The New Celebrity Captains Club is Here!

[gimletgal]

No, I don't mind if someone disagrees with my point of view. It is just that I can't believe what I'm reading on here. Did anyone sign a contract with the Captain's Club? Has anyone read their cruise contracts and have seen that, even with your cruises, there can be changes at anytime.

 

I feel for those that are short, but I ask again, where should have Celebrity cut the line. Who should have got what? People with 2 points think they should be upped to the next level. One person a cruise away from Zenith, think they were treated badly. Others in Elite+ think they are not valued because they weren't automatically upped to Zenith, even though they are far away point wise. Some think they should get upfront credit for paid cruises, others think they should be given upfront credits for deposited cruises and others feel they should be treated differently because they paid to join (which many got that back plus more, but seem to forget about it). Then there are those that are taking the old program and counting days as if it were the new program and complaining that they got screwed. Why on earth would someone think that the old program (other than the conversion points) has any bearing on the new program. How about the one that was 4 points away from Elite+ on the old program, when there was no Elite+ in the old program. I'm in the same boat or ship as a lot of people. My next booked cruise (a 4 day concierge class because I was in Florida for a wedding and though I would take a short cruise) would have put me to Elite, but now it doesn't. So did I sit on here complaining and trashing Celebrity, no I changed it to a 7 day cruise in concierge class. Issue solved, this cruise makes me Elite....Yippy, but I don't really care! I realize that Celebrity was fair, they left me in the same situation I was in prior to the new program, 1 cruise away. I didn't really lose anything and I didn't gain anything. No one lost anything that they didn't already have.

 

It just seems that there are so many on here that only cruise for the points and perks and that really surprises me. When I become Elite I will probably only use the laundry and internet, but if they both went away tomorrow, I wouldn't complain and say I was going to stop cruising with Celebrity, I'd deal with it. People can stay with a cruise line they like and enjoy what "free" things they are given or they can go to another cruise line and enjoy what "free" things they give them, if that is all they care about. It is a personal choice, my choice is to keep cruising with Celebrity and thank them for not taking anything away from me with this new program.

 

Your posts are making way too much sense! :D

[Cruising89143]

Well crud! Now at 286 points with X, 59 points on RCCL. We were wanting to hit Elite so we could hob nob in the Diamond lounge:rolleyes:

 

If you're Elite on X then you will be Diamond on RCI so you're not too far away. That is where it stops. Diamond Plus and Pinnacle would still be Elite on X and Elite + and Zenith will be Diamond on RCI.:)

[MicCanberra]

Thank you for writing this. Said much better than I could have said it. For me it's the disappointment aspect. My husband and I have only started cruising 24 months ago---and have 6 Celebrity cruises. We were their BIGGEST FANS. Were they perfect? Of course not. However, we have another 40 yrs of cruising (hopefully!) and that would have translated into a lot of business for Celebrity. (especially when we hit retirement). As our friends have said, it leaves a bad taste.....

We are in the same boat as you. 4 cruises- 3 this year, 6 credits (180 points), 2 future cruises booked and paid in full, that would have got us to Elite and now leave us short by 43 points. Both of us under 50 with potentially another 40 years of cruising. Feeling slapped.:(

[wallie5446]

If you're Elite on X then you will be Diamond on RCI so you're not too far away. That is where it stops. Diamond Plus and Pinnacle would still be Elite on X and Elite + and Zenith will be Diamond on RCI.:)

 

Thanks, I will learn to read slower:rolleyes: I freaked at 'stopping' and didnt finish:D

Edited November 26, 2013 by wallie5446

[MicCanberra]

Well crud! Now at 286 points with X, 59 points on RCCL. We were wanting to hit Elite so we could hob nob in the Diamond lounge:rolleyes:

At least you got some bonus points that would put you one cruise away.:D

[walcherw]

If you're Elite on X then you will be Diamond on RCI so you're not too far away. That is where it stops. Diamond Plus and Pinnacle would still be Elite on X and Elite + and Zenith will be Diamond on RCI.:)

I think this is one area that they may just have missed. Wait a week and see if anything changes. Zenith on X is ONLY D on RCCL..... DOES NOT look right and I think with all the changes it is one they missed. we will see.

[dobes3kh]

We are in the same boat as you. 4 cruises- 3 this year, 6 credits (180 points), 2 future cruises booked and paid in full, that would have got us to Elite and now leave us short by 43 points. Both of us under 50 with potentially another 40 years of cruising. Feeling slapped.:(

 

Yep! We're at 9 credits and I think the what is being missed or unacknowledged in this thread is that for those of us who have booked a cruise under the premise that we would become Elite, having been informed after the cruise has been booked/paid for that we no longer qualify. The rules have been changed. Many in this thread have been stating that the Elite perks are worthless, that those who appreciate them are being greedy and have unrealistic expectations/demands and insinuations are being made that it makes no difference whether or not the Captain's Club exists. Really?!??!! I beg to differ. Celebrity must think the same as the Captain's Club is a valuable marketing tool for them. And for those who are thankful that existing perks haven't been removed.......really?

[Cruising89143]

I think this is one area that they may just have missed. Wait a week and see if anything changes. Zenith on X is ONLY D on RCCL..... DOES NOT look right and I think with all the changes it is one they missed. we will see.

 

Doubt it. I was told by a celebrity rep that the highest they would go is Elite and Diamond. It was also posted by Celebrity yesterday on their Facebook page. After that it comes down to each person earning the necessary points to move up within each line and I agree with that. This recent Captain's Club change was made to slow down the progression of moving up in the ranks. This would defeat the purpose.

Edited November 27, 2013 by cruisingator2

[MicCanberra]

Yep! We're at 9 credits and I think the what is being missed or unacknowledged in this thread is that for those of us who have booked a cruise under the premise that we would become Elite, having been informed after the cruise has been booked/paid for that we no longer qualify. The rules have been changed. Many in this thread have been stating that the Elite perks are worthless, that those who appreciate them are being greedy and have unrealistic expectations/demands and insinuations are being made that it makes no difference whether or not the Captain's Club exists. Really?!??!! I beg to differ. Celebrity must think the same as the Captain's Club is a valuable marketing tool for them. And for those who are thankful that existing perks haven't been removed.......really?

The program has a disclaimer that they can change it at nay time without notice but that does not take away the disappointment of being short-changed. :D

[Mocha15]

Yes, Carnival gave more time for their conversion, but they TOOK AWAY PERKS that we already had. We had been Platinum for a while on Carnival, and we stayed Platinum after the conversion, but with LESS BENEFITS that we had before the conversion. At least Celebrity did not remove any of our benefits at a given level. From what I can tell, Celebrity kept all our benefits in tact for existing levels, and now gives us the opportunity to earn MORE benefits than were previously provided. I believe that Celebrity perks are much better than any other line. We switched to Celebrity because we really like the ships, activities, food, entertainment, how they treat us, etc. The perks were just a bonus.

 

I do agree that it would have been better if they could have accommodated those who would otherwise have made the next level in the immediate future.

[MizDemeanor]

This entire topic is so endingly tiring and sad. If one cruises just for building perks sail in a suite and you will get all sorts of these fast track perks and more at the time of your sailing...even if its your very first Celebrity Cruise.

Edited November 27, 2013 by MizDemeanor

[The_Big_M]

I think this is one area that they may just have missed. Wait a week and see if anything changes. Zenith on X is ONLY D on RCCL..... DOES NOT look right and I think with all the changes it is one they missed. we will see.

 

Agree with cruisingator.

 

It looks reasonable to me. It's also understandable that they want to reward their most loyal customers exclusively. Lastly, it also has a precedent that they did not make loyalty transferable at all levels before - and still now. i.e. Gold <> Classic.

 

It will stay as is.

[The_Big_M]

This entire topic is so endingly tiring and sad. If one cruises just for building perks sail in a suite and you will get all sorts of these fast track perks and more at the time of your sailing...even if its your very first Celebrity Cruise.

 

It makes sense that people are happy to sail as they are.

 

They just prefer to be rewarded more progressively, rather than have it drawn out as in the new program.

 

I guess the other way it could have gone, where the earning would still be faster, would be if it were done like the airline or hotel programs. That is, credits were only recorded for the past year or two, not indefinitely.

 

That would be interesting!

[newyorkray]

I have been at Select status with 9 points under the old system, it now lists me as 286 points. I recently booked a cruise in Concierge for this January 4 on Reflection. I anticipated this would finally give me Elite status but now that I don't know how the point system runs and don't know if I will reach Elite! And if I do finally reach the "top", I now see there are now 2 more classes above me, can never win! Truthfully, I don't see much from the rewards. On my last few cruises the wait on the security line was the same for all and the counter check in lines were the same for all, nobody really had to wait because coming from the security line acted to slow down entry to check in. All my cruises have been on Celebrity and I am well satisfied, be nice if there was a little more recognition but I realize that is difficult.

[CRUZBUDS]

Yes, Carnival gave more time for their conversion, but they TOOK AWAY PERKS that we already had. We had been Platinum for a while on Carnival, and we stayed Platinum after the conversion, but with LESS BENEFITS that we had before the conversion. At least Celebrity did not remove any of our benefits at a given level. From what I can tell, Celebrity kept all our benefits in tact for existing levels, and now gives us the opportunity to earn MORE benefits than were previously provided. I believe that Celebrity perks are much better than any other line. We switched to Celebrity because we really like the ships, activities, food, entertainment, how they treat us, etc. The perks were just a bonus.

 

I do agree that it would have been better if they could have accommodated those who would otherwise have made the next level in the immediate future.

 

Carnival also added perks. The access to your cabin upon boarding is an awesome new perk, along with the real express luggage delivery. How many times have you gotten your bags before noon?

 

They did cut Platinum's from unlimited laundry to just 3 bags a cruise. Somehow my wife and I survived on our recent B2B 14 day with only 12 bags of free laundry available. I think we actually used 4. ;)

 

We still prefer Celebrity, of course. The entertainment on Carnival has gone down him and we can't stand the smoke

[wallie5446]

At least you got some bonus points that would put you one cruise away.:D

Many different post and statements, but the underlying statement has been that if someone was one point from the next level they would be the same amount in points from the next level after the conversion.

[omeinv]

I have been at Select status with 9 points under the old system, it now lists me as 286 points. I recently booked a cruise in Concierge for this January 4 on Reflection. I anticipated this would finally give me Elite status but now that I don't know how the point system runs and don't know if I will reach Elite! And if I do finally reach the "top", I now see there are now 2 more classes above me, can never win! Truthfully, I don't see much from the rewards. On my last few cruises the wait on the security line was the same for all and the counter check in lines were the same for all, nobody really had to wait because coming from the security line acted to slow down entry to check in. All my cruises have been on Celebrity and I am well satisfied, be nice if there was a little more recognition but I realize that is difficult.

 

Presuming your cruise is at least three nights you'll get Elite after the cruise (same as you would have before). You had 9 points x 30 = 270. Then they gave you a bonus of 16 points = 286. Each night in a Concierge Class cabin gains you 5 points, so again assuming your cruise is at least three nights, you'll be Elite after your next cruise.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[The_Big_M]

Many different post and statements, but the underlying statement has been that if someone was one point from the next level they would be the same amount in points from the next level after the conversion.

 

That doesn't apply consistently.

 

For example, f you were one point away from select before, you need 30 points now to get to Select. However, if you were one point away from Elite before, you now need 14 points to get to Elite.

[MicCanberra]

It makes sense that people are happy to sail as they are.

 

They just prefer to be rewarded more progressively, rather than have it drawn out as in the new program.

 

I guess the other way it could have gone, where the earning would still be faster, would be if it were done like the airline or hotel programs. That is, credits were only recorded for the past year or two, not indefinitely.

 

That would be interesting!

I wouldn't have minded that.:rolleyes:

[MicCanberra]

Many different post and statements, but the underlying statement has been that if someone was one point from the next level they would be the same amount in points from the next level after the conversion.

I wish I was still the same amount of points away from Elite but find I am not. Such is life.

[wwcruisers]

I wish I was still the same amount of points away from Elite but find I am not. Such is life.

 

It's OK Mic -- you'll get there. Years ago, we finally made 'Diamond' on RC. We got to go to the Concierge Lounge on Serenade of the Seas -- what a great experience! :cool: But the moment we got home, RC proudly announced their new 'Diamond-Plus' level -- and (you guessed it) we 'lowly Diamonds' were promptly kicked out of the Concierge Lounge! :eek: Well, that stung, but we kept cruising -- and we discovered that the 'Diamond Event/Lounge' was even more fun than the Concierge Lounge. :p Next thing we knew, we were back to D+ -- and in the meantime, we grandfathered-in as Elite on X. So, just keep having fun cruising, and it will all work out -- I promise! :D

[MicCanberra]

It's OK Mic -- you'll get there. Years ago, we finally made 'Diamond' on RC. We got to go to the Concierge Lounge on Serenade of the Seas -- what a great experience! :cool: But the moment we got home, RC proudly announced their new 'Diamond-Plus' level -- and (you guessed it) we 'lowly Diamonds' were promptly kicked out of the Concierge Lounge! :eek: Well, that stung, but we kept cruising -- and we discovered that the 'Diamond Event/Lounge' was even more fun than the Concierge Lounge. :p Next thing we knew, we were back to D+ -- and in the meantime, we grandfathered-in as Elite on X. So, just keep having fun cruising, and it will all work out -- I promise! :D

 

Cheers for that, I know we will get there, X is still our cruise line of choice. We don't cruise fro the perks but it does sting a little when something was almost in your grasp and then taken away again. There is nothing I can do about it and whinging won't get me far (perhaps if I whinge to the Captains Club it might) so life will go on.:D

[Champagne Cruiser]

I found that Celebrity does not honor Captains Club levels with priority boarding, however RoyalCaribbean does. Go figure. Also noticed that Royal Caribbean treats their returning cruisers better than Celebrity.

[The_Big_M]

I wouldn't have minded that.:rolleyes:

 

Somehow, I think the howls would be much greater than they are now! :rolleyes:

[The_Big_M]

I found that Celebrity does not honor Captains Club levels with priority boarding, however RoyalCaribbean does. Go figure. Also noticed that Royal Caribbean treats their returning cruisers better than Celebrity.

 

Yes, I got a bit surprised/confused with that when I switched between the two at entry level.