Revamped Tier Levels Coming Soon

[caribill]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

What does the no cash value statement mean? If refundable isn't that cash value?

 

But as one Cruise Critic poster found out by calling Princess, it is not refundable.

 

You must spend it with Princess before the end of the cruise.

[caribill]

49 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

So someone who has 52+ cruises with Princess, presumably because they like Princess is going to switch to a new brand and start over building in a loyalty program because they lost some Internet minutes and $100 in credit? Were people really paying $3,500 or more to go on a Princess cruise instead of RCI or Celebrity because of a $100 difference? Did that $100 make the Princess cruise that much more attractive or affordable?

 

 

 

 

I can''t answer for someone with 52+ cruises with Princess as I do not have that many, but:

 

o I have found that the overall experience on RCI, Celebrity and HAL is not that different from the experience on Princess. Yes, each cruise line does some things differently, but overall not that different.

 

o As Princess disposes of older and lower capacity ships, the itineraries on the large ships with Princess are very similar to those on its competitors.  It really does not matter which cruise line I would use for a Caribbean trip from Florida that goes to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and a private Island. So if loyalty benefits do not influence me to book with Princess, then other cruise line options are definitely in play.

[voljeep]

at least Princess hasn't taken away the 2 for 1 happy hour specials - now that would really cause an uproar amongst the CC posters 🤑

[LACruiser88]

10 minutes ago, voljeep said:

at least Princess hasn't taken away the 2 for 1 happy hour specials - now that would really cause an uproar amongst the CC posters 🤑

On our last few cruises in 2019, the Happy Hour was done away with.  I don't know if this was fleet wide or just on the ships we were on?

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

On our last few cruises in 2019, the Happy Hour was done away with.  I don't know if this was fleet wide or just on the ships we were on?

it was fleet-wide - I was just goofing on the forum about the uproar that caused, but that has passed, as will these current changes

[neverbeenhere]

16 minutes ago, voljeep said:

at least Princess hasn't taken away the 2 for 1 happy hour specials - now that would really cause an uproar amongst the CC posters 🤑

 

Princess is still working on enhancements to replace the BOGO$

[RRFan]

4 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

 

Princess is still working on enhancements to replace the BOGO$

🤣🤣 like 10% off photos. 🤣🤣

[azbirdmom]

My husband and I finally got the email around 9 PM last night so they must have released them in batches.  Both of our emails had the language about elimination of the loyalty OBC.

[dog]

10 minutes ago, RRFan said:

🤣🤣 like 10% off photos. 🤣🤣

I see Princess replacing benefits with discounts. So we spend on-board 

 

buy their photos ( many of us have excellent cameras now)

 

buy their excursions ( many of us seasoned cruisers prefer DIY.)

 

buy the Plus package (limits on sofa drinks, water etc we bring on-board; take away internet loyalty benefits, prepay crew gratuities)

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by dog

[caribill]

26 minutes ago, RRFan said:

🤣🤣 like 10% off photos. 🤣🤣

 

I bet photo prices are up. With 10% off, will they be lower than previous full price?

[Sea Hag]

16 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

What amazes me is the number of people saying it will give them reason to sail with another line. I can’t imagine any perk that wold stop me sailing with anyone that suited me. 

It won't stop me either, but the changes in benefits will factor into the cost/value calculations when shopping for a new cruise.

[Dorinda]

Long time Princess cruiser here…

 

Free internet gone, on board loyalty credit gone, maybe Captains Circle party and most travelled lunch gone, last small ship gone…

 

10% discount on things I don’t buy is no compensation.

 

I’m looking at other lines.🙁

 

 

[capriccio]

2 minutes ago, Dorinda said:

maybe Captains Circle party and most travelled lunch gone

Is this just hypothesis or a rumor?

[Dorinda]

5 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Is this just hypothesis or a rumor?

Our return to service

As part of our commitment to safe sailing, some loyalty events and offerings may be updated.
 

So, it’s just a guess…

[LawDog61]

I have to wonder if the shareholder benefit is safe.   It sure looks like. CCL is looking under the sofa cushions for loose change.

[Shaver John]

We have over 500 days, just wondering if Princess will make a new level for number of days or just leave the new set of guidelines for all.  Not the end of the world, but since Covid I think that maybe many of us have new plans in mind and this might be the time to enact new decisions. Still planning to cruise, but sorry that the company is taking away some of the benefits that we enjoyed, but items we did not have to have to keep traveling with Princess.

[2 cruises a year]

29 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Is this just hypothesis or a rumor?

Yes, once it is said there is no stopping it.  Mark my words. 

[Tedferg]

20 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I got it as well, but I still can't log into my account because it tries to make me register.  3 months now it's been that way and no idea when it will be fixed.

I don't know if this helps, I had a Login problem and it was because Browser autofilled password and had an old password.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

o I have found that the overall experience on RCI, Celebrity and HAL is not that different from the experience on Princess. Yes, each cruise line does some things differently, but overall not that different.

 

I agree they are all similar, HAL is the bottom of those three, but still nice. I like Celebrity a lot and their loyalty program makes sense to me. I think Princess is a victim of their own success. They have too many Elites.

 

What I don't like about Princess' program is a person who books an inside cabin gets 1 cruise credit and a day cruising credit. I am in a suite and I get 2 cruise credit and a day cruising credit. A couple in an inside cabin on 8 longer voyages can reach Elite status the same time I do taking 8 cruises in a suite. Is that fair? Am I being fairly rewarded by Princess for loyalty as a higher end cruiser?

 

On Celebrity it is based on points, not days or cruises. An inside cruiser gets 2 points per day, as an Aqua Suite passenger I get 8 points a day. To get to Zenith (top tier) I need 3,000 points. It would take me 375 days of Aqua Suites. It would take an inside passenger 1,500 days of cruising to get to the top tier. That makes more sense and seems fairer to me.

 

2 hours ago, caribill said:

o As Princess disposes of older and lower capacity ships, the itineraries on the large ships with Princess are very similar to those on its competitors.  It really does not matter which cruise line I would use for a Caribbean trip from Florida that goes to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and a private Island. So if loyalty benefits do not influence me to book with Princess, then other cruise line options are definitely in play.

 

I've been to every place in the Caribbean I want to go and then some. Now when we choose a Caribbean cruise it is to spoil the grandkids and we choose Disney or the massive ships (RCCI & NCL) that have horseback riding, downhill skiing (well not yet, but soon) and the like.

 

We cruise Princess because as a So Cal based cruise line they have lots of cruises that originate from LA, SF and the West Coast in general. When we cruise Europe as a couple, we choose smaller ships and benefits don't play into it

 

30 minutes ago, Shaver John said:

We have over 500 days, just wondering if Princess will make a new level for number of days or just leave the new set of guidelines for all.  Not the end of the world, but since Covid I think that maybe many of us have new plans in mind and this might be the time to enact new decisions. Still planning to cruise, but sorry that the company is taking away some of the benefits that we enjoyed, but items we did not have to have to keep traveling with Princess.

 

I would carefully investigate the other loyalty programs before you leave the frying pan. The Points Guy is a great resource.

[maggie777]

1 hour ago, Shaver John said:

We have over 500 days, just wondering if Princess will make a new level for number of days or just leave the new set of guidelines for all.  Not the end of the world, but since Covid I think that maybe many of us have new plans in mind and this might be the time to enact new decisions. Still planning to cruise, but sorry that the company is taking away some of the benefits that we enjoyed, but items we did not have to have to keep traveling with Princess.

Thinking about smaller ships and new ports to explore.

[jennybenny]

1 hour ago, maggie777 said:

Thinking about smaller ships and new ports to explore.

Us too, but I was considering this before the change. The loyalty benefits could be what pushes DH to actually bite the bullet and try something new. He is such a creature of habit and known comforts. 
 

The thing for me is that trying new also has a considerable price tag increase. I’m in for at least one or two smaller ships/cruise lines to give it a try. ☺️

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, RRFan said:

A refundable OBC can be redeemed in cash at the front desk. Non-refundable means use it onboard this cruise or lose it. At the end of the cruise, it’s just gone. All of the “benefits” are always non-refundable. 

We used to get 25% cash discount off the on-board price.  Not a non-ref OBC.

 

I am fine with the OBC as easy to have it "consumed".

[kywildcatfanone]

I saw in another thread but wasn't sure what the conversation was exactly.  Are they changing the embarkation times for loyalty members?

[dog]

13 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I saw in another thread but wasn't sure what the conversation was exactly.  Are they changing the embarkation times for loyalty members?

You now choose an embarkation time on the MedallionClass app when it becomes available 

[beg3yrs]

At this point if we were to lose the free laundry we'd start looking at other cruise lines. All the other stuff is pretty much insignificant to us compared to the free laundry!