Platinums - Regret Having Future Bookings With CCL?

[Organized Chaos]

2 hours ago, Crazy4Cruisin225 said:

I am Platinum on Carnival. Became Platinum by doing 10 cruises in 6 years. . Since then I have only gone on 3 or so. Has nothing to do with FTTF or the Platinum gift. I just realized I wasn’t enjoying myself as much as I used too. And like someone else posted, the newer cruisers. It’s not a race thing as one poster may have suggested. I don’t care who goes on a cruise. It’s not an age thing...I’ll chat with anyone. It’s just that on my last 3 Carnival cruises there have been too many instances of rudeness by fellow passengers of all ethnicities and ages. It’s almost as if all social skills disappeared as soon as they embarked. It was like being in line at Walmart on Black Friday with the pushing, shoving, & cutting in line. I would chalk it up to a bad cruise, but 3 in a row?  Haven’t had that problem yet on other cruise lines which is why Carnival is not my first choice anymore. 

 

I started out in the old Carnival FunVille forums before they closed, then came here. Between them both, some of the most rude cruisers I've ever encountered have been long-time cruisers. No, not all of them are rude. A vast majority are nice people who don't look down their noses at others. Bad attitudes and rudeness are a part of someone's personality. The number of cruises a person has taken has nothing to do with that behavior.

 

It's always the same, tired old cry..."new cruisers have ruined Carnival." For a few of you who are talking about new clientele or different types of people that cruise nowadays, it sure sounds an awful lot like y'all mean those of lower income. Like it's some kind of societal class thing. Any changes to the level of how formal it's become on Carnival Cruise Lines these days is because they wanted it to change, not because new cruisers forced it to happen. For anyone who feels they're better than everyone else just because they've been on more cruises, I say good riddance, because cruising on Carnival will be better without that kind of attitude.

 

Y'all seem to imply that, without you, and with nothing but icky new cruisers on board, Carnival is going to somehow devolve into one big, disgusting mess. Wrong. There's thousands of good people on every ship and there will continue to be. Long-time and new cruisers alike.

 

[StolidCruiser]

A low-value trinket has never made me feel special so cheapening it (or losing it entirely) won't suddenly make me feel unappreciated.

 

"Selling" top-tier benefits to others doesn't impact me in any way, shape or form.  I get my bennies regardless.

 

It's just another iteration of the same old gripe: "I should be treated like royalty because I have sailed a lot on a low-budget cruise line."

 

Soon the argument will be "I'm more Platinum than you so get out of my way".

 

I sail on Carnival because I like it not because they'll wash my skivvies, wave a few drinks in my face and let me board ahead of others.

 

 

[bluesman0711]

No regrets, and those would be two silly reasons to have regrets over cruises that I have booked.

[Sillyjilly]

22 hours ago, N7786W Flyer said:

No, no regrets.  My wife and I have 6 Carnival cruises booked for 2020 and another 3 booked for 2021...and I haven't looked at late 2021 (which just opened) yet.

 

Honestly, I don't see FTTF as on the same level as Platinum/Diamond...maybe I'm deluding myself, but FTTF doesn't bother me. 

 

As far as the loyalty gift goes, yes, some of them have been meh, but for the most part, I've enjoyed them.  Sure, I'd trade it for free internet or something similar, but until that happens, I'll be content just to receive a small token of recognition from Carnival.

 

Ditto

[Lottacruises]

4 hours ago, StolidCruiser said:

A low-value trinket has never made me feel special so cheapening it (or losing it entirely) won't suddenly make me feel unappreciated.

 

"Selling" top-tier benefits to others doesn't impact me in any way, shape or form.  I get my bennies regardless.

 

It's just another iteration of the same old gripe: "I should be treated like royalty because I have sailed a lot on a low-budget cruise line."

 

Soon the argument will be "I'm more Platinum than you so get out of my way".

 

I sail on Carnival because I like it not because they'll wash my skivvies, wave a few drinks in my face and let me board ahead of others.

 

 

 

You're close. You may have heard the whining about people who become platinum by booking interiors.... lol what a joke.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Lottacruises

[manmachine]

31 minutes ago, Lottacruises said:

 

Well said, these people just look for reasons to jump on their high horses.

 

Oops, now they'll want me clarify "these people". To be clear, I'm talking about the ones that can go "cruise" themselves.

Thanks, Lottacruises!

[Frank12]

Who in the heck cruises for a free gift? 

 

[Lottacruises]

8 minutes ago, Frank12 said:

Who in the heck cruises for a free gift? 

 

 

 

Ahh, to be so innocent!

 

I'm thinking nobody really, I mean spend $50,000 and get a lanyard seems absurd. I'm sure some good memories, which I hope was their intent in cruising, was made.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Lottacruises

[Nic6318]

16 minutes ago, Lottacruises said:

 

 

Ahh, to be so innocent!

 

I'm thinking nobody really, I mean spend $50,000 and get a lanyard seems absurd. I'm sure some good memories, which I hope was their intent in cruising, was made.

Hi

 

Again complaining about something that is free...really! What did you want for your $50,000... a Mercedes? 

 

The premise of this thread is that someone out there is really making their choices based on "loyalty perks" and that Carnival should be doing more to reward those loyal customers. Doing so is a mistake. If the value isn't there without the perks, the value isn't there. Complaining about something that is free, is poor form, especially considering the fact that you are the one making the decision in choosing the product to begin with, not once but many times. If there wasn't value in all those purchases (without the lanyard) then you made a lot of poor decisions. 

 

Just to be very clear (again), Carnival is a budget cruise line. If you selected one of their products (in the past) for it's value to you then you were likely saving a lot of money compared to their competitors. I am sure it would amount to more than enough to compensate for the fact that you are only getting a lanyard now. 

[jedi bobs]

as far as i am concerned, if you don't like the dift leave it or give it away. if the gift ruins your cruise them maybe you need to stop cruising and go on land vacations.

[Lottacruises]

4 hours ago, Nic6318 said:

Hi

 

Again complaining about something that is free...really! What did you want for your $50,000... a Mercedes? 

 

The premise of this thread is that someone out there is really making their choices based on "loyalty perks" and that Carnival should be doing more to reward those loyal customers. Doing so is a mistake. If the value isn't there without the perks, the value isn't there. Complaining about something that is free, is poor form, especially considering the fact that you are the one making the decision in choosing the product to begin with, not once but many times. If there wasn't value in all those purchases (without the lanyard) then you made a lot of poor decisions. 

 

Just to be very clear (again), Carnival is a budget cruise line. If you selected one of their products (in the past) for it's value to you then you were likely saving a lot of money compared to their competitors. I am sure it would amount to more than enough to compensate for the fact that you are only getting a lanyard now. 

 

 

Huh? I guess some things just go over your head. Enjoy your lanyard if you ever get one.

[CoolOne56]

20 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

Each Platinum/Diamond guest gets the gift for every sailing.  If you and your spouse were Platinum or Diamond and were to sail four times in one year, you would wind up with eight identical gifts. 

 

In response to the OP's question, I have never understood why FTTF offends any P/D cruisers.  You say it buys perks that you have earned.  How many ever complained because people could pay to have their laundry done and it was part of your perks?  Before becoming Platinum, if you were at your Platinum party drinking free drinks, I had to pay for mine on the Lido deck.  That didn't bother you.   

 

If I buy a car that has a radio in it, I'm surely not going to condemn someone that buys a car without a radio and pays extra to have one put in it.

 

Thanks RWolver672 for explaining how the gifts are giving.  Another question, do Platinum and Diamond get the same gifts? Or is the Diamond gift better than Platinum - i.e., when Platinum got the lanyards, did Diamond get blankets? 

 

I'm not trying to start something between P&D, I'm just wondering. 🤷‍♀️

[RWolver672]

1 hour ago, CoolOne56 said:

 

Thanks RWolver672 for explaining how the gifts are giving.  Another question, do Platinum and Diamond get the same gifts? Or is the Diamond gift better than Platinum - i.e., when Platinum got the lanyards, did Diamond get blankets? 

 

I'm not trying to start something between P&D, I'm just wondering. 🤷‍♀️

 

They both get the same gift.  Diamond does get more benefits but they both get the same gift.  

https://www.carnival.com/vifp/overview.aspx?icid=CC_vifp-club_1866 

[CoolOne56]

11 minutes ago, RWolver672 said:

 

They both get the same gift.  Diamond does get more benefits but they both get the same gift.  

https://www.carnival.com/vifp/overview.aspx?icid=CC_vifp-club_1866 

 

Thanks.  I saw the difference in benefits before, I wondering about the gifts. 

[NCTribeFan]

Not even going to read through the thread, but, I don't book for the free gift.  Sheesh.  Just off my 3rd consecutive MSC cruise and you know what the gift was?  A pen.  I left it on the vanity.  Would I never book with them again because the gift wasn't what I wanted?  Uh, no.  I just sailed for 7 nights in an OV as a solo for $356 total (no solo supplement!).  They do a status-match and their loyal customers are unhappy that someone who has never sailed them can match into a top-tier of the loyalty program (they may have changed it and now can only match to the next-to-top level).

 

Guess what?  I'll be diamond on my Carnival sailing in October.  Am I sailing to get those super-fantastic Diamond perks? 🤔 No.  I'm sailing because I love Charleston and I'm going to Bermuda.

 

How long as FTTF been around now?  Several years?  Why would any of us now be concerned about the sale of perks?  Actually, as a CCL shareholder, I hope they continue to sell these and hope they increase the price!

 

I'll interject with how many cruises I've taken only when I'm dining with someone who has been on 5 cruises and thinks they know absolutely Everything Cruising and begins expounding on other lines and it becomes obvious they do NOT know everything to do with cruising!  None of us knows everything about cruising no matter how many times we've sailed.

[JohnSpo]

I have been Platinum with Carnival for 5 years.  I have one cruise booked with Carnival and one with RCL  My first cruise line of choice is Carnival but based on schedule and price out of NYC I will also book with RCL.  I think the Carnival Platinum perks still have value for me.

[RRLLAL]

On 9/22/2019 at 8:55 PM, JKrise said:

Given the current quality of the platinum loyalty gift,  and/or coupled with the company selling your loyalty perks via FTTF, thus diluting your value to CCL, do you regret having a future cruise booked with CCL?

Will you book a future cruise with CCL or move on to another line?

Honestly, these two factors have left DW and I feeling under appreciated as a long term loyal returning customer.

Guessing that the cost of new customer acquisition has dropped so significantly CCL is willing to wave good bye to a loyal customer base.

Those are our thoughts.

Just curious to hear from others.

 

 

Hell no I don’t regret it. Why should I? And when did gifts become the most important reason to cruise? As a platinum cruiser I get a lot more perks than just a lanyard or whatever. People ignore that. 

Edited September 24, 2019 by RRLLAL

[KevInPitt]

On ‎9‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 2:31 PM, manmachine said:

Carnival is looking for inexperienced cruisers right now... first timers.  Along the way, that means sometimes inexperienced travelers.  And sometimes people who apparently don’t know how to behave while in a public place.

 

Everything  to do with behavior, and nothing to do with what some are implying.  

 

 

I'm interested in how you arrived at the conclusion Carnival is looking for inexperienced cruisers who apparently don’t know how to behave while in a public place.  If this is somewhere in their promotional materials, I'd appreciate a point-to.

[outdoors27]

My wife, kids and myself are all platinum and the gifts really are trivial to us.  Faster to fun who cares.  We sail Carnival because we have a great time.  We enjoy other perks like having our laundry done all week for free. 

[elcuchio24]

 guess its what matters to you. I could care less about platinum gifts, always said I would prefer an extra free drink ticket......getting on early/laundry/priority tenders, as long as they keep those I am fine with it.

[Taters]

I am Platinum on Carnival but gave up on them after our 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Pride last January.  I do not care about the gifts given on each sailing...  My favorite perk of being Platinum is the free laundry.

 

Why did I give up on Carnival?  On this sailing, they'd just increased the bar gratuities, but there weren't any lido servers on this cruise.  Seriously.  You had to get them yourself.  That was just bad.  I do admit that I saw my dining room waiter schlepping drinks out on lido for several afternoons, but really?  He worked breakfast, lunch and dinner, so he was clearly working extra.  Other than him, I never saw a server.

 

Over the 14 nights, our main dining room dishes were rarely cleared before the next course was brought out, so we were surrounded by dirty dishes for the entirety of many meals.

 

I had to clean my own bathroom.  Our towels were replaced and garbage was taken out daily, but our cabin was never vacuumed.  NEVER for the entire 14 days.  That's something I just can't handle.

 

DH and I were playing cards on one of the 4 top tables out by the Serenity pool one afternoon at sea.  When we sat down to play there were 2 dirty plates, a napkin and some silverware that we had to shove over to the side.  These were finally picked up by someone 2 hours later.

 

I could go on, but I won't.  It is clear that staffing levels are suffering on Carnival, and this has been apparent for at least the past 4 years.  Now that Carnival is at this new low, I refuse to go back anytime soon.  I do not need a lot of things when I cruise...  A good place to swim, a clean cabin, a couple of cocktails and decent food.  (I cringe when I think of not enough kitchen staff on board.)  I can't get those on Carnival anymore, so I've moved on.  I come back to these boards to see if things have gotten better.  As someone who has been cruising since 1971, I am appalled at the low depths of service and cleanliness.  There are better cruise lines out there, and the prices are very competitive.  My next cruise is 16 nights in a balcony cabin, $985 per person with pre-paid gratuities, and we have $300 in shipboard credit.  My price for unlimited laundry is $7 per day for the cabin.  I'm good. 

 

My hope is that someday I will come to this forum to hear that Carnival has improved.  We've really had a great time on all of our cruises with them. 

[scpirate]

On 9/22/2019 at 11:07 PM, Stick93 said:

I could think of many other reasons other  than the gift and Carnival selling FTTF to book somewhere else. I think those to factors would be a silly reason to look elsewhere. 

I personally think the product is just not as good as it once was and so my platinum perks are not enough to drawing me back to Carnival at this time. I enjoy the gift and the perks especially the platinum party - but that being said I have found the cliental to be very rough from my home port specifically on Carnival and so I have been cruising with other lines more these day and have found a better mix of passengers that represent on a more consistent basis what my values and code of conduct are like on a ship. 

To each their own....

I'm not even gold and I feel that away about carnival.if I didnt have carnival gift cards I would have called the last carnival Cruise the last.but 2021 I'll be done.back to land vacations for me.

[Lottacruises]

1 hour ago, Taters said:

I am Platinum on Carnival but gave up on them after our 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Pride last January.  I do not care about the gifts given on each sailing...  My favorite perk of being Platinum is the free laundry.

 

Why did I give up on Carnival?  On this sailing, they'd just increased the bar gratuities, but there weren't any lido servers on this cruise.  Seriously.  You had to get them yourself.  That was just bad.  I do admit that I saw my dining room waiter schlepping drinks out on lido for several afternoons, but really?  He worked breakfast, lunch and dinner, so he was clearly working extra.  Other than him, I never saw a server.

 

Over the 14 nights, our main dining room dishes were rarely cleared before the next course was brought out, so we were surrounded by dirty dishes for the entirety of many meals.

 

I had to clean my own bathroom.  Our towels were replaced and garbage was taken out daily, but our cabin was never vacuumed.  NEVER for the entire 14 days.  That's something I just can't handle.

 

DH and I were playing cards on one of the 4 top tables out by the Serenity pool one afternoon at sea.  When we sat down to play there were 2 dirty plates, a napkin and some silverware that we had to shove over to the side.  These were finally picked up by someone 2 hours later.

 

I could go on, but I won't.  It is clear that staffing levels are suffering on Carnival, and this has been apparent for at least the past 4 years.  Now that Carnival is at this new low, I refuse to go back anytime soon.  I do not need a lot of things when I cruise...  A good place to swim, a clean cabin, a couple of cocktails and decent food.  (I cringe when I think of not enough kitchen staff on board.)  I can't get those on Carnival anymore, so I've moved on.  I come back to these boards to see if things have gotten better.  As someone who has been cruising since 1971, I am appalled at the low depths of service and cleanliness.  There are better cruise lines out there, and the prices are very competitive.  My next cruise is 16 nights in a balcony cabin, $985 per person with pre-paid gratuities, and we have $300 in shipboard credit.  My price for unlimited laundry is $7 per day for the cabin.  I'm good. 

 

My hope is that someday I will come to this forum to hear that Carnival has improved.  We've really had a great time on all of our cruises with them. 

 

The new thing is the waiters in the mdr try to push drinks on you. The waiters... and the shot guy.... between them, the 2 photo sessions per night, the maitre d pleading for high ratings, telling us about the shows coming up (wow) they're even ruining the dining experience. I like to get away for an hour or so, but it's not the case anymore.

 

To no one in particular, yes I know how it was on your cruise on the ________. I'm telling you about my experience in the last few weeks on a couple of ships.

[Sparky2]

On 9/22/2019 at 8:55 PM, JKrise said:

Given the current quality of the platinum loyalty gift,  and/or coupled with the company selling your loyalty perks via FTTF, thus diluting your value to CCL, do you regret having a future cruise booked with CCL?

Will you book a future cruise with CCL or move on to another line?

Honestly, these two factors have left DW and I feeling under appreciated as a long term loyal returning customer.

Guessing that the cost of new customer acquisition has dropped so significantly CCL is willing to wave good bye to a loyal customer base.

Those are our thoughts.

Just curious to hear from others.

 

 

We have a Journey's cruise booked for 2020 & B2B2B for 2021.  I sure hope the lanyards are gone by the time we cruise in 2020, but I'm still happy with the other small perks so will stick with Carnival.

 

[Theosprey247]

18 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

 

The new thing is the waiters in the mdr try to push drinks on you. 

That isn’t new way back 2013 they were pushing shots and what not.