6/20/24: Double Cruise Credits for Captain's Circle Guests with Princess Cruises' New Loyalty Accelerator Program

[annmarz]

10 hours ago, enfuego4cruising said:

Once Princess swells the ranks of Elite passengers, it will be time to announce a new, higher tier.

I could not agree more and have thought this way for some time.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Thank you for always being so helpful. We do have Plus. My friend will be very happy. 
 

It doesn’t matter that this cruise has been booked for over a year, correct? 

My impression is this is just for bookings made. Aug-Dec

[NWA395]

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

It doesn’t matter that this cruise has been booked for over a year, correct? 

That is correct. 

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, NWA395 said:

That is correct. 

And since I have 60 cruises and over 500 days how does this help me ? 

[Kay S]

14 minutes ago, memoak said:

And since I have 60 cruises and over 500 days how does this help me ? 

The same way it helps me:  nada, zilch, nothing.  The direction Princess has been going with Elite benefits (reducing them) makes me think there is no new higher tier coming.  With even more Elites, Princess can reduce benefits for even more people!  This scheme just seems fishy to me somehow.  "Money grab" was the best definition I heard.

[SCX22]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

And since I have 60 cruises and over 500 days how does this help me ? 

 

42 minutes ago, Kay S said:

The same way it helps me:  nada, zilch, nothing.  The direction Princess has been going with Elite benefits (reducing them) makes me think there is no new higher tier coming.

Millennials know that loyalty means nothing anymore.  There are simply too many consumers in today's world.  (Maybe if you want a Birkin or Rolex.)  Maybe it's time to cruise with other cruise lines rather than waiting for Princess to give you more.

 

There's lots of talk about MTG gatherings.  Not quite sure what the draw to these events are.  The cruise fare already includes food so it's like you already paid for it.  It's also like saying you need to cruise X amount of days to schmooze with the crew.  I've made the cut and have been invited twice and never understood the draw and never went.  One CC Host even told me that everyone there that everyone there would be twice my age and I wouldn't have peers.  Now that this is handled by Future Cruise, it's been expressed by a few that these are seen as a chore in talking to these folks.

 

Don't understand the draw to the CC cocktail party nights either.  My loyalty is worth a drink and if I had a package, I basically paid for the drink.  These parties turn into a whose pee goes higher in terms of comparing days cruised.  It doesn't really matter!

 

Even something like the minibar and the MedallionNet discount are redundant if you have the package. The excursion discount is nice, but if you're like me and only book Princess excursions with excess OBC and otherwise go independent, it's really not beneficial.

[Essex Racer]

I agree it is a money grab - book and pay for upfront rather than waiting to use OBC once onboard to purchase therefore handing over less cash.

 

Personally we always add plus when booking the cruise - no question!!

Edited June 21 by Essex Racer
Added extra comment.

[milamber]

Can't say we are impressed. Neither of us drink so the Plus package has always been pointless. Basically it's Princess saying they value guests who drink and cruise infrequently more highly than regularly returning guests who don't/can't drink. 

[555]

I believe that most of the posters here on CC can't get to excited about this change unless that increase the benefit of being in the upper category. Even the setup doesn't mean a thing when you sail with a package and laundry will take longer than ever. 

[Ombud]

9 hours ago, bellebaby said:

Am I missing something?  It seems like Priority Embarkation is no longer an Elite benefit.  Only for ship to shore tendering.

 

B

Actually although I've had it on cruises this year, embarkation with green status was so fast it was immaterial. 

 

7 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Here’s a question for you… We booked a b2b as a single 14 day cruise in October. It is listed as 2 cruise credits. Does that mean that we will earn 4 credits? I’ve been Elite for a long time, but I think my friend will hit Elite if it will be counted as 4 credits. 

I wonder. Often these new perks are only for new bookings not existing ones. 

 

Also: the perk window seems short so is the objective to reduce the number of drop & go bookings where often the taxes /port charges = cruise fare? 

[Grego]

There has been a lot of blowback directed back at Princess and there certainly will be more.

We have waited a long time for the loyalty program to add higher tiers above Elite to maintain the reason to be loyal.  Give us a reason to stay and not look at other cruise lines.

A higher level that included the plus package would be a nice start and possibly add in a discounted fee on bookings.  Just something to be better than Elite and comparable to other cruise lines.

The free laundry offering now with Elite is a non-starter since there are cases where one-third of the ship is Elite and the laundry turnaround time keeps increasing.  With this new incentive offering, there a lot of Platinum guests that will become Elite overnight and further swamp the laundry staff.

One of my real gripes is that we have accomplished getting to 60+ voyages and well over 600 days that hard way with 98% of the bookings over 7 days and most 10 days or more and we are getting rewarded for over 30 years of loyal Princess customers.

Maybe some pencil neck back in Santa Clarita has looked at the bookings that occur between August and December and has come up with this scheme to get these ships full and damn the results. This might end up being one of those, "tripping over the dollar bills to pick up the pennies".

[Cruise Raider]

Princess has put out an official announcement on their website with some FAQs included.  
 

https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/double-the-love

 

 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

8 hours ago, memoak said:

And since I have 60 cruises and over 500 days how does this help me ? 

Personally, I cruise for the sheer enjoyment we get from it!  If this brings more happy cruisers into our circle, I am completely fine with it.  
We always purchase one of the packages, and my goal has never been to be the top dog.   But, if this gets us closer to an invite or two to the MTP lunch / cocktail party, we would love that, too.  We enjoy those so very much!  Perhaps it won’t, as MTPs will probably travel as often or more as we do, but not all top travelers buy the package.  We do have 45 cruise days booked for the time period of the promo, so it may help us out in the long run.  

[slidemaster5]

7 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

Millennials know that loyalty means nothing anymore.  There are simply too many consumers in today's world.  (Maybe if you want a Birkin or Rolex.)  Maybe it's time to cruise with other cruise lines rather than waiting for Princess to give you more.

 

There's lots of talk about MTG gatherings.  Not quite sure what the draw to these events are.  The cruise fare already includes food so it's like you already paid for it.  It's also like saying you need to cruise X amount of days to schmooze with the crew.  I've made the cut and have been invited twice and never understood the draw and never went.  One CC Host even told me that everyone there that everyone there would be twice my age and I wouldn't have peers.  Now that this is handled by Future Cruise, it's been expressed by a few that these are seen as a chore in talking to these folks.

 

Don't understand the draw to the CC cocktail party nights either.  My loyalty is worth a drink and if I had a package, I basically paid for the drink.  These parties turn into a whose pee goes higher in terms of comparing days cruised.  It doesn't really matter!

 

Even something like the minibar and the MedallionNet discount are redundant if you have the package. The excursion discount is nice, but if you're like me and only book Princess excursions with excess OBC and otherwise go independent, it's really not beneficial.

 

Sorry but everyone, regardless of generation knows this; at least should know this. Loyalty programs have been around forever, and the intention is to generate enough "stickiness" to keep people without having to incentivize them any more than they have to. 

 

We are cruising Princess because of (1) itinerary (2) ship class (3) food options (4) price point (5) pax type (older crowd, few kids). I would rank name of ship higher then loyalty perks.

[slidemaster5]

FYI - If you are complaining please at least blame (1) the marketing group for coming up with this and (2) senior management for approving marketing's idea. As a former "bean counter" / "pencil neck" for over 40 years in corporate America, the accounting/finance area does not come up with these ideas to annoy people. 

[JamieLogical]

Cool. I have been on two Princess cruises and I am currently Gold. I had expected to be Ruby after my upcoming 14-day on the Enchanted in August, but with this promotion, it looks like we will leap-frog right over Ruby and go straight to Platinum. We currently have 22 days. 14x2 for the August cruise is 28. 22+28=50.

 

I am already Platinum with NCL, Diamond with MSC, and one short cruise away from Elite on Celebrity. Guess I will be adding Platinum on Princess to that list.

[SeaTheWorldOnPrincess]

5 hours ago, milamber said:

Can't say we are impressed. Neither of us drink so the Plus package has always been pointless. Basically it's Princess saying they value guests who drink and cruise infrequently more highly than regularly returning guests who don't/can't drink. 

My wife and I had the exact the thought when we saw the promotion.  Padgett wants to market Princess to passengers who sail once a year and drink.
 

I have not been impressed with Padgett who seems to be re-branding Princess into his own version of Royal Caribbean with mega ships, drink packages, and more kids onboard. Not a surprise since they promoted a Disney guy to run a cruise line. 
 

After 256 days on Princess my wife and I have decided look at Windstar, Seabourn, Holland America, etc.

[Cruise Raider]

5 minutes ago, SeaTheWorldOnPrincess said:

My wife and I had the exact the thought when we saw the promotion.  Padgett wants to market Princess to passengers who sail once a year and drink.
 

I have not been impressed with Padgett who seems to be re-branding Princess into his own version of Royal Caribbean with mega ships, drink packages, and more kids onboard. Not a surprise since they promoted a Disney guy to run a cruise line. 
 

After 256 days on Princess my wife and I have decided look at Windstar, Seabourn, Holland America, etc.

I am neither of fan or critic or Padgett, but I certainly do understand what he’s doing. To be blunt, many of the most traveled passengers are aging out and it’s only right to keep the business financially stable by attracting a younger crowd.  
 

[billco]

20 hours ago, SeaTheWorldOnPrincess said:

My wife and I have been loyal Princess cruisers for the past 25+ years with 25 cruise & 150+ days at sea. We feel that since Padgett took over Princess he seems to have focused his energy on turning Princess into a family/party cruise line like Royal Caribbean with big new mega ships and a big push to buy drink packages.

 

Our 28 day voyage down the Amazon on the Volendam (Holland America) felt like a Princess cruise of old from the pre-Padgett era.  
 

After our Princess cruise to Greenland in August we feel it may be time to look at booking voyages on Holland America and expedition lines like Hurtigruten. 

 

 

Holland America may feel like the Princess of old, but they are just as focused on turning a profit as Princess. For example, last September we booked a 13 day cruise from Vancouver to Yokohama including their early Have It All package that had crew appreciation for $4398 with a $200 deposit. For months after booking the cruise always showed sold out. I looked this morning and the cruise is available again for $5696 with a deposit of $600 and doesn't include crew appreciation in the Have It All package. I think John Padgett and the EDs of the other cruise lines are focused on paying the bills they racked up during the Pandemic.

[davy jones]

Sorry..found my answer after posting.

Edited June 21 by davy jones

[dog]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

Princess has put out an official announcement on their website with some FAQs included.  
 

https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-deals-promotions/double-the-love

 

 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, davy jones said:

I assume that you get double points if your are already booked with Princess Plus.

It gets ves eligibility on link posted.

[JimmyVWine]

Not sure why there is any negativity toward this.  It is a 4 month promotion.  Not a sea change in the way they do business (pun intended.)  I am sure that someone in accounting has seen the impact that using OBC to purchase packages has had on anticipated revenue generated from packages, and this is a way to test out a fix.  I suppose they could have announced the following: "Princess is proud to launch its new program disallowing OBC to be used to purchase packages while on board.  From sailings commencing between September 1 through December 1, guests will NOT be allowed to use OBC to purchase packages while on board."  Would we like that better?   For those complaining about this promotion swelling the ranks of Elites, exactly how many people do you think will earn Elite status as a result of this 4 month promotion? Surely can't be enough to move the meter. 

 

And finally, serious question for those who would like to see a higher level of status: what benefits would you like to see included in that higher tier?  (And no fair starting any bullet point item with "FREE".  That ain't happening.)  As @SCX22 aptly pointed out above, the way cruise fares, packages and on-line check-in now operate, Elite benefits aren't all that meaningful.  Is there really a burning desire to add more not-so-meaningful benefits into a higher tier?  Sure, people would like "discounted this" or "free that". But with packages being the wave of the present and future, Princess isn't going to add benefits that discourage people from buying them.  If they give away too many Specialty Dinners and give away too much alcohol, would Elites ever buy a package?

 

As I mentioned in another thread about "Sales", with the way packages have been rolled out coupled with the promise of early bookings getting the best prices, there is very little wiggle room for Princess to conduct sales as we used to know them.  Lower fares, free beverage packages, gratuities included are all gone as bait for the hook.  So they have to find new, innovative ways to attract business.  This is a four month test.  Doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me.  (Full disclosure--I fortuitously have a cruise booked for this block of time, so I get the benefit of it.  I suppose that clouds my judgment a bit.)

[LACruiser88]

3 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I am sure that someone in accounting has seen the impact that using OBC to purchase packages has had on anticipated revenue generated from packages, and this is a way to test out a fix. 

I believe that this is behind this promotion.  I will not be surprised to see them discontinue the ability to purchase the packages onboard with OBC and/or they will add a surcharge if purchased onboard.  🤷‍♂️

[SCX22]

29 minutes ago, billco said:

Holland America may feel like the Princess of old, but they are just as focused on turning a profit as Princess.

 

29 minutes ago, billco said:

I think John Padgett and the EDs of the other cruise lines are focused on paying the bills they racked up during the Pandemic.

 

I think this profit pressure extends to all of CCL's brands.  IMO, CCL is trying to get their stock price up.  They're not as innovative as RC Group, so they have to rely on booking volume to justify investors to purchase their stock.  Innovation drives investment, not just passenger volume.  I will be interesting to see what the earnings call on 06/26 reveals.

 

If you look at the e-mail regarding the new pricing, there's PS under the notice saying something to the effect that you should book 2025 now.  Basically, it trying to create false panic to encourage people will book now.  Furthermore, if you look at generic online advise being published about CCL, most just point at high demand for cruising as a reason to purchase their stock.  

[JamieLogical]

6 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Not sure why there is any negativity toward this.  It is a 4 month promotion.  Not a sea change in the way they do business (pun intended.)  I am sure that someone in accounting has seen the impact that using OBC to purchase packages has had on anticipated revenue generated from packages, and this is a way to test out a fix.  I suppose they could have announced the following: "Princess is proud to launch its new program disallowing OBC to be used to purchase packages while on board.  From sailings commencing between September 1 through December 1, guests will NOT be allowed to use OBC to purchase packages while on board."  Would we like that better?   For those complaining about this promotion swelling the ranks of Elites, exactly how many people do you think will earn Elite status as a result of this 4 month promotion? Surely can't be enough to move the meter. 

 

And finally, serious question for those who would like to see a higher level of status: what benefits would you like to see included in that higher tier?  (And no fair starting any bullet point item with "FREE".  That ain't happening.)  As @SCX22 aptly pointed out above, the way cruise fares, packages and on-line check-in now operate, Elite benefits aren't all that meaningful.  Is there really a burning desire to add more not-so-meaningful benefits into a higher tier?  Sure, people would like "discounted this" or "free that". But with packages being the wave of the present and future, Princess isn't going to add benefits that discourage people from buying them.  If they give away too many Specialty Dinners and give away too much alcohol, would Elites ever buy a package?

 

As I mentioned in another thread about "Sales", with the way packages have been rolled out coupled with the promise of early bookings getting the best prices, there is very little wiggle room for Princess to conduct sales as we used to know them.  Lower fares, free beverage packages, gratuities included are all gone as bait for the hook.  So they have to find new, innovative ways to attract business.  This is a four month test.  Doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me.  (Full disclosure--I fortuitously have a cruise booked for this block of time, so I get the benefit of it.  I suppose that clouds my judgment a bit.)

 

Yeah, I am not sure why everyone is getting their panties in a twist over this. The loyalty benefits on Princess aren't great. I texted my husband about this because we will be jumping from Gold to Platinum after our August sailing now (as I described above). He asked me what benefits we will get for Ruby and Platinum, so I listed them out for him and he was pretty "meh" about it. We might check out the Platinum and Elite Lounge onboard, but I think that's it. We might also take advantage of the 50% off wifi at some point if we plan on working from the ship like we are doing in August. But compared to other lines where we get free specialty dining and other more useful perks, Princess doesn't seem all that great.