Met head of Loyalty for Celebrity

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

15 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

I’m reading this thread with interest, and some trepidation. DH and I will experience Elite benefits (yes Elite, not Elite+ or Zenith) for the first time on our upcoming transatlantic cruise on Edge. We earned all our Captain’s Club points on Celebrity, the only line we have sailed. 

 

I had been looking forward to the Captain’s Club cocktail party aboard Edge, because I had hoped to have the opportunity to converse with other people who love travel, by land or by water. I had hoped to have a chance to converse with some of you, or people like you. Many of you have been so generous to the Cruise Critic community, sharing tips, warnings, and private shore excursions, that I have felt welcome, even when I was a cruise newbie. However, some of the comments I have read on this thread, and others, in which Captain’s Club members seem to be dividing themselves into factions by level, and even by how that level was achieved, lead me to wonder if I will feel welcome at the Captain’s Club cocktail party. 

 

Though I don’t anticipate reaching Zenith, I have friends who are in the middle of that vast gap between Elite+ and Zenith. It certainly seems reasonable and fair to add another level midway between the two. 

 

I'll never reach Zenith either.  I refer to myself as Zen--stuck in that vast oasis between Elite + and Zenith.  As far as meeting people on board, some of the most interesting people I've met have been by sharing a table at breakfast or lunch in the cafe or sharing a table in the dining room at dinner.  Or by hooking up with a great group to play Trivia with.  Although I understand it's all done on computers these days.  No human interaction.  I rarely attend the Captain's Club cocktail parties because they're all the way on the other end of the ship.  My old legs like the path of least resistance, especially if they've already hiked to the Sky Lounge twice that day to play Trivia.  

Edited March 18, 2019 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[richsea]

32 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

  Shoot, even MSC Yacht Club has that figured out--a butler escorts you on board and to the gangway when exiting, bypassing all sorts of horrendous lines.  For a LOT less money that one pays in a high-end suite on Celebrity.  There are other cruiselines out there.

Heck, I remember when everyone was escorted to their room upon boarding a Celebrity ship, regardless of what type room you were in.

[verizon]

I haven't read a thread here that Zeniths not happy with the Generous Perk that Celebrity offered.In fact Celebrity offered one of the best pecks of the cruise industries.

I became Zenith with 32 cruises and most of my cruises are in Suite.

The welcoming receptions from the MC concierge are never the same since become Zenith.

I wish that never happened.

 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

If the new ships have 600 or so Suite Guests there will never be a concierge available to escort each one on or off the ship.   Perhaps they should provide this to a more limited number of passengers in the higher end suites.    If you are paying thousands more for a higher end Suite there should be additional perks.   When Celebrity changed to the current suite program the Celebrity Suites were downgraded and only receive the perks given to Sky Suite guests.

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Silkroad said:

I’m reading this thread with interest, and some trepidation. DH and I will experience Elite benefits (yes Elite, not Elite+ or Zenith) for the first time on our upcoming transatlantic cruise on Edge. We earned all our Captain’s Club points on Celebrity, the only line we have sailed. 

 

I had been looking forward to the Captain’s Club cocktail party aboard Edge, because I had hoped to have the opportunity to converse with other people who love travel, by land or by water. I had hoped to have a chance to converse with some of you, or people like you. Many of you have been so generous to the Cruise Critic community, sharing tips, warnings, and private shore excursions, that I have felt welcome, even when I was a cruise newbie. However, some of the comments I have read on this thread, and others, in which Captain’s Club members seem to be dividing themselves into factions by level, and even by how that level was achieved, lead me to wonder if I will feel welcome at the Captain’s Club cocktail party. 

 

Though I don’t anticipate reaching Zenith, I have friends who are in the middle of that vast gap between Elite+ and Zenith. It certainly seems reasonable and fair to add another level midway between the two. 

 

You will be welcome  and   no one will care what your status level is.....but the party will probably  be more crowded than  parties in the past..esp on a transatlantic...Get there early and enjoy!

[hcat]

57 minutes ago, richsea said:

Heck, I remember when everyone was escorted to their room upon boarding a Celebrity ship, regardless of what type room you were in.

 

Yup...Those were the days of Modern Luxury, and everyone onboard was treated like a Celebrity!  Now X is  just like Royal....but not everyone is treated like Royalty.

[WL246]

2 hours ago, Cruise it or lose it said:

We met Maya once. She was absolutely wonderful. Great at her job and a good sense of humor.  No one has compared to her.since. Do you know where she is now?

 

2 hours ago, jcpc said:

Once again, Ma Bell, you hit the nail directly on the head.  I agree - who cares how or why someone attained Zenith level.  BUT not all Zeniths feel that way.  The way it was explained to me was this:  If someone were to sail on 10-night cruises in the PH they would be Zenith after 17 cruises.  However, if that person sailed in Balcony cabins he or she would need to sail 100 times to attain Zenith level.  Some folks feel that 17 cruises does not make you LOYAL to the brand whereas 100 cruises does make you loyal to the brand.   

 

I have a similar sailing history as you do.  My first Celebrity cruise was in the early 90's.  I've sailed Celebrity almost exclusively since then because I thought, and still think, that Celebrity offers me what I'm looking for.  Has it changed since the 90's?  Sure it has - but what hasn't??  I was never able to take advantage of "last minute deals" as I was working.  I started sailing in inside cabins then gradually moved up to outside, balcony, and more recently have been lucky enough to sometimes sail in suites.  Would I have attained Zenith by now if I wasn't lucky enough to sail in suites?  I don't know!!  Probably not!  But who cares.  Status means nothing to me  and I'm happy with the free beverage package and free internet!  (Although I will say in my younger days I would have benefited from the "free drinks" perk but as I got older I find I can't drink like I did when I was younger!!! LOL)

 

 

 

[WL246]

Maya was or still on Reflection. A great person.

 

[MizDemeanor]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

If the new ships have 600 or so Suite Guests there will never be a concierge available to escort each one on or off the ship.   Perhaps they should provide this to a more limited number of passengers in the higher end suites.    If you are paying thousands more for a higher end Suite there should be additional perks.   When Celebrity changed to the current suite program the Celebrity Suites were downgraded and only receive the perks given to Sky Suite guests.

NCL escorts their guests in groups to The Haven. Once cabins are open to enjoy one is free to go to it. Ditto for port access and disembarkation on last day. 

[Xport]

50 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

If the new ships have 600 or so Suite Guests there will never be a concierge available to escort each one on or off the ship.   Perhaps they should provide this to a more limited number of passengers in the higher end suites.

 

Not all suite/Zenith guests disembark at the same time, not all avail themselves of Priority Disembarkation via Michael’s Club or The Retreat, and escorts tend to assist groups seeking a relatively common time of departure...

 

Yesterday, my supposedly expedited departure group from Edge numbered about forty guests with one escort in two elevators (which are a good bit larger than on other X ships).  The process works like a charm on M-Class and S-Class given that Michael’s Club is located on Deck 5; out a back door to the open deck and a very brief walk to Security.  On Edge, The Retreat Lounge meeting point is located far forward on Deck 15 with the gangway midship on Deck 5 via multiple and rather circuitous queues...

 

I’ll be back aboard Edge for next month’s Transatlantic, now that I know how it works—or doesn’t—doubt I’ll attempt escorted disembark from Edge again unless they relocate the meeting point from The Retreat Lounge to someplace like Blu (Deck 5 with access to the open deck/proximity to the gangway; same orientation as Michael’s Club on other ships) would, to my mind, work perfectly with far less mess for eligible guests/far less effort by crew while preserving the concept in a far more sensible way...

[TommyD3]

3 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

 Shoot, even MSC Yacht Club has that figured out--a butler escorts you on board and to the gangway when exiting, bypassing all sorts of horrendous lines.  For a LOT less money that one pays in a high-end suite on Celebrity.  There are other cruiselines out there.

When we boarded Edge two weeks ago we were in the first group onboard because we arrived about 30 min before embarkations began. Unlike other Celebrity ships there was NO ONE who escorted the group onboard !!! We all just followed the path to the gangway and onboard the ship. My family then went to our cabins to get our seapass cards since they are no longer handed out in the terminal and are needed for Retreat access.

[C-Dragons]

4 hours ago, Silkroad said:

I’m reading this thread with interest, and some trepidation. DH and I will experience Elite benefits (yes Elite, not Elite+ or Zenith) for the first time on our upcoming transatlantic cruise on Edge. We earned all our Captain’s Club points on Celebrity, the only line we have sailed. 

 

I had been looking forward to the Captain’s Club cocktail party aboard Edge, because I had hoped to have the opportunity to converse with other people who love travel, by land or by water. I had hoped to have a chance to converse with some of you, or people like you. Many of you have been so generous to the Cruise Critic community, sharing tips, warnings, and private shore excursions, that I have felt welcome, even when I was a cruise newbie. However, some of the comments I have read on this thread, and others, in which Captain’s Club members seem to be dividing themselves into factions by level, and even by how that level was achieved, lead me to wonder if I will feel welcome at the Captain’s Club cocktail party. 

 

Though I don’t anticipate reaching Zenith, I have friends who are in the middle of that vast gap between Elite+ and Zenith. It certainly seems reasonable and fair to add another level midway between the two. 

I look forward to meeting and talking to you on the Edge next month. 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Xport said:

 

Not all suite/Zenith guests disembark at the same time, not all avail themselves of Priority Disembarkation via Michael’s Club or The Retreat, and escorts tend to assist groups seeking a relatively common time of departure...

 

Yesterday, my supposedly expedited departure group from Edge numbered about forty guests with one escort in two elevators (which are a good bit larger than on other X ships).  The process works like a charm on M-Class and S-Class given that Michael’s Club is located on Deck 5; out a back door to the open deck and a very brief walk to Security.  On Edge, The Retreat Lounge meeting point is located far forward on Deck 15 with the gangway midship on Deck 5 via multiple and rather circuitous queues...

 

I’ll be back aboard Edge for next month’s Transatlantic, now that I know how it works—or doesn’t—doubt I’ll attempt escorted disembark from Edge again unless they relocate the meeting point from The Retreat Lounge to someplace like Blu (Deck 5 with access to the open deck/proximity to the gangway; same orientation as Michael’s Club on other ships) would, to my mind, work perfectly with far less mess for eligible guests/far less effort by crew while preserving the concept in a far more sensible way...

 

On  our AQ  cruise in Jan we decided not to do walk off...too much luggage and the long  walk to get off.  We never received  a departure form to fill out ahead of time & were given a ridiculously high group number.   Our attendant said everyone on our floor (9) other than suites were assigned to the same group...Guess it was easier for guest rel that way.  We called GR  and went down right away, and received a much more reasonable group #.

 

On departure day, based on the elev log jams  we experienced early on,  we skipped BLU breakfast and also the Elite  departure  meeting point..I think it was in Tuscan. Went to the to the theater instead... we left as soon as our group was called...no elev needed.   We did the steep downward walk  off the ship....luggage was easily located.( relief!) .

At Customs,   lines were loosely formed. We were scanned, asked no ques and were  on our way ..no customs forms needed anymore.

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by hcat

[Silkroad]

49 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

I look forward to meeting and talking to you on the Edge next month. 

You’ll know me at sail away by my cool t-shirt😁

Edited March 19, 2019 by Silkroad

[Shadow9612]

14 hours ago, TeeRick said:

hcat I understand as I am also E+.  But as E+ why do I care what paying suite guests get vs my loyalty perks? Or how they are treated as suite guests vs. how I am treated as a loyalty member (which is usually great by the way)?   It is not a relevant comparison IMO.

I agree.  

 

I have never had the opportunity to sale in a suite, due entirely to the huge cost difference on the sailings I am able to go on (eg due to my work schedule). Often the price of a Sky Suite is almost double what I pay.

 

I still look forward to achieving higher levels in Captain's Club. I'm happy with the benefits I receive.

 

I'm not bothered if Suite guests receive more perks, because in my view, they are paying a lot extra for those perks/services.

[Oville]

1 hour ago, TommyD3 said:

When we boarded Edge two weeks ago we were in the first group onboard because we arrived about 30 min before embarkations began. Unlike other Celebrity ships there was NO ONE who escorted the group onboard !!! We all just followed the path to the gangway and onboard the ship. My family then went to our cabins to get our seapass cards since they are no longer handed out in the terminal and are needed for Retreat access.

But were you not escorted to the elevator that took you up to the Suites embankment waiting area and greeted by Celebrity staff?  Once there offered coffee, juice, water and pastries?  While relaxing someone checked us in and at our leisure we could board as this lounge area is right at the gangway?

 

I guess we had very different expectations, the Suites embankment on Edge we thought was very nice.  

Edited March 19, 2019 by Oville

[Ma Bell]

Honestly, if someone has time to come and greet us or escort us off it's nice but if we've been around long enough to be Zenith I think we might know where to go and what to do.

[Oville]

39 minutes ago, Ma Bell said:

Honestly, if someone has time to come and greet us or escort us off it's nice but if we've been around long enough to be Zenith I think we might know where to go and what to do.

In late January on Edge bypassed the Retreat disembarkation, left our cabin at 8:00 and in our car but 8:20.  When we got to the gangway deck we were asked what number tag we had and were  told to proceed directly to the gangway.  Much prefer that than waiting in mass to be escorted off together.

 

Thanks for your insight on this thread, you have been very insightful and helpful.  Katie

Edited March 19, 2019 by Oville

[varoo]

1 hour ago, Ma Bell said:

Honestly, if someone has time to come and greet us or escort us off it's nice but if we've been around long enough to be Zenith I think we might know where to go and what to do.

 

Even those of us who are not Zenith are able to find our way around a ship that we have cruised on before.  We really do not want or need an escort.

 

When we first started cruising with Celebrity, they used to escort all passengers to their staterooms on the first day when we boarded the ship.  In those days, they used to leave all the stateroom doors propped open until the occupants arrived. 

 

We liked to wander down the corridors very slowly, peeking into the staterooms along the way to get a look at all the different types of accommodations.

When you had an escort, the escort would hurry along to get you to your destination as quickly as possible. 

 

So we would decline the escort saying "Oh thanks, that is very kind of you but we know exactly where our cabin is located.  Why don't you just help someone else instead who is new and can really use your help."

 

[crazyman3]

On 3/14/2019 at 10:57 PM, cruisestitch said:

But please, no Buy-one-get-one-free perks which single cruisers will never be able to use.

 

And no 'children come free' because some of us have no children!

[crazyman3]

We're sailing with Azamara next year.

 

We like the itinerary --- West coast of Africa.

 

Our Elite + status should serve us well but as we have booked a good suite, the loyalty perks count for little. This seems to be the same on X. If we're in a CS or a Sig.Suite on a X ship, the loyalty perks are small. Shame.

 

We have a X cruise booked for this coming August but that's it, nothing else booked with them. Perhaps we'll book X again or perhaps we'll move to Azamara. 

 

Interestingly, I received a survey through a survey company. It was about loyalty programmes on cruise ships. It was obviously about the RC brand including AZ  and X.

I was on the AZ forum here on CC and found that some passengers were also sent the survey directly by AZ. 

Have X sent our surveys to some passengers? Is X using the Zeniths to invite opinions instead of sending out surveys?

  

[TommyD3]

6 hours ago, Oville said:

But were you not escorted to the elevator that took you up to the Suites embankment waiting area and greeted by Celebrity staff?  Once there offered coffee, juice, water and pastries?  While relaxing someone checked us in and at our leisure we could board as this lounge area is right at the gangway?

 

I guess we had very different expectations, the Suites embankment on Edge we thought was very nice.  

None of the Zeniths were on the list a of passengers allowed access to the suite lounge in the terminal. We were able to convince them since our boarding pass paperwork said "Zenith" to allow us access. What I was referring to was the embarkation on the ship itself. When the first group of suite/Zenith passengers embark on ALL the other Celebrity ships there is someone (normally the MCC) who escorts them onboard. This did not happen on the Edge.

[wrk2cruise]

One piece of feedback to Ms Shey is that I'm opposed to the type of offers like the one that came out yesterday, "Sail with the CEO and get 15 bonus points".   

 

The Captains Club program has always rewarded loyalty in terms of amount of sailing with Celebrity.  Originally it was number of cruises plus duration (1 extra point for longer cruises) and category (1 extra point for CC and higher).  The the revamped program got a bit more granular with rewards by days sailing and category of stateroom.

 

Only once I believe after the new points system was introduced were there bonus points use to entice people to book AQ with a 25 point bonus.  At that time people used that to bump themselves to the next level.

 

The recent promo for bonus points for booking Choice Air didn't bother me as much as you were technically "buying their product".

 

But to just hype a couple of sailings with and executive.  Come on...    Are they testing this out to use loyalty points to entice people to book over priced sailings they can't move otherwise??

 

[Luvcrusn]

17 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

One piece of feedback to Ms Shey is that I'm opposed to the type of offers like the one that came out yesterday, "Sail with the CEO and get 15 bonus points".   

 

The Captains Club program has always rewarded loyalty in terms of amount of sailing with Celebrity.  Originally it was number of cruises plus duration (1 extra point for longer cruises) and category (1 extra point for CC and higher).  The the revamped program got a bit more granular with rewards by days sailing and category of stateroom.

 

Only once I believe after the new points system was introduced were there bonus points use to entice people to book AQ with a 25 point bonus.  At that time people used that to bump themselves to the next level.

 

The recent promo for bonus points for booking Choice Air didn't bother me as much as you were technically "buying their product".

 

But to just hype a couple of sailings with and executive.  Come on...    Are they testing this out to use loyalty points to entice people to book over priced sailings they can't move otherwise??

 

I have read quite a bit on these boards that indicates long time X cruisers harbor quite a bit of ill feelings if not outright resentment toward the current CEO. The perception that she's now promoting the opportunity to sail with her as a privilege to be cherished on multiple overpriced cruises yearly seems to stoke that resentment.  She has changed many things on X and doesn't seem to care about the push back because so far the bottom line is healthy. It remains to be seen whether or not that will continue.  As long as it continues the current changes will continue along the track. I haven't seen any indication that she cares about loyalty programs. It's my perception that she's more interested in attracting a new demographic to the cruise line and although that is paramount to it's future continued success, it would serve her well to retain the "modern luxury" history that is their foundation. Many people, myself included, resent the current pricing games, which have caused many of us to change our booking strategy from booking as soon as itineraries open to after final payment. The variations in weekly crazy pricing promotions are something many loyal X cruisers would like to see go away more than they'd like to cruise with the CEO or an extra load of laundry. I don't for a moment believe that X is looking at Cruise Critic to see how they can improve the Captains Club program and increase give aways as is being discussed on this thread. It's more likely that if they are reading this thread at all they're doing so with a view of seeing what's not valued by members that can be removed without too much push back.

[hcat]

11 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

I agree.  

 

I have never had the opportunity to sale in a suite, due entirely to the huge cost difference on the sailings I am able to go on (eg due to my work schedule). Often the price of a Sky Suite is almost double what I pay.

 

I still look forward to achieving higher levels in Captain's Club. I'm happy with the benefits I receive.

 

I'm not bothered if Suite guests receive more perks, because in my view, they are paying a lot extra for those perks/services.

 I have already said...It's  not the perks that others get that are an issue..They get them as part of their booking at a much higher fare. 

 

It is the diminution and pull back of  special  focus for loyalty  groups that has taken place on X.  E  and E plus are not very special anymore ( further diluted by Royal  crossover).   Old saying  "Take from Peter to pay Paul". What one segment gains, another loses.  The new loyalty rep can hopefully re- invigorate the the program with a few more incentives.

 

 We still enjoy cruising with X,   mostly happy with the perks  and look forward to any news about a new Cap Club Level or a few new perks ...