Is the Captain Circle Loyalty Program sailing in the wake of the future?

[Guest ldtr]

14 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

Gotta say, after having cruise most of the major cruise lines, Princess' Elites like to brag the most.  They like to flash around their black Medallions.  Can't blame them either; Princess eggs them on with their "Most Travelled Guest" event.  

 

No one cares!

too funny. I have found that on all of the cruise lines you have a few that feel entitled about their status level, but for most it does not mean much. Princess about the same as the other lines.

[Guest ldtr]

4 hours ago, Torfamm said:

Celebrity offers Elite members free drinks from 5:00 to 7:00 

Sure but not of much value to those that purchase a package aspartame of their fare. The same issue as raised by some on Princess, that more of the benefits are losing value because of packages and changes in fare structures.

[Torfamm]

31 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Sure but not of much value to those that purchase a package aspartame of their fare. The same issue as raised by some on Princess, that more of the benefits are losing value because of packages and changes in fare structures.

That is very true. No benefit has value if the passenger already purchased it.
 

I do think that there a a fair number of Diamonds/Elites on Royal and Celebrity like getting free drinks though. If Princess offered it along with the discounted Wi-Fi they currently offer Elites, it would be an improvement. I’m not sure what percentage of Elites would chose to forgo purchasing a package if it happened.
 

If they asked me, I’d like a discount on packages or a more limited package of just Wi-Fi, gratuities, and beverages. I don’t care myself about desserts, reserved seats at shows, or exercise classes and the specialty restaurants on my most recent cruises have been so booked that it’s not even worth it to me to try to get a table.

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, ldtr said:

Sure but not of much value to those that purchase a package aspartame of their fare. The same issue as raised by some on Princess, that more of the benefits are losing value because of packages and changes in fare structures.

The plus is if you elect not to get the AI then the CC HH drinks are a great perk/benefit. IMO Celebrity and RC have a lot better loyalty programs and not just for drinks.

 

[PescadoAmarillo]

51 minutes ago, davekathy said:

The plus is if you elect not to get the AI then the CC HH drinks are a great perk/benefit. IMO Celebrity and RC have a lot better loyalty programs and not just for drinks.

 

I should know better than to read these threads backwards, but it’s early…. When I couldn’t figure out AI or HH (CC and RC I felt confident about), I went to the top and read down. No help. 😆 I finally worked it out, but you made me work to understand just what the heck you said here. 
 

We reached Diamond and Elite on RC and Celebrity before our first Princess cruise, when those were the highest loyalty levels on those cruise lines. Darn if they didn’t add more and more levels, while Princess, where we’ve spent a lot of time, hasn’t, and our benefits are far fewer now than when we first reached Elite status (by days, mind you, no snark required). It just goes back to what I’ve always said:  cruise the cruises you want to cruise without regard to achieving loyalty benefits.

[davekathy]

17 minutes ago, ldtr said:

my point is that since you do not restrict yourself to the cruise lines that have, in your opinion, a better loyalty program, then the loyalty programs are really not the prime factor in deciding what cruise line to take  To most people they are really not that important except around the margins of what cruise and line to pick for any particular cruise.

 

For those that stick to one cruise line they are more likely to do it because of comfort with that line, loyalty program or not.

And I was expressing my opinion. We don't chase the tier levels but enjoy the perks when we cruise. We do sleep around.

[davekathy]

4 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I should know better than to read these threads backwards, but it’s early…. When I couldn’t figure out AI or HH (CC and RC I felt confident about), I went to the top and read down. No help. 😆 I finally worked it out, but you made me work to understand just what the heck you said here. 
 

We reached Diamond and Elite on RC and Celebrity before our first Princess cruise, when those were the highest loyalty levels on those cruise lines. Darn if they didn’t add more and more levels, while Princess, where we’ve spent a lot of time, hasn’t, and our benefits are far fewer now than when we first reached Elite status (by days, mind you, no snark required). It just goes back to what I’ve always said:  cruise the cruises you want to cruise without regard to achieving loyalty benefits.

We sleep around and don't chase tier levels. 

[BamaVol]

2 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

 

We reached Diamond and Elite on RC and Celebrity before our first Princess cruise, when those were the highest loyalty levels on those cruise lines. Darn if they didn’t add more and more levels, while Princess, where we’ve spent a lot of time, hasn’t, and our benefits are far fewer now than when we first reached Elite status (by days, mind you, no snark required). It just goes back to what I’ve always said:  cruise the cruises you want to cruise without regard to achieving loyalty benefits.

To put it more succinctly : “Loyalty is for suckers”.  I’ve sailed three lines and our next cruise is on Princess again because a) we enjoyed the previous Princess cruise and b) the price and itinerary are right.
 

When my employer was paying,  I racked up top tier in multiple airline and hotel programs. Now that it’s my dime, the rules have changed. 

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, BamaVol said:

To put it more succinctly : “Loyalty is for suckers”.  I’ve sailed three lines and our next cruise is on Princess again because a) we enjoyed the previous Princess cruise and b) the price and itinerary are right.
 

When my employer was paying,  I racked up top tier in multiple airline and hotel programs. Now that it’s my dime, the rules have changed. 

hotel and airline loyalty program are more  related to credit cards then they are actual airline flights.  It is more a matter of the value of  points one earns than other benefits.

 

Princess could go the same route. Replace the benefits with points earned by dollars spent with the company. They could do the same as hotels and use have frequent cruiser tiers that would boost the rate at which points are earned.

 

The program as it exists now is more a point of criticism, than providing that much benefit.

[CruizinSusan70]

7 hours ago, Torfamm said:

Celebrity offers Elite members free drinks from 5:00 to 7:00 

That would make sense since Celebrity is part of the Royal family and that's what Royal did previously before they went to the 4-5-6 voucher system. 

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

For those that stick to one cruise line they are more likely to do it because of comfort with that line, loyalty program or not.

I will infer that the one line that people choose to be loyal to because of the perks is Royal.  They used to give their free drinks during happy hour and now it's 4 for Diamond, 5 for Diamond+ and 6 for Pinnacles.  This is a very important perk for those loyalists that like to imbibe since Royals drink package is the highest amongst the main stream cruise lines because it's not available as part of a package similar to Celebrity, Princess, NCL or MSC.  And because of their frustrating Dynamic Pricing policy, the dollar amount fluctuates depending upon the ship you're on and the time of year you sail, often resulting in newer ships having outrageously high rates for the package.

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

We do sleep around.

I always thought you two were hussies.😉

[neverbeenhere]

No one (or at least very few) game the system. They set the rules-follow the rules, get the perks. 
The line says short cruises count… yay!!! Take short cruises. 

[Kay S]

26 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

No one (or at least very few) game the system. They set the rules-follow the rules, get the perks. 
The line says short cruises count… yay!!! Take short cruises. 

Exactly.  It's not cheating if you are just following the rules.

 

I guess some people do "chase the levels," but that is true on any line.  People who cruise a lot (because they are lucky enough to be able to do that) collect points almost by accident.  We were Princess cruisers in the beginning largely because we lived near San Pedro where Princess docks all the time.  We didn't want to take extra time to fly to and from a destination.  The same principle applies for Carnival (and for HAL in San Diego.)  When we were retired, we had more time to fly here and there.  Princess had good itineraries, and a bigger selection.  So over the decades, we accrued levels and made Elite on days (agree-no snark needed) simply because we cruised a lot.  (We are almost to the top on Carnival and not because we are chasing levels.)

 

I don't swing my medallion around and sing "free laundry, na na na na na" and I resent being accused of snobbery simply because I am Elite.  This thread started out as suggestions to improve the system, but has devolved, sadly, into one of those Elite bashing screeds where jealousies (?) over status or the way they are reached get the full-throat treatment.

 

My personal take on all of this is that Princess is degrading the perks, not improving them, because they want to attract a new demographic.

[CruizinSusan70]

1 minute ago, Kay S said:

Exactly.  It's not cheating if you are just following the rules.

 

I guess some people do "chase the levels," but that is true on any line.  People who cruise a lot (because they are lucky enough to be able to do that) collect points almost by accident.  We were Princess cruisers in the beginning largely because we lived near San Pedro where Princess docks all the time.  We didn't want to take extra time to fly to and from a destination.  The same principle applies for Carnival (and for HAL in San Diego.)  When we were retired, we had more time to fly here and there.  Princess had good itineraries, and a bigger selection.  So over the decades, we accrued levels and made Elite on days (agree-no snark needed) simply because we cruised a lot.  (We are almost to the top on Carnival and not because we are chasing levels.)

 

I don't swing my medallion around and sing "free laundry, na na na na na" and I resent being accused of snobbery simply because I am Elite.  This thread started out as suggestions to improve the system, but has devolved, sadly, into one of those Elite bashing screeds where jealousies (?) over status or the way they are reached get the full-throat treatment.

 

My personal take on all of this is that Princess is degrading the perks, not improving them, because they want to attract a new demographic.

Since you get free laundry on Princess, I have a question for you.  Is it similar to free laundry on Carnival for their Platinum and Diamond levels in which all of the laundry is done in hot water.  After a shirt got ruined years ago, we have not used the perk since.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

That would make sense since Celebrity is part of the Royal family and that's what Royal did previously before they went to the 4-5-6 voucher system. 

Not really as Celebrity and RCI operate independent of one another even though they are under the RCG umbrella. All Celebrity did was eliminate the CC HH gathering for dinks and snacks in a lounge from 5 to 7. The timeline stayed the same and unlimited drinks between 5 to 7 stayed the same currently. No specific lounge, no pre dinner snacks.  RC enhanced the CAS program by now allowing the CAS HH drinks without a start stop time like in the past. The DL is still operating from 5 to 8 with pre dinner snacks. You now have to use your CAS tier level drinks in the DL or pay if you have used all your allotted drinks for the day. Way better than Celebrity's new CC HH. 

Edited April 30, 2023 by davekathy

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

I always thought you two were hussies.😉

We'll take that as a compliment. 😉 Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

[Kay S]

2 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Since you get free laundry on Princess, I have a question for you.  Is it similar to free laundry on Carnival for their Platinum and Diamond levels in which all of the laundry is done in hot water.  After a shirt got ruined years ago, we have not used the perk since.

I don't know the temp of the water, but I never send out anything delicate that might fall apart or fade.  It's mostly undies and socks and my husband's white shirts for dress-up night.  I have been known to go to the laundromat onboard to do wash myself from time to time.

[BamaVol]

2 hours ago, ldtr said:

hotel and airline loyalty program are more  related to credit cards then they are actual airline flights.  It is more a matter of the value of  points one earns than other benefits.

 

Back in the day, it was different.  Miles came from BIS (butt in seat) and the most highly valued benefit was an upgrade.  
 

With hotels, you slept there and there were other benefits.  Breakfast, suites, executive lounge access.  I used to get bottles of beer and wine in my suite upgrade along with special glasses and a bottle opener I took home.  Now, it’s a few bucks off breakfast and a parking place close to the door.

 

Looking at hotel and airline programs, I know what’s coming for cruise lines.  I hope  everyone enjoyed and appreciated the perks while they were there.  

[shorne]

Princess's loyalty programme doesn't make much sense. The red level, for instance, offers nothing of value beyond the level below it.

[BamaVol]

2 minutes ago, shorne said:

Princess's loyalty programme doesn't make much sense. The red level, for instance, offers nothing of value beyond the level below it.

I’m pretty sure you were instructed not to look behind the curtain.

[SCX22]

40 minutes ago, Kay S said:

I don't swing my medallion around and sing "free laundry, na na na na na" and I resent being accused of snobbery simply because I am Elite.  This thread started out as suggestions to improve the system, but has devolved, sadly, into one of those Elite bashing screeds where jealousies (?) over status or the way they are reached get the full-throat treatment.

 

This thread is all about snobbery.  Think about the topic.  It's basically, "We're Elites and we want and we think deserve these perks."  Princess thinks otherwise.  Notice how it's never a question on the post cruise survey. 

 

Cruise Princess because you like them for something other than your status and what is reaped from their loyalty program.

[beg3yrs]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Since you get free laundry on Princess, I have a question for you.  Is it similar to free laundry on Carnival for their Platinum and Diamond levels in which all of the laundry is done in hot water.  After a shirt got ruined years ago, we have not used the perk since.

Back in the day of Princess Ultimate Ship Tours, during the visit to the laundry the laundry master emphatically told us that all laundry was done in hot water.

 

DW writes in large letters on her laundry list "Cold Water Wash Please". I sincerely doubt that happens but who am I to argue...

 

When I have something that can't handle hot water I send it out separately with a ticket specifying the Professional Cleaning process. It's not dry cleaning but something similar and I don't believe hot water is involved. Next time I take a ship tour (Sun Princess in 2024 I hope) I will ask.

[Kay S]

34 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

This thread is all about snobbery.  .

 

 

 

As I said, this thread has devolved into Elite bashing, and for what reason, other than perhaps jealousy or self importance, I cannot understand.  You know, you don't have to read these threads if it upsets you so much (or utilize the ignore function and tune out the "snobs.") 

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, BamaVol said:

Back in the day, it was different.  Miles came from BIS (butt in seat) and the most highly valued benefit was an upgrade.  
 

With hotels, you slept there and there were other benefits.  Breakfast, suites, executive lounge access.  I used to get bottles of beer and wine in my suite upgrade along with special glasses and a bottle opener I took home.  Now, it’s a few bucks off breakfast and a parking place close to the door.

 

Looking at hotel and airline programs, I know what’s coming for cruise lines.  I hope  everyone enjoyed and appreciated the perks while they were there.  

I would not agree that the perks that exist now, which one may or may not use, or where there are so many people with max status level that the benefits become less useful (priority tender, 4 day return on free laundry, etc) are of that much value today.

 

With hotels and airlines I have gotten far more bang for my buck, with free flights, business class upgrades, free hotel stays, than I have with the loyalty benefits on any cruise line.

 

For example the value of my Internet benefit is 7.5 to 20 per day, free Landry averages out to about 7.5 per day, minibar about 3 to 5 dollars per day depending upon cruise length. excursion discount about 5 to 10 per day. (Most of my excursions are paid for with OBC so why not use cruise line excursions) So the total economic benefit is about $23 to 42.50.  on the current 22 trip I am on the total benefits came to about $616.  This is less than the OBC gotten from various sources and programs. On the other hand my use of airline and hotel points (most of which came through credit card bonus, and spend) will save me over 10 times that amount during the 17 days before and after the cruise, as well as the flights home.

 

A point based system would allow one to apply the points to what is of most value to them, instead of totaling up things that may or may not be of value.

I use the laundry because it is free, but could just as easily do any needed laundry myself. The minibar ends up getting swapped for drinks that I probably would not buy if they were not free, etc.

Edited April 30, 2023 by ldtr