What do y'all think of the Captain's Circle benefits?

[JasonTehGreat]

What do y'all think of the Princess Cruises loyalty benefits compared to other lines?

[AE_Collector]

Keeps us cruising with Princess almost exclusively.

 

I don't know the details about other cruise lines loyalty programs other than Celebrity. For me, Princess loyalty benefits are far and above better than Celebrity's.

 

Terry

[JasonTehGreat]

They seem good to me but it would be nice if they had a private lounge like Royal Caribbean.

[shredie]

My choices are Carnival and Princess, and Princess is miles ahead of Carnival in terms of loyalty benefits. I'm not familiar with other lines' programs, really.

[iluvcruzin]

Each one of them is unique with commonality generally being priority check in.

 

I like the free internet minutes on Princess. Not that I spend a lot of time using them but it's nice to check in for my flight home. The stamp is cute but end up losing or tossing it out after the cruise. The special lounge is no biggie as they that on other lines too. It would be nice to get balcony discounts like I do on RCCL. It will be nice when we reach Elite on Princess. We love afternoon tea and it would be nice to have it delivered to the stateroom. :)

[JasonTehGreat]

I'm not a big drinker so the free mini-bar would make up for cocktails in a lounge

[Cruise Junky]

I'm platinum and other than an internet package it's useless. Same amount of cruises in other lines would have gotten us more benefits. Definitely not enough after 11 cruises to keep me loyal. But as they kick in after 5 cruises, other people may feel differently.

[mr green]

Forces credits, mini bar, laundry, computer minutes, AND first in line for tenders, make a very nice package, yes, I know that I have left several things out.:)

 

john

[JasonTehGreat]

Forces credits?

[Cruizer Bill]

Princess has probably the best perks of any Cruise Line. At the Elite level you get free laundry and internet minutes. RCCL only offers a free Happy Hour and Lounge. Celebrity offers one bag of laundry, some internet, a Happy hour and a Lounge so they are pretty good, HAL only offers free laundry. If you are not a big drinker, Princess offers the best plan.

[beg3yrs]

Forces credits?

 

Sounds like auto-correct 'fixing' Future Cruise Credits.

 

They're only available for purchase on the ship (some reports say a diminished value version is recently available shortly after a cruise) so I guess that may count as a Captain's Circle benefit.

[pmd98052]

Can't imagine why anyone would stick with one single cruise line for some free laundry and Internet. Nice to have sure but we shop on price and itinerary. All things being equal loyalty bonuses might swing it but otherwise no.

[Cruise Junky]

Princess has probably the best perks of any Cruise Line. At the Elite level you get free laundry and internet minutes. RCCL only offers a free Happy Hour and Lounge. Celebrity offers one bag of laundry, some internet, a Happy hour and a Lounge so they are pretty good, HAL only offers free laundry. If you are not a big drinker, Princess offers the best plan.

 

But...Princess Elite doesn't kick in until after 15 cruises, RCL and X is after 10

[iluvcruzin]

RCCL only offers a free Happy Hour and Lounge. .

 

Not true. Depending on the ship there are exclusive areas for Diamond up to get free specialty coffee and a concierge. Also the balcony discounts are something Princess doesn't have. I tend to book more on RCCL if I want a balcony when comparing against Princess prices for the same itinerary / date.

 

Can't imagine why anyone would stick with one single cruise line for some free laundry and Internet. Nice to have sure but we shop on price and itinerary. All things being equal loyalty bonuses might swing it but otherwise no.

 

I'm with you. That's why I'm not a loyalist. Eventually I'll make the top tiers on all the lines. :)

[Cruizer Bill]

But...Princess Elite doesn't kick in until after 15 cruises, RCL and X is after 10

 

Unfortunately, X changed their plan in late 2013. It takes 300 "Points" to make Elite status now and you only get 2 points per day for inside or oceanview cabins. That means 150 days. For a balcony you get 3 points per day and for their "Concierge Class" balcony you earn 5 points per day. So, Celebrity is pretty expensive nowadays.

 

RCCL takes 80 cruise days to reach Diamond level, so that is 12 7-day cruises.

 

On Princess, you can count the 3, 4 and 5 day cruises as a qualifying trip.

[Cruizer Bill]

Can't imagine why anyone would stick with one single cruise line for some free laundry and Internet. Nice to have sure but we shop on price and itinerary. All things being equal loyalty bonuses might swing it but otherwise no.

 

I agree 100%. Go for a great itinerary first, then go for the bargain. Loyalty programs go last.

[Cruise Junky]

Unfortunately, X changed their plan in late 2013. It takes 300 "Points" to make Elite status now and you only get 2 points per day for inside or oceanview cabins. That means 150 days. For a balcony you get 3 points per day and for their "Concierge Class" balcony you earn 5 points per day. So, Celebrity is pretty expensive nowadays.

 

RCCL takes 80 cruise days to reach Diamond level, so that is 12 7-day cruises.

 

On Princess, you can count the 3, 4 and 5 day cruises as a qualifying trip.

No change really for me as we always book a balcony & above, but yes, a big drop for insides and ocean views

[fishywood]

I'm not quite there yet but I don't believe any other line gives the Elite benefits Princess does at the comparatively early milestones of 15 cruise credits or 150 days sailed. And I also commend Princess for still using both measurements with promotion to the next level at whichever comes first, unlike many lines that now use only one.

 

Princess will remain my first choice as long as they continue the perk of the Platinum/Elite lounge before dinner each night and not switch to simply giving drink vouchers as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are in the process of implementing (at least for their intermediate loyalty levels). From my recent digressions to each of those lines--which I plan to not repeat--it is clear that on RCI and X the perk is only about the booze itself where Princess offers you a great lounge (Skywalker's or similar) to chill out and have a snack with your drink in the hours before dinner.

Edited January 2, 2015 by fishywood

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Can't imagine why anyone would stick with one single cruise line for some free laundry and Internet. Nice to have sure but we shop on price and itinerary. All things being equal loyalty bonuses might swing it but otherwise no.

 

I heard a frequent cruiser once say that he'd spent thousands of dollars to get free laundry ;).

 

To the OP's question; I have more days on HAL and Celebrity than on Princess, but Princess gives me the most perks. There is a rumor that CCL is planning to realign loyalty benefits across all of their brands, so not sure what might change in the future.

Edited January 2, 2015 by Ryndam2002

[Pam in CA]

Can't imagine why anyone would stick with one single cruise line for some free laundry and Internet. Nice to have sure but we shop on price and itinerary. All things being equal loyalty bonuses might swing it but otherwise no.

Like you, I cruise for itinerary and price. The unlimited laundry, generous Internet and 10% discount on all shop sales is nice. What keeps me sailing on Princess is the ability to book using a discount TA, often saving 10-20% and all of the OBC I can combine: TA, FCC, shareholder, promotion and loyalty, often adding up to over $500 OBC. Just re-booked my February cruise and I'm paying about $900 less than current pricing on Princess for the same cabin category. Add all of my OBC to that and it makes cruising Princess very attractive to me. My Elite and Loyalty perks are the icing on the cake. :) Edited January 2, 2015 by Pam in CA

[chris2597]

I'm not quite there yet but I don't believe any other line gives the Elite benefits Princess does at the comparatively early milestones of 15 cruise credits or 150 days sailed. And I also commend Princess for still using both measurements with promotion to the next level at whichever comes first, unlike many lines that now use only one.

 

Princess will remain my first choice as long as they continue the perk of the Platinum/Elite lounge before dinner each night and not switch to simply giving drink vouchers as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are in the process of implementing (at least for their intermediate loyalty levels). From my recent digressions to each of those lines--which I plan to not repeat--it is clear that on RCI and X the perk is only about the booze itself where Princess offers you a great lounge (Skywalker's or similar) to chill out and have a snack with your drink in the hours before dinner.

 

 

Tell me about the lounge before dinner for Plat/ elite passengers.

 

 

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[Marysue11]

We have 35 cruises on carnival which is diamond and still can't get some measly little free internet minutes

This will be our 11th on Princess leave on sat working to be Elite

Nice to have the free internet min.

 

 

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[pompeii]

Forces credits?

 

I read it it to mean armed forces OBC, ie military.

[Iamcruzin]

I think once you make platinum and are eligible for free internet minutes the program starts to have value. With more and more hot spots popping up in ports it may become less of a value. Gold and Ruby are worthless. The free internet minutes are not enough to keep me coming back if I can get a better deal on Celebrity and the stretch between platinum and elite is so far that the program doesn't compel me to try to make it to the next level.

 

I think Celebrity's program is better at the lower end. I only sailed once with Celebrity and on my second booking I was able to upgrade within my room category. It was a $60 savings and I was eligible for a reduced deposit. I didn't need to buy an FCC to do that. With that said, Celebrity has changed the way you gain points and it's difficult to move to the next level if you are unable to cruise a lot, so I'm not compelled to book based on their program either.

 

I really think Princess needs a level between platinum and elite. They could offfer discounts on photos or in the shops. It would promote on board spending and make the passenger feel like they are getting something. I work in retail you would be surprised how many people open a credit card at 29% interest to save 15% on their purchase. Most of these people are not paying the balance off when the bill comes in.

[chamima]

Like you, I cruise for itinerary and price. The unlimited laundry, generous Internet and 10% discount on all shop sales is nice. What keeps me sailing on Princess is the ability to book using a discount TA, often saving 10-20% and all of the OBC I can combine: TA, FCC, shareholder, promotion and loyalty, often adding up to over $500 OBC. Just re-booked my February cruise and I'm paying about $900 less than current pricing on Princess for the same cabin category. Add all of my OBC to that and it makes cruising Princess very attractive to me. My Elite and Loyalty perks are the icing on the cake. :)

 

We're Elite on Princess and Celebrity and there's no comparison.

We get 90 minutes (no matter how long the cruise) on Celebrity and, because we tend to take longer cruises, at least 250 on Princess.

We get one item each dry cleaned and one bag each washed for laundry on Celebrity and unlimited on Princess.

I like the mini bar because I can drink when I want on Princess. The free cocktail lounge on Celebrity is from 5 -7 (when we're either still at the pool or getting dressed) and they have a closed-toe shoe policy for their lounge (No joke, I was asked to leave once in my sandals) and I only take sandals on warm cruises.

 

Also, recently, the crew on Celebrity seems to have been cut, (as has live entertainment) making each crew member stressed and rushing around while Princess still retains the relaxed, smiling service we love.

 

And, as Pam said, we can combine all kinds of benefits on Princess and cannot on Celebrity.

So, why do we keep going back to Celebrity? Itinerary! Usually wins out every time. :o (The service issue may trump itinerary if it doesn't change in the future)