Captain's Club Changes POLL- Are You Happy or Not

[robtulipe]

For every unhappy cruiser leaving Celebrity there will be an unhappy person leaving another cruise line for Celebrity.

 

Very true!

 

I don't imagine it would be any where close to it being in equilibrium if the other cruise line had not implemented a program that made almost one quarter of their loyalty program members unhappy.:eek::D

[20pluscruises]

You're on a RCCL ship whether you're on X or Royal Caribbean International cruise as that is the parent company that owns both lines. IMO most people who cruise either are familier with what the sister company's loyalty program offers. Maybe not a first time cruiser but both lines are promoted on either.

 

I've been on 20 some odd cruises with Celebrity and have no idea what Royal Caribbean offers....but I also have never taken a cruise on a Royal Caribbean. And after our Celebrity Christmas cruise....most likely will never do a Royal C cruise. For the most part the children were well mannered...but there were just way too many of them.

[Karynanne]

I don't imagine it would be any where close to it being in equilibrium if the other cruise line had not implemented a program that made almost one quarter of their loyalty program members unhappy.:eek::D

 

Do you really know how many loyalty program members are unhappy? I highly doubt this poll represents the consensus of all Captain's Club members.

 

I agree with Cruisenut (Arno). For every person leaving Celebrity, there will be someone from another cruiseline sailing on X for the first time.

 

We've cruised with Celebrity since 1999. At that time, there really wasn't much of a loyalty program. We never gave it a second thought. We chose the Celebrity product for the ambiance, service and good dining. Throughout the years, the loyalty program has added additional perks for each level. Did we use all of the perks. No. But we still continued to enjoy the Celebrity product based upon our original criteria that we established in 1999.

 

At this time we are Elite Plus with 1500 points. We usually take longer cruises, and may or may not ever reach the Zenith level. We're pleased with loyalty perks...but if Celebrity didn't have any perks, we would still cruise with them.

 

Karyn

Edited January 8, 2014 by Karynanne

[Oville]

Because most posters here knew that a change was going to happen to the Capt's Club and that higher levels similar to Diamond plus and Pinnacle were likely to be added. In fact that was a factor why we booked a concierge for the Century 15 night Hawaii cruise we returned from early last month and got the new points based on the old credits while still on board the ship. (

 

It is always interesting to observe how people view things so differently. We are Elite + Celebrity. Before the actual announcement was made I thought for sure we would fall short as I believed Celebrity would learn from RCI's mistake of making it too easy to become Diamond +. As it turned out we had the points and plenty to spare. (I thought they'd come in at 50 credits)

 

When we became Celebrity cruise junkies we were Diamond + on RCI and the enhanced Captain's Club had not been implemented. We loved Celeb so after out first cruise we gave up our D+ perks and started sailing pretty much perkless on X.

Edited January 8, 2014 by Oville

[robtulipe]

Do you really know how many loyalty program members are unhappy? I highly doubt this poll represents the consensus of all Captain's Club members.

 

I agree with Cruisenut (Arno). For every person leaving Celebrity, there will be someone from another cruiseline sailing on X for the first time.

 

Karyn

Then how do you know that for every person leaving Celebrity, there will be someone from another cruiseline sailing on X for the first time. Do you or Arno have any stats to support that. I believe a reasonable assumption is if one line does something to make a large number of their loyalty members unhappy there will be more movement to other lines who haven't done this to their loyalty program members.:D

At least with the almost 400 who have voted in the poll that is an indicator of the level of unhappiness at least with those on this forum.;)

[C 2 C]

The problem with polls like this, which do not show who is voting, is that it may include votes from people who are not even members of Captain's Club or have not cruised on a Celebrity ship.

 

An acquaintance who was a very frequent Celebrity cruiser once called Dan Hanrahan the former president of Celebrity. He wanted to know if he could get a special rate by cruising in the same cabin for an extended period of time (talking months here) and he was told "If you're not in the cabin, someone else would be."

 

Anyone who thinks that they will influence senior management by threatening to leave over an incident such as this change in policy is in for disappointment. Many companies have learned that giving into special demands will only lead to more demands down the road.

 

Time will tell if the people who are paid to set policy have erred in their judgement. For now most Celebrity ships are sailing full and pricing has held steady. It would be nice to learn from the dissatisfied voters if life is better elsewhere or if Celebrity caves into individual demands for special consideration.

[robtulipe]

It is always interesting to observe how people view things so differently. We are Elite + Celebrity. Before the actual announcement was made I thought for sure we would fall short as I believed Celebrity would learn from RCI's mistake of making it too easy to become Diamond +. As it turned out we had the points and plenty to spare. (I thought they'd come in at 50 credits)

 

When we became Celebrity cruise junkies we were Diamond + on RCI and the enhanced Captain's Club had not been implemented. We loved Celeb so after out first cruise we gave up our D+ perks and started sailing pretty much perkless on X.

Katie, what you wrote is certainly true. To each his own I believe is the English expression that implies this.;)

[Oville]

Then how do you know that for every person leaving Celebrity, there will be someone from another cruiseline sailing on X for the first time. Do you or Arno have any stats to support that. I believe a reasonable assumption is if one line does something to make a large number of their loyalty members unhappy there will be more movement to other lines who haven't done this to their loyalty program members.:D

At least with the almost 400 who have voted in the poll that is an indicator of the level of unhappiness at least with those on this forum.;)

 

This poll is anything but scientific. How many people voted unhappy who have never stepped foot on a Celebrity ship? Then there is "somewhat happy" or "somewhat unhappy". There is a fine line between the two if even that. The only thing this poll does is take a snapshot in time of a few hundred people on CC, some of whom have cruised Celebrity and some that have not. I do not believe it is representation of the million plus Captain's Club members.

Edited January 8, 2014 by Oville

[fortinweb]

Do you really know how many loyalty program members are unhappy? I highly doubt this poll represents the consensus of all Captain's Club members.

 

I agree with Cruisenut (Arno). For every person leaving Celebrity, there will be someone from another cruiseline sailing on X for the first time.

 

We've cruised with Celebrity since 1999. At that time, there really wasn't much of a loyalty program. We never gave it a second thought. We chose the Celebrity product for the ambiance, service and good dining. Throughout the years, the loyalty program has added additional perks for each level. Did we use all of the perks. No. But we still continued to enjoy the Celebrity product based upon our original criteria that we established in 1999.

 

At this time we are Elite Plus with 1500 points. We usually take longer cruises, and may or may not ever reach the Zenith level. We're pleased with loyalty perks...but if Celebrity didn't have any perks, we would still cruise with them.

 

Karyn

 

Karyn, couldn't agree with you more. Although we are only Select, we certainly do not, and have never, booked with Celebrity, or in higher cabin categories, just to get a few small perks. That they provide them is certainly a plus, but not a necessity - more of a bonus than a entitlement. Even if they had no loyalty program, we would book with Celebrity as often as we now do. It absolutely amazes me how angry some people are because they won't gain a higher level as soon as they want to. If they were that close to Elite level, they were already enjoying the perks of Select level. The amount of complaining some of these people are doing, you'd think they had also had all of their current perks cancelled, with none remaining at all - which we all know isn't true. They still have the perks they have already earned.

 

Personally, I hope all of these people go elsewhere to book their future cruises. I would rather not be on the same ship with such spoiled brats.

[PORT ROYAL]

Karyn, couldn't agree with you more. Although we are only Select, we certainly do not, and have never, booked with Celebrity, or in higher cabin categories, just to get a few small perks. That they provide them is certainly a plus, but not a necessity - more of a bonus than a entitlement. Even if they had no loyalty program, we would book with Celebrity as often as we now do. It absolutely amazes me how angry some people are because they won't gain a higher level as soon as they want to. If they were that close to Elite level, they were already enjoying the perks of Select level. The amount of complaining some of these people are doing, you'd think they had also had all of their current perks cancelled, with none remaining at all - which we all know isn't true. They still have the perks they have already earned.

 

Personally, I hope all of these people go elsewhere to book their future cruises. I would rather not be on the same ship with such spoiled brats.

 

On reading these exchanges one has come to the conclusion there are posters who fall into specific categories.

1. I have earned what the Line has given in benefits and I am happy

2. I am unhappy because I want what the Line has not given in benefits.

 

Feel the Line has been generous. Just my HO.

[WpgCruise]

I think if the only reason someone is cruising Celebrity is the perks, they probably won't be loyal customers, because tomorrow someone else will have a perk that appeals more. To my thinking people choose Celebrity because they like the Celebrity experience, and the perks are just a way the company has of saying thank you for your business.

 

On another point, people saying they are so unhappy they are going to choose another cruise line, I agree that Celebrity won't really notice they're gone. The cruises I have booked are pretty much sold out, and this tells me they don't really have a problem putting heads in beds.

 

I'd really like to know how many are really choosing other cruise lines because of the change or even the way the change in the Captains Club program has been managed. As a really sharp business exec once told me, "When Everything Is Said and Done, There Is Usually A Lot More Said Than Done"

[Tenderpaw]

Politely let the leadership at Celebrity know your feelings. I did. They aren't going to make me "happy" but they did hear me and acknowledged me.

 

Dave

[fleckle]

On reading these exchanges one has come to the conclusion there are posters who fall into specific categories.

1. I have earned what the Line has given in benefits and I am happy

2. I am unhappy because I want what the Line has not given in benefits.

But there are also those of us who fall into a third category:

 

3. While I like to receive perks, they are not my reason for choosing a cruise line.

As much as I like Celebrity, I plan to continue cruising on other cruise lines and taking non-cruise vacations as well.

 

 

There are just too many wonderful places where Celebrity cruise ships do not go.

 

So maybe we are not the kind of customers Celebrity is seeking, but we intend to continue to cruise with Celebrity, even though it is highly unlikely that we will ever make it to Zenith.

 

Looking at the list of Zenith perks, sure they are appealing, but not enough to motivate us to limit ourselves exclusively to Celebrity.

 

 

It saddens me to see statements like "To me, I had to spend about 30k to become an elite member...." because we did not spend even a penny to become elite members, or elite +.

 

All the money we spent were for the cruises we wanted to take, not for any possible future perks.

 

[20pluscruises]

On reading these exchanges one has come to the conclusion there are posters who fall into specific categories.

1. I have earned what the Line has given in benefits and I am happy

2. I am unhappy because I want what the Line has not given in benefits.

 

Feel the Line has been generous. Just my HO.

 

I think it's more a case of how much more can we cut back on and upcharge on....and still be able to give the illusion the customers are getting more bang for their buck with the new and improved loyalty program.

[Putterdude]

From the poll so far, looks like 57 percent are happy or somewhat happy. Twenty percent don't really care. Twenty-three percent are unhappy or somewhat unhappy. At least as far as the poll is now, seems like Celebrity did what they felt would keep the majority of their customers happy.

 

Actually with 25% of the poll indicating some degree of unhappiness with the program and another 22% suggesting only somewhat happy with the program, I would think that Celebrity has screwed up with the changes. The poll is hardly an exact science but does give some indication of people's feelings. Speaking personally as a person who was looking for a new cruise line home, I certainly feel no loyalty toward Celebrity and the only thing that will motivate me to book with them in the future will be price....they have lost my loyalty, surely that is not the purpose of a loyalty plan.

[shavdog]

8 pages of conversation of a "loyalty program" that's not worth spending two minutes on....If it's Celebrity's intent to reward, they have totally failed with this attempt...but then again that's not on my list of why I cruise with them.....I spent over 30k with them....if they really wanted my loyalty they could at least give me $100 on board credit to recognize that...I think their perks are a joke....

[teecee60]

 

An acquaintance who was a very frequent Celebrity cruiser once called Dan Hanrahan the former president of Celebrity. He wanted to know if he could get a special rate by cruising in the same cabin for an extended period of time (talking months here) and he was told "If you're not in the cabin, someone else would be."

 

Anyone who thinks that they will influence senior management by threatening to leave over an incident such as this change in policy is in for disappointment. Many companies have learned that giving into special demands will only lead to more demands down the road.

 

Time will tell if the people who are paid to set policy have erred in their judgement. For now most Celebrity ships are sailing full and pricing has held steady.

 

It would be nice to learn from the dissatisfied voters if life is better elsewhere or if Celebrity caves into individual demands for special consideration.

 

Each and every point made is flawless. It's just that many who are used to small markets will not LIKE it. :o

 

This is what happens when you/we are a part of a WORLD WIDE MARKET that now sees 20 MILLION cruise line bookings per year and increasing! :eek:

 

Personally, I hope all of these people go elsewhere to book their future cruises. I would rather not be on the same ship with such spoiled brats.

 

Possibly a little harsh, but I am in full agreement. ;)

 

Just like opining in this poll, everyone is also free to "vote" for their favorite cruise line/loyalty program with their feet/bookings/dollars. :cool:

Edited January 9, 2014 by teecee60

[20pluscruises]

8 pages of conversation of a "loyalty program" that's not worth spending two minutes on....If it's Celebrity's intent to reward, they have totally failed with this attempt...but then again that's not on my list of why I cruise with them.....I spent over 30k with them....if they really wanted my loyalty they could at least give me $100 on board credit to recognize that...I think their perks are a joke....

 

Elite Plus being the biggest.

 

I kind of feel like a kid on Christmas morning...so excited, I've been waiting all year, been a very good little girl/boy, and I open the beautiful wrapped up in a big bow gift ...and Santa gives me a 3 pair pack of underware.

Edited January 9, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[20pluscruises]

Karyn, couldn't agree with you more. Although we are only Select, we certainly do not, and have never, booked with Celebrity, or in higher cabin categories, just to get a few small perks. That they provide them is certainly a plus, but not a necessity - more of a bonus than a entitlement. Even if they had no loyalty program, we would book with Celebrity as often as we now do. It absolutely amazes me how angry some people are because they won't gain a higher level as soon as they want to. If they were that close to Elite level, they were already enjoying the perks of Select level. The amount of complaining some of these people are doing, you'd think they had also had all of their current perks cancelled, with none remaining at all - which we all know isn't true. They still have the perks they have already earned.

 

Personally, I hope all of these people go elsewhere to book their future cruises. I would rather not be on the same ship with such spoiled brats.

 

While I do not agree with your spoiled brat comment...

 

I do agree that we were loyal to Celebrity for the Celebrity experience and it had nothing to do with points.

 

However, what I am having trouble with is... Celebrity rolls out a great new loyalty plan at the same time they cut WAY back on the Aqua Spa cafe meals, add upcharges for some of the aqua spa food, upcharge items on the in cabin menu, increase drink prices, decrease entertainment in the lounges, decrease the number of bartenders in the lounges, increase the casino bets, etc. with the hope that a free gelato, coffee, extra internet minutes and a bag of laundry will fool everyone into thinking they are getting some great bonus/reward.

 

The cut backs have been so drastic that nobody is saying much as they seem to be more concerned about the points and the internet fiasco. Well done Celebrity you have managed to pull it off....and right under our noses. Your marketing team deserves a big Christmas bonus

Edited January 9, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[Kellie Poodle]

Actually, under the new points system, points are very much based on revenue. You get two points/night for an inside cabin; but you get 18/night if you book the penthouse. For a seven-night cruise that's 14 points vs. 126 points.

 

 

It is and it isn't. Inside cabins and ocean view are the same points. I don't think that's fair when every other category has its own point system.

[Denny01]

I'm afraid I haven't seen an increase in drink prices, a decrease in service, an up charge in cabin menus (you can get the entire MDR menu free plus lots more), any change in casino bets (whatever that means), or much else listed. The Aqua Cafe now serves many parfaits along with some other healthy choices.

 

Agree Elite Plus is not a major increase in goodies, but I will enjoy them. Elite is the big jump and I enjoy those, but the reason I made Elite and now Elite Plus had nothing to do with shooting for the benefits since Elite didn't have all the goodies when I made it, and a Elite Plus obviously didn't even exist. Got all those points as a fallout of cruising on a Line I enjoy.

 

Won't turn them down, but won't let some perceived dislike for an incentive program cause we grief. I do feel for the poster who looks like they are a week before their back-back and they are very angry.

 

For the rest of us, whether we like or dislike the program and how it was implemented, hope you enjoy your next cruise....on Celebrity or on some other lovely Line.

 

Den

[Kellie Poodle]

I'm not unhappy with the new point system but I am floored by the inequity of it when it comes to categories below veranda.

 

Here's the email I send Mr. Bayley:

 

Dear Sir:

 

I am writing to question the new point system for Captain's Club Members. I have no problem with the way levels are attained, but I do have a problem with inside cabins and outside cabins being awarded the same points.

 

This is unfair when every other category of staterooms has a separate amount of points.

 

We often book ocean view cabins on port-intensive cruises. We also book them because they are on a lower deck and one is less likely to experience motion sickness if the seas are rough. We usually book a category 6 stateroom. We have noted that often the difference between a high category ocean view stateroom and a low category veranda is less money than the difference between the lowest category inside stateroom and the higher category ocean view.

 

I believe that Celebrity should reevaluate the same point allowance for inside and outside staterooms in order to be fair to your customers. If you are basing your cruise points on cost of the stateroom, then you should price all ocean view cabins the same as inside cabins or fix your allocation.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Denny01]

It is and it isn't. Inside cabins and ocean view are the same points. I don't think that's fair when every other category has its own point system.

 

concierge and Aqua are the same points and differ in price by more than a Inside and Oceanview. As do some of the Suites grouped together. So not sure what is unfair.

 

Den

Edited January 9, 2014 by Denny01

[20pluscruises]

I'm afraid I haven't seen an increase in drink prices, a decrease in service, an up charge in cabin menus (you can get the entire MDR menu free plus lots more), any change in casino bets (whatever that means), or much else listed. The Aqua Cafe now serves many parfaits along with some other healthy choices.

 

Agree Elite Plus is not a major increase in goodies, but I will enjoy them. Elite is the big jump and I enjoy those, but the reason I made Elite and now Elite Plus had nothing to do with shooting for the benefits since Elite didn't have all the goodies when I made it, and a Elite Plus obviously didn't even exist. Got all those points as a fallout of cruising on a Line I enjoy.

 

Won't turn them down, but won't let some perceived dislike for an incentive program cause we grief. I do feel for the poster who looks like they are a week before their back-back and they are very angry.

 

For the rest of us, whether we like or dislike the program and how it was implemented, hope you enjoy your next cruise....on Celebrity or on some other lovely Line.

 

Den

 

Dhristmas 2013 did have price increases...even diet coke is now $2.50 not including the 15% tip

 

Spa cafe had been cut back food wise and now charges for fruit

 

One bartender at the martini bar several nights between 6:30 and 7:30 pm (I can only speak for these times)

 

One bartender in the Ensemble lounge every evening before dinner

 

In cabin menu now has items for a cost

 

Had there not been so many children on board it would have been a nightmare trying to get a drink.

 

Ther's much more..... Bottom line...too many cut backs in a very short time period

 

Maybe it's just the Reflection that has made so many cut backs.....

Edited January 9, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[varoo]

concierge and Aqua are the same points and differ in price by more than a Inside and Oceanview. As do some of the Suites grouped together. So not sure what is unfair.

Good observations!

 

Even within concierge, the price difference between C3 and C1 will often be far greater than the difference between inside and ocean view.

 

The prices of categories fluctuate up or down depending on how they are selling.

From time to time some inside cabins are even priced higher than the ocean views.

 

No matter how they had decided to allocate the points for the new system, some would be unhappy about it.

 

 

Certainly each of us can think of something that we wish they had done differently

- well, except perhaps for some Zenith members. ;)

 

 

Denny, you actually summed up the correct answer for each of us in a previous post with your facetious comment about how the proper place to draw the cutoff line should always be at the point that favors me. :D