Met head of Loyalty for Celebrity

[upwarduk]

12 hours ago, cruiseerf said:

 

5)  Merge the frequent cruiser programs already.....We would def book more cruises with RCL other lines if there was ONE frequent cruiser program...especially now that Silversea is part of the family and we have always wanted to "try" one of those Oasis class ships.

I agree. You can earn points on Azamara which increase your Captains Club level, so cruising on Royal should also increase your status.

i would also like to see better allowance of internet minutes. In 2017 we cruised with Princess. We were Ruby level ( via previous P&O cruises). After that cruise we reached Platinum. If we cruise with them again we will get a very generous 240 Internet minutes for a 14 night cruise ( compared to 90 free minutes as Elite on Celebrity!!)

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by upwarduk

[doubled]

I think adding a level between Elite+ and Zenith would make sense.  A good target would be 1500 points which is double Elite+.  We are Elite + and feel we will never reach Zenith so are considering other lines.  More lines have packages available that include extras so you don't feel you get anything on the cruise.  Seems would be a good business decision as I know it would entice us to consider Celebrity even more.  They are are line of choice but we are open to trying other lines more than in the past.

 

Art

[C-Dragons]

We appreciate Celebrity's Captain's Club program as it is. That being said, the proposal to add small “Milestone benefits” does sound like a nice option.

 

We cruise because we love to cruise. We've never chosen a cruise line based on their loyalty program and never will. We have cruised other lines in the past, but Celebrity is our favorite. Over the years they have offered a consistently good product. Sure there have been occasional hiccups along the way, but in our opinion, Celebrity listens and does their best to adapt and keep their customers happy. As we move up in the “Club” we see no need for special luncheons on embarkation day, or free dinners in Specialty restaurants. And we don’t think that having reciprocal status on other brands is a very good idea, or even necessary. What's more important to us is good food, excellent service, nice accommodations and the feeling like we're “coming back home” when we board.

 

Recently I've read on CC about the disappointment and displeasure of Zenith's not being allowed access to certain areas of Celebrity ships which are for those who have paid to be in Suites. The operative word here is “paid”. I'm very appreciative that Celebrity allows Zeniths access to the Retreat, it's a wonderful perk, but I personally do not think that “loyalty” should equal total access. We choose to book suites for the larger accommodation, as well as Luminae, the Retreat, and now the Retreat Pool Deck.

 

Many remarks suggest that Celebrity has perhaps changed too much... maybe it's that their customers have. Either way, there are many choices in the cruising industry, so everyone should be able to find a line that makes them happy.

[BEAV]

We are yet another example of half-way to Zenith (currently at 1488 points). Like so many others, we’ll never make Zenith, either. But that doesn’t really matter to us because we’re not interested in being “married” to one cruise line. We enjoy the variety and experiences that sailing other lines offer. Which leads me to ask a question I’ve often wanted to ask those who have reached Zenith status (congratulations, BTW!). Now that you’re Zenith, do you ever consider sailing other lines, or are you satisfied sailing Celebrity exclusively? 

 

One of the reasons we’re not on a quest to reach Zenith is because we’re looking for longer and more varied itineraries that we feel Celebrity doesn’t offer. At 60, and newly retired, we don’t feel we’re Celebrity’s target demographic. 

[emmas gran]

Happy Cruiser 6143

 

The highest level MSC will match now is their Gold Level— possibly because we have all status matched cruise lines and hotel loyalty.

 

I have 2 more cruises with them this year and considering another next year as they have given us 10% on top of the regular 5% discount if booked by April 21st.

[nancyshaw]

Discussions of this type have gone on for several years.

For a long time now, there have been conversations that Celebrity is considering a new level between Elite plus and Zenith.

People give all kinds of suggestions and it goes nowhere. What makes this post at this time any more relevant than those in the past?

What is making this more imminent than in the past? What have I  missed?  

We are at 1700 points and will never make Zenith and have stopped even thinking about it. A new level may bring us back to Celebrity.

For now  we have happily gone elsewhere.

[bEwAbG]

It looks like they might be having problems filling their ships.  They've started upping perks and offering "kids sail free" promo.  They're not sailing Edge at full capacity and filling some rooms with casino offers.  Now they're (finally) sending the loyalty person out to meet with passengers for feedback.  Trying to stanch the exodus?  There has been a noticeable uptick of posts on CC noting that longtime cruisers are not only exploring other options but booking trips with competitors.  I have a feeling that there's trouble brewing at corporate.

Edited March 15, 2019 by bEwAbG

[Stateroom_Sailor]

7 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

It looks like they might be having problems filling their ships.  They've started upping perks and offering "kids sail free" promo.  They're not sailing Edge at full capacity and filling some rooms with casino offers.  Now they're (finally) sending the loyalty person out to meet with passengers for feedback.  Trying to stanch the exodus?  There has been a noticeable uptick of posts on CC noting that longtime cruisers are not only exploring other options but booking trips with competitors.  I have a feeling that there's trouble brewing at corporate.

 

Yep, I've cancelled our 2020 Eclipse and 2021 Solstice cruises with X, totalling 34 days.  LLP can have our space for more comped casino players. No problem with X's actual loyalty program, we'll vouch for Andrea Shey, should she join in and start sending out resumes to there cruise lines.

[Bo1953]

Quick question, do you think they will entertain using my CC post #'s towards Elite Status???

 

😎

 

bon voyage

[BEAV]

48 minutes ago, nancyshaw said:

Discussions of this type have gone on for several years.

For a long time now, there have been conversations that Celebrity is considering a new level between Elite plus and Zenith.

People give all kinds of suggestions and it goes nowhere. What makes this post at this time any more relevant than those in the past?

What is making this more imminent than in the past? What have I  missed?  

We are at 1700 points and will never make Zenith and have stopped even thinking about it. A new level may bring us back to Celebrity.

For now  we have happily gone elsewhere.

 

Good point. I seem to remember LLP quoted maybe 12-18 months ago on CC regarding establishment of another level between E+ and Zenith. No offense to the OP of this thread, but......

[Luvcrusn]

I read through this entire thread and no one has offered a suggestion of $$ or % off on the cruise fare to Captains Club members at increments that increase proportionately as the higher levels are reached. Currently there is the benefit of a 1 category upgrade for all Captains Club levels, but I'd appreciate an increasing discount as higher levels were attained more than a dinner, an extra bag of laundry, a few free drinks or some more internet minutes, especially since X offers bundled fares that already include many of these things. 

[villauk]

I’m more shocked to read that pax on this thread are saying they’d love to try other ships/lines but won’t because of their status on X 🤔. It’s like saying I’d really like to try pickled onions but can’t because I get a discount buying a six pack of baked beans as long as they are Heinz.

[B17]

As a lot of us buy the drinks package or have it included in the fare, we miss out on the biggest perk which is the captains club 'free drinks' session.  Therefore it would be nice if as an option, we could have a small discount on purchasing the drinks package or some other benefit for those who already have it included in the fare.

[ghstudio]

1500 or so points here....

 

How about some real suggestions on what could be in that new level....a list, any or all which could be added, some at essentially no cost to Celebrity.

 

Here's a start:

 

Unlimited laundry

Unlimited gelato

Free internet

Free bottled water

captain's club upgrade from C2 to C1

 

And how about a list of names for this new level

 

Premier elite

ultimate elite

Special People (just kidding...maybe)

 

 

 

 

-

[TeaBag]

5 hours ago, Doubt It said:

Like you said, we have looked at other vacation options like travel to cities we wish to visit with arranged car, driver and guide. Our next two trips are not cruises, and we have 0 cruises booked.

I would suggest you try a river cruise like AMA....delightful and totally different from an ocean cruise.

[Presto2]

We really like the P&O loyalty programme in that you get 5% off future onboard spend and excursions as a STARTING point. At the next level it is 7.5% and the highest 10%. It saves us a lot of money and it means that people save on what they normally use rather than having perks they don't really want ...

[TeaBag]

10 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

1500 or so points here....

 

How about some real suggestions on what could be in that new level....a list, any or all which could be added, some at essentially no cost to Celebrity.

 

Here's a start:

 

Unlimited laundry

Unlimited gelato

Free internet

Free bottled water

captain's club upgrade from C2 to C1

 

And how about a list of names for this new level

 

Premier elite

ultimate elite

Special People (just kidding...maybe)

 

 

 

 

-

You forgot.......bring your dog!

[Water babies]

I am currently disillusioned with loyalty programs based on my experience with American Airlines. I get points not only by flying, but also with credit card purchases and paying my electric bill! Yet everytime I go to use those points, there is some “fine print” exception that excludes what I want to use them for! As for Captain’s Club—not only do the dollars we’ve spent on my sons cruisefare (4 out of the 5 Celebrity cruises we’ve taken/booked he travels with us) not count for anything towards our status, there isn’t a single perk offered at ANY level that would make me book Celebrity again if I did not enjoy the previous cruise we had taken. So....value, level of service, quality of food/facilities and itineraries are where Celebrity needs to invest to keep a loyal customer base. Captain’s Club perks are just icing on the cake—not meant to be eaten alone, and unlikely to disguise a burnt or stale cake underneath.

 

[wendychloecruiser]

4 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

We really like the P&O loyalty programme in that you get 5% off future onboard spend and excursions as a STARTING point. At the next level it is 7.5% and the highest 10%. It saves us a lot of money and it means that people save on what they normally use rather than having perks they don't really want ...

 

Personally I would PAY P&O NOT to go on another one with them...

[Presto2]

14 minutes ago, wendychloecruiser said:

 

Personally I would PAY P&O NOT to go on another one with them...

 

This isn't about what cruise line you want to go on it is about the loyalty programme. Personally I really am not bothered about what cruise line you prefer (no need for the Capital Letters to shout at me) I just wanted to share what I think is a good idea that other cruise lines could use.

 

Just to add, we sail with Celebrity and P&O and are pretty loyal to both for different reasons.

 

I suggest that you read the thread before posting random comments in future ……. just saying. Have a good weekend

 

 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by Presto2

[Ray in NH]

16 hours ago, Redtravel said:

I am elite plus with about 1100 points. No intention of getting to zenith.  No real incentive to make me book Celebrity.  An extra bag of laundry, some extra WiFi, and a cup of good coffee is nice, not a real reason to be loyal to Celebrity. Been cruising on Celebrity for more than 20 years. I have seen so many changes, some good, some bad.  Our first Celebrity cruise on Zenith was special. 25 cruises later..My most recent cruise on a Reflection was ok...nothing special.  Celebrity needs to improve the experience...fresh menus, new activities, books in the library, better toiletries, thicker towels, etc.  As the prices on Celebrity increase, I would hope that Celebrity would improve. 

 

Redtravel,

 

Agree with much of what you state.  Our Celebrity history dates back to Meridian (1993), we are also currently at about 1100 points. Our most recent Celebrity cruise was on Reflection, (Feb, 2019).  It was a good cruise, but it was also somewhat disappointing.  I addressed the "not so good" as well as what did work, in our post-cruise questionnaire.  Not sure how much impact those comments have any more, if they ever really did.  Have not heard anything back from CCL.

Some of the "downers" were sufficient enough for us to cancel a "future cruise" (Reflection in Europe, later this year) that we had booked whilst on board.

The day-to-day service was fine (as usual). It was the attitude amongst management that seemed to be "that is just the way things are now", that caused us to have second thoughts and cancel the future booking.  We will replace it next month whilst aboard a different cruise line.

We will still consider Celebrity for future cruises, but mainly for particular itineraries and timing, and definitely not in any "chase for points".

 

NRayH

[wendychloecruiser]

18 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

This isn't about what cruise line you want to go on it is about the loyalty programme. Personally I really am not bothered about what cruise line you prefer (no need for the Capital Letters to shout at me) I just wanted to share what I think is a good idea that other cruise lines could use.

 

Just to add, we sail with Celebrity and P&O and are pretty loyal to both for different reasons.

 

I suggest that you read the thread before posting random comments in future ……. just saying. Have a good weekend

 

 

 

 

 

Just like you weren’t yelling when you typed “STARTING,” I wasn’t yelling at anyone either.  And because I treasure your opinions, I will be sure to heed your advice.  Have a good weekend.  

[Fogfog]

3 hours ago, emmas gran said:

Happy Cruiser 6143

 

The highest level MSC will match now is their Gold Level— possibly because we have all status matched cruise lines and hotel loyalty.

 

I have 2 more cruises with them this year and considering another next year as they have given us 10% on top of the regular 5% discount if booked by April 21st.

THIS is a bummer. We were going to status match soon to Black...waiting to cross over for Black at MSC.

Gold isn't worth much.

 

[cruisestitch]

It occurs to me that while it is a nice thing that Celebrity does read cruise critic and will be aware of everything we write, this is all quite anonymous. They might get more accurate information if they would simply contact us. After all they have our email, they have our phone numbers, they know who all the Zeniths are, they know who all the elite pluses are.  And I don’t mean sending out a completely bogus questionnaire, where all the questions are aimed toward the answers they want. I mean an open ended inquiry. I’ve never understood why they don’t have focus groups for instance.  

 

It also occurs to me, that Lisa Lutoff-perlow already announced some time ago that there would be another level between elite plus and zenith. There was no follow through on this, the new level never appeared. Similarly she said that the daily water would be restored to Aqua and that never happened, So now I wonder about how much follow-through we can actually expect.  

[fleckle]

18 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I agree, Katie.  I'll never achieve Zenith, but somewhere between Elite+ and Zenith would be achievable for me. so that might encourage me to continue on with Celebrity.

 

We feel the same way.  There are many of us in this situation, between Elite+ and Zenith, with Zenith too far away to be realistically achievable anytime in the foreseeable future.

 

Celebrity really needs to add another loyalty level half-way between Elite+ and Zenith.  It is long overdue.

 

Or even better, add two more levels spaced out 750 points apart, so that passengers always have the next realistically obtainable goal ahead as an incentive that is within reasonable reach.