Platinum members, your benefits are next...

[elliair]

Well it seems obvious that the 5% cash REWARD is a perk and it apparently means something to you. Maybe the cruise lines' perks have some meaning to them.

 

I guess you didn't read my thread above. If the 5% cashback were taken away I would go somewhere else and shop for a card that will give me cash back or some other reward like free miles. There's other cards out there that do give cash back. For now, I'll stay with Discover.

 

One more thing. I would stop cruising Carnival if they did this one thing to me and that is take us out of the cabin we booked and gave it to someone else. We are booked in such a cabin that is supposedly for 3 people and there's only two of us. There would be hell to pay, and I would cancel the cruise immediately and they would never get my business again.

 

We are in a cabin that this happened to someone else in 2005. As far as I know they've never cruised Carnival again, and they've never posted anything at CC since 2005. So I'd say they still hold a grudge, and I don't blame them.

[RMcoolX]

There are some great perks for being Platinum. Having said that, I don't cruise Carnival because they offer the best perks. I cruise Carnival because it gives me the best value for my vacation dollars. As far as the perks, I enjoy the priority embarkation and free laundry. The other things are nice, but not high on my list. The past guest parties are also nice but on the last few cruises, were very crowded.

 

I feel the exact same about everything you touched upon. It's as if I wrote it myself! The past guest parties were too crowded, so I must applaud Carnival for the efforts to reduce the crowds. If you think about it, the average guest probably eats & drinks about $9 worth at the party (Carnival's cost, not retail). Carnival is still giving the golds the same $9, AND they thin out the crowd. If they truly just wanted to save money, the $9 would be $0. Ok, that may piss off a few folks, but the cost savings will cover the loss of the fares in the long run. Bottom line is...Carnival did not get to the #1 spot they hold by being stupid. They know the damage they're doing, and they must feel that it does not outweigh the gains. I feel the same. Thank you for listening Carnival. :)

Edited May 13, 2015 by RMcoolX

[sjn911]

Well this is a learn to not take too seriously or personally discussion...like we all are doing to a degree who shop for the best deal. But the best deal to me varies as to what I can afford and what level of service I want...how fancy..how casual etc. This is all a bit laughable at this point still budgeting for retirement as a solo...oh I yearn for the splurging 20 something years and those Hawaii trips..LOL.

 

I also consider what the value is overall..get a card for most loyalty programs and then they add up or do not as I go and several elements go into the choice..because I love the variety and snooping...but how they treat people over time is added into my choice and equation.

 

Sometimes I really do think it is merely having a smaller town and then tiny town high school year first 18 in a more rural state. Where there was friendly tough competition, but usually several of the same type businesses surviving and on ranching years..truly helping each other survive period. But I do see folks here like me...glad I participated.

Edited May 13, 2015 by sjn911

[sjn911]

It's the same principle here: I book using my Discover card which they in turn give 5% cash back REWARD. That's a nice chunk of change when all is said and done. If Discover took that cash incentive away, another card company would step in and offer me the same deal and maybe even better just to get my business. American Express will no longer be Costco's card manager - why? Because they couldn't meet Costco's bottom line, so, another credit card company stepped up to the plate. So it is in the cruiseline business. They all try to cut costs and keep their bottom line. They know people will go to other lines, but in the end, who has the best deal, not the best "perks." Smart people shop with their wallets, and every business knows this.

 

Thanks for your comment. And the Costco info.. Sarah

[knight2096]

Why don't you guys get over it? there are more important things in life. Btw there are plenty of choices out there with much better perks.

 

This is a forum if people want to complain about something they feel wronged about, then so be it. Why don't you take your own advice, if you do not like what people write on cruise critic get over it and try moving on to another cruise forum.

Edited May 13, 2015 by knight2096

[dewke]

I will say that although we don't only book on Carnival due to the perks, we do take advantage of, and are used to the premium boarding and laundry service for platinum cruisers. We took kids on our last cruise and it was invaluable.

 

Yes, it's a perk, but you gave it to people, and taking it away is bad business. It's not the customers fault the original VIFP program was poorly designed so that people could load up on 3 day cruises and hit platinum faster.

 

I recognize Carnival is a business, and as such it needs to turn a profit, but being cheap with your repeat customers isn't a good way to bring them back. The program as it's designed now is very heavily weighted towards platinum and diamond (gold benefits are a joke) so gutting platinum is going to potentially piss off a lot of repeat customers.

[Maraprince]

What is most important to me:

 

- what are the ports visited

- date of the sailing

- can I get the type of accommodation I want

- can I get a cabin that fits my price point

 

After that, anything else is just an extra bonus I will enjoy regardless of the form it comes in be it an OBC, a free party, free drink coupon, free cabin gift, etc.

 

I do not gamble enough to receive any casino offers nor am I a stockholder. Whatever Carnival wants to give me as a returning passenger will be greatly appreciated.

 

Fortunately for me, I have enough points on several different cruise lines to earn "freebies" in different forms. But as to which line I will sail on goes back to the 4 points outlined above -- not the perks.

 

MARAPRINCE

[elliair]

 

I recognize Carnival is a business, and as such it needs to turn a profit, but being cheap with your repeat customers isn't a good way to bring them back. The program as it's designed now is very heavily weighted towards platinum and diamond (gold benefits are a joke) so gutting platinum is going to potentially piss off a lot of repeat customers.

 

 

Yes, that's absolutely true. We've been booking more Princess cruises than Carnival, not because of perks, but because of a port that's closer to our home. However, there are a few Carnival cruises we would like to take where we would have to fly. If Carnival took say "priority boarding" away, that would nail the coffin shut for us with Carnival. It's doubtful they would do that. The majority of people cruising on Princess are people like us who are retired and have the means to do it. We can switch to whatever cruise line we choose and Carnival knows that too. These cruise lines can take away the 55 and older, repeat customer, and military discounts. They don't dare do that. I am surprised people who are none of these aren't whining about those "perks" we enjoy. JMHO.

[A2Mich]

I will say that although we don't only book on Carnival due to the perks, we do take advantage of, and are used to the premium boarding and laundry service for platinum cruisers. We took kids on our last cruise and it was invaluable.

 

 

 

Yes, it's a perk, but you gave it to people, and taking it away is bad business. It's not the customers fault the original VIFP program was poorly designed so that people could load up on 3 day cruises and hit platinum faster.

 

 

 

I recognize Carnival is a business, and as such it needs to turn a profit, but being cheap with your repeat customers isn't a good way to bring them back. The program as it's designed now is very heavily weighted towards platinum and diamond (gold benefits are a joke) so gutting platinum is going to potentially piss off a lot of repeat customers.

 

 

Excellent post. Some people will remember those things and take them into consideration before making any decisions I the future. Some people don't seem to care one way or the other and are cruising for price alone, so those corporate decisions won't affect them.

[near the beach]

I have read so many times about people saying they don’t like the past guest party. Then get upset when they can’t go.

 

I think it would be easier to get a free drink on the last night of the cruise with a coupon than to have to spend an hour at a given time to get a free drink.

[Warm Breezes]

Excellent post. Some people will remember those things and take them into consideration before making any decisions I the future. Some people don't seem to care one way or the other and are cruising for price alone, so those corporate decisions won't affect them.

 

I don't know about others but I don't just book Carnival for the price alone and I don't just book Carnival. There are many other factors that enter into my decision making process such as timing, embarkation port, length, itinerary, and the ship itself. The one item that never ever enters into a our decision making process is loyalty perks. IMHO they are just that, perks. A bonus to enjoy if we get them and who cares if we don't because they usually aren't worth that much in the grand scheme of things anyway.

 

Carnival itself offers us many things we enjoy: bigger rooms, consistently good food, good comedy, and yes a price that is normally better than the cruises we are comparing it to. Any cuts they have made have not been a factor to us and the things they have added since we started cruising we have liked....things like the Serenity Area, Movies under the Stars, Fish & Chips, and the Deli for just a few examples. Things change. Not all for the worse but for some that is all they can seem to remember. We have sailed other cruise lines and have our likes and dislikes for all them and they are constantly making changes too. Some we like and some we don't.

 

My point is that every industry, especially those serving the public, will be in a constant state of change because the public they serve and the economy we live in are constantly changing. Some things will be liked and some won't and not everyone would be in agreement if they like the changes or not. We expect that and choose our cruises based on what a ship has to offer us today. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has yet to come. I'm going to make my decision based on what I value today and how much I want to pay for it and enjoy my vacation.

 

We paid $1313 for our balcony room on the Splendor we went on last month for 7 nights. I received 4 beautiful ports of call, a spacious room with a balcony with comfortable furniture, good food, good entertainment, great comedy, good service with people cooking and cleaning up after me all week. I received a well-needed relaxing break from reality. We were looking at this cruise when the price was $1900 because it fit our timing, we liked the itinerary, it was a ship we hadn't been on and the price was comparable at that time to other cruise ships from other lines that we were comparing it to. The 24 hour sale that caused me to go ahead and book it was an extra nice bonus and it is deals like this that keeps us coming back to Carnival, not a few measly loyalty perks.

[Warm Breezes]

I have read so many times about people saying they don’t like the past guest party. Then get upset when they can’t go.

 

I think it would be easier to get a free drink on the last night of the cruise with a coupon than to have to spend an hour at a given time to get a free drink.

 

In a sense, I wish we would have gotten the coupon on our Splendor Cruise last month. My DH is as Dutch as they come. Since we had 45 minutes and the drinks were flowing freely he had about 3 too many of those rum punches in that allotted 45 minutes :o. I ended up spending that night in the casino by myself instead going to the show since DH was in the room losing his supper. Our next day at Grand Turk didn't end up being the nice beach day I had hoped for either as he wasn't feeling any better until late afternoon. I don't have to worry about doing that again on our next Carnival cruise :p;):D.

[Topo Gigio]

This is a forum if people want to complain about something they feel wronged about, then so be it. Why don't you take your own advice, if you do not like what people write on cruise critic get over it and try moving on to another cruise forum.

 

It's my opinion, like everyone has their own, and if you don't like it, I could n't care less!

[A2Mich]

These cruise lines can take away the 55 and older, repeat customer, and military discounts. They don't dare do that. I am surprised people who are none of these aren't whining about those "perks" we enjoy. JMHO.

 

 

I don't have any issues with ANY of those discounts. I'll bet if the cruise lines took them away, the clamoring from the affected people would be enormous. Maybe they should see what happens just for grins???[emoji16]. Take away something that means something to YOU, such as any of the above mentioned perks, and let us know how that works out for you.

[Maraprince]

In a sense, I wish we would have gotten the coupon on our Splendor Cruise last month. My DH is as Dutch as they come. Since we had 45 minutes and the drinks were flowing freely he had about 3 too many of those rum punches in that allotted 45 minutes :o. I ended up spending that night in the casino by myself instead going to the show since DH was in the room losing his supper. Our next day at Grand Turk didn't end up being the nice beach day I had hoped for either as he wasn't feeling any better until late afternoon. I don't have to worry about doing that again on our next Carnival cruise :p;):D.

 

Please do not take this as a personal insult on your husband's experience. Too many passengers tried and succeeded in consuming as much alcohol as possible during those 45 minutes and even asked at the last minute for more drinks to take with them to dinner or the casino. As you can imagine, others who were not related to them had to endure the subsequent bad behavior during dinner, the show, etc.

 

IMO I like the smaller parties that used to be held in one of the lounges. Other lines do this and restrict attendance only to the person whose name is on the invite. Food, not drinks, is the main focus. Prizes are raffled off using your invite as the entry, dancing is encouraged, the Captain and his officers and staff are in attendance. Much easier to control excessive drinking in a smaller venue where everyone can see everyone else and what they are doing. It is also easier to engage in conversations with the other guests.

 

MARAPRINCE

[elliair]

I don't have any issues with ANY of those discounts. I'll bet if the cruise lines took them away, the clamoring from the affected people would be enormous. Maybe they should see what happens just for grins???[emoji16]. Take away something that means something to YOU, such as any of the above mentioned perks, and let us know how that works out for you.

 

I don't have an issue with any of those perks either. We enjoy all of them. :p So far everything is kosher with the perks. If Carnival decided to take those perks I mentioned away, it would affect everyone.

[kteachcruiser52]

JH said at this time the past guest party will be only for platinum and diamond cruisers. There will be no exceptions for spouses, significant other, cabin mate, or children who are not platinum or diamond. Now, it remains to be seen how well it is enforced.

Edited May 15, 2015 by kteachcruiser52

[A2Mich]

JH said at this time the past guest party will be only for platinum and diamond cruisers. There will be no exceptions for spouses, significant other, cabin mate, or children who are not platinum or diamond. Now, it remains to be seen how well it is enforced.

 

 

Well that right there might keep the party attendance even lower still!

[Bobblefrog]

In a sense, I wish we would have gotten the coupon on our Splendor Cruise last month. My DH is as Dutch as they come. Since we had 45 minutes and the drinks were flowing freely he had about 3 too many of those rum punches in that allotted 45 minutes :o. I ended up spending that night in the casino by myself instead going to the show since DH was in the room losing his supper. Our next day at Grand Turk didn't end up being the nice beach day I had hoped for either as he wasn't feeling any better until late afternoon. I don't have to worry about doing that again on our next Carnival cruise :p;):D.

 

I loved this! Was on the floor laughing! Yes, there is a silver lining in every cloud :D

[Warm Breezes]

Please do not take this as a personal insult on your husband's experience. Too many passengers tried and succeeded in consuming as much alcohol as possible during those 45 minutes and even asked at the last minute for more drinks to take with them to dinner or the casino. As you can imagine, others who were not related to them had to endure the subsequent bad behavior during dinner, the show, etc.

 

IMO I like the smaller parties that used to be held in one of the lounges. Other lines do this and restrict attendance only to the person whose name is on the invite. Food, not drinks, is the main focus. Prizes are raffled off using your invite as the entry, dancing is encouraged, the Captain and his officers and staff are in attendance. Much easier to control excessive drinking in a smaller venue where everyone can see everyone else and what they are doing. It is also easier to engage in conversations with the other guests.

 

MARAPRINCE

 

Well I can assure no one had to witness DH's subsequent behavior but me....and it was limited to our room as he was too sick to go anywhere else:o.

 

As for the smaller venues, I recall the last past guest party we went to before this one was in the Aft Lounge on the Freedom. DH got plenty of drinks there too but I don't think they were as strong as they were at this last party. Believe me there was no control of excessive drinking there either.

[MCFTJCH2V]

How sad of Carnival. The continual cost-cutting moves every year. I can remember not that long ago when all it took to be invited to the past guest party was one previous cruise. Now I read all the platinum and diamond members applauding the new restrictions on the past guest party, saying it is overcrowded now.

 

I would encourage you to look at your list of benefits and compare it to the benefits for Gold and Red. There is a lot there that Carnival can modify and take away. And considering all the areas Carnival has cut from over the past 5 years or so, I would like that list looks awfully cushy right now.

 

This move by Carnival shows how much they appreciate the return business. It surely is not what it used to be. And to take away a benefit from Gold members that they have already earned, and probably utilized is nothing short of insulting.

 

Not to give them any ideas, but I figure the platinum a will get hit with a loss of points/cruises that count toward their status as they expire due to "expiration date". Yet that defeats the term "loyalty", which they have already diminished in their recent actions. When you think of it, how stupid was it trying to grandfather everyone up to platinum status a couple years back.

[eponym]

Not to give them any ideas, but I figure the platinum a will get hit with a loss of points/cruises that count toward their status as they expire due to "expiration date". Yet that defeats the term "loyalty", which they have already diminished in their recent actions. When you think of it, how stupid was it trying to grandfather everyone up to platinum status a couple years back.

 

It grabbed attention, probably at the right timing.

[MMastell]

Carnival's past guest program has always had the least real benefits so I won't really miss much if they take away from Platinum. It will be a few years before I hit Diamond since I also cruise other lines.

 

I "PERSONALLY" would love it if they cut the Platinum benefits and put in some real perks to booking a suite. Carnival is the only cruise line where I don't even think of booking a suite, unless it's Spirit class ship with an aft balcony. There is no advantage in booking a suite on most Carnival ships, especially if you're Platinum, other than the larger room. With Carnival's suites you don't even get the early room access benefit.

 

All of the cruise lines have revamped their loyalty programs and all have taken benefits away and moved/added benefits to higher, and often, newly created levels.

 

Oh well, I cruise for the ports and the ships and not for the loyalty perks.

 

Take care,

Mike

[halos]

To continue to provide a very good vacation value, something has to give. A degree in economics isn't needed to understand these things! ;)

 

True...and better to cut perks than service or quality of food and entertainment.

I was platinum the last two times I sailed CCL and I haven't been back because I felt like entertainment was a bit lacking, and as you suggested, I took my money elsewhere, which is what you should do if you are unhappy with a cruise line.

I wish they had taken away my platinum perks before cutting from entertainment. It wouldn't have bothered me if they had made cuts that way.

 

Other cruise lines are implementing higher costs in areas whether it is in gratuities or room service....I don't mind this as long as nothing important gets cut. Cutting perks like free booze at a Captain's Party or free laundry shouldn't hamper anyone's good time on a cruise.

[StolidCruiser]

Cutting perks like free booze at a Captain's Party or free laundry shouldn't hamper anyone's good time on a cruise.

 

But isn't getting plastered and having someone else wash your dirty underwear what cruising is all about?

 

Apparently for some to feel appreciated as a guest, the answer is "Yes!".