Now that we are 5* Mariners - a question please?

[Lizzie68]

If one carries that thought forward, what would you say about the guest who has 800+ days, all of which were in Neptune Suite or Pinnacle Suite? They are the same Platinum Medallion and Five Star as someone in a lower down cabin. To follow your thinking, should they receive more 'benefits'?

 

I'm not saying they should but wonder what others think? ;)

 

I think you could make a case for receiving greater benefits for having spent more money on HAL over the years. It does complicate things a bit, but I do feel you should be rewarded in accordance with your "investment".

 

Some cruise lines do this already. We sail quite a bit with Crystal and they tie their milestone benefits to the type of cabin you have. Their program is very weak (no free laundry at any level) and mostly takes the form of cabin credit. The more expensive your cabin is, the more OBC you receive. We generally get their cheaper cabins and receive less OBC as a result. But I don't have a problem with the people in the Penthouse getting bigger rewards for their loyalty. They've certainly demonstrated that they are excellent customers.

 

Crystal's plan sounds very fair. If someone wants to spend huge amounts of money on suites, the company must love them so some recognition of that is good business. (As opposed to those of us who only take a suite on an upsell.:D) It sometimes seems that those that do so on HAL only have the satisfaction of repeatedly saying so on here, which can't be much fun. Though I do notice that the regular World Cruisers seldom if ever mention their category of cabin, or number of days sailed, or whatever, and HAL makes a fortune out of them. So perhaps there are other perks that we don't know about for HAL's most valued cruisers.

[kazu]

I think you were quite lucky if they were considered as refundable. Are you certain of this?

 

It is my understanding that any OBC given to a cruiser as a gift from HAL is not refundable generally. Any credits from sources other than HAL (cancelled prepaid excursions or activities, travel agent bonuses, etc.,) are refundable. For example I believe that the OBC for ownership of Carnival stock is not refundable.

 

Am I under a misapprehension here?

 

Scott & Karen

 

POA1 said it had been refunded to him, so it certainly sounds like it is.

 

My take on it is that it should be. If I book on board we are charged 1/2 price. If I book on line I have to pay full price so they are really refunding me the amount that should not have been paid. It's not a gift IMO, it's a refund.

 

It's not a standard OBC IMO.

[innlady1]

I don't know why that came to me. Vacant.

[innlady1]

I don't know why that came to me. Vacant.

 

Sorry about that...I typed that from my phone...about our rental property... was obviously not in the correct program! Too late to delete....:o

[Lizzie68]

Sorry about that...I typed that from my phone...about our rental property... was obviously not in the correct program! Too late to delete....:o

 

LOL! I call those senior moments.:o I did it awhile ago on here, thought I was chatting to my daughter about a tree coming down in a storm, and it posted here on a thread. It's the phone that's at fault:D.

[innlady1]

Whew...glad I'm not the only one, Lizzie!

[sail7seas]

 

Crystal's plan sounds very fair. If someone wants to spend huge amounts of money on suites, the company must love them so some recognition of that is good business. (As opposed to those of us who only take a suite on an upsell.:D) It sometimes seems that those that do so on HAL only have the satisfaction of repeatedly saying so on here, which can't be much fun. Though I do notice that the regular World Cruisers seldom if ever mention their category of cabin, or number of days sailed, or whatever, and HAL makes a fortune out of them. So perhaps there are other perks that we don't know about for HAL's most valued cruisers.

 

 

 

Well, of course, most important is they have the pleasure of enjoying the extra space, comfort and some of the amenities which attach. One would expect there is some reason in terms of comfort for their choice to book those cabins.

 

I'm unsure as to your reference to World Cruisers. Some sail in inside cabins and likely pay less than some pay for much short cruises when they sail in a Neptune or Pinnacle. I see the connection as non sequitur. What does one have to do with the other? :confused:

Edited October 17, 2015 by sail7seas

[Ray in NH]

Oh thank you :) more great information. I really do appreciate the help. I didn't realize it was two PG dinners. On a 33 day cruise, that is very handy.

 

thanks for the culinary class info - that's a huge help :)

 

Hi Jacqui,

 

Thank you for asking the questions. Janet reaches 5 star status in January (on Eurodam), me, next July (on board Prinsendam) and had same thoughts about the details of making it all come together. Fortunately, I get to "tag-along" in January, before "earning" my own fifth star.

 

N Ray H

[kazu]

 

Hi Jacqui,

 

 

 

Thank you for asking the questions. Janet reaches 5 star status in January (on Eurodam), me, next July (on board Prinsendam) and had same thoughts about the details of making it all come together. Fortunately, I get to "tag-along" in January, before "earning" my own fifth star.

 

 

 

N Ray H

 

 

glad my questions helped Ray. I did search, so I figured, why not just ask. good to know it wasn't just me.

 

Don't worry about tagging along - Jose will be doing the same.;)

 

By the time the next cruise is over he will be well past 5*.

[Ray in NH]

glad my questions helped Ray. I did search, so I figured, why not just ask. good to know it wasn't just me.

 

Don't worry about tagging along - Jose will be doing the same.;)

 

By the time the next cruise is over he will be well past 5*.

 

 

I guess Jose and I both chose well in picking our spouses. :D

 

That upcoming Westerdam cruise is a wonderful one -- we did it a few years back, but aboard Rotterdam. :cool:

 

N Ray H

[SilvertoGold]

My arithmetic lesson was stating what we paid (for several years running) to be on Maasdam in Neptune Suite for Canada/NE. The comparison was as to an Inside Cabin on World cruise as referenced earlier in the thread.

 

The World Cruise pricing for an inside is 20,400 CND + taxes per person

 

That equals 185 CND + taxes per person. Less in USD, I assume.

[CaveDiving]

 

Seriously Sail? Have you looked at World Cruise pricing?

 

Don't get too carried away - pricing on a Neptune Suite for 7 day or 14 day Caribbean cruise does not come close to the cost for a World cruise and there is nothing saying they all sail in insides, either.

 

I suspect with the perks they get as President's Club members - they don't need a Neptune Suite and on a world cruise that is pretty cost prohibitive.

 

Let's not get too excited about President's Club members. The last time I checked, there were a total of around 50 living Presidents Club members in the world and only about half of them were still cruising. This is not going to have a significant effect on the thousand or so cruisers on the Amsterdam on a world cruise.

 

Scott & Karen

[SilvertoGold]

 

Let's not get too excited about President's Club members. The last time I checked, there were a total of around 50 living Presidents Club members in the world and only about half of them were still cruising. This is not going to have a significant effect on the thousand or so cruisers on the Amsterdam on a world cruise.

 

Scott & Karen

 

This won't break HAL's bank. The President's couple on out last cruise were fun to watch. A parade of officers every night to their MDR table. Delightful pax!

[kazu]

Back to the 5* Mariner question which was the purpose of this thread,

 

thanks to everyone who has helped - especially Silver to Gold who went digging.

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks, Kazu and CowPrincess, for expanding and explaining what I was trying for. Apples to oranges was the idea.

 

For the 2016 WC (115 days), the HAL site, in CND, without tax is:

 

Inside: 20,400 pp

Outside: 24,000

Balcony: 50,000

Suite: 93,600 (yikes)

Edited October 18, 2015 by SilvertoGold

[CowPrincess]

Back to the 5* Mariner question which was the purpose of this thread,

 

thanks to everyone who has helped - especially Silver to Gold who went digging.

 

Congrats on getting to five star. You got great info from some of the posters in the thread. Will be helpful to others who reach five star! (certainly not us ;) )

[innlady1]

Further, Maasdam as Cow Princess said, Maasdam is no longer doing Canada/ New England so it's a moot point.