Will PRINCESS change their loyalty program?

[Astro Flyer]

I agree. Did you notice the second quote is not from me?

 

I can see them putting a cap on the laundry as they did with the internet a few years back and maybe eliminating the mini bar setup for short cruises. Most of the other things don't cost them much. Princess Grapevine is what $9.50? Their cost is less and many would not otherwise go. Embarkation and debarkation lounges cost little. Same for the canapes and tea in the cabin. Tender priority is nothing.

 

So other than the internet and the laundry the benefits are not costing very much.

Exactly...the overwhelming number of the benefits cost them very little & give many of us additional incentive to continue our loyalty to Princess. When another cruise line has a similar cruise then it's the Captain Circle benefits that help us decide to sail on another Princess cruise. :)

[SoBaycruiser]

Exactly...the overwhelming number of the benefits cost them very little & give many of us additional incentive to continue our loyalty to Princess. When another cruise line has a similar cruise then it's the Captain Circle benefits that help us decide to sail on another Princess cruise. :)

 

Unfortunately I think that the Princess loyalty program will go the way of airline frequent flyer programs. Originally you only got FF miles for actual travel. Back then it was easy to get a reward flight. Then they introduced all the ways to get bonus miles (most notably credit cards...especially signup bonuses) and so many people have points that it's hard to get a reward seat anymore... and if you do, you have to use double miles to get one that leaves at a decent time of day.

 

Princess has done something similar by making it easier to become platinum or elite. So much so, that IMHO the benefits will eventually become diluted... Especially for platinum members. For example, they may raise the Internet rate so that the credit doesn't buy as many minutes. Or laundry may be limited to a two day turn around or on trips in excess of 7 days. There are many ways to let people "keep" there benefits but make them worth less.

 

Personally I have no problem with a person who has sailed 150 days with a cruise line being treated a little special. They deserve it. I just hate to see people making a game out of it by getting multiple credits,etc.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I just hope if they do make a change it will be spelled out well in advance...I am two cruises short of Elite and both are under deposit...would hate to get that close only to have it snatched away as even with 15 cruises Ill only be at 140 days...

[4cats4me]

The Captains Circle Disembarkation Lounge use to a quiet place to relax before leaving the ship. Now, with so many Platinums/Elites, it is overcrowded with passengers standing in aisles with multiple pieces of luggage at their side. During our last 3 cruises, if you did not get to the Lounge early, you were delegated to an overflow room with none of the perks provided.. Hopefully Princess will have an Elites only Disembarkation Lounge in the future.

 

Aw, shucks, Largin, does this mean you don't want to share a disembarkation lounge with me?:(:D

 

Perhaps someone already suggested this: Maybe Princess will stop giving cruise credits for the 1, 2, 3 and 4-day cruises.

[unboringuy]

I can't worry about what others get. I am happy with the benefits I get and I have 22 cruises and about 400 days. It does not affect me if someone had 15 two day cruises to qualify for Elite.

 

I agree with Paul. How the program should be structured has been beat to death over and over again. It always amazes me how people seem offended that others can attain status by taking 1 or 2 day cruises and they don't think it's fair. I'm Elite by either measure, and I couldn't care less how others attain their status. What is it with this "I'm entitled and others should not be" mentality?

 

In any event, the question was not, "how should the program be revamped [yawn]" but rather "do you think Princess will change the program as Carnival has?"

[caribill]

Or laundry may be limited to a two day turn around.

 

Same day service has already been dropped as a benefit.

[alan310]

I have heard a "Red" card rumor floating around. So it seems many Elites are interested in current and future benefits. The two benefits I [ab]use is the internet and laundry. The other benefits are "piddly."

 

Now what can they offer to these "super" Elites? Free pictures? A "super" Elite tender? Two free drinks at the bar of your choice? A red tote bag?

 

Now what will be the threshold for the new tier? 365 days. It's got be that. One year on the water with Princess. If you do that you deserve some special treatment. Maybe they will upgrade you with two bottle of undrinkable champagne...

[capriccio]

Alternatively (and I'm not advocating this so don't flame me:D) they could decide to do as some airlines run their loyalty programs and calculate it on a combination of days cruised and price paid (either for the cabin or the entire portfolio invoice). United's award program is based on miles travelled AND fare paid.

 

I know I said I wasn't advocating this but I've been thinking about it reading all the other responses today. The airlines award program gives you automatic upgrades (assuming space is available) for those in their highest levels. Why wouldn't rewarding those who travel often and spend the most with a an upgrade (a real upgrade, not within a category) work on a cruise line? That would be a real perk. Now with the airlines you have to qualify each year but maybe the cruise lines would have multi-year qualifications. Number of days sailed alone could still be the criteria for the 'most sailed' at the Captains Party and the Luncheon.

[Pam in CA]

I know I said I wasn't advocating this but I've been thinking about it reading all the other responses today. The airlines award program gives you automatic upgrades (assuming space is available) for those in their highest levels. Why wouldn't rewarding those who travel often and spend the most with a an upgrade (a real upgrade, not within a category) work on a cruise line? That would be a real perk. Now with the airlines you have to qualify each year but maybe the cruise lines would have multi-year qualifications. Number of days sailed alone could still be the criteria for the 'most sailed' at the Captains Party and the Luncheon.

This is just my experience but the Elite and most traveled tend to cruise on longer itineraries that are often sold out months, if not over a year, in advance. Plus many cruises have more Elite onboard than an entire planeload of people. It's a good idea but I'm not sure it could be translated to the Captain's Circle program.

[paul929207]

This is just my experience but the Elite and most traveled tend to cruise on longer itineraries that are often sold out months, if not over a year, in advance. Plus many cruises have more Elite onboard than an entire planeload of people. It's a good idea but I'm not sure it could be translated to the Captain's Circle program.

While I like an upgrade as much as the next guy, the cruises I sail on are mostly on the Ocean Princess which 680 passengers. Usually 25% or more of the passengers are Elite.

[caribill]

Now what can they offer to these "super" Elites? Free pictures? A "super" Elite tender? Two free drinks at the bar of your choice? A red tote bag?

 

 

o Discount on shore excursions

 

o Complementary dinner at a specialty restaurant

 

o On the next tender returning to the ship

 

o Free "Reflections" DVD of the cruise

 

o Discount on Spa services

 

o Additional Internet minutes

[cruise pup]

o Discount on shore excursions

 

o Complementary dinner at a specialty restaurant

 

o On the next tender returning to the ship

 

o Free "Reflections" DVD of the cruise

 

o Discount on Spa services

 

o Additional Internet minutes

 

Excellent suggestions. How about adding the Sabbatini breakfast? Free Dry Cleaning (I think now it's only free laundry for Elite)? Free formal rental (I'd love to leave the tux home)? Complimentary coffee card? Of course, I'm not saying to offer all of these LOL. Just think these would be good to select from.

 

By the way, I don't think Celebrity has changed any of it's loyalty perks even though RCCL has and they're under the same umbrella. So perhaps Princess won't follow Carnival.

[caribill]

Free Dry Cleaning (I think now it's only free laundry for Elite)?

 

Free "cleaning" (dry cleaning is no longer offered on any Princess ship) is included in the elite benefits along with the laundry.

[caribill]

I forget which cruise line it is, but about a year ago they changed their loyalty program so that to maintain the higher level status one had to cruise x days in the previous two years.

[Cruise Junky]

I forget which cruise line it is, but about a year ago they changed their loyalty program so that to maintain the higher level status one had to cruise x days in the previous two years.

 

not sure about 2 years but I think P&O put in a new program that you needed a certain amount of nights in the past three years to qualify. It's like a lot of hotel programs.

******************

Perks: From April 2012, the previous program, the Portunus Club, will be replaced with The Peninsular Club. Passengers will be automatically enrolled in the programme once they have accrued 150 points, with each night spent onboard a P&O Cruises ship worth 10 points. Passengers move up through the first four tiers when they reach certain point-accrual milestones: Pacific (150 - 500 points), Atlantic (501 - 1,000 points), Mediterranean (1,001 - 2,000 points) and Caribbean (2,001 points or more). To move into and stay in the two top tiers -- Baltic and Ligurian -- depends not only on points but frequency of travel during the last three years. For example, to reach the Baltic tier, passengers need 2,501 points and 80-200 nights spent onboard in the three years preceding the start of their next cruise. To reach the Ligurian tier, they need 2,501+ points and more than 201 nights spent onboard in the three years preceding the start of their next cruise. Passengers who have the points but drop below the 80 nights end up back in the Caribbean tier.

[alan310]

o Discount on shore excursions

 

o Complementary dinner at a specialty restaurant

 

o On the next tender returning to the ship

 

o Free "Reflections" DVD of the cruise

 

o Discount on Spa services

 

o Additional Internet minutes

 

Ha! Good suggestions, BUT not enough to look forward to when we achieved our black card status. A higher level must have something special to strive for such as receiving a two-for-one bingo card once a cruise, or reserved front row seats in the Vista Lounge.

[waltd]

How about offering nothing and just keep the price of the cruise down.

[Pam in CA]

Excellent suggestions. How about adding the Sabbatini breakfast?

Not possible without crowding the restaurant and creating long lines. On the Sapphire last October, there were VIPs onboard who were given Sabbatini's breakfast. It was a mess. On our Star cruise in March, there were hundreds of Elite onboard. Imagine if they descended on Sabatini's...

[cruise pup]

Not possible without crowding the restaurant and creating long lines. On the Sapphire last October, there were VIPs onboard who were given Sabbatini's breakfast. It was a mess. On our Star cruise in March, there were hundreds of Elite onboard. Imagine if they descended on Sabatini's...

These suggestions were for a higher category than Elite and there wouldn't be as many members. But if Sabatini's cannot accommodate the members then they could offer the breakfast in the Crown Grill.

[paul929207]

The two small ships (Ocean and Pacific) each have 10 suites. This would be about 20 people eating at Sabatinis now. At least on the Ocean, the Most traveled luncheon often has a cutoff of over 300. So if the cutoff for the new category was 300 days, that would often triple the number eligible.

[PunkiC]

Another point of view about the loyalty program. Princess will have my business because once we reach Elite, we do not want to start over again with another cruise line. Sure, there will be times we will be cruising on other lines. But guess what? Princess will be getting a majority of our business. A win for Princess IMO.

 

Exactly! We took a lot of short cruises to get to Elite but now we are pretty much exclusively Princess people and as we get older take a longer and longer cruises.

 

We still don't gamble or buy drinks in bars, but this year we are taking 4 cruises, one at 15 days, one at 14 and two at 7.

[sunsetbeachgal]

On my recent cruise on Roual Carib. Some of the Diamond Plus members (which I think is their highest tier) said they have a private lounge every night with open bar and a private concierge...plus they get an additional discount off all fares...

[rkmw]

On my recent cruise on Roual Carib. Some of the Diamond Plus members (which I think is their highest tier) said they have a private lounge every night with open bar and a private concierge...plus they get an additional discount off all fares...

 

Royal Carib member benefits Diamond Plus is 175 credits & they have

Pinnacle is the top one at 700 credits

[1 HappyCruiser]

How about offering nothing and just keep the price of the cruise down.

 

These suggestions were for a higher category than Elite and there wouldn't be as many members. But if Sabatini's cannot accommodate the members then they could offer the breakfast in the Crown Grill.

 

As you say, it's simple enough to set the restriction of days high enough for a Sabatini's breakfast so not to overcrowd the place.

 

With the ever increasing number of people becoming Elite they'll have to either cut back on the perks or establish a new category sooner or later. The embarkation lounge is over crowded, the tender lines are getting more congested, disembarkation lounge is packed and it's getting almost impossible to get invited to the Captains over 40 lunch (not that a new category would solve that problem). ;)

[cboyle]

Princess has never counted days on the tour part of a cruisetour, days spent on traveling or days in a hotel. They only have counted actual days on the cruise ship.

 

I would not expect that to change no matter where one lives.

And when I got sick at the end of our 2007 Antarctica cruise and spent the last 2 nights in a Montevideo hospital, those nights were not included in my total.

 

On the other hand, on our 2008 Vancouver-Bangkok cruise we crossed the International Date Line and that day got counted twice. Go figure.