Did Celebrity get it right - Captain's Club

[Barwick Cruiser]

Yes, you are understanding it correctly. The "new" points are per night.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

Thanks for replying so quickly...definitely going to take longer to reach Elite now :rolleyes:

[kelmac]

I think the whole program is pretty well thought out, and I'm pleased with the excellent perks offered.

 

The one concern I have is the number of Elite and Elite + people in the 5 -- 7 pm lounge. Seems like the over-crowding will continue. I would like to see the Elite + people added to Michael's Club when the number permits. As it stands now, you might have less than 10 people show up to Michael's Club. If a cruise has less than, say 50 Elite Plus members, they could be added to that mix and it would provide a social environment.

In other words, Elite Plus folks could attend either venue.

Some have said that the new system will be a mix of Vouchers, or Elite Lounge.

People will have the option.

 

We spent 21 days on the Infinity this past summer and the Elite Lounge was the highlight of the cruise! There were less than 200 Elites on board and maybe 40 -- 80 would show up each evening. I was a great time and we met some wonderful cruisers.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Edited November 25, 2013 by kelmac

[KillerP]

I like the new program except for the fact that I and probably many others who are booked on an upcoming cruise which would have put us at Select are no longer going to be Select afterward. I read that many Select members who were close to Elite were given bonus points even though they may not even be booked on a next cruise. I have a cruise in only 3 weeks that I purposely booked in a Concierge Class to gain that extra point to be Select for the next time, now I learn we'll still be 10 points away after we get back. If I knew that, I wouldn't have paid almost $1000 more for Concierge since there aren't too many valuable perks to Concierge Class over a balcony except the 1 extra credit which was advertised under the old system.

 

I know the program is subject to change without notice, but it's not fair that Celebrity recognizes this problem for those who are close to Elite by giving bonus points, but not those of us who are close to Select. I think they should make the bonus points available to those who are in our situation especially when it's well after the final payment date and you can't make changes to your trip.

We (wife & I) are currently Select status. We have booked and paid in full for two upcoming cruises which under the old system would have qualified us for Elite status.

We booked concierge class to enable us to obtain the extra points to upgrade to Elite. We would have stayed with balcony if we had known about the "enhancements"

I also think it is unfair that we will now be 29 points shy of elite. We booked on the basis of Celebrity's advertising the "old" points system.

I understand the fine print that you have to cruise prior to obtaining points. However Celebrity have had the use of our money for some length of time as we paid in full months ago. Upcoming cruises are too close to make any changes without a substantial cost to us.

Whilst we very much enjoy Celebrity cruises our loyalty has been tested and we shall look around for our future cruises.

Good luck to all the Elite status and above members you deserve your recognition.

However to grow a business new customers are also required particularly in an aging cruise market. Celebrity will need to make further changes down the track. So beware.

We have paid a deposit on a European cruise in Aug 14 which I am considering cancelling.

That's all from me folks.

[jonbgd]

I don't think they are done yet

 

Are Select the only one getting a Senior Officer cocktail party

And that is the night that Elites don't get a cocktail hour:confused:

[wallie5446]

As I've repeatedly stated, we cruise Celebrity for the wonderful experience. Any benefits are always welcome, and icing on the cake.

 

.

 

Ditto!

 

We too cruise Celebrity for the quality product. Now the coupon for the free pressing of 2 shirts did save my tail last week:rolleyes:

[Phxazzcruisers]

I like the whole thing. We will probably never get to Elite + (we're sitting on 450 points) but I think those that do/did make it (and Zenith) deserve a little more than what I've seen. Maybe instead of just a discount on the specialty dining, E+ should get one *free* specialty dinner per cruise, or maybe one free spa treatment. And Z more than that. There aren't a lot of tangible things to give out on a cruise so they have to work with what they can provide, and a discount means you still have to spend some of your own money, something completely free is a nicer thank-you.

 

I think the free cruise is more than generous

[NLH Arizona]

I would agree if it wasn't past the final payment date. The cruise is literally 3 weeks away and all of a sudden the goal line is moved. My booking at CC cabin was based on the belief, as advertised, that this cruise will make the two of us Select. Now it's changed and the extra cash spent for the cabin was wasted.

 

I would accept this more if Celebrity didn't recognize this problem for those who are Select and close to Elite by giving them bonus points so their next cruise will get them there, but completely ignored those who are Classic moving to Select. Especially considering we're so close to the sail date.

 

The Captains Club rep said they wanted to fix this problem for Select moving to Elite so they set up bonus points but didn't do it for Classic moving to Select. Does that seem fair?

 

PS - I'm not asking for bonus points right now or Select now. I just want to make sure I'm Select after the cruise next month just like I would have been before. I was told I would be 10 points short.

What is the difference between a cruise and airline ticket. You pay for the airline ticket in full when you book it, but don't get the points until after you fly.

[Waihekean]

Hope someone can help me figure this out for future cruises: Points are supposed to be rewarded not only on cabin choice but also length of sailing, correct? I usually book veranda and the site says that's worth 3 points....do I multiply that x 12 (for a 12 night sailing we have booked) and then would end up with 36 more points?

Thanks!

 

:rolleyes: Not necessarely :rolleyes:

Received e-mail today about the changes and my status was 60 points for 2 cruises of 11 nights each in A1 veranda cabins. So should be 66 points.

 

Also worked out that it will take me an extra cruise to become Select level as compared to the old system.

[Gran2five]

What is the difference between a cruise and airline ticket. You pay for the airline ticket in full when you book it, but don't get the points until after you fly.

 

I'm jumping in here and hope I read previous posts correctly. That's just it, the poster will not be at the next level once they complete their cruises AND they paid for Concierge class in order to achieve that level. Had they known they would have booked a regular balcony cabin.

 

We're at Elite and perfectly happy but would not have been if I had purposely spent additional cash in order to obtain a level to no avail. There were cases where Celebrity gave 'bonus' points to bring people up to Elite - they should look at situations for the Select tier as well.

[smtcan]

We reached Elite+ as a result of the Eclipse TA that we just completed. We will be happy to have additional internet minutes and capucchinos (Sp) and lattes will be appreciated. The discount on drink packages will not be enough to make us consider purchasing, and special restaurant discounts have been readily obtainable on recent cruises. I can't imagine using four bags of laundry between the two of us, even on a long cruise.

 

All this being said, I appreciate the additional benefits, and look forward to seeing how they play out in practice. We really have nothing more to work towards, because we are unlikely to have enough cruising years left to reach Zenith.

 

Sheila

[knittinggirl]

I wish they would have gone into our cruise history and converted the cruises to the point system under the new system, but grandfathered our level accordingly. We're elite, being Diamonds with Royal Caribbean. But a 11 day cruise in a Sky Suite gave us 60 points, and not 88. Would have been even more pitiful if we'd booked in a fancier suite. Still, I like the new point system. Better rooms, mean faster earnings.

 

I also wish they would have allowed the Diamond Plus to Convert to Elite Plus and Visa Versa and the Pinnacle to Zenith. The way it is now, both with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, the top two tiers must be earned on cruise history alone for that cruise line.

Edited November 26, 2013 by knittinggirl

[Paulras]

What is the difference between a cruise and airline ticket. You pay for the airline ticket in full when you book it, but don't get the points until after you fly.

 

No difference. But if that flight that you were taking in a few days that you paid for months ago would have brought you to a special frequent flyer level, wouldn't you be annoyed if the airline said "sorry, you need 5000 more miles; read the contract". And what if you paid extra money to upgrade to first class because you were told that coach wouldn't be good enough, but first class gets you to the next level?

 

I don't want the Select status today, I just want to be given the same consideration (ie. bonus points) as those between Select and Elite so that I reach the next level after the cruise that I booked 9 months ago and paid for 3 months ago with the understanding that the upgraded cabin would make me Select.

 

And by the way - most of the changes to airline frequent flyer programs that I've seen are based on the date tickets are purchase and paid for, not some random date that impacts all.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Paulras

[NLH Arizona]

I'm jumping in here and hope I read previous posts correctly. That's just it, the poster will not be at the next level once they complete their cruises AND they paid for Concierge class in order to achieve that level. Had they known they would have booked a regular balcony cabin.

 

We're at Elite and perfectly happy but would not have been if I had purposely spent additional cash in order to obtain a level to no avail. There were cases where Celebrity gave 'bonus' points to bring people up to Elite - they should look at situations for the Select tier as well.

I realize that they will not be at the next tier after their next cruise, I was simply pointing out that no loyalty program gives you points for something not yet done even if fully paid in full, so why should Celebrity.

 

If Celebrity gives those that paid in full, but have not cruised, those points...then why not give those that just have a deposit down, they are in the same situation and then what about those that would have called and said, we were going to book this yesterday but couldn't get through why can't we get those points. It would have been a nightmare for Celebrity to handle each customer one by one. The Captain's club clearly states that things could change at anytime and if someone books a cruise to get to another tier, they did it knowing that there could be changes.

 

I feel for these folks, but overall I think Celebrity has been very fair with their conversion. Not everyone is going to be happy.

[Northern Aurora]

The title of this thread asks "Did Celebrity get it right ...." While I agree that the "roll out" was poorly handled, I do think that Celebrity "got it right."

Our 39 credits under the old program translates to 1170 under the new, so we are Elite +. And I am pleased with the enhanced perks offered in Elite +. We will enjoy the additional internet time, and since we tend to do B2B cruises we always take advantage of the laundry perk.

 

I rarely read the threads speculating on changes to the Captain's Club, so had few expectations as to what to expect. But reading these current threads about the changes it seems that some posters had unrealistic expectations as to what they were going to receive in benefits.

[jaybird from SC]

Well, I think they should have given an extra point to those of us who long ago, had to pay a fee to join Captain's Club in the first place?? That should have counted for something don't you think? Aw, being Elite isn't bad at all!

[BEAV]

We certainly can't complain as the conversion process bumped us up to Elite +. The additional Internet minutes and laundry will come in handy given our next voyage with =X= is 18 nights long.

 

However as many have stated, the long journey to Zenith isn't in the cards for us as we currently sit at 810 points, we don't sail =X= exclusively and weren't both with silver spoons in our mouths! Now if Zenith were somewhat reasonably attainable, then maybe we'd concentrate a little more exclusively on the =X= brand. But for now, we'll keep cruising a variety of lines and plan to continue enjoying Celebrity.

[NLH Arizona]

No difference. But if that flight that you were taking in a few days that you paid for months ago would have brought you to a special frequent flyer level, wouldn't you be annoyed if the airline said "sorry, you need 5000 more miles; read the contract". And what if you paid extra money to upgrade to first class because you were told that coach wouldn't be good enough, but first class gets you to the next level?

 

I don't want the Select status today, I just want to be given the same consideration (ie. bonus points) as those between Select and Elite so that I reach the next level after the cruise that I booked 9 months ago and paid for 3 months ago with the understanding that the upgraded cabin would make me Select.

 

And by the way - most of the changes to airline frequent flyer programs that I've seen are based on the date tickets are purchase and paid for, not some random date that impacts all.

Would I be annoyed, of course. Would it be the end of the world, no. I would just cruise as I always do for the fun of it, not for any points or perks.

 

What I don't understand is that the Captain's club clearly said that there could be changes at anytime, so since there had been chatter about changes for months and months, wouldn't someone think that they might be affected by any changes.

 

Celebrity is not going to make everyone happy, but I would think that the majority of their customers are fine with the way they converted points and the new program.

 

I do feel for you, but I also understand why Celebrity made the decisions they did.

[Cruising89143]

We certainly can't complain as the conversion process bumped us up to Elite +. The additional Internet minutes and laundry will come in handy given our next voyage with =X= is 18 nights long.

 

However as many have stated, the long journey to Zenith isn't in the cards for us as we currently sit at 810 points, we don't sail =X= exclusively and weren't both with silver spoons in our mouths! Now if Zenith were somewhat reasonably attainable, then maybe we'd concentrate a little more exclusively on the =X= brand. But for now, we'll keep cruising a variety of lines and plan to continue enjoying Celebrity.

 

I think X is counting on there being a low number for the Zenith level. The number of Pinnacles on RCI is low also. It's a big step from D+ to Pinnacle.

[NLH Arizona]

Well, I think they should have given an extra point to those of us who long ago, had to pay a fee to join Captain's Club in the first place?? That should have counted for something don't you think? Aw, being Elite isn't bad at all!

If they gave you extra bonus points, should everyone have to return the OBC they gave to customers to make up for what they had to pay when they went to the "free" program.

[Duke95]

When RCI made their changes a couple years back, I was one of the chosen few who was stuck at 7 cruise credits and got hammered by the changes. At the time, I had 2 cruises booked: one a cruise on the Allure in a Suite and the other a 3 day puddle jumper for the sole purpose of getting me to diamond. After the changes, I would still be a full 14 days at sea short of diamond.

 

I called and had a very nice chat with a young lady who listened to me discuss the issue (read: "complain") in a very calm manor for about 45 minutes. I told her I simply did not understand why people who were at 7 cruises paid such a high price versus people who had 8 or 9 and wondered about the arbitrary cutoff. She first asked if I was an attorney (I am) then said there was not much she could do but did ask for my email address.

 

When we completed the second cruise, she sent me a very nice email with the surprise that I had been upgraded to diamond and reiterated how much they appreciated my business.

 

Big feather in their cap.

 

Might not be a bad idea for some of you who are in the same boat to call and give it a go...

[SHill64]

We are very happy with the new program. Anything they are willing to give their frequent cruisers for free because they are frequent cruisers are great with us. We do not cruise on Celebrity for the points, we cruise on Celebrity because we really enjoy the experience. We have never been disappointed.

 

Perfectly stated! As of now, we're half way to Zenith. If we never make it to Zenith, we're happy. Yes, maybe the gap between Elite Plus and Zenith is a bit large, but maybe Celebrity will recognize that and adjust it in the future. Being a Founder Elite Plus, I agree with Andy. Celebrity should reward us for that. Michael Bailey! Are you listening?? :p

[celebritydave]

Perfectly stated! As of now, we're half way to Zenith. If we never make it to Zenith, we're happy. Yes, maybe the gap between Elite Plus and Zenith is a bit large, but maybe Celebrity will recognize that and adjust it in the future. Being a Founder Elite Plus, I agree with Andy. Celebrity should reward us for that. Michael Bailey! Are you listening?? :p

 

I agree with you Shaun about being a Founders member. We joined in 92, but we don't cruise that often, so we are still a 150 points short of Elite+.:(.

 

But, we still love Celebrity and we will continue to cruise with them.

Dave

[Paulras]

Would I be annoyed, of course. Would it be the end of the world, no. I would just cruise as I always do for the fun of it, not for any points or perks.

 

What I don't understand is that the Captain's club clearly said that there could be changes at anytime, so since there had been chatter about changes for months and months, wouldn't someone think that they might be affected by any changes.

 

Celebrity is not going to make everyone happy, but I would think that the majority of their customers are fine with the way they converted points and the new program.

 

I do feel for you, but I also understand why Celebrity made the decisions they did.

 

I cruise because I like it. I cruise Celebrity because I think they are the best of the mainstream lines. I paid extra money thinking that there was an implied promise, even though I had full knowledge that Celebrity had their fingers crossed behind their back just in case. The potential changes have actually been talked about here for like 2 years so thinking it would happen 3 weeks before my trip and that I would lose out on something I was expecting would be silly. But it's happened and I think it should have been rolled out a little better. Certainly don't give bonus points to some in this situation but not others. That's the salt on the wound.

 

The majority on here are happy because they are Elite and have either now become Elite+ or have something to aspire to without losing anything. I'd love to see the riots if the change was no more Elite cocktail party, only Elite+ gets it. I'm sure "read the contract" wouldn't suffice for that one. Better watch out, it might happen a week before your next cruise!

[cruzsnooze]

I must march to the beat of a different drummer because i don't care about all these tiers. I cruise because i like it. I look to see which cruise has the itinerary, price, departure port and make a decision on those factors. The cruise line must know something about the the masses of people who value status over substance. I enjoy any perks they give me which are quite numerous because i cruise enough . I never consider the tier level or points when i choose a cruise or the cabin.

[warmwinds]

They get a FREE CRUISE??? How did I miss that?

 

I hate them, lol.