Princess Loyalty Credit

[Ken the cruiser]

Wow! Hearing about the new 10% off excursions once we make Elite next year really perked my ears up, as we’re one of those that are drifting towards Princess in a big way rather than drifting away. Well, that and being able to book a day earlier, free laundry and the free mini-bar setup!

 

But, all that aside Princess still continues to offer unique 3-5+ excursions and that’s the big draw for us for hopefully many years to come! 😁
 

But I do have a question regarding the new 10% excursion discount. We will make Elite after a B2B in October 2023. We have a 30 day SA/Antarctica B2B booked in Jan 2024 and have already booked the excursions. Will we have to cancel and rebook those excursions once we make Elite to get the discount, or will they just automatically post it as OBC to our shipboard account?

Edited November 25, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Ombud]

40 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Will we have to cancel and rebook those excursions once we make Elite to get the discount, or will they just automatically post it as OBC to our shipboard account?

10% refundable OBC is added to your shipboard account, sometimes before the excursion / sometimes afterwards. (Happened both ways for me)

[VibeGuy]

Cash cows and actual bovines have a lot in common.   Neither likes it when you come to the milking parlor with cold hands.  
 

The $100 Loyalty Commend was effectively a $0.30/day rebate from previous cruises.  It was a gesture, and a nice one.   The Milestone recognition was also a gesture, and a nice one.   The laundry is admittedly the perk that actually keeps us loyal.  
 

Hotel loyalty is very transactional - what have you done for me lately, and it takes ten years at a particularly loyalty level to eliminate annual requalification.   In exchange for 75 nights a year, I get a bonus free night ($250-300 if used well), lounge access that ranges from bottled water and pretzels in Dubuque to free pour of excellent liquor and five distinct food presentations per day in Asia, and automatic upgrades from whatever I booked up to a decent junior suite most times, and some ridiculous suites at times.     Oh, and complimentary breakfast.    Conservatively, my loyalty returns $40/night in benefits (breakfast for two, some evening beverages, bottled water, minor snacks) at the upper half of their portfolio and nothing at the lower half.  The upgrades  are gravy.  I’m also earning redeemable points at about 10% of my spend.   (17.5 points per dollar spent, $0.006 per point)
 

Princess never came close to that before, and now without loyalty commend OBC, it’s a substantial devaluation.  I’ve never thought loyalty improved my chances with the upgrade fairy.  It doesn’t earn me free nights.  
 

I really like the product (both the hard product of the actual cabins and the shipboard facilities and the soft product of the service experience), but where before there were a lot of things driving me towards Cruise 51 to enjoy the rewards as our ability to travel continues to accelerate, there’s no reason to drive incremental spend to Princess or Carnivore Corporation as a whole.   As someone under 50 who hopefully has a lot of years of cruising left, I guess I have to be a lot more transactional. 

[caribill]

14 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

What are the current reduced Elite benefits?

 

 

Another reduced Elite benefit is the 10% discount for Boutique purchases.

 

The 10% discount now only applies to full priced items.

 

If the item is put on sale for one cent less than full price, the discount no longer applies.

[cruising.mark.uk]

13 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Another reduced Elite benefit is the 10% discount for Boutique purchases.

 

The 10% discount now only applies to full priced items.

 

If the item is put on sale for one cent less than full price, the discount no longer applies.

Oh, no.  Civilization is crumbling around us...

[caribill]

15 minutes ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Oh, no.  Civilization is crumbling around us...

 

Glad you agree.

[justafem]

I'm changing the way I cruise.  I MOSTLY book cruises that are less than $50 per day per person and yeah, it happens, just not always on princess.

 

I prefer princess, hubs really prefers princess, it's a wonderful value for what we get.  So I divide my cruise money between lines now and get more cruises for the same money.  We get one yearly ($100 a day per person) princess cruise and one yearly carnival cruise together.  I get to take other cruises without hubby, so I go for the cheapest I can.  A couple of cruise buddies like to do 1 cruise a year, so I piggy back them to my carnival casino offers and they get to go cheap too.  I have 3 friends, so I get to go on 3 additional cruises.  That sounds pathetic, 3 friends, let me rephrase that, I have 3 friends that like to cruise and can afford to cruise once a year!  GRINS

 

The perks are great.  But even without the perks, I'd still prefer the princess experience.  

 

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but we also book when princess offers extra onboard credit.  Even though we get princess plus, we enjoy specialty dining several times, chefs table and the occasional buy something on the ship.  Never left the ship with any onboard left.  

[billco]

14 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I don’t think that’s true.  And though not many may be quitting, I know of several who have reduced their cruises. People know better than to come on this board and announce that they’re quitting Princess. More telling, I think, are the number of people who are just quietly cutting back. The loyalty OBC used to add up to over $1000 a year for us. I don’t think that’s as trivial as some are making it out to be. Our travel budget is set, and between higher air fares, cruise fares (admittedly due in part to Princess Plus) and fewer OBCs, something has to give. 

How many cabins are filled with people that have cruising histories similar to yours?

[MissP22]

Those posters that don't mind the cutbacks of on board loyalty credit are probably not in the highest category to have it make any difference. It was a nice gesture to have Princess show their appreciation for our loyalty although eliminating it along with all the other cutbacks make us consider other cruise lines even more. 

I just learned about the elimination of the most traveled luncheon for 4 day cruises. I suspect there might be more cutbacks yet to come. 

[Coral]

20 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Those posters that don't mind the cutbacks of on board loyalty credit are probably not in the highest category to have it make any difference. It was a nice gesture to have Princess show their appreciation for our loyalty although eliminating it along with all the other cutbacks make us consider other cruise lines even more. 

I just learned about the elimination of the most traveled luncheon for 4 day cruises. I suspect there might be more cutbacks yet to come. 

I am in the higher category and I do miss the $$$. Though - I realize how the cruise lines barely survived being shut down. I can't remember what the cost Princess was burning through every month when they could not sail. The alternative of cuts would possibly be our cruise lines didn't survive and went under. One of my favorite lines did. So while I miss the loyalty credit and noticed the cut backs on my last cruise (food, entertainment, etc...) - I am glad the line survived. If we wonder why we are not getting the loyalty credit - all we have to do is look at CCL stock prices and realize they can't afford it, literally.

 

I don't think they did a most traveled luncheon on 4 night cruises. On shorter cruises - they gave a free speciality dinner. Truly - this is not a make or break for most people.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Coral

[Ombud]

43 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Those posters that don't mind the cutbacks of on board loyalty credit are probably not in the highest category to have it make any difference.

I think you are probably 100% correct for most of us. I've only been on 43 Princess cruises,  can barely manage to schedule 4 cruises a year (dog, 16yo here, life happens) but I won't ever make MTG so eliminating that meal doesn't affect me. But the cruise line going under would. ( @Coral has a valid point).

[MissP22]

50 minutes ago, Coral said:

I don't think they did a most traveled luncheon on 4 night cruises. On shorter cruises - they gave a free speciality dinner. Truly - this is not a make or break for most people.

In all our years of travel we've only done one 4 night trip so it's not a big deal for us either. 

[MissP22]

25 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I think you are probably 100% correct for most of us. I've only been on 43 Princess cruises,  can barely manage to schedule 4 cruises a year (dog, 16yo here, life happens) but I won't ever make MTG so eliminating that meal doesn't affect me. But the cruise line going under would. ( @Coral has a valid point).

LOL 😄

I'd love to cruise more than 4 times per year but I would weigh 200 lbs. if I did.

As it is, I'm almost constantly on a diet between trips except for thanksgiving/Christmas. 

[Cruise Raider]

17 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

I was closing in on the $100 loyalty benefit so I was said when it went away.  However, it's been nice to get the 10% excursion rebate.  On some cruises it has actually exceeded the loyalty benefit which was per cabin.  I haven't been to the spa for a while (don't like the sales pitches!) but getting a rebate on that would be nice if / when I choose to go back.  So yes, cutbacks are the way of the world but there's still plenty to smile about!

I am with you.  I am not disappointed at all with the product that Princess offers and still feel as though our loyalty (even though we also cruise with other lines) has been valued.  
We are just so pleased about everything onboard, especially since the restart  .. at the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna.  Great food and drink. Great service.  Great entertainment.  Great cabin.  I could not want for more.  
 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

Those posters that don't mind the cutbacks of on board loyalty credit are probably not in the highest category to have it make any difference. It was a nice gesture to have Princess show their appreciation for our loyalty although eliminating it along with all the other cutbacks make us consider other cruise lines even more. 

I just learned about the elimination of the most traveled luncheon for 4 day cruises. I suspect there might be more cutbacks yet to come. 

I can say that whatever they need to do to survive makes me ok with any perceived or real cutbacks .. and that’s coming from someone that would soon be at the $100 mark if they had continued the loyalty perk.  
Human nature dictates that whenever we have something taken away, we are probably going to be more upset than never having gotten it in the first place.  
I look at it as something that was replaced with other benefits vs something that was taken away.   Those benefits may or may not have value to you or others but, I’m still grateful for any perks that are offered.  We are always treated well and  choose gratitude over feeling slighted.  
 

[Coral]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Another reduced Elite benefit is the 10% discount for Boutique purchases.

 

The 10% discount now only applies to full priced items.

 

If the item is put on sale for one cent less than full price, the discount no longer applies.

The items in the shops were awful on the Emerald. Good thing I wasn't worried about this perk as there was nothing worth buying. We were told that they are trying to sell out of inventory and "new and better stuff would be coming"......

[Coral]

10 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 

But I do have a question regarding the new 10% excursion discount. We will make Elite after a B2B in October 2023. We have a 30 day SA/Antarctica B2B booked in Jan 2024 and have already booked the excursions. Will we have to cancel and rebook those excursions once we make Elite to get the discount, or will they just automatically post it as OBC to our shipboard account?

While I am not sure - my guess is you will just automatically get it. The amount isn't discounted until on the ship. It shows up as a discount on your folio. 

[Coral]

17 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

 

I am well aware of the difference between loyalty OBC and the minimizing of Elite benefits.  It is the overall perspective that Princess is reducing their focus on their loyal passengers that bothers me.  But I have too much invested in Princess to jump ship.  

 

I have by far sailed Princess far more than any other line. Though after getting off the ship this week - I realize I sail Princess because of familiarity. I know exactly what I am getting. For me - it has nothing to do with being too invested in Princess as the perks are just not great. 

 

Oddly - I am not sure if I am considering switching cruise lines but leaning more towards land trips.

 

I just don't think perks of having been loyal to Princess matter really. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

2 hours ago, billco said:

How many cabins are filled with people that have cruising histories similar to yours?

Not sure why that matters, but, on most cruises, 3 to 10 cabins have more days. Quite often 3. 😉

@Coral, you’re right.  For cruises of less than 5 nights, there was not (even pre-COVID) an MTG event. The top ten cabins received one specialty dinner. Cabins 11 to 40 received nothing. 
 

And, @Ombud, speaking about the Princess vibe, I agree. There is much to enjoy there. I’ve always felt the ships were very well maintained regardless of age, and found the entertainment quite good. I love the Princess crews. But when I think of the Princess vibe, I realistically recall the long lines outside the dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The inadequate theater seating.  The Medallion app that has been broken for nearly 18 months. The fiasco that is DMW. The crowded elevators. No, if I didn’t have a travel budget, Princess would not be my first choice. But, as I said, I do. So it’s always a strong contender. 
 

I accept that many people have a different reality.  Please accept that this is mine. 

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

I look at it as something that was replaced with other benefits vs something that was taken away.   Those benefits may or may not have value to you or others but, I’m still grateful for any perks that are offered.

Like what, for instance? 

I don't think I've seen one thing that could be considered an increased benefit. 

[Guest ldtr]

12 hours ago, VibeGuy said:

Cash cows and actual bovines have a lot in common.   Neither likes it when you come to the milking parlor with cold hands.  
 

The $100 Loyalty Commend was effectively a $0.30/day rebate from previous cruises.  It was a gesture, and a nice one.   The Milestone recognition was also a gesture, and a nice one.   The laundry is admittedly the perk that actually keeps us loyal.  
 

Hotel loyalty is very transactional - what have you done for me lately, and it takes ten years at a particularly loyalty level to eliminate annual requalification.   In exchange for 75 nights a year, I get a bonus free night ($250-300 if used well), lounge access that ranges from bottled water and pretzels in Dubuque to free pour of excellent liquor and five distinct food presentations per day in Asia, and automatic upgrades from whatever I booked up to a decent junior suite most times, and some ridiculous suites at times.     Oh, and complimentary breakfast.    Conservatively, my loyalty returns $40/night in benefits (breakfast for two, some evening beverages, bottled water, minor snacks) at the upper half of their portfolio and nothing at the lower half.  The upgrades  are gravy.  I’m also earning redeemable points at about 10% of my spend.   (17.5 points per dollar spent, $0.006 per point)
 

Princess never came close to that before, and now without loyalty commend OBC, it’s a substantial devaluation.  I’ve never thought loyalty improved my chances with the upgrade fairy.  It doesn’t earn me free nights.  
 

I really like the product (both the hard product of the actual cabins and the shipboard facilities and the soft product of the service experience), but where before there were a lot of things driving me towards Cruise 51 to enjoy the rewards as our ability to travel continues to accelerate, there’s no reason to drive incremental spend to Princess or Carnivore Corporation as a whole.   As someone under 50 who hopefully has a lot of years of cruising left, I guess I have to be a lot more transactional. 

Of course with most of the major hotel chains you can get the same top level benefits by just getting the right credit card.

 

Also keep in mind that there has been substantial devaluation in loyalty benefits in the hotel programs (just as in the airline programs) other the past couple of years.  For example in some programs the free night just means a certain number of points (IHG) that can be applied instead of the free night in most hotels. Required point counts have certainly increased with most hotels and more are simply refusing to accept point based bookings.  There has also been a rather substantial increase in individual hotels not honoring the elite benefits in some of the chains (Marriott branded hotels seem to be the worst offenders in that aspect).  

[Guest ldtr]

5 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Those posters that don't mind the cutbacks of on board loyalty credit are probably not in the highest category to have it make any difference. It was a nice gesture to have Princess show their appreciation for our loyalty although eliminating it along with all the other cutbacks make us consider other cruise lines even more. 

I just learned about the elimination of the most traveled luncheon for 4 day cruises. I suspect there might be more cutbacks yet to come. 

We certainly were well into the loyalty benefit and will be on 92 cruise days this next year.  While the loyalty benefit was nice it is a drop compared to other unique offerings OBC offerings Princess has.  Basically due to those offerings Princess has about a $700 advantage compared to other lines for cruises  15 days and longer. (military benefit, shareholder benefit, elite benefits ( laundry and mini bar), FCD benefits

 

Looking at most of the changes such as 250 minute internet going away, it was replaced with the 50% discount on unlimited, and the 10% benefit for excursions was added at the same time.  Together both are to us a greater benefit than the 250 minutes.

 

Most of what people seem to call reductions are due to the availability of multiple fare tiers and that if one chooses to purchase a more expensive tiers there is overlap with some of the benefits.  That is the choice of the buyer. Just as someone who does their laundry in the laundry rooms can also complain that they do not get any value from the laundry benefit.  One can choose to book in a way where they can get value from them or not it is their choice.

[caribill]

55 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Looking at most of the changes such as 250 minute internet going away, it was replaced with the 50% discount on unlimited

 

I look at it differently.

 

The price for 150 free minutes on a 7 day cruise would have been about 50 cents/minute or a value of $75.

 

The current undiscounted price for unlimited minutes is $70 for 7 days. The discounted price is $35.

 

If Princess offered the current Internet for free for 7 days, it would cost Princess less than the old benefit cost them.

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Coral said:

The items in the shops were awful on the Emerald. Good thing I wasn't worried about this perk as there was nothing worth buying. We were told that they are trying to sell out of inventory and "new and better stuff would be coming"......

 

And, no doubt, more expensive.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

I look at it differently.

 

The price for 150 free minutes on a 7 day cruise would have been about 50 cents/minute or a value of $75.

 

The current undiscounted price for unlimited minutes is $70 for 7 days. The discounted price is $35.

 

If Princess offered the current Internet for free for 7 days, it would cost Princess less than the old benefit cost them.

You are ignoring the second part of that change that occurred at that time

 

Internet minutes removed

 

Internet discount, and 10% discount on excursions added.

 

The combination clearly yields more value if one takes any ship excursions. 

 

Discount is considerably more valuable if one goes with multiple devices.

 

While one can come up with situations that indicates that it is a decreases in value for them, others can show considerable benefit by the change.