The New Celebrity Captains Club is Here!

[FUN33]

Why waste the time and put negative energy trying to figure out that you could have or would have had, you got what Celebrity deemed appropriate and they made the rules, so I just don't understand why people want to look at the old program and change it to the new program, when it does no good and it is not going to change.

 

Use that time and energy to be thankful for the things you have, not for the things that you perceived that you lost or were shortchanged or screwed out of.

 

Couldn't agree more!!!!! Time to move on.

[excitedofharpenden]

Why waste the time and put negative energy trying to figure out that you could have or would have had, you got what Celebrity deemed appropriate and they made the rules, so I just don't understand why people want to look at the old program and change it to the new program, when it does no good and it is not going to change.

 

Use that time and energy to be thankful for the things you have, not for the things that you perceived that you lost or were shortchanged or screwed out of.

You make way too much sense on these threads. Personally I think the sense of entitlement shown by some here is pretty horrible, but unsurprising. Time indeed to move on by showing the true loyalty that is sought or finding something else. Life is too short.

 

Phil

[jagoffee]

Why? Because a loyalty program is put in place to retain existing customers by rewarding them for their loyalty not alienate them by shortchanging them midway in the program. Clearly some if not a lot of customers have been shortchanged by these changes. It is all well and good for people who are Elite to say "why bother, Celebrity is not going to change things"....we are after all just fine. However, when you are obviously shortchanged or overcharged do you not put an effort into remediating the situation....or is that negative as well?

 

As I recall you have only been on 2 Celebrity cruises and are upset because you will not be Select after your next cruise (and you had already paid for the future cruise). One of the objectives of the new program was to increase what it takes to get to the Elite level. I would say that the objective was met and you are a good example. Since Celebrity gave bonus points for those closer to Elite for instance 7,8, and nine points it is obvious that they were concerned about those close to Elite. Since you have only cruised twice and have three points you (along with everyone else) were given the generous bonus of using 30 new points for each old point. It is clear that they were less concerned about the impact of the new program for those with few cruises and are actually trying to slow down the growth and make it more difficult. .

Can you imagine how many people would be upset if they actually used the sailing history and calculated the new points retro? Most of us would be much further away from the next level.

 

You still get more points for higher level cabins and Celebrity had to draw a line someway.

 

The bottom line is that I do not think that other than the generous 30 point conversion that Celebrity was very concerned about those with only 2 cruises. You are 90 points ahead of any new cruisers.

 

Good luck and I hope you can still enjoy your cruises.

 

P.S. 90 points is not even close to midway in the program. You already get one of the best additions to the program as a Classic member, one level upgrade.

Edited December 5, 2013 by jagoffee

[Denny01]

I've stayed out of most of these Capt Club threads because they almost immediately turned negative and any discussion becomes impossible because they focus on a poster's particular case and why they should get the next tier.

 

My view is, no matter what terms and descriptions are used, this is Not a Loyalty program. Yes, it benefits repeat customers, but this is an Incentive Program to get us to spend money on Celebrity. It is now set up to give you more points when you upgrade to more expensive SRs, and make longer, more expensive cruises. It's called a business model and a good one if it gets us to spend money. The one major difference in the new program is Celebrity quit giving the same number of points to someone who books a 11N Caribbean Balcony cruise (est cost $1600) as they were giving a 4N Inside cabin cruise (est cost $199). A much better Business Model.

 

And for those bothered that they were a few points and therefore one or two cruises away from Elite and are now 3 cruises away from Elite, I hope they realize when Celebrity gave us 30 points for each old point, there was no way we would have earned 30 points on a cruise we got the one old point on. New cruisers will have to take many more cruises or upgrade SRs to get the points we got from Celebrity giving us 30 points per old point. So if Celebrity had used the new points process for all our previous cruises when transferring us, most of us would have way less points then Celebrity gave us. I would have about 250 less points than what they gave me. And I have a feeling, those that are bothered because they will now have to upgrade to a higher SR, go on a longer cruise, or take another cruise to make the next tier, would be many more points short than they are now.

 

We kind of ignore that and demand Celebrity address each of our particular case in a way that moves us up to the next tier.

 

Businesses want us to spend money on future cruises, not give us goodies for what we did before. Yes, it's important to keep repeat business, but If this makes you so mad that you won't cruise with some Line, that's your choice of what you use as criteria in picking a cruise. Personally, I cruise with Celebrity because it matches what I'm looking for in quality and atmosphere it sets, pricing and itinerary.

 

I had made Elite a while ago, before it had any real benefits, and even though there wasn't another tier to go to, I continued to cruise on Celebrity. And now, it will take so many points to make Zenith, my next tier, that I'll probably never make it. I'll still cruise Celebrity when it matches up with what I want to do. I'll move over to Princess or some other Line to join friends or because of an itinerary, and won't get any goodies on it; I'll somehow force myself to enjoy the cruise.

 

And enough pontificating, at least from me.

 

Den

Edited December 5, 2013 by Denny01

[Putterdude]

As I recall you have only been on 2 Celebrity cruises and are upset because you will not be Select after your next cruise (and you had already paid for the future cruise). One of the objectives of the new program was to increase what it takes to get to the Elite level. I would say that the objective was met and you are a good example. Since Celebrity gave bonus points for those closer to Elite for instance 7,8, and nine points it is obvious that they were concerned about those close to Elite. Since you have only cruised twice and have three points you (along with everyone else) were given the generous bonus of using 30 new points for each old point. It is clear that they were less concerned about the impact of the new program for those with few cruises and are actually trying to slow down the growth and make it more difficult. .

Can you imagine how many people would be upset if they actually used the sailing history and calculated the new points retro? Most of us would be much further away from the next level.

 

You still get more points for higher level cabins and Celebrity had to draw a line someway.

 

The bottom line is that I do not think that other than the generous 30 point conversion that Celebrity was very concerned about those with only 2 cruises. You are 90 points ahead of any new cruisers.

 

Good luck and I hope you can still enjoy your cruises.

 

P.S. 90 points is not even close to midway in the program. You already get one of the best additions to the program as a Classic member, one level upgrade.

 

Sorry, you don't recall correctly. We had 4 points and would have had 8 points after our b/b Concierge cruises next month; with that we would only needed one more 7 day cruise in Concierge to achieve Elite. We have now required to have some 21 more days in Concierge after the aforementioned cruises to achieve Elite, a net increase of 14 days....and therein lies my anger and disappointment. Now stop and think, where would your head be if this had happened to you?

[Denny01]

Sorry, you don't recall correctly. We had 4 points and would have had 8 points after our b/b Concierge cruises next month; with that we would only needed one more 7 day cruise in Concierge to achieve Elite. We have now required to have some 21 more days in Concierge after the aforementioned cruises to achieve Elite, a net increase of 14 days....and therein lies my anger and disappointment. Now stop and think, where would your head be if this had happened to you?

 

Where would my head be? Preparing for the next cruise and enjoying it. And since your list of cruises shows you have moved over to Primcess for all your cruising after the Jan cruises, I would assume reaching Elite wasn't a priority for you. Enjoy those cruises.

 

I'm on a Celebrity cruise around the UK which is very similar to your Princess cruise in Aug. So I assume you picked that cruise for reasons that overrode reaching Elite. Makes sense to cruise as you wish and not focus on some point system.

 

Den

[Putterdude]

Where would my head be? Preparing for the next cruise and enjoying it.

Den

 

Then I am happy for you. The balance of your post is subjective at best and is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand.

[Lsimon]

... I hope they realize when Celebrity gave us 30 points for each old point, there was no way we would have earned 30 points on a cruise we got the one old point on. New cruisers will have to take many more cruises or upgrade SRs to get the points we got from Celebrity giving us 30 points per old point. So if Celebrity had used the new points process for all our previous cruises when transferring us, most of us would have way less points then Celebrity gave us. I would have about 250 less points than what they gave me. And I have a feeling, those that are bothered because they will now have to upgrade to a higher SR, go on a longer cruise, or take another cruise to make the next tier, would be many more points short than they are now. ...

 

Den: You made a great point above.

Like it or not, the bottom line is that Celebrity has modified the program so that it will take longer to reach each level.

The points they gave all of us in the conversion is very generous from that perspective. I figure that I got 20% more points in the conversion then I would have received if they had applied the detail computation to my old cruises. And that is the case even though all but one of our past cruises were 10 nights or more. The conversion would have been even more generous if our average past cruise had been shorter.

 

I appreciate the benefits Celebrity gives us and the fact that even through the new program slows down the progression they've given us a head start with the generous conversion formula.

 

We cruise Celebrity for the overall experience. It is nice that there are a few perks to reward our loyalty but those don't make or break our decision to cruise Celebrity.

[Paulras]

As I recall you have only been on 2 Celebrity cruises and are upset because you will not be Select after your next cruise (and you had already paid for the future cruise). One of the objectives of the new program was to increase what it takes to get to the Elite level. I would say that the objective was met and you are a good example. Since Celebrity gave bonus points for those closer to Elite for instance 7,8, and nine points it is obvious that they were concerned about those close to Elite. Since you have only cruised twice and have three points you (along with everyone else) were given the generous bonus of using 30 new points for each old point. It is clear that they were less concerned about the impact of the new program for those with few cruises and are actually trying to slow down the growth and make it more difficult. .

Can you imagine how many people would be upset if they actually used the sailing history and calculated the new points retro? Most of us would be much further away from the next level.

 

You still get more points for higher level cabins and Celebrity had to draw a line someway.

 

The bottom line is that I do not think that other than the generous 30 point conversion that Celebrity was very concerned about those with only 2 cruises. You are 90 points ahead of any new cruisers.

 

Good luck and I hope you can still enjoy your cruises.

 

P.S. 90 points is not even close to midway in the program. You already get one of the best additions to the program as a Classic member, one level upgrade.

 

 

Those of us who made final payment can't use the new "one level upgrade" because you can only request it upon booking. I asked for my cruise that's in 15 days and no luck. So that's not a benefit for many of us and still some of us lose the next tier that we would have upon sailing for the cruise that was already paid for but only because we didn't step foot on the ship yet. We will be 10 points short instead of there.

[Denny01]

Den:

...........We cruise Celebrity for the overall experience. It is nice that there are a few perks to reward our loyalty but those don't make or break our decision to cruise Celebrity.

 

Great minds think alike!

 

Den

[jagoffee]

Sorry, you don't recall correctly. We had 4 points and would have had 8 points after our b/b Concierge cruises next month; with that we would only needed one more 7 day cruise in Concierge to achieve Elite. We have now required to have some 21 more days in Concierge after the aforementioned cruises to achieve Elite, a net increase of 14 days....and therein lies my anger and disappointment. Now stop and think, where would your head be if this had happened to you?

 

Sorry, I did not recall correctly. My point is still valid. You have only cruised on Celebrity twice and you have four points. (Or perhaps it is 3 cruises) I was responding to your comment concerning loyalty. I still do not consider someone with 2/3 cruises loyal especially considering the comment about your future cruises on Princess. I have never cruised for the loyalty points I cruise for the cruise. I also cruise on Princess. I have cruised on Princess just 5 times (two in a suite) and I am a long way from Elite on Princess.

 

The fact that you were possible going to be Elite on Celebrity after only 5 cruises is overly generous and Celebrity recognized that fact.

 

Even under the new program it will still be easier to get to Elite on Celebrity than on Princess.

 

When I obtained the Elite level on Celebrity I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with the benefits.

 

Being honest if I would have been cruising to obtain a current level I would also be disappointed that the rules changed after I had made the final payment. I do not mean to seem like I do not have empathy for your situation. I just do not consider it an issue of Celebrity not recognizing loyalty. It more of a situation that for most people Celebrity is requiring mor loyalty under the new program. (Except for those sailing in high level suites).

 

I hope you can still enjoy the Celebrity product in spite of your disappointment.

[NLH Arizona]

Why? Because a loyalty program is put in place to retain existing customers by rewarding them for their loyalty not alienate them by shortchanging them midway in the program. Clearly some if not a lot of customers have been shortchanged by these changes. It is all well and good for people who are Elite to say "why bother, Celebrity is not going to change things"....we are after all just fine. However, when you are obviously shortchanged or overcharged do you not put an effort into remediating the situation....or is that negative as well?

I was, as you say, shortchanged. My next cruise would have put me into the Elite tier, but I had to change to another cruise (spending quite a bit more) to become Elite after my next cruise. Did I feel cheated or shortchanged, no . I realize that Celebrity is a business and they make the rules. I could come on here and sulk and complain, but what would that do, nothing. I could threaten to leave Celebrity and go to another cruise line, but what would that do, nothing. I would rather use that energy being thankful that I can cruise, while so many in the country can't.

 

I've ask this question before, where should Celebrity have drawn the line. With paid for cruises, with booked cruises, should they have made everyone that was Elite into Elite+. Face it, no matter what they would have done, there were going to be unhappy people. I believe that there are far more happy/satisfied customers than there are unhappy ones because of the new Captain's Club program. Are a few (in my estimation very few) going to leave sure, but I would bet that they will be back.

[NLH Arizona]

Those of us who made final payment can't use the new "one level upgrade" because you can only request it upon booking. I asked for my cruise that's in 15 days and no luck. So that's not a benefit for many of us and still some of us lose the next tier that we would have upon sailing for the cruise that was already paid for but only because we didn't step foot on the ship yet. We will be 10 points short instead of there.

Now with your situation and others requesting this new perk, this is what (if I were Celebrity) I would do. If there are cabins one level above yours that are empty, I would upgrade passengers who called in requesting the perk, based on first come first served. I might wait until the cruise was say 5 or 6 days out from sailing, assuming that no one would book that close to sailing, and call you and say you will be upgraded. This would not cost Celebrity anything, but it would give a lot of goodwill to those customers who called in and requested this new perk.

[rnrcruzin]

I just checked and we went from 4 points to 90. I checked my benifits and found that I can now get a real glass to get tap water from the bathroom and I no longer have to do the crew's laundry.

[MicCanberra]

Now with your situation and others requesting this new perk, this is what (if I were Celebrity) I would do. If there are cabins one level above yours that are empty, I would upgrade passengers who called in requesting the perk, based on first come first served. I might wait until the cruise was say 5 or 6 days out from sailing, assuming that no one would book that close to sailing, and call you and say you will be upgraded. This would not cost Celebrity anything, but it would give a lot of goodwill to those customers who called in and requested this new perk.

 

I would certainly appreciate that sort of goodwill.:D

[SHill64]

This is precisely one of my concerns, your position in the loyalty program was protected or grandfathered and I am certainly not unhappy about that. ......and failing some consideration I will writeMichael Bayley.

 

Are you serious? Really? Will you tell them you're really NOT loyal to Celebrity and cruise Princess? Me thinks you should research the definition of loyal and loyality first. When Tanji replies to your email, tell her Shaun says hello! :D

[SHill64]

I just checked and we went from 4 points to 90. I checked my benifits and found that I can now get a real glass to get tap water from the bathroom and I no longer have to do the crew's laundry.

 

Why 90 points? Four old points equal 120 new points....

[SHill64]

Den: You made a great point above.

Like it or not, the bottom line is that Celebrity has modified the program so that it will take longer to reach each level.

The points they gave all of us in the conversion is very generous from that perspective. I figure that I got 20% more points in the conversion then I would have received if they had applied the detail computation to my old cruises. And that is the case even though all but one of our past cruises were 10 nights or more. The conversion would have been even more generous if our average past cruise had been shorter.

 

I appreciate the benefits Celebrity gives us and the fact that even through the new program slows down the progression they've given us a head start with the generous conversion formula.

 

We cruise Celebrity for the overall experience. It is nice that there are a few perks to reward our loyalty but those don't make or break our decision to cruise Celebrity.

 

Thankfully there are people here like you and Denny that can put things into perspective for the one's that haven't a clue! Maybe one day our paths will cross on a Celebrity ship and I will buy you a beer.

[The_Big_M]

Why 90 points? Four old points equal 120 new points....

 

Might have been recorded as on 3 points before.

[Putterdude]

Are you serious? Really? Will you tell them you're really NOT loyal to Celebrity and cruise Princess? Me thinks you should research the definition of loyal and loyality first. When Tanji replies to your email, tell her Shaun says hello! :D

 

Me knows exactly what "loyalty" means...I am a customer of Celebrity, will soon have 4 cruises with them, have been left behind in their loyalty program and have every right to be annoyed. If you want to say hello to Tanji and know her so well, try doing it yourself, you obviously don't need a voice piece.

[SHill64]

Me knows exactly what "loyalty" means...I am a customer of Celebrity, will soon have 4 cruises with them, have been left behind in their loyalty program and have every right to be annoyed. If you want to say hello to Tanji and know her so well, try doing it yourself, you obviously don't need a voice piece.

 

No, you obviously don't know what loyalty is. Four Celebrity cruises?? Really? You really think the revenue department looks at your cruise history and says, "Hey, there's a loyal customer!" Not in this lifetime. Do you have potential? Maybe. You are EXACTLY why they changed the system. I have a friend that has four Celebrity cruises also. All of them are longer than 12 nights and all were in a Royal Suite. Is he considered a loyal customer yet? No. Is he mad they changed the tiers? No.

Edited December 6, 2013 by SHill64

[SHill64]

If you want to say hello to Tanji and know her so well, try doing it yourself, you obviously don't need a voice piece.

 

Actually, I don't stress Michael Bailey's office out with complaints. I write emails filled with praise and Celebrity employee's names that went the extra mile to make my vacation a great one!

[MicCanberra]

I just checked and we went from 4 points to 90. I checked my benifits and found that I can now get a real glass to get tap water from the bathroom and I no longer have to do the crew's laundry.

Please drink in moderation then, or the fares will go up for all of us.:rolleyes:

[joysav]

Me knows exactly what "loyalty" means...I am a customer of Celebrity, will soon have 4 cruises with them, have been left behind in their loyalty program and have every right to be annoyed. If you want to say hello to Tanji and know her so well, try doing it yourself, you obviously don't need a voice piece.

 

Stop Shouting

[Putterdude]

Stop Shouting

 

Who is shouting, I only capitalize what needs to be capitalized.