Diamond and faster to the fun

[Organized Chaos]

On 9/24/2019 at 9:55 AM, LibratPDX said:

And why am I not getting double points for paying double (being solo) in a cabin?

 

3 hours ago, glrounds said:

EXACTLY ! ! I almost always cruise solo and I'd appreciate DOUBLE CREDIT very much. I almost always cruise inside cabin and what I spend for that I could easily be in a shared suite ! I don't see that change coming at all. 

 

Because Carnival's loyalty program is based on how many days you spend at sea, not on how much money you spend (nor should it).

[LibratPDX]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

 

Because Carnival's loyalty program is based on how many days you spend at sea, not on how much money you spend (nor should it).

True, but other lines owned by the same Corporation give double credit to solos who are paying for a double-occupancy cabin, it's not about the amount of money, it's about basically paying for two people.

[glrounds]

2 hours ago, LibratPDX said:

True, but other lines owned by the same Corporation give double credit to solos who are paying for a double-occupancy cabin, it's not about the amount of money, it's about basically paying for two people.

 

Exactly what I was trying to say, but apparently Chaos thought I was defining the program. I've come too far to worry about it anyway and aside from early boarding I wouldn't miss Platinum at all if they decide to take it away.  Get some great offers from HAL and Princess on an almost daily basis. I loved Princess so maybe a different direction would be in order if there were massive redoing of the "Loyalty" program.

[PhillyFan33579]

8 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

 

Because Carnival's loyalty program is based on how many days you spend at sea, not on how much money you spend (nor should it).

 

Why do you think Carnival’s loyalty program shouldn’t be based on how much money you spend? A lot of loyalty programs, including numerous airlines, hotels, and cruise lines, are based on the amount of money spent. 

 

I don’t think the loyalty program should be based on every last dollar someone spends on a cruise. But it doesn’t seem fair in my opinion that someone who stays in an interior upper/lower cabin gets the same credit (one VIFP day) as someone staying in any kind of suite, for example. 

[TNcruising02]

On the flip side, basing the program on days lets the passengers know that everyone is treated equally and that they value all of their passengers, even the ones who may not be able to afford a suite.  Along as you spend a night on their cruise, you receive an accumulated benefit. Their program rewards everyone.  I think it's fine just the way it is.  If they want to add more tiers to make it harder to reach more benefits, then they should do it.

The only platinum benefits I really care about are the priority lines and dropping my carry-ons off at my cabin.  I might use the free laundry, although I don't mind doing a load mid-cruise.

Edited October 1, 2019 by TNcruising02

[PhillyFan33579]

39 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

The only platinum benefits I really care about are the priority lines and dropping my carry-ons off at my cabin.  I might use the free laundry, although I don't mind doing a load mid-cruise.

 

I still find it interesting that Carnival has never added early access to cabins on their website as a perk for Platinums and Diamonds. I know this was a big issue when FTTF first came out, and Carnival’s website also says D&Ps don’t need to buy FTTF, but for whatever reason Carnival has never added early access to cabins as a D&P perk on their VIFP perks page. 

[Lottacruises]

Who exactly accepts our carnival loyalty status, just their other brands?

[bingomamma19]

Just glad I aspire to the be last off the ship and nowhere near the first on.   I hate crowds, lines and the bad behavior that goes with them.

 

I am Platinum, but will never use it for priority boarding or debark, so that is no lure for me.   The biggest perk for me is free laundry, but I can do it myself like I used to in their laundry rooms too.

[Organized Chaos]

10 hours ago, LibratPDX said:

True, but other lines owned by the same Corporation give double credit to solos who are paying for a double-occupancy cabin, it's not about the amount of money, it's about basically paying for two people.

 

Which is literally about the money.

 

On those lines that give double credit, are their loyalty programs calculated by number of days at sea, just like Carnival's, or do they have some other kind of points system?

[Organized Chaos]

4 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Why do you think Carnival’s loyalty program shouldn’t be based on how much money you spend? A lot of loyalty programs, including numerous airlines, hotels, and cruise lines, are based on the amount of money spent. 

 

I don’t think the loyalty program should be based on every last dollar someone spends on a cruise. But it doesn’t seem fair in my opinion that someone who stays in an interior upper/lower cabin gets the same credit (one VIFP day) as someone staying in any kind of suite, for example. 

 

We're only a member of a couple hotel loyalty programs, but I've looked into plenty others over the years. All of them are based on number of nights stayed, not how much money someone spends. Those who stay in the cheapest room earn the same night as the ones who stay in the most expensive. Granted, some run limited promotions that offer, for example, double the nights for certain things, but their core programs are still based on nights stayed. I'm not saying there aren't others who do it differently, I'm just saying that many of them (most?) go by number of nights stayed, regardless of the rate of the room.

 

TNcruising pretty much covered what I would've said. It's one way for Carnival to show they value all of their customers, regardless of how much they spend. After all, they're billed as a cruise line that's meant to be affordable to more people.

 

What you're saying is much different than what LibratPDX and glrounds are talking about. They think solo cruisers should get double loyalty points since they have to pay the single supplement. What you're promoting is those who spend more money overall deserve more. Those who stay in a more expensive cabin deserve more than those who don't. As I said in another thread, that's nothing more than elitism, and it's definitely not the type of people I'm interested in associating with on a cruise, or anywhere. We all know you love to tell us how many cruises you've taken, so in all honesty, it comes as no surprise to me that you believe your ability to spend more money than others should count for more. Fortunately, at least in regards to the VIFP program, Carnival doesn't feel the same.

 

 

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I still find it interesting that Carnival has never added early access to cabins on their website as a perk for Platinums and Diamonds. I know this was a big issue when FTTF first came out, and Carnival’s website also says D&Ps don’t need to buy FTTF, but for whatever reason Carnival has never added early access to cabins as a D&P perk on their VIFP perks page. 

 

It used to be noted in the FTTF information. Under the "First Access to Stateroom" perk, it used to say: "Note: This is also a benefit for VIFP Diamond and Platinum guests." Just as it currently does under the "Priority Luggage" perk. But they changed the wording a year or two ago and eliminated that wording under "First Access." It was a very hot topic on here and caused many to speculate that immediate cabin access was being removed as a Platinum perk.

[jimbo5544]

FTTF was added as a program (for pay) and added as a loyalty perk.  It is not outside the realm of possibility that it could go a for pay and not offered as a loyalty perk.  As mentioned, there has been much discussion here on this here.  All this said, I have heard nothing that they are even considering removing it as a perk.

[LibratPDX]

Clearly I should have said it's not JUST about the money. 😶😣

 

Since I have cruised Carnival exclusively for a while, I'm not sure how the point systems are structured on other lines.  

Edited October 1, 2019 by LibratPDX

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

We're only a member of a couple hotel loyalty programs, but I've looked into plenty others over the years. All of them are based on number of nights stayed, not how much money someone spends. Those who stay in the cheapest room earn the same night as the ones who stay in the most expensive. Granted, some run limited promotions that offer, for example, double the nights for certain things, but their core programs are still based on nights stayed. I'm not saying there aren't others who do it differently, I'm just saying that many of them (most?) go by number of nights stayed, regardless of the rate of the room.

 

TNcruising pretty much covered what I would've said. It's one way for Carnival to show they value all of their customers, regardless of how much they spend. After all, they're billed as a cruise line that's meant to be affordable to more people.

 

What you're saying is much different than what LibratPDX and glrounds are talking about. They think solo cruisers should get double loyalty points since they have to pay the single supplement. What you're promoting is those who spend more money overall deserve more. Those who stay in a more expensive cabin deserve more than those who don't. As I said in another thread, that's nothing more than elitism, and it's definitely not the type of people I'm interested in associating with on a cruise, or anywhere. We all know you love to tell us how many cruises you've taken, so in all honesty, it comes as no surprise to me that you believe your ability to spend more money than others should count for more. Fortunately, at least in regards to the VIFP program, Carnival doesn't feel the same.

 

 

 

It used to be noted in the FTTF information. Under the "First Access to Stateroom" perk, it used to say: "Note: This is also a benefit for VIFP Diamond and Platinum guests." Just as it currently does under the "Priority Luggage" perk. But they changed the wording a year or two ago and eliminated that wording under "First Access." It was a very hot topic on here and caused many to speculate that immediate cabin access was being removed as a Platinum perk.

 

My comment was about the VIFP page that lists the perks associated with each loyalty level. That page has never listed early access to a cabin as a perk for D&Ps.   

 

I challenge you to find one comment on this board where I said I should get more credit because I pay for a suite. Just because I said I didn’t think it was fair that people in suites get the same credit as people in interior cabins get, doesn’t mean I was referring to myself. I have never stayed in a suite and I never would, because I can’t justify spending that much money when I don’t spend too much time in my cabin during a cruise.  However, I can understand people who have commented on this board in the past that it doesn’t seem right that you get the same VIFP credit even if you paid ten times more for your cabin than someone else. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by PhillyFan33579

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

FTTF was added as a program (for pay) and added as a loyalty perk.  It is not outside the realm of possibility that it could go a for pay and not offered as a loyalty perk.  As mentioned, there has been much discussion here on this here.  All this said, I have heard nothing that they are even considering removing it as a perk.

 

Like we have both mentioned before, the biggest problem Carnival has is they have way too many “priority” people, especially at the Platinum level. Of course, you could also say this is a good problem to have. 

 

On my last cruise out of Port Canaveral, they ran out of seats in the priority waiting area. I had never witnessed that before on any previous cruise. I think that will become more common in the future if they don’t make a change to the current VIFP program at some point in the future. 

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

We're only a member of a couple hotel loyalty programs, but I've looked into plenty others over the years. All of them are based on number of nights stayed, not how much money someone spends. Those who stay in the cheapest room earn the same night as the ones who stay in the most expensive. Granted, some run limited promotions that offer, for example, double the nights for certain things, but their core programs are still based on nights stayed. 

 

I meant to address this in my previous reply. When I used to travel a lot for work, most hotel loyalty programs I stayed in were based on how much money you spent. Now that I don’t travel very often, I usually stay in a Hilton or Marriott. Both of their loyalty programs are based on money spent.  Also, RCCL and NCL, who most people view as Carnival’s main competitors, have reward programs that offer additional points if you stay in a suite or in one of their special cabins/areas.