Captain Circle changes

[Protirees]

We will miss the free internet also...but the way I read the Princess site is each Platinum member will get $100 credit...so that is me and my DH - that is $200 for a 15 day cruise (or $150 for a 7 day) which should work out fine for us...

 

I hate to sound like a neophyte but what does DH stand for. I can guess, as I can interpret its meaning in this, and other, messages but would appreciate knowing what the initials really stand for.

[chrysalis]

I hate to sound like a neophyte but what does DH stand for. I can guess, as I can interpret its meaning in this, and other, messages but would appreciate knowing what the initials really stand for.

 

DH=dear husband

MIL=mother in law

etc

[Smiles3usa]

In January 2008 Princess will resume its 100+ days world cruise. Giving unlimited internet access for that long a period of time would seem to be a real revenue loser. It stands to reason that unlimited internet would be cut back before that sailing (and before too many people made reservations counting on the unlimited access).

 

Ah well, this too shall pass.

[asctony]

Hi kids - hope this title is ok. We really felt the need to post our response to the new internet perks policy...

 

Free Internet Access

Credit Towards Internet Café Packages (effective April 1, 2007)

 

$75 for voyages of 7 days or less

$100 for voyages of 8-20 days

$200 for voyages of 21 or more days

 

We have many days on Princess and often do long cruises and B2B's. This change will impact us a lot and will encourage us to look more closely at other cruise lines.

 

We have figured that on a 19 day cruise you would get $100 worth of free internet. This works out to $5 per day or 10 minutes (figured by the rates in effect during our cruise last month). Considering how slow the connection can be, this is barely time to log on.

 

We have seen most of the evening entertainment on Princess so we often go to the internet room after dinner instead. We will no longer have the option of this alternate entertainment.

 

If you cruise a lot, as we do, the internet is really necessary to take care of business when you are away for months at a time.

 

One we reason we wanted to post is, we are always hoping that Princess does actually take a look at these boards. They need to hear some feedback.

 

Cheers!

Dee and John

I just have to respond to this. I don't know how often you cruise Princess and really it does not matter. However, there is no other cruise line that gives free Internet that I know of. We cruised on Princess only 5 times in 2005 for 55 days and feel that the Interent is not a form of entertainment. We have seen all of the shows, most of the entertainers, etc. However, we do not use the Internet for hours as others may want to use it, too. So, what cruise line will you use instead of Princess? The others charge a setup fee, 75 Cents a minute and. Oh, Celebrity gives you as an Elite member 10 free minutes. Maybe that may help. Happy cruising!

[Charliesmom]

I am not a fan of cost-cutting, but I really think that Princess has a point in limiting the free Platinum credit for the Internet.

 

A couple of years ago, my husband was working on a deal and we had the free internet because we are Platinum captain's circle members. He ran up $900.00 worth of internet time on that deal. Had we not had the free internet, he would have worked less hard or perhaps put off dealing with the business when we got home.

 

Princess (and all of the other Carnival lines) has an interesting business model. They sell the rooms at cost (and sometimes below cost) and hope that you will spend enough money on their overpriced stuff to make up the difference. there are a lot of cruisers out there who hardly spend ANY money on excursions or drinks or the casino. We think they are taking a big risk. Some folks spend money like water, but there are a lot of folks who are very careful with how they spend their hard-earned cash.

 

Roberta

[ccrain]

I did notice in Cabo last month a constant parade of ship's personnel with laptops stalking the Promenade and upper aft deck with laptops looking for free wi-fi signals from the shore. A couple of them actually succeeded in getting some linkage, slow, but free.

 

Our company provides us with IPASS, a provider package that ports us in to almost all paid for usage hot spots like TMobile, Cingular,as well as various airports and hotels.

 

There are several websites listing free and pay for use hot spots in the various ports of call as well. Hopefully when N is fully implemented the choices may get even larger as the range expands.

 

It may be that this is a transitory thing once competition from ports of call start to cut into on-board business revenues.

 

Of course then there will be the hot-spot on the Sun Deck Hogs...

[Charles4515]

We have many days on Princess and often do long cruises and B2B's. This change will impact us a lot and will encourage us to look more closely at other cruise lines.

 

I don't understand why this change would make people look at other cruise lines. The other cruise lines don't offer free internet access nor do they offer the credits that Princess will be giving for internet access. On Princess repeaters will still be getting at least a $75 credit. The others don't offer repeaters anything. Sure I would prefer that they left it as it was with unlimited free access but $75 is still a good perk. I have had the free access on three Princess cruises and only on the longest, ten days, did I use $75 worth of access.

[west coast cruiser]

I'm platinum and use the internet to check on my business while I am away.

I will be on the Sea Princess next month so I will have my more time with the free internet.

I have seen people use their friend's platinum cards to log on and this abuse probably helped to ruin this perk for us.

I have been using Princess more since getting the free internet. Now I may go back to some other lines once in a while. We'll see.

WCC

[Jacqueline]

I have to say that the last two cruises I was on there were always plenty of terminals that were free in the internet lounge. I don't know of this is the norm or not.

I wonder what thinking went into this change. It is always disappointing when benefits are rolled back even if one doesn't use them.

I do agree that the internet at times is very slow or drops/hangs so time can be run through faster than anticipated, so that the time could rack up more quickly than realized. Now we have to check on our usage to make sure we don't inadvertantly go "over".

My next cruise is before April....

Customer loyalty perks are a great thing and to see them diminished sends the message that you are now getting less.

[skarletohara]

.

I wonder what thinking went into this change. .

 

More than likely the new change in Platinum/Elite status which has changed to:

 

Platinum: beginning with 6th cruise OR 50 days at sea.

 

Before, it was based on amount of cruises only, and commencing

with cruise 6, you're a Plat.

 

Now with the new structure it's either/or

and as a result, they've more than likely increased the amount of Platinums and probably couldn't afford to keep giving the unlimited perk.

[Jacqueline]

Sort of the other way around for me. I would have been a platinum much sooner- Europe, Tahiti etc. I wonder if these past cruises will be calculated to add the extra several weeks I have.

[phillipahain]

Its rather unfair to suggest that a $200 internet credit is as good for a 102 day cruise as it is for a 20 day cruise

 

On a 20 day cruise thats $10 a day

 

on a 102 day cruise its less than $2 a day which will not even sign you in much less acccess your email even if you could download it to read and reply offline

 

If all the Internet credit is equally proportional one would have no grounds to complain but as things stand anyone taking longer cruises will be heavily penalised

[insidecabin]

Sort of the other way around for me. I would have been a platinum much sooner- Europe, Tahiti etc. I wonder if these past cruises will be calculated to add the extra several weeks I have.

 

Lets hope so,

 

Even now with the 6 or 50 those that prefer long cruise are getting a bad deal

 

6*7nights are only 42 and in the US there are shorter cruises.

 

Typical UK cruises have been 10night and will be 12 this year and we only get 1 credit for some 14night cruises.

 

We have 10+14+10 but I think we are still a 3. so another 14 will only give us 48 or 4/5.

 

The real problem is repeat benifits are not really sustainable long term attracting new business is key so the incentives to change will start as the market matures.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

DH=dear husband

MIL=mother in law

etc

 

Or on a bad day

DH = Darn husband:D :D

[christinelee]

We Have Been Real Princess Loyal Passengers (see previous cruise list), but I am afraid not in the future. Yes, we have only cruised Princess and have even taken all of our children (6), Spouses (6), Grandchildren ((6), on cruises with us. When someone is loyal you reward them. Princess has done this to us and we have remained as loyal as loyal can be. For my loyalty they "hung the carrot" in front of me to keep me going. I met all of their qualifications. I believe I have earned these perks and for them to just change the rules in the "middle of the ocean: is so very wrong. It is not that I would have to "pay" for a service... It is a service that I earned......what will be next? For Me It will Be RCL!

[septrack]

We Have Been Real Princess Loyal Passengers (see previous cruise list), but I am afraid not in the future. Yes, we have only cruised Princess and have even taken all of our children (6), Spouses (6), Grandchildren ((6), on cruises with us. When someone is loyal you reward them. Princess has done this to us and we have remained as loyal as loyal can be. For my loyalty they "hung the carrot" in front of me to keep me going. I met all of their qualifications. I believe I have earned these perks and for them to just change the rules in the "middle of the ocean: is so very wrong. It is not that I would have to "pay" for a service... It is a service that I earned......what will be next? For Me It will Be RCL!

 

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[Oxo]

Lets face it. It was and still is a benefit that Princess allows us. There is nothing in writing that they must continue to provide it to us. Stop and think of the Government and what they have done to the GIs. Years ago they provided the retirees free medical care, cola raises every year, etc., now that is a thing of the past. Try another cruise line and see what you get for free. There is no free lunch today. You pay for it one way or the other.

[mycruz]

I'm really surprised that Princess did not send out some type of communication to it's Circle members before posting the changes on the website. Does anyone else feel the same?

[Brad1185]

We to share some disappointment here. We spent thousands the past couple of years with Princess trying to get a lot of cruise credits and our Capt Circle level up to get the benefits such as the internet.

 

Now that benefit is pulled out from under us.

 

Princess does not stop, they keep taking away, taking away, charging extra.

 

I almost booked with Princess LA to Hawaii 15 night next fall. The cruise was about $1,000 more than Celebrity but at least I thought would have included internet. Im glad I went with Celebrity.

 

Hopefully the loyal Princess customers will say enough and put a stop to this.

[Sandytoes]

Free Internet Access

Credit Towards Internet Café Packages (effective April 1, 2007)

$75 for voyages of 7 days or less

$100 for voyages of 8-20 days

$200 for voyages of 21 or more days

 

In other words, if I choose not to use the Free Internet Access, (I am a Platinum member), Princess will give me shipboard credit depending on the length of cruise?

To me it seems that Princess is doing it's best to keep it's loyal cruisers....Why the complaints?

[West Coast]

Free Internet Access

Credit Towards Internet Café Packages (effective April 1, 2007)

$75 for voyages of 7 days or less

$100 for voyages of 8-20 days

$200 for voyages of 21 or more days

 

In other words, if I choose not to use the Free Internet Access, (I am a Platinum member), Princess will give me shipboard credit depending on the length of cruise?

To me it seems that Princess is doing it's best to keep it's loyal cruisers....Why the complaints?

 

Sure, the description is a bit ambiguous, but in reality we'll find that the credit is applied if/when the package is purchased. Should we chose not to purchase they will chose not to give the respective credit.

[Hondu]

We Have Been Real Princess Loyal Passengers (see previous cruise list), but I am afraid not in the future. Yes, we have only cruised Princess and have even taken all of our children (6), Spouses (6), Grandchildren ((6), on cruises with us. When someone is loyal you reward them. Princess has done this to us and we have remained as loyal as loyal can be. For my loyalty they "hung the carrot" in front of me to keep me going. I met all of their qualifications. I believe I have earned these perks and for them to just change the rules in the "middle of the ocean: is so very wrong. It is not that I would have to "pay" for a service... It is a service that I earned......what will be next? For Me It will Be RCL!

 

 

I am with you 100%.

Princess set up the incentive and I cruised loyally to achieve it. Now, they pull it back. It stinks.

[Jacqueline]

Absolutey. Why people feel a need to stick up for Princess is besides me !

[joseole555]

I called Princess last night and when I came to post here, the thread had already been pulled.

 

They said (for whatever its worth) that there will be a $75 package at the cafe that 7 day cruisers can buy - so we still all get free interent, just not unlimited. She siad it would start with voyages that start on or after April 1st - so if you're 1/2 way through a cruise on 4/1/07, it won't switch on you.

 

It is lousy, but personally I don't know how much it'll impact me. If my husband and I each get a $75 internet credit on a 7-dayer? That's $150 dollars and that's more than enough. And I am NO Princess cheerleader, but I don't know any other cruise line, hotel, or airline that offers any benefits that even compare to their Elite benefits (including $75 in the internet cafe!) .

[Sandy R]

Let me say first that DH and I have been Elite since they created that level. We have thoroughly enjoyed the perks that come with Elite. Do we cruise Princess because of the perks? To be honest, it does keep us coming back... along with great itineraries, roomy mini-suites, great ships and friendly staff and crew. And, internet changes aside, we will continue to sail Princess!

 

We finished our 30th cruise with Princess in October, a 28 day Asia cruise, with lots of cold sea days. I must admit, I used the onboard internet during those cold sea days. Other passengers did, too. A few times there was a plus or minus 15 minutes but no one complained (and IMHO no one hogged the computers either). Many did complain, though, when the internet was agonizingly slow. Elites, including DH and myself, had no need to complain because we had unlimited internet. I felt sorry for those passengers that were paying per minute.

 

Sometimes, passengers would log on but after a few minutes with time running, when they never got passed a blank screen, signed off. To Elites, it was a minor annoyance but I would imagine 'paying per minute passengers' had to ask the Purser's Desk to credit them those minutes... because those down minutes can add up.

 

Sometimes passengers had their computers freeze. Most of the time the Internet Cafe wasn't manned so passengers would call the Purser's Desk only to be told to just leave, that the computers rebooted themselves after 60 minutes or so. I would imagine that a 'pay per minute passenger' asked the Purser's Desk to make certain their shipboard acct. was credited. My DH had a computer freeze twice on him but he was able to leave unconcerned , because we had unlimited internet.

 

Understand where I'm going with this? The Purser's Desk is going to get a big hit from passengers, who prior to April 1 were getting unlimited internet, but after April 1 will be counting minutes religiously. If the lines at the Purser's Desk were long before, I shudder to think how the Purser's Desk will handle internet billing problems that will surely arise.

 

Those of us on cruisecritic that are or will be Platinum and Elite are but a fraction of the hundreds of Platinum and Elite that won't hear about the internet changes until they board their next Princess cruise... yikes!

 

IMHO, Princess didn't fully consider the problems their internet announcement might bring, didn't even have the forethought to spell out the changes so that there would be no need for speculation, ie, is credit per person or per cabin, and how much will the internet packages cost. Nor did they consider that someone on an 8 day cruise who receives $100 toward an internet package, is far better off than someone on a 19 day cruise (which DH and I will be on next Sept.) who also receives #100 toward an internet package!

 

Princess gave me an unlimited internet perk for being loyal and now they are restricting that perk. That isn't a great way to do business. Am I angry.. no. Am I disappointed... you bet!

 

Sandy