Erosion on Elite Benefits?

[Pia1913]

We've "only" sailed with Princess 27 times and have only 230 sea days but I happen to think the benefits we get as Elite are awesome.

There's no comparison to what we get on Celebrity.

I'll list-- free laundry and dry cleaning vs. one bag of laundry and one dry cleaning item, generous internet (depending on cruise length, usually 150 or so minutes) vs. 90 minutes no matter the length of the cruise, priority tendering the same, cabin liquor set-up that we can drink when we want vs. 2 hour cocktail party that can interfere with your schedule (but to be fair it is free drinks for those 2 hours) .

We choose each cruise for where we want to go and which ship sails there. The loyalty benefits are a really nice addition, like icing on a good cake .

Maybe after another 27 cruises the benefits will get old but for now I'm really happy and grateful to get what we do get.

 

Benefits will never get old. Shortly you'll be getting $50 more on each cruise; then $75. Let me tell you, getting than extra $100 every time is really nice. :D

[paul929207]

I am not tired of the benefits either. We have 32 cruises and 525 nights on Princess and still look forward to every cruise.

[Ethel5]

Five three night cruises would have to be alone in a suite to get you elite. I got elite on 76 nights, and I took PVSA cruises to make it there. However, even if I granted your proposition, I would not feel guilty as I paid for 152 nights as every one of them was solo.

 

Thanks for pointing out my typo. It should have read "Fifteeen". When I first started cruising Princess, it was days only - They should have left it at that.

[helenb]

because you have nothing but the pin when you are not on the ship.

 

Don't forget the cruise atlas! :D

[gmann]

Forgive me for stating the obvious but anything Princess provides in the way of loyalty benefits is entirely at their discretion. There is no entitlement. Yes, there is a marketing strategy for Princess to offer these but I am quite happy to have achieved this and am grateful for anything they offer.

[AE_Collector]

We've "only" sailed with Princess 27 times and have only 230 sea days but I happen to think the benefits we get as Elite are awesome.

There's no comparison to what we get on Celebrity.

I'll list-- free laundry and dry cleaning vs. one bag of laundry and one dry cleaning item, generous internet (depending on cruise length, usually 150 or so minutes) vs. 90 minutes no matter the length of the cruise, priority tendering the same, cabin liquor set-up that we can drink when we want vs. 2 hour cocktail party that can interfere with your schedule (but to be fair it is free drinks for those 2 hours) .

 

I agree Chamima. The only other cruise line we go on is Celebrity. The only Elite perk that Celebrity gets that *might* be better (read: more valuable) than Princess is the 2 hour Elite cocktail party with free drinks. However, we don't go on cruises to drink, we only have the occasional beer or wine while on board and to be required to attention a certain event at a certain place within a two hour window doesn't appeal to us.

 

Another thing to compare besides the actual Elite perks between the two cruise lines is the other perks, the OBC. Princess wins hands down in this category being able to combine Future Cruise credits, shareholder benefit, travel agent credits, military credit (not me but others who qualify) and the additional credit after 20, 30, 40 & 50 cruises. Celebrity closely limits what can be combined.

 

We were just on Celebrity for 27 days trying to get close to Elite but Celebrity changed their program while we were onboard resulting in us getting off the ship quite a bit further from Elite than we thought we would be. Worst timing possible for Celebrity and us as we are totally annoyed at how they implemented the change. The new rules are reluctantly acceptable to us but not the underhanded way they implemented the reduction in value of each individual cruise while working towards Elite (while we were actually on the cruise).

 

Terry

Edited January 27, 2014 by AE_Collector

[Lynda90]

I have been "Elite" ever since they started the program. And, I can tell you with no uncertainty that, I never get tired of the benefits. They are a large part of what keeps me with Princess. Would I enjoy a higher level if added? Of course. But, I am happy with what I get. And, as Pia mentioned, the loyalty program is a much appreciated extra! I am not up to the limit of $100, but am enjoying the $75 I receive on every cruise I sail! :p

[Scotto97]

I don't see anywhere in the OP's original post that he says he was in a suite???

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

That's correct - I was in a balcony cabin

[Scotto97]

Yes, we got it 2 weeks ago, bypassing the wait list.

 

john

 

John, we'll be on the Ruby in May and are currenty #123 on the early Traditional Dining Wait List.

 

How did you bypass the wait list? I was told last week by Princess that only full suites get that privilege. We are booked in balcony cabins.

[Gunner22aa]

What you get is free. I'm always grateful for free stuff. Would I take a higher tier with more perks if they offered it, of course but I don't harbour any sence of entitlement that some on here seem to feel is their due. If they took the program away tomorrow I'm sure it would cost them some customers but I'm not part of that crowd. I enjoy the Princess experience for what it is not because of the perks.

[KruzPrincess]

I'm grateful for the benefits. I haven't read anyone say that they don't appreciate them. Princess does a lot of things right. I'm grateful that we can combine OBC. I love my free laundry and internet minutes. I like that I get extra OBC for number of cruises. I'm just about to get to the $50 point.

 

That said, it does kind of irritate me that someone taking a bunch of short cruises, many of which may have been free, can get to Elite in very short order. People have paid a lot of money for those benefits. Some people, like me, cruise solo and pay double for their days. I get double points for cruise totals, but no double days. Princess had to have thought about the fact that these short cruises would affect the loyalty numbers that they were already struggling with. Maybe there's some plan down the pike that we haven't heard about yet.

 

I do know that you need to be careful what you wish for, though. I think it's Cunard (???) that added some super elite categories and you have to cruise a certain amount each year to keep at that level. Now, I know that wouldn't be me. Some people here wouldn't have a problem doing that, but I know I'd never get to the top level on Cunard.

[mr green]

John, we'll be on the Ruby in May and are currenty #123 on the early Traditional Dining Wait List.

 

How did you bypass the wait list? I was told last week by Princess that only full suites get that privilege. We are booked in balcony cabins.

 

My T.A. did it for me.

 

john

[paul929207]

I doubt you could design a program like the Captain's Circle in a way that everybody thought was "fair". I see lots of people complaining that people make Elite by taking short cruises. To me anything under about 30 days is short. :)

 

But seriously. Every cabin with an Elite passenger gets a mini-bar setup for each cruise. My wife and I often take 30 day cruises that are not sold in shorter segments. We get one setup for it. I am just glad we have our health and the resources to take these wonderful cruises. Any perks Princess throws our way are just a plus.

[mr green]

Much has been said about these one, two, and three day cruises, the paper work alone would stop me, let alone the air fare at one end or the other, ad to this my wife hates airports, not the flying part.

However, I did ask one cruiser, how he became Elite so fast. It seems that on his short little cruises he always booked a suite.

 

john

[Wehwalt]

I'm grateful for the benefits. I haven't read anyone say that they don't appreciate them. Princess does a lot of things right. I'm grateful that we can combine OBC. I love my free laundry and internet minutes. I like that I get extra OBC for number of cruises. I'm just about to get to the $50 point.

 

That said, it does kind of irritate me that someone taking a bunch of short cruises, many of which may have been free, can get to Elite in very short order. People have paid a lot of money for those benefits. Some people, like me, cruise solo and pay double for their days. I get double points for cruise totals, but no double days. Princess had to have thought about the fact that these short cruises would affect the loyalty numbers that they were already struggling with. Maybe there's some plan down the pike that we haven't heard about yet.

 

I do know that you need to be careful what you wish for, though. I think it's Cunard (???) that added some super elite categories and you have to cruise a certain amount each year to keep at that level. Now, I know that wouldn't be me. Some people here wouldn't have a problem doing that, but I know I'd never get to the top level on Cunard.

 

The laundry perk is really great. I'm on the Pacific Princess, my cell phone company gets me free data in some ports, so I'm logging in as I wait for us to depart. Tomorrow morning, I will give my laundry to my cabin steward by putting it in a bag, filling out a form, and placing both on my bed. I am NOT planning when to spend two or three hours doing laundry.