Cruise Elite status (not players status)

[rhsjr]

To obtain Elite cruise status it says 15 cruises OR 150 cruise days. Are there any hidden requirements? And is Elite status worth it? I.e. better cruise deals, priority boarding...

[chrysalis]

14 minutes ago, rhsjr said:

To obtain Elite cruise status it says 15 cruises OR 150 cruise days. Are there any hidden requirements? And is Elite status worth it? I.e. better cruise deals, priority boarding...

from the Princess website.....

Rewarding your loyalty - Membership benefits of Princess® Captain’s Circle

 

[d9704011]

17 minutes ago, rhsjr said:

To obtain Elite cruise status it says 15 cruises OR 150 cruise days. Are there any hidden requirements? And is Elite status worth it? I.e. better cruise deals, priority boarding...

chrysalis provided a listing of the different status level benefits.  My question to you is .... 'worth' what?  The time and expense of accumulating enough cruising credit to reach Elite status level?

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, d9704011 said:

chrysalis provided a listing of the different status level benefits.  My question to you is .... 'worth' what?  The time and expense of accumulating enough cruising credit to reach Elite status level?

who knows. It varies a great deal from individual to individual depending if they buy packages or not, use ship excursions, send out laundry. It all depends on each individual.

 

The Elite benefits saved us over $700 on a recent 22 day cruise. But we do not buy packages, we do send out laundry, we do buy some ship.excursions, and purchase internet.

 

One cruises because they enjoy cruising. To spend money cruising to reach a given status level seems a bit silly.

Edited July 25, 2023 by ldtr

[skynight]

Actually it is 15 cruise credits or 150 days. One cruise credit is earned for each cruise segment or voyage. One additional credit is earned in a full suite or as single in a cabin. Singles in a full suite earn 3 cruise credits.

I have been elite for a very long time. Over that time the benefits of elite status have diminished in value. The two best remaining benefits are free laundry service (usually takes 3 days), and priority tender (water shuttle) to shore at tender ports.  No priority on the return to the ship. Laundry service is a nice benefit for longer cruises. It isn't much of a benefit on most 7 day cruises. If you have the no frills fare then there is also a 50% discount on the purchase of wifi. Wifi is included in the plus and premier fares, so no additional benefit. This benefit kicks in at the platinum level. You can also reserve in the Dine My Way app after booking. Others have to wait until they pay for the voyage.

No more real priority boarding or boarding times. Boarding for everyone is very quick with the Green and Blue lanes. It's basically just walk on. 

Princess also runs a most travelled lunch or cocktail party. Those invited are based on days, not cruise credits, on board Princess ships. While the amount of days varies depending on who is on board, the lowest number of days required is usually in excess of 500. For some cruises, example Alaska, the number of days can be substantially lower.

I have not seen better cruise deals because of loyalty status. Better cruise deals come by watching for promos. There are no hidden requirements.  

[Daniel A]

13 minutes ago, skynight said:

No more real priority boarding or boarding times. Boarding for everyone is very quick with the Green and Blue lanes. It's basically just walk on.

Are you saying there is no longer a PES lounge in the terminal at embarkation any longer?

[skynight]

8 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Are you saying there is no longer a PES lounge in the terminal at embarkation any longer?

No. What I am saying is that there is little benefit as all passengers in the green lane as well as most in the blue lane will basically walk quickly on board once boarding begins. The time between priority and non priority boarders has been compressed so that the benefit is basically eliminated.

https://www.cruisemapper.com/news/12091-princess-cruises-eliminates-scheduled-arrival-times

[Steelers36]

14 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Are you saying there is no longer a PES lounge in the terminal at embarkation any longer?

 

2 minutes ago, skynight said:

No. What I am saying is that there is little benefit as all passengers in the green lane as well as most in the blue lane will basically walk quickly on board once boarding begins. The time between priority and non priority boarders has been compressed so that the benefit is basically eliminated.

https://www.cruisemapper.com/news/12091-princess-cruises-eliminates-scheduled-arrival-times

I would say the priority boarding benefit is the same as it was for those who arrive prior to general boarding.  If it is important to the guest to be among the very first onto the ship, arriving for check-in early does confer the same benefit as always.  This benefit reduces it's value as the hours pass on embarkation day and would normally mean nothing all afternoon prior to sialing.

[MissP22]

.

[mtnesterz]

1 hour ago, rhsjr said:

...And is Elite status worth it?...

In a word, no. Reads like you are asking if Elite is something to be achieved and it is not. 

It is better that you cruise with the line you like and feel is your second home, or a line which goes where you want to go, when you want to go and for the duration you prefer, or within your budget, or feel that the other passengers are your kind of folks.

If you like what Princess offers, Elite will come in time, if you don't, it is not worth investment of time and vacation dollars.

Some say RCL has the best loyalty program. It doesn't matter to us, we wouldn't sail with them again. 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

Actually it is 15 cruise credits or 150 days. One cruise credit is earned for each cruise segment or voyage. One additional credit is earned in a full suite or as single in a cabin. Singles in a full suite earn 3 cruise credits.

I have been elite for a very long time. Over that time the benefits of elite status have diminished in value. The two best remaining benefits are free laundry service (usually takes 3 days), and priority tender (water shuttle) to shore at tender ports.  No priority on the return to the ship. Laundry service is a nice benefit for longer cruises. It isn't much of a benefit on most 7 day cruises. If you have the no frills fare then there is also a 50% discount on the purchase of wifi. Wifi is included in the plus and premier fares, so no additional benefit. This benefit kicks in at the platinum level. You can also reserve in the Dine My Way app after booking. Others have to wait until they pay for the voyage.

No more real priority boarding or boarding times. Boarding for everyone is very quick with the Green and Blue lanes. It's basically just walk on. 

Princess also runs a most travelled lunch or cocktail party. Those invited are based on days, not cruise credits, on board Princess ships. While the amount of days varies depending on who is on board, the lowest number of days required is usually in excess of 500. For some cruises, example Alaska, the number of days can be substantially lower.

I have not seen better cruise deals because of loyalty status. Better cruise deals come by watching for promos. There are no hidden requirements.  

The Alaskan cruises have a much lower threshold for most traveled lunch. We only have 460 days and last month we were the 3rd and 4th most traveled. So many first timers on those cruises

[Doug R.]

The secret requitements for Elite status:

 

1. Must get the Elite Sea Witch tattoo.
2. Learn the secret handshake and hand signals.
3. Must memorize the Elite motto.

[Daniel A]

4 hours ago, rhsjr said:

To obtain Elite cruise status it says 15 cruises OR 150 cruise days. Are there any hidden requirements? And is Elite status worth it? I.e. better cruise deals, priority boarding...

The few perks we have been enjoying at the Platinum level are basically all that we want/need.  We aren't in any rush to get to Elite.  You will probably find many more Elites who are residents of the West Coast, as there are many 2 and 3 day sailings to Canada and Mexico, and those 2 and 3 day cruises count just as much toward status as a 21 day cruise out of Florida.  Of course, the longer cruises add up for the target of days at sea credits, but it's much quicker and cheaper to do a number of short cruises in an inside cabin to get there quickly.

[Guest ldtr]

4 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Are you saying there is no longer a PES lounge in the terminal at embarkation any longer?

They are there. The big difference is boarding is now fast enough that they are not used that much, unless you show up extremely early. On my last few cruises have been on board by 11.

[Daniel A]

2 minutes ago, ldtr said:

They are there. The big difference is boarding is now fast enough that they are not used that much, unless you show up extremely early. On my last few cruises have been on board by 11.

We mostly sail from FLL and stay the night before in a local hotel.  Because of early check out times, we always used to show up early, and it is nice to be in the smaller lounge instead of the large crowded main terminal seating.

[Purple Gallinule]

For us, a big benefit is getting to book cruises a day before they go on sale to the general public. We have seen certain cabins or classes of cabins (suites e.g.) sell out fast.

[windsor26]

Other elite benefits are fridge fill for each leg. 10percent off tours and shop purchases  elite and platinum cocktail nibbles every evening before dinner 

[Steelers36]

32 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

count just as much toward status as a 21 day cruise out of Florida.

That will get you 3 cruise credits for the most part - unless stacking a true 14 with a 7-nighter for 2 credits.  A 21-nighter means two of the three weeks on the same tour - generally (maybe a one stop change).

[Steelers36]

We don't trust much clothing to the ship laundry, so mostly use the self-service (but I have read you can get some free tokens for the ask).

 

I would say our best Elite benefit now is the mini-bar and flexibility to swap and choose alternate items (we generally get all beer for alcohol and Perrier for the non half.  Helps out as we always book Standard and BYOW.  The other primary benefit for us is the priority boarding.  And then the water shuttle for tender ports. 

 

The 1-day jump on bookings is a NTH, but not critical to me.  We don't book the fancy cabins and PCL often throttles the inventory anyway.  I guess I'd use it if we were after a special voyage, but not really important when there are multiple date choices for the same trip.

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, Doug R. said:

The secret requitements for Elite status:

 

1. Must get the Elite Sea Witch tattoo.
2. Learn the secret handshake and hand signals.
3. Must memorize the Elite motto.

 

You forgot the secret dance...

 

We were Elite on our 14th cruise due to "days at sea" with Princess. (Oddly enough that included two 4 day cruises due to work availability.) So far, the "biggie" of benefits seems to be the mini bar. The laundry perk has been a poor experience for us. Other Elite "benefits" seem to have disappeared. We didn't strive to become Elite for the phabulous benefits. It just happened.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Thrak

[Guest ldtr]

9 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

You forgot the secret dance...

 

We were Elite on our 14th cruise due to "days at sea" with Princess. (Oddly enough that included two 4 day cruises due to work availability.) So far, the "biggie" of benefits seems to be the mini bar. The laundry perk has been a poor experience for us. Other Elite "benefits" seem to have disappeared. We didn't strive to become Elite for the phabulous benefits. It just happened.

What benefits have disappeared?

 

Some have changed.

 

Internet converted from a number of minutes to 50% discount on unlimited, that occurred many years ago when Princess went away from minute metered internet.  Some people chose to buy packages that negates the benefit since it is included, but that is their choice.

 

Excursion 10% discount added at that time

 

Minibar still there though conversion to coffee card no longer available because there is not a coffee card program

 

Laundry is still there.  We have not had any issues with it.  Turn around time can be a bit long up to 4 days if a lot of Elite on board.  One should also understand that it is hot water safe items.

 

Priority tender embarkation still there

 

Priority embarkation at home port still there for those that arrive at port early, same as it always hase been.

 

The only Elite benefits that I know of that have gone away are:

 

1. The bag of toiletry items in cabin

2. Some have reported that they have not been able to get the 10% retail discount on sale items.

 

The loyalty OBC went away, but that was not an Elite benefit.  Though you certainly had to have been on more cruises than Elite status to have qualified for it.

 

So what exactly has gone away.  Most are still there if one chooses to make use of them.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

We don't trust much clothing to the ship laundry, so mostly use the self-service (but I have read you can get some free tokens for the ask).

 

I would say our best Elite benefit now is the mini-bar and flexibility to swap and choose alternate items (we generally get all beer for alcohol and Perrier for the non half.  Helps out as we always book Standard and BYOW.  The other primary benefit for us is the priority boarding.  And then the water shuttle for tender ports. 

 

The 1-day jump on bookings is a NTH, but not critical to me.  We don't book the fancy cabins and PCL often throttles the inventory anyway.  I guess I'd use it if we were after a special voyage, but not really important when there are multiple date choices for the same trip.

Silly me.  I forgot the 50% off Medallion Net which we do book every voyage.  And it is a true benefit since we don't book the Plus or Premier.

 

[Guest ldtr]

15 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Silly me.  I forgot the 50% off Medallion Net which we do book every voyage.  And it is a true benefit since we don't book the Plus or Premier.

 

Between the Elite benefits (saved us over $700 on a 22 day TA and BI cruise and $420 on a recent 14 day Alaska cruise), and various OBC that were get from Princess.  Our total bills for onboard spend at the end of those two cruises were $416 and $342, with base fares, no packages.  Far less than the over $2500 hundred we would have spent for packages on one cruise, and over $1800 for the second.  

Edited July 25, 2023 by ldtr

[UT-Volsfan]

The best Elite benefits ranked in our opinion:

1.  Minibar setup for each voyage segment.  We typically trade ours in for the 20 cans of Diet Coke since the coffee cards are no longer available.

2.  Laundry.  Nice to send clothes out to be pressed or cleaned on a larger cruise, although on cruises with many Elites we have experienced 7 day wait to get clothes back. Will definitely use on our 28 day cruise this Nov and save on packing.

3.  Half off wi-fi.  We use this frequently unless we get a bargain on the Plus package.

4.  10% back on shore excursions.

5. Priority tenders. Good to not have to wait long to board a tender to go ashore.

6. Platinum and Elite lounge.  We get some appetizers before dinner and is typically pretty quiet, because not a lot of people attend.

7.  20% discount in onboard shops.  Not as good of a benefit since they no longer allow the discount to be taken on sale items.

 

If you enjoy Princess and the itenerary, then you should book the cruise. Definitely would not take a cruise just to get the Elite benefits.

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

That will get you 3 cruise credits for the most part - unless stacking a true 14 with a 7-nighter for 2 credits.  A 21-nighter means two of the three weeks on the same tour - generally (maybe a one stop change).

Of course, you're correct if you're referencing three 7 night B2B cruises.  Those would actually be three separate cruises sailed on consecutive dates.  I am mostly thinking that my next Caribbean cruise on Princess is 14 days.  It only counts as one cruise taken, even though it is more days than 4 West Coast 3 day Mexico/Canada trips.  Again, my point is that if one wants to get to Elite fast and cheap, the West Coast offers the best opportunities to accomplish that goal.  I'm content at Platinum, so I'm not grousing.  💁‍♂️