The move of Zenith to Suites (seapass cards)

[groryjm]

We enjoy Celebrity and cruised mainly in Suites ( mostly upper). We hope to acheive our "Z" in the next three years...My Gastrgnome is however somewhat disapointed that our usual Grey cards may not turn black!!  Will we have to drop down to Aqua in order to get our much coverted Black cards.....

Edited April 22, 2022 by groryjm

[Charles4515]

57 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

 X is "giving away” points to keep people engaged. And it's working. 😉

Those just starting out with very little points are happy to be able to add more, and  those who are close to achieving the next level are happy for the opportunity to move up for their next sailing.

Whether the points are valuable or not, is determined by each individual.

Some are engaged and happy and it may be successful marketing for Celebrity but people are deluding themselves moving up a level on Celebrity if they think it means much. If people want a real next level they should book suites or move on from Celebrity which is only a mainstream cruise line if you don’t book a suite. 

[jagoffee]

10 hours ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

Dave (D C) is correct. For a suite Zenith guest, a change from Black to Silver makes no real difference. It is the motivation of Celebrity behind the change that is the concern.

Are we still discussing the fact that all Zenith level cruisers receive a Black Card, except those that cruise in the Retreat?  The Zenith members who are booked in the Retreat receive the Retreat Silver cards.  The Silver card makes for easy Retreat guests identification?  The sea pass card still shows the CC status. 
 

What do you think is the motivation?
 

 

[TrueCruiseaholic]

6 hours ago, jagoffee said:

 The Zenith members who are booked in the Retreat receive the Retreat Silver cards.  The Silver card makes for easy Retreat guests identification? 
 

What do you think is the motivation?
 

 

The motivation is to make for easy Retreat guest identification as you say (and to devalue the black Zenith seapass card). The only reason why Celebrity had to make the change is the removal of non suite Zeniths from Retreat Lounge.

 

I apologize for repeating this complaint over and over again. I know Celebrity has to focus on the important guests and I am not one of them.

Edited April 23, 2022 by TrueCruiseaholic
Edit

[terrydtx]

15 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

We are also “Celebrity Loyalists”. But only because we fell in love with the brand on our very first X cruise when we found that sailing in their suites was our favorite way to travel. We never cared about “status”. Did we enjoy the CC Happy Hours? Of course we did. But as the Captain's Club numbers started to grow and X changed the way events were structured, we stopped attending. Eventually the Retreat became more appealing for pre-dinner drinks and conversation.

It will be nice to reach the “Zenith" but we will continue to sail in suites.

We feel the same about other aspects of our travel.

Status and perks are nice, but for some, comfort and service can be more important.

We are pretty much in the same boat as you, LOL  After sailing with HAL, NCL and RCL we found the Celebrity brand and suite product to be far superior to any previous cruise line we had been with. Loyalty level means nothing to us, we give our business to the product we like best, and for now that is Celebrity. We are Elite and doubt we will live long enough to see Zenith.

[graphicguy]

26 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We are pretty much in the same boat as you, LOL  After sailing with HAL, NCL and RCL we found the Celebrity brand and suite product to be far superior to any previous cruise line we had been with. Loyalty level means nothing to us, we give our business to the product we like best, and for now that is Celebrity. We are Elite and doubt we will live long enough to see Zenith.

Having had some “status” on NCL and Celebrity (and by osmosis Royal), I never understood the hand wringing over “status”.  Just as an example, I just purchased my 5th Acura.  Thinking about that, the dollar tally for those purchases $100K+.  I’ve probably spent more at Kroger over the years.  Not sure what that entitles me to.  But, not expecting anything either.

 

Am a 2M Miler with Delta.  They send me a little luggage tag stating that. But, aside from that, I’m not entitled to much other than to buy a ticket and hope they see fit to maybe upgrade me (which these days rarely happens).  I used to get upgraded all the time.  Just a new business reality.  Doesn’t really bother me (at least not as much as the 3 year old behind me kicking my seat during the entire flight).

 

I guess if you want a different color Sea Pass card, you can color it with a magic marker.  I’m just joshing, but don’t lose sleep over this.  I don’t care about my status with any cruise line.  Have I spent a lot of money with some of them?  Sure!  But, I bought a vacation, not status.

[TeeRick]

5 hours ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

The motivation is to make for easy Retreat guest identification as you say (and to devalue the black Zenith seapass card). The only reason why Celebrity had to make the change is the removal of non suite Zeniths from Retreat Lounge.

 

I apologize for repeating this complaint over and over again. I know Celebrity has to focus on the important guests and I am not one of them.

Asking again sorry.  Just trying to understand the perspective here.  Are you a Zenith member?  You keep saying you are getting your info from Zenith members you communicate with.  If Zenith,  I can understand your posts about everything Zenith on these boards.  And your opinions about Zenith benefits then vs now.  If not, why do you care so much about the color of a sea pass card?  If I ever make Zenith (I am E+) I will continue to sail in suites and I would rather have a suite card in that case to make life easier on the ship for me when I go to the Retreat or Luminae or suite activities.  It will still say Zenith member on it.   I could really care less about the status of a black Zenith card - it would just be confusing if I'm in a suite.  I paid a lot for the suite- that trumps how I view my Zenith status.  Just me.  Anyway- would you be satisfied with two cards- a suite card and a Zenith card if Celebrity would do that?

[TrueCruiseaholic]

I would prefer to maintain what anonymity I can. I have sailed many times on Celebrity.

 

Everyone should care about all other passengers. We are all in this together. The erosion of benefits for anyone is bad. Full stop. This is not a zero sum game where a loss of Retreat Lounge access for non suite Zeniths benefits suite guests. It is an indication that any policy can change at any time. If the revenue from Sky Suites paying extra for Retreat Lounge would be enough, marketing would back down and Sky Suites would have to pay to be in Retreat Lounge. Keep in mind that when Michael's Club was initiated in 2014, Sky Suites were not allowed. Marketing and making more profit are the only concerns of Celebrity corporate.

 

All the Captain's Club benefits cost Celebrity some amount and the appearance of an inclination to remove loyalty benefits presents all loyalty guests with the concern of a further loss of benefits in the future.

 

For all those guests who have no concern with loyalty, how would Sky Suites like losing Retreat Lounge access or being upcharged for access? How would Royal Suites and above like losing Unlimited Specialty restaurants? These all can happen if Celebrity keeps tightening its belt. Between inflation and the guaranteed end of "revenge travel," the next shoe will drop. I'm sorry if some guests losing benefits doesn't affect some other guests. The entire concept of Celebrity removing benefits from anybody should scare every Celebrity cruiser. If you are not scared, you should be.

[Cruising89143]

10 minutes ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

I would prefer to maintain what anonymity I can. I have sailed many times on Celebrity.

 

Everyone should care about all other passengers. We are all in this together. The erosion of benefits for anyone is bad. Full stop. This is not a zero sum game where a loss of Retreat Lounge access for non suite Zeniths benefits suite guests. It is an indication that any policy can change at any time. If the revenue from Sky Suites paying extra for Retreat Lounge would be enough, marketing would back down and Sky Suites would have to pay to be in Retreat Lounge. Keep in mind that when Michael's Club was initiated in 2014, Sky Suites were not allowed. Marketing and making more profit are the only concerns of Celebrity corporate.

 

All the Captain's Club benefits cost Celebrity some amount and the appearance of an inclination to remove loyalty benefits presents all loyalty guests with the concern of a further loss of benefits in the future.

 

For all those guests who have no concern with loyalty, how would Sky Suites like losing Retreat Lounge access or being upcharged for access? How would Royal Suites and above like losing Unlimited Specialty restaurants? These all can happen if Celebrity keeps tightening its belt. Between inflation and the guaranteed end of "revenge travel," the next shoe will drop. I'm sorry if some guests losing benefits doesn't affect some other guests. The entire concept of Celebrity removing benefits from anybody should scare every Celebrity cruiser. If you are not scared, you should be.

I’m another one that doesn’t worry about status. If I did I would still be cruising with RCI and Pinnacle. Also, if a cruise line makes changes that I don’t like then I vote with my wallet. I’m not going to lose sleep worrying when the next shoe May drop. Life is far too short as we have all seen over the last two years. 

[TrueCruiseaholic]

I understand the point of voting with your wallet. I too, sadly, will be following that advice and decreasing my Celebrity sailing (probably to zero) as time progresses.

 

My "voting with my wallet" as well as countless others has not and will not convince Celebrity that these are bad policies, though. That is the saddest thing. 

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

And they are bad policies because?

[TrueCruiseaholic]

30 minutes ago, Yorkshire-Pudding said:

And they are bad policies because?

Taking away benefits from guests. I'm sure there is some benefit you receive on Celebrity from loyalty or stateroom category. Would you like those benefits taken away?

 

Am I the only one who cares when guests are treated more poorly now than in the past?

 

I am probably going to stop posting in general because the CC community seems unfazed by the spector of loss of perks.

[CruisinNole]

45 minutes ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

Taking away benefits from guests. I'm sure there is some benefit you receive on Celebrity from loyalty or stateroom category. Would you like those benefits taken away?

 

Am I the only one who cares when guests are treated more poorly now than in the past?

 

I am probably going to stop posting in general because the CC community seems unfazed by the spector of loss of perks.

I guess my experience with the loyalty program on Royal Caribbean has taught me that nothing is guaranteed. We began cruising on Royal over 30 years ago before there was a loyalty program. Shortly after we made Diamond, Diamonds were kicked out of the concierge lounge. Shortly after we made Diamond+, most of the larger ships kicked D+ out of the concierge lounge. We were on a President's Cruise on Royal and Diamonds and Diamond+ were kicked out of the Diamond Lounge so the Pinnacles would have a nice place to meet. No one promised us that the loyalty perks would never change. 

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

Taking away benefits from guests. I'm sure there is some benefit you receive on Celebrity from loyalty or stateroom category. Would you like those benefits taken away?

 

Am I the only one who cares when guests are treated more poorly now than in the past?

 

I am probably going to stop posting in general because the CC community seems unfazed by the spector of loss of perks.

Take care 

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

1 hour ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

Taking away benefits from guests. I'm sure there is some benefit you receive on Celebrity from loyalty or stateroom category. Would you like those benefits taken away?

 

Am I the only one who cares when guests are treated more poorly now than in the past?

 

I am probably going to stop posting in general because the CC community seems unfazed by the spector of loss of perks.

Sorry I  come across as unsympathetic to your cause. I guess the question is what the individuals motivation for cruising is?

 

Loyalty beanies have never factored into the decision I make for any holiday and I get to decide for my family. For us it's the destinations (we have a bucket list), the experiences the destinations offers, as every holiday must have something unique we can't do anywhere else, the mode of transport, the comfort level my family expects and who can best meet those needs. That can mean a land or sea holiday. What I receive from Celebrity is what I pay for. If they change their offering and I don't like their new offer, I just book with someone else. I wouldn't book Celebrity initially because their suite offering was lacking compared to NCL. They introduced Suite Class and we sailed with them. They then introduced the Retreat. Unfortunately our 2020 and 2021 were cancelled so didn't get to try post Revolution ship. Have Beyond booked for 2023. As long as their product is evolving, I will consider them, but it it fails to meet our expectations, we will just go with some else. Considering Regent and Silverseas for 2024 as they look interesting, sail to places Celebrity does not, DH retires 2023 and our DS won't be travelling with us. Loyalty is not part of that equation.

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

Taking away benefits from guests. I'm sure there is some benefit you receive on Celebrity from loyalty or stateroom category. Would you like those benefits taken away?

 

Am I the only one who cares when guests are treated more poorly now than in the past?

 

I am probably going to stop posting in general because the CC community seems unfazed by the spector of loss of perks.

 

No I would not want them taken away but I have never booked a Celebrity cruise because of the benefits or to move up a tier. I book on other cruise lines on which I get no benefits. If they give me benefits I will accept them but it is their program. I have always understood that what Celebrity gives they could take away. 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Charles4515

[Orator]

10 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

No I would not want them taken away but I have never booked a Celebrity cruise because of the benefits or to move up a tier. I book on other cruise lines on which I get no benefits. If they give me benefits I will accept them but it is their program. I have always understood that what Celebrity gives they could take away. 

Loyalty programs are really marketing programs. Many are motivated by the programs to spend more $$$ to get to the next level. Choice of airline, hotel, retail stores and perhaps cruise lines may be motivated by loyalty incentives, at least that’s what lots of research shows. A particular poster such as you  and other posters might not find  the loyalty benefits motivation to spend, but many do. Many people are like dogs trying to catch the rabbit. Put something before them and they just need to catch it.

 

[wrk2cruise]

I'm wondering why so many people who don't care about loyalty programs are so interested in posting on this thread.

[TeeRick]

5 hours ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

I would prefer to maintain what anonymity I can. I have sailed many times on Celebrity.

 

Everyone should care about all other passengers. We are all in this together. The erosion of benefits for anyone is bad. Full stop. This is not a zero sum game where a loss of Retreat Lounge access for non suite Zeniths benefits suite guests. It is an indication that any policy can change at any time. If the revenue from Sky Suites paying extra for Retreat Lounge would be enough, marketing would back down and Sky Suites would have to pay to be in Retreat Lounge. Keep in mind that when Michael's Club was initiated in 2014, Sky Suites were not allowed. Marketing and making more profit are the only concerns of Celebrity corporate.

 

All the Captain's Club benefits cost Celebrity some amount and the appearance of an inclination to remove loyalty benefits presents all loyalty guests with the concern of a further loss of benefits in the future.

 

For all those guests who have no concern with loyalty, how would Sky Suites like losing Retreat Lounge access or being upcharged for access? How would Royal Suites and above like losing Unlimited Specialty restaurants? These all can happen if Celebrity keeps tightening its belt. Between inflation and the guaranteed end of "revenge travel," the next shoe will drop. I'm sorry if some guests losing benefits doesn't affect some other guests. The entire concept of Celebrity removing benefits from anybody should scare every Celebrity cruiser. If you are not scared, you should be.

Yes I understand your perspective.  And I do care about my earned loyalty benefits (perhaps to a lesser degree than you) but not my status at all.  Honestly my CC status does not really influence my cruising enjoyment.  We are all different in how we view ourselves. But to be clear, you were talking about black vs silver sea pass cards for Zenith members sailing in suites.  Silver for the suite with Zenith indicated on it.  How is that a loss of a loyalty benefit for Zenith members choosing to pay for a suite?  It is according to you a loss of recognition status (black card),  but IMO it is not a loss of loyalty benefits in this case.

Edited April 23, 2022 by TeeRick

[groryjm]

OK so when we sail we have a Silver card. Usually we are in an RS or a PH. In a couple of years we hope to reach our Z. We had been looking forward to the day when we get our black cards 

Nothing to do with Michaels club or a free drinks package as we already get that and laundry too just like the black cards... Seems we will never have black card now... 😕

[CruisinNole]

6 hours ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

 

For all those guests who have no concern with loyalty, how would Sky Suites like losing Retreat Lounge access or being upcharged for access? How would Royal Suites and above like losing Unlimited Specialty restaurants? These all can happen if Celebrity keeps tightening its belt. Between inflation and the guaranteed end of "revenge travel," the next shoe will drop. I'm sorry if some guests losing benefits doesn't affect some other guests. The entire concept of Celebrity removing benefits from anybody should scare every Celebrity cruiser. If you are not scared, you should be.

You are comparing apples to oranges. Maybe the answer is not to compare loyalty benefits with suite benefits. Loyalty benefits should be unique -- something not available to suite guests. Suite benefits are part of the cruise fare, not dependent on how many cruises you have taken or what loyalty level you've attained.

[JFontaine]

I'm thisclose to Zenith and, like many, a shareholder. I couldn't care less about loyalty benefits. I care about two things: does Celebrity sell me a product that I'm happy with, and are they doing everything possible to increase shareholder value.