Carnival loyalty means nothing anymore

[jimbo5544]

6 hours ago, Oletruckdude said:

Hey Jimbo5544 and Blerkone. Thank you both for the spirited debate. It's good exercise for the mind. I believe we're more in tune on this issue then it may appear. What we can certainly agree upon is the love of the cruising lifestyle. 

To that end I wish you both many more ocean sunsets and great days at sea.

Keep on cruisin'

Part of what makes CC such a good site.  Same to you.

[Z0nker]

On 9/11/2024 at 5:58 AM, vacalovers said:

I know there have been a lot of changes to what is offered from days past to now but now it seems the people that are impacted the most are those that have been loyal to carnival.  As diamond members with over 300 sea days it was the small "extras" that had us returning for 3-4 cruises every year. We don't take short cruises mainly 6 nights or greater. On our current 10 night European cruise every extra was basically disregarded. Embarkation was a disaster as only suites had priority. I took that with a grain of salt as it was only 15 min additional wait. But this cruise has multiple ports that require tenders and that priority is also only reserved to suites. We stay in balcony rooms as I know that is a added expense but something we enjoy we just aren't in the room enough to justify the added cost of the suite.  Last night we had to line up to get our tender tickets however our excursion yesterday took us past the start of the ticket distribution. We ended up with group 19 that was scheduled to be off around 10 am. Again not the worst thing as our privately booked tour was scheduled for 11am however our group wasn't called until 1230 due to congestion at the port. So we missed our excursion. When you speak with guest services the statement is well we have many diamonds so we can provide priority????? Am I wrong in thinking there is a way to do it with group numbers for priority and standard groups? Suites which we met a few that is their 1st cruise getting separate tickets but those that choose to continually provide repeat business get nothing. Carnival has lost my business I will now dip my toes with other lines and start over on loyalty since there is obviously no benefits provided with carnival. 

Think of it as an opportunity to try other cruise lines. Maybe you can get some first timer perks.

[Stick93]

I never understand why in one breath people agree the perks are better off of Carnival but the product is what people want. I have never seen a perk that someone didn’t want. Free drinks everyday? Free Wi-Fi? a pin and a bag? Bribes someone calls it! Okay - Carnival bribe me with something else.  I may come back more… 

[BlerkOne]

Nothing is free. WC Fields is pleased. 

[Stick93]

Is lunch free? Nope 

 

You pay for the cruise the rest is details. I like added details like the ones I would not get on Carnival. I like the ones I get on Carnival as well but they are not as fruitful. So do many people. Bribe are good - apparently bribes work so well that some companies have higher stock prices than others. 

[nc762shooter]

The big initial draw to Carnival for me as an adult is that we could easily drive to the port the day of embarkation and be home by early afternoon the day we get off the ship. Not having to fly or incorporate hotel stays literally saves hundreds of dollars each cruise not to mention requiring less time away from work or school. This is a value that no loyalty program on any cruise line is really going to come close to matching for us. The terminal closing in Charleston is a big blow to us in that regard. Of course, we can still drive to Jacksonville or Norfolk or even Baltimore relatively easily, but they are not feasible to drive to the port the day of for us so we would be looking at an overnight stay beforehand. Point being, we first went with Carnival for that reason and since we enjoy their product it keeps us coming back more so than any loyalty program would.

 

 

[mfs2k]

On 9/12/2024 at 9:26 PM, vwrestler171 said:

Its amazing that so many "loyal" cruisers will rush to complain because they feel they are being slighted when this happens ALL THE TIME on the longer cruises with higher numbers of diamond and platinum cruisers.

I just returned from Legend in the Med for 10 days. Our two tender ports didn’t give priority to Diamond /Platinum guests. I’m Platinum. I got on line for tender group tickets early on the day I wanted to get off sooner than later. 
The main benefit I appreciated was free laundry  I used it 2 of 3 times.  

[BlerkOne]

Even Royal has cut back on its bribe program. This is irrefutable.

[jimbo5544]

35 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

I just returned from Legend in the Med for 10 days. Our two tender ports didn’t give priority to Diamond /Platinum guests. I’m Platinum. I got on line for tender group tickets early on the day I wanted to get off sooner than later. 
The main benefit I appreciated was free laundry  I used it 2 of 3 times.  

It is common to not give premium tender benefit on specialty cruises (where there are significantly higher amounts of Plats and Diamonds).  In every case we have experienced it, we were notified by Carnival in advance. 

[jimbo5544]

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Even Royal has cut back on its bribe program. This is irrefutable.

Say it ain’t so…..the HUMANITY…..not Royal. 😆

[mfs2k]

Carnival doesn’t need to make the perks better because so many people keep coming back to Carnival regardless of priority tendering or the quality of the tote bag. 

It’s like Yogi Berra said: “Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.”

. 

[vacalovers]

There were many posts asking if there was a notification in advance of losing the perk and There wasn't I confirmed with others on line for tender tickets. We received the email about the 2 day advance for selecting a boarding time and it stated specifically the perk is not available on journey cruises no mention of our specific sailing.

This is not my first European cruise but my 3rd with carnival in as many years and this is the first time the perk was removed. As for booking a private excursion I understand the risk of being late but there are more options than just what carnival provides that allows you to see more of the place you are visiting with a smaller group than a full bus load of people. We were scheduled to be "docked" at 8am so our tour scheduled for 11 should not be an issue. People cruise for the experience with many ships calling the same ports. When given options on what line to take some of the perks are the difference maker. I'm just saying there are ways to operationally make it happen the same way they did for suites and carnival excursions. 

[Stick93]

11 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Even Royal has cut back on its bribe program. This is irrefutable.

How so?

[jimbo5544]

4 hours ago, vacalovers said:

There were many posts asking if there was a notification in advance of losing the perk and There wasn't I confirmed with others on line for tender tickets. We received the email about the 2 day advance for selecting a boarding time and it stated specifically the perk is not available on journey cruises no mention of our specific sailing.

This is not my first European cruise but my 3rd with carnival in as many years and this is the first time the perk was removed. As for booking a private excursion I understand the risk of being late but there are more options than just what carnival provides that allows you to see more of the place you are visiting with a smaller group than a full bus load of people. We were scheduled to be "docked" at 8am so our tour scheduled for 11 should not be an issue. People cruise for the experience with many ships calling the same ports. When given options on what line to take some of the perks are the difference maker. I'm just saying there are ways to operationally make it happen the same way they did for suites and carnival excursions. 

Which port was this?  

[BlerkOne]

15 hours ago, Stick93 said:

How so?

If you ask on the Royal board, one of their experts will help you out.

[elcuchio24]

It hasn't meant much for a while, and doesnt mean much on other lines either. We have no interest in them, and cruise multiple lines with no interest in what we have/dont have in loyalty levels. 

[wannagonow123]

Don't have any idea what perks have been taken away on Royal. I do know that Perks on Royal is way more substantial than what Carnival offers. We just turned mid-level on Royal, and we get 4 free drinks a day, or a substantial discount on beverage package. BOGO at specialty restaurants. 25%off gift shop items. These a just a few. Now for Carnival, Unless you are on an excursion, or you are in Belize, Priority tender is no longer offered. The Strawberries are inedible because they are not ripe. Priority disembarkation is a joke. The only reason we still travel with Carnival is the Casino keeps giving us rooms. We have over 200 days with Carnival and we can't even get a 2 top table for dining, unless we choose anytime. 

[Stick93]

19 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

If you ask on the Royal board, one of their experts will help you out.

I assumed that would be the answer - I come to the carnival boards for the experts as well. 

[BlerkOne]

Using my 75 Milestone Rewards OBC on my current 14 day Alaska cruise. I prefer the thousands in OBC to a few watered down drinks. Loyalty really pays on Carnival!!!!;

[Diamond-56-Plus]

On 9/11/2024 at 8:58 AM, vacalovers said:

I know there have been a lot of changes to what is offered from days past to now but now it seems the people that are impacted the most are those that have been loyal to carnival. 

 

 

You took a few hits when posting this, raised a few hairs in the process. Never bothered showing back up when the flames started. Thats the sign of a smart poster. I've read a few thousand topics like this on this site. Always the same few with the same reactions.😁

Edited yesterday at 01:34 AM by Diamond-56-Plus

[JMAE]

At the time the Loyalty program was established (2012) I don't think the cruise industry was in the same place as it is today.  In 2012 per CLIA the cruise industry was showing signs of coming out of a subpar growth period (2010 6.9%; 2011 4.8%; 2012 5.1%) and I'm sure the Costa Concordia accident had an effect.  Today I think more people are taking multiple cruises per year and the number of people trying cruising is high and they enjoy the lifestyle.  On our last cruise during the loyalty party, they announced the youngest diamond guest sailing, he was 12 years old.  CCL will need to design a program that fits the current state of the industry and as I have said in the past, I believe the benefits will be more individualized like free drinks, some internet access, etc. Some of the popular benefits like priority shuttles etc will be limited to the highest benefit levels.    

[Stick93]

As much as we all wrestle over what loyalty is worth - the loyalty program is here to stay and will be advanced/changed/updated at some point. The real issue is that as cruise and grows, and as the cruise lines and ships keep getting added the number of days that people of cruise also keeps growing. Just taking a few cruises over 10 year may very well put you at platinum. I’m not sure how you change a program that some people feel they’ve earned with the loyalty that they have invested in over many years. I think unfortunately one of the ways of possibly dealing with this while incentivizing people to continue to stay on one cruise line would be setting benchmarks that people would have to continue to keep status. For instance, to keep your status, you would have to cruise every 24 months or hit certain minimums to stay higher tier. Right now if you’re platinum and higher, you do not have to ever cruise again to keep that status. 

Edited yesterday at 04:26 AM by Stick93

[jimbo5544]

10 hours ago, Diamond-56-Plus said:

You took a few hits when posting this, raised a few hairs in the process. Never bothered showing back up when the flames started. Thats the sign of a smart poster. I've read a few thousand topics like this on this site. Always the same few with the same reactions.😁

All opinions are valid, posting here and the back and forth is what makes this site better.  I could care less if someone posts a couple times or tens of thousands.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the discussion….but that is JMHO.  

[Jamman54]

8 hours ago, Stick93 said:

As much as we all wrestle over what loyalty is worth - the loyalty program is here to stay and will be advanced/changed/updated at some point. The real issue is that as cruise and grows, and as the cruise lines and ships keep getting added the number of days that people of cruise also keeps growing. Just taking a few cruises over 10 year may very well put you at platinum. I’m not sure how you change a program that some people feel they’ve earned with the loyalty that they have invested in over many years. I think unfortunately one of the ways of possibly dealing with this while incentivizing people to continue to stay on one cruise line would be setting benchmarks that people would have to continue to keep status. For instance, to keep your status, you would have to cruise every 24 months or hit certain minimums to stay higher tier. Right now if you’re platinum and higher, you do not have to ever cruise again to keep that status. 

I agree,  especially with that last part. 😎

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, Jamman54 said:

I agree,  especially with that last part. 😎

Certainly would be the easiest to migrate to.