Lanyards - no joke

[vicky3vicky]

I have a problem with people who say they worked SO HARD to reach their VIFP status and deserve better than they are getting. When I think of working SO HARD I think of mucking the barn, splitting firewood, cooking a dinner for 60 people by myself, cleaning up the poop the daycare kids smeared on the  bathroom walls [when I did daycare, I had very "creatively wired" kids] I do not think of being so blessed that I am able to go on a fantastic cruise every year or 2 as hard work deserving of great things apart what I am already receiving.

I admit, we do sacrifice some [in a nice first world way] to be able to cruise, and we will be Platinum on our next cruise in November. Now, we are "low-income" and we have to make sacrifices to do so. In lieu of exchanging gifts for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines day, etc. we put money towards our next cruise. We eat out only every few months, and use gift cards that we earned by taking online surveys, and pay for our airfare and part of our cruise with strategic credit card hacking.

I imagine that some would call me a "Wall Mart cruiser," despite the fact that we rarely go to Wal Mart because we ussually buy used or barter for what we need. And probably, we could not afford another line, which is fine because we are so happy with Carnival, and 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it." 

I AM so excited to reach Platinum, but I do not feel that Carnival owes me anything other than the incredible experience they already provide. Getting a lanyard, just a nice little perk, and if the other Platinums do not like their lanyards, I will be happy to receive theirs and make something awesome with them....maybe something that will help me save more money for my next cruise!

[Lottacruises]

On 6/24/2019 at 10:17 PM, blarko said:

Can someone post a photo of the lanyards so us lowly gold cards can see what we’re working towards?

 

Coming up.

[Lottacruises]

Why generalize p&d? 

 

 

[Lottacruises]

[Lottacruises]

[blarko]

35 minutes ago, Lottacruises said:

 

Wow.

[blarko]

4 hours ago, vicky3vicky said:

We eat out only every few months, and use gift cards that we earned by taking online surveys, and pay for our airfare and part of our cruise with strategic credit card hacking.

 

I do the same thing (take the online surveys to earn gift cards!). Also only buy my gas at Speedway using their rewards card (which is at no cost) and rack up points to get free gift cards. I’ve always been frugal (cheap), however, I haven’t learned “strategic credit card hacking” but would love to know that little secret.  If you wouldn’t mind, would you share your secret? Thank you!

[TomCruise48]

On 6/25/2019 at 2:46 PM, RoperDK said:

 

I agree that P/D aren't the bread and butter customers. However, one point that doesn't seem to occur to people is that most of those P/D cruisers brought family and friends to the Carnival product along the way and now they are repeat customers. I'm sure that Carnival has that figured out. 

This thought has occurred to me as well.  Counting siblings, children, grandchildren, and friends, DW and I have introduced over 40 persons to their first Carnival cruise, but how would Carnival know that?  Carnival has no referral reward system.  I think many corporations deeply analyze the data they collect, but Carnival has no hard data to analyze to see this relationship.

[RoperDK]

19 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

Oh my, I hadn't seen what the lanyard looks like.  I would never wear it because of the "very important person" written on it. We are low key and don't like to call attention to ourselves.  I would however gift this to a child. I think they might really enjoy it.  It's still a gift and we appreciate the thought.  

[AmazedByCruising]

 

17 hours ago, TomCruise48 said:

This thought has occurred to me as well.  Counting siblings, children, grandchildren, and friends, DW and I have introduced over 40 persons to their first Carnival cruise, but how would Carnival know that?  Carnival has no referral reward system.  I think many corporations deeply analyze the data they collect, but Carnival has no hard data to analyze to see this relationship.

 

There is SO much hard data on you. Let's say you convinced your neighbours to go on the same fantastic cruise. 

 

Maybe the surname is different. But the postal code is not far away. Or may be it is, but you are using the same TA. Same time of booking. Have the same booking number 2 years ago. Similar age. Both at Guest Relations at the same time. Both with kids. Adjacent rooms. Both using ship's laundry. Same flight. Both gambling, both slots, usually near each other, and never at the tables. Same category rooms. Same time at night when both couples stop ordering drinks. Both removing DSC. Same table. Both having a Martini before dinner. Same excursions. Same time getting back on the ship. Same disembarkation time. Same time buying a drink or a shirt at the same POS. Score 10 points or more and it's 99% sure you already knew each other before the cruise. 

 

If they want to, and of course they do, they know exactly who's connected to whom. And who cruised first. 

 

While new cruisers on average spend much more than repeaters, maybe they should give the "influencers" a bit more attention. Not a $0.10  lanyard, simply comp the whole cruise with free drinks if the computer guesses you'll probably bring 4 more couples, who will also cruise another projected 4 times. I'm not a marketeer but selling an extra 20 cruises at the cost of 1, just 5% for marketing, seems cheaper than buying ads on TV.

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by AmazedByCruising

[Lottacruises]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

Oh my, I hadn't seen what the lanyard looks like.  I would never wear it because of the "very important person" written on it. We are low key and don't like to call attention to ourselves.  I would however gift this to a child. I think they might really enjoy it.  It's still a gift and we appreciate the thought.  

 

Ours will be going to our niece and nephew, along with the pins.

 

We are low key also, it's funner to share in the excitement of cruising when people don't know our loyalty level. 

 

We were having good conversation about cruising once at muster, and when the card checker came around to scan our cards the person we had been talking to saw my card was white and said to the other person "oh, they cruise a lot", almost like a grumble. Then their whole demeanor changed. Why??

 

Oh well.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

 

There is SO much hard data on you. Let's say you convinced your neighbours to go on the same fantastic cruise. 

 

Maybe the surname is different. But the postal code is not far away. Or may be it is, but you are using the same TA. Same time of booking. Have the same booking number 2 years ago. Similar age. Both at Guest Relations at the same time. Both with kids. Adjacent rooms. Both using ship's laundry. Same flight. Both gambling, both slots, usually near each other, and never at the tables. Same category rooms. Same time at night when both couples stop ordering drinks. Both removing DSC. Same table. Both having a Martini before dinner. Same excursions. Same time getting back on the ship. Same disembarkation time. Same time buying a drink or a shirt at the same POS. Score 10 points or more and it's 99% sure you already knew each other before the cruise. 

 

If they want to, and of course they do, they know exactly who's connected to whom. And who cruised first. 

 

While new cruisers on average spend much more than repeaters, maybe they should give the "influencers" a bit more attention. Not a $0.10  lanyard, simply comp the whole cruise with free drinks if the computer guesses you'll probably bring 4 more couples, who will also cruise another projected 4 times. I'm not a marketeer but selling an extra 20 cruises at the cost of 1, just 5% for marketing, seems cheaper than buying ads on TV.

 

Wow, now the value is $.10, amazing how value drops......   just for the record what is the “right”  dollar value.  For the record it was never about the value - it is about a gift with the Carnival logo on it that others would see......

[AmazedByCruising]

5 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Wow, now the value is $.10, amazing how value drops......   just for the record what is the “right”  dollar value.  For the record it was never about the value - it is about a gift with the Carnival logo on it that others would see......

 

Alibaba says 5 cents but that was not my point. Not even if it's a nice gesture or an insult. I was just saying that the lines do know who brought whom to the ships and maybe should use that metric instead of nights spent on a ship, to thank their most valuable guests. 

[Organized Chaos]

22 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

 

After all the previous comments about it, I was expecting a much worse item. I think it looks like a very well made lanyard, regardless of it's actual monetary value. Personally, it's too big/wide for my tastes. Mine is much narrower. And I'm not fond of that "pouch" style that you slide the card into because you have to take it out every time you want to swipe it. 

 

I use one to keep my S&S card handy, that's it. Yeah I have pockets and the odds of me losing my card are slim to none, but I find it very convenient to use the lanyard. Mine has a quick-release clip on the end near the card, so I can pop it off, swipe it, and easily snap it back on again. It was actually the lanyard that came with a waterproof smartphone pouch, but I quickly discovered that it's much more useful for my S&S card. My wife uses hers too, but she doesn't like it around her neck, so she wraps it around her wrist.

[Organized Chaos]

3 hours ago, RoperDK said:

Oh my, I hadn't seen what the lanyard looks like.  I would never wear it because of the "very important person" written on it. We are low key and don't like to call attention to ourselves.  I would however gift this to a child. I think they might really enjoy it.  It's still a gift and we appreciate the thought.  

 

But since everyone sailing on Carnival is a VIFP, I wouldn't say you're calling attention to yourself just because of the wording on it. It's not my cup of tea, but I know a lot of people do like Carnival branded merchandise, even stuff you wear. For that reason, and others stated in my last comment, I wouldn't use it (if I were Platinum), but I don't think it's as crappy as others have made it out to be. For free gifts that are given out regularly, there's bound to be some stinkers.

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

Alibaba says 5 cents but that was not my point. Not even if it's a nice gesture or an insult. I was just saying that the lines do know who brought whom to the ships and maybe should use that metric instead of nights spent on a ship, to thank their most valuable guests. 

I have no particular dog in this fight, but I would wager their most frequent cruisers are also the ones spending the dough (at least in terms of fares).  Sure there are some that stay in inside cheap cabins, and Casino rates are a different topic.  Do they have analytics on who spends how much?  Sure.  That said, Carnival’s primary focus is 1st time cruisers.  That is why they have so many homeports.  All of which has nothing to do with Loyalty gifts.

Edited June 28, 2019 by jimbo5544

[AmazedByCruising]

2 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

I have no particular dog in this fight, but I would wager their most frequent cruisers are also the ones spending the dough (at least in terms of fares).  Sure there are some that stay in inside cheap cabins, and Casino rates are a different topic.  Do they have analytics on who spends how much?  Sure.  That said, Carnival’s primary focus is 1st time cruisers.  That is why they have so many homeports.  All of which has nothing to do with Loyalty gifts.

 

 

The (by far) most frequent and famous cruiser I know books ordinary balcony cabins. My feeling is, but I could be wrong, is that some book the very best $2000/night cabins maybe twice to see what cruising is like, while the people with 50+ cruises got wiser and book insides, don't gamble, organize their own excursions, don't buy "art" or watches and spend virtually nothing on board. Just fares alone simply isn't enough for the ship to sail. But if they are bringing in a lot of new cruisers, being trustworthy ambassadors as they have no dog in the fight either as they're not the TA, I'd be sprinkling them with chocolate covered strawberries and free cruises.

[PhillyFan33579]

19 hours ago, RoperDK said:

Oh my, I hadn't seen what the lanyard looks like.  I would never wear it because of the "very important person" written on it. We are low key and don't like to call attention to ourselves.  I would however gift this to a child. I think they might really enjoy it.  It's still a gift and we appreciate the thought.  

 

That is the name of their loyalty program (VIFP = Very Important Fun Person). Not sure how that would bring attention to yourself, since everyone who cruises on Carnival is considered a VIFP. 

 

Personally I prefer lanyards that have Eagles, Phillies, etc. on them. I also like lanyards that have a clip on them, which makes it easy to hand your S&S card to a bartender, as previously mentioned in this thread. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by PhillyFan33579

[AmBear]

On 6/24/2019 at 8:29 PM, crzndeb said:

But I do enjoy those 3 1/2 hours of drinks and the Cappuccino in the morning on Royal. 😉 

 

 

Agreed, I think Carnival should be 'stepping up' their loyalty program, cause other lines like RCL do offer better benes.!

We choose to cruise mostly on Carnival because of the itineraries, but after awhile, they get old too!

I think many of those commenting here are not cruising other lines to see the difference!

[Maraprince]

49 minutes ago, AmBear said:

Agreed, I think Carnival should be 'stepping up' their loyalty program, cause other lines like RCL do offer better benes.!

We choose to cruise mostly on Carnival because of the itineraries, but after awhile, they get old too!

I think many of those commenting here are not cruising other lines to see the difference!

Personally, I like the stretchy ones that the casino gives out with the hole punched into the card itself.  I can always find my cruise card in my bag by the cord (like a leash) , the card does not have to be removed to be scanned, I wear it with the card turned backwards (so my level is not seen) so I will not missplace/lose it when ashore, and if by some remote chance the card gets caught in something it can be easily detached as a safety measure.

 

As far as first time cruisers vs. repeat ones and spending patterns -- often grandparents will pay for their families to sail with them often including shore excursions, photos and other items as well.  Some first timers will never return on their own due to lacking the money to book another cruise based upon what it costed them on their first cruise!

 

Groups are popular with the cruise lines since they charge a flat rate based upon what they estimate a cruiser would spend (drinks, excursions, etc.) for an inside cabin.  If you want to upgrade to an outside or balcony an extra charge is added.  Often these are the least desirable cabins due to their location and are harder to sell.

 

If the cruise lines want you to spend more on board, they need to have attractive merchandise available at reasonable prices.  There is always "something" that you have forgotten to bring, breaks and needs to be replaced, or the weather makes it a necessity (hotter or colder than expected).  With cruises sailing out of NY, locals have access to lots of shopping venues with great selections at all price points.  If you can get it at home in NYC for less, why buy it on the ship?  For example, if the ships offer Kipling brand handbags at discounted prices, they will find buyers.

 

Just some thoughts....

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[coevan]

To all of you, 96 post about a lanyard, seriously, give it up

[Organized Chaos]

2 minutes ago, coevan said:

To all of you, 96 post about a lanyard, seriously, give it up

 

Unfollow the thread if it bothers you so much.

[meatloafsfan]

I can understand some grumbling about the lanyards. It feels very out of sync with the value of many of the previous Platinum gifts. We got the blankets last time; whether or not you like the blanket itself, it's a higher value item than a lanyard.

 

I look at it like this -

 

Every year for Christmas I treat my staff to a nice lunch catered by an Italian bakery near us - lasagna, eggplant, cannelloni, grilled vegetables - stuff like that. If next Christmas I decided to bring in McDonalds cheeseburgers instead, I would expect some grumbling. Yes it's a free lunch and they should be "grateful" for it - however, it would be very out of sync with expectations that I've set with previous lunches.

 

Same with Carnival. They handed out Bluetooth speakers, tervis tumblers, blankets, backpacks....now it's a lanyard. It feels like it's no where near the same level of gift.

[Lottacruises]

16 hours ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

 

The (by far) most frequent and famous cruiser I know books ordinary balcony cabins. My feeling is, but I could be wrong, is that some book the very best $2000/night cabins maybe twice to see what cruising is like, while the people with 50+ cruises got wiser and book insides, don't gamble, organize their own excursions, don't buy "art" or watches and spend virtually nothing on board. Just fares alone simply isn't enough for the ship to sail. But if they are bringing in a lot of new cruisers, being trustworthy ambassadors as they have no dog in the fight either as they're not the TA, I'd be sprinkling them with chocolate covered strawberries and free cruises.

 

For me you are:

while the people with 50+ cruises got wiser and book insides, WRONG

don't gamble, RIGHT

organize their own excursions, RIGHT

don't buy "art" RIGHT

or watches RIGHT

and spend virtually nothing on board RIGHT

 

[Lottacruises]

1 hour ago, meatloafsfan said:

I can understand some grumbling about the lanyards. It feels very out of sync with the value of many of the previous Platinum gifts. We got the blankets last time; whether or not you like the blanket itself, it's a higher value item than a lanyard.

 

I look at it like this -

 

Every year for Christmas I treat my staff to a nice lunch catered by an Italian bakery near us - lasagna, eggplant, cannelloni, grilled vegetables - stuff like that. If next Christmas I decided to bring in McDonalds cheeseburgers instead, I would expect some grumbling. Yes it's a free lunch and they should be "grateful" for it - however, it would be very out of sync with expectations that I've set with previous lunches.

 

Same with Carnival. They handed out Bluetooth speakers, tervis tumblers, blankets, backpacks....now it's a lanyard. It feels like it's no where near the same level of gift.

 

 

I agree and I like McDonald's...