Best Loyalty Program

[Milwaukee Eight]

28 minutes ago, orville99 said:

I can buy the same vintage that's sold onboard for $100+ for less than $30 at Publix, so it's only quality wine if I pay the $100+????

Nothing but a myth. 

[grandgeezer]

90% of what we drink on a cruise is the same stuff we drink at home. Occasionally we'll try something different. We base our decision on what we like not what it cost, which means domestic beer, for the most part. Many years of practice led us to what we currently imbibe, and we make no excuse for it. 

[davekathy]

5 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

What beers on the list is qualify as a beer in your mind?

Budweiser and Heineken any day over Bud Light. 

[nelblu]

6 hours ago, orville99 said:

Bud Light doesn't even qualify as a beer - it's like sex in a canoe

 

What's wrong with that.

[Charles4515]

On 1/24/2019 at 8:23 PM, Onthetweendeck said:

 

 

Princess

From 16 cruises (roughly 112 days on 7 day itineraries) 151 days if you take longer cruises (someone please explain the logic in that policy). You get one mini-bar set up in your cabin even if both of you are Elite level, that's a total of 10 alcohol drinks plus mixers. Now lets say you prefer wine. They will take your entire mini-bar set up including mixers/water and give you (1) 750ml bottle of wine. So now your 10 alcohol drinks are down to 5 per cabin (again looking for the logic in this policy, I had $100 worth of drinks and now I have $40 if I prefer wine at boat pricing)

Negative: Un-fun boats, nothing for active people (please do not bring your kids on Princess unless you like purchasing unlimited Internet minutes to entertain them). No level above Elite to try to attain for better perks. Focus on Customer Satisfaction is non existent at the moment. Our observation is that they appear to be failing at attracting new repeat customers and the boats we were on recently were not sailing full. Therefore they are not awash in cash and if you have a problem on board don't expect that they will refund any cruise fare or shower you with perks.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't cruise for the perks and never had satisfaction issues on Princess. I book Princess often because they have the best itinerarys of the mainstream cruise lines. Royal Caribbean I book primarily for Caribbean cruises. Other cruise lines for Europe and elsewhere. Holland America and Princess for Alaska. Celebrity for Bermuda.

 

By the way you leave out generous internet perks on Princess. And free laundry at the Elite level. On Celebrity I get free specialty coffees at Elite Plus. Also on Celebrity 240 feee minutes. But I did not cruise for the perks. It just happened booking what I wanted, not from any loyalty to one cruise line or their loyalty program. 

Edited January 26, 2019 by Charles4515

[tallnthensome]

Loyalty and perks mean nothing if you're paying or paid to much for your cruise when comparing apples to apples and all things equal. We are loyal to no cruise line and weak perks don't entice us to be faithful in the least. I want the best deal and will take it no matter which cruise line it is. 

[neverbeenhere]

If liquor is the only perk one is interested, then...

 

all lines offer a mix of perks that are valuable to different cruisers. 

 

 

[Snowbird_in_training]

I always truly enjoy reading the threads from frequent cruisers discussing the lounges, benefits of diamond, diamond plus and pinnacle.  As some have stated, it’s a bit mind boggling to complain about the loss of benefits and, at the same time, proclaim that you have upwards of a dozen future cruises booked on the same line. 

 

Our next cruise will see us reach the diamond level.   We’re celebrating by taking a cruise five weeks later on NCL, our first on that line. Loyalty benefits are really nice, but for many people, not the only reason to choose a specific business.   For those who have seen benefits erode, most of us understand.  I still remember the “good old days” of air travel when you could book first class anywhere for 100,000 miles and have a concierge meet you at connecting flights.  Things change. 

[nelblu]

14 minutes ago, Snowbird_in_training said:

I always truly enjoy reading the threads from frequent cruisers discussing the lounges, benefits of diamond, diamond plus and pinnacle.  As some have stated, it’s a bit mind boggling to complain about the loss of benefits and, at the same time, proclaim that you have upwards of a dozen future cruises booked on the same line. 

 

Our next cruise will see us reach the diamond level.   We’re celebrating by taking a cruise five weeks later on NCL, our first on that line. Loyalty benefits are really nice, but for many people, not the only reason to choose a specific business.   For those who have seen benefits erode, most of us understand.  I still remember the “good old days” of air travel when you could book first class anywhere for 100,000 miles and have a concierge meet you at connecting flights.  Things change. 

 

 

Just for clarification, IMO the perks that RCL offers today are much better than they were some 15 years ago.  There was no dedicated DL and what you got was wine, water, soda and some peanuts and pretzels.  If you wanted beer and other liquor, you had to pay for it.   I espescially enjoy the DL/CL during the off hours as I can get a nice caffe latte and enjoy it while relaxing in a comfortable chair.  There are some that will always complain.

[Wordell1]

It bothers me that RC and Celebrity cruises are not on the same loyalty program.  

[Onthetweendeck]

As Wordell1 and others have commented. I find it insane that points are not cumulative within the parent company brands Carnival/Princess or Royal Caribbean/Celebrity, etc. So corporate if you are watching in on CC you would have a better shot at company loyalty with multiple brands as enticement.

[John&LaLa]

10 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Based on your math, it would be a savings to buy the drink package. 

 

10 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I was thinking the same thing based on the the price to buy it before the cruise. 

 

Hardly, no problem drinking what they give away.  Currently finishing 8 days on Adventure.  

 

Drink pkg would have cost $800+, that's a lot of spa treatments.  😉

 

Pay for what you want. Take advantage of what's offered. 

[John&LaLa]

10 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

What beers on the list is qualify as a beer in your mind?

 

Newcastle Brown Ale is free flowing on Adventure

[John&LaLa]

8 hours ago, orville99 said:

Nothing that's brewed in America qualifies as beer (they all use synthetic ingredients). Give me a German, Dutch, or Czech beer and I'm a happy camper. Give me a Guiness or Harp, and I'm good to go.

 

I miss English Newcastle. 

 

Bud products are fine with me.

 

What's a synthetic ingredient?🤔

[davekathy]

9 hours ago, orville99 said:

Nothing that's brewed in America qualifies as beer (they all use synthetic ingredients). Give me a German, Dutch, or Czech beer and I'm a happy camper. Give me a Guiness or Harp, and I'm good to go.

Include your Guinness as it has synthetic ingredients in it. 🍺

Edited January 27, 2019 by davekathy

[Charles4515]

Include your Guinness as it has synthetic ingredients in it. [emoji481]

 

Fish Bladder. But let’s face it beer is hardly healthy. I like Guinness anyway.

 

Those German beers are basically boring. American craft beer is where it is at for taste. There are some bad ones but there are some great ones. On Royal Caribbean the only good beer I found last week was the Newcastle Brown Ale. The brown color is caramel coloring but it tastes good....

 

 

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[grandgeezer]

12 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Based on your math, it would be a savings to buy the drink package. 

 The $420 savings is based on two people for seven days. The drink package would cost about $420 for a week, per person.

So you are saving $420, per couple using the coupons versus buying the package.

[grandgeezer]

10 hours ago, orville99 said:

Nothing that's brewed in America qualifies as beer (they all use synthetic ingredients). Give me a German, Dutch, or Czech beer and I'm a happy camper. Give me a Guiness or Harp, and I'm good to go.

Against my better judgement I did an extensive search on what constitutes "beer". No where could I find it couldn't include synthetic materials. Also a beer is designated "craft" strictly based on volume produced and ownership, nothing to do with materials or brewing. Putting craft designation indicates nothing but a higher price.

[samiam0403]

On 1/24/2019 at 7:23 PM, Onthetweendeck said:

Short answer: Royal Caribbean, for what you get at a relatively low number of cruise days, room to grow in the levels and fun ships to sail on while you wait for your upper lever perks. The other Lines are just not serious about your repeat business.

What we have learned in our extensive travel is to focus our spending on one brand within the categories (hotels, cruise lines, etc.).

If you spread your money around you will not attain the higher status levels of any one brand (where the serious perks start).

Quick look at the major players in the US market and focusing on the perks with real value (those items that will save you major money on commonly purchased extras).

 

Royal Caribbean.

 From 80 cruise days: 3 free alcohol drinks on your Sea Pass per day, plus use of the Diamond Lounge where you get unlimited alcohol drinks during set  hours.

 From 700 cruise days: Free 7 day cruise in a balcony cabin.

 Bonus: Fun ships for active adults and kids, with innovative amusement features on board (Flowriders, Bumper Cars, Skydiving Simulators, Slides, Ziplines, etc.) Focus on Customer Satisfaction has been Very Good to Excellent lately.

 

Norwegian

 From 80 days: some specialty dining (one with wine).

 From 700  days: one free 7 day cruise

Bonus: Fun ships, with Race cars, ropes courses, etc. Innovative, hip thinking management focus, from dining options to Craft Beer bars and amusement opportunities.

 

Carnival

Good to try but not the brand for a lifetime of cruising

From 200 days: One time cabin upgrade or 3&4th in your cabin free.

Bonus: Fun boats

 

 

I feel like you're listing all of the good things about Royal Caribbean, but almost nothing about the other lines. Weird. Having only sailed with Carnival (Platinum - close to Diamond), NCL (Platinum - nowhere close to Platinum Plus), and Royal (Only Gold), I'd like to clarify some things. I earned Platinum with Norwegian after 4 cruises thanks to multiple points for early booking and sailing in suites. For that level, I get 2 free specialty restaurant dinners for 2 (one of which includes a decent bottle of wine), a bottle of champagne upon boarding, priority boarding, free laundry, multiple past guest gatherings including alcohol, and a whole host of other perks. As far as Carnival, I earned Platinum with less than 70 days. And you left out their Milestone program - 25% off a cruise after 25 cruises, 50% off a cruise after 50 cruises, etc etc. So Royal gives you a free balcony after 700 days? I could get a free cruise after 300 days on Carnival. With all of that said, I am no longer loyal to any cruise line these days. I'm sailing on a 24 day cruise on Costa in March, and planning to try Celebrity and Oceania in the next year. Find the deal/ship/itinerary that makes you happy, and just do that. IMHO.

[frank808]

7 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

 

Hardly, no problem drinking what they give away.  Currently finishing 8 days on Adventure.  

 

Drink pkg would have cost $800+, that's a lot of spa treatments.  😉

 

Pay for what you want. Take advantage of what's offered. 

Will be on Serenade next week for 21 nights.  Wil get to drink my scewdrivers every night.  I can count on one hand the amount of times I drank liquor last year not on a cruise.  I buy Kirkland vodka which is cheaper than New Amsterdam so NA must be a step up for me 😊  I usually order double screwdrivers in SL and DL.  Funny thing is I prefer New Amsterdam to Ocean Vodka and Ocean is definitely more expensive.  Not everything that is more expensive makes it better, it depends on the person.   I would prefer Grey Goose over New Amsterdam, but since Royal is buying, I will drink the vodka as it is ok with orange juice.

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by frank808

[John&LaLa]

4 hours ago, samiam0403 said:

 

I feel like you're listing all of the good things about Royal Caribbean, but almost nothing about the other lines. Weird. Having only sailed with Carnival (Platinum - close to Diamond), NCL (Platinum - nowhere close to Platinum Plus), and Royal (Only Gold), I'd like to clarify some things. I earned Platinum with Norwegian after 4 cruises thanks to multiple points for early booking and sailing in suites. For that level, I get 2 free specialty restaurant dinners for 2 (one of which includes a decent bottle of wine), a bottle of champagne upon boarding, priority boarding, free laundry, multiple past guest gatherings including alcohol, and a whole host of other perks. As far as Carnival, I earned Platinum with less than 70 days. And you left out their Milestone program - 25% off a cruise after 25 cruises, 50% off a cruise after 50 cruises, etc etc. So Royal gives you a free balcony after 700 days? I could get a free cruise after 300 days on Carnival. With all of that said, I am no longer loyal to any cruise line these days. I'm sailing on a 24 day cruise on Costa in March, and planning to try Celebrity and Oceania in the next year. Find the deal/ship/itinerary that makes you happy, and just do that. IMHO.

 

What kind of reciprocity with other Carnival owned lines does Carnival Platinum get you?  Royal Diamond matches to Elite on Celebrity.

 

You really dont need 700 nights to get that free cruise on Royal.  Due to extra points for things like suites and solo cruises, you can do it with less than 300.  And the next freebie is only 350 more points.  3rd and subsequent freebies are Junior Suites, or a big credit. 

 

Edited January 27, 2019 by John&LaLa

[Charles4515]

It bothers me that RC and Celebrity cruises are not on the same loyalty program.  

I heard a rumor when onboard Harmony that a change with combined points was in the works but that might have been coming from wishful thinking.


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[orville99]

11 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I miss English Newcastle. 

 

Bud products are fine with me.

 

What's a synthetic ingredient?🤔

Synthetic hops in Bud and Miller for starters.

[boscobeans]

12 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

Against my better judgement I did an extensive search on what constitutes "beer". No where could I find it couldn't include synthetic materials. Also a beer is designated "craft" strictly based on volume produced and ownership, nothing to do with materials or brewing. Putting craft designation indicates nothing but a higher price.

 

As  per GERMAN LAWS  the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley and hops. This has been amended over the years to include YEAST and in more modern times some clarifying or fining products can be used. 

 

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)  defines real ale as beer that is produced and stored in the traditional way and ferments in the dispense container to produce a reduction in gravity. It is also dispensed by a system that does not apply any gas or gas mixture to the beer other than by the traditional Scottish air pressure system. They allow water, barley, hops and yeast along with some fining agents and to produce or adjust final carbonation some sugars may be added when the product is kegged. The final carbonation takes place IN THE BARREL, not like most swill where flat finished beer is carbonated, like soda pop, and then canned, bottled or kegged.

 

Real bottled beers or ales will have a sediment in the keg or bottle which is the residual yeast left from the carbonation process and is either left behind when dispensed from a barrel or pouring off the bottle or consumed along with the entire contents.

[boscobeans]

13 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Fish Bladder.

Some if not most beers and ales do use products like gelatins, Irish Moss, even plastics, to make all the solids (yeast by products) drop out and clarify the brew. FININGS.

 

13 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Newcastle Brown Ale. The brown color is caramel coloring but it tastes good....

 

Newcastle stopped using caramel about 5 years ago and now uses naturally roasted barley to obtain the color and richer taste.

13 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

 

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