Is it time to introduce a new loyalty tier?

[villauk]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

a new medallion color

 

 

Please explain how a different colour medallion could enhance your cruise. I can’t possibly think of one serious answer that would justify your statement 🤔.

[MissP22]

33 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

Please explain how a different colour medallion could enhance your cruise. I can’t possibly think of one serious answer that would justify your statement 🤔.

Oh, I just threw that in since it would't cost anything and I know some folks would get a rise out of it. 

Seriously there are a few other items that would be nice just for recognition sake of being a loyal customer and wouldn't upset anyone or cost Princess anything. Maybe Club Class for that milestone cruise?

[npcl]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

 

You should read up on the perks levels.

 

No  bridge tour unless your hit 750 or 1,000 days.

No one day laundry service. 

No special medallion color, maybe even with a special watchband.

No priority return tender service.

All of these could be applied to a select top category of maybe 750 or 1,000 days which wouldn't affect anyone in the slightest.

 

Again it's only a pipe dream. 😉

Actually most of the things you listed have a cost to the cruise line.  That cost might not be in things that they purchase and give out, but labor certainly has a cost.  Items that impact other passengers certainly have a cost in good will.  

[paul929207]

1 hour ago, Renmar said:

Here is my 2 cents worth.

 

Going back to the OP question and reading all the comments (good & bad) here is maybe a way to go.

Let’s call the next level; UPPER CLASS ELITE so as not to be confused with the regular Elite and/or LOWER CLASS 👎passengers.

They should get all the perks of Elite pluss the following:

 

·         After 500 days at sea an automatic upgrade to the next higher category cabin. Darn, should be after 200 days, that’s what we have (sorry suite passengers you are out of luck).

·         After 1000 days the second passenger sails with 25% discount.

·         After 2000 days the second passenger sails with 50 % discount.

·         After 5000 days the second passenger sails for free. (Probable nobody is going to make it but they have to offer something).

·         Anybody who has more days at sea is most likely not a passenger ☺️.

 

Theo

We are approaching 1000 days, so I would like your suggestion, I don't think Princess is looking to give away money like that. 

 

BTW, I believe the current leader has about 2500 days. She is no longer with us, but Elaine Artz had over 5000 days when she had to stop cruising.

[Renmar]

9 minutes ago, paul929207 said:

We are approaching 1000 days, so I would like your suggestion, I don't think Princess is looking to give away money like that. 

 

BTW, I believe the current leader has about 2500 days. She is no longer with us, but Elaine Artz had over 5000 days when she had to stop cruising.

Maybe not but what about if they give the discounts as a Non Refundable OBC then they hardly loose any income. I know, some people would try to cash it in with the casino trick but most of us would probably spend it on drinks-excursion-spa etc. etc.

 

Theo

[npcl]

27 minutes ago, Renmar said:

Maybe not but what about if they give the discounts as a Non Refundable OBC then they hardly loose any income. I know, some people would try to cash it in with the casino trick but most of us would probably spend it on drinks-excursion-spa etc. etc.

 

Theo

While actual cost is limited, giving out OBC has an impact in opportunity cost.  Unless you assume that the person getting the OBC would not spend on board, the cruise lines revenue is impacted since what the passenger might have purchased with cash is now only purchased with OBC, thus costing the cruise line not only the wholesale cost of what was purchased, but also the revenue that they no longer have the opportunity to receive since the purchase that might have been made with cash is now made  with the OBC.

[Daniel A]

38 minutes ago, Renmar said:

Maybe not but what about if they give the discounts as a Non Refundable OBC then they hardly loose any income. I know, some people would try to cash it in with the casino trick but most of us would probably spend it on drinks-excursion-spa etc. etc.

 

Theo

They could spend the OBC on cheap jewelry at Effy and then sell it or pawn it...

[grapau27]

On our recent 11-18 Grand Princess cruise there was masses of unsold photos left in the photo gallery.

Our Royal Caribbean Diamond+ loyalty affords us 1 free photo each.

As these photos will be destroyed if Elite members were given 1 free photo each it would be a nice extra benefit.

Edited December 27, 2019 by grapau27

[MissP22]

9 hours ago, npcl said:

Actually most of the things you listed have a cost to the cruise line.  That cost might not be in things that they purchase and give out, but labor certainly has a cost.  Items that impact other passengers certainly have a cost in good will.  

They do?

Please explain how much of an extra cost these items cost Princess and how it would affect any of the other passengers.

Bridge tour.

One day laundry service. 

Different medallion color.

Special watchband.

Priority return tender service. 

 

The way I see it is that they actually cost pennies if not practically nothing whereas their most traveled passengers spend tens of thousands in actual cash to obtain that level. 

 

 

[MissP22]

31 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

On our recent 11-18 Grand Princess cruise there was masses of unsold photos left in the photo gallery.

Our Royal Caribbean Diamond+ loyalty affords us 1 free photo each.

As these photos will be destroyed if Elite members were given 1 free photo each it would be a nice extra benefit.

 

That would be a nice gesture but in the very near future the photo dept isn't going to print any more photo's except the ones you're willing to purchase.

This practice has already begun on some of the newer ships, so there would be a cost involved.....maybe 15 cents or so.

I suppose that would be asking a lot for their most loyal passengers who have say ....over 750 sea days. 😉

Although those passengers do receive a photo at the most traveled affair anyway.

[dog]

I am very happy with the benefits Princess offers in their loyalty program. Would not change it.

[Ombud]

6 hours ago, MissP22 said:

in the very near future the photo dept isn't going to print any more photo's except the ones you're willing to purchase.

Most welcome change!!

[wallyj]

On 12/26/2019 at 2:47 AM, Aus Traveller said:

It is 'Most Travelled Passenger' - MTP. Maybe the previous poster (wallyj) had a typo with the abbreviation 'MTG'.

My understanding is the term now used on Princess is MTG for Most Traveled Guest, it used to be MTP. I believe I was told this by a circle host a couple of years ago.

[MissP22]

8 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Most welcome change!!

In the long run they'll be taking many more photo's overall since we never have the ambition to look for them on the boards.

Now we'll be having the take photos at every opportunity just to view them on the screens..... not that we ever buy any. 

 

[Aus Traveller]

5 hours ago, wallyj said:

My understanding is the term now used on Princess is MTG for Most Traveled Guest, it used to be MTP. I believe I was told this by a circle host a couple of years ago.

Apologies. In my part of the world, regular cruisers still use the term Most Travelled Passenger.

 

However, I note that on the Princess Patter from my recent cruise, the couple who had cruised the most were referred to as "Most Traveled Guests'. I am happy to be one, whichever term is used, 😊but I will have to use the correct term in future.

[muggo11]

Oh, threads like these!  As an Army brat whose father was too cheap to stay in hotels or eat in restaurants as we drove to 15 different postings, I treasure and appreciate every MDR meal, every Princess mattress night, every room service breakfast and every free cocktail at the Captain’s party,  I love boarding early, I love the complimentary liquor and sodas in my cabin.  I like to do my own laundry so it is not a perk I use.  I have also taken advantage of the early booking window for Elites. 

Having said that, if extra loyalty perks or levels WERE ever introduced, I would deeply appreciate a gratis night in a specialty restaurant or a spa, Sanctuary or Chef’s Table credit/discount. But it isn’t a make or break. . .

 

And the name? Real or tongue-in-cheek options include D’Elite, Eliter, Molybdenum, Midas, Commodore’s Circle, POSH, Luxor, Top Brass, Zirconium, Polaris, Atlantis, Remora, Whale. . .

 

Happy cruising, all. . .

 

 

[npcl]

12 hours ago, MissP22 said:

They do?

Please explain how much of an extra cost these items cost Princess and how it would affect any of the other passengers.

Bridge tour.

One day laundry service. 

Different medallion color.

Special watchband.

Priority return tender service. 

 

The way I see it is that they actually cost pennies if not practically nothing whereas their most traveled passengers spend tens of thousands in actual cash to obtain that level. 

 

 

Very simple.  Laundry is already somewhat overwhelmed.  So to meet a one day requirements they would need to add capacity.  Either labor and or machines or both.  Plus the time for the Stewards to go down and retrieve the laundry. You also give up the revenue for the premium if someone decides that they absolutely need same day.

 

Bridge tour.  Someone has to conduct the tour.  That means pulling someone off some other activity.  Ships crews already work long hours and have little idle time on shift.  Or to put it another way labor on a cruise ship is limited (due to limited amount of crew space) therefore decisions are often made on how labor is used and if more is required in one area, it must be reduced in another.

 

While priority tender service going to shore is relatively hidden, a priority return service would be very in you face visible to the rest of passengers especially if there is a line.  The cost there is good will.

 

Watch band - cost of good.

 

As a business there is no reason for the cruise line to add extra benefits.  If anything it would be in the cruise lines interest to reduce the percentage of elites on each cruise.  Considering that those elites tend to to less buying on ship, and tend to do independent excursions. 

 

The other that you mentioned you indicated that you put in as a joke.

Edited December 27, 2019 by npcl

[WAMarathoner]

On 12/22/2019 at 12:56 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I think Princess needs to get rid of counting the number of cruises someone takes and simply go with accumulated cruise days to determine Captain's Circle loyalty status. It just doesn't seem right that someone can go on a 25 day (non b2b) cruise in a suite and get the same number of credits as a 1 day cruise in a suite. 

The credit for single day cruises is to fill the ship.  They're paying the same amount in taxes to cruise with a half empty ship as a full one.   I'll be taking a solo one-day in May specifically for the bump.  Would not bother if it was just accumulated days.

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, npcl said:

Very simple.  Laundry is already somewhat overwhelmed.  So to meet a one day requirements they would need to add capacity.  Either labor and or machines or both.  Plus the time for the Stewards to go down and retrieve the laundry. You also give up the revenue for the premium if someone decides that they absolutely need same day.

Do you really believe that they would need additional people & equipment for a dozen people at most? 

The cabin steward still has to retrieve clothing either way so that adds nothing to their time. 

Bridge tour.  Someone has to conduct the tour.  That means pulling someone off some other activity.  Ships crews already work long hours and have little idle time on shift.  Or to put it another way labor on a cruise ship is limited (due to limited amount of crew space) therefore decisions are often made on how labor is used and if more is required in one area, it must be reduced in another.

That would be correct IF the additional people were to be assigned a trip of their own but on all the cruises there are ships tours visiting the bridge on even cruise. A few addition people could easily be included without any extra personal.

 

While priority tender service going to shore is relatively hidden, a priority return service would be very in you face visible to the rest of passengers especially if there is a line.  The cost there is good will.

If 2 or 4 people were to be placed in front of the line it couldn't slow down the whole process more than a minute for the rest of the passengers. 

Watch band - cost of good.

The cost of an upgraded different plastic watchband vs. a plastic medallion case is negligible for a dozen people. 

As a business there is no reason for the cruise line to add extra benefits.  If anything it would be in the cruise lines interest to reduce the percentage of elites on each cruise.  Considering that those elites tend to to less buying on ship, and tend to do independent excursions. 

 

The other that you mentioned you indicated that you put in as a joke.

 

From your post I can see that you're not in a position to benefit by any addition perks  from being among the highest Elites & would even prefer to limit the total Elites on each sailing to provide better service for yourself & others.

If you even reach that upper level you might view things differently.

Not that we would qualify right now but a possibility we look forward to someday.

[paul929207]

Re the Bridge tour mentioned above, that is one of the perks for the Milestone Cruise. So people with 500 or more days get it every 250 days on board.

[MissP22]

1 minute ago, paul929207 said:

Re the Bridge tour mentioned above, that is one of the perks for the Milestone Cruise. So people with 500 or more days get it every 250 days on board.

Looking forward to it on the Regal.

[npcl]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

 

From your post I can see that you're not in a position to benefit by any addition perks  from being among the highest Elites & would even prefer to limit the total Elites on each sailing to provide better service for yourself & others.

If you even reach that upper level you might view things differently.

Not that we would qualify right now but a possibility we look forward to someday.

do you actually believe it would be a dozen at most. Maybe at 1000 days it would be limited for a while. At 500 days I have been on cruises with a couple of hundred over that number  with almost half the ship at elite and laundry turn around being 5 days. The cruise lines have to consider the future impact of any decision as well as the current.

 

Nope, just telling it from a business perspective. No reason for the cruise line to do it, and a lot of reason why they should not.

 

I have noticed a trend in your posts where you have a tendency to attack the motivations of whoever disagrees with you, instead of debating the actual merits.

[MissP22]

16 minutes ago, npcl said:

do you actually believe it would be a dozen at most. Maybe at 1000 days it would be limited for a while. At 500 days I have been on cruises with a couple of hundred over that number  with almost half the ship at elite and laundry turn around being 5 days. The cruise lines have to consider the future impact of any decision as well as the current.

Hardly "hundreds" of people with over 500 days sailing but even if their were that number could be adjusted accordingly to fit the circumstance. Since it would be by invitation only, the cutoff could be moved to include people with over 750 days.

 

Nope, just telling it from a business perspective. No reason for the cruise line to do it, and a lot of reason why they should not.

 

I have noticed a trend in your posts where you have a tendency to attack the motivations of whoever disagrees with you, instead of debating the actual merits.

Once again you just seem to think it'll take something from your enjoyment even if there were only one person that qualified for something special. 

 

[npcl]

Just now, MissP22 said:

Once again you just seem to think it'll take something from your enjoyment even if there were only one person that qualified for something special. 

 

nope nothing to do with my enjoyment. it does not make sense to the business. I suspect that if management had calculated the current impact when the existing benefits were put in place some of them would be more limited, such as laundry.

 

you have no idea of my motivations yet, as your norm, you try to attack them.

[MissP22]

27 minutes ago, npcl said:

nope nothing to do with my enjoyment. it does not make sense to the business. I suspect that if management had calculated the current impact when the existing benefits were put in place some of them would be more limited, such as laundry.

btw- We don't use their laundry service. 

you have no idea of my motivations yet, as your norm, you try to attack them.

Enjoy you next cruise with or without the perks.