Will PRINCESS change their loyalty program?

[aaerobear]

Just a quick note about HAL, your onboard spending counts toward days for Mariner status. One day credit for every $300 of spending (including pre cruise purchases). This is per cabin, so each persons spending counts for both people in the cabin. On our last HAL cruise we were in a suite (14 days 28 days credit) we spent a total for both of us of 900 dollars so three more days. So, for our 14 day cruise we got 31 days credit.

 

Their loyalty program (Mariner) is solely based on days. Suites get double days, etc.

[pablo222]

There's an easy solution- Just cap off the $$ at a certain level depending on status. Some people over use this perk anyway.

 

Exactly the point. Many other people becoming elite

has the potential to affect those already there.

[Astro Flyer]

I just took a peak at the Carnival forums, new system is in and they DID demote people. And people are saying one reason for the new system is feedback that the parties were too crowded.

 

I'll bet Princess is watching how this all boils out on the carnival side. I would not be surprised if this is not the end of this trend to go back to days sailed.

 

Here's a link to the new version of Carnival's VIFP program...top level is achieved at 200 points but not sure how points are earned beyond days sailing with Carnival.

 

One big difference between Princess & Carnival...no free Internet for anyone! :eek:

 

http://www.carnival.com/loyalty/benefits.aspx

[paul929207]

Here's a link to the new version of Carnival's VIFP program...top level is achieved at 200 points but not sure how points are earned beyond days sailing with Carnival.

 

One big difference between Princess & Carnival...no free Internet for anyone! :eek:

 

http://www.carnival.com/loyalty/benefits.aspx

Most Carnival cruises are one week or less. At least to me, buying a small internet package, using internet ashore or doing without would not be a big deal. Many Princess cruises are longer, so the internet credit is more important.

[stellalimelight]

I think quite the opposite. I only sail in a mini suite, the seasoned travelers l know would NEVER take an inside cabin. I always get a coke sticker even though as an elite i have cokes in the mini bar which are complimentary. The only area I probably don't give Princess the revenue they want is at the bars because i don't drink hard liquor but I order a bottle of wine at dinner.

 

I am working on my 11th cruise on Princess as I can only afford one cruise a year. I always book an inside because of the cost plus I am never in my room anyway. It is my social event of the year. I like to get out and meet people. The next cruise I am taking is the Western Caribbean so I will actually take a couple of tours. So they will make some money on me. I don't drink so that is a lost source of revenue.

[earljr]

. I think it's a point for every $100 spent, and seems to work for HAL.

 

Hi Pam

 

I am familiar with the one day bonus for every $300.00 in purchases but didnt know

about the points you mentioned.

Can you tell me a bit more please.

[Sincity]

I just took a peak at the Carnival forums, new system is in and they DID demote people. And people are saying one reason for the new system is feedback that the parties were too crowded.

 

I'll bet Princess is watching how this all boils out on the carnival side. I would not be surprised if this is not the end of this trend to go back to days sailed.

 

Nice. No grandfathering. Way to piss-off loyal customers. FAIL. :mad:

[Loonbeam]

I'm not sure I would go that granular but the overall concept makes sense. In fact, I have suggested that before.

 

My proposed system was in line with what was mentioned about HAL

 

1 point for every day cruised in an inside, OV or Balcony

1.5 points for every day in a Mini-suite

2 points for every day in a full suite

 

all of those based on original booked category

 

Then you would get one point for every $1000 spent onboard, based on your final folio (and yes, it would have to be matched individually so one person could outpace another) - I am torn on whether the hotel charge should be considered. Amounts after the first $1000 would be rounded down, guaranteeing one point per cruise in this category.

 

Princess could then also choose to offer bonus points for various events or sales if they really wanted to use it for marketing.

 

Your level would then be based on lifetime points earned..

 

 

 

First background, we are Elite and don't even consider other cruise lines, we like Princess.

 

My take on this issue. Princess, like all cruise lines, makes vitually nothing on the basic passenger fare-be it a Gold, Platinum or Elite passenger. They depend on the extra spending on board to make a profit.

 

In that sense, I would hazard that data shows that lowly "Blues' are more profitable than others. They are more likely to spend the first time on a cruise, it being a new, unique adventure, and not knowing if they will ever do it again.

 

How many of you experienced, now jaded, Elite cruisers spent $200 on photos on your first cruise. Now you know all the ins and outs and don't spend a dime on anything ouside of your basic interests.

 

If I were Princess and had a choice I wouldn't spend a dime attracting us if I knew how to grab the first timers.Captains Circle Dept. promotes us but the Accountants I'm sure can show we aren't anything special.

 

But there is no magic bullet as far as attracting first time cruisers so the next best thing should be to entice repeaters to book again and spend more.

 

Here's an idea, mini focused loyalty programs. As an example I would be a member of the "Crooners Bar Rat Pack", or some more acceptable name.

 

Every dollar spent on alcohol (huge margins) gets a point awarded. Benefits could be, for example,

 

5000 points-Drinks are made with choice of premium versus house liquors. Given Princess cost of duty free alcohol versus drink prices a virtually no cost benefit.

 

10,000 points-Once on a 7 day cruise (twice on a 14 day etc.) a headwaiter at dinner offers you a complimentary premium botle of wine-again a listed $100 bottle costs Princess $20.00, minimal cost.

 

25,000 points-Captain joins me for a drink at Crooners, or whatever.

 

We never use Princess excursions (huge margins), but I can see how an increasing discount of 10% to 25% as similiar loyalty points build would keep patrons booking them, and might even make a difference in choosing cruise lines.

 

I'm sure a well stuctured customer survey could very quickly identify what specific elements are of value to the specific users of each of the high margin money making items on cruises and allow for a specific structure for each program.

 

As far as the problem of complexity, with computer based data bases a trivial issue-your cruise card keeps track of every thing and informs staff of your status.

 

Maybe not the same as waving around a Black Card as you skip the tender boarding line, but more people are likely to wonder why the Captain came to the bar for a drink with you, something other cruise lines don't have.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Just a quick note about HAL, your onboard spending counts toward days for Mariner status. One day credit for every $300 of spending (including pre cruise purchases). This is per cabin, so each persons spending counts for both people in the cabin. On our last HAL cruise we were in a suite (14 days 28 days credit) we spent a total for both of us of 900 dollars so three more days. So, for our 14 day cruise we got 31 days credit.

 

Their loyalty program (Mariner) is solely based on days. Suites get double days, etc.

We also accrued points for our daily autotips on HAL, which was a real surprise to me.

[Raamo]

Nice. No grandfathering. Way to piss-off loyal customers. FAIL. :mad:

 

It'll piss off a subset, Carnival only had 2 levels. Many folks got a new level that's better then what they had. It's the typical grey area. Do you build a special case into the software to grandfather people or not.

 

I can just imagine the outrage by some on this board if they changed CC to a credit system based upon days (with bonuses for single / suite) and all those that got elite from 1-3 day cruises only ended up back down to platinum or worse gold. While at the same time all those who say those folks just abused the system will cheer.

 

But then again this is a company out to make money, everyone can earn back status lost. People post on here that they'll never sail on Princess again because of something. Some follow through and Princess loses a customer, but many don't. And then in a few years everyone forgets about it. I suspect the only way Princess will make the change is if they also add a new top tier as Carnival did (they added 2 better tiers in fact).

 

We're on a public forum where people can say pretty much anything, we can guess at Carnival Corporation's motives, but we don't see their private research study results which I'm guessing they have a pile of before they do this.

 

Anyway go on a cruise that has a lot of tender ports where 1/3+ of the ship is elite. Getting on a tender is more of a pain because of all those folks with black cards who get to bump everyone (except tours, that's the safe way). Look at the examples about the platinum lounge and how it's becoming worthless.

[paul929207]

One thing I don't know and I assume no one on knows is how many people would be affected by grandfathering or not grandfathering if the switch was to just count days? That is domething Princess would almost certainly consider when making the decision.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Anyway go on a cruise that has a lot of tender ports where 1/3+ of the ship is elite. Getting on a tender is more of a pain because of all those folks with black cards who get to bump everyone (except tours, that's the safe way). Look at the examples about the platinum lounge and how it's becoming worthless.

 

Exactly- with even more people becoming Elite and faster in the coming years with shorter cruises available. The only logical solution is to require even more days to be eligible for preferential tender service.

Not that it affects us but something has to be done shortly if the perks are to mean anything at all.

[windsor26]

Exactly- with even more people becoming Elite and faster in the coming years with shorter cruises available. The only logical solution is to require even more days to be eligible for preferential tender service.

Not that it affects us but something has to be done shortly if the perks are to mean anything at all.

 

I think the perks we have are great Yes it may mean Princess need to just use days rather than cruises in the future but the perks are great for the elite and not too bad for platinum. Don't knock them they are better than most other lines

[caribill]

The CC party is pretty much a joke, free cheap drinks but everyone whose cruised at least once before with princess gets to go and a lot of people like that.

 

On some cruises it has been posted that the number of returning passengers is so high that the gold level have their session in the Princess Theater (no idea if any refreshments were offered) and only platinum and elite had the regular party.

[Loonbeam]

One of the problems with the existing cruise loyalty system is that it is lifetime accumulation, unlike hotels or airlines. Once you hit the top you stay there forever, meaning the system eventually becomes top heavy.

 

At that point, your only solution is to either rebalance the system (which usually results in a net demotion of some of the pool) or extend the top by adding new benefits - which have costs. The former is far more likely.

 

The current earning model, with the addition of shorter cruises, will only serve to accelerate the imbalance.

 

It's not a question of will they change the program, its how and when...

 

On some cruises it has been posted that the number of returning passengers is so high that the gold level have their session in the Princess Theater (no idea if any refreshments were offered) and only platinum and elite had the regular party.

[Crzn-Life]

 

Anyway go on a cruise that has a lot of tender ports where 1/3+ of the ship is elite. Getting on a tender is more of a pain because of all those folks with black cards who get to bump everyone (except tours, that's the safe way). Look at the examples about the platinum lounge and how it's becoming worthless.

 

As a black card holder I wasn't aware I could bump anyone. Oh there is always some person who comes down waving her/his black card who tries to jump to the head of the line, but the rest of us just get in the back of the line. I do realize that we can skip the sign up for the tender and just go directly to the line but I've never seen hordes of Elites displacing others.

 

When we go on port tours 98% of the time we utilize a Princess tour. We just prefer that, so we leave with our tour. Those times we don't go on a tour and just go into port to walk around, we typically wait until after they announce that tender tickets are no longer needed. When we go to places like Princess Cays where everyone is rushing to get off the ship, we don't take anyone's space because we don't go ashore there. Much prefer the ship.

 

I truly hope that Princess is continuing to look at the current loyalty program and does something for those with more than 500 or 750 days on board. And yes, I'd like to see the program based on days. We earned our elite status back when it was based on number of cruises and when we completed our 15th cruise, we had over 200 nights and had spent more than $60,000 on cruise fares!

 

Today someone can reach elite status for a lot less money and in 30-45 days.

 

 

 

We're hoping for additional tiers to the loyalty program and for the highest tier to have some special things that don't necessarily cost a lot of money. I'd like to see such things as:

• Priority for dining reservations/tables
  
• If upgrades are made, it would be nice if a percentage of those went to elites
  
• Sit down lunch on port days in Sabatinnis or similar venue
  
• We spend $100's on wine so discounts on that would be great
  

We truly like the free laundry & cleaning and hope that doesn't change which is why we cringe when we read on here of people that abuse that perk by taking dirty clothes from home or sending in their friends laundry. We primarily use this perk on long cruises and especially if we've been on tour prior to the cruise. This perk allows us to pack the same for a 30 - 50 day cruise as we do for 10 days.

 

From my working years as as road-warrior, I have lifetime elite frequent flyer and hotel status. What I like most about those is that I get upgrades for both flights and hotel stays. For the hotel stays I also get a welcome package and have priority in booking if the hotel is sold out. The concierge lounge and free breakfasts are also nice perks. Would be nice to have upgrades on the cruises too.

 

Loyalty does --and should --pay off.

[paul929207]

On some cruises it has been posted that the number of returning passengers is so high that the gold level have their session in the Princess Theater (no idea if any refreshments were offered) and only platinum and elite had the regular party.

Our last cruise had a grand total of 23 blue cards. Two of them left early because of a medical problem. Another was in a cabin with a repeat guest, so there were a max of 20 not invited

[aaerobear]

Not sure why people are calling them "points" on HAL, they are days and days only ($300 equals one day) it includes ALL charges to your account.

[Pam in CA]

Hi Pam

 

I am familiar with the one day bonus for every $300.00 in purchases but didnt know

about the points you mentioned.

Can you tell me a bit more please.

The others have done a much better job than I have as I really don't pay much attention to the HAL program. In comparison to Princess, it's pretty lame. The only perks I partake in are the brunch for past passengers (which is very nice) and the discount at the specialty restaurant.

 

I never go to the Princess Captain's Circle party and haven't for years. Way too crowded and the lure of a free drink isn't much of an incentive to me. The past few cruises, they've assigned me a time for when I'm either scheduled to be at dinner or over two hours before dinner. It irritates me that they appear to not take Traditional dining times into account when issuing invitations. IMHO, it's become far too cumbersome and meaningless. Nothing special about it. :(

[Raamo]

As a black card holder I wasn't aware I could bump anyone.

 

I've heard horror stories about some folks with black cards trying to but in front of a bunch of other black cards :) It's likely not an issue in most ports, but some ports it can be best to get off the ship asap (like Falklands if you're going to volunteer point) The main fear is with all the costals Princess will see an increase in Elites who got it quickly and increase the number of rude folks. Most folks who get it by days it seems understand and respect the perks although there are plenty of exceptions of those too.

 

Loyalty does --and should --pay off.

 

That's the key, and exactly why I think Carnival redid their program. We always talk about how good Princess's program is, I'm not surprised to see others attempt to revise their programs.

[aaerobear]

Pam,

 

I have found, as I am sure you have, that most ALL other cruiselines programs are totally lame. Princess still has the best.

[rdsqrl]

Our last cruise had a grand total of 23 blue cards. Two of them left early because of a medical problem. Another was in a cabin with a repeat guest, so there were a max of 20 not invited

That's awesome. Princess should have had the party for them!

[swedish weave]

Pam,

 

I have found, as I am sure you have, that most ALL other cruiselines programs are totally lame. Princess still has the best.

 

NCL runs Princess a pretty good race. The benefits for Platinum Lattitudes are pretty attractive. Specialty restaurant with wine for each plat and a guest, free laundry, free behind the scenes tour, priority embarkation and disembarkation, priority tenders, plus some other nice perks. I wouldn't call that lame. Another thing NCL shines at is the attendance of officers at the CC meet and greets. Last one I attended had nine officers including the Captain, and he extended a nice invitation to us at that meeting.

[4cats4me]

that's awesome. Princess should have had the party for them!

 

 

lol!

[Pam in CA]

I've heard horror stories about some folks with black cards trying to but in front of a bunch of other black cards :) It's likely not an issue in most ports, but some ports it can be best to get off the ship asap (like Falklands if you're going to volunteer point) The main fear is with all the costals Princess will see an increase in Elites who got it quickly and increase the number of rude folks. Most folks who get it by days it seems understand and respect the perks although there are plenty of exceptions of those too.

 

That's the key, and exactly why I think Carnival redid their program. We always talk about how good Princess's program is, I'm not surprised to see others attempt to revise their programs.

Brian, there are rude people everywhere, whether they're Gold or Black. :( There are some who feel they're entitled and don't realize that being Elite means they don't have to go and get a tender ticket but do have to go to the back of the line. To be honest, that's not clear in the perks. And then you have the people who take the elevator that automatically puts them at the front of the line just to jump the line, no matter what level they are.

 

Pam,

 

I have found, as I am sure you have, that most ALL other cruiselines programs are totally lame. Princess still has the best.

There was a theme in John Heald's column today that holds true for most cruise lines: because the programs are cumulative over a lifetime, the numbers in the loyalty programs are becoming unmanagable. Cruise lines are starting to recognize that multiple parties (on some Princess cruises there have been at least four on different nights) means that it's no longer special. They are crowded and less meaningful other than to get a free drink. It doesn't matter whether it's Carnival, HAL or Princess, this is what's happening on most cruises. HAL does a brunch for returning passengers instead of a cocktail party. When I first cruised HAL, the number of people attending occupied only a section of the dining room. My last HAL cruise, the entire dining room was packed and it was hard to find an empty place. Yes, free drinks were involved (as much wine as you wanted) which might affect attendance.

 

I think it's just a matter of "when" the program changes, not "if." Chances are, we'll all be up in arms. After all, there was horror when Princess limited the Platinum/Elite Internet perk and there are still people complaining about that.