Loyalty Program - tangible benefits - are there any?

[ithaca gal]

We love the free laundry … even if it is only a $49 perk per week

 

We love the 50% discount on specialty restaurants. We go to Tamarind often, along with the other specialty outlets.

 

Priority boarding is nice -- if the vacation begins with day one, then I believe in getting on the ship and starting the holiday as soon as possible!

 

We do not drink, so we don't miss any cocktails offered by other lines. I wish there was a better internet perk BUT …….. I don't go on cruises to stay attached to the internet!

[Hlitner]

We love the free laundry … even if it is only a $49 perk per week

 

We love the 50% discount on specialty restaurants. We go to Tamarind often, along with the other specialty outlets.

 

Priority boarding is nice -- if the vacation begins with day one, then I believe in getting on the ship and starting the holiday as soon as possible!

 

We do not drink, so we don't miss any cocktails offered by other lines. I wish there was a better internet perk BUT …….. I don't go on cruises to stay attached to the internet!

 

We agree but sometimes the priority boarding can be a funny experience. On one Prinsendam cruise we arrived at the port, cleared security, and were routed to the priority line (we were only 4 Star at the time). We immediately noticed that the priority line was quite long but there was only 2 or 3 people waiting for the regular line. So DW and I ducked under the chain and got in the regular line where we were quickly checked-in while thos in priority continued to wait :). As we were walking away from the check-in counter to board the vessel we heard a lady (in the priority) line say something to her companion like "I am not getting into the regular line!" On that particular cruise nearly 3/4 of the passengers were 4 or 5 Star Mariners so priority was anything but.

 

But this is not just a HAL thing. We are usually priority on several other lines and have witnessed the same thing at other embarkations. We simply look for the shortest line and could care less if we give up our "priority" status. But sure do love the discounts and free laundry :).

 

Hank

[Tabbymom]

I went with my mom on her last cruise on the Noordam out of Fort Lauderdale - she was a 4 star Mariner and used wheelchair assist. We were literally the first passengers on the ship. She wanted her own veranda cabin and when I tried to book myself into an interior across the hall, she insisted I should have a veranda also. She wanted to go straight to her cabin and start unpacking exactly how she had done for years. She kicked me out and I went all over the ship taking pictures of empty venues.

 

Mom loved the free laundry and was excited to use the 50% at the Pinnacle - she had never done specialty dining since all her cruises for many years had been on her own. She also liked the Captain's cocktail party (although she didn't bother meeting the Captain) and the welcome aboard luncheon. I was able to share her internet minutes (forgot how many; this was a few years ago.) She also liked all the mementos that went along with advancing through levels and such. I have her last medallion and am tempted to wear it on my Eurodam cruise next month.

[crystalspin]

Tabbymom: I think you should wear the medallion! What a special memory!

[ellieanne]

We agree but sometimes the priority boarding can be a funny experience. On one Prinsendam cruise we arrived at the port, cleared security, and were routed to the priority line (we were only 4 Star at the time). We immediately noticed that the priority line was quite long but there was only 2 or 3 people waiting for the regular line. So DW and I ducked under the chain and got in the regular line where we were quickly checked-in while thos in priority continued to wait :). As we were walking away from the check-in counter to board the vessel we heard a lady (in the priority) line say something to her companion like "I am not getting into the regular line!" On that particular cruise nearly 3/4 of the passengers were 4 or 5 Star Mariners so priority was anything but.

 

But this is not just a HAL thing. We are usually priority on several other lines and have witnessed the same thing at other embarkations. We simply look for the shortest line and could care less if we give up our "priority" status. But sure do love the discounts and free laundry :).

 

Hank

 

When I flew through Vancouver to get to a cruise, the line for people with TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry/priority screening line was much longer and slower than the line for people without at the Security checkpoint to get to the gates. It was one time when it was easier for me without all the clearance documents than it was for my brother with, even though I had to take off my shoes and have a bag completely unpacked to be screened. Sometimes when everyone has priority, no one does.

 

I feel the same way about priority tendering when there is large number of 4/5* Mariners on each ship. If everyone is special, no-one is.

 

As for the tangibility of the perks, that's a judgment call or each individual to make. I think the free laundry is worth it for me. I don't like the upcharge restaurants, so even with the 50% discount, I'm not going to eat at them. But the discount at the Explorations Cafe is definitely worth it to me, and it means I'll buy more hot cocoas than I would otherwise.

 

As for things that would definitely be a perk to me, 50% off non-alcoholic standard beverages (cokes, fruit juices, etc., not the handcrafted non-alcoholic mixed drinks) at the bar would be fantastic! I don't drink, but half-price cokes would definitely encourage me to spend a bit more.

[RocketMan275]

Hi All

 

I cruise occasionally with HAL.

 

Are there any worthwhile loyalty benefits similar to Celebrity.

 

Just asking.

 

Thanks

 

Annie

Question: what Celebrity benefits do you think are worthwhile?

[anniegb]

Question: what Celebrity benefits do you think are worthwhile?

 

These are the perks I tend to use but not always.

 

Free cocktail session for 2 hours most evenings.

 

1 free cabin upgrade.

150 minutes free internet.

Free pressing for 2 items.

1 bag free laundry.

Priority tendering.

 

I listed these in post #17

 

I forgot there is priority embarkation but sometimes it is quicker to use the non-priority lines.

 

The other perks I use occasionally include:

 

Captain's Club breakfast.

Separate departure lounge.

 

I am just surprised that HAL's perks are not as generous.

 

Annie

[RocketMan275]

These are the perks I tend to use but not always.

 

 

Free cocktail session for 2 hours most evenings.

 

1 free cabin upgrade.

150 minutes free internet.

Free pressing for 2 items.

1 bag free laundry.

Priority tendering.

 

I listed these in post #17

 

I forgot there is priority embarkation but sometimes it is quicker to use the non-priority lines.

 

The other perks I use occasionally include:

 

Captain's Club breakfast.

Separate departure lounge.

 

I am just surprised that HAL's perks are not as generous.

 

Annie

Thank you.

[OlsSalt]

These are the perks I tend to use but not always.

 

 

Free cocktail session for 2 hours most evenings.

 

1 free cabin upgrade.

150 minutes free internet.

Free pressing for 2 items.

1 bag free laundry.

Priority tendering.

 

I listed these in post #17

 

I forgot there is priority embarkation but sometimes it is quicker to use the non-priority lines.

 

The other perks I use occasionally include:

 

Captain's Club breakfast.

Separate departure lounge.

 

I am just surprised that HAL's perks are not as generous.

 

Annie

 

Pretty impossible to sort out the Celebrity perks on their website - a oonfusing mish-mash and what it takes to get to different levels, though it appears to be based upon days sailed; not just the amount of money spent onboard too.

 

Maybe Celebrity needs to offer more perks to get people to sail them more frequently? Getting generous "free laundry" can pay for a few more beverages on HAL, that one gets "for free" on Celebrity. No clear apples to apples comparisons here without knowing what it takes to get to each loyalty offering perk.

[hrhdhd]

Are HAL perks reciprocal across the Carnival brands, as they are on Royal C? I'm pretty sure they're not, but since we're discussing perks, thought I'd ask!

 

No, they are not.

[iancal]

The value of perks depends on each person's preferences and practices.

 

The only time we consider perks is if there is a 'tie' between two ships in different cruise lines. HAL would never win. We do not consider their perks to be very generous and it seems to us that it takes too long to reach any level that provides something worthwhile. We find it very straightforward to put a monetary value on the perks that we do, or that we would use.

[Jade13]

 

I am just surprised that HAL's perks are not as generous.

 

 

 

Annie

 

 

They are very poor in comparison to Celebrity. You need a lot of sea days and points to get any worthwhile benefit and they still are not that great. No free internet, evening cocktail party with included drinks, or breakfast in a private restaurant with Mimosas.

 

Also note, even though HAL gives unlimited laundry when you reach 4 star, you can actually pay for unlimited laundry (last time we used it, it was $7.00 per day for both people in the cabin paid for the entire cruise (so $70.00 for a 10 night cruise, $98.00 for a 14 night, etc.).

 

 

 

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Edited September 30, 2018 by Jade13

[molole]

I read that HAL count your on board spending toward Mariner's points too. How does it work? It's so hard to find anything on HAL's new website. :(

[kazu]

I read that HAL count your on board spending toward Mariner's points too. How does it work? It's so hard to find anything on HAL's new website. :(

 

On board spending (which includes booking pre-cruise on line) gives you 1 mariner point for every $300 spent. (HAL is quite generous at rounding up).

 

OBC you buy on line doesn't count (but it does count once it is spent) nor is casino spending supposed to count.

[molole]

On board spending (which includes booking pre-cruise on line) gives you 1 mariner point for every $300 spent. (HAL is quite generous at rounding up).

 

OBC you buy on line doesn't count (but it does count once it is spent) nor is casino spending supposed to count.

 

Thank you Kazu!

 

That's pretty cool. That gives me an idea, I will buy everything on my account and reach 5 Mariners sooner than hubby! :D:D

[bay guy]

We did about half of the HAL world cruise this year. It was our first HAL cruise in over 30 years so we had no loyalty status perks. I was concerned that, being low on the totem pole, we would feel like second class cruisers. However, those fears were quickly dispelled by the way we were treated by the crew and we soon realized that, with so many 4 and 5 star Mariners on board, we actually fared better than them in certain aspects.

Boarding: The line for us much much shorter and faster than for the upper tier members.

Tendering: No priority given. Everyone had to wait in line for tender tickets. First come, first served. Believe me, there was lots of grumbling about that by some of the upper tier members.

I know that the upper tier members had some functions which we weren't able to participate in but overall we felt we were equally included in all of the important functions on the ship.

I'm sure the differences between member tiers may be more apparent on shorter cruises.

 

As someone pointed out earlier, some upper tier folks guard their status very carefully and jealously. There are a couple of posters on Cruise Critic who fall into that category and are very vocal about their status and get fairly upset if they see lower tier folks "encroaching" on their status.

 

I look at it this way. We all paid our fare and we all want to have a good time. I realize that some may have perks available to them, for past loyalty, and that's fine. As long as you don't laud your loyalty status over me, it's all good. However, if you do laud that over me, I'm going to find some way to push back at you just to see you fuss and fume a little more over something which means very little in the grand scheme of things.

[crystalspin]

That's pretty cool. That gives me an idea, I will buy everything on my account and reach 5 Mariners sooner than hubby! :D:D

 

I know you were joshing, but just to add details -- the first two people in a stateroom share the Bonus Points (from spending); third or fourth get only "day" points. So assuming you share a cabin with your DH, you each get a point for each $300.

 

You can only get as many Bonus Points as there are Day points, no matter if you somehow find a way to spend more than $300/day.

[iancal]

It is down to cost benefit for us. We narrow it down to two ships either of which we would be happy to sail.

 

Then is is down to the bottom line. We place OUR value on any perks, net it all out and select the best overall value. This assumes itinerary and port times are equal. That, plus smoking/no smoking in the casino etc has also been a final selection criteria.

 

We do not count the feel good perks like priority this or that. Completely meaningless to us. As someone else mentioned, more than once we have switched from the so called 'priority' boarding line to the great unwashed line because is was shorter. We do not need to have our egos stroked.

[sail7seas]

It is down to cost benefit for us. We narrow it down to two ships either of which we would be happy to sail.

 

Then is is down to the bottom line. We place OUR value on any perks, net it all out and select the best overall value. This assumes itinerary and port times are equal. That, plus smoking/no smoking in the casino etc has also been a final selection criteria.

 

We do not count the feel good perks like priority this or that. Completely meaningless to us. As someone else mentioned, more than once we have switched from the so called 'priority' boarding line to the great unwashed line because is was shorter. We do not need to have our egos stroked.

 

 

 

I would guess many here do the same or similar.

[cruises42]

How many points equal a star?

[Ken the cruiser]

The only perks worth having are the stockholder (on all Carnival Line) and the military OBC on Princess. I simply don't see the 'loyalty perks' as anything to get excited about. Nothing there to convince me to sail on a specific cruise line.

We agree, the military OBC is definitely a plus for us when we book a Princess cruise as both my DW and I are retired from the USAF. On top of that we can usually get a Vista Suite on Princess for just a little more than a Vista Suite on a HAL cruise, which is another big plus with all that comes with booking a Princess suite!

 

But as others have said, for us it's all about the itinerary! The other stuff just makes our decision more enjoyable depending on which cruise line we pick.

[crystalspin]

How many points equal a star?

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/mariner-society/documents/Holland-America-cruises-Mariner-Reward-Chart_WorldWide.pdf

 

 

Personal experience: It is a long way from 3* to 4*.

[DaveOKC]

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/mariner-society/documents/Holland-America-cruises-Mariner-Reward-Chart_WorldWide.pdf

 

 

Personal experience: It is a long way from 3* to 4*.

 

And even longer to 5* from 4* (200 to 500 as I recall).

[iancal]

The cruise lines all have these benefits. Some better than others.

 

The bottom line is that these benefits are very minor when their value to the average cruise is compared to the cost of the cruise itself. We would never be swayed to one cruise line over another based on the perks. We are hardly going to give the nod to any one cruise line based on getting a bag of laundry washed gratis, a half price meal, or a some internet minutes. It is a minor consideration in the grand scheme of things.

[carolmacey]

I'm a 4-star Mariner. The loyalty benefits I appreciate most are:

Free laundry,

50% discount at specialty restaurants,

50% discount on wine packages.

Our next cruise will put us at 4-star. Free laundry, etc is great. 50% off wine and restaurants makes them doable.