Platinum to Elite is a Huge Leap

I actually like the way Princess does it. A top level which is quite feasible to get in much less time than, say, HAL's program. The fact that many people are at the top level makes it difficult for people to "pull rank". Most of the privileges are fairly inconspicuous (no reserved seats at the show) yet well known. The most public of them is the priority embarkation, but that is shared with platinum.

And there are incentives to keep Elites motivated, OBC and most traveled luncheon being examples.

I actually like the way Princess does it. A top level which is quite feasible to get in much less time than, say, HAL's program. The fact that many people are at the top level makes it difficult for people to "pull rank". Most of the privileges are fairly inconspicuous (no reserved seats at the show) yet well known. The most public of them is the priority embarkation, but that is shared with platinum.

 

And there are incentives to keep Elites motivated, OBC and most traveled luncheon being examples.

I agree completely.

The current program allows for the realistic possibility of advancement; all levels are potentially within reach. It keeps me looking at Princess first when searching for a cruise and I end up cruising Princess a lot. Without the present loyalty program, I would look at all lines with no preference given to Princess. I think it is a very effective marketing tool as is - at least it works on me:p!

Another line that we used to sail occasionally recently changed their loyalty program in a way that meant it would be very difficult for us to reach the highest level. Since then we have no cruises booked with them, while we have 3 booked with Princess. I just look at Princess first and usually end up booking with them.

Not that I know from past experience but My guess is that there will be very, very few Elites on 3, 4 or 5 day cruises. We're considering booking one only because of the fact that we'll be on the ship from a previous trip & the port stop is one we haven't been to in a long time. Not that we need the cruise number or days.

You'd be wrong based on my experience. :( I think Princess' intent is to get new cruisers but what happened, at least out of LA, was lots of Platinum/Elite doing B2B, B2B2B, etc. There were hundreds if not a thousand on my 4-day Sapphire cruise in January. For Platinum and in particular singles, it's a quick way to get to Elite. For Elite, it's a quick way to get the extra bonus OBC that Princess gives for loyalty but doesn't promote.

I don't know how many we had on our 4 day cruise, but it could have also been the BOGO offer, which is why we did it. Basically, a free cruise.

You'd be wrong based on my experience. :( I think Princess' intent is to get new cruisers but what happened, at least out of LA, was lots of Platinum/Elite doing B2B, B2B2B, etc. There were hundreds if not a thousand on my 4-day Sapphire cruise in January. For Platinum and in particular singles, it's a quick way to get to Elite. For Elite, it's a quick way to get the extra bonus OBC that Princess gives for loyalty but doesn't promote.

Really ! The lower categories below Elite I could understand but Elites can't gain all that much. We'll see in Nov just how many there will be out of Ft Lauderdale.

I wonder, on the current short cruises, without the BOGO offer, how many are Elite. I think Princess attracted with the BOGO offer exactly who they did not want to attract...Elite cruisers who would have cruised again with Princess within a year anyways. I'm still scratching my head about that one. But on the Caribbean Princess this fall, once the kids are back in school, I just can't imagine there will be a lot of Elites.

The only reason we'll be taking a 5 day cruise is because it's a B2B with a longer one. We would never consider a 5 day trip even though we drive to the port. It's simply not worth the cost of driving for 2 hours getting to Ft Lauderdale....as a matter of fact even a 7 day trip isn't worth it to us any longer. I can't imagine anyone flying to a port for a short cruise. I'd bet that most of the people on the ship will be doing B2B or live locally in Florida. It should be interesting to see how many people there are at the immigration call between cruises. Probably 400-500 if not more !

The only reason we'll be taking a 5 day cruise is because it's a B2B with a longer one. We would never consider a 5 day trip even though we drive to the port. It's simply not worth the cost of driving for 2 hours getting to Ft Lauderdale....as a matter of fact even a 7 day trip isn't worth it to us any longer. I can't imagine anyone flying to a port for a short cruise. I'd bet that most of the people on the ship will be doing B2B or live locally in Florida. It should be interesting to see how many people there are at the immigration call between cruises. Probably 400-500 if not more !

We had 800 in February at FLL on the Ruby.

Mike:)

We met people on our 4-night cruises in December who had flown to Fort Lauderdale just for the cruise. Some of them were not spending any time in Fort Lauderdale before or after their cruise. I agree that that's too short. We were lucky that the b2b cruises worked out for DH's schedule so we could have 8 nights on the ship plus one night before and one night after the cruise in Fort Lauderdale.

When we took our 5-night cruise this spring, it's because there were no 7-night Princess ones that fit well with DH's break and our budget. We did not spend any nights in Fort Lauderdale before or after that cruise and yet still had a good time. It helped that I found roundtrip nonstop flights at a good price.

Really ! The lower categories below Elite I could understand but Elites can't gain all that much. We'll see in Nov just how many there will be out of Ft Lauderdale.

Maybe Elites don't cruise just to get more benefits but because it's fun to cruise. I'll be plugging away on my Platinum card for a few more cruises before I get to Elite, but I'm not doing it to get there. I'm cruising because I want to! The Pacific coastal cruises are convenient for me (an hour's drive to the port) and brief enough that I can take some quick time from family obligations to get in a little vacation. Somehow the discussion has become short vs. long cruises simply for the reason of status points. Most people I know cruise just because they LIKE to cruise. Would it make anyone any happier if I refused the points if my cruise is "too short" to be worthy?

...Somehow the discussion has become short vs. long cruises simply for the reason of status points...

I agree, and I don't understand why. The BOGO cruises aside, the short coastals are often as expensive on a pppd basis as longer cruises, especially when port charges are factored in.

Perhaps Princess figures that if a passenger is willing to go through the hassles of embarkation and disembarkation for a 1-nighter, then they deserve full credit for a cruise?

I suppose the truly fair way to award status is to base it on fares paid. For example, pax that spent $10,000 on a suite would get 10,000 points, and pax that spent $79 on a one-nighter would get 79 points, etc. You would then need 50,000 points to get to Elite, or whatever it worked out to.

 

Perhaps Princess figures that if a passenger is willing to go through the hassles of embarkation and disembarkation for a 1-nighter, then they deserve full credit for a cruise?

 

And don't forget that someone who does 1 night cruises has to do 15 Welcome dinners. :D

And don't forget that someone who does 1 night cruises has to do 15 Welcome dinners. :D

Mmmmm...15 flourless chocolate cakes.

............snip........................................

I suppose the truly fair way to award status is to base it on fares paid. For example, pax that spent $10,000 on a suite would get 10,000 points, and pax that spent $79 on a one-nighter would get 79 points, etc. You would then need 50,000 points to get to Elite, or whatever it worked out to.

Going by monies paid is biased against those who can only afford the less expensive cabins.

I was just having this conversation with someone, and was sure I had no where to go with it. Anyway, this year we will be five times on Princess in four years. Unfortunately, we were sailing the week of hurricane Sandy and was delayed and in Princess' good graces, gave credit for the missed days, which we graciously turned into a mid cruise cruise. Normally we sail the repo from Ny to points south, mostly Ft. Lauderdale, but last year it was Houston.

Being able to vacation once a year, and that is by counting pennies throughout the rest of the year, we are fourtunate enough to be able to cruise, but on a very tight budget. Being this fifth time sailing, we are second time ruby status. Which means we get 10 per cent off the cruise DVD and upgraded insurance. Something that wouldn't matter if it wasn't offered. Next time we will be Platnuim-- Now we have another ten cruises to make before we get to Elite. At once cruise a year that would make say, another TEN YEARS, sorry ELEVEN before we would get "useful" benefits, thats if we are able to sail every year. The reason I am bringing this up is because I feel "demeaned" by the ELITE cards that are being waved every cruise. It seems like the ships are being overrun with these cards, and perks expected. At this point I feel like I am in "steerage" and should be in cabins in the bowels of the ships. Don't get me wrong, If you are Platnium or Elite--good for you, I'm glad you have the time and money to enjoy yourself. Just don't flaunt it in front of others who are not your "status"

I feel one way to enhance ones cruise experiences have say 2-4 Gold, 5-9 Ruby, 10-14 Platnium, 15-19, Elite 20-24, Diamond 24-29, Princess Gold 30+. Adjust and add new perks accordingly

Again, I obviously can't sail for status, so I sail for the experience

We had 800 in February at FLL on the Ruby.

 

Mike:)

That has got to be a record. :eek: Did every body show up on time for the immigration walk through?

Maybe Elites don't cruise just to get more benefits but because it's fun to cruise. I'll be plugging away on my Platinum card for a few more cruises before I get to Elite, but I'm not doing it to get there. I'm cruising because I want to! The Pacific coastal cruises are convenient for me (an hour's drive to the port) and brief enough that I can take some quick time from family obligations to get in a little vacation. Somehow the discussion has become short vs. long cruises simply for the reason of status points. Most people I know cruise just because they LIKE to cruise. Would it make anyone any happier if I refused the points if my cruise is "too short" to be worthy?

I don't normally ask people why they take long or short trips or where they're from but I will on my 5 day trip just to get a general idea from different people. I wonder what the cutoff will be for the over 40 function?

.The reason I am bringing this up is because I feel "demeaned" by the ELITE cards that are being waved every cruise. It seems like the ships are being overrun with these cards, and perks expected. At this point I feel like I am in "steerage" and should be in cabins in the bowels of the ships.

We are platinum but have not sailed as platinum yet. We are even less fortunate than you as can't even sail once a year. I don't understand your comment. We have never felt inferior to those who are platinum or elite and we never felt as if they were getting better service or more attention. As a matter of fact I have never seen anyone waving a card of any color.

I suppose the truly fair way to award status is to base it on fares paid. For example, pax that spent $10,000 on a suite would get 10,000 points, and pax that spent $79 on a one-nighter would get 79 points, etc. You would then need 50,000 points to get to Elite, or whatever it worked out to.

That might keep the suites filled, but Princess doesn't seem to have any problem with that. I think it would be counter-productive to filling the majority off cabins.

That has got to be a record. :eek: Did every body show up on time for the immigration walk through?

We chose to disembark early and spend the day in Fort Lauderdale rather than deal with turn around.

Mike:)

I suppose the truly fair way to award status is to base it on fares paid. For example, pax that spent $10,000 on a suite would get 10,000 points, and pax that spent $79 on a one-nighter would get 79 points, etc. You would then need 50,000 points to get to Elite, or whatever it worked out to.

Don't forget that it's a loyalty program, not a "who has the most money" program. That would be completely biased towards men since most men are paid significantly more for the same job as a woman. And definitely biased against singles since we're already paying double for a cabin and are unlikely to book mini-suites or full suites.

FYI, HAL gives extra credit for onboard spending.

I don't understand your comment. We have never felt inferior to those who are platinum or elite and we never felt as if they were getting better service or more attention. As a matter of fact I have never seen anyone waving a card of any color.

Nor me. I suppose there are people who flaunt their status, but I don't run into them. I was happy as Gold (before the Ruby thing) and I'm happy as Platinum. I'll be happy as Elite. I hope I will still never see card waving.

. . . . We would never consider a 5 day trip even though we drive to the port. It's simply not worth the cost of driving for 2 hours getting to Ft Lauderdale....as a matter of fact even a 7 day trip isn't worth it to us any longer. I can't imagine anyone flying to a port for a short cruise. . . . .

Oh, that's ridiculous. No one would ever say that same thing about flying to some glam place like San Francisco or New York for a long weekend. In fact, people actually do that all the time. So why not fly to take a 5-day cruise? For some of us, time and money dictate the length of a getaway, and if we can only do five days, we gladly rush to the airport, jump on the plane, and enjoy every freakin' second of those precious 120 hours onboard. I hope I never find myself so terribly jaded that I would think flying anyplace for a getaway of any length is beneath me.

Oh, that's ridiculous. No one would ever say that same thing about flying to some glam place like San Francisco or New York for a long weekend. In fact, people actually do that all the time. So why not fly to take a 5-day cruise? For some of us, time and money dictate the length of a getaway, and if we can only do five days, we gladly rush to the airport, jump on the plane, and enjoy every freakin' second of those precious 120 hours onboard. I hope I never find myself so terribly jaded that I would think flying anyplace for a getaway of any length is beneath me.

I flew from Vancouver to Paris last year for 4 days. I'd do that again in a heartbeat :)

I flew from Vancouver to Paris last year for 4 days. I'd do that again in a heartbeat :)

Okay, that just beats my Washington-London for three days!

Okay, that just beats my Washington-London for three days!

Let's call it a tie :).