Elite program changes: no free internet!!

[Andy]

I think Susan's comments about "Orwellian Doublespeak" and a Management Disconnect are well founded, which is an additional source of concern on my part.

 

I am afraid that what we may be seeing here is another company which is beginning to depend too much on too many "Consultants/Focus Groups" and too many "Bean Counters" for their own good. This is how, IMHO, GM got to where it is today: it decided what it was that their "loyal " customer base wanted, made only that available, and ignored customer input that told them they were going down the wrong road. I hope that we are not seeing the progressive conversion of Celebrity from RCCL "Premium Division" to just another cookie cutter, mass market cruise line. Celebrity got to where it is because the "Celebrity Experience" in all aspects meant something which repeat clients could and did appreciate. After all, when you are filling your ships, and 90+% of those passengers are repeat clients ( we have been on 3 cruises that I know that statistic is true), I'm not certain that I would be in any hurry to change things: monitor what's going on and what people are thinking, yes-- of course. But change what you are doing when you are that successful, why on Earth would you consider that? Is the destruction of your customer base worth another 1 or 2 cents per share gain short term at the cost of your long-term success?

 

It would seem that the Cruising Industry is becomming more and more competitive internally and externally as all inclusive travel becomes more and more attractive to more people. Celebrity has, IMHO, gotten where it is because it has valued it's long time clients and to change that ( if that is what we are beginning to see) is a serious miscalculation for the longtime good of the Company.

 

Attention X: you need to dance with the Lady that brought you.......

 

Hi Ed !

 

Thanks for the brilliant post. I could not have said it any better. That is what concerns me the most right now, that Celebrity (and probably most every other Cruise line) worries about profits more than loyalty, and that is a HUGE concern for me. Yes, profits are important, but I feel the short term gain theory at the expense of the long term potential, is a disaster in the making. As you said, GM did it, and look where they are now. I totally agree that the bean counters are probably at work here, and that is sad.

 

About the only comment I wonder about, is Celebrity using focus groups. If they are, well, I have never been asked my opinions. As an Elite member of Captians Club, I was told I would get questionnaires on a regular basis. How many have I recieved in 3 years ? One. I think Celebrity should be spending a heck of a lot more time asking their loyal passengers what will keep them loyal. I feel it would help them in the long run. But thats just my .02 cents.

 

Well done Ed.

[cechase]

We just love cruise critic and its Celebrity boards and other boards!! :D Where else would you find such a great discussion from all sides of the issue?

 

We have had five cruises on Celebrity in the past two years, all with Royal Suites, and for our sixth cruise on Infinity in a Royal Suite in September we are now Elite members. We never gave any thought to Celebrity's loyalty program when booking, only getting the suite we wanted and the itinerary, as well as the great experiences that we have had on Celebrity.

 

We have been invited to the Captain's table three times on our five cruises, and thoroughly enjoyed each experience, and have some wonderful pictures provided to us by Celebrity of those ocassions. No way are we interested in spending any time on the internet during our cruises - we leave that browsing and email sending and receiving for our at home activity. Yes, we have used the casino coupons, priority tender tickets, attended the Captain's Club functions, but most of those are received because of our cabin status.

 

$7.50 credit for internet or $12.00 for casino play is small peanuts to get one riled up about Celebrity. Actually, for those like us who like our adult beverages, we think the Captains Cocktail party or the Officers Cocktail party or invitations to the Captain's table with free wine and cocktails is a worthwhile perk.

 

We have booked a 9 night cruise on Silversea's Silver Shadow in a suite approximately the same size as our Royal Suite on Infinity, and the cost with insurance is less than $10,000.00, while our Royal Suite on Infinity for a 10 night Alaska cruise with insurance is over $12,000.00. Silver Shadow is all inclusive, including fully stocked bar in our suite, with our choice of wine and champagne and including tips. And Silversea has Fox News, and at least four movies runing on the TV. :D Now that is my kind of perks!! :D

[C 2 C]

invitations to the Captain's table with free wine and cocktails is a worthwhile perk.

 

That's a suite perk not available to 98% of passengers nor elites.

Out of 2,000 passengers perhaps 40 will get invites. Suites trump elites.... but I guess at $10,000 a pop you're paying for the privilege.

 

Since we seldom cruise for less than a month at a time, communication and bill paying is essential via the internet. I just thought that internet access is essential to some cruisers.

[tarheelmjfan]

I too have been reading this thread with interest. We haven't reached Elite status yet, but never use the benefits we currently receive. That is, except for the Cova chocolates. :D My DH always forgets to take the casino coupons, when he makes his donations. :rolleyes: We never seem to make it to the CC party either. They really need to schedule these at a time other than nap time. :p

 

Even though we don't personally use them, that doesn't mean they're not appreciated. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. We don't cruise as often as many of you, but we just completed our 29th night on X in 10 months. This obviously meant nothing on Mercury, & my DH was told as much. For those of you who are Elite, the Maitre' d told him it would have made a difference if we were Elite. We didn't want special treatment, only what we had requested in advance. BTW, our request had nothing to do with CC perks. Even though we have 3 more X cruises booked, we are now looking at other lines, due to our Mercury experience. After our Infinity & Century cruises, we didn't even consider booking with another line. Oops, I think I got a little sidetracked. :o

 

Back on topic... I never understand when people are quick to defend a company, even if they are making no effort to improve their product or at least maintain the same quality. If the customer keeps telling them how great they are, will it be long before they become complacent & start to decline? It's great when you find a product you are pleased with, but let's face it everyone/ everything has room for improvement. If they don't receive both positive & negative input, it won't be long before you will start witnessing a decline. They start thinking their loyal customers will return no matter what they do. IMHO, this type of mentality benefits noone.

[greeneg]

Hi Andy, thank you for the compliment.

 

I really don't know, of course, whether or not Celebrity in fact, or RCCL for that matter, actually use focus groups and consultants, but it seems to me that's the way of American Buisness in the World today: I usually think of it as the triumph of Statistics over Common Sense and Logic.

 

Like many others, however, I do feel as though some sort of re-positioning is going on with Celebrity vis-a-vis their target markets and it seems to me that their traditional and repeat clients are beginning to see something akin to the shorter end of the stick. Those sort of changes often appear to be the result of "Consultants" and frequently don't work well in the long run: witness how often a company will change position, tout that change as the greatest thing since sliced bread, and then later on, have to reposition itself where it was in the first place, often at great cost ( to someone).

 

I personally agree with others who have said that it is not the value of the perks that is significant, but the fact that they represent an expression of gratitude for your repeat buisness: $7.50 worth of internet time doesn't have a lot of value, but it is being treated at least a little specially and people do notice when they are regarded as someone special.

 

I think that one of the best perks that Celebrity might consider would be a farewell breakfast buffet for elite members only on the day of debarkation. I think that it would be appreciated, wouldn't really cost anything, but would let you leave the ship with a "good taste in your mouth" both literally and figuratively.

 

It is also possible that I am just in a Don Quixote mode, seeing windmills everywhere and constantly tilting at them.

[C 2 C]

people do notice when they are regarded as someone special.

 

Nailed it again Don Quixote

[cechase]

 

greeneg, you bring up a very good point. For disembarkation on our 1/2/2006 11 night cruise on Mercury, select and elite members were treated to breakfast in the main dining room, and then were called for the earliest group to disembark [other than those who had real close airline connections]. It was greatly appreciated by us and we did tell the Celebrity staff that we appreciated being singled out, not because we had an expensive suite, but because we were repeat Celebrity customers.

[JORAY]

On the Summit in March this year the buffet was open for everyone on the debarkation morning (Hawaii round trip from LA)

 

We have made 9 straight cruise with Celebrity and our #10 is in Oct (All in CC, SS,& RS) However, we have now booked Princess & Holland America for next year -- Why, we want some different ports of call.

 

We loved Celebrity and our experiences but we need something different which they are not offering now.

 

I must also comment, they just offer the same old thing with less for the repeat customers.

 

In a way we had better benefits when you had to pay to be in the Captain's club. (at less there were not 10,000's in the club)

 

Ray

[negc]

 

In a way we had better benefits when you had to pay to be in the Captain's club. (at less there were not 10,000's in the club)

 

Ray

Yeah, I'm sure the $35 fee really kept the riff-raff out:rolleyes:. Of course when there was a fee Celebrity didn't offer any more real benefits than all the other lines which didn't charge a fee. :)

[Ma Bell]

Maybe there's something wrong with me but I really could care less about Captains Club benefits as long as I'm treated well on board. We've been on 23 Celebrity cruises, 12 Princess and probably 6 or 7 assorted others and I find it puzzling that someone would actually go on a cruiseline that they don't really care for just because they "think" they are getting something for nothing. Does it occur to anyone that the reason some of these perks are offered is because you're being shortchanged elsewhere?

[hermang]

Celebrity as well as RCI and I am sure every other cruise line makes a conccerted effort to get is to complete "customer satisfaction" surveys before we leave the ship - OK so what is done with them - I am sure many of us voice our displeasure in these surveys. Just like a company I used to work for. Ever year they did an employee "pulse survey" and every year the admitted they got blasted by the employess and pledged to do better and every year the same issues came up = Company lied to us, Managment was untrustworthy etc. So what was the point of the survey??

[cruisePRN]

Perhaps if X made their Elite Status kick in after 20 cruises instead of ten they would thin down the herd and be able to offer meaningful perks.

[negc]

Perhaps if X made their Elite Status kick in after 20 cruises instead of ten they would thin down the herd and be able to offer meaningful perks.

 

Other lines with larger repeat passenger bases seem to do just fine with the 10 cruise requirement, why shouldn't Celebrity be able to do so?

The first priority of a cruiseline(aside from making a profit:)) should be to provide its guests with a first-rate and enjoyable cruise experience. If they do so, that should guarantee loyal repeat business. Loyalty program benefits are just icing on the cake and shouldn't be the primary criteria by which we decide to cruise again with any particular line.

[CelebrityMan]

Hi,

 

First off let me say that perks don't determine our loyalty to Celebrity — the overall quality of their product and the wonderfully relaxing time we get while aboard their ships does.

 

Having just completed my tenure as a member of Celebrity's online advisory board, and responded to many questionnaires very thoroughly, I am a bit disconcerted to see a downgrade rather than an upgrade in the Elite status. I offered many suggestions on how to improve the loyalty program while not significantly impacting the 'bottom line.'

 

Sadly, then, I must conclude there is an element of arrogance over ignorance afoot. They've been receiving information, yet feel no enhancement of a loyalty program is warranted.

 

I would be curious to know the percentage of repeat passengers on any given sailing.

 

We, too, are Founders Captain's Club members. Every sailing we do, our cards are marked as such. The nicest thing that came from that was on our last sailing when the person checking us in at the pier thanked us for our years of loyalty, and when a server on board recognized the fact and offered his personal thanks.

 

Personal recognition wasn't an official 'perk' but it was one of the nice gestures that keeps us truly loyal.

 

 

 

 

 

CM

[dsawyer]

I just came off The Noordam. Do you know what Holland America gives their repeat customers?

 

Pins and medals. That's it. :D Oh yeah, I got a tile with a picture of the old Noordam on it.

[hermang]

Hi,

 

First off let me say that perks don't determine our loyalty to Celebrity — the overall quality of their product and the wonderfully relaxing time we get while aboard their ships does.

 

Having just completed my tenure as a member of Celebrity's online advisory board, and responded to many questionnaires very thoroughly, I am a bit disconcerted to see a downgrade rather than an upgrade in the Elite status. I offered many suggestions on how to improve the loyalty program while not significantly impacting the 'bottom line.'

 

Sadly, then, I must conclude there is an element of arrogance over ignorance afoot. They've been receiving information, yet feel no enhancement of a loyalty program is warranted.

 

I would be curious to know the percentage of repeat passengers on any given sailing.

 

We, too, are Founders Captain's Club members. Every sailing we do, our cards are marked as such. The nicest thing that came from that was on our last sailing when the person checking us in at the pier thanked us for our years of loyalty, and when a server on board recognized the fact and offered his personal thanks.

 

Personal recognition wasn't an official 'perk' but it was one of the nice gestures that keeps us truly loyal.

 

 

 

 

 

CM

Forget for a moment that C&A Diamond has a far more "enriched" program.

The purpose of a frequent cruiser program IMHO is two fold - one to thank and reward frequent cruisers for their business because it costs a heck of a lot more to attract a new cruiser than to keep an existing one. And second is to have us as "Loyalty Ambassadors" selling the cruiseline to our friends and acquaintences.

 

How much does a "mass produced" NICE Shopping bag cost - not all that much - Maybe a nice pin - even less - Internet minutes - Negligible - So the argument about affecting the bottom line is bogus. Someone in marketing would rather spend the money on wining and dining the TA's than the loyal passengers - Because they can perhaps "enjoy the benefits" when they take the big players out to dinner. I'll bet one showing of a Celebrity ad on TV

would cost more than all the free internet minutes they could give out.

[C 2 C]

Perhaps if X made their Elite Status kick in after 20 cruises instead of ten they would thin down the herd and be able to offer meaningful perks.

 

I believe there should be different levels... One more at 20 would be similar to RCL's Diamond Plus and allow Elite Plus to have full reciprocity...

 

or have one program for the whole RCL universe... as if they could have pax move back and forth to offer more choice and ships between RCL and Celebrity.... it all adds to the same bottom line.

[moondoggie]

The four of us have cruised Celebrity EXCLUSIVELY for the past ten years (with one exception), and we use the internet ONLY to confirm our return flights and to print out boarding passes.

 

Will we stop doing this now because it will cost us? No. Will we think less of Celebrity's commitment to their loyal clients? Unfortunately, yes.

[superjerryw]

We are getting the donut hole.... Great surroundings, empty of substance...:D

 

Maybe Dunkin Donuts will start a cruise line. I love their donut holes (Munchkins)......:D

[C 2 C]

I just received an email from Celebrity concerning their elite rewards:

Thank you for your e-mail. We apologize for the delay in

responding. We deeply regret you feel that the new special

events and savings booklet is not an improvement.

Captain's Club wanted to provide additional benefits based upon

feedback from our valued members. The ten free internet minutes

were per stateroom and not per member. We have listed a few of

the new benefits that will be offered:

 

- 20% off of an internet package

- A three pack of bingo cards for any regular session

- Double jackpot

- Purchase the La Therapie Hydralift Facial and receive two Complimentary La Therapie Intensif Age Zone Treatments

- Purchase the Polar BodyAge service and receive one Complimentary fitness class

- Purchase any face or body treatment and receive one Complimentary 20 minute Aloha Capsule session

- 10% off any AquaSpa Signature Treatment

- 10% off Persian Gardens Cruise Pass

- $ 30.00 off any Acupuncture at Seas treatment with a cost of $100.00 or more

- Free Acupunture at Seas Seminar

- Complimentary keepsake book with any purchase from Park West at Sea art auction

- Complimentary photo with you initial purchase at the photo gallery

- Complimentary Wine Seminar with Ocean Vineyard

 

These savings are per Elite member instead of one per stateroom. We sincerely hope you will find this beneficial.

Concerning: feedback from our valued members

I don't know if any of the valued members provided this feedback.

It certainly did not come from me. They must be referring to other posters:rolleyes:

[Andy]

I just received an email from Celebrity concerning their elite rewards:

 

Concerning: feedback from our valued members

I don't know if any of the valued members provided this feedback.

It certainly did not come from me. They must be referring to other posters:rolleyes:

 

Hi C 2 C !

 

I often wonder who they are asking also. I know I have been not asked my opinions about any of this, in ages.

 

As for the new offers ? Most of them have a common denominator, in that you have to purchase something to get an additional benefit. That's not much of a benefit in my book. I am sure it is the bean counters at work, and that is a shame.

[ocngypz]

It is always the beancounters at work.

 

Blech... and I told the CC rep during our seminar blech as well.

 

If I could stand the food, I'd book an RCL cruise in a heartbeat, and get my $$$$ off on my balcony, possible FREE upgrade to a suite if available, etc.

 

I am also a HAL Mariner. I've got a collection of tiles, plates.. and assorted objects. But many times, the past passenger rates beat any other farecode on a particular sailing so I am ahead of the game.

[hancock]

That list of "so called" perks looks like they are just trying to get more business for the spa. The other things are no big deal for cruisers who have done enough cruises to be Elite members of the Captains Club.

 

After our last two cruises without an invite to the Captain's table (a listed perk for Elite members) I wrote to X suggesting that they eliminate the perk and give Elite members a $50 cabin credit to use as they see fit. It would be the equivalent of cocktails and wine served at the Captain's table. With a cabin credit, those who do not drink could use it as they wished. They did not respond to the letter.

 

If they want us to continue sailing with X even though many of the ships continue to sail the same old routes we have sailed before, they should stop taking us for granted and add some meaningful perks.

[Pecoraro]

Thought some of you might be interested in what Oceania offers its repeat customers:

 

 

Along with your complimentary subscription to The Oceania Club Journal, you’ll receive a wealth of benefits on board, online and at home.

 

Club Benefits

Exclusive Club party hosted by the Captain and Senior Officers.

Special pricing, complimentary amenities or exclusive privileges on select sailings. Oceania Club membership recognition pin after 5, 10, 15 and 20 cruises.

Exclusive mailings about upcoming cruises and promotions.

 

Members qualify for Elite Level status based on the number of sailings aboard Oceania Cruises.

 

Bronze

On their fifth cruise, members will be awarded a Bronze membership pin

and will receive a $200 shipboard credit per stateroom on cruises 5 through 9.

 

Silver

On their 10th cruise, members will be awarded a Silver membership pin

and will receive a $400 shipboard credit per stateroom plus complimentary

gratuities on cruises 10 through 14.

 

Gold

On their 15th cruise, members will be awarded a Gold membership pin and will receive a $500 shipboard credit per stateroom plus two complimentary spa treatments and complimentary gratuities on cruises 15 through 19.

 

Platinum

On their 20th cruise, members will be awarded a Platinum milestone membership pin and a free cruise (some restrictions apply). Members will also receive two complimentary spa treatments, two complimentary half-day shore excursions and complimentary gratuities on cruises 20 and higher.

[C 2 C]

Thought some of you might be interested in what Oceania offers its repeat customers:

 

Platinum

On their 20th cruise, members will be awarded a Platinum milestone membership pin and a free cruise (some restrictions apply). Members will also receive two complimentary spa treatments, two complimentary half-day shore excursions and complimentary gratuities on cruises 20 and higher.

 

Thanks for posting this.. those are some serious perks.