Changes to Carnival Loyalty Program

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

11 hours ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

I used to do this all the time - stop at 14 and buy the rest until I was done for the night and then get #15.  But over the last few years they say you can’t even buy.  Only loophole is the free drink they add to your account for the plat/diam party on excel class.  

 

I can't recall, do any other lines have daily limits?

 

The thing I like about Royal is that, by being Diamond with them, they put 4 free drinks on your card/account every day - to use where you please. In addition to that, booking in a suite, I can get wine/beer throughout most of the day in the suite lounge - and, from something like 5-7pm (or 8?) they'll include mixed drinks in there too. With that scenario, I'd be hard pressed to consider adding in a drink package !

 

Celebrity is much the same - though booking a suite with them generally includes a premium beverage package to begin with, so...

 

Yep - to some degree, the cost of those "included" drinks on both of those lines are built into the cabin pricing. I can see if someone is not a drinker, that they might feel they're paying for something they're not receiving any benefit from.

 

Tom

[jimbo5544]

19 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I can't recall, do any other lines have daily limits?

 

The thing I like about Royal is that, by being Diamond with them, they put 4 free drinks on your card/account every day - to use where you please. In addition to that, booking in a suite, I can get wine/beer throughout most of the day in the suite lounge - and, from something like 5-7pm (or 8?) they'll include mixed drinks in there too. With that scenario, I'd be hard pressed to consider adding in a drink package !

 

Celebrity is much the same - though booking a suite with them generally includes a premium beverage package to begin with, so...

 

Yep - to some degree, the cost of those "included" drinks on both of those lines are built into the cabin pricing. I can see if someone is not a drinker, that they might feel they're paying for something they're not receiving any benefit from.

 

Tom

To some, all of this is important.  To me….meh.  We cruised on Celebrity Aqua class and had included drink package.  To be honest, not really a big deal and certainly recognized that the price difference made it that way.  Others may have a different view.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 minute ago, jimbo5544 said:

To some, all of this is important.  To me….meh.  We cruised on Celebrity Aqua class and had included drink package.  To be honest, not really a big deal and certainly recognized that the price difference made it that way.  Others may have a different view.

 

Yep, for everything, there is a price to be paid (sometimes in spades)!

 

EDIT -  OH, and I've never approached the 15 drink limit anyway !

 

Tom

[jimbo5544]

6 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Yep, for everything, there is a price to be paid (sometimes in spades)!

 

EDIT -  OH, and I've never approached the 15 drink limit anyway !

 

Tom

LOL same here, my heavy drinking days are behind me and was never a heavyweight (drinker….)😅

Edited April 25 by jimbo5544

[BlerkOne]

Just now, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I can't recall, do any other lines have daily limits?

 

The thing I like about Royal is that, by being Diamond with them, they put 4 free drinks on your card/account every day - to use where you please. In addition to that, booking in a suite, I can get wine/beer throughout most of the day in the suite lounge - and, from something like 5-7pm (or 8?) they'll include mixed drinks in there too. With that scenario, I'd be hard pressed to consider adding in a drink package !

 

Celebrity is much the same - though booking a suite with them generally includes a premium beverage package to begin with, so...

 

Yep - to some degree, the cost of those "included" drinks on both of those lines are built into the cabin pricing. I can see if someone is not a drinker, that they might feel they're paying for something they're not receiving any benefit from.

 

Tom

Princess has a limit.

 

Not only could some resent paying for something they don't use, they could resent subsidizing those who do 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

3 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Princess has a limit.

 

Not only could some resent paying for something they don't use, they could resent subsidizing those who do 

 

Oh, and they do - that's been brought up more than once!

 

Tom

[Hoosierpop]

I don’t care what they do. As long as it benefits me personally. 

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

to some degree, the cost of those "included" drinks on both of those lines are built into the cabin pricing.

There's a huge difference between the cost of the included drinks vs the revenue the cruise line would receive if guests purchased drinks.

The cost per drink is nominal ($1 to $3), whereas the top-line revenue they are giving up when they include beverages can be $12-$20 per drink.

There's a lot of cost/benefit analysis which they would have to take into consideration when making these decisions.

[Joebucks]

2 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I can't recall, do any other lines have daily limits?

 

The thing I like about Royal is that, by being Diamond with them, they put 4 free drinks on your card/account every day - to use where you please. In addition to that, booking in a suite, I can get wine/beer throughout most of the day in the suite lounge - and, from something like 5-7pm (or 8?) they'll include mixed drinks in there too. With that scenario, I'd be hard pressed to consider adding in a drink package !

 

Celebrity is much the same - though booking a suite with them generally includes a premium beverage package to begin with, so...

 

Yep - to some degree, the cost of those "included" drinks on both of those lines are built into the cabin pricing. I can see if someone is not a drinker, that they might feel they're paying for something they're not receiving any benefit from.

 

Tom

 

I agree that Royal has better benefits and the amount of "included" drinks in that scenario would be sufficient for me, without a drink package.

 

With that said, passing off a suite on Royal Caribbean as a sort of savings is where you lose me. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

 

I agree that Royal has better benefits and the amount of "included" drinks in that scenario would be sufficient for me, without a drink package.

 

With that said, passing off a suite on Royal Caribbean as a sort of savings is where you lose me. 

 

I wasn't proposing that as being a savings, but it does come with some other perks as well - that some people will value, others not. Having a dedicated suite restraunt for THREE meals each day (no silly "brunch") is something we enjoy. Reserved seating at shows could be handy - we've used that a couple of times, allowing us to come shortly before a show a get a decent seat vs. having to arrive way earlier.

 

Again, there's a cost to everything.

 

Tom

[noshoobie]

On 4/23/2024 at 6:05 PM, BlerkOne said:

Royal prefers to bribe past guests. 

Can you explain to me how Royal bribes guests? (Humorous question. Not a sarcastic question).

We sailed on Royal over a year ago and paid for our balcony cabin. We dropped $$ in the casino and the only offer we get is a comp inside cabin for one and discounted casino cruise fare for the second passenger. The sail date options are also very minimal.

 

Now on Carnival we sailed with a free casino cruise offer last year and dropped the same $$. We get offers from Carnival for free casino cruises with drinks in the casino included on a weekly basis. The cruise options are great including 3-14 days cruises. We just booked an 8 day mexican riviera for 2025. 

 

We wish Royal would bribe us with the same offers as we have always loved Royal. Since they don't we will continue to sail Carnival and MSC. 

[pc_load_letter]

19 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

LOL same here, my heavy drinking days are behind me and was never a heavyweight (drinker….)😅

 

At 48 I can still hit 15 well before midnight. Not even really drunk as I simply pace myself, eat and drink plenty of water and electrolytes.

 

I understand and respect the effort to control drunkenness but the limit should apply to blue and red cards.

 

Gold and higher should have no limit ala NCL.

Edited April 26 by pc_load_letter

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

At 48 I can still hit 15 well before midnight. Not even really drunk as I simply pace myself, eat and drink plenty of water and electrolytes.

 

I understand and respect the effort to control drunkenness but the limit should apply to blue and red cards.

 

Gold and higher should have no limit ala NCL.

Do not really have a dog in this fight, but I have seen as many drunks with all colored cards doing stupid things, being loud and obnoxious.  Really do es not make a difference, it will never change to a color card differntiator.

[mfs2k]

Is this math right?

 

A limit of 15 drinks regardless of what you're drinking

• 12 oz bottle of beer (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 5 oz glass of wine (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 1.5 oz 80 proof liquor (0.6 oz alcohol)

 

0.6oz x 15 drinks = 9 oz of alcohol for $59.95 per day.

 

9 oz of alcohol is equivalent to 22.5 oz of vodka

A 750ml bottle of vodka is 25.4 oz

 

So the daily limit is almost the equivalent of a 750ml bottle of vodka per day.

 

Personally, my liver is ok with the limit. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26 by mfs2k

[Jamman54]

2 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Is this math right?

 

A limit of 15 drinks regardless of what you're drinking

• 12 oz bottle of beer (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 5 oz glass of wine (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 1.5 oz 80 proof liquor (0.6 oz alcohol)

 

0.6oz x 15 drinks = 9 oz of alcohol for $59.95 per day.

 

9 oz of alcohol is equivalent to 22.5 oz of vodka

A 750ml bottle of vodka is 25.4 oz

 

So the daily limit is almost the equivalent of a 750ml bottle of vodka per day.

 

Personally, my liver is ok with the limit. 

 

 

 

 

You have too much time on your hands! 😁

[mz-s]

6 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Is this math right?

 

A limit of 15 drinks regardless of what you're drinking

• 12 oz bottle of beer (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 5 oz glass of wine (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 1.5 oz 80 proof liquor (0.6 oz alcohol)

 

0.6oz x 15 drinks = 9 oz of alcohol for $59.95 per day.

 

9 oz of alcohol is equivalent to 22.5 oz of vodka

A 750ml bottle of vodka is 25.4 oz

 

So the daily limit is almost the equivalent of a 750ml bottle of vodka per day.

 

Personally, my liver is ok with the limit. 

 

 

 

 

 

It's even worse than that because a lot of drinks, like a Long Island Iced Tea, have more than 1 shot of liquor in them.

[Jamman54]

1 minute ago, mz-s said:

 

It's even worse than that because a lot of drinks, like a Long Island Iced Tea, have more than 1 shot of liquor in them.

I would replace the word "worse" with the word "better"! 😁

[mz-s]

20 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

I would replace the word "worse" with the word "better"! 😁

 

Reminds me of a shirt I've seen many times in Nassau.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

It's even worse than that because a lot of drinks, like a Long Island Iced Tea, have more than 1 shot of liquor in them.

 

You could get a ~12 oz Miller Lite with a splash of alcohol, or get a can (nearly 20 oz) of Hazy IPA at close to 7% alcohol. Apples to apples it ain't.

 

Tom

[jimbo5544]

6 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

You could get a ~12 oz Miller Lite with a splash of alcohol, or get a can (nearly 20 oz) of Hazy IPA at close to 7% alcohol. Apples to apples it ain't.

 

Tom

Would that be a Milwaukee Mule?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On 4/26/2024 at 4:24 PM, jimbo5544 said:

Would that be a Milwaukee Mule?

 

I can't say I've ever heard of that 🙂

 

Tom

[firefly333]

On 4/25/2024 at 6:11 AM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I can't recall, do any other lines have daily limits?

 

The thing I like about Royal is that, by being Diamond with them, they put 4 free drinks on your card/account every day - to use where you please. In addition to that, booking in a suite, I can get wine/beer throughout most of the day in the suite lounge - and, from something like 5-7pm (or 8?) they'll include mixed drinks in there too. With that scenario, I'd be hard pressed to consider adding in a drink package !

 

Celebrity is much the same - though booking a suite with them generally includes a premium beverage package to begin with, so...

 

Yep - to some degree, the cost of those "included" drinks on both of those lines are built into the cabin pricing. I can see if someone is not a drinker, that they might feel they're paying for something they're not receiving any benefit from.

 

Tom

Just a FYI, it's only the  newer ships, oasis and forget the other class name that have the 11 to 11 soda and water etc in the suite lounge. I'll be on maringer who does not have this. Just be aware this isnt all classes of ships. Royal is odd in that different classes of suites on different sships have different perks. Personally I'm pushing for pinnacle for the free wifi all cruise. I now get 5 drinks and 2 days of wifi. I never finish all my 5 drinks. I tried cheers twice on carnival and was a waste for me. I guess my drinking days are behind me. 

 

My big perk on royal I dont get elsewhere is the 25% off as a solo. Carnival used to give 1As with less supplement but long since quit. That's all the perks I care about .. money off cruisefare I'd ordinarily spend. I spend on meals, excursions and wifi. Dont care about the other perks. I dont cruise to do laundry. What is the bottom line price is all I care about. Otherwise I dont care which line I cruise on. I even liked ncl and celebrity. 

 

 

[firefly333]

On 4/25/2024 at 11:06 AM, noshoobie said:

Can you explain to me how Royal bribes guests? (Humorous question. Not a sarcastic question).

We sailed on Royal over a year ago and paid for our balcony cabin. We dropped $$ in the casino and the only offer we get is a comp inside cabin for one and discounted casino cruise fare for the second passenger. The sail date options are also very minimal.

 

Now on Carnival we sailed with a free casino cruise offer last year and dropped the same $$. We get offers from Carnival for free casino cruises with drinks in the casino included on a weekly basis. The cruise options are great including 3-14 days cruises. We just booked an 8 day mexican riviera for 2025. 

 

We wish Royal would bribe us with the same offers as we have always loved Royal. Since they don't we will continue to sail Carnival and MSC. 

Well its apples to oranges tbh

 

Carnival I've read each cruise is separate points. On royal its cumulative for 1 year, april to April. So if I sail 6 times on royal all my casino pts are added together for the year until I qualify for offers. I've read on carnival they count pts each cruise separate.  .. though I admit I'm not a gambler. Completely different programs. 

 

I cruise for bottom line price. Since carnival gives me no discounts, usually as a solo royal wins, but I'm open carnival... hit me up. On carnival I love the free fast food. I'm a junk food person. Royal wins for free wifi and free 5 drinks a day and discounts prior to boarding on excursions. Excursions I book much cheaper on royal. All this year 30% off which puts the same exact excursions cheaper on royal. Last year j booked all at 35% off, but this last year only 30% but 40% already cheaper priced lunches. Pre boarding sales better on royal.

 

It really depends on what you spend on. There is a awesome 2 week journey cruise I'd like but a inside is $3500. I can do a balcony on 2 weeks on a almost brand new ship for less on royal ..but i do love their journey cruises. Watching hoping for a sale lol. 

[aborgman]

On 4/23/2024 at 6:16 PM, BlerkOne said:

Fair enough. One person's bribe might be another person's perk. But the "free" alcohol that Royal "gives" to upper level cruisers is a consideration for some to book Royal.

 

 

Bribes are an illegal or unethical inducement to influence a person's behavior.

 

That is the difference between a discount/perk and a bribe. If it's legal - it ain't a bribe, it's a perk.

[aborgman]

9 hours ago, icft said:

You are 100% correct. But just let it lay, sit back and follow CC for some time. You will be entertained to see how someone drools at the opportunity to use the words "bribe" and "cheap."

 

 

 

I've been on the internet since before the first graphical browser (NCSA Mosaic)... I'm well acquainted with fanboys. When their team does it, it's good and virtuous - and when the other team does it, it's nefarious.

 

When their favorite cruise line induces people - it's a perk. When the other cruise lines do the same thing, they're "bribing" their customers. It's hilariously transparent tribalism.

 

As for "cheap"...I grew up in a region and household that considers it a badge of honor. I'm proud of being cheap. It's a virtue.