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

[Iamcruzin]

On 7/2/2021 at 3:33 PM, Lucky TGO said:

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

That maybe coming soon. 😳 

Tony

 

I bet the majority of people who buy cruise line stock are people who cruise. If they discontinue that benefit the stock will drop like a rock. I don't see it happening since it's CCL stock and not Princess stock.

[Iamcruzin]

On 7/3/2021 at 12:52 PM, nocl said:

 Ironically those with the fewest complaints have been those with the least loyalty benefits.

 

In general they appreciate their customers, not necessarily any single particular customer as an individual.  Its a business, not a social club.

I book the product not the loyalty program. I follow 3 boards and every time this topic comes up it's the top tier who complain the most and threaten to jump to another line.  Here there is talk of jumping from Princess to HAL. Hello who are you hurting? They are owned by the same parent corporation. The Princess experience is different than a Royal Caribbean experience in terms of service and on board experience. Princess is following Celebrity's model by offering an all inclusive experience so there is no escaping that if you go there.   

[caribill]

3 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I bet the majority of people who buy cruise line stock are people who cruise. If they discontinue that benefit the stock will drop like a rock. I don't see it happening since it's CCL stock and not Princess stock.

 

I doubt it.

 

1% of CCL stock is about 9 million shares.

 

If 1% of the stock was held by cruisers who own 100 shares, that would be 90,000 people.

 

Even if there are that many people who have bought the stock for the OBC benefit and every one of them sold the stock, a turnover of 1% of the stock spread over a number of days would hardly make a blip in the stock price.

 

Now if the Vanguard group of mutual funds dumped its 8.34% of CCL shares, then you would see an effect on the stock price.

[Ombud]

12 hours ago, voljeep said:

we took our first Princess cruise at age(s) 53 and 52 ... were we younger or older ?

It depends. Do you have a smart phone?

 

(Now flame me 😛)

[getting older slowly]

All this about $100.... 

 

For one we have found by moving date by a few week the fare can change $500

 

Also   is a $100 that important in the big picture as it is less than 1% of cost of the holiday

 

Yes i know lots of $100 do add up....   but   what does a $100 buy on a cruise ship

 

Can't think of many shore excursions under a $100 pp

Two Bottles of Wine..

1.5 nights of specially dinning

 

limo transfer to port and back

 

So not much if you are a 14 night cruise.....

 

[CeCe_]

18 hours ago, voljeep said:

we took our first Princess cruise at age(s) 53 and 52 ... were we younger or older ?

 

You were young by human age.   How many years ago when you had the first Princess cruise?   It took years or a decade to get to Elite depends on how often you cruise and exclusively with Princess, not easily tempted by other lines' greater ships; RCL's Oasis Class for example is one that can easily win over Princess's aging fleet in my opinion.  I haven't been to the newer Princess ships yet. 

 

You will have less Elite years to enjoy the perks and for that you were old to start at 53; Princess will love you.

Edited July 7, 2021 by CeCe_

[voljeep]

57 minutes ago, CeCe_ said:

 

You were young by human age.   How many years ago when you had the first Princess cruise?   It took years or a decade to get to Elite depends on how often you cruise and exclusively with Princess, not easily tempted by other lines' greater ships; RCL's Oasis Class for example is one that can easily win over Princess's aging fleet in my opinion.  I haven't been to the newer Princess ships yet. 

 

You will have less Elite years to enjoy the perks and for that you were old to start at 53; Princess will love you.

I have no clue what you are trying to say.  We have experienced "elite benefits" and more when we took an upsell to a suite.  Elite benefits are "nice" , but certainly not the end-all be-all that some posters seem to believe they are - more status than substance it seems as all elites can be bought outside of being elite

[CeCe_]

20 minutes ago, voljeep said:

I have no clue what you are trying to say.  We have experienced "elite benefits" and more when we took an upsell to a suite.  Elite benefits are "nice" , but certainly not the end-all be-all that some posters seem to believe they are - more status than substance it seems as all elites can be bought outside of being elite

 

Of course, if you took a full suite, you could enjoy some perks, but is not the same elites this thread is talking about.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, CeCe_ said:

 

Of course, if you took a full suite, you could enjoy some perks, but is not the same elites this thread is talking about.

exactly which 'elite' benefits are NOT included when you have a suite ??

[HaveDogWillTravel]

28 minutes ago, voljeep said:

exactly which 'elite' benefits are NOT included when you have a suite ??

The now defunct free internet minutes

the new discounts on excursions 

and the discount for the shops. 
 

just off the top of my head.  But I agree the full suite benefits are mostly inclusive of the elite benefits. And they are combinable.  For example I get two minibar set ups in a full suite. 
 

I really don’t care about the loyalty credit. I want Princess to bc profitable so I can start getting my dividends again. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we sail with whatever cruise line is offering the best combination of price/itinerary/ship/activities/entertainment/food when we can sail (spring break and thanksgiving break). I cannot say that we are super-duper loyal to any particular cruise line, so the loss of a $100 would not have any effect on us personally. 

 

However, I can definitely understand why people who are on their 21+ cruise with Princess would be upset with the loss of perks. Especially, if they cruise more than twice a year and spend a ton of money to do so. It's the little things that sometimes make a big difference.

[Drews_Cruise]

It appears that the loyalty programs really don't offer that much anymore and I would prefer to book the ship and itinerary that I really want rather than staying with Princess like we have in the past.  I have to admit that I always checked Princess first but have recently stopped that.  We plan to try out all the other companies now to see what we've been missing.  The weaker the loyalty offers from Princess are the easier it is for us to make that decision.  After our rescheduled booking to Hawaii next year, were off to try the new Norwegian ship Prima.  After that....anybody but Princess.  (It's not that I don't like Princess because we do.  It's just time for something new, and the lack of really good loyalty benefits makes it easier for us to say goodbye. (for now) 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 7/5/2021 at 10:37 AM, CRUZGAL53 said:

We have had 44 Princess cruises cancelled since March 2020

I've always wondered how rich someone would have to be to cruise THAT MUCH... 🙂 

[2 cruises a year]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

I have no clue what you are trying to say.  We have experienced "elite benefits" and more when we took an upsell to a suite.  Elite benefits are "nice" , but certainly not the end-all be-all that some posters seem to believe they are - more status than substance it seems as all elites can be bought outside of being elite

Except the Suite Breakfast, that cannot be bought.  And nice, but also not an end-all.

[memoak]

42 minutes ago, 2 cruises a year said:

Except the Suite Breakfast, that cannot be bought.  And nice, but also not an end-all.

 

2 hours ago, CeCe_ said:

 

Of course, if you took a full suite, you could enjoy some perks, but is not the same elites this thread is talking about.

You can't buy discounts on excursions, shops and spa services. 

[CeCe_]

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

we sail with whatever cruise line is offering the best combination of price/itinerary/ship/activities/entertainment/food when we can sail (spring break and thanksgiving break). I cannot say that we are super-duper loyal to any particular cruise line, so the loss of a $100 would not have any effect on us personally. 

 

However, I can definitely understand why people who are on their 21+ cruise with Princess would be upset with the loss of perks. Especially, if they cruise more than twice a year and spend a ton of money to do so. It's the little things that sometimes make a big difference.

 

I am feeling how the Elites felt.   For those who built Loyalty for so many years.  Many have sailed the same old ship several times because of the lack of itinerary.  With all their cruise eggs in one basket just to see the investment burst.  It cannot be measured by the $100 OBC being taken away.  It's the dream that was shattered. 

 

And again, I am not an Elite yet.

[ceilidh1]

In my case, Princess are actually losing revenue by taking away the loyalty credit. I'm not sure what everyone else used it for, but for me it would go towards either excursions or specialty dining. I would buy those things using part loyalty credit and part of my own money...now the loyalty credit is gone, I likely won't buy either one so Princess is losing that additional revenue I would have spent. As an example, on our last cruise I got the $50 loyalty credit and booked for 4 of us at the steakhouse ($120) so Princess got an extra $70 out of me....psychologically, this felt like a "deal" as I had that $50 that had to be used onboard....I likely wouldn't pay the full $120 out of pocket when there are plenty of free dining options we enjoy!

[Bwana Tom]

What I find most puzzling is the fact that the things they took away didn't really amount to a significant amount of cost to the line. The free internet didn't cost them virtually anything; the small amount of OBC is frequently overpowered by the high cost of those items and services; and while the preferred boarding is likely needed because of the CDC and virus situation - it didn't cost the line anything either. What taking these things away resulted in injury to their loyal customers, they did little to affect their bottom line. And I personally don't agree with the idea that they don't care about loyalty in favor of increasing their new cruiser base. What other business do you know of that doesn't want return customers?

[nocl]

1 hour ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

I agree with this sentiment.  For the longtime Elites, it's an entirely different perspective than Princess'.  While any given Elite may just be a number to Princess, for many Elites, they are allocating a significant portion of their discretionary spending on Princess and the entity looms large and favorable in their minds.  It's human nature for such folks to want that to mean something to the other party as well.  While they understand Princess is a business and that in the back of their mind they are just a Captains Circle number, when Princess takes away such noticeable benefits, it is a harsh direct reminder that appreciation has nothing to do with it.

Keep in mind that they have not just given the money to Princess. In return Princess has delivered to them a product that they were happy with and was worth the price they paid.

 

It's not like all the money was wasted because of a couple of changes in benefits. They received the product they paid for.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

9 hours ago, CeCe_ said:

It took years or a decade to get to Elite depends on how often you cruise and exclusively with Princess, not easily tempted by other lines' greater ships;

 

Actually I think Princess had the easiest program to get to Elite of the lines in their tier (HAL, NCL, RCL). It is 16 cruises (8 if you book a suite) or 150 days cruising.

 

9 hours ago, CeCe_ said:

RCL's Oasis Class for example is one that can easily win over Princess's aging fleet in my opinion.

 

This makes NO SENSE at all. The 6,000+ Oasis Class ships are comparable to the 3,000 Princess ships? The people who cruise Princess want to ride the water slides, Flowrider, sky dive ride, etc etc of Oasis??

 

4 hours ago, CeCe_ said:

I am feeling how the Elites felt.   For those who built Loyalty for so many years.  Many have sailed the same old ship several times because of the lack of itinerary.  With all their cruise eggs in one basket just to see the investment burst.  It cannot be measured by the $100 OBC being taken away.  It's the dream that was shattered.

 

I have no idea what you are trying to say in the bolded sentence. People sail BECAUSE of lack of itineraries? Cruising isn't an investment, it's an expense. Anyone who takes a cruise just to get a benefit is being penny wise and £ foolish.

 

2 hours ago, Bwana Tom said:

What I find most puzzling is the fact that the things they took away didn't really amount to a significant amount of cost to the line. The free internet didn't cost them virtually anything; t

 

Why do people believe the Internet doesn't cost anything?

 

2 hours ago, Bwana Tom said:

What other business do you know of that doesn't want return customers?

 

Every business wants return customers, but what business wants return customers that don't help the bottom line?

 

The Walt Disney Company was thrilled (I am sure) to use the shut down to completely drop the Annual Passholder program at Disneyland. Reportedly there were over 1 million Disneyland APs and the ones who would go 4 and 5 days a week were not spending a lot of money on food, drink and merchandise, but were adding to crowding and employment costs.

 

When I was a TWDC cast member in the 70's/80's during the week in winter we had crowds of 12,000 to 18,000 and maybe 35-40,000 on the weekend and the park was closed two days a week. Now the park never closes and 25,000 a day is the average with 50,000 days common and days of 75,000 not uncommon.

 

So yes, I am sure TWDC is thrilled to hit the "Reset" button. I wish PCL had too.

[nocl]

8 hours ago, gardening_guy said:

It appears that the loyalty programs really don't offer that much anymore and I would prefer to book the ship and itinerary that I really want rather than staying with Princess like we have in the past.  I have to admit that I always checked Princess first but have recently stopped that.  We plan to try out all the other companies now to see what we've been missing.  The weaker the loyalty offers from Princess are the easier it is for us to make that decision.  After our rescheduled booking to Hawaii next year, were off to try the new Norwegian ship Prima.  After that....anybody but Princess.  (It's not that I don't like Princess because we do.  It's just time for something new, and the lack of really good loyalty benefits makes it easier for us to say goodbye. (for now) 

So in the past you did not book the itinerary and ship you wanted, booking with Princess instead.

 

That sounds rather strange.  When I have booked with Princess it has been on ships and itineraries I have wanted, just as the cruises on other lines have been itineraries and ships I have wanted.

[nocl]

21 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I bet the majority of people who buy cruise line stock are people who cruise. If they discontinue that benefit the stock will drop like a rock. I don't see it happening since it's CCL stock and not Princess stock.

RCI pretty much made their shareholder obc worthless since it could not be combined with any promotional fare, and most fares were promotional. Did not see an impact on their stock price during that time as a result. It actually went up during that time frame.

[CeCe_]

54 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

This makes NO SENSE at all. The 6,000+ Oasis Class ships are comparable to the 3,000 Princess ships? The people who cruise Princess want to ride the water slides, Flowrider, sky dive ride, etc etc of Oasis??

 

We didn't feel crowd on the Symphony of the Seas.  And we are not as old as you think.  Why shouldn't we like water slides, and all other water sports?

[Iamcruzin]

6 minutes ago, nocl said:

RCI pretty much made their shareholder obc worthless since it could not be combined with any promotional fare, and most fares were promotional. Did not see an impact on their stock price during that time as a result. It actually went up during that time frame.

Do you mean those promotional fares that are always running where the sale is the same but they change the tagline?  I wonder if they do the same thing on Celebrity?

Edited July 8, 2021 by Iamcruzin

[CeCe_]

1 hour ago, scottca075 said:

I have no idea what you are trying to say in the bolded sentence. People sail BECAUSE of lack of itineraries? Cruising isn't an investment, it's an expense. Anyone who takes a cruise just to get a benefit is being penny wise and £ foolish.

 

Look at all the Alaska Cruises.  It's always the same ports that we had cruised so many times.  Its not foolish, we just love seeing Glacier Bay every year.  If you haven't repeated an itinerary, good for you.

Edited July 8, 2021 by CeCe_