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

[cr8tiv1]

Observations on June 21, 2024:

 

7 pages since initial announcement

151 posts

Mostly from seasoned cruise critic members

Many more questions than answers

A little bit of distrust (editorial comment by me)

 

Personally, I would rather have Princess reinstate some of the Elite Perks rather than increase the size of the Elite Group.

 

Edited June 21 by cr8tiv1

[cruzsnooze]

36 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 
For those real and/or perceived inconveniences, I still just don’t see why anybody would be all that upset about others sharing in those things that you appreciate.  
And sure, I think another tier would be great.  


 

It's not an inconvenience when there are more elites getting into the tender line then non elites. It's not inconvenient when laundry takes 3 days because of too many elites. It's not inconvenient when they run out of diet coke for the mini bar exchange because too many elites want the same swap.  It's going to be an awfully big line at guest services now with elites and suites. How can priority boarding and disembarkation be shorter if there are so many elites?  Yes I am unhappy with the dilution.

Edited June 21 by cruzsnooze

[So_Tweetie]

I have been trying to figure out the strategic business approach this is from Princess.. This is not a promotion that you can book now and enjoy on cruises for the next year or two, this is a book (or upgrade) now, and sail by December 1 promotion. So maybe they are trying to prove something to investors and boost their 2024 results. The promise of climbing the (arguably low value) loyalty ladder more quickly will allow them to immediately claim higher package buy-in rates and increase the average spend per day by customers. The cost of allowing a customer to jump from Gold to Platinum is a long-term expense, and also dependent on that customer returning for a future sailing. 

[dog]

Aug to Dec. hurricane season as Carribean cruises begin, kids back to school.

 

I think it is a promotion to get money in advance, stop using OBC for packages.

 

No one is insulting me.

[memoak]

21 minutes ago, dog said:

Congrats to those who benefit from it.

 

I only take advantage of laundry service once during a cruise, if at all, 1/2 price wifi, shop discount, excursion discount, and a mini bar set up.

 

I imagine that these things will disappear shortly.

 

The pessimistic speaks again

[JGmf]

17 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

They need a higher tier above Elite for something like 50+ cruises. RCL did this with a new Pinnacle level. Those of us who earned our cruise credits and days the fair way are being slapped in the face.  Shame on Princess.

THE REAL LOOSERS ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T DRINK LIKE MYSELF AND WOULD NEVER PURCHASE AN ALCOHOL PACKAGE !!!!

 

Princess does have an issue when a seasoned, long-term cruiser like you feels slighted.  If enough vote with their feet, then they'll lose business.

 

That said, over the short-term, I'd offer that in whatever economic model they use, persons who don't buy packages and are Elite tier aren't as profitable to them as the opposite: relatively newer cruisers who buy packages. 

 

It's interesting to see how they try to strike the proper balance to fill the ships and maximize revenue. 

 

 

 

 

 

[mgtravelsalot]

sounds like they are trying to do  something similar to HAL you get extra points for on board spending 1 extra point for every extra 300 dollars you spend .  If you buy a HIA drink package at 55.00 per day this counts. as well as any on board spending like the spa or shops  I book early so my tips and drink packages are often already included in my fare already. Princess does not do this Of course you only have to be 4 star to get free laundry over there not elite  But Princess gives double points for solos which I like. I was going to wait and use my OBC for my Sept sailing now will buy a few days before as I wait to transfer money over to the card I use for the ship. after this cruise it will make me elite with 4 times the points. I mainly only cruise HAL anymore but this is still helpful for future dates already all booked on HAL for 2025 with 5 cruises. This will be me retrying Princess after 12 years

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, So_Tweetie said:

I have been trying to figure out the strategic business approach this is from Princess.

I think that it is "big data" being used in real time.  At the push of a button, Princess can instantly see how many people are booked on any given cruise who  have NOT yet purchased a package, and ALSO have a fairly substantial amount of OBC credited to that cruise.  From here it is not a very big leap to surmise that many of these people plan to use their OBC to purchase a package once on board and perhaps they don't like the numbers and trend that they are seeing.  This promotion may be nothing more than an incentivization for these people to book and pay for their packages now with "new money" instead of waiting and obtaining the packages with credits.  And if they do, maybe a good bit of that OBC evaporates in the casino. Win/Win for Princess.   You are correct that this is clearly not intended to boost last-minute bookings, though it may have that effect.  It reads more like:  "If you have already booked, pay us more money now."  A fairly straightforward and non-nefarious strategic business approach. 

 

We may be coming upon the day where Princess announces that Plus and Premier MUST be booked ahead of time, and only sell Beverage Packages to people who want to pay once on board. 

Edited June 21 by JimmyVWine

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

It's not an inconvenience when there are more elites getting into the tender line then non elites. It's not inconvenient when laundry takes 3 days because of too many elites. It's not inconvenient when they run out of diet coke for the mini bar exchange because too many elites want the same swap.  It's going to be an awfully big line at guest services now with elites and suites. How can priority boarding and disembarkation be shorter if there are so many elites?  Yes I am unhappy with the dilution.

People will be getting elite status either with or without this 4 month promotion.  And I really wonder if the number of people that will be attaining this tier status jump from platinum to elite and the consequences of such is being a bit overblown.  Everyone seems to be making it out to be a disaster way ahead of this even being implemented.  


 

[FLAlaska]

6 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

People will be getting elite status either with or without this 4 month promotion.  And I really wonder if the number of people that will be attaining this tier status jump from platinum to elite and the consequences of such is being a bit overblown.  Everyone seems to be making it out to be a disaster way ahead of this even being implemented.  


 

And its only through Dec1, not permanent. At least not yet.Its a lot of hubbub, IMO, for a promotion that lasts just a few months.

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Observations on June 21, 2024:

 

7 pages since initial announcement

151 posts

Mostly from seasoned cruise critic members

Many more questions than answers

A little bit of distrust (editorial comment by me)

 

Personally, I would rather have Princess reinstate some of the Elite Perks rather than increase the size of the Elite Group.

 

I’m sure many in this group feel that way.  But, what revenue does that bring in for Princess to do that?  This is a promotion, like many others in which the goal is to bring in more revenue, be it through increased bookings or increased spending.  

[Kay S]

9 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

People will be getting elite status either with or without this 4 month promotion.  

 

This is true, but MORE will gain status in the four month period than would without the promotion.  It just irks me some that Princess has reduced perks for current Elites while now swelling the ranks to share those perks.  (Laundry.  My most valuable perk.  Longer waits.) 🙃

[So_Tweetie]

15 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

We may be coming upon the day where Princess announces that Plus and Premier MUST be booked ahead of time, and only sell Beverage Packages to people who want to pay once on board. 

I agree, it's only a matter of time. We have a few hundred in OBC on our upcoming cruise and that will go toward upgrading from Plus to Premier. I'm always telling people to appreciate what Princess is offering at the moment, like all the awesome free features of the Medallion app when it first launched, because they are inevitably going to find new ways to monetize. As a smart business should. 

 

I dread the day when Princess increases pricing on these packages to be in-line with Royal Caribbean's rates which are brutal and unjustifiable for my style of cruising. 

[JimmyVWine]

Just now, Kay S said:

It just irks me some that Princess has reduced perks for current Elites while now swelling the ranks to share those perks.

Sounds like the joke where the diner complained that the food at the restaurant was inedible.  And that the portions were too small as well.  If Elite benefits are illusory, why does it matter if more people get them?  If 500 people are promised a unicorn to take home after the cruise, would it matter if the cruise line now promises 750 people a unicorn?

[So_Tweetie]

2 minutes ago, Kay S said:

This is true, but MORE will gain status in the four month period than would without the promotion.  It just irks me some that Princess has reduced perks for current Elites while now swelling the ranks to share those perks.  (Laundry.  My most valuable perk.  Longer waits.) 🙃

The people reliant on a promotion like this to earn Elite status are not likely to cruise multiple times per year or crowd ships/overload laundry in the near future. IMO it's sort of a symbolic nod to those customers from Princess, but the company knows they will not actually have to spend a lot of money on benefits for those people in the future. 

[JimmyVWine]

2 minutes ago, So_Tweetie said:

I dread the day when Princess increases pricing on these packages to be in-line with Royal Caribbean's rates which are brutal and unjustifiable for my style of cruising. 

Right there with ya!

[startedwithamouse]

16 hours 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? 

Applies to already booked cruises. 

[FLAlaska]

4 minutes ago, So_Tweetie said:

 

 

I dread the day when Princess increases pricing on these packages to be in-line with Royal Caribbean's rates which are brutal and unjustifiable for my style of cruising. 

Me too! Many complain about the prices and the packages, but Princess packages are immensely more affordable than other cruiselines. They are also more clear as they are a set price and do not deviate. I hope they don't go that route. 

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

They need a higher tier above Elite for something like 50+ cruises. RCL did this with a new Pinnacle level. Those of us who earned our cruise credits and days the fair way are being slapped in the face.  Shame on Princess.

THE REAL LOOSERS ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T DRINK LIKE MYSELF AND WOULD NEVER PURCHASE AN ALCOHOL PACKAGE !!!!

An alcohol package or the Plus or Premier bundles?

 

Our kids don't drink alcohol and get plenty of value from the Plus bundle. 

[555]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

Tenders only hold a limited number of people at a time so they can’t get any more crowded and Princess already prioritizes excursions over Elite now

With more elites there may well be a waiting line even for the elite's to board. Forget about the regular wait with tickets. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

5 minutes ago, FLAlaska said:

Many complain about the prices and the packages, but Princess packages are immensely more affordable than other cruiselines. 

Absolutely. In fact, package price and inclusivity is the reason we cancelled a Holland America cruise in favor of one on Princess this fall. I don’t mind purchasing a package if it includes tips and WiFi fast enough to do some minor streaming. That’s actually a product I’ve wanted for years when I used to say there was room for a cruise line priced between Princess and Oceania / Azamara. Purchasing a package provides that. 

[Cruise Raider]

35 minutes ago, So_Tweetie said:

I agree, it's only a matter of time. We have a few hundred in OBC on our upcoming cruise and that will go toward upgrading from Plus to Premier. I'm always telling people to appreciate what Princess is offering at the moment, like all the awesome free features of the Medallion app when it first launched, because they are inevitably going to find new ways to monetize. As a smart business should. 

 

I dread the day when Princess increases pricing on these packages to be in-line with Royal Caribbean's rates which are brutal and unjustifiable for my style of cruising. 

Many of us long time cruisers will be in the same boat.  When it’s too expensive or cruises lose their pizazz for us, we will just stop cruising.  Plain and simple.  As of now, it is getting more expensive but, still gives us that ‘I’m so happy to be back onboard’ feeling!  
 

Princess, along with any other cruise line, doesn’t necessarily look to their long time cruisers as bringing in a lot of revenue.  I find it hard to believe that these are the demographic that Princess is trying to retain.  

They may just want to attract new blood that tends to part with their discretionary dollars and be happy to do so.  You can’t blame a business for trying a new revenue tactic.  We have many cruises under our belts along several different cruise lines and I can tell you, they are all doing the same, trying to attract customers that will happily spend their vacation money in return for great memories.  
 

Edited June 21 by Cruise Raider

[Cruise Raider]

19 minutes ago, Kay S said:

This is true, but MORE will gain status in the four month period than would without the promotion.  It just irks me some that Princess has reduced perks for current Elites while now swelling the ranks to share those perks.  (Laundry.  My most valuable perk.  Longer waits.) 🙃

And some of the old elites will also be leaving, for one reason or another.  We are not all spring chickens.  

[startedwithamouse]

5 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Absolutely. In fact, package price and inclusivity is the reason we cancelled a Holland America cruise in favor of one on Princess this fall. I don’t mind purchasing a package if it includes tips and WiFi fast enough to do some minor streaming. That’s actually a product I’ve wanted for years when I used to say there was room for a cruise line priced between Princess and Oceania / Azamara. Purchasing a package provides that. 

We've priced out a couple land vacations for this summer, and Princess is a bargain, even with Plus!

[JimmyVWine]

8 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

An alcohol package or the Plus or Premier bundles?

 

Our kids don't drink alcohol and get plenty of value from the Plus bundle. 

Good question.  I assume what was meant was a stand-alone beverage package.  Plus is pretty much a break even for anyone who pays for Wi-Fi and who also drinks even a modest amount of anything other than water.

 

$17 (gratuity) + $24.99 (Wi-Fi) + $7 (couple of cups of coffee) + $11 (soft drinks with lunch and dinner) + $5.00 (pro rated cost of two Casual Dining Meals over a 7 day cruise) = $64.99 per day.  Even if one qualifies for half-priced Wi-Fi, that still comes to $52.49 per day.  Hard to ever lose with Plus, even when alcohol is removed from the equation.  Those mocktails that the kids order add up!