Elite Benefit Erosion

[chamima]

[quote name='ggprincess2004']Which ship were you on when that happened? They have not changed the Elite benefit list...
Do not misunderstand, it is not that I do not believe you, I just think the supervisor was wrong based on what the website says and what was in our suite on the last cruise.[/QUOTE]



We were in a suite on the Golden in December and got everything.

Then we were in a Premium Deluxe Balcony on the new Royal Princess in February and that was where we had the exchange with the Supervisor. He said he had just come from another ship and it was a surprise to him as well.

[bhopal21]

[quote name='ggprincess2004']Which ship were you on when that happened? They have not changed the Elite benefit list...
Do not misunderstand, it is not that I do not believe you, I just think the supervisor was wrong based on what the website says and what was in our suite on the last cruise.[/quote]

By occupying a suite one is entitled to those benefits regardless of their captain's circle status.

Mike:)

[bhopal21]

[quote name='bdjam'][FONT=Comic Sans MS] My vacation budget is meant to be used...and it is. Oh and I make friends with the bar staff...and not by using a soda sticker!
[/FONT][/quote]

Also my idea of a "vacation".:D

Thanks, Mike:)

[antsp]

Think i would have taken a trip to the captain circle and picked up the benefits leaflet.



Upgraded Bathroom Amenities
Regardless of your stateroom type, your stateroom bathroom will be stocked with the upgraded amenities normally reserved only for Suite guests.

Maybe a quick chat about tip removal would of solved the stewards problems

[ggprincess2004]

[quote name='chamima']We were in a suite on the Golden in December and got everything.

Then we were in a Premium Deluxe Balcony on the new Royal Princess in February and that was where we had the exchange with the Supervisor. He said he had just come from another ship and it was a surprise to him as well.[/QUOTE]

Thank you! We will be on the CB in April, and not in a suite (boo-hoo, well not really still on a cruise) and it will be interesting to see what happens with the bathroom amenities.

[ggprincess2004]

By occupying a suite one is entitled to those benefits regardless of their captain's circle status.

 

Mike:)

 

Oh, I know. I was just making the point that those amenities were still offered in suites, and therefore should be part of the elite package whatever the stateroom. I should type more - right hand finger joints bothering me a bit today so I was taking short cuts. Hope to cruise with you again in the future!!!

[bhopal21]

Oh, I know. I was just making the point that those amenities were still offered in suites, and therefore should be part of the elite package whatever the stateroom. I should type more - right hand finger joints bothering me a bit today so I was taking short cuts. Hope to cruise with you again in the future!!!

 

Likewise and we won't discuss joint problems. LOL

 

Mike:)

[Pam in CA]

I got only three tubes of lotion, conditioner, etc. on my two cruises so far this year. Absolutely nothing else although the towels were nice and plush. No lip gloss, emery board, Q-tips or anything. If you have to ask for it, then it's not really a perk.

[chamima]

Think i would have taken a trip to the captain circle and picked up the benefits leaflet.

 

 

 

Upgraded Bathroom Amenities

Regardless of your stateroom type, your stateroom bathroom will be stocked with the upgraded amenities normally reserved only for Suite guests.

 

Maybe a quick chat about tip removal would of solved the stewards problems

 

 

 

We were in one of those aft cabins with the soot problem.

The steward had to clean it twice a day.

He had all six cabins across the aft.

We not only didn't remove the tips but added generously - that poor guy had his work cut out for him!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Very well put ..

[Ethel5]

Thank you! We will be on the CB in April, and not in a suite (boo-hoo, well not really still on a cruise) and it will be interesting to see what happens with the bathroom amenities.

 

I can say that on my last two cruises, I didn't receive any of the bathroom amenities that I used to enjoy as Elite. :(:(

[Happy2cruise]

We were in one of those aft cabins with the soot problem.

The steward had to clean it twice a day.

He had all six cabins across the aft.

We not only didn't remove the tips but added generously - that poor guy had his work cut out for him!

Good for you...... many people are so quick to remove the tips:(. We would never think to remove the tips but would not tip extra if a situation warranted it.

[cruzsnooze]

Think i would have taken a trip to the captain circle and picked up the benefits leaflet.

 

 

 

Upgraded Bathroom Amenities

Regardless of your stateroom type, your stateroom bathroom will be stocked with the upgraded amenities normally reserved only for Suite guests.

 

Maybe a quick chat about tip removal would of solved the stewards problems

I went to the circle club ambassador two weeks ago when I was on the Sapphire and showed him the web site. He said he cannot give me what they don't have anymore. They need to update the web site. There are no elite bathroom amenities anymore.

I also had to ask for virtually everything that used to be in the cabin. Robes, slippers, and extra bar of 1/4 inch thick soap, what a joke that soap is. When you ask for something they act like it's a special amenity they say they have to ask their supervisor for. Not a class act anymore.

As for complimentary laundry...I will continue to use it for myself since I have earned the amenity. If I want to bring home clean clothes I will have then laundered on board too. I will not extend this amenity to anyone else, it's not right but see no reason not to use it for myself as I see fit. I don't believe it was a corp discussion because the CSR don't know a thing when you call in so I find it impossible to believe they told the Op to post about laundry abuse on CC.

[Amtrack Springfield]

We got the bathroom amenities on Crown Princess in January. It was our first elite cruise.

[whatcruiseisnext]

We recently were on the Emerald. Our steward told us that they have been instructed since the Costa disaster that "belts" were to be tightened and they were not supposed to give anything extra unless the passenger asked for it. He brought us all of the usual Elite amenities but told us he had to get some of them when no one was looking. :rolleyes:

[billco]

I think the Royal T/A was an extreme example of the laundry abuse yet Princess did nothing to control it which resulted in massive delays, immense frustration and upset just about everyone on the ship, from the stewards to passengers paying to have their laundry done. The excuse given was that there were a lot of Elites onboard and that laundry couldn't be done while docked in Venice. Hogwash! I've taken quite a few cruises with as many or more Elites onboard.

 

What happened is that some people were sending 5-7 bags a day, every day and many were sending multiple bags a day. Granted, there was a delay due to Venice so that the first day, there was a delay of a couple of days to get your laundry back. By the end of the cruise, laundry was taking 7-8 days between sending it out and getting it back. People were literally screaming and crying for their clothing, even if it was wet, so they could pack. It was a disaster.

 

IMHO, Princess could have easily controlled this by limiting laundry to one bag a day per cabin. That's very reasonable even for people spending several days pre-cruise touring. You can fit 2-3 days' worth of clothing in a bag per couple. As a single, I often send 4-5 days' clothing in one bag. To me, the situation was controllable/fixable but Princess chose not to do anything which resulted in everyone mad, angry and upset.

I was on that cruise and I don't remember laundry being that big a deal. I heard rumors about abuse, but I don't know how they could be substantiated. The first time we sent laundry out, it took about three days to come back, the second time about five days. With about seven days to go, we decided not to send any more out. When we started running low (I go to the gym every day, so generate a lot of sweaty clothes) my wife did a couple of loads and we were good.

[Wehwalt]

 

We were on the Royal T/A for 30 days. No problem with the laundry until the last portion of the cruise. We finally washed our clothes, but listened to many gripe about the cost, time spent, etc. There were certainly a large number of "entitled elite", as opposed to the Elite who are thankful for every benefit.

 

The entire problem could have been solved with limited bags per cabin.

 

Princess is aware of how many Elite are on board and can project what the demand will be for laundry. They screwed up, from what I heard, on the Royal.

 

I would most certainly be annoyed if my choices were to do laundry or have dirty clothes. I'm Elite. That goes into my planning for the trip. I can bring less clothes because I can have them cleaned in 36 hours. I generally travel for several days after the cruise. I like having clean clothes then too, so I try to disembark with most clothes clean. I may or not bring my laundry kit, depending on shoreside plans, so I'd be a little steamed at paying high prices for fabric softener sheets.

 

I "earned" those perks. That does not mean I will mindlessly insist upon status, I'm not that proud. But if I am not to receive my laundry perk or have it limited or delayed, than Princess should explain it and do their best, on an ongoing basis, to get back to normal operations.

 

And as for the idea of limiting laundry, it pops up so often on these boards that I swear, some people want it limited. Possibly so they will not have to see, not that they do, other people sending out more laundry than they do!

Edited March 25, 2014 by Wehwalt

[sammiedawg]

Princess is one of the few companies in any industry that allows a customer to stack promotions and discounts. I hope the actions of a few don't ruin things. Personally I would be very embarrassed to give my dirty laundry to another passenger to send out.

[Thrak]

Thanks so much for posting this! We are not yet Elite but we have sailed with friends who are Elite and they have frequently offered to send our laundry out with their laundry. We have always refused their offer because I can just imagine the logistical nightmare that would pose for the laundry staff. I also know of others who send all their stuff toward the end of the cruise so they go home with clean clothes. I'll just visit the dry cleaners when I return; however, looking forward to the service on long cruises so I don't have to pack as much.

 

One thing I do disagree with is the Shareholders benefits. I think if each person in the cabin has 100 shares of stock, they should both get the benefit.

 

By the time we make it to Elite status the "perks" will probably have been whittled down to a free "one-size-fits-nobody" robe. :rolleyes: However, if they increased the shareholder benefits to be for all people in the cabin who hold the requisite number of shares we would almost certainly purchase additional shares!

 

We are so happy finally be able to cruise at all that we are really not worried about extra perks. Cruising instead of working seems to be a pretty great perk to us. :D

[caribill]

Thank you! We will be on the CB in April, and not in a suite (boo-hoo, well not really still on a cruise) and it will be interesting to see what happens with the bathroom amenities.

 

Here is what we had on the CB in February:

o eye gel mask

o emery board

o shower cap

o linen mist

o a tube of lotion

[Pam in CA]

I was on that cruise and I don't remember laundry being that big a deal. I heard rumors about abuse, but I don't know how they could be substantiated. The first time we sent laundry out, it took about three days to come back, the second time about five days. With about seven days to go, we decided not to send any more out. When we started running low (I go to the gym every day, so generate a lot of sweaty clothes) my wife did a couple of loads and we were good.

The rumors were true. There was quite a bit of abuse. My steward and those nearby were in tears for days trying to deal with the late laundry and angry passengers. Quite a bit of the laundry that came back was miss-marked and a number of people got other people's clothes. Clothing was lost. Like many Elite, I brought enough undergarments for seven days. The first time I sent laundry out (the night we sailed), it took three days to get back. The next time, which was four days later after several days of long, hot tours, it took five days and I had no clean clothes. I went to the PSD to ask for tokens to do the dirty clothes I'd planned to send out and fortunately, they gave me several. There were already long lines of people complaining about the delays. I sent a few t-shirts and pants out and they took six days to get back. I wound up doing laundry myself and the last bag I sent out was over a week before disembarkation and I got it back at 6pm the night before disembarkation. The stewards took an incredible amount of complaining by angry passengers who took out their frustrations on them. It might not have affected you but the rumors were true and it affected a lot of people. :( Edited March 25, 2014 by Pam in CA

[antsp]

So 96 post on, and really nothing has changed for Elite passengers, except maybe jusy maybe you might not get some cheap lip balm of hand lotion, and even then you can still ask.

[Sillyjilly]

Im sure it isnt abused that much, i m sure a letter to the passenger reminding them not to abuse the laundary benefit would soon stop the very few cases of cheating. Why would princess want to upset all other elite passengers.

 

Surely you jest! The abuse of the internet has led to no more unlimited minutes and I'm sure the laundry will get there too! (Please Elites..................don't abuse your privilege!)

[Sillyjilly]

I got only three tubes of lotion, conditioner, etc. on my two cruises so far this year. Absolutely nothing else although the towels were nice and plush. No lip gloss, emery board, Q-tips or anything. If you have to ask for it, then it's not really a perk.

 

I never even use that cr@p. does it really matter?

[Sillyjilly]

By the time we make it to Elite status the "perks" will probably have been whittled down to a free "one-size-fits-nobody" robe. :rolleyes: However, if they increased the shareholder benefits to be for all people in the cabin who hold the requisite number of shares we would almost certainly purchase additional shares!

 

We are so happy finally be able to cruise at all that we are really not worried about extra perks. Cruising instead of working seems to be a pretty great perk to us. :D

 

Love my extra perks. You can keep your shares.