Princess Players Club?

I put a note on the Casinos forum but little traffic there.

Does it do any good to send a note through the OPC website to advise you'll be cruising again? Anyone get any perks or notice for doing that?

I've cruised Princess 4 times and each time, did a cruising again form. Have gotten nothing. Now and then the casino host would comp me a drink - I guess I looked dehydrated from being at the machines so long.

I actually just got a letter from PPC inviting me to cruise on the Crown on a specific sailing. Is this new? I don't think I've seen that mentioned on Cruise Critic. Can't go because I'll actually be on a cruise but it would be nice to get some sort of perk on that one.

I put a note on the Casinos forum but little traffic there.

 

Does it do any good to send a note through the OPC website to advise you'll be cruising again? Anyone get any perks or notice for doing that?

 

I've cruised Princess 4 times and each time, did a cruising again form. Have gotten nothing. Now and then the casino host would comp me a drink - I guess I looked dehydrated from being at the machines so long.

 

I actually just got a letter from PPC inviting me to cruise on the Crown on a specific sailing. Is this new? I don't think I've seen that mentioned on Cruise Critic. Can't go because I'll actually be on a cruise but it would be nice to get some sort of perk on that one.

It's never done much good for me in the past. :(

Princess does now have special cruises that they target those in the players club though. I received an invite a while back that also gave me a $500 casino credit if I booked it. I wasn't that interested in the tournaments though so never even considered it.

I too got the invite for the crown cruise and the $500 in casino credit, but I was already booked on a Mexican cruise the week previous. The invite was worded somewhat confusingly so that I thought they were comping the cruise and I would only have to pay the port fees and taxes. ....Not so....Just an invite with a few casino perks.

I also found out I was mistaken that all of Carnival's lines (Carnival, HAL, Princess, etc.) were under the umbrella of OPC)....not so, apparently.

I called Princess Players Club and found out that they are all now branching out under their own names......Carnival Players Club, Princess Players Club, etc.

I am platinum with Princess and haven't sailed Carnival in 20 years. From talking to the rep at the other end of the phone number that I was supposed to call to book the "special perk" Crown cruise, I learned that if I were specifically targeted by Carnival Players Club, I would be able to get all kinds of perks. (and also that the he would have alot of leeway in transfering my casino credits and perks offer to another cruise of my choice), but he was unable to do this because Princess has alot less options for their player's club members.

As an aside, I too filled out the "cruising again" form on OPC website before my Nov. Sapphire cruise last year. (if you notice, that is no longer an option on OPC website). I received a computer generated reply from OPC stating....."Thanks for letting us know you are cruising again....Please make sure you introduce yourself to the casino host/hostess when you get on board."

So when the casino opened the first night at sea, I approached "Alexandra" the casino hostess and introduced myself, as I had been requested to do. I said, "Hi, my name is L.....

and I was instructed by OPC to introduce myself." She looked me square in the eye and said, "And your point is????"

Needless to say, I received nothing for my loyalty. No free drink, no bottle of wine, no casino credits.....not even a lousy "WELCOME ABOARD" greeting from her. As it turned out, this was an omen of what was to come as Alexandra had Zero personality whether it be running the slot/bj tournments or intermixing with passengers in the casino.

Since I am planning a return voyage on the Sapphire this year, I just had to ask Princess PC about the casino hostess on the ship. I was told it was someone named Alan. I asked what had happened to Alexandra and was told, "If it's the Alex I am thinking of.....she is no longer with anyone's casino."

I also asked if Sapphire had the card readers installed on it's slots yet....Affirmative. That's definitely two advantages to last year. I just hated having to lug around buckets of those dirty coins.

Thanks GSD4ME for the information. I feel much better that I can't make this cruise. It sure sounded like it was comp'd and I had never read about Princess doing that!

If it sounds too good to be true....

I got it too, and the wording implied that I was a "winner" in the fine print at the bottom of the page, though I had not entered any contest. It invited me and a guest, and said the Princess Players Club had reserved a stateroom for me and my guest.

It says nothing about paying for the stateroom - just that I would be responsible for government fees and taxes.

Of course,I've already decided that it's one of those come-ons, where "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".

I got that invitation too for the Crown in November. When I read it, I understood it to mean the cruise was free but I was responsible for taxes, port fees, gratuities and personal items. I will just be getting back from a TA cruise and need to go back to work to support my cruise habit!

How do you join?

It'd be really nice to find out it's for real, and that we are not just being handed a line of mis-stated garbage to try to induce us to book that cruise, in return for the "casino perks" and a group photo.

I do have the free time, and would love a fill-in cruise to tide me over till the one next March.

How do you join?

~~~"How do you join?"~~~

I googled it, and it directed me to the Princess website. According to the website, you have to sign up in the casino when you are onboard a cruise.

Well, I am 99 per cent sure that it isn't free. What keeps me wondering that other 1 per cent is that the PPC person I first talked with didn't seem to know much about anything. In the small print at the bottom of the letter it stated that I would receive an IRS 1099 form from the government. I kept asking her, If it's not free, what is the 1099 for?" She kept saying, "You have to pay taxes."

The conversation went 'round and 'round for about 5 minutes because I kept saying, "If you aren't giving me a free cruise, what do I have to pay taxes on?" Apparently, she was talking about the port fees and government taxes on the cruise....and I was talking about the income tax I would owe on the value of the cruise.

When she told me she was new at the job, I asked if I could speak to someone else, but she said all of the reps were all new. Like I said, I still think it does not involve a free cruise, but they sure have a confusing way of wording things.

When I called back a day later just to get info on PPC, the man I spoke with was very much more informed. He said he belived that Princess had plans to target its VIP players every once in a while by making the offer on specific cruises only. I think he said there might be another offer for a cruise in the spring of 2010. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to transfer the perks on to the MR cruise I am already scheduled to take.

I'm not saying I wasn't grateful for the offer, because it would have been a nice deal. But still wish the PPC were more "well-versed" to answer questions.

I'm not saying I wasn't grateful for the offer, because it would have been a nice deal. But still wish the PPC were more "well-versed" to answer questions.

Welcome to the wonderful world of call centers! I wrote the Player's Club an e-mail just after my April cruise. In it I asked what benefit there was to belonging to the the Player's Club as I saw no perks as a member-not a free drink, no free play etc. I never got an answer!

Welcome to the wonderful world of call centers! I wrote the Player's Club an e-mail just after my April cruise. In it I asked what benefit there was to belonging to the the Player's Club as I saw no perks as a member-not a free drink, no free play etc. I never got an answer!

Donna, by not answering your question, they answered. lol No perks I have ever seen, and I figured after all this time and all the hoopla about Princess now having the players club, they would come up with something. :(

Just out of curiosity, I called the number on the letter and asked for the particulars of the "invitation".

The term "winner" is used in reference to the amount of casino credit one would be given as well as the other listed "amenities".

The cost of the cruise depends on the cabin category one chooses, just like any other cruise. I asked for the fare for the lowest balcony category, which would be a guarantee. The fare would be $649 each for me and my "guest". Not a bad rate for a 7 day cruise, I guess, but I will not book it. As much as anything, I am turned off by the implication that I would be getting something more valuable than just a casino credit, a cocktail party invitation, a photo, a "Bon Voyage gift", and a few free beverages.

Definitely a "too good to be true" situation.

An interesting addendum:

My mail was just delivered, and there was another letter from Princess, saying that "due to the popular response" the promotion is no longer available!!!!. It's dated 7/21/09, ....... BUT I had just gotten off the phone with the CS gal, and she obviously didn't know that.

Wonder what would have happened if I had gone ahead and booked a cabin while I was on the phone!

An interesting addendum:

My mail was just delivered, and there was another letter from Princess, saying that "due to the popular response" the promotion is no longer available!!!!. It's dated 7/21/09, ....... BUT I had just gotten off the phone with the CS gal, and she obviously didn't know that.

Wonder what would have happened if I had gone ahead and booked a cabin while I was on the phone!

Hadn't gotten my mail in a few days, but grabbed it up this AM. I had the same letter saying this is no longer available. But it said they would probably be offering it again in 2010.

Sounds very sketchy:cool:

Hadn't gotten my mail in a few days, but grabbed it up this AM. I had the same letter saying this is no longer available. But it said they would probably be offering it again in 2010.

I also got the same letter.:confused:

I wonder what is up with that?

Mike:)

I also got the "sorry" letter.

There must not have been very many cabins allotted for the promo. Just my guess.

Yep, I got the sorry no longer available letter too! Why would they do that if it wasn't comp'd? I do still think it was free. It's a really cheap sailing anyway - 399pp inside - not costing them much.

But couldn't have gone anyway and figured there would be no perk on my current sailing.

I do still think it was free.

My "sorry" letter came yesterday too. What astounds me is that so many of us are still left wondering whether or not it was a free cruise. I might not be a rocket scientist, but I have never had trouble reading and interpreting the intent of a mailing from a major cruise line. You would think that a company as large as Princess would have someone who could write an invitation with enough clarity so as not to leave many of us wondering.

I got that letter too and called them yesterday. It was not a free cruise as it was meant to sound. there was a charge for the stateroom1 I asked her if she had a lot of calls thinking it was a free cruise. she said yes and that they were sending out a covering letter. covering letter or not ot was a deliberate ploy to mislead. I have my own letter all ready for Princess . Even though we have cruised with them for 10 years., we are considering swithching to another cruiseline. I'm diaappointed that they have decided to use these kinds of tactics

Maybe that's why they withdrew the promotion - - the ambiguous wording, and some unhappy people who tried to take them up on the "free" cruise, only to find out that it wasn't.

The "Player's Club" was just a name given to a Princess group of a limited number of cabins on the Nov 28th sailing of the Crown. The group amenities include $250 in casino credit, wine, and a "cocktail party". The price is the same as most websites with no extra discount. This group/Players Club "invite" was because the 28th follows Thanksgiving - traditionally a difficult week to book. The follow up letter means they sold all the allocated group cabins.

We booked because:

we always cruise at this time each year anyway (our anniversary)

haven't been on the Crown

with CCL stock, FCC OBCs and casino credits, it turns out to be a "deal"

we live just 4 hrs from port

Thanks for the clarification WeBeGone.

For some reason I didn't get the impression that the cruise was free; but I suppose that the message was not very clear by the previous discussion.

Mike:)