Will Carnival , copy Disney cruise lines, loyalty program change?

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, CantWait08 said:

As a knowledgable cruiser, where do you think the levels would be best set at?

 

I would think to decrease the numbers in top tiers you would have to go to at least:

500 days new level

300 days Diamond

125  days Platinum

 

I think the Diamond and Platinum benefits are too similar and Carnival does a poor job separating them when making them unavailable on certain cruises personally.

I still dont get why people here think the tiers need thinning out. If someone doesnt return then why are you even worried about them? I think carnival has no perks that keep me loyal. Sorry I dont cruise to get my laundry done.

 

As a for instance the perk at pinnacle on royal I will push to get is free wifi the whole cruise. Right now I get 2 days, I want the whole cruise. It doesnt cost the line that much as most probably dont purchase it so few lost sales and isnt labor intensive for them. 

 

[Colorado Beach Bum]

16 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I still dont get why people here think the tiers need thinning out. If someone doesnt return then why are you even worried about them? I think carnival has no perks that keep me loyal. Sorry I dont cruise to get my laundry done.

 

As a for instance the perk at pinnacle on royal I will push to get is free wifi the whole cruise. Right now I get 2 days, I want the whole cruise. It doesnt cost the line that much as most probably dont purchase it so few lost sales and isnt labor intensive for them. 

 

What if carnival offered you free WIFi at your level?

[firefly333]

12 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

What if carnival offered you free WIFi at your level?

I'd be more inclined to book, yes. I follow stocks. I dont trade while I'm cruising but hate being cut off but at those prices not worth buying either. 14 days x $XX. 

 

I'll be diamond my next cruise which is a journey cruise so not even priority embarkation. Before covid at least I was allowed early access to unpack, now its drop off my suitcase, cant unpack which is better than nothing but a downgrade of a perk. 

 

If you arent a gambler there is nothing calling me back. I get no offers. Most of my roll call seem to have the cruise thru a casino offer. Carnival seems to only be trying to appeal to gamblers. They need a hook, something worth getting it's worth it to push for points. 

 

Royal has people pushing for points. You never read that on carnival. I pushed last year to hit 340 pts on royal to get to the DP340 25% off the cruisefare solo rates. I do get 2 pts a night so it's not as hard on royal. I've seen others pushing for diamond to get that 4 free drinks a day at 80 pts on royal, not that high. 

 

I always read carnival pax here on cc say they dont care about perks. Give me free usefull stuff like free drinks I'm in. Discounts. Buy 1 get 1 free dinner. Etc. 

 

 

[glrounds]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Seems kinda dumb to me too. If they arent sailing it's not like printing their names on a list takes that much work on carnivals part. It's not like I'd miss a bunch of perks anyway. My upcoming cruise is a journey cruise so oh ..we dont do priority boarding for journey cruises. Nothing else I care about. I dont drink bottled water and dont need a luggage tag. 

 

First they need to add some perks besides laundry. Everyone here keeps saying oh I love laundry. 

 

Finally hitting diamond. Little incentive to me if I hit diamond or not. I dont cruise to get my laundry done. Give me a discount every cruise on a pay restaurant or something. Yes I've heard rumors they will change. 

My thoughts exactly. After my last cruise out of Galveston, I've had horrific business problems and then a couple years overcoming Covid and the long rehabilitation process that follows on us "oldies". With Diamond in my sights (just a few more cruises), I would be insulted if Carnival decided to do such a thing. As Firefly eluded to, the benefits have been watered down over the years to only caring about the boarding privileges anyway. I only used the laundry once (don't give 'em anything you care about), Can't drink anymore, so that FREE drink with your brunch on a sea day is cruel. The FREE gifts and ship's pin I traditionally give away to a couple I meet on the ship. The FREE entrance into the slots tournament is now buy one get one free. Perks with the exception of pre-boarding are virtually non-existent for me anymore. Carnival would lose one of their strongest cheerleaders among the people I meet on a day to day basis.

 

Next cruise is probably on a Princess ship out of Galveston where I'll be given a SOLO discount. Think about that Carnival !

 

(sorry about the rant)

[Lidolounger]

Platinum sailer with 40 days needed to reach Diamond.  Laundry perk is OK for t-shirts, sweats, socks etc.  A bottle of water, again ok,  but in no way does that encourage me to continue booking  The one time Diamond gift of luggage tags is nice.

What would really catch my attention?

Ability to have immediate access to my  cabin (like before)

Free specialty dinner

Free low tier wi-fi with ability to upgrade

Cabin cleaned twice daily (like before)

Gifts brought to my cabin vs the current treasure hunt and having to call for the choc strawberries

Meaningful plat/Diamond parties

  Perhaps a short comedy show, True interaction with crew...officer panel etc

Priority tenders both leaving the ship and returning

 

 

 

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, CruiseHealing said:

If you haven’t heard Disney cruise lines just announced a major change to their loyalty program:

 

Guests who have completed one eligible Disney cruise automatically qualify for Castaway Club membership. To remain in the program, Castaway Club Members must book or sail on at least one eligible cruise within 5 years of their last Disney voyage. 

There are lot Carnival cruisers that have status, but haven’t sail Carnival for many years.  This would be a way to thin heard of Diamonds, Platinums and Golds that switched to other cruise lines or just stop cruising.  

 

I'm going to reply before reading the responses so this might have been brought up but if they aren't sailing then they aren't receiving benefits so where's the beef? I've heard that there's too many Diamonds or Platinums onboard, but they are onboard so the new rule wouldn't affect them. Winnowing out the list would only reduce the size of the database which might save a small amount of disk space but would do nothing about the onboard number.

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, CantWait08 said:

As a knowledgable cruiser, where do you think the levels would be best set at?

 

I would think to decrease the numbers in top tiers you would have to go to at least:

500 days new level

300 days Diamond

125  days Platinum

 

I think the Diamond and Platinum benefits are too similar and Carnival does a poor job separating them when making them unavailable on certain cruises personally.

Depends on the reason for the changes to the program.  If it is as some suggest the herd is to big (and I think that is def true), then one of two things need to occur.  They can add a new level (as you suggest) and leave the existing levels alone and move the benefits (and/or add some at the highest level).  This would thin the herd.  Or take the Disney (et al) plan but make it significantly harder. Instead of 5 years, make it 2 (no idea on how they could do this) so that unless cruisers maintain their level of cruising the loyalty perks disappear or diminish.  

 

The other option might be changing the attainment, instead of days cruised it adds another variable like room type, cost etc as other lines do.  That would be the most difficult.  Many here would argue that if you spend more (costs of suites, etc) you deserve more (loyalty perks).  The variations are many, but much of it is easier said than done.

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, Lidolounger said:

Platinum sailer with 40 days needed to reach Diamond.  Laundry perk is OK for t-shirts, sweats, socks etc.  A bottle of water, again ok,  but in no way does that encourage me to continue booking  The one time Diamond gift of luggage tags is nice.

What would really catch my attention?

Ability to have immediate access to my  cabin (like before)

Free specialty dinner

Free low tier wi-fi with ability to upgrade

Cabin cleaned twice daily (like before)

Gifts brought to my cabin vs the current treasure hunt and having to call for the choc strawberries

Meaningful plat/Diamond parties

  Perhaps a short comedy show, True interaction with crew...officer panel etc

Priority tenders both leaving the ship and returning

 

 

 

A menu of available items you (all of us that attain the level) can select from is a real benefit.  How they deploy it is somewhat harder.

[Honolulu Blue]

4 hours ago, Lidolounger said:

Platinum sailer with 40 days needed to reach Diamond.  Laundry perk is OK for t-shirts, sweats, socks etc.  A bottle of water, again ok,  but in no way does that encourage me to continue booking  The one time Diamond gift of luggage tags is nice.

What would really catch my attention?

Ability to have immediate access to my  cabin (like before)

Free specialty dinner

Free low tier wi-fi with ability to upgrade

Cabin cleaned twice daily (like before)

Gifts brought to my cabin vs the current treasure hunt and having to call for the choc strawberries

Meaningful plat/Diamond parties

  Perhaps a short comedy show, True interaction with crew...officer panel etc

Priority tenders both leaving the ship and returning

I'm a Platinum sailer with 60 days to Diamond.  My upcoming cruise will add 14 to that, but I don't have any Carnival cruises scheduled, so I don't know when I'll get to D - if ever.  For funsies, I'll play off your list to see how different we are:

 

• Laundry is very nice, IMHO - especially on long cruises.  I don't do sweats, but my clothing consists of lots of T-shirts, socks, and other items of not too much value.  I've found the crew does a good job with what I give them, and that's good enough for me.
• The water is nice
• I struggle to find uses for the luggage tags I have, so the extra nice ones offered at Diamond is not an incentive
• Immediate access - would be nice, but I can live with being able to drop off my bags and coming back at 1:30
• Specialty dinner - I'd use it, I'm sure it would be nice
• WiFi - I find myself increasingly purchasing this on my cruises, so this would be nice.  I'd always upgrade, since I get limited value out of the Social plan and Premium's premium over value is so low these days (abour $2/day).
• Cabin cleaning + turndown - I find the turndown of limited value to me
• The prize scavenger hunt - Yes, I can do without this.  This wasn't one of Christine's better ideas.
• Diamond parties - I'm sure I could design something better than what they have now, but they're of such limited value to me now that I can't imagine them ever adding much to my cruising experience
• Priority tendering back to the ship - Limited value to me with the ports I like to visit and how I visit them
• Free drinks - Limited value for me
• Solo discounts - Lots of potential value, but the devil is in the details

 

[mz-s]

If Carnival's problem really is they have too many platinum and diamond cruisers, then the only answer is to raise the limits and not grandfather people in. That's if it is truly a problem for Carnival to hand out fanny packs and chocolate covered strawberries to several hundred or perhaps thousand cruisers on a given voyage.

 

If cheap fanny packs are bankrupting Carnival, they've got far bigger problems.

Edited December 29, 2023 by mz-s

[pe4all]

For those interested, JH just put up a new survey 40 minutes ago, giving some choices.  Guess someone was keeping an eye on this thread - lol!

"For the beards as we move to a new loyalty program next year."

"The Diamond and Platinum party."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nic6318]

Hi

 

I don't think that Carnival will be doing any significant changes to their loyalty program. They have already made changes as it suits them in the past. Look at how cabins are not ready now for platinum and diamonds on embarkation. They stopped delivering the "goodies" to the cabins. Now many of these baubles aren't even claimed. Just as on journey cruises, except for the freebies it is meaningless. The actual perks are nothing really to start with, especially compared to other companies. They can continue to do the same without changing anything else. A few free drinks here and there, considering many already have the drinks package, costs them nothing. 

 

Their real challenge, has always been the same, and that is to offer a good product at a competitive price. Like everything else out there, their prices have been going up. People have pretty much used up their covid OBC's. There was a surge of new cruisers after people could start travelling freely again. With those higher prices many of those new cruisers will be taking a break from travel, in general very soon. Everybody is talking how hard it is to make ends meet. That isn't a good environment to find people willing to spend money on cruises. 

 

The cuts have already been made. How few shrimp can you have on a plate and still call it a shrimp cocktail, instead of what it is, "a few shrimp on a plate"?  They will still be looking for more, but the low hanging fruit has already been picked. All they can do now is to watch their competition and do their best to keep their prices attractive and hope that people don't run out of money. 

 

As always, we, as consumers have to do our best in determining the value of what is being offered. Nobody should be patronizing a cruise line solely for the loyalty perks.

[nancy1031]

i'm plat and it had been over 15 yrs since i cruised carnival- i'm loyal but due to circumstances beyond my control i wasn't able to cruise at all til oct 23- don't change the program- i worked hard to get my plat  level and hope to cruise next yr- not a gambler, not much of a drinker- would rather have a bigger discount on the cruise as i cruise solo,

[mz-s]

18 minutes ago, nancy1031 said:

i'm plat and it had been over 15 yrs since i cruised carnival- i'm loyal but due to circumstances beyond my control i wasn't able to cruise at all til oct 23- don't change the program- i worked hard to get my plat  level and hope to cruise next yr- not a gambler, not much of a drinker- would rather have a bigger discount on the cruise as i cruise solo,

 

My guess is since you're not a gambler or a drinker, you're exactly the kind of person Carnival wants to get rid of. Please don't take that the wrong way, it's nothing personal. It's just business - Carnival wants people who will spend hundreds if not thousands once onboard on drinks, gambling, spa treatments, bingo, etc...

[nancy1031]

i tend to buy fine arts (lladro, swarovski) and jewelry (diamond, sapphire, onyx) and alot of times the ships tend to carry some really nice pieces at great prices-

[ninjacat123]

I am at 138 days and have 36 days of cruising (total) upcoming.  I would like to see more perks ie. specialty dinner discounts, wifi discounts but even without that I would like Carnival to up their security and have it be effective. Passengers are allowed to behave badly (sitting in stairwells, walking like a pack not allowing people to pass) and rudely (according to a recent review, spitting down on people in the atrium) which diminishes my cruising enjoyment more than any removal of a loyalty perk could do.

 

[JMAE]

Based on JH FB page changes are coming in 2024, the questions are when and what changes. May include additional levels, reduced or free internet based on your level, reduce prices to specialty dinning based on your level.  My guess, since there are virtually no costs to perks like priority boarding/debarkation, priority water shuttle access, etc. these will remain.  Some may be perceived as negative and I truly hope more positive, but in this cost cutting environment we are currently in, who knows.  We just have to wait and see. Anyway, we enjoy cruising.    

[Elaine5715]

14 hours ago, stobe1 said:

 

 

They may be taking a page from airline frequent flyer programs. Most airlines require you to either fly a certain number of miles or flight segments per year to earn and maintain status. Other airlines require you to spend a certain amount of money per year to earn or maintain status.

 

The airline I work for requires a certain number of miles or flight segments annually. At the end of every year we always see people making "mileage runs" so that their status carries over into the following year. They just fly from point A to point B and back to point A in the same day or make a quick weekend trip out of the mileage run to rack up the miles they need at the last minute. It is a huge motivator for people to keep their status tier.

 

We also see this same approach with hotels, car rental companies, etc... If you don't give them business every so often you lose status. 

 

This approach may work for cruise lines as well.  While there would be some moaning and groaning initially with JH's page being bombarded with negative comments, it would eventually die down over time. 

 

Lots of people on here (yours truly included) have been belly aching for at least a decade about the VIFP program needing changes and updating. No matter what they do or how they revamp it, there will be someone that has heartburn about it.

 

Just my 2 cents.

Except Delta just removed actually flying on Delta to gain/maintain status.  They are going to spending with their branded AmEx as their qualifiers.  Has not gone over well.  

Edited December 29, 2023 by Elaine5715

[Elaine5715]

13 hours ago, CantWait08 said:

As a knowledgable cruiser, where do you think the levels would be best set at?

 

I would think to decrease the numbers in top tiers you would have to go to at least:

500 days new level

300 days Diamond

125  days Platinum

 

I think the Diamond and Platinum benefits are too similar and Carnival does a poor job separating them when making them unavailable on certain cruises personally.

Except I would bet that since the profit of each sailing comes from onboard spending and also that the 500 plus UberDiamonds  spend the least onboard.  

Carnival simply needs to protect the exclusivity of each tier.   

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, JMAE said:

Based on JH FB page changes are coming in 2024, the questions are when and what changes. May include additional levels, reduced or free internet based on your level, reduce prices to specialty dinning based on your level.  My guess, since there are virtually no costs to perks like priority boarding/debarkation, priority water shuttle access, etc. these will remain.  Some may be perceived as negative and I truly hope more positive, but in this cost cutting environment we are currently in, who knows.  We just have to wait and see. Anyway, we enjoy cruising.    

We're contemplating booking a 4 day cruise at the end of our 2025 cruise in order to qualify us for Platinum when we board our 2026 cruise. I might wait to do that to see what changes.

[CruiseHealing]

When Carnival changed the Platinum level to days cruised, from 10 cruises got you Platinum status, Carnival experienced a strong spike in bookings as people were trying to secure their next level, which was grandfathered in for future years.  I suspect that this will be done on the launch of a new plan.  So price of bookings will increase for the grace period due to the limited supply of available cabins. 
 

Just a side note: I know a woman that became Platinum on the 10 cruises rule.  Here current total number of days is around 65.  So you see the power of the grace period capturing the next tier.

[stobe1]

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

Except I would bet that since the profit of each sailing comes from onboard spending and also that the 500 plus UberDiamonds  spend the least onboard.  

Carnival simply needs to protect the exclusivity of each tier.   

I thought Ed Bastian walked that back a bit after all the outrage. That was an extreme move to be sure.

[Elaine5715]

Just now, stobe1 said:

I thought Ed Bastian walked that back a bit after all the outrage. That was an extreme move to be sure.

Nope, just that they "may" have announced it poorly and would take "another" look.  They simply decreased the amount of spend required to gain status still on the Delta AmEx.  All those business travelers with business non AmEx cards were kicked to the curb.  One big buck Spender can spend $$$$$ on a "Delta Vacation" and get elite status but flyers round tripping from ALT to SEA weekly, too bad, too sad.   

[stobe1]

17 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Nope, just that they "may" have announced it poorly and would take "another" look.  They simply decreased the amount of spend required to gain status still on the Delta AmEx.  All those business travelers with business non AmEx cards were kicked to the curb.  One big buck Spender can spend $$$$$ on a "Delta Vacation" and get elite status but flyers round tripping from ALT to SEA weekly, too bad, too sad.   

 

Ouch!

[Elaine5715]

55 minutes ago, CruiseHealing said:

When Carnival changed the Platinum level to days cruised, from 10 cruises got you Platinum status, Carnival experienced a strong spike in bookings as people were trying to secure their next level, which was grandfathered in for future years.  I suspect that this will be done on the launch of a new plan.  So price of bookings will increase for the grace period due to the limited supply of available cabins. 
 

Just a side note: I know a woman that became Platinum on the 10 cruises rule.  Here current total number of days is around 65.  So you see the power of the grace period capturing the next tier.

Carnival gave a year notice and I put together two cruises 3/4 days B2Bs and got to Platinum with 57 days but then took me 9 nine years to reach Diamond.  It did leave me with a love of B2Bs!