Any changes to Captain's Club perks

[SWFJOE]

Does anyone know or have an opinion on if there will be any changes to the Captain's Club perks? Trying to decide between HAL and Celebrity. HAL intinerary is a little more to my liking but Happy hour and laundry perks on Celebrity are really nice. Elite on Celebrity (some points came from Royal Caribbean) 2 star on HAL so no real perks on HAL. Thanks for the feedback.

[Fouremco]

Personally, I would opt for the cruise I prefer and not worry about the perks. We more or less alternate between HAL and Celebrity, with itinerary being our #1 criterion when making our selection.

[woldridge]

Unless you are a top level with HAL their perks have no comparison to Celebrity.  However, HAL's  laundry program is much better than Celebrities even if it is a paid option!

[Snit13]

To me Celebrity's NO SMOKING in most places far outweighs any other perk that might be offered.  Not really a gambler but do enjoy being able to sit down at a slot machine in the Casino on Celebrity on occasion.  Love all of my other perks too.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, SWFJOE said:

Does anyone know or have an opinion on if there will be any changes to the Captain's Club perks? Trying to decide between HAL and Celebrity. HAL intinerary is a little more to my liking but Happy hour and laundry perks on Celebrity are really nice. Elite on Celebrity (some points came from Royal Caribbean) 2 star on HAL so no real perks on HAL. Thanks for the feedback.

My Magic 8 Ball say's, "my reply is no".

Points between Celebrity and RC don't crossover between the two cruise lines. Your tier level (?) of diamond, diamond plus or pinnacle to elite or elite, elite plus or zenith is reciprocal. 

[Orator]

My opinion is that all lines will make cutbacks in their loyalty programs. They absolutely need cash to survive and perks are a loss to the bottom line. Celebrity made some cutbacks even prior to Covid-19 and they pretty much made cuts to the bone, not just fat. Th menus now reflect less expensive cuts of meat. Zeniths ,who at one time were invited to a Captain's Table in a Specialty restaurant are no longer invited as a rule. The "top spending cruiser" no longer receives a complimentary dinner and only an invitation to sit with an officer. All of these things were ended prior to the current financial concerns. More than ever, Celebrity and others will avoid doing anything that has a negative impact on the bottom line.iI can see some program changes ahead that would make it more difficult to reach Elite and above. Just hope that they grandfather people who have achieved these levels and keep the benefits for them.

[Miaminice]

HAL offer nice itineraries and good quality - but just not the same ambiance as Celebrity. We also much prefer the open and airy design of Celebrity ships.

We would choose our cruise by many factors, but definitely not perks.

 

BTW: you might not get laundry on HAL, however, drinks are much less expensive on HAL.

 

[cruisestitch]

DaveKathy isn’t quite right regarding reciprocity of tier levels.  Diamond Plus and Pinnacle = Elite, just as Elite Plus and Zenith = Diamond.

 

 

[davekathy]

31 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

DaveKathy isn’t quite right regarding reciprocity of tier levels.  Diamond Plus and Pinnacle = Elite, just as Elite Plus and Zenith = Diamond.

 

 

No, cruisestitch isn't quite right concerning reciprocity tier levels.  RCs diamond, diamond+ and pinnacle = Celebritys elite. Celebritys elite, elite+ and zenith = RCs diamond. 

 

 

 

Tier Levels.docx

Edited June 25, 2020 by davekathy

[NutsAboutGolf]

I predict they'll have no choice but to shuffle the perks/tiers in 2021 however they will be very open to grandfather your current status.  My big fear is you'll need reservations everywhere, from shows to the buffet and they'll institute some sort of no show fee.  Then a "perk" for the upper tiers is you'll never be charge a no show fee.

[WestLakeGirl]

I think the point is that Pinnacle is not Zenith, and Elite Plus is not Diamond Plus

[hcat]

3 hours ago, Orator said:

My opinion is that all lines will make cutbacks in their loyalty programs. They absolutely need cash to survive and perks are a loss to the bottom line. Celebrity made some cutbacks even prior to Covid-19 and they pretty much made cuts to the bone, not just fat. Th menus now reflect less expensive cuts of meat. Zeniths ,who at one time were invited to a Captain's Table in a Specialty restaurant are no longer invited as a rule. The "top spending cruiser" no longer receives a complimentary dinner and only an invitation to sit with an officer. All of these things were ended prior to the current financial concerns. More than ever, Celebrity and others will avoid doing anything that has a negative impact on the bottom line.iI can see some program changes ahead that would make it more difficult to reach Elite and above. Just hope that they grandfather people who have achieved these levels and keep the benefits for them.

 

At the same time X is awarding points to those who take surveys and post on social media..Ultimately that will have consequences as well,  esp for those just a few points shy of the next level.  More Elites and E + mean dilution of perks, and  more crowded  events...if they still have events. Probably not a big hit to the bottom line..maybe they will limit "free" alcohol at events.

 

The give away items are already  junky so they could not cut back there any more..!

[Orator]

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

 

At the same time X is awarding points to those who take surveys and post on social media..Ultimately that will have consequences as well,  esp for those just a few points shy of the next level.  More Elites and E + mean dilution of perks, and  more crowded  events...if they still have events. Probably not a big hit to the bottom line..maybe they will limit "free" alcohol at events.

 

The give away items are already  junky so they could not cut back there any more..!

Yes, some will use the points to move to a higher level, but the strategy allows Celebrity to get very valuable market research at a cut rate cost. 

[hcat]

2 minutes ago, Orator said:

Yes, some will use the points to move to a higher level, but the strategy allows Celebrity to get very valuable market research at a cut rate cost. 

Yup..great pr move!

[Fouremco]

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

 

At the same time X is awarding points to those who take surveys and post on social media..Ultimately that will have consequences as well,  esp for those just a few points shy of the next level.  More Elites and E + mean dilution of perks, and  more crowded  events...if they still have events. Probably not a big hit to the bottom line..maybe they will limit "free" alcohol at events.

 

The give away items are already  junky so they could not cut back there any more..!

The number of passengers who will be promoted as a result of this points promo will be minuscule compared to the number who would have been promoted had the pandemic never occurred. Consider yourself ahead of the game. As for Celebrity, don't worry, they've done their cost-benefit analysis. 

[Covepointcruiser]

There are so many Zeniths on some cruises it would be impossible to have them all dine with an officer.   They already have incredible perks including a seven day cruise.   They also have access to Michael’s/Retreat area and receive the prime beverage package.   In addition, they have special Zenith’s meals on the bridge to welcome new members.   There are probably more perks.   Folks are living longer and before the COVID 19 spent many months aboard the ships on B2B2B2B sailings.   They can’t take away what has already been awarded.
 

 

[Quo Vadis?]

6 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

 "In addition, they have special Zenith’s meals on the bridge to welcome new members. "

There are no Zenith meals on the bridge, just a cake and a sparkly for a toast.

There used to be a lunch in Blu if there are enough Zeniths but some Hotel Director's won't give Zeniths any recognition and even cancel the luncheon.

 

 

 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, WestLakeGirl said:

I think the point is that Pinnacle is not Zenith, and Elite Plus is not Diamond Plus

Including elite+ isn't diamond + and diamond + isn't elite +. 

[Orator]

No argument that the perks are great, but the reduction is a sign of things to come for all loyalty levels. When a new Zenith has a Bridge ceremony they only serve cake. At one time they took the group to. Blu for lunch, but no more. At one time all Zeniths were invited to the Bridge for the ceremony, but that too has passed. I've been on cruises where there were less than. 4 Zeniths and no dinners with officers. In fact, one time I was the Top spending cruiser and there was one other. Zenith couple. They were new Zeniths and in a Suite. They were invited to a lunch in Blu and we were not, although we were told by the HD that we should be prepared to attend the lunch. What started out as a lunch to recognize Zeniths became a Zenith/ High Suite lunch and now ion some cruises a high Suite only lunch. If there are many Zeniths a lunch in Blu is usually served. Little things add up and all the changes came before Covid-19. What's in store for those in lower levels? Only time will tell, but I would not be optimistic.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Orator

[4774Papa]

Perks like the free elite happy hour and bag of laundry have some value.  Before picking a cruise, I factor in the value of those perks.

Still, I would estimate that we usually save about $300 on those perks for a two week cruise.

Yes, itinerary is the key, as well as price.

[phoenix_dream]

15 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

There are so many Zeniths on some cruises it would be impossible to have them all dine with an officer.   They already have incredible perks including a seven day cruise.   They also have access to Michael’s/Retreat area and receive the prime beverage package.   In addition, they have special Zenith’s meals on the bridge to welcome new members.   There are probably more perks.   Folks are living longer and before the COVID 19 spent many months aboard the ships on B2B2B2B sailings.   They can’t take away what has already been awarded.
 

 

Regarding your last statement - of course they can.  They've already apparently done that with some of the Zenith perks.   As to reducing perks for other levels, I kinda doubt it.  At this point, a good percentage of people book with perks such as drink packages and internet minutes.  So Celebrity loses little by continuing to offer limited free drinks and a few internet minutes to the various levels.  Many people who use the free laundry perk would likely just bring more clothes rather than paying for laundry anyway (not all but I suspect many), so including that perk costs them little.   Discounts on specialty dining?  If you negotiate you can almost always get that anyway.  So in essence, IMHO the perks cost them little to begin with so I don't see them limiting them.  Might they increase the points required per level?  Perhaps, but that is really a reasonable thing anyway as the length of the program increases.  I'm sure by the time I get anywhere close to Zenith that level will be raised even higher😒

[awhfy]

20 hours ago, davekathy said:

My Magic 8 Ball say's, "my reply is no".

Points between Celebrity and RC don't crossover between the two cruise lines. Your tier level (?) of diamond, diamond plus or pinnacle to elite or elite, elite plus or zenith is reciprocal. 

Actually the reciprocal status with Royal/Celebrity tops out at Elite/Diamond. You have to earn the higher status on each line

[ChucktownSteve]

If you don't like the perks currently being offered, wait a few minutes and it will change. (figuratively)

 

Perks are a high perceived value and a low out of pocket cost to the cruise line. If they need to book cabins, they increase the perks, but hidden in that usually is a price increase as well.  Obviously they try to maximize revenue.  Like hotel rooms, an empty cabin upon sailing is lost revenue forever.  That's why perks can't be combined with their Exciting Deals, They just want to fill the cabin and hope you'll spend once onboard.

 

I just noticed that the June Deal has already changed today to the "Extra Credit" sale which is two perks.  Guess the other one wasn't working like they wanted it to. I thought it was pretty weak.

Edited June 26, 2020 by ChucktownSteve

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, awhfy said:

Actually the reciprocal status with Royal/Celebrity tops out at Elite/Diamond. You have to earn the higher status on each line

Yes I know that and said that a couple of times. 

Edited June 26, 2020 by davekathy

[Muushka]

On 6/25/2020 at 1:11 PM, woldridge said:

Unless you are a top level with HAL their perks have no comparison to Celebrity.  However, HAL's  laundry program is much better than Celebrities even if it is a paid option!

Yupper, agree 100%.

 

I would rather pay for laundry on HAL and what that entails than have it for free on X as Elite.  And I am pretty frugal!