"Loyalty" in general is a thing of the past

[A2Mich]

Yes, don't blame conniving, scheming guests trying to pull a fast one, blame the worker that spends 18 hours a day trying to please the conniving, scheming guests. It's sad when people can't police themselves and simply do what is right. Just plain sad.

 

 

Holy moly, Out to Sea----I'm going to 100% agree with you.

[eponym]

Better yet--blame both of them. The guests for showing an obvious lack of honesty and integrity, and Carnival for actually trusting people to be honest.

 

Loyalty to lack of honesty and integrity by the guests, and Carnival loyalty for trusting people to be honest?

 

Really?

[A2Mich]

Loyalty to lack of honesty and integrity by the guests, and Carnival loyalty for trusting people to be honest?

 

 

 

Really?

 

 

Just because customers are loyal to Carnival doesn't make them honest people in day to day life. Passengers trying to sneak in unqualified guests IS dishonest. And if course that dishonesty would not apply to all guests--just the ones doing dishonest things. And. Carnival realistically should have been checking invites to keep their functions under control, but again, that involves more manpower.

[eponym]

Just because customers are loyal to Carnival doesn't make them honest people in day to day life. Passengers trying to sneak in unqualified guests IS dishonest. And if course that dishonesty would not apply to all guests--just the ones doing dishonest things. And. Carnival realistically should have been checking invites to keep their functions under control, but again, that involves more manpower.

 

It's interesting. I know of no company that has policies thatrely on any consumer to be honest.. I really don't know if it is dishonestly among passengers, but will say this:

 

Again, today, Heald posted about this party thing and states that is because of service issues that they cut Gold invites.

 

Current ship he is on they are having 2 VIFP parties, with a calculated potential turnout of 1400 people. I doubt that number includes any other than invited (eligible) guests.

Edited May 15, 2015 by eponym

[A2Mich]

It's interesting. I know of no company that has policies thatrely on any consumer to be honest.. I really don't know if it is dishonestly among passengers, but will say this:

 

Again, today, Heald posted about this party thing and states that is because of service issues that they cut Gold invites.

 

Current ship he is on they are having 2 VIFP parties, with a calculated potential turnout of 1400 people. I doubt that number includes any other than invited (eligible) guests.

 

 

I don't know of any companies that rely on honesty either. You would like to think that everyone is honest, and there truly are those that are, but there's also a group of people that will try and scam whatever they can--and I'd be willing to bet that it's people at ALL levels. As is typical in many cases, it's the few bad apples that spoil the entire bunch. And, using the excuse of overcrowding, HOW LONG has this been going on that all of a sudden, it has become an issue. Carnival still should have nipped this problem in the bud a long time ago and they may have been able to keep the crowds and costs under control, instead of letting it become the 800 pound gorilla that we now don't know what to do with. Obviously we can't blame the Platinums and Diamonds solely for breaking the rules, as it was more than likely ALL levels, as well as the scammers simply wandering in, but would leave at least SOME responsibility for the upper echelon members, and again, blame on Carnival for not checking and enforcing their own rules and guidelines.

 

All in all, this decision is not entirely the fault of Carnival, though I still stand by my original position that they could have handled the situation differently and found a more equitable solution other than excluding a large majority of their repeat cruisers from one of a few perks.

[jimbo5544]

On John Heald's blog today he said the return guest party on the Legend had to be two sessions as it was 1,400 people. This is on a ship that has an occupancy of 2,300 ? Imagine what it could be on the Breeze........ Huh.

[Out to sea!]

Holy moly, Out to Sea----I'm going to 100% agree with you.

 

I knew we'd find common ground somewhere. ;)

[bruadhin]

On John Heald's blog today he said the return guest party on the Legend had to be two sessions as it was 1,400 people. This is on a ship that has an occupancy of 2,300 ? Imagine what it could be on the Breeze........ Huh.

 

Something tells me the passenger demographics for a 10 day one way cruise from Hawaii is vastly different than Carnival's bread and butter Caribbean sailings.

[Out to sea!]

Just because customers are loyal to Carnival doesn't make them honest people in day to day life. Passengers trying to sneak in unqualified guests IS dishonest. And if course that dishonesty would not apply to all guests--just the ones doing dishonest things. And. Carnival realistically should have been checking invites to keep their functions under control, but again, that involves more manpower.

 

It's interesting to hear some of the ships have not been diligent in checking invites. Every time I've sailed, even my last cruise 2 months ago on the Sunshine, there has always been someone at the door collecting invitations. Maybe some ships are more undermanned than others but that still doesn't give anyone the right to cheat and steal (stealing - taking what one is not authorized to take).

[eponym]

Something tells me the passenger demographics for a 10 day one way cruise from Hawaii is vastly different than Carnival's bread and butter Caribbean sailings.

 

Probably true. But I'm not sure it's a demographic thing as of yesterday. They won't be concerned with number of loyal passenger attending the parties any longer. In other words, you did not have to be Platinum or Diamond to attend the party and I would guess there are many Gold level Hawaii and Caribbean cruisers.

Edited May 15, 2015 by eponym

[jimbo5544]

Something tells me the passenger demographics for a 10 day one way cruise from Hawaii is vastly different than Carnival's bread and butter Caribbean sailings.

 

 

I am sure it is somewhat different, possibly akin to an Alaskan cruise. I have seen lists of plats and diamonds for cruises and I would estimate it to average between 150 to 200 depending on several factors. That being said, I would love to see more information on sailings that I am sure they would not share. My guess would be they have an excellent idea of return guest spending and what they do on their ships (rooms booked, excursions, what is purchased etc,) even down to tipping analogies, both qualified by demographics as well individual stats.

[kteachcruiser52]

I would guess the longer Journeys cruises will have higher then normal numbers of Platinums and Diamonds.

[eponym]

I would guess the longer Journeys cruises will have higher then normal numbers of Platinums and Diamonds.

 

Then they will have to budget accordingly.

[jimbo5544]

Then they will have to budget accordingly.

 

 

I am sure that way plat and diamond in the ship will be invited.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Sometimes being loyal or not loyal to a particular business or company has nothing to do with the perks but instead has everything to do the product itself.

 

My next cruise will put me at Gold level with Carnival and I really do not care one way or the other about the new criteria surrounding the Past Guest Party invites. Personally, now getting the complimentary bottle of water and drink coupon means much more than attending an overcrowded party at a prime time on my last sea-day... Even if Carnival chose to not to give the Golds anything at all, that too would be ok because it's just not that big of an issue with me. This of course is a matter of my own personal opinion.

 

The main reason why I continue to sail with Carnival is that I do not feel that I am being nickel-and-dimed. This is particularly true when it comes to the dining venues. I like having the steakhouses and a few other upcharge restaurants available, and do dine at one perhaps once throughout the cruise, but I also appreciate that the MDR still offers good selection and good quality for those that do not select an upcharge venue. On some of the other lines, the MDR suffers in these area due to the vast selection of other upcharge restaurants where Carnival's does not. I also like that Guy's Burgers, The Wok and a few other perky places on the Lido do not bop me for a buck or two when I dine there. Again, this is not necessarily true on some of the other cruise lines. They are quick to charge a buck or two here and a buck or two there for a specialty burger, stir-fry, an ice-cream cone, etc..... where these type of things are included on Carnival. A few dollars here and there over the length of a cruise can start to add up.

 

I feel the same way about the entertainment.... While Carnival's shows may not be of Broadway quality they are still fun and entertaining and I would NOT like to have to start making pre-arranged reservations for a certain day and show like some of the other lines. That just puts to much planning and restraint into my cruise.

 

The above examples are mainly why I continue to remain loyal to Carnival. They have a good product and I don't feel as if I'm losing out on quality if I choose not to partake in the upcharge venues during a particular cruise. If this changes then I may change cruise lines but for now, they fit my cruise style.

 

 

 

 

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