Captain Circle changes

[Toto2Kansas]

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

 

Sandy, What a great way to describe our feelings also, I couldn't agree with you more.

I personally am waiting for word of this from Princess and a description of how they will be handling all this. So far, everything has just been speculation after seeing the change in perks on the Pirncess website.

It will be nice to know exactly what they are doing and how they plan to handle it first hand.

[ccrain]

 

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!) .

 

Actually I know of several hotel chains that do. I am a member of Hilton Honors and I can always find one of their hotels that has free high speed internet. In addition, their reward program has done me very well with over 5 pre-cruise hotel nights free, and 3 more booked in the past 3 years. I pick the pre-cruise hotels with free shuttles, which saves cab fare. All in all over $120 per stay saved.

 

On United Mileage Plus, I average 3 free R/T tickets a year, in addition to early boarding, a separate check in line and economy plus seating. That's saving between $900 and $1500 a year.

 

We have been trying to average 2 cruises a year on Princess, but that has gone up with the B2Bs we have sort of got hooked on. Besides the no-cost ammenities of boarding, the only dollars we're talking about now is $75 plus the repeat passenger savings. Quite frankly the repeat passenger savings is more significant.

 

If you think about it, rewarding people who have spent somewhere between $3000 and $12000 pp on your company, with just a $75 credit just doesn't seem very significant.

 

The only real elite benefits of significance are the 10% price savings, laundry and the canapes/mini-bar setup, in that order. Mark this down - I am sure this will change over the next few years when more and more people become elite. With millions of Captain's Circle members cruising more and more, just look at the number of platinum and elite passengers as you walk down a corridor, they will not be able to afford these high levels of awards.

[ccrain]

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

 

Its called upselling or vertical retailing and you are exactly correct. Most people, including me, shop for cruises on a cabin price basis. Most people probably do not include the "voluntary" expenses in their budgeting process. When you do, the numbers are pretty scary. As an example, a 7 day cruise can be $1600 for the cruise but after adding drinks, tips, excursions, photos, and other misc stuff it can easily grow to over $2000.

 

All of the cruise lines depend on these secondary revenue sources to make up the difference. That's the current business model and its working.

[Princess Patches]

The earlier thread made reference to "Internet Hogs", who dare to spend a lot of time on the internet while cruising, possibly being the cause of this internet access change. If this musing is correct, how about:

 

The Drink Hogs, those who dare to drink and eat everything in sight during the Captain's Circle Party, cause there to be a $10 credit when purchased with the Captain's Circle Picture, Booze and Canapes package ($30)?

 

The Laundry Hogs, those who dare to have all of their laundry and dry cleaning done while on-board, cause it to be a $100 credit on a $150 bag of quarters for the self serve laundry, or a $75 credit on the $100 "Ship Your Stinky Clothes Home" package? (Or will the sewer smell make this a moot point?)

 

The Tender Hogs, those who dare to flaunt their card to get on the first available tender, cause there to be the $15 credit on the $25 Express Zodiac Excursion to the tender dock?

 

The Shoe Polishing Hogs, those who bring every shoe they own, along with all of their dirty clothes as well (see perk above), just for the free shoe polishing, cause their to be a buy one shoe - not pair - polishing, get one free credit?

 

And of course there are the potential impacts of the Canapes Hogs, the Afternoon Tea Hogs, the Upgraded Bathroom Amenities Hogs - for sale later on eBay no doubt - and last but not least, those Wine Tasting Hogs who didn't get their fill at the Captain's Circle Party.

 

With all of these hogs around, at least there will not be a shortage of pork on Italian night...

 

You are more amusing than the comedian on our last cruise! What about:

 

The cumulation of all the bad hogs that have caused a $5 credit on the $15 Sanctuary, a quiet, calming place place made necessary for all the good non-hogs to get away from all the hogging.

 

I think you are right about there are more changes to come in the loyalty program. We were commenting on our last cruise how almost every other door had a platinum or elite member in it. I have close to 250 days and did not get invited to the elite luncheon for the first time ever on the last cruise. It gives you the feeling that platinum/elite membership is not a rarity any longer.

[spongerob]

The earlier thread made reference to "Internet Hogs", who dare to spend a lot of time on the internet while cruising, possibly being the cause of this internet access change. If this musing is correct, how about:

I might be at least partly responsible for that term, so I'll answer. I came up with the term after being unable to find an open terminal aboard Grand Princess. One family had four terminals in use (out of the 15 or so available) for an extended period of time. The IT person monitoring the facility made a comment that the line might start limiting the amount of "free" internet service, and I assumed that was to make the room more accessible to everyone.

 

Some people DO monopolize the system. When such people are rare, it's just an annoyance; when it becomes commonplace, something will have to be done to change the game. I don't care what business it is, no one likes thinking that they are being taken advantage of. It's like the old "refer a friend" program, call Share The Wealth, I think, that was abused by members on this web site and presumably elsewhere. It no longer exists.

 

The same is true for "free" internet. The system isn't there to be a business center nor is any cruise line marketing towards the business traveler, unlike land-based hotels. The current system is an uncontained cost and obviously someone has identified that it needs to be managed more effectively. That might piss some people off, but I think anyone in business can understand that there is a tipping point where something has to be changed and therefore you'll now find limits.

 

One final point...loyalty programs are a competitive tool and are defined as much by what the competition is doing. I'm not aware of any mass-market line that has a similar perk in their loyalty program.

 

The Laundry Hogs, those who dare to have all of their laundry and dry cleaning done while on-board, cause it to be a $100 credit on a $150 bag of quarters for the self serve laundry, or a $75 credit on the $100 "Ship Your Stinky Clothes Home" package?

They also exist. Some of our members who travel extensively have often posted that the laundry benefit allows them to pack more, and travel longer before a cruise, and have all their laundry done "free". As more and more people can access the perk, more will see fit to abuse the privilege, and I could easily see a limit placed on this perk, too.

[mii]

I am platinum and frankly I am going to just wait and see how all of this will turn out. We do not use the internet that much on a cruise but it is a perk that I would hate to lose.

 

Marilyn

[Charles4515]

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!

 

You would cut off your nose to spite your face? RCI does not give any internet perks. They even took away the free ten minutes coupon they use to give. I do cruise RCL, have one booked right now on RCL and one on Celebrity, but they only have one perk that is worth it, the concierge lounge on RCL, and that is only available on some ships. Celebrity's perks are not much. Princess is still offering subsantial internet perks and the free laundry.

[arlenemilt]

The earlier thread made reference to "Internet Hogs", who dare to spend a lot of time on the internet while cruising, possibly being the cause of this internet access change. If this musing is correct, how about:

 

The Drink Hogs, those who dare to drink and eat everything in sight during the Captain's Circle Party, cause there to be a $10 credit when purchased with the Captain's Circle Picture, Booze and Canapes package ($30)?

 

The Laundry Hogs, those who dare to have all of their laundry and dry cleaning done while on-board, cause it to be a $100 credit on a $150 bag of quarters for the self serve laundry, or a $75 credit on the $100 "Ship Your Stinky Clothes Home" package? (Or will the sewer smell make this a moot point?)

 

The Tender Hogs, those who dare to flaunt their card to get on the first available tender, cause there to be the $15 credit on the $25 Express Zodiac Excursion to the tender dock?

 

The Shoe Polishing Hogs, those who bring every shoe they own, along with all of their dirty clothes as well (see perk above), just for the free shoe polishing, cause their to be a buy one shoe - not pair - polishing, get one free credit?

 

And of course there are the potential impacts of the Canapes Hogs, the Afternoon Tea Hogs, the Upgraded Bathroom Amenities Hogs - for sale later on eBay no doubt - and last but not least, those Wine Tasting Hogs who didn't get their fill at the Captain's Circle Party.

 

With all of these hogs around, at least there will not be a shortage of pork on Italian night...

 

We are Elite and we don't:

 

Drink any alcohol at the Cocktail party (if we attend at all)

Go to the free wine tasting

Utilize the free shoe polishing

Go to afternoon tea (or have it in our cabin) - hate tea

Have fruit delivered to our cabin

Have any canapes; in our cabin or otherwise.

Need the bathroom upgrades; we prefer to tote our own

 

We are Elite and we do:

 

Our laundry; not all of it and only when needed. Must choose judiciously

Use the internet for keeping in touch and paying bills when on lengthy cruises.

 

 

When you're on a ship for 5-6-7 weeks or more as we often are, the internet is more than a perk; it's a necessity. Sure I surf around a bit, but I also do "Live Froms". There's no way I can/will spend more than an hour of my time and $$$ each day to continue to do so.

 

Am I a HOG? Maybe. I sure don't EAT my allotment. :) Maybe they will give me more internet time since I eat NO desserts. :D

 

We'll be in the midst of a 35 day cruise when this takes effect, so tune in to see what happens to my "LIVE" on April 1st.

 

Arlene

[Cruisin' Grandma]

Well, this is a very hot topic. We are Elite on Princess and yes, we do use the internet. We just came home from the Golden Princess and our internet usage was over the $75.00 credit we would have had starting April 1. Is the capped internet a deal breaker?......no, we still enjoy the other perks of Elite status. I think that most folks have the perception that the capping of the internet is just the beginning. Will there be other cutbacks, like the free laundry or the 10% discounts in the shops?

 

Does this represent the gradual decline in Princess over the last few years? I remember when we were served sorbet between courses to cleanse our palette for the next course. This fell by the wayside a long time ago.

 

I think the whole problem is that folks don't like losing something that they've enjoyed for a while.

 

Lola in Hamilton

[ccrain]

I might be at least partly responsible for that term, so I'll answer. I came up with the term after being unable to find an open terminal aboard Grand Princess. One family had four terminals in use (out of the 15 or so available) for an extended period of time. The IT person monitoring the facility made a comment that the line might start limiting the amount of "free" internet service, and I assumed that was to make the room more accessible to everyone.

 

Some people DO monopolize the system.

 

Yes, some people use the system a lot. But if those four people were using the system within the rules of the program, even though they were being discourteous to fellow passengers, then I cannot fairly criticize their actions just because I don't like what they are doing.

 

Take for example the laundry program. If it still exists when I get there I plan to pack light and send out laundry on a regular basis - all within the rules of the program at the time.

 

I see no footnotes, no asteriks, no requests in the Elite perk literature that says "regular use of this perk shall be cause for its elmination or reduction".

 

Although I know somewhere buried in the literature is a statement similar to: Princess reserves the right to change program benefits and rules unilaterally.

[Charles4515]

We are Elite and we don't:

 

When you're on a ship for 5-6-7 weeks or more as we often are, the internet is more than a perk; it's a necessity. Sure I surf around a bit, but I also do "Live Froms". There's no way I can/will spend more than an hour of my time and $$$ each day to continue to do so.

 

We'll be in the midst of a 35 day cruise when this takes effect, so tune in to see what happens to my "LIVE" on April 1st.

 

Arlene

 

If many of the "Live Froms" disappear many won't think that is bad.

 

And I do think some spending an hour a day on stuff like "Live Froms" with the unlimited free time probably contributes to the the reason they have put a cap on the free access.

 

For some reason many think that the bandwidth used on ships is unlimited or cheap. It is not. They don't have a fiber line or T-1 running to the ship. They have to lease space on a satellite. Putting up a satellite is not cheap and there are a limited number of channels, and a limit to the number that can share each channel.

[ccrain]

 

When you're on a ship for 5-6-7 weeks or more as we often are, the internet is more than a perk; it's a necessity. Sure I surf around a bit, but I also do "Live Froms". There's no way I can/will spend more than an hour of my time and $$$ each day to continue to do so.

 

Am I a HOG? Maybe. I sure don't EAT my allotment. :) Maybe they will give me more internet time since I eat NO desserts. :D

 

Arlene

 

Ah, if only we could do the 5-6-7 weeks. I think upon retirement we will do one massive, long, hideously expensive cruise.

 

I also do "live from" threads and they are extensive and will be expensive, but no longer at this rate. Just the hassle, as has been previously pointed out, of monitoring your time, glitches and repeated trips to the purser's desk just don't make it worth the $75.

 

NO DESSERTS!!! Can't do that. The chefs would be crushed and think you don't like the food! I'd trade the canapes and mini-bar setup for an extra 200 minutes of internet time!

 

I'd trade that giveaway champagne for internet time any day...

[Princess Patches]

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.

 

I think I can answer this because I feel the same way as Dorinda. It is not that you believe you can get a better deal on another line. I think we all know that the Princess internet program is the only game in town. It is just that this change levels the playing field a bit more when considering which cruise line to sail.

 

I have been sailing Princess exclusively for the past few years and the loyalty program at the elite level tipped the balance in favor of Princess for me when other things were equal, such as itinerary and price. I have enjoyed Celebrity very much in the past because I think it offers a comparable product at a comparable price. Since the internet perk was my favorite I will now give more consideration to other lines that offer a similar style of cruising at a similar price. It does not mean I won't sail Princess any longer by any means it just means that the other lines now have a better chance at my business.

[Coral]

If you are disappointed in this new change - please contact Princess and let them know your opinions - here is information on contacting Princess:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471013

[Charles4515]

 

I think the whole problem is that folks don't like losing something that they've enjoyed for a while.

 

Lola in Hamilton

 

Hi Lola,

 

I agree that is the main problem. None of the other cruise lines offered anything even close. Some of the others used to give ten minutes. Princess probably should never have had the unlimited free access and raised expectations. The $75 is a substantial benefit but people don't like things being taken away.

 

My suggestion to Princess is that they should maintain the unlimited use for Elite members or maintain the unlimited use for Plat or Elite on ten day or longer cruises. If they stick with the changes they should push back the effective date. But in any case it won't be a deal breaker for me. And the modified perks are still better than those offered by other cruise line.

[Princess Chatterer]

Thanks for the link. They received my two cents. I'll be Elite next year based on my willingness to spend whatever it takes to get the Elite laundry benefit. Seriously.

 

What I would really like to know is whether the credit will be per person or per cabin and whether the credit will apply to a laptop WiFi connection?

 

Finally now, more than ever, I would expect Princess to have no dead computers in the Internet Cafe and Library and stop filtering who we are allowed to connect to.

[arlenemilt]

If many of the "Live Froms" disappear many won't think that is bad.

 

And I do think some spending an hour a day on stuff like "Live Froms" with the unlimited free time probably contributes to the the reason they have put a cap on the free access.

.

 

I doubt that, Charles. There aren't that many people doing "Lives" and for the most part they're very informative. They do get carried away at times, which is what I'm doing right now. Off topic. Just can't help myself. :)

Arlene

[LARGIN]

Checked my billing on our last cruise and the Internet cost was less than $35. However every time I was there I saw the same people watching their stock trades and playing games.. I know I won't have any problems with the new system as I intend to enjoy myself on a cruise and not park myself in front of a monitor playing games, surfing the net or doing any verbose "Live From's". If you really need it for business then pay for it as you are going to claim it as a business deduction anyway..

[peterv]

Just doing a random satellite service google, I find that the service is not all that expensive on a business plan, like $500 to $1000 a month. While that is a bit on the expensive side for a home system, for a ship at sea, and I realise that the service is going to be a bit different due to the equipment, the actual costs per month for bandwidth are not that great.

 

I think this is just another ploy to increase profits at the cost of a good loyalty perk.

 

But hey, that is just my opinion.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Princess Patches]

Ah, if only we could do the 5-6-7 weeks. I think upon retirement we will do one massive, long, hideously expensive cruise.

 

I also do "live from" threads and they are extensive and will be expensive, but no longer at this rate. Just the hassle, as has been previously pointed out, of monitoring your time, glitches and repeated trips to the purser's desk just don't make it worth the $75.

 

NO DESSERTS!!! Can't do that. The chefs would be crushed and think you don't like the food! I'd trade the canapes and mini-bar setup for an extra 200 minutes of internet time!

 

I'd trade that giveaway champagne for internet time any day...

 

I agree. I won't buy the internet package or get the credit either. This system change effectively ends the internet perk for me. I know others will feel differently. The $75 is not worth all the trips to the Purser's desk to correct charges when the internet freezes or goes down and you are still logged on. It is not worth keeping daily tabs on your time. I know people who use the internet by the minute and it can easily take two or three trips to the Purser's desk to get one "freezing" charge removed. I don't want the aggravation. The beauty of the old system was that it was stress free!!

[Charles4515]

I think this is just another ploy to increase profits at the cost of a good loyalty perk.

 

But hey, that is just my opinion.

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

If it is a ploy then it is a mistake. I do think they gained repeat customers by offering the unlimited free access. The $75 is good but I do expect that to have a lot less effect at drawing repeaters than the unlimited access did.

 

In the long term all the cruise lines are going to lose customers if they don't provide internet access at reasonable rates. People won't cruise because it is becoming a necessity. They should probably absorb the costs and spread it among all the passengers and make it included.

 

It is easy for some to say that people should forget everything else while on vacation and not connect or make phone calls but that is not the reality in today's workplace or business. If the cruise lines want to keep customers they are going to have to make that possible if they don't want to sail with empty cabins. They won't be able to fill all their cabins with retirerees.

[Sandytoes]

Originally Posted by Toto2Kansas

Well, I have been thinking on this after I left this evening and I once again went to the Princess Captain's Circle to check. Since the listing for this still says FREE INTERNET for Platinum/Elite, I find it hard to believe that there isn't going to be some free internet for all platinum and elite members. I think it will be a limited internet access, but there will still be some free. We will see when more of this info comes out. But I can not believe that Princess would be listing this under FREE INTERNET if they were just going to allow you to buy minutes at a discount, that wouldn't be considered free then would it?

So, before we all get carried away here, let's see what happens. I will bet anyone on this site that when this all comes out, it will be limited minutes instead of unlimited for Platinum and Elite passengers.

 

Toto2Kansas - you said it very nicely.

If cell phone connections, Internet e-mail, game playing, or message boards are a crucial element of one's cruise vacation you will need to get out of your comfort zone and adapt to this new change.

Time will Tell...People should stop Making a Mountain Out of a Mole Hill!

It's too early to tell what the change means.....

Platinum Tier Cruiser....

[Cruisin' Grandma]

Hi Lola,

 

I agree that is the main problem. None of the other cruise lines offered anything even close. Some of the others used to give ten minutes. Princess probably should never have had the unlimited free access and raised expectations. The $75 is a substantial benefit but people don't like things being taken away.

 

My suggestion to Princess is that they should maintain the unlimited use for Elite members or maintain the unlimited use for Plat or Elite on ten day or longer cruises. If they stick with the changes they should push back the effective date. But in any case it won't be a deal breaker for me. And the modified perks are still better than those offered by other cruise line.

 

Hi Charles, always the voice of reason. I agree the modified perks are better than any other cruise line. We wouldn't stop cruising Princess just because the internet access is limited. We enjoy the other perks that Elite status gives us as well. I wonder if they are considering a status above Elite? Maybe they could receive the unlimited internet and then it could be offered on a descending scale to the rest of the passengers.

 

Lola in Hamilton

[bobg]

I understand the concern about the Princess internet change. However, the Princess "perks" are still the best, particularly at the Elite level. :)

 

Before we became Platinum or on another cruise line, we just waited until we were in a port and used the internet there. It was both much cheaper and much faster.

 

When we were Platinum, the internet limit was one hour per day per person, which was adequate. Then about the time we became Elite, it became unlimited. This, combined with the incrediable slow internet, filled the internet cafes. The new free internet limits, shoud change that.

 

The $75 for 7 days does not seem too bad, since this is more than 21 minutes per day (per person?). It seems strange that it decreases significantly with the length of cruise.

 

The limiting of the free internet may not increase Princess revenue, and it may not reduce costs unless they pay the provider by usage. The current very slow internet, without pop up or advertising killer, is not a good value.

 

I have always felt that the Princess perks met the marketing goals of costing very little, but being of great value to the customer. For me, as an Elite, by far the best is the free laundry.:) The others in order are: free internet, bar setup, discount, tender tickets, boarding & disembarkation, and free wine tasting. I mostly cruise Princess because of these perk and hope they keep them. Also it would be nice to have a level above elite.

[arlenemilt]

Also it would be nice to have a level above elite.

 

I agree, but where would you place the level; by cruises or by days? 25 cruises? 30 cruises? 300 days? More?

Arlene