Carnival loyalty means nothing anymore

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

I think likely many were casino cruisers which just makes things worse 

Much

[Elaine5715]

On 9/20/2024 at 1:06 PM, AmanaCruise2 said:

I'm almost dreading to hear what the changes will be to the updated loyalty program. I am not offered any casino offers. We have reached diamond level by paying for each and every cruise, balconies or suites only. We also pay for our own drinks, specialty restaurant meals, etc. We have made our choices willingly and appreciate the perks offered to us. We have talked to fellow cruisers who are booked on many free casino offers per year, some averaging 15 free cruises yearly. To hear that there may be higher loyalty levels to be achieved and knowing the guests who have paid a small percentage of what I have spent will soon be in those higher levels, while it might take me many years to reach the same level, is discouraging to say the least. I've read ALL the posts stating the casino cruisers are the ones bringing in the highest revenue to Carnival. Maybe it's time for paying guests to have their own loyalty program different from the casino cruisers who not only cruise for free, but are offered gifts, drinks, $$, specialty restaurant meals, transportation to the port, etc. etc. I'm in the same loyalty level as casino cruisers who tell me that it DOESN'T pay for them NOT to cruise, and I'm choosing the few cruises yearly that we can afford. Maybe it really is time to start booking with other cruise lines not owned by Carnival. 

There is nothing "free" about a casino offer.  Players drop thousands chasing those offers.  

[Elaine5715]

Doesn't matter what or how they change the VIFP perks, once announced, people will be asking how to share/dilute the extras. "Can I bring my entire red card family in the Priority Boarding?"

[BlerkOne]

14 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

There is nothing "free" about a casino offer.  Players drop thousands chasing those offers.  

Some players do. The problem is gamblers who basically live on cruise ships consume loyalty perks meant for others. If a free cruise isn't enough of a perk, nothing else would be either.

[jerseyjjs]

24 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Some players do. The problem is gamblers who basically live on cruise ships consume loyalty perks meant for others. If a free cruise isn't enough of a perk, nothing else would be either.

 

 

That's what happens when a cruise line resorts to "bribing" passengers to book.

Edited Saturday at 11:38 PM by jerseyjjs

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, jerseyjjs said:

 

 

That's what happens when a cruise line resorts to "bribing" passengers to book.

Casino cruises aren't a Carnival Cruise Line bribe. That's a casino bribe and the two should be kept separate.

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Some players do. The problem is gamblers who basically live on cruise ships consume loyalty perks meant for others. If a free cruise isn't enough of a perk, nothing else would be either.

Do you mean because they rack up more days?  Far more profitable for casino players to sail than non casino guests who are able to use the cheap "pack and go" rates.  

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Do you mean because they rack up more days?  Far more profitable for casino players to sail than non casino guests who are able to use the cheap "pack and go" rates.  

More profitable for some casino players. Some casino players simply game the system. But most cruisers aren't casino players and far more profit comes from them.

 

But irrelevant. The casino has their own loyalty program and players on casino rates shouldn't be allowed to double dip and collect from both programs. The majority of Carnival cruisers will never get to collect what token bribes are offered and any improvements to upper levels is simply adding insult to injury. Better to just do away with the program than to let the minority of cruisers on free cruises dominate it. There is no reason to have a program.

[Elaine5715]

18 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

More profitable for some casino players. Some casino players simply game the system. But most cruisers aren't casino players and far more profit comes from them.

 

But irrelevant. The casino has their own loyalty program and players on casino rates shouldn't be allowed to double dip and collect from both programs. The majority of Carnival cruisers will never get to collect what token bribes are offered and any improvements to upper levels is simply adding insult to injury. Better to just do away with the program than to let the minority of cruisers on free cruises dominate it. There is no reason to have a program.

There is a reason why you can room charge up to $5000 per day in the casino.  There are many players with a reported average daily play of $1000.  Craps players are tossing $100 chips out roll after roll, slot players hit the button for $8.80 to $45 multiple times per minute and Blackjack players $15 per hand, roulette plays $10 per spin.  Compare that to the Diamonds who have "been there and done that" and spend nothing more than cruise fare.  

I do think Carnival needs to decide who and what they are rewarding.  Right now, I would say that the true benefits like priority boarding is downgraded by them extending the perks to everyone in the stateroom regardless of VIFP status.  If only Diamond/Platinum members bags were delivered first, it would be an actual perk. If only D/P guests attended the D/P party, it could be an exclusive  event that other guests would hope to achieve someday but instead, you just can walk in.  By allowing people to book offers to share status and then immediately go to Guest Services once onboard to move people around (which Carnival would have charged for preboarding) tells me how little they respect earned status.  

[BlerkOne]

8 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

There is a reason why you can room charge up to $5000 per day in the casino.  There are many players with a reported average daily play of $1000.  Craps players are tossing $100 chips out roll after roll, slot players hit the button for $8.80 to $45 multiple times per minute and Blackjack players $15 per hand, roulette plays $10 per spin.  Compare that to the Diamonds who have "been there and done that" and spend nothing more than cruise fare.  

I do think Carnival needs to decide who and what they are rewarding.  Right now, I would say that the true benefits like priority boarding is downgraded by them extending the perks to everyone in the stateroom regardless of VIFP status.  If only Diamond/Platinum members bags were delivered first, it would be an actual perk. If only D/P guests attended the D/P party, it could be an exclusive  event that other guests would hope to achieve someday but instead, you just can walk in.  By allowing people to book offers to share status and then immediately go to Guest Services once onboard to move people around (which Carnival would have charged for preboarding) tells me how little they respect earned status.  

Players play. Some actually win. I paid thousands for our current suite. A sure thing for Carnival. And it isn't just free casino cruisers that are in the casino. Lots of people like me. My guess is most in the casino aren't on a free cruise unless one of the casino theme cruises - which again is a loyalty casino perk that a normal cruiser can't get.

 

What casino player in the history of the planet booked a Carnival cruise because of Carnival's loyalty program? They simply aren't the intended target. That's up to the casino.

 

Casino players share their free rooms with others and then switch rooms around. I see free cruisers sitting at machines occasionally taking a spin when they aren't ordering/waiting for a drink or posting on FB. Lots of gamers out there.

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

 

I do think Carnival needs to decide who and what they are rewarding.  Right now, I would say that the true benefits like priority boarding is downgraded by them extending the perks to everyone in the stateroom regardless of VIFP status.  If only Diamond/Platinum members bags were delivered first, it would be an actual perk. If only D/P guests attended the D/P party, it could be an exclusive  event that other guests would hope to achieve someday but instead, you just can walk in.  By allowing people to book offers to share status and then immediately go to Guest Services once onboard to move people around (which Carnival would have charged for preboarding) tells me how little they respect earned status.  

Kind of says it all.  

[mfs2k]

Land based casinos typically pay out 90% of what’s in play. Cruise lines don’t have the same accountability so probably pay out 80-85-% Any less and no one would play. 
While some players do win, the casinos don’t care because they care about collective play and odds.
The point is, their free rooms and perks cost much less than they take in. As long as there are players willing to accept the offers, the offers aren’t going to stop. Casinos make profits. 

[AmanaCruise2]

" The casino has their own loyalty program and players on casino rates shouldn't be allowed to double dip and collect from both programs. The majority of Carnival cruisers will never get to collect what token bribes are offered and any improvements to upper levels is simply adding insult to injury. Better to just do away with the program than to let the minority of cruisers on free cruises dominate it. There is no reason to have a program."

 

BlerkOne - this is EXACTLY how those of us who pay out of pocket for our balcony and suite cabins feel!!! I do not book Pack and Go rates - we have to plan ahead, fly to the port and pay for the hotel night before sailing. Sailing for us is an INVESTMENT. Sure wish Carnival would recognize the pay-out-of-pocket guests vs. the "free" casino guests. Yes, as it has been said SO many times, the casino cruisers pay the most, et. etc. But this is NOT how the paying cruisers feel when they see all the casino rewards issued. Even at diamond level, we get a very small percentage of perks that don't come close to what casino cruisers are offered. With 2 different loyalty programs, non-casino cruisers may start to feel that their "loyalty" is appreciated. Would be nice to feel that Carnival feels we are worth it. 

[AllenF]

Hmmm very interesting comments and points made. So I travel  a lot for work racking up close to 120 nights or more a year in Hilton properties with top status Diamond the same with my airline of choice AA Platinum executive. So at least once sometimes twice a year I am able to book free airfare and an all inclusive because of my points accumulation. For Diamond status with Hilton if you book 4 nights with points you get a 5th day *free*. It would be nice if Carnival did something like that perhaps every 5 or 10 cruises you get 1 free based on what type of cabin you always book.

I reached Platinum on Carnival back in 2011 and just recently in the last 2 yrs have we done cruises with them out of Dover twice. Not a fan of cruising the Caribbean anymore. Both of the European cruise were full of platinum and diamonds and we got letters before hand stating that *perks* might be limited the only perk we even used was the laundry. So if Carnival switched to a loyalty program where you get some type of free cruise based on the cabin type and amount of days or money spent to me that would be a real loyalty program.  Just my 2 cents feel free to tear my opinion apart 🙂

[jimbo5544]

10 minutes ago, AllenF said:

Hmmm very interesting comments and points made. So I travel  a lot for work racking up close to 120 nights or more a year in Hilton properties with top status Diamond the same with my airline of choice AA Platinum executive. So at least once sometimes twice a year I am able to book free airfare and an all inclusive because of my points accumulation. For Diamond status with Hilton if you book 4 nights with points you get a 5th day *free*. It would be nice if Carnival did something like that perhaps every 5 or 10 cruises you get 1 free based on what type of cabin you always book.

I reached Platinum on Carnival back in 2011 and just recently in the last 2 yrs have we done cruises with them out of Dover twice. Not a fan of cruising the Caribbean anymore. Both of the European cruise were full of platinum and diamonds and we got letters before hand stating that *perks* might be limited the only perk we even used was the laundry. So if Carnival switched to a loyalty program where you get some type of free cruise based on the cabin type and amount of days or money spent to me that would be a real loyalty program.  Just my 2 cents feel free to tear my opinion apart 🙂

all opinions are valid, nothing to tear up

[missholly24]

I used to joke about this when my cousin would get heavily discounted offers and I didn't. I cruised every year with Carnival. They considered me a sure thing. You don't wine and dine a sure thing.....😊😘

[Stick93]

Casino people are paying! They may not be paying every time but you play long enough and you pay. Who cares what loyalty they get for coming on the ship on top of what they may or may not have received before. Those rooms would be filled with someone else getting the points if they were not there. Every room and person get points on every cruise the same number of points are awarded if a ship sails full. They are not stealing points from the “paying” customer. This is what we call jealousy and thinking the grass is greener on the other side.

 

The VIFP program needs to be redone because times have changed and more people are cruising and more often. The casino is just one more gimmic to get them on. 

[BlerkOne]

The ships and casinos will still be full without giving away so many cabins or allowing free cruises to accumulate points.

[jimbo5544]

22 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

There is nothing "free" about a casino offer.  Players drop thousands chasing those offers.  

Or not.  They get the room for WAY less than everybody else, at times they get all kinds of comps, free meals, bottles in rooms etc etc etc., then just like everybody else whatever they spend their dead presidents on after that is up to them.  Choice.  I will compare room costs with any of them.  

[jimbo5544]

36 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

The ships and casinos will still be full without giving away so many cabins or allowing free cruises to accumulate points.

Last two words is what sits ugly to me.

[Stick93]

It’s obviously a model that keep demand/prices up and revenues higher. 

 

Nobody will gain one extra point if the casino people don’t get the points on the ship. What the ship gives out to “bribe” people to get on the ship is between the ship and the person bribed. I guess if someone doesn’t like that casino people don’t have to pay maybe they should boycott and wait for their offers. If enough people do that, you too may be bribed - everyone has choices. 

[BlerkOne]

23 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

There is nothing "free" about a casino offer.  Players drop thousands chasing those offers.  

I've never dropped thousands and I receive casino offers, mostly for free inside cabins on cruises I don't want to take  I might lose $100 tops. I'm certainly not alone. 

[AmanaCruise2]

So Carnival - how about leveling the playing field? Cruisers sailing on free offers do not have the free nights count toward the loyalty level. The rest of us paying cruisers have the paid nights count toward loyalty levels. Seems fair to me. 

[Oletruckdude]

Been on 20+ Carnival cruises. I like it the way it is. I've dropped more cash in the casino over the years than it would have cost me just for the cruise fare without gambling. I've earned my platinum status same as everyone else. 

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Or risk making happy customers unhappy ones.

Feel free to disagree. That's why these boards are called cruise "critic". All critical thought processes welcome here. 😁

Edited Sunday at 11:30 PM by Oletruckdude

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, AmanaCruise2 said:

So Carnival - how about leveling the playing field? Cruisers sailing on free offers do not have the free nights count toward the loyalty level. The rest of us paying cruisers have the paid nights count toward loyalty levels. Seems fair to me. 

and to the rest of the paying world also