Elite Requirement Changes??

[lkclossen]

Just got off the phone with my TA.

 

My husband will complete his 15th cruise in December after a 14 night Grand Princess cruise and we expected that like me he would become Elite afterwards. (On the last night of my 15th cruise there was a package on my door with my Elite pin, card, etc) We expectedd that he would receive his Elite benefits on his 16th cruise which we have booked for June of 2013.

 

Our TA said she spoke with a Princess representative as well as a Captains Circle representative who told her that policies have changed and you will now have to complete 16 cruises to become Elite receiving benefits upon the beginning of your 17th cruise.

 

So, being the unbelieving person I am and wondering why Princess would change their policies without telling me and not changing them in the new Cruise Atlas I just got last week, I called Princess and spoke with a representative who told me that Elite status was reached upon completion of the 15th cruise and that requirements have not changed!

 

HELP! I am so confused.

 

Does anyone know the real story???

[caber]

As far as I am aware it is still 15 cruises or 150 days.

[billco]

Just got off the phone with my TA.

 

My husband will complete his 15th cruise in December after a 14 night Grand Princess cruise and we expected that like me he would become Elite afterwards. (On the last night of my 15th cruise there was a package on my door with my Elite pin, card, etc) We expectedd that he would receive his Elite benefits on his 16th cruise which we have booked for June of 2013.

 

Our TA said she spoke with a Princess representative as well as a Captains Circle representative who told her that policies have changed and you will now have to complete 16 cruises to become Elite receiving benefits upon the beginning of your 17th cruise.

 

So, being the unbelieving person I am and wondering why Princess would change their policies without telling me and not changing them in the new Cruise Atlas I just got last week, I called Princess and spoke with a representative who told me that Elite status was reached upon completion of the 15th cruise and that requirements have not changed!

 

HELP! I am so confused.

 

Does anyone know the real story???

If you spoke with someone at Princess who told you requirements have not changed and there are no changes in the new Cruise Atlas or on the Princess website, why would you be confused or if you still don't believe, what difference would it make from what anybody here told you?

 

IMO, the real story is the official story.

[2theship]

Your travel agent is an idiot.

[rcacace]

I wouldn't believe it unless you actually read it on the Princess web site.

[cherylandtk]

It IS on the website: https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/jsp/memberShipBenefitsForProspect.jsp

It has been there for ages, and there have been no recent changes to the requirements.

 

To the OP, I think you will be a lot less confused in the future if you fire your Travel Agent. He/she is not only clueless but is creating agitation for you on completely baseless claims.

[paul929207]

No announcement of any change. Looks like your TA is confused.

[lovevacadays]

Sorry to hear that the OP's TA is confused but happy as well. When I first read the post I wasn't happy. With my next two cruises I will be one cruise away from Elite. I'd really like to get those extra perks by 2014!:)

[Pia1913]

Just got off the phone with my TA.

 

My husband will complete his 15th cruise in December after a 14 night Grand Princess cruise and we expected that like me he would become Elite afterwards. (On the last night of my 15th cruise there was a package on my door with my Elite pin, card, etc) We expectedd that he would receive his Elite benefits on his 16th cruise which we have booked for June of 2013.

 

Our TA said she spoke with a Princess representative as well as a Captains Circle representative who told her that policies have changed and you will now have to complete 16 cruises to become Elite receiving benefits upon the beginning of your 17th cruise.

 

So, being the unbelieving person I am and wondering why Princess would change their policies without telling me and not changing them in the new Cruise Atlas I just got last week, I called Princess and spoke with a representative who told me that Elite status was reached upon completion of the 15th cruise and that requirements have not changed!

 

HELP! I am so confused.

 

Does anyone know the real story???

 

Get rid of your TA ASAP. She has probably charged you too much for your cruises too.

[Coral]

Truthfully, I don't think most TAs can follow the loyalty program for each product that they sell. Even cruise travel agents sell a number of lines and each line has different levels and the levels and amenities change often for these. Add hotel, airline, car rental loyalty programs. I think it is enough to drive a TA crazy. They often have to rely on company reps for information and as we are all aware, company reps often give bad info.

 

Give the OP's TA a break. She called the cruise line for info and was given bad info and pass the bad info on to the client. How was she to know it was bad info? Remember most TAs do not specialize in cruises, they sell a variety of vacations and try their best to stay on top of as many as possible.

[billco]

Sorry to hear that the OP's TA is confused but happy as well. When I first read the post I wasn't happy. With my next two cruises I will be one cruise away from Elite. I'd really like to get those extra perks by 2014!:)

Explains why I was a little ticked too. My wife and I currently have 140 days on Princess. Next month we are doing a 10 day cruise on the Star to Mexico, which will complete 150 days. In November, we are going on a 15 day cruise to Hawaii on the Star. By my calculations and understanding of the Princess current policy, we should be Elite on that cruise.

[Pia1913]

Explains why I was a little ticked too. My wife and I currently have 140 days on Princess. Next month we are doing a 10 day cruise on the Star to Mexico, which will complete 150 days. In November, we are going on a 15 day cruise to Hawaii on the Star. By my calculations and understanding of the Princess current policy, we should be Elite on that cruise.

 

You will be.

[lkclossen]

So, here is the latest.

 

Spoke to my TA (who is a fine and upstanding TA) for the 3rd time and she swears that the Corporate Princess Rep. as well as the Captain's Circle Rep. agree that the requirements have changed. I don't doubt the information she was told but the information that Princess told her.

 

I have called Princess twice and both times through 2 different representatives I have received the same story that the requirements have not changed. I have confirmed both times that the information contained in the Princess Cruise Atlas and on line at Princess.com is correct and that Elite status begins at the onset of the 16th cruise.

 

I suspect the misunderstanding between my TA and Princess has to do with the fact that our 14 night cruise is also sold as a b2b and somewhere along the lines there is a miscommunication of information about us being booked as 14 nights and not the b2b.

 

My TA has contacted her regional Princess representative with the story and awaits a response tomorrow morning.

 

Nevertheless, I thank those of you who have given constructive thoughts and answers to my quandry.

[jpthomas27]

I'm confussed as to why your confussed.

 

You spoke to Princess directly and they told you the policy. The confussion seems to be on your TA's part.

 

I would call your TA and ask them why you are doing thier job for them and if they are going to share thier comission.

[nhcruiser]

Explains why I was a little ticked too. My wife and I currently have 140 days on Princess. Next month we are doing a 10 day cruise on the Star to Mexico, which will complete 150 days. In November, we are going on a 15 day cruise to Hawaii on the Star. By my calculations and understanding of the Princess current policy, we should be Elite on that cruise.

 

We have been Elite status for years with Princess and it is really nothing special, other than the complimentary laundry service........

[cruze610]

Your travel agent is an idiot.

 

As a travel agent and a Certified "Princess Commodore" While I don't agree with the above statement, I can say that for a travel agent to say this can only lead me to believe that he/she has no clue what they are talking about as far as this topic is concerned.

[cormike1]

We have been Elite status for years with Princess and it is really nothing special, other than the complimentary laundry service........

 

Can't you also line up in a different line and a line that goes a lot faster than the hundreds of regular status cruisers that have to line up. We will be platinum after our January cruise and I can't wait for the quick boarding lol.

[shepp]

Can't you also line up in a different line and a line that goes a lot faster than the hundreds of regular status cruisers that have to line up. We will be platinum after our January cruise and I can't wait for the quick boarding lol.

 

Yes, there's priority boarding, but unless you're trying to book the Captain's Table or eat lunch in the MDR, it's not as deluxe or ego-fattening as it sounds. In FLL, we were crammed into three cramped rows of uncomfortable seats where we sat around for a goodly while, then were herded onboard. Woo-hoo!

 

The Absolute Best platimum perk - and one that's worth actual money - is the free Internet time. But after a few more cruises, I won't mind the free Elite laundry and booze, either.

[pris993]

Truthfully, I don't think most TAs can follow the loyalty program for each product that they sell. Even cruise travel agents sell a number of lines and each line has different levels and the levels and amenities change often for these. Add hotel, airline, car rental loyalty programs. I think it is enough to drive a TA crazy. They often have to rely on company reps for information and as we are all aware, company reps often give bad info.

 

Give the OP's TA a break. She called the cruise line for info and was given bad info and pass the bad info on to the client. How was she to know it was bad info? Remember most TAs do not specialize in cruises, they sell a variety of vacations and try their best to stay on top of as many as possible.

 

I agree. I would never rely on my TA for this type of info. If I have questions I call the cruiseline direct. If I am still confused, I will ask what questions I have on the boards here. Both seem to work best for me.

[Princess Patches]

Truthfully, I don't think most TAs can follow the loyalty program for each product that they sell. Even cruise travel agents sell a number of lines and each line has different levels and the levels and amenities change often for these. Add hotel, airline, car rental loyalty programs. I think it is enough to drive a TA crazy. They often have to rely on company reps for information and as we are all aware, company reps often give bad info.

 

Give the OP's TA a break. She called the cruise line for info and was given bad info and pass the bad info on to the client. How was she to know it was bad info? Remember most TAs do not specialize in cruises, they sell a variety of vacations and try their best to stay on top of as many as possible.

 

I agree. The calls to change TAs over a minor snafu like this (that does not effect the OP's booking at all) seems harsh to me too. All TAs make occasionally mistakes.

[caribill]

Can't you also line up in a different line and a line that goes a lot faster than the hundreds of regular status cruisers that have to line up. We will be platinum after our January cruise and I can't wait for the quick boarding lol.

 

I was on a cruise in March where over 50% of the passengers qualified for the special line. Not so special when that happens.

[Pam in CA]

Can't you also line up in a different line and a line that goes a lot faster than the hundreds of regular status cruisers that have to line up. We will be platinum after our January cruise and I can't wait for the quick boarding lol.

When you're boarding with literally hundreds of Platinum/Elite, it's not the quick boarding you're thinking of. My last several cruises, there were probably as many Platinum/Elite waiting to board as non-P/E. :)

[Times Prince]

So, here is the latest.

 

...I have called Princess twice and both times through 2 different representatives I have received the same story that the requirements have not changed. I have confirmed both times that the information contained in the Princess Cruise Atlas and on line at Princess.com is correct and that Elite status begins at the onset of the 16th cruise.

 

I suspect the misunderstanding between my TA and Princess has to do with the fact that our 14 night cruise is also sold as a b2b and somewhere along the lines there is a miscommunication of information about us being booked as 14 nights and not the b2b.

 

My TA has contacted her regional Princess representative with the story and awaits a response tomorrow morning.

 

Nevertheless, I thank those of you who have given constructive thoughts and answers to my quandry.

Please go online to your My Princess site and look at your cruise history page. Only you can tell whether that 14 night cruise was logged as one cruise or two.

 

They've been pretty good in the past while in keeping that tally of days sailed and number of cruises taken, so your record should be what tells you whether you have qualified or not. Also the status will show as Elite if you have.

[JLC@SD]

So, here is the latest.

 

I suspect the misunderstanding between my TA and Princess has to do with the fact that our 14 night cruise is also sold as a b2b and somewhere along the lines there is a miscommunication of information about us being booked as 14 nights and not the b2b.

I would think it would depend on if you had one booking number (for the 14 day) or two booking numbers (for each 7 day of the b2b).

[nhcruiser]

Can't you also line up in a different line and a line that goes a lot faster than the hundreds of regular status cruisers that have to line up. We will be platinum after our January cruise and I can't wait for the quick boarding lol.

 

Yes, show your cruise card and you will be escorted tothe head of the line. The down side is that some people in line seem to lear & make comments. I just wait my turn and avoid the "well wishers" so to speak.