Is it time to REVAMP the Captain's Circle?

[ACoupleAtSea]

Princess could add another level with the addition of a small perk like including a coffee card or something similiar.

 

On another note, are these benefits enough to make one keep cruising with only Princess? My guess would be its a matter of personal opinion.

[paul929207]

I still feel that Princess should reward per number of days sailed not number of trips. We have people on the west coast who have taken 3 - 5 day trips and got to Elite quickly. We fly to cruise, so when we do, we try and take 10 days cruises. For cruisers like us to get to Elite takes a while, especially if you don't cruise more than once a year.

This is a frequent subject on these boards. I suspect Princess will continue to count days and cruises as long as they feel that helps fill the short cruises.

[chamima]

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It does, I agree. But don't I get some kind of free internet being elite on celebrity? Princess used to have the best perks but other lines have surpassed them IMO.

 

Here's what I would have gotten after 10 cruises with Celebrity...

Elite Member Benefits*

(300-749 earned Club Points**)

Many of the benefits of Select membership plus:

• Access to the Captain's Club Lounge for daily coffee house style breakfast - Main dining room is open for a full breakfast.

• Evening Cocktail hour (excludes embarkation and evening of Senior Officers' Party) - Cocktails and appetizers are served nightly

• Complimentary 90-minute Internet package (can be applied towards most larger Internet packages) - We got 250 free minutes

• Complimentary access to Persian Garden (on one port day of your choice while ship is in port) _ OK you got me there, but the ship is pretty empty anyhow, and we don't need the Sanctuary. Persian Gardens is indoors and nothing like the Sanctuary.

• Complimentary dry cleaning of one garment item - would be nice to have, but we can afford it. Elite on Princess gets ALL laundry and dry cleaning free.

• One complimentary bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) on every sailing*** - We had three bags of complimentary laundry during the cruise (approx. $90 value)

• A private shipboard departure lounge, serving continental breakfast - yep, had that too.

• Elegant tea invitation - High Tea is served to our stateroom on request. More food than we could eat. Princess serves High Tea every day for every passenger!

• Diamond Level enrollment in Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society‡

 

 

I have highlighted what I received on Princess during my last two cruises as an Elite passenger.

 

PLUS - free minibar setup, and canapés (chocolate covered strawberries are our choice) on Formal Nights. Shoe shine too, but my shoes didn't need it.

 

 

I highlighted my remarks in red.

First of all it's no longer necessarily 10 cruises on Celebrity.

It's 300 Club points.

Points are awarded by days cruised multiplied by cabin type.

Inside and OV are 2 points

Balcony 3 points

Concierge and Aqua 5 points

Sky suite 8 points

(Bigger suites get more but I don't remember)

 

 

 

So if you are the type of cruiser who does a lot of 5 day cruises in an inside, that's 10 points (5 x 2 ) per cruise. It would take you 30 cruises to get to Elite!

 

 

 

We are Elite on Princess and will be Elite on Celebrity after our next cruise.

IMHO nobody beats the Princess Elite benefits.

And Celebrity doesn't allow you to combine ANYTHING - stock, FCC, Military - nothing.

Princess also gives you a "gift" on each cruise after 21 -$25 for 21 -31 cruises, $50 for 31 - 41, etc.

There are things we like better on each line and book, like most people, for itinerary and price.!

Edited November 26, 2013 by chamima

[gooch47]

All I can say is be careful what you wish for. New and improved often isn't.

[Happy2cruise]

Pam is correct IMHO. Princess Elite perks are the best of any mass market line......:):):)

 

Bob

 

Absolutely agree:):)

[geoherb]

I checked out Celebrity's new perks system. We have just three cruises on Celebrity, so we're at 90 points under their new system. Our last one was five years ago. Since that cruise, we've taken three on HAL, six on Princess, and one on Carnival. I'll probably continue to check out Celebrity's cruises before making a decision, but we're drawn more to what Princess and HAL offer. They've had cruises that have fit our schedule and budget during the past five years.

 

Celebrity's new system will make it take a lot for us to get to the next level. We're fortunate that the conversion was so generous for our three cruises. I figure it will take five more cruises until we hit "Select" and 15 more cruises until we hit "Elite" on Celebrity.

[Ethel5]

All I can say is be careful what you wish for. New and improved often isn't.

 

I agree! Remember the "New Coke!"

[timetravler]

This is a frequent subject on these boards. I suspect Princess will continue to count days and cruises as long as they feel that helps fill the short cruises.

I have heard of people getting elite after only 60 days at sea. They do this by booking many short cruises. So I agree that Princess needs to count days, not cruises to stop this abuse.

[caber]

The main Elite perk that keeps us coming back to Princess is the free laundry. I would be gutted if we lost that.

[Ethel5]

The main Elite perk that keeps us coming back to Princess is the free laundry. I would be gutted if we lost that.

 

That to me, would make Princess the same as all the rest.

[waltd]

I have heard of people getting elite after only 60 days at sea. They do this by booking many short cruises. So I agree that Princess needs to count days, not cruises to stop this abuse.

 

How can you call this abuse when Princess allows it? Their ships their rules.

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

As some will already know Princess and P&O used to be joined together until around 2002 (I think) and the benefits were the same, as an additional benefit, If you sailed Princess it counted with P&O and vice versa a, then a little over 2 years ago P&O changed their system. Moved to days sailed only and a points system, not cruises.

For each night you spend on board a P&O Cruises ship, are awarded 10 loyalty points applied at the end of your cruise. Once you have earned a minimum of 150 points you will automatically become a member of the P&O Cruises Peninsular Club.

There are now 6 levels

Pacific

150 - 500 points

Atlantic

501 - 1000 points

Mediterranean

1001 - 2000 points

Caribbean

2001 + points

 

The Baltic and Ligurian Tiers

In addition to the first four tiers there are two further levels exclusively for passengers who have accumulated 2501 points or more and have cruised frequently in the 3 years preceding the start of their next cruise.

Baltic

2501 points plus 80-200 nights spent on board in the 3 years preceding the start of your next cruise

Ligurian

2501 points plus 201 or more nights spent on board in the 3 years preceding the start of your next cruise

With P&O the top level benefits include in addition to the standard

Exclusive Senior Officer hosted event on cruises of 8 nights and over

Complimentary half bottle of Champagne on one formal night (per cabin)

Priority booking for select dining venues taken in the embarkation lounge pre boarding

P&O Cruises slippers with bag to take home

A complimentary glass of Champagne at a Sailaway

Luggage collected on day of disembarkation by 6.30am

Priority baggage to cabin

Separate disembarkation baggage collection area

An annual gift from P&O Cruises

There are others but :rolleyes:

When I saw the new level introduced by Princess, I thought watch this space here we go.

I believe Princess will do something similar, in the not too distant future, maybe add a days cruised level with additional benefits, which may include - Breakfast in Sabatini, Luggage collection from your stateroom at 06:30, champagne as per the mini suites, etc. Interestingly to retain the top level you must cruise regularly, we have now lost our top level with P&O as Princess is our line of choice . Like others the free laundry is the benefit I'd be sad to see disappear.

We have achieved our Elite status with Princess so if they removed our P&O or Sitmar points we will still be elite :cool: thankfully

Edited November 26, 2013 by cantwaitfornextcruise

[ACoupleAtSea]

Even though we have just obtained the Platinum level and will get to test out the new perks in Jan. I think we will jump back and fourth between Celebrity and Princess regardless of loyalty benefits.

[Cruise Junky]

I highlighted my remarks in red.

First of all it's no longer necessarily 10 cruises on Celebrity.

It's 300 Club points.

Points are awarded by days cruised multiplied by cabin type.

Inside and OV are 2 points

Balcony 3 points

Concierge and Aqua 5 points

Sky suite 8 points

(Bigger suites get more but I don't remember)

 

 

 

So if you are the type of cruiser who does a lot of 5 day cruises in an inside, that's 10 points (5 x 2 ) per cruise. It would take you 30 cruises to get to Elite!

 

 

 

We are Elite on Princess and will be Elite on Celebrity after our next cruise.

IMHO nobody beats the Princess Elite benefits.

And Celebrity doesn't allow you to combine ANYTHING - stock, FCC, Military - nothing.

Princess also gives you a "gift" on each cruise after 21 -$25 for 21 -31 cruises, $50 for 31 - 41, etc.

There are things we like better on each line and book, like most people, for itinerary and price.!

 

 

If you'd have actually read the post that you responded to you would have seen that I stated... This is what I would have gotten on Celebrity after 10 Cruises and compared it with what I get on Princess after 10 cruises. I didn't compare Elite Benefits nor discuss how you would get there under the new system.

 

And as to your last comment on combining perks, they are starting to make some changes there. A couple of the last promos stated that you could combine with one other perk.

[Cruise Junky]

Celebrity's new system will make it take a lot for us to get to the next level. We're fortunate that the conversion was so generous for our three cruises. I figure it will take five more cruises until we hit "Select" and 15 more cruises until we hit "Elite" on Celebrity.

 

I take it you only cruise in insides or ocean view cabins on 7 day cruises? It's not that hard to hit Elite on Celebrity if you're in a balcony or sail Concierge which is sometimes not much more than a balcony. 5 points a night for concierge or aqua cabins.

[waltd]

Back to the original question. If revamping the Captains Circle means higher pricing then I am happy with what they are offering now. Nothing is free.

[jagoffee]

Hi Pam:

I wonder if that is really a fair comparison. Celebrity Elite is really comparable to Princess Platinum, in terms of requirements. Princess Elite is, I believe, the equivalent of the new Celebity Elite Plus. It seems that Celebrity Elite and Princess Platinum have very similar benefits

 

Ira

 

I think you are correct about the first part, but the benefits of Celebrity Elite and Princess Platinum are not similar IMO. I think the new Elite+and the Princess Elite are close. I do wonder if the unlimited laundry for Elite will last given the potential for abuse.

[Times Prince]

And I wasn't talking about Elite..l was comparing the 10 cruise level on both which other than internet, I get squat on Princess. The above list was what you get after 10 cruises on celebrity, what you pointed out was on the 16th on Princess...big difference. So while I agree they used to have the best Loyalty program, they are now being left in the dust. And let me be clear, I don't cruise for loyalty points, but am just pointing out that Princess do not lead the pack anymore.

So, if I read you correctly you are looking for more benefits for less loyalty.

 

That's not how business works.

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

Nothing ever remains the same changes will come at some point I refer back to my post reguards P&O changes who are more closely a lined with Princess than Celebrity.

 

Taking into account the recent senior management changes and company reshuffle which happened a few weeks back I would predict a change by Jan 2015. With 1200 elite on the Royal T/A and va growing number of elite on every cruse Carnival will be looking at the bottom line

IMHO

 

Sent from my GT-I8190N using Forums mobile app

[ACoupleAtSea]

There are no doubt a good number of Elites out there. So why not throw out some new incentives. Add another level to the Captains Circle.

 

Realistically, there are not too many people out there who will reach the Zenith level on Celebrity. However, there are alot of people who will try and that in turn yields $$$$ for Celebrity.

[Cruise Junky]

So, if I read you correctly you are looking for more benefits for less loyalty.

 

That's not how business works.

 

No, I very clearly stated I don't cruise for loyalty rewards.

[Coral]

I don't know if this is still true, but I had friends who would sail RCCL due to their status as they would get $100 plus off pp the cost of a balcony cabin due to their level (on a 7 night Caribbean cruise).

 

IMO - the benefits I use as an Elite doesn't equal $100. I guess I would rather have money off the cabin than the benefits.

 

And for those who say RCCL doesn't allow discounting so it doesn't matter, Travel Agents are able to get around this by giving a portion of their commission as OBC on RCCL.

 

-------

 

Maybe someone who sails with RCCL can post if this is still true (discount off of cabin).

Edited November 27, 2013 by Coral

[gooch47]

Wow. Just the laundry and internet we use is way more than $100.

Edited November 27, 2013 by gooch47

[Ethel5]

..............................SNIP....................

 

IMO - the benefits I use as an Elite doesn't equal $100. I guess I would rather have money off the cabin than the benefits.

 

How do you stay under $100? Just sending out 2 loads of laundry on a longer cruise comes over that amount!

[Gran2five]

We have a long way to go on Princess before we reach a level in our opinion that means anything- we just made Ruby. We cruise Princess for the itineraries and variety of ships. We have a couple of cruises in the planning stages and loyalty points will not be a factor.

 

We are Elite on Celebrity and have been for awhile as Cruise Junky states, its not difficult to get there if you sail in a Balcony or Concierge Cabin and the Elite benefits are very nice:). We love the free drinks at night, 90 mins free internet etc. etc. etc.

 

If Princess adds another level, they would be foolish to reduce the perks now available under Elite.