Platinum to Elite is a Huge Leap

DH and I typically take longer cruises anywhere from 10 to 15 days. It is taking us forever to advance to Elite. I realize many of you have paid the price and deserve Elite benefits with my sincere congrats. Do you think Princess will ever start awarding loyal Princess cruisers based on reasonable cruise days rather than the long haul of 15 completed cruises to Elite? I really take issue with 1, 2, 3 day cruises being counted as 1 when I am cruising 15 days in comparison and get a credit of 1.

I know this is a Princess forum and I have been very happy with Princess. It's just I am moving up the ladder so much faster on Celebrity. What gives?

DH and I typically take longer cruises anywhere from 10 to 15 days. It is taking us forever to advance to Elite. I realize many of you have paid the price and deserve Elite benefits with my sincere congrats. Do you think Princess will ever start awarding loyal Princess cruisers based on reasonable cruise days rather than the long haul of 15 completed cruises to Elite? I really take issue with 1, 2, 3 day cruises being counted as 1 when I am cruising 15 days in comparison and get a credit of 1.

I know this is a Princess forum and I have been very happy with Princess. It's just I am moving up the ladder so much faster on Celebrity. What gives?

You can also make Elite status if you cruise for 150 days so, if you are taking 15 day cruises, you will only need to take 10 of them to attain Elite status on the 11th cruise.

We aren't "moving up the ladder" quickly but we are really enjoying the journey. :)

I agree that the 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-day cruises should count towards days only. Actually, I wish all the levels were by days only as that's the fairest system.

I earned Elite mostly the "old fashioned" way when I had only 11 cruises but 145 days. That was when Captain's Circle levels were based only on # of cruises. The system was changed to include days sailed and I became Elite after my next cruise.

Unfortunately, I don't see Princess changing the system although I wish they would.

I hope Princess does NOT lower the number of days to make Elite from 150. There are more than enough Elites on cruises now. Lowering the requirement would just make the Elite benefits more difficult to get. The embarkation & debarkation lounges would be even more crowded. The priority tendering would have a longer line.

I hope Princess does NOT lower the number of days to make Elite from 150. There are more than enough Elites on cruises now. Lowering the requirement would just make the Elite benefits more difficult to get. The embarkation & debarkation lounges would be even more crowded. The priority tendering would have a longer line.

That Elite status doesn't mean as much as it used to. ;) Longer lines at the pass service desk, more crowded embarkation lounges, longer waits for laundry, slower internet, having to report for tender tickets, etc. and this will only get worse in future years as they add more people to the rolls.

amen!

long cruiser

Book a suite. Then when you get to Elite it won't matter.:)

 

If you're not happy about moving up now how about after you have made Elite? What about when you have reached 30 cruises (300 days) or 45 cruises (450 days) and have no where to move up to? I'm just happy I get to cruise but it would be nice to have another level to look forward to reaching

If you're not happy about moving up now how about after you have made Elite? What about when you have reached 30 cruises (300 days) or 45 cruises (450 days) and have no where to move up to? I'm just happy I get to cruise but it would be nice to have another level to look forward to reaching

Good point. :(

Days (with bonuses, e.g. suite, single, etc.) like most of the other lines do would likely be fairer and would reduce some of the swelling of ranks due to lots of short Caribbean/Pacific coastal cruises.

That said, Princess could have mitigated this by making Ruby/Medallion level fall between Platinum and Elite instead of at the front end. As it stands now your first couple cruises (blue for 1, gold for 2, ruby for 2, platinum for 10) you are constantly moving up the ranks every other and then a big gap of 10 cruises.

There are so many elites it must not be that difficult to get there. I think it's a bit to easy to get to elite as evidenced by the huge number of elites. Last cruise we took out of San Pedro there wasn't enough room in the elite lounge to accommodate all the elites for priority boarding. The lines at happy hour for elites is so long to get to the snack table we just pass on the elite happy hour.

There are so many elites Princess just cut back on a perk, no more upgraded bathroom amenities for elites.

I agree it takes a long time if you're only taking a cruise a year. Our first Princess cruise was in 2001 and we reached Platinum in 2007. Now seven years later we are finally going to be Elite on our cruise next month. Our goal was to reach Elite status before we retire in a couple of years. We made it sooner than I thought we would because of two four-day cruises we took back to back in December instead of a seven-day cruise.

I'm glad Princess has a system that lets people move up in the ranks by number of cruises and by days. The only change I'd suggest is counting cruises that are longer than 14 days as two credits, similar to the way they count sailing in a suite as two credits.

I think they need to add a level between platinum and elite. They also should add a level after elite. :)

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I, for one do not believe my elite status is diminished by others having the same benefits / status. I understand the points made about the lines being longer, however, it just means that I am cruising along with others that love to cruise....and that always makes for a nicer vacation environment. I don't understand those that say they 'earned' their status the hard way or the legal way by counting days vs cruises. When I am on vacation, I don't feel as though I am 'working' towards 'earning' anything. I am enjoying my cruise!! The majority of my cruises on Princess have been 10 days or more, including a couple of 15 nighters but have also gone on a couple of 2 & 3 night cruises.

The status is a marketing tool to keep customers loyal to their product -- so the more elites, the more likely these passengers will keep coming back to enjoy these benefits. If Princess makes them easier to achieve, the better the marketing tool works. I know I now only book on Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean as those are the lines that provide me the extended perks for being elite. In my case, their campaign works!!

But, I also don't feel like my status feels like anything less to me just because I am not at the top of the heap. I still get the benefits as the other elites and not at all jealous if someone got there with a mere 8 days of cruising. Good for them. If the short cruises were not available to everyone to add to their status, then I might have an issue with this.

PS -- I also have to fly to a port in order to take a short cruise but prefer the longer ones anyway.

I think they need to add a level between platinum and elite. They also should add a level after elite. :)

 

 

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If they added a level between Platinum and Elite, what if any perks would those at this level get? If they get any of the Elite perks, that would just overcrowd them more.

I think they need to add a level between platinum and elite. They also should add a level after elite. :)

 

 

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I agree - they do need to add an "official" level or two after elite. I really don't care if the next level doesn't start until 500 days, but I remember when we were just a few cruises away from elite - that was in days, I think, as well as number of cruises back then before we retired - the anticipation was great fun. Maybe they could "give back" unlimited internet, or give same day laundry.....there are other goodies I can think of, but either of those two would be nice.

(Oh, I don't care if you can get to elite by number of cruises, not days, or vice versa, but I do think they might want to introduce minimums, i.e. at least 15 cruises or 100 days..........same with levels beyond elite.)

The fair way to do it would be by the number of days ... not the number of cruises.

LuLu

First, I think they should change the name "elite" to something else more in tune with other levels. Diamond, perhaps. Elite is a bit too snobbish for me. Also, while the elite perks are nice, it is the military, stockholder, FCC, promotional, and TA OBCs along with the TA discounts that keep me booking Princess vice other cruise lines.

I think Princess walks a tightrope to fill the ships between people like me who cruise frequently, get the perks and OBCs, and don't spend anything and the people who haven't cruised or don't cruise very often, don't have credits or perks, and spend a lot.

If Princess knows I am going to keep cruising, why would they give me any more perks? More likely Princess would see how much they could cut back without losing me.

I agree - they do need to add an "official" level or two after elite. I really don't care if the next level doesn't start until 500 days, but I remember when we were just a few cruises away from elite - that was in days, I think, as well as number of cruises back then before we retired - the anticipation was great fun. Maybe they could "give back" unlimited internet, or give same day laundry.....there are other goodies I can think of, but either of those two would be nice.

 

(Oh, I don't care if you can get to elite by number of cruises, not days, or vice versa, but I do think they might want to introduce minimums, i.e. at least 15 cruises or 100 days..........same with levels beyond elite.)

Unfortunately giving extra perks to an upper level would cost them money & unless they take something away from the now Elite level it won't happen anytime soon. You're right about having another level to shoot for even if the perks wouldn't cost them a dime....like priority tender boarding back to the ship, priority seating in the theater until 15 minutes before the show and a true priority line a the pass service desk for someone over 500 days.

The fair way to do it would be by the number of days ... not the number of cruises.

LuLu

Not that it means anything to us personally- A lot of people wouldn't be happy with that one but it is much fairer approach.

We're not even Platinum yet. We won't hit Platinum until late next year.

Will we make the level based on number of cruises? Yep. Did we take a shortie cruise? Yep - a 4 day cruise.

Will we make the level based on number of days? ALSO yep. Despite the 4 day cruise the others have been longer. 10 days, 15 days, 4 days so far. Already booked: 10 days and 17 days.

If I had the time and money I'd be Elite by now and it would probably be based on both days and cruises just like Platinum will be. We enjoyed the little 4 day cruise but it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too short! Since we cruise out of SF even the 4 day required an alternate method of getting home from Vancouver.

If you live in the Seattle or Vancouver or Ft. Lauderdale areas you have a lot of little cruises that can advance you quickly. We are fortunate enough to live only 3 hours drive from SF so we can do some cruising without air fare. Most of the people in the country aren't so fortunate and all cruising requires air fare. I can certainly understand those folks not being happy with the "number of cruises" method of gaining Elite status.

It's up to Princess. They make the rules. I could see them doing as many suggest and instituting additional perks beyond Elite. Restoring the Internet minutes or whatever sounds easy to do and quite reasonable. (I also agree that the term "Elite" is a bit snobbish and should probably be changed to be more in line with the nomenclature of the other "ranks".)

We just feel fortunate to be able to cruise at all. The vast majority of people will never be able to cruise. Do I want to attain Platinum and then Elite? Yes I do. Does it bother me that I'm not there and won't be for quite some time? Not a bit.

The issue of people making Elite the "easy" way is similar to the minimum wage issue. Every time the minimum wage goes up the wage for everybody else is automagically devalued. People who have worked long and hard to attain a certain level of income feel "cheated" when it is suddenly devalued by arbitrary increases to the minimum wage. I believe this is the same sort of thing going on with the people who have attained Elite status only to have others sort of "jump ahead in the line".

With either the minimum wage issue or the Elite issue there is really nothing one can do to change it so the best course is probably to just relax, enjoy your cruises, and not let it bother you.

I, for one do not believe my elite status is diminished by others having the same benefits / status. I understand the points made about the lines being longer, however, it just means that I am cruising along with others that love to cruise....and that always makes for a nicer vacation environment.

When you send out laundry and it says you'll get it the next day but it takes over a week to get it back (just as you're packing to go home), it will affect your cruise. Even on a longer cruise, I pack some things for just seven days assuming I can get them washed and returned in a timely manner. I've run out of clean clothes several times because the laundry was so backed up that clothing wasn't returned for 5-8 days.

When even the Vista Lounge (or Club Fusion) is packed and the bar staff is running around trying to take everyone's orders and the line for the hors oeuvres is backed up the walkway, it does affect your Elite perk. And forget about Skywalkers... not a spare seat anywhere unless you want to sit on the floor.

When the Platinum/Elite disembarkation lounge is so full they have to send you to another lounge with no one to make announcements, no coffee or pastries, etc., and you're left there wondering what number is being called next, it's a less than ideal experience. Might as well go to your regular disembarkation lounge.

Yes, it's nice to have lots of great fellow travelers but when there are so many that the Elite perks are so decimated as to become non-existent, it'll affect your cruise enjoyment.

If I had the time and money I'd be Elite by now and it would probably be based on both days and cruises just like Platinum will be.

Like you, if we had more money we too would be "Super Elite" or whatever! We have the time, it is just a matter of $$$ ;)

 

With either the minimum wage issue or the Elite issue there is really nothing one can do to change it so the best course is probably to just relax, enjoy your cruises, and not let it bother you.

We have only been cruising a short while, but after our 1st cruise, we much prefer "The Suite Life" and by living it, we have made Platinum! But so what? :) We get perks because of the suites. If we lived somewhere besides Oklahoma (no ports close by except for barges located on the Arkansas River :rolleyes:) we would sail more often, but it's an extra $1K or more just to fly! So we are selective about which cruises we book. :p

The more you understand me, the crazier you get!:eek:

Booked '15 Crown Princess 29 day Cruise~Hawaii, Samoa & Tahiti!

We are just,

RetiredNTraveling!(Mike & Betty)

The fair way to do it would be by the number of days ... not the number of cruises.

LuLu

I agree even tho we have been Elite for many years. I think we are over 40 mcruises now.

I wish we got a break on full suite prices.

I agree even tho we have been Elite for many years. I think we are over 40 mcruises now.

 

I wish we got a break on full suite prices.

Now that would be a nice "super-elite" perk, since elite cruisers do get some of the suite perks anyway.:)

You've been lucky. When the ship is filled with over 1,000 of just Elite, some of whom can be pretty demanding, and the one person at the PSD is trying to handle perhaps ten people in the Elite line while 3-4 people are handling other guests, it makes a difference. I often just go to the regular line because I know it'll be faster.

 

When you send out laundry and it says you'll get it the next day but it takes over a week to get it back (just as you're packing to go home), it will affect your cruise. Even on a longer cruise, I pack some things for just seven days assuming I can get them washed and returned in a timely manner. I've run out of clean clothes several times because the laundry was so backed up that clothing wasn't returned for 5-8 days.

 

When even the Vista Lounge (or Club Fusion) is packed and the bar staff is running around trying to take everyone's orders and the line for the hors oeuvres is backed up the walkway, it does affect your Elite perk. And forget about Skywalkers... not a spare seat anywhere unless you want to sit on the floor.

 

When the Platinum/Elite disembarkation lounge is so full they have to send you to another lounge with no one to make announcements, no coffee or pastries, etc., and you're left there wondering what number is being called next, it's a less than ideal experience. Might as well go to your regular disembarkation lounge.

 

Yes, it's nice to have lots of great fellow travelers but when there are so many that the Elite perks are so decimated as to become non-existent, it'll affect your cruise enjoyment.

Pam, your point is well received. I guess I have been lucky as I haven't experienced crowds of elites to this extent but have encountered long lines. The funny thing is, I have never seen Skywalkers elite happy hour. I have only seen a few couples at most. When I do encounter the crowds, I oftentimes just pick the regular line. Again, your point is well taken ... I haven't seen them run out of coffee or pastries but usually do the walk off. I might be a bit perturbed if the laundry took a week to be returned.