Princess Captain's Circle Question

[superdxa]

I have booked my 4th cruise for August 16th on the Crown Princess. I cruised with Princess back in August of 2001 on the old Pacific Princess. I was wondering what kind of benefits does the Captains Circle give. Does this concern going online first and being aboard before others like Norwegians Latitudes club? Thanks for the help

[chrysalis]

read the #16 post in this thread......

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=214933

[calikak]

That's my post, I feel so useful! :) You don't get any special boarding privileges until you become Platinum, which would be on your 6th cruise. If when you check in you have a blue cruise card instead of a gold one, go to the Captain's Circle desk on the ship and tell them it's your 4th Princess cruise, and they should be able to straighten things out so you get your invite to the "Welcome Back" party (for Gold members and above).

[calliecat]

My husband received a "Congratulations, you're Platinum along with a platinum Princess card" on our last day at sea in January. Funny thing is that we were just completing our 4th cruise instead of our 5th! I've even checked on the Princess website and he's Platinum there as well.

What I don't understand is that I've done all the work, booking the cruises, finding the best deal, booking air, the hotel, excursions, cars, etc..... and he gets the Platinum card and I'm still Gold. Go figure!

[gprentice]

One benefit is that the cruise prices on Princess.com lower after you logon with your captain's circle ID.

[DanJ]

It was funny when we boarded Sapphire. We had a group of 8, and 4 of us were taking our second Princess cruise. But do to a clerical snafu (I booked this cruise under my exact name as my passport, where my previous cruise pre-9/11 was booked as my usual given name), my CC number didn't register with my name, so I got a blue card. When we boarded, the secrity person taking our picture had problems with every gold card, but no problems with the blue cards. Each time a gold card was swiped, the machine gave a "game show wrong answer" type sound, and the attendant had to go over to another machine and manually over-ride. each blue card went "bing" and off we went.

 

Anyway, if you are a past cruiser, and book with any type of difference to your name from the previous booking, call Princess ahead and get your CC file updated.

[donna5]

DanJ is right. Call the captains circle and get it straightened out right away. Then you can print out the page on the Captains circle that has the correct info so you have that info in case you aren't listed as a Captains Circle member. The less you have to straighten out on your vacation, the more time you will have to enjoy. Why stand in another line if you don't have to.

[penguinlover]

I had another Captain's Circle question for you guys. I am looking at taking a Princess cruise this year, and it will be my first Princess cruise. I noticed on Princess' website in their break-down of Captain's Circle privileges that you get a Princess "passport" and destination stamps. Do they only give that to you on your second cruise, or can you also get one on your first cruise? If I am planning on taking a second cruise with them in the future, would that make any difference?

 

I know these passport things are probably not all that spectacular, but I still think it's a cool way to remember all the places you went on your cruise.

[DanJ]

I have no idea what the passport thing is, but we got a stamp left in our room to add to it LOL. I imagine it was something that was mailed to us immediately after our first Princess cruise 6 years ago, and long since lost.

[hooked cruiser]

I had another Captain's Circle question for you guys. I am looking at taking a Princess cruise this year, and it will be my first Princess cruise. I noticed on Princess' website in their break-down of Captain's Circle privileges that you get a Princess "passport" and destination stamps. Do they only give that to you on your second cruise, or can you also get one on your first cruise? If I am planning on taking a second cruise with them in the future, would that make any difference?

 

I know these passport things are probably not all that spectacular, but I still think it's a cool way to remember all the places you went on your cruise.

 

We were given our passport and appropriate stamp the evening before we disembarked from our first Princess Cruise. Additional stamps are issued at the end of each cruise.

[mii]

We got the passport booklet and the stamp on our 2nd cruise. We found it in our cabin when we boarded. Maybe it has changed where now you receive at the end of your 1st cruise.

 

Marilyn

[penguinlover]

Thanks Marilyn and hooked. That is good info. I hope I get it at the end of the first cruise...I would think if I asked for it they would give it to me.

 

Thanks again,

Megan

[scots]

We completed our 1st cruise earlier this month (my husband and i) with Princess, and the night before we disembarked we received one passport booklet - no stamp.

 

We spoke to friends of ours who completed their 1st cruise last summer with Princess and the night before they disembarked they received one passport booklet and one stamp EACH!

 

They were on the cruise (our 1st, their 2nd) with us earlier this month and that time they received no stamps.

 

I have sent an email to the Captain's Circle Club to determine what is happening with ours! Seems inconsistent.

[saltysam]

I am going on my third Princess cruise. I haven't seen anything that looks like a passport or stamps from either of the first two bookings. I have never received one newsletter since my first cruise in 2003. This applies to my wife and son as well. My son has been on two additional cruises and he has received neither, however; they flood my e-mail with cruise updates and special prices constantly. I am registered on the Princess site and my cruise record has my sailings correctly posted. I have called and e-mailed them several times about this problem and have been told it was probably just a computer glitch. However nothing happens to rectify the problem. I have given up asking for them since the perk has no monetary value and has no bearing on my bookings. There doesn't seem to be any consistent method to the passbook and stamp distribution. Your persistence my be required.

[Lynda90]

Just go to the captain's circle desk by the purser's desk and ask for a passport book and stamp. Many times they don't put them in the cabins. It's kind of nice to collect the destination stamps and look back at them with nice memories.

[JLC@SD]

One benefit is that the cruise prices on Princess.com lower after you logon with your captain's circle ID.

 

I've noticed that the cruise fares do not alway reduce for Capt Circle members, just sometimes....:)

[Bassethound]

I also noticed the prices might be reduced and might not. They are for the upcoming Crown maiden voyage. Also, really cheap upgrades if the suites don't sell out.

 

My wife received a passport after her first cruise and all the stamps. I have never received a passport of a stamp, and we've gone on all but one of our Princess cruises together.:confused:

 

No, no, her other one was with her mother.

[Princess Chatterer]

One sticker book per couple. The Captain's Circle desk may have extra stamps for other destinations. When I started cruising Princess they didn't have sticker books so I've improvised after the fact with extra stickers so I would not have senior forgetfulness.

 

Now for the Captains Circles dirty little secret. The Captains Circle doesn't have good records of your past Princess cruises so they mostly take your word for it. One older lady showed me her Platinum card (before they had Elite) and it was her very first Princess cruise. No she wasn't in a suite. Her memory of past "Princess" cruises was, shall we say, faulty. Possibly she had just a senior moment when she filled out the Princess Circle forms. :confused: Yah, right.

[DanJ]

So, they aren't likely to pay attention if I write down that we enjoyed our Great Lakes cruise on the Grand Princess in February 1984? LOL