Are there benefits from sailing with the same company every time?

[Ellie596]

I am about to go on my second cruise with Celebrity. I am hoping I LOVE it as much as my first cruise. If I continue to cruise are there advanages to sailing with the same company or can you take cruise captains points with you? I am very new to cruising.:D

[cruisestitch]

You cannot take the Captain's Club point to any other cruise line. Many people feel that there are advantages to building up loyalty status on one line, but others like to "play the field" and cruise many different lines. The choice is yours. Take a look at what Celebrity offers if you stick with them for many cruises, and look realistically at how often you might cruise. If it is a seldom thing, then going from line to line might be your best bet, choosing by price and itinerary rather than by a means of amassing points in the loyalty program.

[easyboy]

Advantages are having perks upon reaching a certain status. Some are drawn to it due to influences of family and friends. It is your choice to stick with a company or expand your experience with other cruise lines. Only you can choose a cruise where you will enjoy what you paid for.

[chemmo]

I am about to go on my second cruise with Celebrity. I am hoping I LOVE it as much as my first cruise. If I continue to cruise are there advanages to sailing with the same company or can you take cruise captains points with you? I am very new to cruising.:D

 

Glad you enjoyed your first cruise! If you look up Captains Club on the website it will show you how points and loyalty status build up and which perks kick in at what level...

 

There is some 'matching' of status with Royal Caribbean and Azamara....So long ago since we did this I can't remember how it works, I am sure someone else will explain!

 

We do now have quite a high loyalty status with access to cocktail hours, free laundry, internet time. However, when you consider the cost of a cruise we would never just stay with a company for loyalty perks. We continue to cruise with Celebrity at the moment because we enjoy the product, the itineraries suit us and the price is in our range....We do still frequently browse other lines and would 'jump ship' if we saw a more attractive alternative.

 

Hope you enjoy your next cruise!

[GUT2407]

Others seem to have covered the benefits, to me they aren't worth limiting my options and experiences by sticking to one line, so far sailed seven, sure all else being equal I have a few I like more than others but have loved the variety.

[cruisin lady ca]

The benefit that is available to all captain's club members once they've completed their first cruise is the one category upgrade for subsequent bookings. This is sometimes worth $50-$100 and is sometimes worth $400-$500. It all depends on the category you are booking and the prices of the categories themselves.

 

Oh yes - don't forget about your free single scoop of gelato. I have forgotten to claim my treat on all but my last cruise. It was worth the wait.

 

You can compare the perks associated with each of the levels on the Celebrity website: https://www.celebritycruises.com/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits,

 

The advice regarding selecting cruises based on cost and itinerary is quite valid. Happily, we have found cruises on Celebrity work for us and we enjoy the ambience on the S Class ships.

 

By the way, booking a future cruise while onboard also provides bonuses in the form of extra onboard credit and, on occasion, a second perk at no additional charge. The current onboard booking offers are shown in this flyer: http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/CEL_Onboard_Offer_August_2017v2.pdf

 

If you aren't certain you will be able to take the cruise you booked while onboard, you can cancel the reservation and carry the OBC you received to another reservation so long as you book it at the same time you are cancelling the one you made while on the ship.

 

I usually book a cruise while onboard, even if I know I am using it as a placeholder. If we can't make it for one reason or another, I find a different cruise, cancel the previously booked cruise and move the OBC to the new reservation. In addition, the deposits are usually quite a bit lower when booking onboard that when booking off the ship.

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruise!

[janetz]

Others seem to have covered the benefits, to me they aren't worth limiting my options and experiences by sticking to one line, so far sailed seven, sure all else being equal I have a few I like more than others but have loved the variety.

 

I agree!

After 15 cruises, we are true to no line.

Mix it up! ;)

[Tommy3putts]

Celebrity is always our first choice, but itinerary and timing for us is what really matters. We mostly sail Celebrity and Royal but also keep any eye in the new ships and itineraries coming out. The wife is interestedly in the MSC newbuilds. Since we both still work we don't worry about "status" so much. Maybe that will change when we can do more cruises.

[casper106]

It's hardly worth sticking with X to build up points. It takes many cruises to get anything really worth while in terms of benefits. The discounts are really not all that great. A small percentage for some things but we are at the stage where we will be looking at the bottom line,pricewise, not the "perks" that they give to frequent travellers.

[miched]

i guess it is like anything in life.

 

You find something that you like you stay with it until you feel that something else looks better.

 

You will never know unless you try it. After a while you don't want to take anymore chances of wasting your time or money on something unknown and become content with staying with what you are fimilar with.

 

I wouldn't worry about building up points as they unless if you don't enjoy the product.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[cruzeluver]

Personally, I see no advantages, but I do see disadvantages.

 

You have to spend an awful lot of money with one cruise line to get perks that have any real value. The perks at the lower levels tend to be either worthless or an illusion (ex: "priority embarkation", when I see that I chuckle because more than once we have arrived at a port and seen hoards of folks, all with "priority"). And for us, the perks at the higher levels still do not off-set everything we would have missed out on if we had stuck with just one line.

 

We also love the variety of experiences we get to have by not sailing the same ships and lines over and over again. Every line has things that make them unique and we would miss out on that by sticking with one line. I know some love the familiarity of "their line" but we are not looking for sameness. There have been ports we would not have been able to experience, some great ships we never would have sailed and great specialty dining we would have missed out on if we had just stuck with one line.

 

Not being loyal has worked out great for us.

Edited August 24, 2017 by cruzeluver
more info

[helen haywood]

If anyone is interested in MSC they have a very generous status match program.

[hubofhockey]

Personally, I see no advantages, but I do see disadvantages.

 

You have to spend an awful lot of money with one cruise line to get perks that have any real value. The perks at the lower levels tend to be either worthless or an illusion (ex: "priority embarkation", when I see that I chuckle because more than once we have arrived at a port and seen hoards of folks, all with "priority"). And for us, the perks at the higher levels still do not off-set everything we would have missed out on if we had stuck with just one line.

 

We also love the variety of experiences we get to have by not sailing the same ships and lines over and over again. Every line has things that make them unique and we would miss out on that by sticking with one line. I know some love the familiarity of "their line" but we are not looking for sameness. There have been ports we would not have been able to experience, some great ships we never would have sailed and great specialty dining we would have missed out on if we had just stuck with one line.

 

Not being loyal has worked out great for us.

 

I agree 100% with this and the same goes for travel agents. There are some that have great deals with certain cruise lines that can trigger a great deal of on board credit or even lower prices.

 

Each cruise and vacation should stand on its own as being the best experience for your money. If an extra perk is worth $200, that is such a small issue in a vacation and your vacation time with is worth so much.

[Orator]

Welcome to cruise Critic.

For what is worth my advice to you as a new cruiser is to start by trying all the lines that seem to fit your preferences. We did that before finding that Celebrity seemed to work for us. We took probably 30 to 40 cruises with other lines including Royal Caribbean, NCL, Princess and Costa. I don't think you start by targeting a specific line to gain loyalty status, it just happens. As with airlines and hotels you seem to gravitate to one or two options. The benefits lure some people in. I reached a point when my benefits added so much value to my cruise that it would be difficult to move to another line. We have talked about trying some River cruises and destinations not served by Celebrity.

[Cruise Raider]

We found it very beneficial to stick with a couple of different lines in order to reap those benefits of elite status on either.

 

I believe Celebrity has the best benefits for us but we also enjoy those that are afforded to us with Princess.

For the Royal Caribbean product, one of which is Celebrity, earning your points is based on sailing with each individual line (someone mentioned something to the contrary about Azamara ... but I am not knowledgeable about that). So the points earned on Celebrity will bump up your status on Celebrity and those earned on Royal Caribbean add to your status on Royal Caribbean. Now... here's the real perk ... once you earn elite or better on Celebrity, that translates over to Diamond status and all the reciprocal benefits that come with that.

We sailed with Celebrity to earn our Diamond perks on Royal Caribbean and now enjoy switching it up a bit.

We also sail often on Princess and understand that MSC also has those recognition of your status on the former and those benefits that come with that. I haven't taken advantage of that as there are currently no itineraries that excite me on MSC.

We usually stick to the 3, Celebrity, Princess and Royal as the elite status benefits are just such a nice addition to their already wonderful products. However, if there was an itinerary at a decent price that was offered on another line, I would certainly not be opposed to jumping ship ... pun intended.

There are also some benefits that cross over from your more well known casino corportations if you do tend to gamble. I know NCL is associated with Caesars and Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are associated with Mirage/MGM properties. I know people that cruise for free often and are given elite perks on these lines as well.

[rmf11699]

As someone once said, "Variety is the spice of life" so try the different cruise lines. We'll be using our third different line next cruise. None have disappointed!

[C 2 C]

I believe that you should try and gain status with at least one company before playing the field. The perks are worthwhile but only if you like the first cruise with that company.

 

It is easier to become Elite with Celebrity by cruising on Royal Caribbean than with cruising on Celebrity.

 

Royal Diamond status will get you Celebrity Elite but the points cannot combine.

 

It takes 21+ seven night cruises in an inside/oceanview, 14 in a veranda cabin to get to Elite but only 11+ seven night cruises on Royal to get to Diamond.

[Baron Barracuda]

Agree with those who advise new cruisers to play the field. Let itinerary, ship features, price and included percs determine your next sailing. Sample several lines and see which you're most comfortable with. Loyalty programs do have value, but only after you've achieved a level that requires quite a few sea days. For now just use loyalty points as a tiebreaker when undecided between two cruises.

[eandj]

If you are a new cruiser and like Celebrity, no harm of course in sticking with them until you tire of the itineraries and ships. ;) But after lots of cruises, you WILL need a change and it always recharges your love of cruising when you are a virgin" on a new ship or line. We have done enough cruising over the last 15 years, that we could never have been happy with just one cruiseline's itinerary choices and ships. It's wonderful to have choices and add in the river cruising choices and we are pretty unlimited when in the mood to float;)

[warmwinds]

We went about it backwards from many here. We did our jumping around in the beginning, and I'm going way back 40 years now to when we sailed on NCL, Sitmar, Princess, Royal Caribbean HAL...and then by chance tried Celebrity. And didn't like them.

 

But then 9/11 happened and no one was going anywhere so they sent us an offer we couldn't refuse. We tried them again, loved our cruise, and are now Elite on them without having gone on anyone else since that time. We love our Elite perks, and we have not been bored.

 

Of course, we only cruise once every year/two years so it's easy not to get bored. Many, many land trips in between.

 

We might switch someday if we do get bored or need a change, but for now we love the comfort of coming "home" each time we cruise.

[Tommy3putts]

Personally, I see no advantages, but I do see disadvantages.

 

You have to spend an awful lot of money with one cruise line to get perks that have any real value. The perks at the lower levels tend to be either worthless or an illusion (ex: "priority embarkation", when I see that I chuckle because more than once we have arrived at a port and seen hoards of folks, all with "priority"). And for us, the perks at the higher levels still do not off-set everything we would have missed out on if we had stuck with just one line.

 

 

I love this. We saw this same thing last October for our WB TA on Reflection. When we arrived at terminal 23 in Civitavecchia, the special check in lines for Elites was three and four deep. No waiting for steerage check in. There was nobody, I mean there were countless attendants begging folks in the elite lines to come to them. But no budging. 10 minutes later as we were walking out to board the ship the same couples we noticed when we arrived were still waiting to check in.

[warmwinds]

I love this. We saw this same thing last October for our WB TA on Reflection. When we arrived at terminal 23 in Civitavecchia, the special check in lines for Elites was three and four deep. No waiting for steerage check in. There was nobody, I mean there were countless attendants begging folks in the elite lines to come to them. But no budging. 10 minutes later as we were walking out to board the ship the same couples we noticed when we arrived were still waiting to check in.

 

Well, that's their problem. We are Elite and we'll go to ANY line which is shorter. There is nothing special about checking into Aqua, Concierge, Elite...I'm not sure there's anything even special about the Suite lines at embarkation? The draw to all is a shorter experience. If you don't want to go to the shortest line then you're the one losing out to feel "special".

[iancal]

We are not loyal to any one cruise line. We base our decision on itinerary, ship, and price.

 

Besides, the loyalty rewards differ. For us, RCI is at the top, HAL is at or near the bottom. If a HAL cruise is a better value to us we will book it, notwithstanding their underwhelming loyalty program.

 

So price beats loyalty rewards for us. By doing this we typically save fare more than the rewards might be worth to us. The non tangible rewards have zero aspirational value to us.

 

We get a far better reward by dealing with an on line TA who rebates 8-12 percent of the commissionable fare to us in the form of OBC's. That translates into one free cruise for every 10-15 that we take.

[riclop]

Nothing really worth while.

[TommyD3]

We started out by trying out all of the mass market lines about 25 years ago. When we tried Celebrity we were hooked. Their food and service in the early 90's was SO much better than Carnival, RCL, Holland, Princess, etc. Still did the ocassional cruise on another line.

Ever since they implemented the Zenith level in 2013 we have sailed exclusively on Celebrity. Being grandfathered in having reached that level in 2011 we get SO many free perks we cannot afford to sail on another line.

Plus every time we get onboard half the staff remember us and come up and talk to us.

It is like coming home every time we get onboard now!