Elite Status "The Easy Way"

[paul929207]

All status changes are effective at the end of a cruise. SO you will not get any Elite benefits on the 35 day cruise

[caribill]

We will become Elite in the middle of a 35 day cruise. We have done it by days, not cruises. I am wondering if our status would change mid cruise, or on completion. Would appreciate any information on this please!:confused:

 

Is this a single segment of 35 days or is this a cruse of multiple segments (B2B or B2B2B)?

 

If a single segment, status will not change during your cruise.

 

If multiple segments, it will change for any remaining segments after completing the segment during which you reached the number of days needed for elite. You may need to speak with the Captain's Circle rep to make sure this will be done as the Princess computers may not know you qualify at the time the next segment's cruise cards are done.

[maxmia]

This is a single cruise, Sydney to Sydney 35 days duration. Guess we will just have to wait till the next cruise. We just completed a section of the world cruise, and passengers were receiving their black cards at the end of this section, but it was sold with 4 segments, so it seems we will receive elite cards on our return from the 35 days. Oh well!!!:(

[Thrak]

I'm not even Platinum yet but, when we make that level, I'm wondering if people will say we did it the "easy" way. We will make it on number of cruises because we took on cruise this May that was only 4 days. That isn't the cruise that gets us to Platinum (it actually only got us to Ruby!) but, because of the short cruise, when we do hit Platinum it will almost certainly be due to number of cruises as I believe we will be one or two days short of achieving it via days cruised. Somehow I don't see one or even two days "short" as doing it the "easy" way but, if that's how it's perceived then so be it.

 

Elite is still far in the future for us. We do love "longer" cruises - we've done a 10 day, a 15 day, the 4 day, and our next is booked at 10 days in November. Somehow, 10 days doesn't really seem long or "longer" to me. It doesn't seem short but doesn't seem long either. I'd really like to try the 28 day SF - Tahiti cruise but that will have to wait until I can retire. I do see posts where people take a lot of 7 day cruises and they seem to consider those "longer" cruises. I just wish I could cruise more often than I can. I'd be happy to do a cruise/land tour to Alaska followed by a 7 day Caribbean followed by a 15 day Panama Canal transit. That sounds like a great way to spend a month or so. :D

 

Whenever we do make Elite it will probably be because of number of days but, then again, I do have that one 4 day cruise and may end up "cheating" by a few days. No matter how we get there we won't be any better than we are now. Elite benefits sound nice but aren't really important to us. We will get there when we get there.

[san diego sue]

Never really cared about status. However, once we reached Elite, do enjoy the benefits. We will never be the most traveled and don't care.

We reached Elite by days not cruises. In the mix was two seven day cruises and the rest were 14-30 day . Reached Elite at cruise number 12. Guess it was the hard way, but really the Expensive way. In any case, so much fun just cruising with Princess.

If we lived closer to Seattle, would do the short getaways. We have recently done two quick shorty cruises from LA and had so much fun. Nothing to do with status, just nice to cruise last minute. Still cheaper than a weekend at a hotel.

I don't list our past cruises, cruise lines, future cruises on CC.

It is more a privacy issue.

Edited June 29, 2014 by san diego sue

[A.stew12305]

I got this email recently, I guess it just shows that princess doesn't consider it cheating. They encourage the "easy way"

 

 

"Alexandra, we’re pleased to announce that you’ll sail on your next cruise as a Ruby Member. Not only do you receive additional benefits; you’re also only two cruises away from Platinum level and such perks as a complimentary Internet credit and Preferred Check-in!

 

To get to the next level faster, we suggest new Short Cruise Getaways, 3-5 day sailings roundtrip from Los Angeles or Ft. Lauderdale that easily fit your schedule. Here are a few more shortcuts through our loyalty program::

 

• Book a suite.

• Sail with single occupancy.

• Take a longer cruise.

 

Don’t forget to log in to your My Princess account to update your preferences and get the latest info.

 

Congratulations again. We look forward to welcoming you aboard your next cruise as a Ruby Member!

 

Sincerely,

Alan Buckelew

 

Jan Swartz

President, Princess Cruises"

[shredie]

I got this email recently, I guess it just shows that princess doesn't consider it cheating. They encourage the "easy way"

 

 

 

Oops. :) I have been wondering what the "hard" way really is. It's the number of cruises? Is it 15? Then the days of those 15 cruises would not be able to add up to more than 150, or else the status would kick in on number of days, not number of cruises. No 14 day cruises! Doesn't it all sound a bit silly? I guess I really don't understand why anyone cares how a person achieved status.

[geoherb]

The really hard way would be a dozen 10-day cruises along with two 14-day cruises followed by a longer cruise that's not sold in segments. Someone could have more than 170 days sailed before becoming Elite on their next cruise. That's a stark contrast to someone who sails five 1-day cruises as a single in a suite--not that doing so comes that cheaply.

[A.stew12305]

The really hard way would be a dozen 10-day cruises along with two 14-day cruises followed by a longer cruise that's not sold in segments. Someone could have more than 170 days sailed before becoming Elite on their next cruise. That's a stark contrast to someone who sails five 1-day cruises as a single in a suite--not that doing so comes that cheaply.

 

In this case I think it would be smart to do a quick coastal if possible to get benefits before heading out on a long, non-segmented cruise.

[shepp]

I guess I really don't understand why anyone cares how a person achieved status.

 

Only because many of the loyalty rewards are sorta zero-sum games. If half the passengers have priority tendering then priority tendering becomes pretty much worthless. When everybody has lots of free internet minutes to burn, then wifi slows to a crawl. And on the Royal's inaugural TA, which had a huge proportion of Elites, the laundry was so backed up with freebies that they had to stop accepting dirty clothes.

 

Yes, it does sort of irritate me that, having just finished sailing my 150 days, I may have to wait at the tender behind someone who's sailed 30 or 40. But hey, since I usually sail insides, I may be boarding that tender before someone who's paid Princess 10 times what I have.

[shredie]

 

Yes, it does sort of irritate me that, having just finished sailing my 150 days, I may have to wait at the tender behind someone who's sailed 30 or 40.

 

I still don't understand. How do you know the person sailed 40 days? Perhaps there is a problem with too many Elites, but I don't see why anyone cares how they got that way.

[cruzisme]

Achieved via longer cruises ie 30 days cruise to Australia plus the short 1 or 4 day coastals. We even did single solo cabin for a coastal. Love the elite perks!

Can understand the frustration from others who do not live near either coast.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Yes, it does sort of irritate me that, having just finished sailing my 150 days, I may have to wait at the tender behind someone who's sailed 30 or 40.

Sorry, but that makes no sense to me. Should we line up for tendering in order of days sailed? Should a passenger with 1000 days be allowed to go in front of you with 150 days?

 

Likewise the snarky comments about Commodore TAs that I've read on this and other threads. What about those Commodores who are Elites in their own right? Should they be more entitled than just plain Elites? After all, they are Elite AND contributed to Princess's bottom line through their efforts. Of course they shouldn't. But people seem to think that days should be the overriding criterion. I just like to point out that some people have the days PLUS other another qualifying criterion.

 

I view loyalty perks as a gift, not a right. Like a gift, they can certainly be discontinued or changed by the giftor (Princess) at any moment. Complaining that because others get something I might get less is like telling my mom that if she stopped giving so much money to her church at Christmas, her check to me could be bigger. Really, it's that reprehensible.

[shepp]

Sorry, but that makes no sense to me. Should we line up for tendering in order of days sailed? Should a passenger with 1000 days be allowed to go in front of you with 150 days?

 

I view loyalty perks as a gift, not a right. Like a gift, they can certainly be discontinued or changed by the giftor (Princess) at any moment. Complaining that because others get something I might get less is like telling my mom that if she stopped giving so much money to her church at Christmas, her check to me could be bigger. Really, it's that reprehensible.

 

Well, the idea of a super-Elite level has been mooted here, and I wouldn't mind being asked to wait behind Pia for my tender.

 

While I understand Elite bonuses are arbitrary (and a "gift"), your analogy isn't quite exact. How about this one? In April the boos says, "We'll be giving out a Christmas bonus, and all our employees who've worked over 25 hours of overtime this year will divide a set amount." And then in November, it turns out that some employees who've only worked 8 extra hours will also share in that sum. Better?

 

Insofar as there are loyalty bonuses, devaluing them midway is a bit frustrating. We're seeing the same thing with frequent flyer programs, where the "free" trips folks have been saving miles for suddenly require a lot more miles or are a lot less available. Likewise, 250 free minutes of wifi become less valuable when everything online takes twice as long because so many people are logged in at once.

 

Like I said, arbitrary. Last cruise, I, with 143 days, might have had to wait to tender behind someone who went Elite with 40. In the long run, it doesn't matter much to me. I couldn't care less how many free drink setups there are on a ship.I take no great pride in being a good customer of a particular company. But someone asked why cheapening Elite requirements mattered to anyone, and I answered (non-reprehensibly, I innocently thought).

 

Bottom line: if I've been working my way to a goal, it's a bit rankling to have the goalposts moved.

Edited June 30, 2014 by shepp

[PescadoAmarillo]

Bottom line: if I've been working my way to a goal, it's a bit rankling to have the goalposts moved.

I think that's human nature, but it happens so often in today's world that I have become inured to it. I guess I feel about it like I did the (short lived) room service and Alfredos charges. When I rank it in the list of all the injustices in the world, extra charges for Alfredos don't make the cut. Nor does having to stand in line behind someone with a mere 40 days on Princess.

 

I mean, we're talking about an experience on a vacation that a very small percentage of the world's population can even consider taking. We are ALL the privileged few.

 

Elite perks are at Princess's discretion. They are not contractually obligated to give them. They can dilute, or change, or go away tomorrow, as they have in the past. The sooner we make our peace with this, the happier we'll be.

[Karen Lynn]

Amazed this thread still lives!!

 

Elite perks are very hard earned via the Commodore courses and refreshers each and every year not to mention the Princess sales we contribute! I have $200,000 in Princess alone this year thus far, it's all one big pot.

 

:rolleyes:

[paul929207]

Well, the idea of a super-Elite level has been mooted here, and I wouldn't mind being asked to wait behind Pia for my tender.

 

While I understand Elite bonuses are arbitrary (and a "gift"), your analogy isn't quite exact. How about this one? In April the boos says, "We'll be giving out a Christmas bonus, and all our employees who've worked over 25 hours of overtime this year will divide a set amount." And then in November, it turns out that some employees who've only worked 8 extra hours will also share in that sum. Better?

 

Insofar as there are loyalty bonuses, devaluing them midway is a bit frustrating. We're seeing the same thing with frequent flyer programs, where the "free" trips folks have been saving miles for suddenly require a lot more miles or are a lot less available. Likewise, 250 free minutes of wifi become less valuable when everything online takes twice as long because so many people are logged in at once.

 

Like I said, arbitrary. Last cruise, I, with 143 days, might have had to wait to tender behind someone who went Elite with 40. In the long run, it doesn't matter much to me. I couldn't care less how many free drink setups there are on a ship.I take no great pride in being a good customer of a particular company. But someone asked why cheapening Elite requirements mattered to anyone, and I answered (non-reprehensibly, I innocently thought).

 

Bottom line: if I've been working my way to a goal, it's a bit rankling to have the goalposts moved.

The thing you are forgetting is that the Captain's Circle is not a rewards program, it is a sales program. Princess gives the Elite status based on number of cruises since that helps sell cabins on the Pacific Coastals.

[A.stew12305]

who've worked over 25 hours of overtime this year will divide a set amount." And then in November, it turns out that some employees who've only worked 8 extra hours will also share in that sum. Better?

 

 

I actually think it would be a lot more similar the boss saying that employees with x amount of overtime or x amount of years with the company would share. The company is rewarding longevity AND effort displayed by the fictional employees. Whether you personally are being rewarded for longevity OR effort, should not hinder another employees benefit. The company has decided the criteria for rewards, so a beneficiary should be happy for what he got. Not nitpicking about what everyone else got.

[shredie]

The thing you are forgetting is that the Captain's Circle is not a rewards program, it is a sales program. Princess gives the Elite status based on number of cruises since that helps sell cabins on the Pacific Coastals.

 

Yes. Elite cruisers also cruise again in order to reap the benefits. The difference in the employer's bonus analogy and that of the "gift" is that the employer is paying YOU for something. You are not paying him. Elites pay Princess lots of money and Princess gives a "gift" of status. Princess wants you to keep giving them money, and since Elites do that, it makes sense to give them the status as quickly as possible. I am not yet Elite, but when I am, I'm going to remember that I'm doing Princess a favor by sailing with them, and I'm not going to become a status snob because I have the privilege of giving them lots and lots of money, over and over again.

 

(Okay, so if I do become an insufferable snob, you can point me back to this post. :D)

[caribill]

Well, the idea of a super-Elite level has been mooted here, and I wouldn't mind being asked to wait behind Pia for my tender.

 

250 free minutes of wifi become less valuable when everything online takes twice as long because so many people are logged in at once.

 

 

A "super-elite" category would mean one of two things.

 

1) A new level with additional benefits. While this does reward those who have traveled the most with Princess, it does not help the problem that exists today with too many on the Internet at one time, too much free laundry clogging up the system, etc.

 

or

 

2) A new level which has today's elite benefits and cutbacks for levels below the "super-elite." Just only giving the new level free laundry or free internet minutes will cut down the congestion in Internet access or laundry processing. It would also make thousands of currently elite very, very unhappy.

[Thrak]

I really wouldn't care if they changed it to "days only" as long as they don't massively increase the number of days needed...

[shredie]

A "super-elite" category would mean one of two things.

 

1) A new level with additional benefits. While this does reward those who have traveled the most with Princess, it does not help the problem that exists today with too many on the Internet at one time, too much free laundry clogging up the system, etc.

 

or

 

2) A new level which has today's elite benefits and cutbacks for levels below the "super-elite." Just only giving the new level free laundry or free internet minutes will cut down the congestion in Internet access or laundry processing. It would also make thousands of currently elite very, very unhappy.

How about crowns with sparkly stuff on them? ;) Aren't there already some "super perks" such as most-traveled luncheons and loyalty OBC? If the demand for more and better perks increases, we may get to the point where the Elitest of the Elite Top Traveler Crown Heads will each need a ship of their own as reward. Maybe a better solution would be to increase ship bandwidth (if that can be done) or odd-day/even-day laundry privileges.

[shepp]

The thing you are forgetting is that the Captain's Circle is not a rewards program, it is a sales program. Princess gives the Elite status based on number of cruises since that helps sell cabins on the Pacific Coastals.

 

AFAIK (and this dates back to before I started sailing Princess, so I could be wrong), CC status was originally based solely on days at sea. Then, to make things somehow "fairer," the number-of-cruises alternative was added. That was done, as far as I know, well before the current glut of Cali coastals, a scheduling move so misconceived that Princess ended up giving the things away last year.

 

Since we're reaching for analogies here, it makes me think of the dope pusher who gives the first dose away free to get people hooked. In this case, due to increased demand, the supply of CC perks gets stepped on to accommodate the new user, leaving the old clientele with less potent stuff.

 

I understand that Princess is trying to expand its base. Fine. And I understand that compared to some of the old-timers here, I'm a relative newbie on PCL. (Though since the very first time I got on CC, veterans have been whingeing about cut-backs.) Though I really will enjoy the free dry cleaning, and it will be nice not to have to rush down first thing for tender tickets, CC rewards are just a relatively minor reason I continue to sail Princess.

 

It's just discomfiting to be reminded that there are children starving in Africa because I mentioned slow wifi. For the record: I approach any sort of honor based on consumption with skepticism. (Yes, even my precious gold Starbucks card.) I never wear those cheesy CC pins Princess doles out. You may note that I don't even have my status emblazoned on my signature (though I listed my cruises because that sort of thing can be useful to other posters). I bet I've seen more of the underdeveloped world than many here, and not just on a shore excursion. And I'm glad I wasn't one of the 1000-day cruisers on the Royal TA who had to wait five days to get their undies cleaned.

[shepp]

How about crowns with sparkly stuff on them?

 

Oooh, now that's a perk I'd sail a jillion California coastals to earn!

[caribill]

AFAIK (and this dates back to before I started sailing Princess, so I could be wrong), CC status was originally based solely on days at sea. Then, to make things somehow "fairer," the number-of-cruises alternative was added.

 

My memory is the opposite. It was originally only number of cruises and then the option of number of days was added.