canderson Posted July 7 #26 Share Posted July 7 21 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said: And when that day comes, hopefully, the 2-4 daily marketing emails fall victim also...lol I must have opted out some very long time ago. I never get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted July 7 #27 Share Posted July 7 To me, being Elite on X and Diamond on Royal, the best thing Royal does is their loyalty program, especially once you reach Diamond. I don't know of any cruise line that can match their perks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare markeb Posted July 7 #28 Share Posted July 7 I will confess to being a point chaser when it makes sense. For me that's been airlines (overseas lounge access and seat selections, mostly) and hotels (although I have lifetime status with Marriott). Not so much on cruises. And no, I've never spent the time between Christmas and New Year's Eve flying as many back to back high point legs as possible. And that is a thing... And if you think this is bad on Celebrity, you must not be flying. My last flight a couple of weeks ago had over 40 people on the upgrade list. For 12 (sold for cash) first class seats! I don't know that there was anyone in boarding group 2! The programs are not designed to reward our loyalty. There designed to retain customers for the lowest cost possible. And they're doing that very nicely. I don't see anyone on this thread saying they're going to stop cruising an RCG line because of the CC or C&A practices. Win for RCG. Yes, they're going to ultimately devalue the benefits. I just booked a reward ticket for this fall at about 2.5X the number of miles it used to take, and that's Premium Plus for the return flight! Ditto our hotel. And on some level I'm using them now because I see the redemption value dropping constantly. These generally aren't inexpensive programs. And the only reason I can see for not just combining all the RCG programs (like airlines and hotel chains have been doing for decades) is the lifetime nature of the various elite statuses. Catch-22. It really doesn't cost them anything to maintain status if you're not cruising with them anyway, but if you're not cruising with them their retention program isn't really working. There must not be significant costs for dormant members or they'd have dropped the lifetime status... 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted July 7 #29 Share Posted July 7 @markeb Another Marriott Lifetime status member here and I also fly United, which I assume is the airline you mentioned because of the number of people on the upgrade list. Unlike Marriott I never made the lifetime level with United and doubt that I ever will now that i am no longer traveling for work. Also as a result, I am now in Group 2, except when flying first class, which I think, if I can talk my DW into it, we will be doing more. Anyway I agree with you 100% about the eventual devaluation of benefits. Airlines set almost all their frequent fliers back, except those that achieve lifetime status, and I believe in United's Case, some of the Global Service members, every year. To my knowledge, MSC is the only cruise line that requires a guest to travel with them to maintain their status (it's once ever three years if I remember correctly). As for commenting on sailing with Royal Caribbean, we started with them, then alternated between them and Celebrity, and now we sail a lot more on Celebrity than we do on Royal. However, as i have said every chance I get -- Royal Caribbean has their audience and loyalty program and Celebrity has theirs. Hopefully, never shall the two merge, although it looks as that may be the way of the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare markeb Posted July 7 #30 Share Posted July 7 9 minutes ago, DaKahuna said: Another Marriott Lifetime status member here and I also fly United, which I assume is the airline you mentioned because of the number of people on the upgrade list. Unlike Marriott I never made the lifetime level with United and doubt that I ever will now that i am no longer traveling for work. Also as a result, I am now in Group 2, except when flying first class, which I think, if I can talk my DW into it, we will be doing more. Yep. United. Not a million miler either thanks to the bloody city pair program. If they’d all been United… We fly in the front whenever we can. Or we pick travel dates and times that let us. I can’t take it with me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swjumbo Posted July 7 #31 Share Posted July 7 One cruise in 3 years to keep your current status? Absolutely. Great idea. It’s about them making money and the consumer spending it. Simples! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted July 7 #32 Share Posted July 7 11 hours ago, DaKahuna said: One of the things raising my blood pressure right now is all the questions being posed to Laura on the new section that was started up about changing Celebrity way of doing things to Royal Caribbeans. I find myself having a hard time from commenting, and a couple of times I was unable to refrain. Celebrity's loyalty program is not perfect but it works pretty damn good. Royal's is different and works pretty good as well. However, they should, in my mind, remain separate cruise lines with separate loyalty programs. I'll even go as far as to say I was not, and still feel it was the wrong more, a happy cruiser when Celebrity put their new status match program in place. The old one worked well and I do not look forward to the congestion that the thousands of new Elite + and Zeniths that this has created is going to cause in some venue's. You think getting a drink at Cafe al Bacio was hard before -- just wait until all those new Diamond + start coming over to Celebrity. Not sure it will make much difference in the Al Bacio. We mainly cruise Transatlantics and would guess that most of the passengers are already entitled to "free" drinks I,e. Elite+, Zenith, Suites and drink packages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ladylemondrop Posted July 7 #33 Share Posted July 7 I hear what you are saying but my reward if I cruise in retirement for 10 or more years will be that I’m lucky enough to do so and alive to enjoy it. (And able to afford the insurance!!) I won’t care about a bag of laundry or a free drink. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gold1953 Posted July 7 #34 Share Posted July 7 11 hours ago, Iamcruzin said: These loyalty programs are a trap. You are worried about the perks being devalued all along the cruise experience has been devalued while they throw you a bone to keep you coming back. These programs allow them to cut services and nickel and dime for items that were included at one time. I have been following long enough to remember the threads when they cut the daily water service in Aqua class, removed the foot stools in Concierge class, started charging for fresh squeezed orange juice, started charging for better cuts of meat in the MDR and now the current complaint about removing lounges from suites. The best scam is Go Green and eliminate the room being cleaned 2 daily. They give you points to accept less service. This is just a gateway to cut service and not give you the points. Yet people who complain keep coming back for a few free drinks and discounts to encourage more spending. Sounds like they have you just where they want you. I follow the line that saves me money at the time of booking. Go Green isn't a 'scam' We used it a few times and don't see a difference in our cabin plus we reached elite plus a cruise sooner. We still sign on as we just don't need our room cleaned so if it saves work for our attendant we are happy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamcruzin Posted July 7 #35 Share Posted July 7 32 minutes ago, gold1953 said: Go Green isn't a 'scam' We used it a few times and don't see a difference in our cabin plus we reached elite plus a cruise sooner. We still sign on as we just don't need our room cleaned so if it saves work for our attendant we are happy The scam is that they are offering points to wean passengers down to one service. You aren't saving the attendant any work as they are assigned to another project with the time saved not servicing your room. They cleverly named it GO Green so you feel good about yourself saving the environment. The only green being saved is the money Celebrity is saving not having to hire extra staff. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Super27 Posted July 7 #36 Share Posted July 7 On principle, I absolutely agree with you. It would absolutely bother me if the small gatherings that used to feel more intimate and exclusive didn't feel that way anymore. From their perspective though, are you seriously considering not cruising Celebrity because of this? If the answer is no, then the program is working. They don't care if you feel special, they only care if you continue sailing their ships. And I agree with what others have said - the future of "special" or exclusive events is going to be pay-based not status-based, and it's going to revolve around the Retreat. Which honestly I don't think is necessarily a bad thing. If I'm willing to pay for exclusivity, then I should be able to do so regardless of whether it's my first or 100th cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted July 7 #37 Share Posted July 7 52 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said: You aren't saving the attendant any work as they are assigned to another project with the time saved not servicing your room. I have read this a couple of times but I have not seen any evidence to support what i believe to be an assumption. The room steward still have to visit the room, he just does not have to do as much work while there. I do not believe they find other things for them to do. If you have evidence supporting this statement, I'd like you to share it with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tscoffey Posted July 7 #38 Share Posted July 7 Were I a Sneech that had a blue star on my belly, I would certainly complain about the Sneeches given a silver star on theirs - unless and until I was offered that enviable gold star on my belly! 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mac_tlc Posted July 7 #39 Share Posted July 7 1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said: The scam is that they are offering points to wean passengers down to one service. You aren't saving the attendant any work as they are assigned to another project with the time saved not servicing your room. They cleverly named it GO Green so you feel good about yourself saving the environment. The only green being saved is the money Celebrity is saving not having to hire extra staff. We have done Go Green on almost all cruises since they introduced it. We have noticed no difference. Room still visited twice a day. Seemed like free points to us. Our cruise on the Jewel of the Seas last year was our first Royal since they cut back on service to once a day. It was awful. And they didn't lower the price or the gratuities. That was truly paying more for less. Terrible. Piles of wet towels in bathroom, overflowing trash cans, room service items occupying almost all counter space. mac_tlc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom and Ingrid Posted July 7 Author #40 Share Posted July 7 9 hours ago, markeb said: And if you think this is bad on Celebrity, you must not be flying. My last flight a couple of weeks ago had over 40 people on the upgrade list. For 12 (sold for cash) first class seats! I don't know that there was anyone in boarding group 2! The programs are not designed to reward our loyalty. There designed to retain customers for the lowest cost possible. And they're doing that very nicely. I don't see anyone on this thread saying they're going to stop cruising an RCG line because of the CC or C&A practices. Win for RCG. Yep - in the OP I compare it to the devaluation of airline programs where status means less over time. We definitely don't chase status with X and the CC although I will do the bonus Power Up videos to see what's new. I think we're also into the "burn miles" mentality for airlines and hotels mode, since they pretty much devalue immediately, so when we hit a milestone to use them, we do. 4 nights at the Marriott in Amsterdam before leaving for the Norway cruise will eat some, and we'll keep working the balances down over time. 1 hour ago, Super27 said: From their perspective though, are you seriously considering not cruising Celebrity because of this? If the answer is no, then the program is working. They don't care if you feel special, they only care if you continue sailing their ships. And the answer to this is a resounding YES, we are ACTIVELY looking at other cruise lines (not RCG related) including but not limited to MSC, Princess, Virgin, and maybe Cunard. In many cases, totally different vibes across those lines, but there is not really a reason to "stay" solely with X from a "loyalty" program perspective, and with the two X cruises on the books this year, I see 2025 as a possible non-X or and X (Bermuda, TP, or Mexican Riviera) plus another line sort of year. Probably more than the loyalty issue, though, I am challenged by finding a great X itinerary for the US without repeating ports. That's for the other threads, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Super27 Posted July 7 #41 Share Posted July 7 26 minutes ago, Tom and Ingrid said: Yep - in the OP I compare it to the devaluation of airline programs where status means less over time. We definitely don't chase status with X and the CC although I will do the bonus Power Up videos to see what's new. I think we're also into the "burn miles" mentality for airlines and hotels mode, since they pretty much devalue immediately, so when we hit a milestone to use them, we do. 4 nights at the Marriott in Amsterdam before leaving for the Norway cruise will eat some, and we'll keep working the balances down over time. And the answer to this is a resounding YES, we are ACTIVELY looking at other cruise lines (not RCG related) including but not limited to MSC, Princess, Virgin, and maybe Cunard. In many cases, totally different vibes across those lines, but there is not really a reason to "stay" solely with X from a "loyalty" program perspective, and with the two X cruises on the books this year, I see 2025 as a possible non-X or and X (Bermuda, TP, or Mexican Riviera) plus another line sort of year. Probably more than the loyalty issue, though, I am challenged by finding a great X itinerary for the US without repeating ports. That's for the other threads, though. Unfortunately that's what it's going to take for them to make any changes - the numbers will have to show that their most loyal cruisers are actually going elsewhere. Most people, though, are very loud when it comes to complaining online, but don't actually look elsewhere when it comes to booking. Even then, though, many of the higher loyalty customers aren't the biggest spenders onboard, so the cruise line isn't as worried about their business as they are luring in new cruisers who spend way more onboard the ships (where the real profit is). I think you're spot on with comparing to the airlines too. A great example are the premium lounges, which are an absolute joke compared to what they were even 5 years ago. But as long as every flight is full, they have no reason to improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted July 7 #42 Share Posted July 7 2 minutes ago, Super27 said: Unfortunately that's what it's going to take for them to make any changes - the numbers will have to show that their most loyal cruisers are actually going elsewhere. Most people, though, are very loud when it comes to complaining online, but don't actually look elsewhere when it comes to booking. Our most recent non-X looking for an improved experience was a 15 nt with Silversea, which I'm sure didn't break RCI's heart, but we're definitely not beyond investigating alternatives. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMLAalum Posted July 7 #43 Share Posted July 7 (edited) 11 years ago, Celebrity changed how loyalty points were awarded- 10 points earned Elite status! We began sailing the line in 2010 and earned 2 pt veranda>12, 2011=1pt veranda;<12, 2012=3pt (concierge +12), 2013=1pt veranda<12, 2013=3pt aqua>12. The last cruise got us there in the nick of time as rules changed to the current method just afterwards! Reaching Elite was a desired goal for us, ergo we took that 4-night cruise just to get to that magic number 10! Under the current system we'd have only reached 216 points at the end of 2013 and wouldn't have reached Elite until 3 cruises and 77 days sailing later vs. the 54 days it took us under the prior system. If it weren't for PUPs, we'd still be 28 points short of Elite+ despite another 133 nights on Celebrity. To reduce the abundance of cruisers with status, Celebrity can change the requirements for reaching each level, Zenith excepted. PUPs might have to be a thing of the past as well. And the reciprocal status among all 3 RCCL brands can be rescinded if the crossover is too detrimental to the bottom line, or more importantly to me, it diminishes the onboard experience. Edited July 7 by TMLAalum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gold1953 Posted July 7 #44 Share Posted July 7 4 hours ago, Iamcruzin said: The scam is that they are offering points to wean passengers down to one service. You aren't saving the attendant any work as they are assigned to another project with the time saved not servicing your room. They cleverly named it GO Green so you feel good about yourself saving the environment. The only green being saved is the money Celebrity is saving not having to hire extra staff. no scam at all. I agreed to the points for less service. I have never seen a difference in what was done in my cabin. I disagree with the staff being given more work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamcruzin Posted July 7 #45 Share Posted July 7 (edited) 5 hours ago, mac_tlc said: We have done Go Green on almost all cruises since they introduced it. We have noticed no difference. Room still visited twice a day. Seemed like free points to us. Our cruise on the Jewel of the Seas last year was our first Royal since they cut back on service to once a day. It was awful. And they didn't lower the price or the gratuities. That was truly paying more for less. Terrible. Piles of wet towels in bathroom, overflowing trash cans, room service items occupying almost all counter space. mac_tlc I’m happy to hear that Celebrity hasn’t stooped to that level yet, which has been the experience on other lines with this go green program. I don’t understand the term Go Green. The garbage and towels have to be emptied and cleaned eventually. Seems like they will just have more to wash and dispose at one time. Doesn’t seem green at all other than cutting staff. Edited July 7 by Iamcruzin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamcruzin Posted July 7 #46 Share Posted July 7 6 hours ago, DaKahuna said: I have read this a couple of times but I have not seen any evidence to support what i believe to be an assumption. The room steward still have to visit the room, he just does not have to do as much work while there. I do not believe they find other things for them to do. If you have evidence supporting this statement, I'd like you to share it with us. If they don't have to do as much work what do you think they are doing with the extra time saved? Why are they even in the room if they aren't doing anything? I don't need them to visit unless they are going to take the wet towels and empty garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted July 7 #47 Share Posted July 7 32 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said: If they don't have to do as much work what do you think they are doing with the extra time saved? Why are they even in the room if they aren't doing anything? I don't need them to visit unless they are going to take the wet towels and empty garbage. They are in the room because they do take care of web towels and empty the garbage. What they do not do is turn down service and vacuuming. At least that has been our experience when we have signed up for Go Green. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doghog Posted July 7 #48 Share Posted July 7 (edited) We don't do the Go Green. As long as we get fresh towels, ice twice, drinking glasses replaced twice a day, the Celebrity Today and the pillow chocolates every evening we are happy. The cabin attendants pay, hours and workload is not our concern. That's between Celebrity and their employees. Edited July 7 by doghog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WrittenOnYourHeart Posted July 7 #49 Share Posted July 7 6 hours ago, mac_tlc said: Our cruise on the Jewel of the Seas last year was our first Royal since they cut back on service to once a day. It was awful. And they didn't lower the price or the gratuities. That was truly paying more for less. Terrible. Piles of wet towels in bathroom, overflowing trash cans, room service items occupying almost all counter space. Were you not asked when you would prefer to have the room serviced? When I was on Anthem in February, I was asked and so could set the time. So if you're showering in the morning, schedule it then. If you're showering after being out on excursions more, schedule it for evening. If your stateroom host didn't ask, you should have made the effort to let them know which you'd prefer - morning or evening. I always hang my towels (and still have them replaced, so so much for "If you want to re-use them, hang them up) since it's not like I'm using fresh towels every shower at home. (Maybe if you're lucky enough to have laundry in your home where you don't have to schlep it a few blocks and pay for it you do?) I can't say I ever had cans overflowing...but I also don't do room service (when you're in a studio apartment all the time, you learn quickly that it's not all that to eat where you sleep), so maybe that added to it? If the room can is full, I use the can in the bathroom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted July 7 #50 Share Posted July 7 (edited) @markeb There are two things you can do to increase your odds on a United flight. First is to be flexible, as it gets close to the flight, check the day before or after, and maybe there will be more biz/1st availability. Second, if all your flights are the same reservation if you book all economy, see if there's a $150 or less to upgrade one segment. Doing so increases your upgrade priority on the waitlist for all segments yet there needs to be availability Edited July 7 by NutsAboutGolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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