Celebrity Cruises Alters Loyalty Program

[omeinv]

"It is important to note that no current members will lose any of the benefits they have come to expect and enjoy."

 

Above quote from the release on the plan change is not true! My wife and I are Select with 8 legacy points. Just completed 15 night Transatlantic on Reflection Nov. 16. We are booked on, and have paid in full, for Panama Canal January 5, 2014 which would have given us 10 points and Elite status. We booked this cruise, and our recently completed transatlantic, while on board Reflection 2013 Spring Transatlantic for the specific purpose of achieving Elite. This was a selling point used by the on board rep. Learned today that, after the Panama Canal cruise, with the new plan we will "convert" to 270 points, 30 below the new 300 point Elite threshold. Ironically, "since we were so close" we were given 25 bonus points which now holds us only 5 points below the requirement. After 68 minutes on hold, Captains Club declined to extend Elite even though we have already paid for the qualifying cruise based on prior terms. They also refuse to refund and cancel the Panama Canal cruise. I am very unhappy with this response. They should honor the terms in place when payment is made and non-refundable. Additionally, if they are going to extend bonus conversion points, why not equalize to the old plan?

 

Celebrity is exactly right.

 

Under the old system you would have become an Elite member AFTER your January cruise. Since they went out of their way to take care of you, by giving you bonus points, you will now be an Elite member AFTER your next cruise. Their attention to your situation means you are exactly where you were. Neither better nor worse.

 

You're request was to be moved up to Elite membership BEFORE you would have under the old plan, yet you're claiming Celebrity is somehow wronging you.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[BDHender]

Celebrity has just become very much less relevant for me and I believe most other people. I would have qualified for Elite by October 2014. I have what would have been a 3 point trip already booked with deposit in October 2014. We travel Aqua Class. That would have given me 10 points and Elite status in 2014. Those trips will not now take me to 300 points and Elite status. Elite benefits now are greatly reduced. I am Select with less benefits and less opportunity. I cannot in my lifetime reach the top level now. They have slowed the rise to the highest level so much that I could care less about the Captain’s Club. I was doing Celebrity mostly to reach Elite with the Michaels Club and internet being the primary objectives. This will send me to other lines for many of my trips in the future based more on ships and ports and very much less on it being a Celebrity trip.

 

Some one suggested that loyalty programs largely rely on dollars spent. Seems to me the Airlines and most cruise lines don't agree.

 

Bryan

[Jade13]

We just got off of a 16 night Azamara cruise which started on November 9 and ended on Nov 25 (We actuality disembarked on November 24). With the old system we would have 2 points for a Veranda and a cruise over 12 nights. The cruise started prior to the new point system.

 

The conversion rate should be 60 points (2 x 30) based on their system. However both Elaine and her supervisor, Mike (who both refused to give last names), says everyone is being converted based on when the points come through the system (7-10 days), not based on the sailing dates (ours was before the change), so we will only receive 48 points (not 60) even though our cruise started over 2 weeks prior to the conversion. I think that is bogus.

 

If anyone else is in the same situation please post and email the Captains Club at captainsclub@celebritycruises.com

 

I started a new thread because I think this will affect a lot of people and want those people to write the Captains Club.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Jade13

[blizzak]

You misunderstood. I deserve to be Elite after the Panama Canal cruise. They say I will have 295 points after the Panama Canal cruise and will not qualify until I earn 5 more points on a yet to be purchased cruise. I do not expect to be Elite on the PC cruise but do expect to reach Elite upon completing it as I was told when I booked it and paid for it!

[Jade13]

We had 20 cruise points before the new system went into play, so multiplied by 30, we now have 600 points. We have a 14 night cruise in an aqua class cabin beginning next week.......less than a week from the "cutoff change date". Under the old system, we would have received 3 points for this upcoming cruise, which if they had extended this through mid December, we would have had 23 X 30(690) after this cruise. However, now we will get 70 points (5 X 14) for the cruise and be 670 after it. We have been elite a long time, and like others, will never get to Zenith level. We are Diamond + on Royal Caribbean, and if we decide to cruise more on Celebrity, we may get to Elite plus, eventually. I do think there should have been some advance notice of the changes and extended to after final payment cruises already booked, but Celebrity makes the rules and we'll play by them......nothing else we can do. I also have read they gave up to 50 extra points to some who were up to 50 points away from their next level. If they give extra points to some, it only seems fair to give extra points to all. Guess they don't care about fair......

 

Our Azamara cruise ended on Monday (we actually disembarked on Sunday). The cruise started on November 9. We were in a Veranda and should have 2 points x 30 = 60 points. However, Elaine and Mike at Captains Club say the conversion is based on when they receive the information, not actually dates sailed (what?), so we will only receive 48 points, not 60. Makes no sense.

 

I don't know about giving extra points to some, we just want these converted based on our sailing dates before the conversion.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Jade13

[Jade13]

Cruise leaves in 11 days. I booked concierge to get the extra point for Elite, but now I get 35 points instead of 60 since the cutoff is 11/25.

I wasted money on this cabin category thinking I would be Elite.

Called Celebrity and they confirmed - too bad for you.

I'm a happy customer:mad:

 

Was on a cruise that ended on Nov 25 and they are refusing to use the points x 30 (conversion rate) even though our cruise was before the change.

[omeinv]

You misunderstood. I deserve to be Elite after the Panama Canal cruise. They say I will have 295 points after the Panama Canal cruise and will not qualify until I earn 5 more points on a yet to be purchased cruise. I do not expect to be Elite on the PC cruise but do expect to reach Elite upon completing it as I was told when I booked it and paid for it!

 

OK, so after your TA, you had 8 "old" points, and that converted to 240? Now I do see where you'll end up. 240 + 25 Bonus Points = 265 + 30 (inside or OV room on 15 night Panama Canal) = 295 points. That is frustrating.

 

It's not much consolation, but I suspect that, even if you don't have success with your efforts pre-cruise, there will be opportunities to gain those 5 points through other avenues yet to be announced, related to on-board spending.

 

Most of the people I've seen posting about feeling slighted don't seem to have a very valid complaint. I would say your situation definitely seems to have fallen through the cracks.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[jagoffee]

You misunderstood. I deserve to be Elite after the Panama Canal cruise. They say I will have 295 points after the Panama Canal cruise and will not qualify until I earn 5 more points on a yet to be purchased cruise. I do not expect to be Elite on the PC cruise but do expect to reach Elite upon completing it as I was told when I booked it and paid for it!

 

Perhaps you can upgrade one of your cruise?

Edited November 26, 2013 by jagoffee

[blizzak]

My earlier post stated that my 8 legacy points were converted to 270 points. They were actually converted to 240 and I was given 25 bonus points totaling 265. Sorry for the confusion that my error caused. With the 30 for the upcoming cruise I will fall 5 short of reaching the new 300 threshold. The old program would have added 2 to my 8 and qualified me with 10. clearly unfair as I had already paid the upcoming cruise in full and it is non refundable at this point.

[dkjretired]

I noticed that they have removed the one cat upgrade from the Elite benefits list.

 

It is still there, they put in in the area for Classic members and then under select and elite they said you get most of the benefits of Classic. It should be pointed out that this benefit has actually been made better, they now include upgrades up to Aqua.

[Gabegal1]

My earlier post stated that my 8 legacy points were converted to 270 points. They were actually converted to 240 and I was given 25 bonus points totaling 265. Sorry for the confusion that my error caused. With the 30 for the upcoming cruise I will fall 5 short of reaching the new 300 threshold. The old program would have added 2 to my 8 and qualified me with 10. clearly unfair as I had already paid the upcoming cruise in full and it is non refundable at this point.

 

Sounds like you are losing out in this instance. You "earned" 240 based on your 8 prior points and they gave you 25 bonus points to 265. Why they did that I'm not sure since it doesn't help much! If you are "only" doing Oceanview or lesser class of stateroom on the 15 day Panama Canal trip them you'll only get 30 points and be at 295, as you say. I know you've booked and fully paid but might it be worthwhile going back to your agent to see what it would cost to upgrade you to a veranda? Then that cruise would be worth 45 points and put you back into where you would have been under the old system - Elite on the following cruise.

I know that means more money but it's worth a shot......last minute deals DO come up!!

If you can't do this then my suggestion would be to WRITE to the Chairman of the line and show that their statement that no one will lose out under their new scheme is BS! If they gave you 30 bonus points instead of that arbitrary 25, all would be well. I hear some have got up to 50!! Why?!!