honestly,I do not know whether to believe him anymore or not, as he told me personally on the Magic last November there would be 10 day sailings from Galveston, which never happened. I would like to know if there will be an 18 month grace period as rumored also, which in my case would allow me to make it to platinum...I would like and think I deserve some honest answers to my questions as a loyal customer of yours..I do not want a simple blah blah response that tells me nothing.. If Carnival just implements this new plan as shown, and makes customers like myself have to go back down the ladder,you will have a bunch of dissatisfied folks who may decide to sail on another line. I would like specific answers to my questions. Please do not put me off with a short response saying little or nothing helpful. Thank you

[keiko618]

John didn't "lie" to anyone. Someone asked him about BV prices, he asked corporate and they told him no price hikes, which he then relayed to us. He probably asked someone who didn't know the price hikes were in the works. If there were no John Heald, none of us would have near the information we do about CCL. It's social media...if anything, John was the one who was lied to, but I still wouldn't categorize it as a lie because I don't think anyone intentionally misled anyone, just a communications SNAFU which hopefully Carnival will take as a learning experience.

 

If someone at Corporate did intentional lie to John, then then I hope Carnival takes note of the implications and doesn't allow it to happen again.

 

Did John apologize for the misinformation? It would seem that as many view him as accurate and "in the know", when he says something that isn't right, he would come forward. Maybe he did, I don't know. So if he has any comments to clarify about the new program once it's launched, I'm sure he'll have the opportunity.

[CorvetteLady]

I am surprised no one is complaining about the equality of class. .

Why does a 1a inside get the same credit as a GS? the folks in the GS paid 3X's as much as the ones in the 1A -- so shouldn't they get more points as well?

 

Well we have only booked balconies since our third cruise so maybe we have spent more but we also mostly sail in the off season so maybe we have spent less! :p

 

I guess instead of using days sailed to earn points they could use money spent, but I don't know how they would come to a fair dollar amount for each point. If they based the point value on suite prices it could mean that a 1A would have to sail ten times to get the same points as someone in a suite would get for 2 cruises.

 

I don't think there is anyway to please everyone. I was never upset with using the number of cruises. Sure some got there a lot quicker by taking shorter cruises but we got there in 8 years with mostly 7 day cruises. We've only had one platinum cruise and for us the best perk was the priority debarkation, and yes it is one reason we stayed with Carnival but not the only reason.

[Lisah101]

Did John apologize for the misinformation? It would seem that as many view him as accurate and "in the know", when he says something that isn't right, he would come forward. Maybe he did, I don't know. So if he has any comments to clarify about the new program once it's launched, I'm sure he'll have the opportunity.

 

Yes he did. He apologized and explained he was told there would be no increase and he felt bad for passing along the bad information.

[glrounds]

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.

 

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

 

 

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

 

Yes, you may . . . . LOL :D

 

I love chocolate strawberries, but on the 4th or 5th day when they arrive in your cabin, its hard to even look at food anymore.

 

At the expense of sounding "snarky", I think this whole thing is just MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. (or damn close to nothing)

 

The VIP boarding is nice, especially when one takes a lot of pics and you're boarding a NEW ship. One can then race around the ship taking a zillion pics of the different venues and public places without passengers blocking the view.:)

 

I've used the FREE laundry and that is okay, I guess. I certainly wouldn't put anything in that bag that I CARED A LOT ABOUT. :rolleyes:

 

The FREE slot tournament pass is okay, but costs Carnival nothing. (it merely lowers the statistical expectation of winning for the passengers that are paying to play);)

 

I can say, I was glad that I didn't get another friggin' picture frame. Got the minnie backpack which I did use to carry camera, e-cigs and cards at the ports. Nice touch, Carnival. Thank you.

 

I can remember when the PLATINUM card caused crew member's jaws to drop and eyes to open wide as they knocked themselves out to take care of you.(especially at a bar) It truly was an exclusive club then. One could inquire at the Casino cage when picking up the FREE SLOT pass, how many PLATINUMS were onboard and he/she would tell you. Used to be 15-30 out of 3,000, now its in the hundreds sometimes.:eek:

 

I personally think the "Beards" would prefer a ship filled with blue'n'gold carders, They've analyzed, probably quite correctly, that PLATINUM and above cruisers STATISTICALLY don't gamble AS MUCH, don't buy photos AS MUCH, don't use the ship to book their excursions AS MUCH, do their heavy drinking AT PORT CALLS, AVOID the art show B.S., know that the "recommended" port shops PAY A COMMISSION to get recommended., etc., etc., etc. They want the naive first few times cruisers, IMHO.

 

I probably sound jaded, and as the OP has suggested, "snarky". That may very well be true. I just find all the hoopla over trying to attain PLATINUM a little overplayed, especially when stomping your feet and threatening to move away from Carnival over this. I would prefer going to the Purser's desk after boarding early and hearing, "Thank you for choosing Carnival again, Mr. Rounds, here's a coupon for 4 FREE drinks". (and I'm not much of a drinker these days):)

 

[rutgersgirl27]

Agree enough already! VIP is worthless and omg wash your clothes before you leave or pay 20 bucks???? Or even worse wash it yourself for 5 bucks! I just think its rediculous to pay thousands for a cruise and bitch about 20 to 40 bucks of worthless free crap!

 

But agree I like my 250 buck discount on the other line. But I cruise based on ports,price,etc....not if I get free strawberries.

 

The only person you impress with the color of your sail and sign card is yourself. Get over it.

It's more about how the company values my loyalty. If all my 3 cruises are worth to them is a free drink should I make it to a comedy show, that doesn't make me feel very good. I'll admit it, I like when my loyalty is acknowledged. I'm spending thousands of dollars on a vacation, and I'm choosing their brand. If they don't care then why should I care to continue?

[Lisah101]

Yes, you may . . . . LOL :D

 

I love chocolate strawberries, but on the 4th or 5th day when they arrive in your cabin, its hard to even look at food anymore.

 

At the expense of sounding "snarky", I think this whole thing is just MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. (or damn close to nothing)

 

The VIP boarding is nice, especially when one takes a lot of pics and you're boarding a NEW ship. One can then race around the ship taking a zillion pics of the different venues and public places without passengers blocking the view.:)

 

I've used the FREE laundry and that is okay, I guess. I certainly wouldn't put anything in that bag that I CARED A LOT ABOUT. :rolleyes:

 

The FREE slot tournament pass is okay, but costs Carnival nothing. (it merely lowers the statistical expectation of winning for the passengers that are paying to play);)

 

I can say, I was glad that I didn't get another friggin' picture frame. Got the minnie backpack which I did use to carry camera, e-cigs and cards at the ports. Nice touch, Carnival. Thank you.

 

I can remember when the PLATINUM card caused crew member's jaws to drop and eyes to open wide as they knocked themselves out to take care of you.(especially at a bar) It truly was an exclusive club then. One could inquire at the Casino cage when picking up the FREE SLOT pass, how many PLATINUMS were onboard and he/she would tell you. Used to be 15-30 out of 3,000, now its in the hundreds sometimes.:eek:

 

I personally think the "Beards" would prefer a ship filled with blue'n'gold carders, They've analyzed, probably quite correctly, that PLATINUM and above cruisers STATISTICALLY don't gamble AS MUCH, don't buy photos AS MUCH, don't use the ship to book their excursions AS MUCH, do their heavy drinking AT PORT CALLS, AVOID the art show B.S., know that the "recommended" port shops PAY A COMMISSION to get recommended., etc., etc., etc. They want the naive first few times cruisers, IMHO.

 

I probably sound jaded, and as the OP has suggested, "snarky". That may very well be true. I just find all the hoopla over trying to attain PLATINUM a little overplayed, especially when stomping your feet and threatening to move away from Carnival over this. I would prefer going to the Purser's desk after boarding early and hearing, "Thank you for choosing Carnival again, Mr. Rounds, here's a coupon for 4 FREE drinks". (and I'm not much of a drinker these days):)

 

 

 

I didn't think about usage percentages. You are probably right that Platinum cruisers or those who have more experience with Carnival have learned how to optimize the perks, thus using them more and decreased their onboard spend which means less revenue. I did spend more my first two cruises before I learned the ropes and how to maximize my vacation budget.

[dclark]

 

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...

 

 

You must not understand how to speak in CCL cheerleadernese!

Here's how they would explain it:

1. Platinum people always have gotten free laundry and will continue to get free laundry, the only difference is that you will have a limited of three bags.

2) You still get a free entry into the slot tournement, slight change is that you have to buy one to get the free one.

No cutbacks, just changes, CCL is so fun, oh it is so great and so much fun! At CCL we have made lots of fun changes and will continue to make fun changes because we are the fun ship and if someone doesn't like the fun changes, then they are not a fun person and aren't be appreciated of be allowed to pay and board a fun ship to have a fun time!

[Lisah101]

Just curious... did Carnival ever actually use the word "unlimited" when describing the laundry benefit? I wondered if they had just said "free laundry", never imagining how much some families could use that benefit. Maybe this change is because it was used way more than ever anticipated, driving up operating costs?

[keiko618]

It's going to be a FUN few weeks until the official declaration comes out from Oz. Until then, I expect the postings to be "my PVP, who knows more than anybody, said......" Some of those postings might be right, some not.

 

In the back room of a corporate office in Miami.........."ok, this isn't going well. Anyone got any ideas to fix this? In the mean time, tell Heald to post a bunch of pics of the Breeze and how cute he is in underwear"

[iewe]

As I understood it, they were grandfathering people in -- no one already platinum was going to lose their platinum status, and they were going to look at those who were close to the next level, especially those that had cruises booked already??? I mean, granted, things always change (heck, wasn't think stuff supposed to come out MONTHS ago)?? Also, how does anyone know if this stuff is legit and really "leaked information," or if someone was just playing around on their computer, and it -- of course -- gets everyone's panties in a bunch because people start spreading it around and commenting on it, and starting new threads linking to it, etc...?

 

My feeling is this... Until Carnival actually releases the information, and until THEY actually send me the FINAL version of the new plan (versus the stuff floating everyone and all the rumors from 50 million "sources"), then I am going to assume that everything going around is someone playing around in photoshop just trying to get everyone's panties in a bunch (as I stated earlier) and nothing more.

[RRLLAL]

I think the new program is great. It will get the whiners to go elsewhere and keep the RCCL loons where they belong.

 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[RRLLAL]

As I understood it, they were grandfathering people in -- no one already platinum was going to lose their platinum status, and they were going to look at those who were close to the next level, especially those that had cruises booked already??? I mean, granted, things always change (heck, wasn't think stuff supposed to come out MONTHS ago)?? Also, how does anyone know if this stuff is legit and really "leaked information," or if someone was just playing around on their computer, and it -- of course -- gets everyone's panties in a bunch because people start spreading it around and commenting on it, and starting new threads linking to it, etc...?

 

My feeling is this... Until Carnival actually releases the information, and until THEY actually send me the FINAL version of the new plan (versus the stuff floating everyone and all the rumors from 50 million "sources"), then I am going to assume that everything going around is someone playing around in photoshop just trying to get everyone's panties in a bunch (as I stated earlier) and nothing more.

 

Wouldn't be surprised if it was a childish snob RCCL cruiser that made it up.

 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[Silverscreencruiser]

As I understood it, they were grandfathering people in -- no one already platinum was going to lose their platinum status, and they were going to look at those who were close to the next level, especially those that had cruises booked already??? I mean, granted, things always change (heck, wasn't think stuff supposed to come out MONTHS ago)?? Also, how does anyone know if this stuff is legit and really "leaked information," or if someone was just playing around on their computer, and it -- of course -- gets everyone's panties in a bunch because people start spreading it around and commenting on it, and starting new threads linking to it, etc...?

 

My feeling is this... Until Carnival actually releases the information, and until THEY actually send me the FINAL version of the new plan (versus the stuff floating everyone and all the rumors from 50 million "sources"), then I am going to assume that everything going around is someone playing around in photoshop just trying to get everyone's panties in a bunch (as I stated earlier) and nothing more.

 

It would highly surprise me if Carnival did not (a) grandfather people in at existing levels, and (b) allow people who are "close" to a higher level a reasonable opportunity to get to the next level. That's undoubtedly what the delay has been in implementing the program.

 

Despit what some people think, Carnival cares about keeping customers. No company in the world is going to succeed with a marketing plan aimed exclusively at bringing in new customers while ignoring or, worse, alienating existing customers. It costs far less money to keep a customer than to get a new one.

 

My guess is that at some point in the near future, the VIFP program that's been shown around here (or something close to it) will be the loyalty program for new cruisers. But there will be accommodations made for existing cruisers. It's silly to risk alienating someone who's been on two cruises and might go on dozens more by telling them they can't go to the past guest party on their next cruise. It's silly to risk alienating someone who's been on eight cruises and might go on dozens more by telling them they have to go on another six or seven more cruises to hit platinum. And Carnival didn't get to where they are today by making stupid marketing blunders.

 

Changing the loyalty program in this way is far worse than "lying" about the cost of a bottle of liquor going up. I doubt that anyone thinks they're going to pay the same price for a bottle of liquor forever and not many companies are anxious to admit they're planning to raise prices in the future. The vast majority of Carnival cruisers don't post here, so their feelings won't get hurt because Carnival "lied" to them about the cost of BV liquor. But they do know they've got a gold card and almost all of them know about getting to platinum and they won't like having those things taken away.

[DarthGrady]

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 ?

 

RCI Platinum and CCL Platinum are two very different levels. CCL Platinum is more equivalent to RCI's Diamond level under the current programs. Both Require around 10 cruises to attain. Under the proposed new system, the levels are slightly more similar since CCL has added some.

 

 

Just FYI for everyone, here is how the two stack up:

 

CCL Blue = The Crown and Anchor Society has no level for first timers.

 

CCL Red (1-24 credits) = RCI Gold (3-29 credits)

 

CCL Gold (25-74 credits) = RCI Platinum (30-54 credits) and Emerald (55-79 credits)

 

CCL Platinum (75-199 credits) = RCI Diamond (80-174 Credits)

 

CCL Diamond (200+ credits) = RCI Diamond Plus (175-699 credits) and Pinnalce Club (700+ credits)

[amylee1178]

All this does for us is encourage us to try other lines. Currently we have 22 (red) with a 7-night booked for December (putting us to 29, gold). Under the current program we'd have 5 more to go. Not that bad! Under this new program, we'd have to take 7 more of at least 7-nights to even reach platinum status. With us being able to cruise once a year, that's nigh unreachable. I guess we'll be looking more to get the better value than to strive for brand loyalty.

 

That all being said, we don't cruise for "perks" although I do enjoy the past guest party and will miss it if the tier elevation doesn't take place when you step aboard like the current program does.