A question for those of you who've just lost the $100 loyalty benefit.

[RRFan]

We currently have 2 PCL cruises booked and fully paid for (not from cancelled 2020 cruises either so fares were higher for us than we normally book). Our out of pocket actually went up $170 per cruise. We also have to pay full price for the WiFi and get the 50% portion back as non-refundable OBC. In addition, Princess has said that they will not be doing anything to give Plats & Elites boarding priority anymore, because of boarding groups. 
 

Basically they’ve downgraded 3 of their perks. We’ve been very loyal to PCL (57 current and will have 59 cruises with them). They have eliminated our incentive to cruise with them. They will lose a lot of cruisers who cruise 5,6,7 or more times each & every year with them. Bad decisions from PCL. 

[san diego sue]

Loyalty is the key word. That is what kept us coming back. When we decided Princess was for us after cruising many cruise lines, we looked forward to climbing the Loyalty ladder.So instead of mixing it up with cruise lines every year, we just booked Princess.I do admit I find Princess to be the best fit for us anyways.If we lose the shareholders benefit, that will be the most upsetting.

[RRFan]

12 hours ago, DRS/NC said:

Is the Loyalty Benefit the bonus $25 after 20 cruise points; $50 after 30; $75 after 40 & $100 after 50?  If so, I'll miss that 450.00

 

Yes but it was 21-31=$25/ cabin; 32-41=$50; 42-51=$75: 52+=$100. All per cabin, not per person. It was never listed as a loyalty benefit, but was always given onboard. Very nice benefit lost. 

[2 cruises a year]

2 hours ago, TM said:

I certainly don't like the new changes.  But the implementation of them and the additional charges will not impact the number of cruises I can take.  It does however leave a very sour taste knowing that Princess does not seem to care about those of us that have been loyal passengers.  We may look at other cruise lines.  This is no different than how I feel about other businesses.  IF I were to go into a bank and the tellers were constantly rude would I continue to do business with that bank or would I look otherwise.  Most cruise lines, just like banks, provide a very similar service so we do have a choice based upon how we are treated.

And there are a lot of loyal customers on other cruise lines saying the same thing and talking about moving to Princess. The grass is not always greener, just different. 

[nocl]

23 minutes ago, RRFan said:

We currently have 2 PCL cruises booked and fully paid for (not from cancelled 2020 cruises either so fares were higher for us than we normally book). Our out of pocket actually went up $170 per cruise. We also have to pay full price for the WiFi and get the 50% portion back as non-refundable OBC. In addition, Princess has said that they will not be doing anything to give Plats & Elites boarding priority anymore, because of boarding groups. 
 

Basically they’ve downgraded 3 of their perks. We’ve been very loyal to PCL (57 current and will have 59 cruises with them). They have eliminated our incentive to cruise with them. They will lose a lot of cruisers who cruise 5,6,7 or more times each & every year with them. Bad decisions from PCL. 

The boarding groups and impact upon boarding is probably a temporary Covid issue.

 

If these relatively small changes amounting to maybe 2 to 3 % of total cruise spend is enough for someone to completely change cruise lines then the changes might work out in Princesses favor by trimming back the number of Elite passengers that cruise a lot, but do not spend much.

[Ombud]

I complained to customer service, PVP, refared and got 300 OBC. New pricing was supposed to be 400 less + 100 OBC, turned out to be 600 less + 300 OBC so they have wiggle room now. 

[jeeper2]

31 minutes ago, dog said:

Oh, believe me my TA and I both worked on getting my FCD S reinstated when they refunded as FCC   Call and email customer service 

Thank you for your response.  I’m very pleased that you got that worked out!  I really should have fought it initially with my Princess Cruise Consultant, or whatever they are called, but I figured I had enough credit eligible to use as a deposit, or payment for any future bookings.  Perhaps I will pursue it now.  What really annoys me is the loss of the unused FCD.  I didn’t realize it had already been refunded until I called Princess when I noticed it had been removed!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 hour ago, TM said:

I certainly don't like the new changes.  But the implementation of them and the additional charges will not impact the number of cruises I can take.  It does however leave a very sour taste knowing that Princess does not seem to care about those of us that have been loyal passengers.  We may look at other cruise lines. 

 

I am a loyalty member with two other cruise lines and it looks to me like Princess is aligning to what those lines (Celebrity & RCCI) offer. In fact, even with this new program I'd say an Elite on Princess is still better off than you are on Celebrity until you reach the Zenith Level (3000+ cruise points) and then they are about equal with an edge to Celebrity. I do like their 25% discount on specialty dining.

 

1 hour ago, TM said:

This is no different than how I feel about other businesses.  IF I were to go into a bank and the tellers were constantly rude would I continue to do business with that bank or would I look otherwise.  Most cruise lines, just like banks, provide a very similar service so we do have a choice based upon how we are treated.

 

Not a fair comparison. In one case you are talking about individuals you encounter vs how the corporation "treats" you. My tellers and manager treat me great at Bank of America, but do I think the corporation has done anything to treat me well, reward my 46 years as a customer? Not a thing.

 

The better analogy might be Starbucks. In their old loyalty program I got a free cup of coffee for every ten I bought. In the new loyalty program it takes me about 33 cups to get a free coffee. Trouble is, no other national chain offers a better loyalty program, so I am still at Starbucks when I travel.

[donaldsc]

You left out option 5 on your survey - switch to another cruise line that doesn't nickel and dime you to death.  

 

DON

[memoak]

44 minutes ago, RRFan said:

Yes but it was 21-31=$25/ cabin; 32-41=$50; 42-51=$75: 52+=$100. All per cabin, not per person. It was never listed as a loyalty benefit, but was always given onboard. Very nice benefit lost. 

If a couple have different last names and different captains circle numbers than they both got the benefit.  Been getting it for years

[Jeter02]

I will admit I am very saddened by the loss of my hundred dollar loyalty on board credit. However no intentions have ever switching Cruise lines and taking my loyalty elsewhere as I absolutely love the personalized service and the way the crew take care of you on princess.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

48 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

You left out option 5 on your survey - switch to another cruise line that doesn't nickel and dime you to death.

 

The ones that don't nickle & dime you are Oceania, Silversea, Seabourn and Viking. Go price them out and you'll see why they don't nickle & dime you.

[BigTimeCruiser]

6 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We will definitely cruise less, although, to be fair, we were already going to cruise less. But that sentence in an email cost us $1000 just this year alone.  We have a budget (albeit a sizable one) for cruising, and this change means we will cruise fewer days. We also have FCDs with two other cruise lines, and some of that budget will definitely be spent on cruises with them. 

We agree with you guys.  I just went out and repurchased our RCL shares so we can explore their offerings, since we have status with them.  We were very loyal to Princess for many, many years; however, it's time to start shopping for what is the best value and look at the loyalty benefits of each cruise line.  Time to get out the spreadsheet and do some analysis of where the best opportunities are for future cruising.

Edited July 2, 2021 by BigTimeCruiser

[neverbeenhere]

For once, I did things correctly. I burned up all my Royal Gift Certificates$$$$ prior to burning all  my Princess gift cards$$$$.  See you on Princess in 2023.

[CineGraphic]

 

As of now, less than 1/5 of those taking the poll will cruise less, or get a refund, which gives Princess no reason to reverse the decision to take away loyalty obc. Then again, even if all 54 survey participants chose to cancel all of bookings, I don't think that would be reason enough to reverse their decision either.

 

Those of you who call/write/complain MAY get an exception for one or two cruises, but I wouldn't count on much more than that. What's done is done. It's up to you to accept the changes or move on to another line. It seems like most of you will stay put.

Edited July 2, 2021 by CineGraphic

[nocl]

52 minutes ago, BigTimeCruiser said:

We agree with you guys.  I just went out and repurchased our RCL shares so we can explore their offerings, since we have status with them.  We were very loyal to Princess for many, many years; however, it's time to start shopping for what is the best value and look at the loyalty benefits of each cruise line.  Time to get out the spreadsheet and do some analysis of where the best opportunities are for future cruising.

With RCL shares it is very difficult to get shareholder OBC on Celebrity (not combineable with most offered fares), do not know about Royal itself.

Edited July 2, 2021 by nocl

[cruisequeen4ever]

Wow, that is mighty disappointing! I know it saves them money during a rough time in the cruise industry, but we are the people who are loyal and share our love of Princess with others! We’ll still cruise Princess because it’s our favorite cruise line, but we will

definitely miss our drinks or specialty restaurant on which we’d spend our loyalty OBC.

[derryleigh]

I am upset at a loss of internet mins. The only option is to buy Princess Plus or purchase an internet package for the full cruise @ $9,99 per day. Yes, you can get 50pct , which on a 14 day cruise is 70.00.

As I would not need or use the internet that much, it is too costly for me. All I would need it for s to contact home and clean out email.

Princess is becoming more and more Upsell , Upsell.

Yes, looks like loyalty has flown out the window.

 

OK Princess, remember, it is a two way street.

 

 

 

[kjg46]

15 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

It looks like emails started going out tonight. Folks are posting about it here:

 

Question: How does one get the Princess email notifications? We have been elite for a number of years and have not received any notices about early bookings or elite benefit changes. We even have trouble getting booking confirmations sent to our email address. I've checked with Princess a number of times to confirm the correct email address. Also viewed spam, junk mail folders and ISP cloud email . No Princess emails! However, I do get EZ-Air notices. Go figure.

[CruzinNoony]

I think Princess is making a huge mistake to take away elite benefits.  We have over 70 cruises with Princess and up until now, we didn't even consider going with another line.  Now, we have very little incentive to stay with them.  For the first time, I am looking at HAL.  Apparently, with them you don't need a smart phone to do your business and I sure do like that!

[CaptainCari]

Princess is "giving" us ELITE benefits which we only get by spending money. We used to get free internet minutes. That's gone. We must buy the $10/day/one device package for the ENTIRE voyage, and then it's 50% off. Wow what a deal!

The 10% off spa services is another sad joke. Princess's fine print offers 10% off the FULL price, excluding any "offers, discounts, or promotions." If a bundled package or in-port special is less costly, take that OR the 10% off regular price. I'm betting the specials are better. Don't forget that Princess adds a compulsory tip (18%) based on the FULL regular price of their overpriced services.

The "priority tender boarding" benefit never seems to be organized, either. I do not want to wave my black card around and cut in front of the crowd on line. Rude. Embarrassing.

But hey, Princess will give us free shoe shines! And their promo magazine! Anybody need this benefit?

Oh yes, we get a Princess "recognition" pin to wear - so let's advertise for them!

The ELITE OBC is also gone...at least they didn't yet pull the free laundry items.

What a way to "reward our loyalty." Princess, your bean counters have missed the boat.  

[Lucky TGO]

4 hours ago, san diego sue said:

Loyalty is the key word. That is what kept us coming back. When we decided Princess was for us after cruising many cruise lines, we looked forward to climbing the Loyalty ladder.So instead of mixing it up with cruise lines every year, we just booked Princess.I do admit I find Princess to be the best fit for us anyways.If we lose the shareholders benefit, that will be the most upsetting.

How long do you think it’s going to be before everyone loses the shareholders benefit?

That maybe coming soon. 😳 

Tony

 

[patrickmoran]

What, you think after losing billions of $$s there weren't going to be cutbacks? The money guys have been cutting perks since '09 recession. Princess is no different than any of the other cruiselines. Check out the RCL and NCL boards over the next few months. I'm sure you will hear a bunch of whining there too!

[antsp]

8 minutes ago, Lucky TGO said:

How long do you think it’s going to be before everyone loses the shareholders benefit?

That maybe coming soon. 😳 

Tony

this is a an interesting statement, do you have anymore information 

8 minutes ago, Lucky TGO said:

 

 

[neverbeenhere]

16 minutes ago, Lucky TGO said:

How long do you think it’s going to be before everyone loses the shareholders benefit?

That maybe coming soon. 😳 

Tony

 

Sure he does… The rowboat stripped the shareholder discount years ago. Now you have to pay for all your rum.