how would YOU re-vamp Captain's Club?

[gillianrose]

I will probably get a lot of grief for this posting from the "elite", but here goes:

 

I would prefer that Celebrity spend their money and time in a focused effort to improve their overall product (especially in the area of premium food such as high quality whole lobsters IN THE MAIN DINING ROOM [one per person], put flat screen TV's in all cabins on all ships, with DVD players in all concierge class cabins and above, etc.) first before instituting new giveaways in a loyalty program.

 

I think "proximity to the departure port" is going to keep a large portion of Celebrity's fan base cruising on Celebrity even without further "loyalty" awards. Celebrity needs to re-establish itself as a premium product to get new passengers to pay higher prices to sail.

 

As it is now, though, we won't fly to the East Coast or beyond to take a Celebrity Cruise, even though we are thrilled with the new smoking policy and have recently become RCL shareholders.

 

If Celebrity is not going to cruise round-trip from California, especially San Francisco, then we must have a return to a truly delicious, upscale dining experience in order to get us fly anywhere to board the ship.

[Loracpin2]

In my opinion, the only benefit we have received from being Elite Captain's Club members, is attaining Diamond status with RCI. I completely agree with Sky Sweet. We very much enjoy the Concierge Lounge, and the balcony discount ($100 per person for 7 night/$150 for 12) is a very generous perk. We're on the Solstice next week in a CC class cabin. Too bad those extra credits can't get us to Diamond plus.

[gillianrose]

Significant? Really? We both received 270 minutes of free internet on a 12 day cruise. We used it every day and had left over minutes. I really don't consider the packages that they currently provide free to be that significant of a downgrade.

 

That's not even a half hour per day. When a company goes from offering UNLIMITED usage down to less than five hours total on a 12-day cruise, that is a very significant difference.

[TravelerThom]

On my second Celebrity cruise I was invited to a free wine tasting.That hasn't happened since. I did enjoy it, though.

Every cruise I have been on [including 14 Dec 08 Solstice] has had a free wine tasting for Select and above. While not disagreeing with Host Andy's comments on additional Captain's Club levels, I will say that current Elite benefits over Select are so small as to be laughable [it's either that or cry] - the sum total of Elite only benefits on my recent cruise were a "separate" Elite Elegant Tea [same time, same food as the Elegant Tea provided to ALL passengers, just in a different room (whoop-de-do!)], a separate departure lounge (again whoop-de-do), and a flower for our cabin (definitely the best benefit of the three). RCI has by far its biggest break in benefits between Platinum (over 5) and Diamond (over 10), while Celebrity makes almost no distinction between these classes of membership - currently once you get to 5 credits on X that's about as good as it gets (except for the transfer benefits to RCI).

[cruisestitch]

Host Andy,

 

I would be interested in your ideas for perks that wouldn't cost Celebrity much money -- we might have a chance of getting them instituted. I agree that a completely new program is unlikely during a recession because of the cost to implement it system-wide, but what kinds of things might they do that would enhance the frequent cruiser's on-board experience that really wouldn't be costly.

 

BTW, on my most recent cruise, instead of the little gold box of chocolates, I got a rose in a bud vase. The Captain's Club coordinator hinted that this was one of the new enhancements. So we know that they are working on it.

 

What I'm wondering is, are they getting any actual input from Elites?

 

Like, did they ever ask anyone, which would you rather have, a rose or some extra chocolates?

[raudacruise]

This is not an original idea but:

 

Have a loyalty plan based on points for either days cruised or dollars spent. Allow these points to be used for stuff on board or immediately accessible by booking on board for your next cruise. The more you cruise or the more you spend, the greater the benefits that can be earned whether it's for bottles of wine on board, specialty restaurant, laundry, soda packages, photographs free bingo card(s), casino credit. Many travel agents give OBC, why can't the cruise line?

 

Yes it has been debated before. The way the program is set up is that 3 4-night cruises in an inside cabin = 14 nights in a PH. While not a big difference in days, a very big differince in $$ spent. But one could argue that on PH is the size of 5 inside cabins (or more).

 

Plus Celebrity knows that have the suite guests (like us) hooked, so why reward them any differently?

 

Having said that, there really isn't much the current reward program offers that goes beyond what you already get if you are in a suite. Personally, I'd rather relax on my balcony than go to some of those "special" cocktail parties where it seems like a free-for-all to scarf down free drinks.

 

Don't know the answer to this but it would be better if they had something better for suite passengers but I'm not holding my breath.

[Sky Sweet]

I would like to see elite benefits that are comparable to RCCL's diamond ones.

 

A concierge lounge

 

Stand alone discount coupons that don't require you to buy something you don't want in order to beneft from them

 

Discounts for people who book balcony cabins and suites. The current program only helps those who book inside and outside cabins.

 

I would also like to see elite members get a free upgrade when a ship is not fully booked close to its sail date, and have Celebrity sell its lower level cabins at last minute prices.

 

I would like to expand on the last suggestion from my previous post quoted above.

 

Aside from being a nice perk, it would be beneficial to Celebrity to do this for a number of reasons.

 

In the past, it was advantageous to book as early as possible. However, now that people who take advantage of last minute deals can get a suite or balcony cabin for less than what someone who booked that cruise a long time ago paid for an inferior cabin, it is encouraging people to wait until the last minute to book a Celebrity cruise.

 

Therefore, it would encourage people to book early if they knew that they might have an opportunity to get a free upgrade and only the least desirable cabins are likely to be available at the last minute.

 

It also wouldn't cost Celebrity anything because they could ask the same last minute prices for the lower level cabins that they currently do for better ones. In addition, by encouraging people to book early they are likely to have less unsold cabins.

[Ma Bell]

They did offer two free nights in specialty restaurants to suite passengers on Solstice.

[agathasmum]

My kids have been in the Captains club since they were 7 and 9 years old. I still have their cards from years ago. When they turn 18 they can get their own cards and will be fully credited with all cruises taken..

 

They never gave our kids cards. This is good to know. As they always cruise with us it should (hopefully!) be easy for them to get the correct status at age 18.

[fleckle]

For starters, I would just like them to give us back the old Elite coupon for the $15 bag of laundry.

 

We did not use a single coupon from the worthless new Elite coupon sheets on our last two cruises. We thought about sending them as our gift to the president of Celebrity Cruises. Now we are sorry we didn't do that instead of throwing them away. Maybe if enough people did that, he would get the message.

 

 

 

[FastFreddie]

You know I like the OP's suggestion of having a menu of perk choices. I also agree being diamond on RCCL is really a very nice perk, loved the Concierge lounge and because there were so many Diamond members they opened the cigar bar @ 5:30-8pm for happy hour. I loved that! But it wouldn't be such a swell perk if you didn't drink. That's why a menu would be fantastic. You get so many picks depending on your level! The only think I didn't care for is that the food quality has dropped since our first Celebrity cruise. Hopefullythe Solstice will make up for it!

[signman]

For Solstice Elite cruisers, would a gratis visit to Bistro on Five be too much to ask? Oh yeah, that rose really meant a lot to this single guy.

[50cruiser]

It seems 3 of the most asked for items {1 ] laundry - a discount to free {2} Discount on drinks both alchol and soft drinks maybe a reduced price drink card. {3] internet time . All of these would cost little to the co as most people woud do without . By ofering a discount maybe more people would use the overpriced items. A discount soda card for fountin drinks not cans would cost almost nothing and maybe sell a few cards . Same as a discount on laundry. I would even use it if resonable say $10 for a bag , how many people would use it that wouldnt otherwise. Probly quite a few . And it would make frequent travelers feel beter . They might think they are losing money but if people dont use a service how are they gaining . CARL

[BrendaJ]

I think the perception of the current benefits is the biggest problem. To me, a coupon that will give me a discount if I spend additional money is not a perk – it is a marketing strategy and an attempt to increase their onboard revenue. To be a seen as a perk, I think the reward should be something that is truly free and have some real value. The one exception to this would be discounts on future cruises or certain cabin types – certainly that type of discount would be appreciated by everyone. As other posters have noted, free upgrades if the ship is not full would be great. However, the distribution of such would be tricky to handle. If you had more cruises under your belt than a fellow Elite passenger, and you heard they were given a free upgrade and you weren’t, that might cause some hard feelings. I guess they could allot the upgrades on a first come, first served basis, but then you’d have people lining up at the port at 6 a.m., just for the chance of an upgrade.

I don’t think decent Captain’s Club rewards would necessarily have to cost a lot – in troubled economic times, we must see things from the cruise line’s perspective as well. Since there seem to be so many Elite passengers, a Concierge lounge could cost an enormous amount of money (as much as I would enjoy it). However, a couple of coupons for free drinks that don’t require you to buy any more would go a long way, in my opinion.

 

Some examples of perks I would enjoy that would not cost the company too much:

· Free laundry or dry cleaning of one item

· One free visit to Bistro on Five (which, so far, I hear is not crowded anyways)

· A room service menu that has a few special items

· A free drink in the Cova cafe or a free gelato

· A free pay-per-view movie or upgraded TV selections

· A special meeting with senior staff on board where you could have an open dialogue. On Azamara, we had a frank discussion with all of the department heads at a pseudo Cruise Critic meeting and it was really interesting. It felt great to be able to offer our opinions on our cruise, and the staff really and truly took our suggestions to heart.

· A special free excursion at a certain port (it wouldn’t have to be much – a bus ride to a popular beach or a rum factory tour or other popular site)

· Some free internet minutes (not a discount on a package of minutes)

· A free gym class or computer class

Most of these items would cost the cruise line next to nothing, and giving away one item will often prompt someone to buy a second anyways; not forcing a purchase to get the reward would look so much better. If we have one coupon for a free Cova coffee, I’m pretty sure we’ll end up buying a second anyways so we can both have one.

 

As different people value different things, as others have suggested, they could present you with a menu of items to choose from; the more cruises you have taken, the higher number of items you can choose.

 

I also think that the way credits are calculated needs some adjustment. A cruise that costs you $5,000 should not give you the same amount of credits as a cruise that cost $1,000. And perhaps on-board spending could somehow be worth something.

 

All in all, it is a tough balance to make both passengers and shareholders equally satisfied. I’m sure the main reason that Celebrity’s current Captain’s Club program is so sub-standard is that Celebrity cruisers seem to be very loyal without receiving any real perks. We are lured back by our on-board experience rather than the loyalty program. However, if I ever tried one of their competitors and found the experience equally pleasant, I might choose the cruise line with better perks. Personally, if Celebrity doesn’t offer up an itinerary that visits French Polynesia soon (they cancelled our Millie 2010 repo cruise for that area), I will have to try Princess, and if I find myself liking Princess as much as I like Celebrity, Celebrity’s current Elite perks won’t keep me sailing with them.

 

I hope to see some type of Captain's Club revamp soon, and with any luck, the new program will offer perks that more of us would truly consider to be of value.

[C 2 C]

I think the perception of the current benefits is the biggest problem.

I hope to see some type of Captain's Club revamp soon, and with any luck, the new program will offer perks that more of us would truly consider to be of value.

 

Great Post Brenda.

[hancock]

The present Captain's Club perks are almost nonexistent. The coupon book is worthless. It is just a marketing tool to get us to spend money. The box of chocolates that we used to get is gone. I do like the rose as I like to have flowers in the room. I've given up going to the regular Captain's Club party as it seems to be just too crowded. The Senior Officers' party is OK but held at a very inconvenient time (11:30am).

I would like to see some changes with the levels of the CC. Right now there are three levels determined by number of cruises/suites. Many have attained Elite status with a number of short cruises. I know it would be impossible to switch over to strictly by the number of days sailed rather than number of cruises. I would like to see additional levels assigned by the number of days sailed on Celebrity with good perks. I could see a Concierge Room, a night in the Specialty restaurant, a free shore excursion, $100 discount on booking. Benefits to be determined by the number of nights previously cruised with X

100 nights-shore excursion
120 nights- Concierge room
140 nights-Specialty restaurant
150-nights- $100 discount

These would be meaningful perks to a loyal X cruiser. Anyone have any other suggestions to add to my list?

[Ma Bell]

As far as discounts go I don't think they have a whole lot of meaning since the price of the cruise can vary significantly anyway.

Just give me good food and service and some decent entertainment and I'm a happy camper.

I like to see everyone treated well and even though I'm a very frequent Celebrity cruiser, I don't think of myself as being someone special.

[hancock]

I'm bringing this thread back to the first page in hopes that I could get some opinions from our experienced CC's on my idea of perks based on number of days sailed on top of regular Captain's Club perks.

Celebrity has to do something to improve it's loyalty program. If we brainstorm enough, maybe we can find the answer for them. They certainly aren't doing it now!

[C 2 C]

[quote name='hancock']I...get some opinions from our experienced CC's on my idea of perks based on number of days sailed on top of regular Captain's Club perks.

Celebrity has to do something to improve it's loyalty program. If we brainstorm enough, maybe we can find the answer for them. They certainly aren't doing it now![/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]The Crown & Anchor Society would be a good starting point:
[URL]http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do;jsessionid=0000yBfMBf2RsTyQyEvGNlgFibA:13hldcctq[/URL]

The wheel does not have to be re-invented. There have been many submissions, both by frequent cruisers and company employees. It may be that my good memory keeps on getting shorter but I can't remember a single improvement that has been introduced in the Captain's Club program. It's been "death by a thousand cuts."
Many people will continue to cruise with Celebrity despite the lack of a program similar to RCCL or Princess. However for people who like the other cruise lines as much as Celebrity, the availability of perks elsewhere might tip the balance in where they choose to cruise.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[pierces]

I hope Celebrity is working hard on a re-vamp like Host Andy alluded to. On our recent Solstice sailing, the coupon book was completely useless to us. On previous cruises, the table on the veranda usually needed the book to keep it from wobbling, but the brand-new one didn't.

Kidding aside, with the new streamlined embarkation which makes it easy for everyone to get on board, the last real perk has evaporated from the Celebrity program. We love Celebrity for the ships and the staff, but there are a lot of nice ships out there staffed with fine people...not all of them are Celebrity ships.

Dave

[CelebrityMan]

[quote name='hancock']I'm bringing this thread back to the first page in hopes that I could get some opinions from our experienced CC's on my idea of perks based on number of days sailed on top of regular Captain's Club perks.

Celebrity has to do something to improve it's loyalty program. If we brainstorm enough, maybe we can find the answer for them. They certainly aren't doing it now![/QUOTE]

Hi,

I'd like to see some real brainstorming on this topic, too. If Celebrity is going to have a "loyalty" program, it definitely needs to be better than what is presently being offered.

Though the line gives a lot of lip service to passengers being "guests" and "part of the Celebrity family" that's about the extent of how valued I/we feel by the line. If it weren't for the genuineness of many of the on-board staff, we'd feel even less valued.

We have been intensely loyal to Celebrity with our vacation dollars for the past 11 years. Though we could choose to cruise on another line, Celebrity won our hearts aboard [I]Mercury[/I] in her maiden season to Alaska, and we've been with Celebrity since.

We are not, however, folk who have the time or means to travel frequently or extensively. We are limited to cruising once, maybe twice a year (if we're lucky). As working folk, we have a limited amount of vacation time available. Resultantly, we have invested virtually 90% of our vacation dollars in Celebrity over these past years.

When the Captain's Club program came into being, we gladly paid our membership fee and joined up. We were naive enough to think that the original perks were decent, and that as the program grew they would surely improve and add more. Oy!

Please, Celebrity, if you're going to keep the program, do something with it that will at least make folk feel their loyalty is of value.







CM

[DrKoob]

[quote name='Sky Sweet']I would like to see elite benefits that are comparable to RCCL's diamond ones.

A concierge lounge

Stand alone discount coupons that don't require you to buy something you don't want in order to beneft from them

Discounts for people who book balcony cabins and suites. The current program only helps those who book inside and outside cabins.

I would also like to see elite members get a free upgrade when a ship is not fully booked close to its sail date, and have Celebrity sell its lower level cabins at last minute prices.[/QUOTE]

I like the list but I would add one more thing that wouldn't cost X anything extra. As a certified M-class aft cabin fan, I would like to see X give us the first shot at booking when they open up new itineraries. Elite would have a three week window, Select a two week window and the basic group (whose name I can't remember) would have a one week window to book before anyone else can. That would cost X nothing and it would sure make me happy as I could get the cabin choice I wanted.

[Infi]

This is tangentially related, but I would like to request [B]better record keeping for CC![/B] Imagine my surprise when I called for another reason and found out they had lost 5 cruises and demoted me back to select level! :mad: My Chandris cruises (which used to count for CC) also disappeared and don't matter anymore (that I can forgive). But how do so many cruises go poof? I was told they only keep cruise records for 2 years, then trash them. After that it's up to you to "prove" the cruises. They suggested I provide key cards, luggage tags, or as last resort, photos. Key cards? The seapass as we know it today was only in its early stages of existence back then. When I explained the idea of keeping luggage tags for over 16 years was ludicrous, all I got was "well, some people make scrapbooks?"
My last resort, photos. The photographic proof is akin to what one would need in a court of law: visible date, ship name, and all parties must appear. It's hard to find one photo that fits all of those qualifications, let me tell you!

I learned my lesson. Now I save luggage tags, key cards, every scrap of info I can to prevent a scavenger hunt like that one. I love you Celebrity, but your record keeping needs serious help.

[Texed]

[quote name='cruisestitch']What I'm wondering is, are they getting any actual input from Elites? [/quote]

[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred]Yes![/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[C 2 C]

[quote name='Texed'][B][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred]Yes![/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/quote]

But it has been repeatedly ignored or postponed:(