Point System Unfair: Discussion

[choclitsnda]

I'm probably the ONE Person On here that actually LIKED the Number of cruises vs Number of DAYS.

 

Oh well....

[BenjiRodney]

Count it by days is the fairest way.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

 

Someone said why don't I sail out of NY or Baltimore:

We are concerned about transatlantic crossings being rough. Also you get less port days and its colder?

 

Less ports? Not necessarily. A lot of ship out of Florida have 3 ports. Both itineraries out of Baltimore have 3 ports. Colder? Possibly but probably warmer than Toronto.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[irishnyc]

Yeah I guess. Its just a little annoying that we spend so much and get so little "perks" that we would enjoy on other lines. (Sorry if I sound like a snob) We are spending more on one voyage then some people are spending on 3-4 and we get way less perks. And yes we spend a lot on board and no we do not eat like there is no tomorrow. We don't damage stuff so the line is profiting a lot of us.

 

 

 

Its not even the money, its timing. 3 kids with three different schools (university, college, and high school) I guess I just want the platinum card :o

 

If you want the perks that other lines give you for spending so much, then why not cruise those lines?

[dpeprd]

I don't think you should get extra points for suites etc because for the money you are spending you are receiving extra square footage, view, upgraded ship location and things of that nature. Those ARE the perks of higher category cabins.

 

If Carnival wanted to give points per $1 spent then that would be fair because regardless of cabin category you would get the points based on your spending.

[clairentommy]

It's that "I'm the same as you" mentality.

 

No, you're not.

 

 

sorry but can you explain why one cruiser is not the same as another? do you think you or others who purchase suites are better than those who opt for their own choice to purchase a lower cost option?

 

that comment is so far out of date

[cruisingqueen74]

I do like the point system based on the numbers nights sailed vs number of cruises. As stated in some of the previous posts, getting the little extra perks is just a "bonus". Plus based on the type of your that you book, you may get some of those perks without ever having sailed before (ie- suite/concierge stateroom guests sometimes get better perks than past guests at a higher tier like Platinum or Diamond)

[halos]

sorry but can you explain why one cruiser is not the same as another? do you think you or others who purchase suites are better than those who opt for their own choice to purchase a lower cost option?

 

that comment is so far out of date

 

If that is the way you comprehend this, I could understand the huge chip on your shoulder...except that is NOT how it is.

 

It is not that one person is better than another. You are making this personal.

It is about one person having and/or spending more than another which makes their business more valuable to a company. So, in essence, someone who spends more (not just on a cruise ship, but for any business) is more valuable to that business and that means that we are NOT all the same in their eyes.

 

If I walk into a hotel casino in Vegas, NOBODY is going to pay attention to me...the person who is dropping the cash on the table is going to get a lot of attention, copious amounts of drinks brought to them, their room comped and so on. I don't throw a hissy fit when this happens. It's business.

 

 

 

and all of this is moot because CCL does not give extra perks for extra $$$ spent.

[Socref124]

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

 

Peanut Brittle anyone? ;) Hiya Jon.

[Megan_Strick]

I like that concept. Maybe earning one more day sailed for so much spent on board. That is very fair.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

 

 

I dont think that is fare at all. Just because I dont drink and spend money in the bars makes me no less of a customer than someone that does.

[KroozNut]

"Pass the popcorn" posts are a waste!

 

They add nothing of significance to the discussion!

 

Lighten up Yogi..who peed in your Cheerios this morning?!

[irishnyc]

I dont think that is fare at all. Just because I dont drink and spend money in the bars makes me no less of a customer than someone that does.

 

Why wouldn't that be fair? No, it does not make you less of a customer at all. It rewards the customer that chooses to spend more, whether it's on drinks, at the steakhouse, renting a cabana, doing more excursions, etc. You could complain you were treated as less of a customer if they penalized you, but no one is proposing that.

[Tutankhamen]

Why wouldn't that be fair? No, it does not make you less of a customer at all. It rewards the customer that chooses to spend more, whether it's on drinks, at the steakhouse, renting a cabana, doing more excursions, etc. You could complain you were treated as less of a customer if they penalized you, but no one is proposing that.

 

You are correct. Its their rules and it is something that they could implement if they choose and still be fair. However, it seems pretty clear to me this is not the avenue that Carnival is willing to go down. F2F, least amount of perks for suite guests then any other cruise line and so forth is a pretty clear statement that the platinum cruisers and suite customers is not the demographic they want to cater to. Is it a wise decision? Who knows.

[michelle1836]

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.. :)

 

so should there be different points for inside, oceanview, balcony and suite?

[Bobblefrog]

While it may be a valid business model to provide an increasing scale of perks to those who spend more money, it seems from what I've read that Carnival has at the heart of its philosophy more of a "democratic" orientation.

 

It seems to me that their decision to base perks on number of days sailed is completely aligned with that. They aren't rewarding those that are richer, or that spend more money - they are rewarding those that are loyal. And the perks aren't that big of a deal, again, which I feel comes from this driving idea of not creating a class system onboard their ships. If you want something nicer you pay for it, but if you don't you aren't any less of a customer (at least by loyalty program).

 

And with that in mind, I think I like the program as it stands. I despise how the American middle class, what I was brought up to believe was one of the great things about our country, is shrinking and that we are becoming a country of have and have nots. This program and my first cruise on Carnival felt - well - equalizing.

 

From a business perspective I do find it's an interesting that a democratic philosophy rather than rewarding dollars spent might be driving this program. I suspect some of the other posters are correct in that this is very strategic to the type of cruisers they are looking to target.

[misguidedangel]

It is fair, but one I wish they would alter is if you cruise solo and pay 200% you should get double the points because you paid for two, but you don't.

 

C'est la vie...I could have an extra 34 VIFP points.

[Wrinks22]

Less ports? Not necessarily. A lot of ship out of Florida have 3 ports. Both itineraries out of Baltimore have 3 ports. Colder?

 

-only do 4 port itineraries out of FL-

 

If you want the perks that other lines give you for spending so much, then why not cruise those lines?

 

-I said, we prefer CCL-

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Peanut Brittle anyone? ;) Hiya Jon.

 

Hey, Mike!!!

[swedish weave]

I don't think you should get extra points for suites etc because for the money you are spending you are receiving extra square footage, view, upgraded ship location and things of that nature. Those ARE the perks of higher category cabins.

 

If Carnival wanted to give points per $1 spent then that would be fair because regardless of cabin category you would get the points based on your spending.

 

Let me water down your theory a little bit.

 

Let's say you spend $500.00 dollars onboard. Should you get 500 points for that ?

 

Before you answer, think that the five bills may have been given to you as OBC for stock ownership and/or booking with a generous TA.

 

Should the cruise line give you points for spending their money ???

[clairentommy]

If that is the way you comprehend this, I could understand the huge chip on your shoulder...except that is NOT how it is.

 

It is not that one person is better than another. You are making this personal.

It is about one person having and/or spending more than another which makes their business more valuable to a company. So, in essence, someone who spends more (not just on a cruise ship, but for any business) is more valuable to that business and that means that we are NOT all the same in their eyes.

 

If I walk into a hotel casino in Vegas, NOBODY is going to pay attention to me...the person who is dropping the cash on the table is going to get a lot of attention, copious amounts of drinks brought to them, their room comped and so on. I don't throw a hissy fit when this happens. It's business.

 

 

 

and all of this is moot because CCL does not give extra perks for extra $$$ spent.

 

 

first things first, I do not have a chip on my shoulder, the poster made out as did you above, that customers booking suites were better or more valuable to Carnival than those who book balcony or interior cabins. That's just arrogance and I can't stand arrogance when it comes to people spouting how much money they have or spend compared to others.

 

It's a loyalty system, not a reward for how much you spend, but how many times you sail. A person can go on 1 cruise and book a suite and never return whereas a loyal customer as many have shown in this thread have 3 or more cruises per year and their vacations add more to the Carnival coffers than the very occasional suite customers.

[carsastic]

With the advance on technology ( Big Data) , soon most biz will be able to easily and accurately identify their most valued customers. ( most valued in the eyes of owners being the customers who spend money on profit driven products and services) . While it is starting to come to shape in the marketing world, infrastructure is in place and soon people will be seeing it in everyday use to attract repeat customers who drive and or consume product/services that drive most of the profit.

believe it or not it actually started with large grocery stores.. the old way was to put in lost leaders , example like selling something below cost to get people into stores with the hope they will spend money on other items... this has worked in the past but as people got smarter and technology evolved it has a diminished return.. today all across the county grocers are using smart coupons to target an identified customer.

Amazon and google are leaders in this field

it will be the wave of future targeted marketing and many biz's will use them .. even cruise lines...

By the way a year or so ago, carnival updated its antiquated and silo’ed IT systems to make way for this revolution.

[halos]

first things first, I do not have a chip on my shoulder, the poster made out as did you above, that customers booking suites were better or more valuable to Carnival than those who book balcony or interior cabins. That's just arrogance and I can't stand arrogance when it comes to people spouting how much money they have or spend compared to others.

 

.

 

No chip?? You sure about that???

That poster is clearly stating what I explained. Someone who spends more IS more valuable to a business than someone who spends less. Isn't this common sense?? Think like a business person for a minute.

This is not kids camp, it's business. Also, that poster (MrPete) was certainly not spouting about how much money they have...where the heck do you see that?????:confused:

Geeze....

and it all doesn't matter because they don't reward for different cabins or dollars spent anyway. If they did, I can see it would cause an uproar.

[MrPete]

sorry but can you explain why one cruiser is not the same as another? do you think you or others who purchase suites are better than those who opt for their own choice to purchase a lower cost option?

 

that comment is so far out of date

 

Is that your takeaway?

 

You have the same opportunity to buy a suite as I do. It's your choice whether you do or not.

 

But if I choose better accommodations, I'm probably spending more than you to do that. And that's my choice.

 

Does that make me better to you? No. To the person I'm giving my dollar to? Absolutely.

 

If I get a perk for that spending, do you want it too? Probably. Did you earn it? Absolutely not.

[GHDPeter]

How about this formula

(((Cost of cabin/number of days) + (total bar spend/ number of days) + ( total boutique spend/number of days) - (OBC x number of days) ) x number of cruises in past 12 months) / age in years = points

 

I think thats fair

[crusinpsychRN]

"Pass the popcorn" posts are a waste!

 

They add nothing of significance to the discussion!

 

I got a notification once when I posted that.