Changes Announced for Captain's Club Member Benefits

[jg51]

On 8/27/2021 at 7:49 PM, jg51 said:

...

Anyway, we have to say it again:  Due to AI, some of the key Elite/Elite+ benefits have been shredded (except for the few poor souls that pay for a "Simply Sail" fare).

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On 8/28/2021 at 8:09 AM, gold1953 said:

Your last statement calling Simply sail folks poor souls is insulting! We personally can pay for an inclusive cabin but neither of us will pay for something we don't use. We are almost Elite + and got more than what we needed from the Elite package. The benefits are all relevant to us and others

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Hello again, "gold1953."

That statement about "Simply Sail" [SS] guests would not have seemed "insulting" to you, if you had understood the phrase, "poor souls," in the way that we meant it.

 

It appears that you must have thought that we were using "poor souls" to mean "financially impoverished people" -- but we didn't mean it that way at all!  Instead, we meant "poor souls" as being synonymous with "unfortunate folks."  (We think that it should have been clear to you that we were not using "poor" to refer to finances, because no one could ever have reached an Elite/Elite+ level if he/she/they were "impoverished.")

 

So, therefore, one may ask, "Why, jg51, would you think of 'Simply Sail' guests as 'unfortunate folks'?"  It is because of two alleged fact (which we have read more than once on this board):

[1] a person who opts for a "Simply Sail" cannot choose a specific stateroom, but must select a "Guarantee" category ... and ...

[2] a SS fare cheats the guest, because it is not equal to the "AI fare minus the cost of the three included elements" -- as it ought to be!  Instead, we have read, the SS fare is considerably higher than "AI minus the three elements."  In other words, the cruise line doesn't want people to choose SS, so it discounts an aggregate of the three elements  (service charge, Internet, and beverage package) for each AI guest.

 

Consider this:

For many months, we have been harshly criticizing "X" (our main line since 2008, and exclusively since 2017) for the AI concept.  We [E+] recently decided to book a SS cruise, expecting to get a decent fare for a specific kind of stateroom [category and deck] that we have always liked.  Online, however, we discovered that we had to go with a "Guarantee" category instead -- and that the fare seemed much higher than we expected.  We abandoned our idea, rather than become another "poor soul" casualty of the AI/SS mess.

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Edited August 29, 2021 by jg51

[LGW59]

On 8/28/2021 at 11:51 AM, ORV said:

I'm with Patty. While we're at it let's get rid of the pools and hot tubs. I hate paying for that stuff I never use. 

 

There seems to be a lot of self serving attitudes on this thread. There is a ton of stuff that the cruise lines offer that many of us never use.

 

It's real simple, if you like their product spend money with them, if not find something that suits you more. As has been stated many times already the perks of the program were never guaranteed. They have always been subject to change. They never promised you a rose garden. 

I don't use the pool or hot tubs either, but I do not mind subsidizing those that do.  It is always included.

[Oxo]

33 minutes ago, jg51 said:

a SS fare cheats the guest, because it is not equal to the "AI fare minus the cost of the three included elements" -- as it ought to be!  Instead, we have read, the SS fare is considerably higher than "AI minus the three elements."  In other words, the cruise line doesn't want people to choose SS, so it discounts an aggregate of the three elements  (service charge, Internet, and beverage package) for each AI guest.

Here is another way to look at it.

Elite+ unlimited Happy Hour 5 - 7pm.

Passenger maybe drinks less than 5 drinks.

Compare: SS priced was $600 less than Balcony w/AI. Both with $300 OBC.

DRINKS: if you are a drinker - get AI.

GRATITUITIES: Use part of $300 OBC

WI-FI: Elite+ minutes may be more than enough.

So, with this example my grats were $210. I now have $690 to spend on whatever,  even a couple more drinks. 

Two sides to every story. 

Stay Safe n Happy Cruising!

[ORV]

26 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I don't use the pool or hot tubs either, but I do not mind subsidizing those that do.  It is always included.

Right, I'm sure you realized I was being facetious. 

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, ORV said:

Right, I'm sure you realized I was being facetious. 

I did indeed 

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, Oxo said:

Here is another way to look at it.

Elite+ unlimited Happy Hour 5 - 7pm.

Passenger maybe drinks less than 5 drinks.

Compare: SS priced was $600 less than Balcony w/AI. Both with $300 OBC.

DRINKS: if you are a drinker - get AI.

GRATITUITIES: Use part of $300 OBC

WI-FI: Elite+ minutes may be more than enough.

So, with this example my grats were $210. I now have $690 to spend on whatever,  even a couple more drinks. 

Two sides to every story. 

Stay Safe n Happy Cruising!

Maybe but only with a guarantee cabin and on a very few selected cruises. Guarantee also desn't work if you need a particular cabin layout  - try getting a 4 wheel rollator in if the bed is next to the wardrobe. 

[Oxo]

Just now, the penguins said:

Maybe but only with a guarantee cabin and on a very few selected cruises. Guarantee also desn't work if you need a particular cabin layout  - try getting a 4 wheel rollator in if the bed is next to the wardrobe. 

I just posted my experience. I'm sure there are exceptions to any example. Nothing always works. I didn't need a particular cabin layout or 4 wheel rollator. 

I hope you can find something that meets all your requirements,

[Sailfish]

4 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

.

Hello again, "gold1953."

That statement about "Simply Sail" [SS] guests would not have seemed "insulting" to you, if you had understood the phrase, "poor souls," in the way that we meant it.

 

It appears that you must have thought that we were using "poor souls" to mean "financially impoverished people" -- but we didn't mean it that way at all!  Instead, we meant "poor souls" as being synonymous with "unfortunate folks."  (We think that it should have been clear to you that we were not using "poor" to refer to finances, because no one could ever have reached an Elite/Elite+ level if he/she/they were "impoverished.")

 

So, therefore, one may ask, "Why, jg51, would you think of 'Simply Sail' guests as 'unfortunate folks'?"  It is because of two alleged fact (which we have read more than once on this board):

[1] a person who opts for a "Simply Sail" cannot choose a specific stateroom, but must select a "Guarantee" category ... and ...

[2] a SS fare cheats the guest, because it is not equal to the "AI fare minus the cost of the three included elements" -- as it ought to be!  Instead, we have read, the SS fare is considerably higher than "AI minus the three elements."  In other words, the cruise line doesn't want people to choose SS, so it discounts an aggregate of the three elements  (service charge, Internet, and beverage package) for each AI guest.

 

Consider this:

For many months, we have been harshly criticizing "X" (our main line since 2008, and exclusively since 2017) for the AI concept.  We [E+] recently decided to book a SS cruise, expecting to get a decent fare for a specific kind of stateroom [category and deck] that we have always liked.  Online, however, we discovered that we had to go with a "Guarantee" category instead -- and that the fare seemed much higher than we expected.  We abandoned our idea, rather than become another "poor soul" casualty of the AI/SS mess.

.

Our travel agent is able to get us an assigned cabin with the Simply Sail price. We are currently aboard the Millennium,  doing back to back cruises. We got the same cabin for both cruises. Plus shipboard credit, enough to cover gratuities. And as we are Elite Plus, we get the perks. And at least on our cruise, we are getting the same perks as before. But we were told too few higher level CC guests to have Senior Officer party. Only change. 

Edited August 29, 2021 by Sailfish

[the penguins]

3 minutes ago, Sailfish said:

Our travel agent is able to get us an assigned cabin with the Simply Sail price. We are currently aboard the Millennium,  doing back to back cruises. We got the same cabin for both cruises. Plus shipboard credit, enough to cover gratuities. And as we are Elite Plus, we get the perks. And at least on our cruise, we are getting the same perks as before. But we were told too few higher level CC guests to have Senior Officer party. Only change. 

If your agent is still able to do this on all upcoming cruises would you be prepared to email their details? Captains Club were unable to find any such agent that still has that deal. My 

[jg51]

19 hours ago, Sailfish said:

Our travel agent is able to get us an assigned cabin with the Simply Sail price. We are currently aboard the Millennium,  doing back to back cruises. We got the same cabin for both cruises. Plus shipboard credit, enough to cover gratuities. And as we are Elite Plus, we get the perks. And at least on our cruise, we are getting the same perks as before. But we were told too few higher level CC guests to have Senior Officer party. Only change. 

 

18 hours ago, the penguins said:

If your agent is still able to do this on all upcoming cruises would you be prepared to email their details? Captains Club were unable to find any such agent that still has that deal. 

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Truly hard to believe, isn't it, "the penguins."

 

If the situation is exactly as you describe it, "Sailfish," you got a truly remarkable deal.  Maybe your travel agent has been around for a very long time and has "inside connections."

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Edited August 30, 2021 by jg51