Point System Unfair: Discussion

[yogimax]

I think any reward system is plenty fair because they don't have to offer it at all.

 

In one sense, they don't "have to."

 

But realistically, they do.

 

The cruise industry is highly competitive and one of the factors that determines where a customer takes his loyalty is the rewards he will earn.

 

When I decide on a cruise, a lot of factors come into play, including price, dates, ports, ships, etc..

 

For many people, myself included, the quality of the loyalty rewards are important.

 

I may be able to save 50 bucks on Carnival, but on RCCL I will receive a complementary nightly cocktail hour, free internet, etc..

 

To maintain any sort of competitiveness, Carnival needs this program.

[Wrinks22]

Wow! Did not anticipate this much response. Sorry if I have offended anyone in the process. This is just my story: We are from Toronto, and we drive to Florida. Because of this we can only cruise every three years or so. When we cruise we go in 2 suites. This means a 5 night cruise is easily well over 3k. Some people who live close to the ports can jump into inside cabins and next to nothing and quickly get platinum points. I am not criticizing Carnival, they are our favourite brand. All I am saying is it would be nice to get a few perks. (double nights, free 90 min internet, 1 free laundry, etc.)

 

Let the discussions continue!

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

"Pass the popcorn" posts are a waste!

 

They add nothing of significance to the discussion!

 

Thank you for setting me straight and slapping my wrist. Oh, thanks for adding to the discussion.

[thinfool]

Do any of you think its a little unfair that a person cruising during hurricane season in an inside cabin gets the same amount of points as someone sailing during peak season in a suite? I know on Cunard, suite guests get 2X the point. (Or is it HAL)

Or do you think a day at sea is a day at sea regardless of time/accommodation?

 

discuss.. :)

 

Not to offend, but you are about a year late. Carnival went thru a long, laborious and intense period of surveys, preferences and corporate voodoo to modify the program to what it is now.

 

You can discuss/moan/whine all you want, but after all of that, it is not gonna change anytime soon.

 

Example of one thing that changed....the folks that earned platinum and above by going on mulitple 3 day cruises were getting perks that folks with multiple 7-12 day cruises were not. The current program made that go away.

[swedish weave]

Loyalty programs are fine until they reach the point of diminishing returns.

 

New cruisers spend more on average and demand less.

 

Veteran cruisers usually (with some exceptions) demand more and spend less.

 

Look at all the uproar when Carnival made some cutbacks in the loyalty programs. It wasn't the new cruisers who were raising he!! about it .....

[FSUNole]

You get twice the credit on RCL for suites and they are basically counting days as well. No reason CCL couldn't do that... seems like they would want to reward the folks who pay the highest prices. I'm sure those who do not pay the highest prices will disagree. ;)

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Wow! Did not anticipate this much response. Sorry if I have offended anyone in the process. This is just my story: We are from Toronto, and we drive to Florida. Because of this we can only cruise every three years or so. When we cruise we go in 2 suites. This means a 5 night cruise is easily well over 3k. Some people who live close to the ports can jump into inside cabins and next to nothing and quickly get platinum points. I am not criticizing Carnival, they are our favourite brand. All I am saying is it would be nice to get a few perks. (double nights, free 90 min internet, 1 free laundry, etc.)

 

Let the discussions continue!

 

Could you cruise a little more often if you drove to Baltimore or New York

[Tutankhamen]

You get twice the credit on RCL for suites and they are basically counting days as well. No reason CCL couldn't do that... seems like they would want to reward the folks who pay the highest prices. I'm sure those who do not pay the highest prices will disagree. ;)

 

I always get a balcony. Would not enjoy an inside, and I cant justify spending the extra money for a suite.

 

I really don't care how they distribute points. I do not cruise for points. All vacations are based on where I want to go, time of the year and the itch that needs scratching. They can give giveth and they can taketh. Points mean very little in my book.

[carsastic]

Cruise loyalty programs are well behind the times

Programs that drive dollars spent on products and services will become the norm

Much like credit cards

[SadieN]

Somewhere (once on the front page) is a summary of all the cruise line's loyalty programs.

 

HAL does what you are suggesting- Double days (points) for above a certain level of suites and an extra day earned for every $300 spent onboard.

 

I'm very happy spending less on Carnival and getting lower perks.

[put me on a ship]

Do any of you think its a little unfair that a person cruising during hurricane season in an inside cabin gets the same amount of points as someone sailing during peak season in a suite? I know on Cunard, suite guests get 2X the point. (Or is it HAL)

Or do you think a day at sea is a day at sea regardless of time/accommodation?

 

discuss.. :)

 

I know NCL gives an extra point per day for a suite, another extra point if booked 9 months in advance, and another one if you use a latitudes discount (or something like that!) So, conceivably, you could get a total of 4 points per day! Doesn't take long to get to the top tier with them!

 

So, yeah, I guess I do find it a bit unfair...passengers who are willing to pay suite prices should get that extra perk!

[UpstateCruizer]

Do any of you think its a little unfair that a person cruising during hurricane season in an inside cabin gets the same amount of points as someone sailing during peak season in a suite? I know on Cunard, suite guests get 2X the point. (Or is it HAL)

Or do you think a day at sea is a day at sea regardless of time/accommodation?

 

discuss.. :)

 

With this line of thinking where does it end? I book a suite but spend very little on board so the end result is no real cash revenue from my on board spending. I book an inside and I frequent the casino and spend a lot of money each day on board. Should Carnival give additional points for on board spending too?

[kirasmom]

Royal Caribbean gives double dat credit when you stay in a suite.

 

Some day we will hit 75 sea days

[mzloolue]

Oh.

 

I think I should get more points because I took all my kids on cruises and now they are addicted.

And because I don't eat all that much or puke in the hallway and I only drink water.

Plus, I never use the swimming pool.

 

How about that?

Sounds fair to me.

 

 

;)

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Klfrodo....just FYI you DO get more ff miles in first class. And some lines (celebrity) give double points.

[Mikel1733]

A day at sea is a day at sea. Pricing makes it all relevant. The feelings of entitlement are getting quite old.

[MrPete]

Not to offend, but you are about a year late. Carnival went thru a long, laborious and intense period of surveys, preferences and corporate voodoo to modify the program to what it is now.

 

You can discuss/moan/whine all you want, but after all of that, it is not gonna change anytime soon.

 

Example of one thing that changed....the folks that earned platinum and above by going on mulitple 3 day cruises were getting perks that folks with multiple 7-12 day cruises were not. The current program made that go away.

 

No. They were grandfathered. Only the newcomers will experience that, but will only keep some newcomers with return guest programs that are decent.

[MrPete]

Somewhere (once on the front page) is a summary of all the cruise line's loyalty programs.

 

HAL does what you are suggesting- Double days (points) for above a certain level of suites and an extra day earned for every $300 spent onboard.

 

I'm very happy spending less on Carnival and getting lower perks.

 

Ah, remember the days when we spent less and got MORE.

[Sqwii]

What about us solo cruisers? Double the price double the points? That being said while it would be fun to have the perks of being platinum or diamond I sail to get away and explore new places. I would still sail even if you needed to get 1000 points to move up to the next category.

[kingoftheicedragons]

I consider the current system of number of days at sea to be totally fair. If they want to add other ways to get points, that's fine, but at least the base line way to get points is still fair. The old system, which is number of cruises, is definitely not fair as someone could easily take 10 3-day cruises and get to platinum with as little as 30 days at sea.

[Safetyal]

So essentially, the fairest system is the one that would benefit our personal situation the best. :D

[sparks1093]

Do any of you think its a little unfair that a person cruising during hurricane season in an inside cabin gets the same amount of points as someone sailing during peak season in a suite? I know on Cunard, suite guests get 2X the point. (Or is it HAL)

Or do you think a day at sea is a day at sea regardless of time/accommodation?

 

discuss.. :)

 

Fair or not it's the way CCL has decided to do it. Here's how NCL does it:

Earn 1 point for every cruise night.

Earn 1 additional point per night for reserving a Suite or in The Haven.*

Earn 1 additional point per night when booking nine months or more in advance.

Earn 1 additional point per night when booking a Latitudes Insider Offer.

 

Is one more "fair" than the other? To me fairness means the same rules apply to everyone with the same exceptions available to everyone. CCL's system is fair as is NCL's.

[che5904]

I always get a balcony. Would not enjoy an inside, and I cant justify spending the extra money for a suite.

 

I really don't care how they distribute points. I do not cruise for points. All vacations are based on where I want to go, time of the year and the itch that needs scratching. They can give giveth and they can taketh. Points mean very little in my book.

 

Agree completely, I don't choose a cruise for loyalty programs.

[skrufy]

Complaints, complaints, complaints, somebody is always looking to get more than the other person. Days sailed is fair to everyone.

[misstopgun]

Loyalty programs are fine until they reach the point of diminishing returns.

 

New cruisers spend more on average and demand less.

 

Veteran cruisers usually (with some exceptions) demand more and spend less.

 

Look at all the uproar when Carnival made some cutbacks in the loyalty programs. It wasn't the new cruisers who were raising he!! about it .....

Well of course it wasn't the new cruisers raising h*ll about it. they had nothing to lose.

 

We may be the exception to the rule but we spend more on cruises now then ever. Because we have cruised so much, and because we are older and can afford more, we tend to spend more to upgrade our experience. We buy wine packages, chef's tables, and spend more in the casino since we have seen most of the other entertainment multipe times. We upgrade to suites more often when we used to only do that for a special occaisions. We even pay for ironing since we fly and don't like to spend our time waiting for an opening in the laudry room on formal nights. We also now cruise 2-3 times a year when initially it was once a year.

 

Trust me, the Cruise line is not losing money on these diamond cruisers. The more you cruise, the more you tend to spend to self upgrade your cruise experience so to speak. Not complaing here, I chose to sail Carnival and I chose to spend the money. I just can't get that others keep saying the more seasoned cruisers spend less.