HAL's Mariner Perks and Rewards

So, a post in another thread asserted that most people are loyal to the perks and rewards that come with being a Mariner and not loyal to HAL as a cruise line. Or something along those lines.

So, here are my questions... Do you book cruises on the HAL because of the lavish perks and rewards bestowed upon you as a loyal Mariner? Would you continue to cruise on HAL if they did away with the Mariner program entirely? Does being a Mariner on HAL have any influence on what cruise or cruiseline you book?

Personally, I think the Mariner program and its lavish perks and rewards is quite laughable. I have 158 days which I would estimate cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of $55,000 to attain. For that, I get a few discounts, some trinkets, a photo of the ship and some additional marketing material. Compare that with lets say Marriott Rewards. The same $55,000 would earn me 550,000 points, which translates to as many as 27 FREE nights at a middle tier Marriot property. And that doesn't include any of the bonus offers they constantly throw at you.

I would like to say, perks and rewards are important to me, when they are meaningful. I have saved many thousands of dollars by being loyal to Marriot and certain airlines. That's all good! Not so much with HAL's loyalty program, though. So for me, the lavish perks and rewards of the Mariner Society carry absolutely no weight in my decision to book a cruise on HAL. What about you?

We just finished discussing this over lunch!

We started booking HAL and have continued through the years when the rewards were pins, medallions, lunch and tiles.

We were pleasantly surprised when the star system was instituted. We were 4 star then and the rewards were certainly an improvement.

When HAL instituted the 5 star level, we liked what we received in addition.

There are many reasons we sail HAL, one being the rewards we get, others include the pricing and the service.

If HAL did away with the Mariner program, we would be more apt to consider sailing other lines, IF the pricing were the same that we get with HAL.

So, here are my questions... Do you book cruises on the HAL because of the lavish perks and rewards bestowed upon you as a loyal Mariner? Would you continue to cruise on HAL if they did away with the Mariner program entirely? Does being a Mariner on HAL have any influence on what cruise or cruiseline you book?

I book cruises on HAL for the fabulous places the ships take me, and the atmosphere provided on board when they do. I feel that I get good value for my money on HAL.

I have sailed other lines, and even tried a new-to-me line as recently as a few months ago, so it's not as if HAL is my one & only.

I accept the perques given as a bonus, as that's all they are. I would still sail HAL if there were no perques, but do enjoy the benefits of being a 5* Mariner. And I am really looking forward to having that platinum medallion draped around my neck. :D

If and when the day comes that HAL isn't giving me the bang for my buck that I enjoy, then I may move to another line on a more regular basis.

So, here are my questions... Do you book cruises on the HAL because of the lavish perks and rewards bestowed upon you as a loyal Mariner?

No .. just added value

Would you continue to cruise on HAL if they did away with the Mariner program entirely?

Probably yes because of the itineraries

Does being a Mariner on HAL have any influence on what cruise or cruiseline you book?

Yes and No.. Yes being a Mariner usually affords us a discount..

and No meaning if another line has the same itinerary and offers a lower price we would book accordingly(we prefer longer cruises and not many lines offer the same Itineraries)

I book cruises on HAL for the fabulous places the ships take me, and the atmosphere provided on board when they do. I feel that I get good value for my money on HAL.

I have sailed other lines, and even tried a new-to-me line as recently as a few months ago, so it's not as if HAL is my one & only.

 

I accept the perques given as a bonus, as that's all they are. I would still sail HAL if there were no perques, but do enjoy the benefits of being a 5* Mariner. And I am really looking forward to having that platinum medallion draped around my neck. :D

 

If and when the day comes that HAL isn't giving me the bang for my buck that I enjoy, then I may move to another line on a more regular basis.

The "bang for my buck" idea is what it is about.

Thanks, Ruth, for pointing that out so well!

We book HAL because we love the crew, ports and the shipboard experience. Perks are nice - free laundry!! Three of us sail together and each have been sailing on HAL since 2004 and each have over 300 days. We have nothing to compare to, since we have not sailed on any other cruise lines.

Unlikely that I'll ever get to the "50% discount on wine packages/free laundry level". We continue to sail HAL primarily because we are familiar with the product. DH needs his vacation time and I'd hate for him to end up on a cruise line/ship that was not one he liked. He is addicted to the wraparound Promenade decks, so HAL wins. For now. Any Mariner standing I have has zero influence on our choice.

We book HAL for their terrific itineraries. We find the rest of the stuff (Medallions, pins, Mariners Club perks) almost laughable except for the free laundry. But I would point out that we also get free laundry on RCI, Celebrity, Princess (who also gives us free Dry Cleaning) and some other cruise lines.

Yes, we know that some HAL cruisers take their Medallions and Pins very seriously, but what is life without having something to laugh about?

Hank

We book HAL because we love the crew, ports and the shipboard experience. .

That's how we feel. We enjoy the way we're treated on HAL and enjoy our shipmates. Itinerary combined with price are how we picked most of our cruises.

Frankly, we're pretty much done with both Carnival and RCCL. Their crews were very good but ....... If you read the CC boards you'll begin to get the vibes. Every other post seems to be about sneaking alcohol aboard, disgust at tipping, especially with automatic deductions if one chooses My Time Dining (they say "Ill show them ... I'll remove the tips!!!), and heaven forbid there be a dress code for formal night - (they basically rant that "I paid for my cruise and I'll do whatever I damn well please!!!" )

The overall vibe at HAL and Cunard just feel better to us. :)

The perks are not an issue for us - we like leaving from US ports and eliminating some flights. Sea days vs hours in a plane? Easy choice for us.

 

So, here are my questions...

Do you book cruises on the HAL because of the lavish perks and rewards bestowed upon you as a loyal Mariner? No

Would you continue to cruise on HAL if they did away with the Mariner program entirely? Yes

Does being a Mariner on HAL have any influence on what cruise or cruiseline you book? No

When we first started cruising with Hal there was not much of a Mariner program and because we were new to Hal, even the one they had was of no consequence to us. We love to cruise, who wouldn't, its like a moving hotel with all the perks of a hotel. Everything is done for us, all we have to do is sit back, relax and let the world go by. We have cruised on other lines and what we have found is there is such a great comradery between Hal's wonderful staff and us, not found on other lines.

When we first started cruising with HAL -- everything was about "miles" cruised. That is not what attracted to us to HAL. It was the service, friendly crew and at that time excellent food.

We are still with HAL with over 900 days. The idea of earning medals after so many actual cruising days was/and is nice. By the time HAL started the new "Star" program we were already far over the 400 points you needed for that program.

Perks are nice. But being as we always book either a PS or an SA -- perks we had gotten for years were now available to people with only 200 points!! -- needless to say we do not like that idea.

Then HAL started to add the 5 Stars -- all we use from that is the free Pinnacle dinners and once in a while the 100 minute Internet package at half price. Other 5 star Mariners claim that they have gotten larger packages at half price -- so far we have been refused that. One day pass at the spa -- not interested in that.

Now the best perks for us -- AMEX points that we change to Hilton Honor points -- 1 AMEX point is 1 1/2 Hilton points. And we stay at Hilton hotels many times free.

Any price saving is good, and free laundry, discounted Internet, discount wine, etc. are nice- but we cruise for the cruise experience, the service, the destinations, the likelihood of meeting people with similar interests (whom we are far likelier to meet on HAL than Royal Caribbean or (especially) NCL, and the itineraries. There is no point taking a less desirable cruise just because it is a bit cheaper or it comes with a few perks.

You may not always get what you pay for. - but you will surely will not get more than you pay for.

Thank you for all the well spoken replys. My intent was not to minimize what perks and rewards HAL does provide, but to make the point that HAL has earned faithful loyalty from a lot of people based on the product they put out to sea and not through a bunch of perks, rewards and incentives. I like a HAL because of the product they deliver. Sure there is a lot of things they've cut back on that annoy me and there are things they used to do that I miss. But I still think that dollar for dollar the put a great product out there. I sail on HAL because I like them, not because of the perks and rewards given by being loyal.

Thank you all.

The Five Star Mariners Perks are nice and I like them but I was loyal to HAL before the Star Mariner Program came into existence and would still be loyal to HAL without the added 'goodies'. Of course, if they took them away I'd squawk. :D

I love HAL's crews, beautiful ships, lovely dinner service, Rosenthal china, Pinnacle Service plates, I like the comfortable cabins and verandahs, Neptune Lounge, the larger than average bathrooms, the better than average Lido, aft deck pool areas but most of all it is the people of HAL I like the best.

I have cruised other cruise lines too. I luv HAL!! :D I had two other cruises booked with other cruise lines and cancelled them.........fear of being disappointed LOL Once you have sailed HAL its hard to go back to other cruise lines.... for me it was anyway ..........Just saying. :D

Being four star, we enjoy the free laundry and 50% discounts, of course. However, as others have stated, it is the familiarity of the product regardless of which ship one chooses, the itineraries, amazing crew and interesting mix of passengers that keep us coming back. We particularly like the Future Cruise Deposit programme which allows one to have several cruises booked at one time with a small initial outlay.

There are things we don't like about HAL but taken as a whole, we are pleased enough not to consider another line. We are not naïve enough to think that everything would be perfect elsewhere.

Do you book cruises on the HAL because of the lavish perks and rewards bestowed upon you as a loyal Mariner? Would you continue to cruise on HAL if they did away with the Mariner program entirely? Does being a Mariner on HAL have any influence on what cruise or cruiseline you book?

1. No. The perks are not lavish, and indeed not really that valuable.
2. Probably, because it's the HAL experience as a whole that's brings me back, not Mariner perks. The corollary is that if the overall HAL experience is diluted too much, there would come a point when HAL would lose me regardless of what the Mariner perks are. (And for a real life example: I reached the top level of NCL's scheme on my last cruise with them, 4 years ago, and I haven't yet been back to NCL.)
3. Yes, because it's a small but distinct nudge towards HAL.

I would like to say, perks and rewards are important to me, when they are meaningful. I have saved many thousands of dollars by being loyal to Marriot and certain airlines. That's all good! Not so much with HAL's loyalty program, though.

Cruise line schemes measure lifetime volume - all the cruises you've ever taken count towards the level of perks you get from the cruise line.

In contrast, airline and hotel schemes typically measure annual volume. To get a certain level of perks, you have to fly or stay a certain amount every year. If, in any year, you don't then you lose that level of perks. The years that I've reached top tier status with my main airline, that's because I've spent over $20,000 each year.

If cruise line schemes did the same thing, then the comparison would be certain packages of perks available only to those who sailed (say) at least 10, or 20, or 30 days in the previous year/calendar year. The perks could afford to be more generous if they worked like that. But because cruise line schemes measure lifetime volume, the perks that you get will always be modest because once you reach a certain level you never lose it.

The monetary value of Mariner benefits is laughable. The oft mentioned unlimited laundry is worth only $7 per day. Cruise prices are sometimes higher for Mariners. All I can do is shake my head in wonder.

Cruise line schemes measure lifetime volume - all the cruises you've ever taken count towards the level of perks you get from the cruise line.

 

In contrast, airline and hotel schemes typically measure annual volume. To get a certain level of perks, you have to fly or stay a certain amount every year. If, in any year, you don't then you lose that level of perks.

 

Well doesn't that just let the air out of the balloon? ;) When you put it that way, the whole equation changes, don't it now?

 

A more apt comparison would have been to compare the cruise lines to one another. (You can still find things to complain about, but they'll be focused, highly relevant things!)

I don't think I've ever paid a higher fare due to being a Mariner. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

The monetary value of Mariner benefits is laughable. The oft mentioned unlimited laundry is worth only $7 per day. Cruise prices are sometimes higher for Mariners. All I can do is shake my head in wonder.

When a great number of one's cruises range from 20 to 30 days, then the laundry perk is a good one.

Taken in isolation each of the benefits may not seem like much but when one adds in the OBC for buying a Future Cruise Credit, the OBC for owning Carnival stock, the 50% off wine packages and mini bar, as well as 50% off the specialty restaurants, then it's better than a kick in the teeth.

I don't relate it to the cruise price at all. We book at a price we are willing to pay and then forget about it. Our agent checks for a price drop at final payment and sometimes there is one. It doesn't bother me that the person in the next cabin may have paid more or less than I did. The person next to me on the plane may have paid less too. Who cares? I made my arrangements and he made his.

We are simply content with Holland America. What's to shake your head about that??? People usually get riled up about chronic complainers, not people who are happy.

I get lots of free internet minutes on Princess. If I sailed for the perks, I would never sail on HAL.

DON

Thank you for all the well spoken replys. My intent was not to minimize what perks and rewards HAL does provide, but to make the point that HAL has earned faithful loyalty from a lot of people based on the product they put out to sea and not through a bunch of perks, rewards and incentives. I like a HAL because of the product they deliver. Sure there is a lot of things they've cut back on that annoy me and there are things they used to do that I miss. But I still think that dollar for dollar the put a great product out there. I sail on HAL because I like them, not because of the perks and rewards given by being loyal.

 

Thank you all.

Well said. I like the atmosphere on HAL and the wonderful itineraries. Every ship has been well-run and the experiences great. We were once at a Mariner event and the Captain said he had one cruise where everyone onboard was a Mariner except for five people so he invited them anyway.

As for the Mariner perks, I am still many days from 4 stars (long way from 3 to 4) where any significant benefit begins. I receive extremely generous benefits at the top level of NCL and that came at only 75 days.

I have way more days on HAL than Celebrity but it appears that after they redid their Captain's Club program, we'll get more benefits.

And I've met a number of RCCL cruisers who have out and out said they choose to cruise RCCL only for the benefits, like the free booze before dinner every night....Celebrity has that as well.

DH says business experts say it's a lot cheaper to keep existing customers than what it costs to recruit a new one. Food for thought.

I'd hardly call the perks and rewards "lavish". That said, I'll take any little extras the cruise line is willing to give me, but I mainly cruise HAL for other reasons.

Roz