Never seen this many plats and diamonds on a cruise

[jsglow]

One added thought. They are actually 'subsidizing' these long dormant Plats by NOT trimming their status and the expense of those of us who actually regularly sail. Evidence for this is the increasing number of cruises where benefits such as early Embarkation and early tender access must be suspended because of the numbers. If you haven't been onboard in 15 years, get your butt in the back of the bus I say.

[jsglow]

1 minute ago, BlerkOne said:

To really add fuel to the fire, terminate the program and lower cruise prices across the board.

 

Carnival is a family cruise line and if you expire points, you penalize families who can only afford to cruise every few years. Who would benefit? Live aboard gamblers who don't pay for cruises to begin with.

I do think you can provide a long enough window not to be overly harsh. It's clearly not something as short as one year. So the art is in defining 'a few years'.

[ninjacat123]

I have at least 2 cruises booked every year including 2025.  Four this year alone.  Carnival needs to name a ship after me.  Carnival Ninjacat!😉

[Capitan Obvious]

19 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Evidence for this is the increasing number of cruises where benefits such as early Embarkation and early tender access must be suspended because of the numbers.

 

[Prometheus1]

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

It isn't a competition and there is no need for Carnival to change. Carnival doesn't want cruisers who cruise for perks/bribes. They want cruisers who like the brand.

 

I like this quote, having just been upset by the Delta loyalty changes, it has made me think a lot about brand loyalty, I realized that even with the changes, I'm still going to fly them because I like them. I cruise Carnival because I think it is fun- . When I want a more "relaxing" cruise, I go on another cruise line with an older demographic. They could have no loyalty program and Im still going to cruise them. The beauty of having so many cruise lines and ships is just that-Choice.  I do get casino discounts but If another cruise line gives me the same discount I may or may not choose the other line. I can also assure you that that comp room costs more than you think.

Edited September 25, 2023 by Prometheus1
addendum

[BlerkOne]

45 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I do think you can provide a long enough window not to be overly harsh. It's clearly not something as short as one year. So the art is in defining 'a few years'.

Think about the children who are years away from affording their own cruises. There would be disincentive for them to look at Carnival.

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, Prometheus1 said:

 

. I can also assure you that that comp room costs more than you think.

As someone who receives casino offers, I am surprised at how little mine cost, all things considered, and how many I receive. And they just keep coming. No, I don't have offers for free suites with a zillion dollars of OBC.

 

Even better is I have received offers from cruise lines I have never sailed on, or haven't sailed in a while. I don't accept very many of them.

[MauiWowie57]

On 9/23/2023 at 12:35 PM, Tapi said:

Seeing this makes me wonder if the loyalty program will get “revamped” to make it harder to obtain certain perks and thin out “the herd”. When too many people qualify for perks, they stop being perks.

Possibly! That's where Diamond came from...! When the Vista was launched years ago, they invited all the Plats with a special rate for the TransAtlantic repos. I went. Mistake. When "everyone's Platinum," ....NO ONE is Platinum. Now I stick to the older ships, where, like Tigger, I'm the only one!

[jsglow]

49 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Think about the children who are years away from affording their own cruises. There would be disincentive for them to look at Carnival.

Tough toenails. Loyalty points expire.

[ninjacat123]

2 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Tough toenails. Loyalty points expire.

Or their parents take them on a cruise often enough to keep the points from expiring.  Win win for Carnival!

[mz-s]

11 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

Or their parents take them on a cruise often enough to keep the points from expiring.  Win win for Carnival!

 

Would someone really go on extra cruises so they can make sure they get a slap bracelet koozie for another X number of years? Give me a break.

[Paelos]

3 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

It isn't a competition and there is no need for Carnival to change. Carnival doesn't want cruisers who cruise for perks/bribes. They want cruisers who like the brand.

Well I'd disagree with one point, it's absolutely a competition. The three major lines are by very definition in competition with each other and the loyalty programs are part of that.

 

As to whether they need to change, John Heald came out a few months back and said they were looking at it because as he put it "I know the whole program needs a massive refresh."

 

Now he's one voice, but as their spokesman he's a pretty loud one that says Carnival likely sees it as a current issue.

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, Tapi said:

To add more fuel to the fire, what if Carnival decided to place an expiration on people’s status in an effort to “thin out the herd”? Or if cruises that are more than “X”number of years stopped counting towards status? For me, there was a time when I cruised Carnival exclusively (which is when I attained Platinum status), but now I only sail on them once every few years. I’d loose my current status for sure. 
 

An example is MSC. Unless you’ve sailed on them at least once every 3 years, you loose your status and start from the bottom. That actually has been an incentive for me to sail on them every couple of years; to maintain my status with them (which ironically I attained by matching my Carnival platinum to their program). 

Makes total sense 

[mz-s]

21 minutes ago, Paelos said:

Well I'd disagree with one point, it's absolutely a competition. The three major lines are by very definition in competition with each other and the loyalty programs are part of that.

 

As to whether they need to change, John Heald came out a few months back and said they were looking at it because as he put it "I know the whole program needs a massive refresh."

 

Now he's one voice, but as their spokesman he's a pretty loud one that says Carnival likely sees it as a current issue.

 

I am sure he sits in a lot of meetings where the future of VIFP is discussed.

[jimbo5544]

27 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Would someone really go on extra cruises so they can make sure they get a slap bracelet koozie for another X number of years? Give me a break.

Yup

[Paelos]

8 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

I am sure he sits in a lot of meetings where the future of VIFP is discussed.

Logically though we can deduce that the guy who is getting a paycheck to be the lead PR mouthpiece isn't going to just say that the program needs an overhaul if it's not being looked at. That would be bad PR to suggest that something needs to change if the rest of the company thinks it's fine.

 

Does that mean they looked at it and think it's fine? Maybe. Does that mean they looked at it, and it's not going to change for a couple years? Maybe. I think it's fair to say they were looking at it though. We can take him at his word on that.

[VentureMan_2000]

I don't see any change to the VFIP program while they are still trying to recoup the billions they spent trying to stay afloat during Covid.  Change always pisses off folks... Delta for example.  I can't see Carnival making any changes that might piss people off until after they have recouped their losses.  They can't afford to lose passengers at the moment.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Paelos said:

Well I'd disagree with one point, it's absolutely a competition. The three major lines are by very definition in competition with each other and the loyalty programs are part of that.

 

As to whether they need to change, John Heald came out a few months back and said they were looking at it because as he put it "I know the whole program needs a massive refresh."

 

Now he's one voice, but as their spokesman he's a pretty loud one that says Carnival likely sees it as a current issue.

They compete with each other to some degree, but have different target markets. Loyalty programs, all of them, are marketing programs and none are sustainable without change, and not for the better.

 

John is doing exactly what he is paid to do, which is to diplomatically cram a pacifier into the mouths of noise makers.

 

Carnival clearly gets enough repeat business or they would make changes.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, ninjacat123 said:

Or their parents take them on a cruise often enough to keep the points from expiring.  Win win for Carnival!

Easiest to just dump the program. The noise will die out and money will be saved.

 

Better to modify the shareholder obc starting with enforcing the no obc for discounted cabins like gamblers and travel agents receive. Then give progressively more obc for the more frequent, paying customers.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

Easiest to just dump the program. The noise will die out and money will be saved.

 

Better to modify the shareholder obc starting with enforcing the no obc for discounted cabins like gamblers and travel agents receive. Then give progressively more obc for the more frequent, paying customers.

Might be the easiest, and perhaps arguably the best thing.  That said, I would be shocked of that is what they did. 

[mz-s]

11 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Might be the easiest, and perhaps arguably the best thing.  That said, I would be shocked of that is what they did. 

 

They would be at a distinct competitive disadvantage without a loyalty program. Even Spirit Airlines has one, albeit it doesn't offer much.

[RD64]

Whatever happened to people booking a cruise based on itinerary - as opposed to the perceived benefits of a loyalty program?

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

They would be at a distinct competitive disadvantage without a loyalty program. Even Spirit Airlines has one, albeit it doesn't offer much.

I doubt it. Southwest still offers 2 bags fly free that other airlines ignore. Spirit doesn't even give 1 bag free for cheap tickets. Not that airlines or airline loyalty programs have anything in common with cruise line marketing programs.

 

I also doubt Carnival will drop the program, although there is no reason for them to throw more money away on it.

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

Easiest to just dump the program. The noise will die out and money will be saved.

 

Better to modify the shareholder obc starting with enforcing the no obc for discounted cabins like gamblers and travel agents receive. Then give progressively more obc for the more frequent, paying customers.

But most of the benefits are at a low cost to Carnival so antagonizing a large group sounds counter-productive.  I think it will be akin to the "how do you cook a frog" so we don't realize what we've lost.

 

[Illbcruzn4life]

3 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Would someone really go on extra cruises so they can make sure they get a slap bracelet koozie for another X number of years? Give me a break.

I see it posted all the time. I saw a good deal on another line but I’m so close to Platinum I’m going to pass and stick with Carnival.

I always say to myself, why?

Edited September 25, 2023 by Illbcruzn4life