Did Celebrity get it right - Captain's Club

[The_Big_M]

Yes sir, over two times more loyal.

 

Hmm.

[bubblesqueaker]

Absolutely raging! We booked and paid about £1000 to allow us to move up to Select Tier. Have said to them this morning that if it isn't resolved then we are cancelling and going elsewhere.

[Cindy]

Is it? Are you more loyal because you booked a 9 night cruise, than because you booked a 4 night cruise? :confused:

 

Perhaps not loyal, but you've spent more money and that is what Celebrity is rewarding you for.:)

[RickT]

 

One of the biggest new perks is the upgrade within superlevels which means you can now upgrade to a C1 paying only for a C2 or A1 paying for A2.

 

I just reached Elite status late this summer and am happy that I remained Elite under the new program. The one category upgrade that now applies to Balcony and above is probably the only change for me (and one I appreciate). No idea how this will impact availability and pricing and not sure exactly how it will work when booking on line however.

 

All in all I'm OK. I know there are a lot of people who are unhappy and that's unfortunate but I'm guessing it would be tough to roll out these changes, keep everyone whole, and still offer extra perks for those who are their most valuable cruisers.

[Kellyblue]

Why would Celebrity give you old points for cruises you haven't taken yet. It is just like any rewards/loyalty program, you have to complete the cruise, flight, purchase, etc., before you are granted the points.

 

I think you miss the point some people are making. We booked two cruises some months ago and they would have seen us moved to Elite. Now, under the new system, we'll need at least 12 more cruising days in a balcony cabin to get there. I don't object to Celebrity changing the system. I object that the new system applies to existing bookings and not just new bookings. Its like changing the terms of a contract for which agreement was made and (in the UK) a non-refundable deposit of £300 per cruise paid. We will lose out and cannot do anything about it without forfeiting our deposit.

 

I've seen many people claim that loyalty programs do not matter and they book according to price and destination. So do we. Moving to Elite provides a pre-dinner glass of wine in the lounge. On a twelve day cruise that amounts to over $200. Not to be sneezed at.

[bubblesqueaker]

I think you miss the point some people are making. We booked two cruises some months ago and they would have seen us moved to Elite. Now, under the new system, we'll need at least 12 more cruising days in a balcony cabin to get there. I don't object to Celebrity changing the system. I object that the new system applies to existing bookings and not just new bookings. Its like changing the terms of a contract for which agreement was made and (in the UK) a non-refundable deposit of £300 per cruise paid. We will lose out and cannot do anything about it without forfeiting our deposit.

 

I've seen many people claim that loyalty programs do not matter and they book according to price and destination. So do we. Moving to Elite provides a pre-dinner glass of wine in the lounge. On a twelve day cruise that amounts to over $200. Not to be sneezed at.

 

I totally agree. We booked a Concierge cabin which was nearly £1000 dearer than the standard balcony cabin for the very reason of moving up to select. We were explicit that this was the reason when we booked and made a point of asking and being reassured that we would also move up to select. I get that they are entitled to introduce new benefits BUT I booked 6 months ago and this was a discussed inclusion in my booking. Am waiting on celebrity getting back to me but if it's not resolved on an existing booking, I will be cancelling.

[wallie5446]

Absolutely raging! We booked and paid about £1000 to allow us to move up to Select Tier. Have said to them this morning that if it isn't resolved then we are cancelling and going elsewhere.

 

So you will start over with a diff line offering a lesser quality product?

[bubblesqueaker]

No, we debated between the cabins and paid a substantial amount extra for the concierge to give us the extra tier point- the sole reason of moving up. For 2k cheaper we could have flew Upper class to Mexico with Virgin Atlantic, to stay in a fantastic top of the range 5* hotel. Instead we stayed loyal to Celebrity, sorry we bothered. Fine for new cruises but when you book believing you are getting something and they change the goal posts - why should I remain loyal? I have cruised on other lines before too.

[Toronto Guy]

Who would pay an extra 2000 pounds or dollars to move up to Select???? I must have missed something on that per list!!

[Toronto Guy]

Perk list not per

[biggerbearmom]

Just off the Reflection today for a cruise that we booked in January. The day we left was the day the change was put into place. The completion of this cruise would have put us at Elite status. Yes I am bummed...but oh well. For me life is too short and I pick my battles. I sail on Celebrity because I like the product and the perks are just gravy.

 

 

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[wallie5446]

Just off the Reflection today for a cruise that we booked in January. The day we left was the day the change was put into place. The completion of this cruise would have put us at Elite status. Yes I am bummed...but oh well. For me life is too short and I pick my battles. I sail on Celebrity because I like the product and the perks are just gravy.

 

 

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Then it still should. Have you had the chance to check on the Captains Club point total area yet? When we got off Reflection last Sat, as you were getting on :D we were at 9 points. One more sailing and batta bing, batta boom, we hit Elite. After the conversion and bonus:) points, we are now sitting with 286 and need one 7 night (x2=14) to reach 300 and make it.

[bubblesqueaker]

Who would pay an extra 2000 pounds or dollars to move up to Select???? I must have missed something on that per list!!

 

Read what I wrote again. The captains club formed a big part of our decision to book a choice of two holidays. Clearly you are missing the point I am trying to make. This was part of what was 'sold to us' on board the Eclipse when we booked.

[biggerbearmom]

My calculation is that 8 credits equal 240 plus 35 for the sailing we just came off of making us 25 points shy of 300.

 

 

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[popoopski]

We just returned from sailing on the 14 night Eclipse. While on the cruise, we learned about the new points system. I do appreciate the amenities that we were given as Elite.

We have been with Captains Club since the beginning in 1991 (when there was a fee to join). At the "old" standards we sailed on 37 actual cruises. With this new system we are Elite+. It does, however, seem that RCCL is building a "class system" as the higher priced categories that you book, the more points you earn. This is not actually cruises taken or does it mean that these passengers necessarily have loyalty to Celebrity. A person booked in a Penthouse on a 14 night cruise gets 252 points while a person in a balcony room gets only 42 points. There are many amentities that the higher priced categories get in addition to Captains Club benefits. In essence if a person books a Penthouse for one 14 night cruise, they receive more points than if a person sailed in a balcony room on 5 - 14 night cruises. Hence the loyal person who repeated sailing with Celebrity is not given as many points as the person who only sailed 1 time. For some reason this does not make sense to us. We agree with some other Capt Club (now Elite+) members that the gap between Elite+ and Zenith should not be so high.

[Cruising89143]

We just returned from sailing on the 14 night Eclipse. While on the cruise, we learned about the new points system. I do appreciate the amenities that we were given as Elite.

We have been with Captains Club since the beginning in 1991 (when there was a fee to join). At the "old" standards we sailed on 37 actual cruises. With this new system we are Elite+. It does, however, seem that RCCL is building a "class system" as the higher priced categories that you book, the more points you earn. This is not actually cruises taken or does it mean that these passengers necessarily have loyalty to Celebrity. A person booked in a Penthouse on a 14 night cruise gets 252 points while a person in a balcony room gets only 42 points. There are many amentities that the higher priced categories get in addition to Captains Club benefits. In essence if a person books a Penthouse for one 14 night cruise, they receive more points than if a person sailed in a balcony room on 5 - 14 night cruises. Hence the loyal person who repeated sailing with Celebrity is not given as many points as the person who only sailed 1 time. For some reason this does not make sense to us. We agree with some other Capt Club (now Elite+) members that the gap between Elite+ and Zenith should not be so high.

 

And how do you know that the people booked in that Penthouse or any suite for that matter are not past Celebrity customers? Answer is you don't. IMHO people that book higher accommodations deserve to reap the benefits as they are paying for them. I guess Celebrity agrees with me.

Edited November 30, 2013 by cruisingator2

[chamima]

My calculation is that 8 credits equal 240 plus 35 for the sailing we just came off of making us 25 points shy of 300.

 

 

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Celebrity gave everyone with 8 credits 25 bonus points.

Check your "My Celebrity". I have a feeling you might get a nice surprise.

[jagoffee]

Absolutely raging! We booked and paid about £1000 to allow us to move up to Select Tier. Have said to them this morning that if it isn't resolved then we are cancelling and going elsewhere.

 

I can certainly understand that when you booked you thought that you would be Select after the cruise. At the same time I am amazed that anyone would book a cruise just to be Select. The Select benefits are nice, but IMO they are certainly not worth that kind of money. Perhaps you are just dealing with the disappointment emotionally. It will cost you a lot more to get the same kind of level on another cruise line, but obviously you always have the option to cancel.

I serious doubt that Celebrity will change their policy for you. I know that you have not cruised much on Celebrity. but we really enjoy the Celebrity product.

I am really sorry that you are disappointed and I wish you luck. We also enjoy Princess, but it will cost you a lot more to get to their Platium level.

[grandpaiscruising]

We did our first Celebrity cruise in 95 when you had to pay to join the club. Being 71 and retired I cannot afford a suite and will stick with Princess if they take away any of my benefits. I would have to do an extra two weeks over the old system to get to elite + and do not think it is worth it. I have watched a steady decline the dining room over the last couple years, which was the reason I sailed on this line in the first place. I have 3 future cruise letters in the bank and will monitor this web site to gauge how people are treated under the new system before I book my next Celebrity cruise.:mad:

 

Royal Princess, 10/18/14 Canada/NE, HAL 56 days, RCCL 104 days, NCL 28 days, Princess 214 days, Royal 14 days, Cunard 49 days, Celebrity 19 cruises.

[km47]

I had a Celebrity cruise booked and paid for in September 2013 that would put us in the Elite level of the Captain's Club which we had been working toward over the past year. November 28th we received notice that they changed the point value for Captain's Club. Due to the change we will not make the Elite status after this cruise and are several points short. We originally booked this Caribbean cruise to get to the Elite level with plans on booking an Asian cruise in the spring to enjoy the benefits of the Elite status on this 17 day cruise. We called a customer service agent at Celebrity and although they were sympathetic to our circumstance they said there is nothing they can do. This change penalizes loyal Celebrity cruise passengers. They could have handled this differently, but choose not to be fair. We are not happy!

[gimletgal]

We just returned from sailing on the 14 night Eclipse. While on the cruise, we learned about the new points system. I do appreciate the amenities that we were given as Elite.

We have been with Captains Club since the beginning in 1991 (when there was a fee to join). At the "old" standards we sailed on 37 actual cruises. With this new system we are Elite+. It does, however, seem that RCCL is building a "class system" as the higher priced categories that you book, the more points you earn. This is not actually cruises taken or does it mean that these passengers necessarily have loyalty to Celebrity. A person booked in a Penthouse on a 14 night cruise gets 252 points while a person in a balcony room gets only 42 points. There are many amentities that the higher priced categories get in addition to Captains Club benefits. In essence if a person books a Penthouse for one 14 night cruise, they receive more points than if a person sailed in a balcony room on 5 - 14 night cruises. Hence the loyal person who repeated sailing with Celebrity is not given as many points as the person who only sailed 1 time. For some reason this does not make sense to us. We agree with some other Capt Club (now Elite+) members that the gap between Elite+ and Zenith should not be so high.

 

I think I would rather take 6 - 14 night cruises in a veranda and get 252 points, than only 1 - 14 night cruise in the Penthouse for the 252 points.

Would probably spend about the same $$ for either option, but you sure would have a lot more fun taking 6 cruises rather than just 1. :D

[NLH Arizona]

I had a Celebrity cruise booked and paid for in September 2013 that would put us in the Elite level of the Captain's Club which we had been working toward over the past year. November 28th we received notice that they changed the point value for Captain's Club. Due to the change we will not make the Elite status after this cruise and are several points short. We originally booked this Caribbean cruise to get to the Elite level with plans on booking an Asian cruise in the spring to enjoy the benefits of the Elite status on this 17 day cruise. We called a customer service agent at Celebrity and although they were sympathetic to our circumstance they said there is nothing they can do. This change penalizes loyal Celebrity cruise passengers. They could have handled this differently, but choose not to be fair. We are not happy!

Did you look at your account. You should have had 270 points (30 x 9) + 16 bonus points, to equal 286, just one 7 day cruise away from 300 (Elite). All this is based on you saying you had one cruise booked which would get you to Elite.

[PoppyandNana]

No, we debated between the cabins and paid a substantial amount extra for the concierge to give us the extra tier point- the sole reason of moving up. For 2k cheaper we could have flew Upper class to Mexico with Virgin Atlantic, to stay in a fantastic top of the range 5* hotel. Instead we stayed loyal to Celebrity, sorry we bothered. Fine for new cruises but when you book believing you are getting something and they change the goal posts - why should I remain loyal? I have cruised on other lines before too.

 

You're kidding right?

[Ma Bell]

No, we debated between the cabins and paid a substantial amount extra for the concierge to give us the extra tier point- the sole reason of moving up. For 2k cheaper we could have flew Upper class to Mexico with Virgin Atlantic, to stay in a fantastic top of the range 5* hotel. Instead we stayed loyal to Celebrity, sorry we bothered. Fine for new cruises but when you book believing you are getting something and they change the goal posts - why should I remain loyal? I have cruised on other lines before too.

 

In order to remain loyal, you have to be loyal first. According to your own posts you have been on two cruises. The idea that someone would pay 1000 pounds more to become Select is mind boggling. Hopefully you booked the cruise because you enjoyed your first two cruises, but paying that much more to become Select doesn't seem reasonable.

[Cruising89143]

I think I would rather take 6 - 14 night cruises in a veranda and get 252 points, than only 1 - 14 night cruise in the Penthouse for the 252 points.

Would probably spend about the same $$ for either option, but you sure would have a lot more fun taking 6 cruises rather than just 1. :D

 

Who says those booking the Penthouse don't have the resources to take as many cruises as they want? Usually those paying out that kind of money are not worried about the price. ;)