Are you Loyal?

[BlueRiband]

Thanks to these boards, we can all have a pretty good idea of what the atmosphere will be like on almost any ship in service.  As two examples,  NCL's "freestyle" dining and Carnival's ultra casual atmosphere would not be for me.   It was better for me to sail on Cunard rather than whine that another line wasn't Cunard. 

[pris993]

On 1/28/2019 at 7:58 PM, briehon said:

I have sailed 3 lines...Carnival, Royal and Disney. Currently looking at a cruise on Norweigian. Every time I cruise I run into people who ONLY cruise that line. As far as I’m concerned, the perks for continued cruising on a specific line aren’t that enticing. Am I missing something? Are you loyal to a certain line and if so why? I honestly have had a great time on all of my cruises and find pros and cons to all of them.

Have been cruising since the mid l980s, well over 60 cruises, on 9 different lines over the years.  We have elite status on both Princess and Celebrity, 2 star status on HAL, cruised 3 times on NCL, 3 times on Cunard,  and 3 times on RCCL, plus have cruised some lines no longer around.  So we have spread our loyalty around over the years.  

[Cruisercl]

No brand loyalty here either. We look at itinerary and price. Also, not all cruise lines go every where.

Have sailed all of the main stream lines so we know what we are getting when we book. IMHO they pretty much all are the same; one not more outstanding than the other.

Enjoy the perks when we get them but do not choose cruise line based on them. 😊

[Lois R]

I was loyal to Celebrity for many years......no longer. 

I have 40 cruises with them...…..(or there abouts)……...

3 with Royal

1 Hal

1 Carnival

1 River cruise with AMA Waterways

2 Silversea

1 upcoming with Azamara.

[OCruisers]

8 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I was loyal to Celebrity for many years......no longer. 

I have 40 cruises with them...…..(or there abouts)……...

3 with Royal

1 Hal

1 Carnival

1 River cruise with AMA Waterways

2 Silversea

1 upcoming with Azamara.

 

Lois,  just wondering why you aren't as fond of Celebrity as you once were?

Your opinions are always important to me.

LuLu

[Velvetwater]

Completely agree OP

 

No reason to stick to a line...as my signature shows.

 

Liked Carnival for a bit then realised I like trying out lines more. About to take a second spin with Royal.

Edited February 18, 2019 by Velvetwater

[Lois R]

35 minutes ago, OCruisers said:

 

Lois,  just wondering why you aren't as fond of Celebrity as you once were?

Your opinions are always important to me.

LuLu

Hi LuLu, good to see you....well, I had some life changes over the past few years and the opportunity was there to try a luxury line (Silversea)..after sailing with them twice and doing a River Cruise as well, I realized I LOVE the smaller ships, along with the excellent food, service, ambiance, etc......I just haven't gone back to X since I went on these 3 cruises. I am going on Azamara in April which as you probably know is part of the "ROYAL" family. That is not why I booked it.....more of the size of the ship and itinerary. And yes, the price was VERY good (for a solo too!).   I am looking at a cruise for the fall but have not decided on which one yet.  It is kind of funny after all these years...…..there was a time when I thought I would sail with X forever...….now, I don't look at them much at all anymore.  I did look to see what they are offering for Nov but they are just not my first choice anymore.

(Hope this answers your question).

[OCruisers]

Lois, good to know you have no problem with X ... just that others have become a better fit for you!

As time goes by, the same is true for many of us.  

LuLu 

[GUT2407]

Lines show me no loyalty why should I show them any?

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, OCruisers said:

 

Lois,  just wondering why you aren't as fond of Celebrity as you once were?

Your opinions are always important to me.

LuLu

Just another opinion from an Elite Plus cruiser who has also dropped Celebrity far down the list of desired cruise lines.  Why?  Because Celebrity has changed in many ways...most of them what we would call cut-backs.  It seems that the current management team is dedicated to cutting back as much as possible while increasing prices as much as possible.  As long as they can fill their ships (and increase the bottom line) nothing else seems to matter.  For us, there are other lines that still seem to have a more cruiser-friendly point of view.   We have not given up on Celebrity as cruise lines seem to change with the wind.  But for now, there are many better options with other lines.

 

Hank

[Zach1213]

13 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Lines show me no loyalty why should I show them any?

 

This is me. I travel for a living, and airlines/hotels/rental car companies definitely show me favor for loyalty...so I stay loyal to a brand. I don't take too many vacations, and even fewer cruises, so there's absolutely zero point to staying loyal for me. Even if I did take more, from what I've seen, loyalty doesn't get you much in the cruise world versus some other travel-related products...so I don't see the point myself.

[angie7911922]

Not always. We like to cruise Disney with the kids, but they don't always go where I want to go, so then I have to use another cruise line. 

[donaldsc]

Absolutely not.  I tend to sail specific lines because I like their ships but I will jump lines any time I get a better price or a better itinerary.  The lines don't care in the slightest about you so why should you care about them.  Just my personal opinion but anyone who sticks w a line because they are being loyal is a sucker.

 

DON

[Lois R]

4 hours ago, donaldsc said:

Absolutely not.  I tend to sail specific lines because I like their ships but I will jump lines any time I get a better price or a better itinerary.  The lines don't care in the slightest about you so why should you care about them.  Just my personal opinion but anyone who sticks w a line because they are being loyal is a sucker.

 

DON

Hi Don, that is just your opinion, right? So If someone loves a line and are happy with it? That makes someone a sucker?

We are all different people, thank goodness and all have our likes and dislikes. I would never begrudge anyone because they enjoy something so much they stick with it.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi Don, that is just your opinion, right? So If someone loves a line and are happy with it? That makes someone a sucker?

We are all different people, thank goodness and all have our likes and dislikes. I would never begrudge anyone because they enjoy something so much they stick with it.

Sticking with something you like is common sense and not being a sucker. But in the context of cruise lines which are undeniably cutting back on what they offer, and not checking out other possibilities just out of loyalty is questionable.

 

When a cruise line downgrades or removes, one by one, the things which originally won you over: be it service, food quality, entertainment, whatever — they are not being loyal to you.  Failing to check out alternatives is kind of being a sucker (and failing to even notice the deterioration of the product is definitely being a sucker).

[Aquahound]

I see no problem with people sticking with what they like.  Sorta like the old cliche....if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  That is, as long as they still actually like it.  

 

What I mean by that is, I always have to scratch my head when people whine and groan about cutbacks, lack of certain amenities, perks, etc, but refuse to break from their chosen cruise line.  They don't want to miss out on their free drinks or ability to wear a stupid medallion or loyalty pin to a welcome back event.  

[calliopecruiser]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Don, that is just your opinion, right? So If someone loves a line and are happy with it? That makes someone a sucker?

That's not at all what he said.....he said sticking with it because of loyalty makes one a sucker.  Sticking with it because you like the product isn't the same thing as sticking with it out of loyalty.  Loyalty is staying with someone/something out of honour or debt (or habit, I suppose).   Be loyal to your conscience, family members, friends, leaders, or moral code, but not to a commercial product. 

[donaldsc]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Sticking with something you like is common sense and not being a sucker. But in the context of cruise lines which are undeniably cutting back on what they offer, and not checking out other possibilities just out of loyalty is questionable.

 

When a cruise line downgrades or removes, one by one, the things which originally won you over: be it service, food quality, entertainment, whatever — they are not being loyal to you.  Failing to check out alternatives is kind of being a sucker (and failing to even notice the deterioration of the product is definitely being a sucker).

 

I was very careful to use the correct words in my response.  You will note that I clearly stated up front that I tend to use certain lines because I like their ships.  I love the R class ships which means that I tend to sail mainly on Azamara.  They are providing a service that I like and the service is worth the price.  I then stated that the lines don't care at all about you which we all know is true.  I then added that sticking with a line that is not providing a service worth the monies expended just because you have always sailed that line is being a sucker.  We also all know people who have  that attitude.

 

All the lines  always try to convince you to stay with them because of their  loyalty benefits.  The value of the benefits is essentially meaningless unless you are are in the top tier of the benefit triangle.

 

There is nothing wrong with sailing with one line because you like the product.  We all do that on any purchases we make.  However, making your next car a Ford or Toyota because you have always bought Fords or Toyotas is just silly.  

 

DON

 

 

[Kmkub]

3 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

What I mean by that is, I always have to scratch my head when people whine and groan about cutbacks, lack of certain amenities, perks, etc, but refuse to break from their chosen cruise line.  They don't want to miss out on their free drinks or ability to wear a stupid medallion or loyalty pin to a welcome back event.  

Most of the loyalty perks, like the pin or a cake, are just plain silly. They are there to make the perk list look longer than it actually is. Some of the real perks, like free Wifi, or priority getting off the ship first at ports, are nice, but certainly, for me, don't compare to the fun of trying new ships/experiences.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

I was very careful to use the correct words in my response.  You will note that I clearly stated up front that I tend to use certain lines because I like their ships.  I love the R class ships which means that I tend to sail mainly on Azamara.  They are providing a service that I like and the service is worth the price.  I then stated that the lines don't care at all about you which we all know is true.  I then added that sticking with a line that is not providing a service worth the monies expended just because you have always sailed that line is being a sucker.  We also all know people who have  that attitude.

 

All the lines  always try to convince you to stay with them because of their  loyalty benefits.  The value of the benefits is essentially meaningless unless you are are in the top tier of the benefit triangle.

 

There is nothing wrong with sailing with one line because you like the product.  We all do that on any purchases we make.  However, making your next car a Ford or Toyota because you have always bought Fords or Toyotas is just silly.  

 

DON

 

 

Don, We are in the top tier on multiple lines and have never let those perks influence our decisions.  In fact, one of my favorite cruise agents (very high volume agency) complains that several of the cruise lines tend to offer free upgrades to their newest customers while their best customers ether get no upgrades or expensive upsell options.  She explained that at one seminar a senior marketing rep for a major cruise line admitted that the real emphasis is on building brand loyalty among their newest customers.   The long time loyal folks need fewer incentives.  In simple terms many of these folks have already been "hooked" and need less coddling.   Give them a cheap Pin or a properly colored cruise card and they are happy.  

 

Hank