Blue Chip Club changes

Just had a conversation with someone at Blue Chip Club. They said there were changes coming soon (next month). Anyone know what they might be? I searched for a thread on this and didn't see it. It seems like these changes are never in favor of the customer.

This is not a definitive answer but I did ask the landslide Blue Chip office about the rumored changes. I was told that the handing out of the “postcards” by the Casino Hosts on the next to the last day would be discontinued. These, as you probably know, designated a per day discount for a future cruise. IF this is true it is good news because when I received my last postcard I was still active in the casino. Apparently the additional play was not going to count. IF I remember correctly the evaluation of play will take place post cruise by the landslide office. Now I’m absolutely not certain we will experience any “ enhancements”. I have entered therapy as a result of being personally devalued from Sapphire to Amethyst. Oh the horror!:loudcry:

I wouldn't trust anything I hear from them. I get a different answer on things each time I call. Last nonsense was that they couldn't count my latest play from a month ago in figuring my discount for an upcoming cruise because I booked the cruise before I went on the cruise last month. Wha?? After pushing that I was specifically told to call after my June cruise so it's counted, they finally came back with a discount 3x the size. That's $2k more that I wouldn't have gotten if I didn't question them.

The changes in 2017 were supposed to alleviate the arbitrary nature of these things. Still an issue but not as bad. Believe it or not, it was worse!

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Oh boy! Last September we had many issues with our cruise. To make a long story short, by the end of our cruise it was like we weren’t even there! We really didn’t exist, seriously! We are sailing again in September and got to thinking about the Blue Chip club and why we never heard a thing from them! (Remember that i said it was like we weren’t even there!) We were in the casino every night for 10 nights and spent plenty of $$, but since we “didn’t exist” on that cruise the Blue Chip club has no status for us! I have been in contact with them a few times and they keep telling me that the supervisor is looking into it. Now they are making more changes? I’m afraid to see what happens next! :confused:

This is not a definitive answer but I did ask the landslide Blue Chip office about the rumored changes. I was told that the handing out of the “postcards” by the Casino Hosts on the next to the last day would be discontinued. These, as you probably know, designated a per day discount for a future cruise. IF this is true it is good news because when I received my last postcard I was still active in the casino. Apparently the additional play was not going to count. IF I remember correctly the evaluation of play will take place post cruise by the landslide office. Now I’m absolutely not certain we will experience any “ enhancements”. I have entered therapy as a result of being personally devalued from Sapphire to Amethyst. Oh the horror!:loudcry:

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Oh boy! Last September we had many issues with our cruise. To make a long story short, by the end of our cruise it was like we weren’t even there! We really didn’t exist, seriously! We are sailing again in September and got to thinking about the Blue Chip club and why we never heard a thing from them! (Remember that i said it was like we weren’t even there!) We were in the casino every night for 10 nights and spent plenty of $$, but since we “didn’t exist” on that cruise the Blue Chip club has no status for us! I have been in contact with them a few times and they keep telling me that the supervisor is looking into it. Now they are making more changes? I’m afraid to see what happens next! :confused:

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Landslide was probably a typo for landside

Just curious what you big shooters are betting to get these perks?

I know my $10 a hand at black jack are not going to put me amongst the casino elite, lol

You can look it up on the Celebrity website FAQ

As has been noted before each host or hostess has their own personalities. And I realize they are in an intense customer facing situation and you would hope they have the skill set to enjoy this facet of their work. We gamblers have expectations concerning our treatment by them. Of course we all would want to be acknowledged and appreciated. I try to give them some leeway because they are often far from home and hey they can “get down” just like the rest of us. But the treatment is inconsistent. One time a whole bunch of goodies in the cabin eg. Chocolate faux gambling chips and a casino party in a meeting room for a one on one intro. Other times you wonder who the host is? You wonder how much discretion is given to the hosts or are these “specials” from the lanside Office (Thanxs Cruisestich). So the inconsistency is something you just have to be prepared to deal with. I go in low and hope for the best. But like all of you I am waiting for the roll out of the new “ enhancements “ LOL. Will be on the Eclipse 8/11 which is supposed to be one of their slot tournaments cruises. Thus I will be with a lot of high expectations” folks and one very busy host. We shall see.

My Husband and I are both Sapphire and returned from a cruise 4 weeks ago. We were told that the system has changed yet again and the host had only just been told and didn't know what the changes were. We would have to phone Blue chip in a few days time to find out what benefit we had earned.

We cruised in April /May and were both awarded Dollars off vouchers for that cruise, a combined $210 a day off. There were other Blue chip members on that cruise and who didn't do so well and lots of people not happy with the change from the free cruise certificates.

We have been in touch with BCC several time since our return and are trying to get our head round this new system. We have been told we will not be awarded any benefit until six months before our next booking. As we have booked for May 2019 and paid a $900 deposit, we will only find out if we have qualified for any comps in December 2018, and if so the price will be adjusted accordingly.

We have 3 more cruises booked with Celebrity this year and normally gamble with the view of earning a comp for our next booking, but now with the uncertainty of the new system wonder if it's worth spending quite so much time in the casino.

We are cruising again on the 21st July so hopefully will find out a bit more.

PS. There's a bit more about this topic on the Cruise Casinos thread

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=586

This is not a definitive answer but I did ask the landslide Blue Chip office about the rumored changes. I was told that the handing out of the “postcards” by the Casino Hosts on the next to the last day would be discontinued. These, as you probably know, designated a per day discount for a future cruise. IF this is true it is good news because when I received my last postcard I was still active in the casino. Apparently the additional play was not going to count. IF I remember correctly the evaluation of play will take place post cruise by the landslide office. Now I’m absolutely not certain we will experience any “ enhancements”. I have entered therapy as a result of being personally devalued from Sapphire to Amethyst. Oh the horror!:loudcry:

You know I really did gamble purposely more on my last cruise to make sure I got to Sapphire because the FAQ said it would last for 18 months. I have several cruises coming up in the period and I’m going to be very unhappy if the decrease the benefits like freeplay, free specialty dining, and access to Michaels club. I doubt anyone will care about my unhappiness, especially Celebrity, but I feel like promises where made in writing in their FAQ.

You know I really did gamble purposely more on my last cruise to make sure I got to Sapphire because the FAQ said it would last for 18 months. I have several cruises coming up in the period and I’m going to be very unhappy if the decrease the benefits like freeplay, free specialty dining, and access to Michaels club. I doubt anyone will care about my unhappiness, especially Celebrity, but I feel like promises where made in writing in their FAQ.

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I spoke to someone at Blue Chip last week and he confirmed that none of the tier level benefits are changing. The only change was to the end of cruise incentive. As others have mentioned you no longer get anything from the hosts onboard you just call up Blue Chip after your cruise when you are interested in booking a new one and they will advise you of what discount they can offer you based on your play on the most recent cruise. So this is kind of going back to how they used to do it prior to the new tiered program launched last year. I have not booked anything yet under the new program to see how well it works.

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I spoke to someone at Blue Chip last week and he confirmed that none of the tier level benefits are changing. The only change was to the end of cruise incentive. As others have mentioned you no longer get anything from the hosts onboard you just call up Blue Chip after your cruise when you are interested in booking a new one and they will advise you of what discount they can offer you based on your play on the most recent cruise. So this is kind of going back to how they used to do it prior to the new tiered program launched last year. I have not booked anything yet under the new program to see how well it works.

 

 

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Just received an email. As I expected they appear to be devaluing the benefits. Lowering the guaranteed free play for each tier level to a base plus a percentage of gambling. Also the free specialty restaurants are gone. Here is the new system:

I spoke to someone at Blue Chip last week and he confirmed that none of the tier level benefits are changing. The only change was to the end of cruise incentive. As others have mentioned you no longer get anything from the hosts onboard you just call up Blue Chip after your cruise when you are interested in booking a new one and they will advise you of what discount they can offer you based on your play on the most recent cruise. So this is kind of going back to how they used to do it prior to the new tiered program launched last year. I have not booked anything yet under the new program to see how well it works.

 

 

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Well, whoever you talked to at BC mislead you. I just got my tier level email with the "new" benefits. Kinda disappointed.

We booked a b2b next year excited to get our Sapphire benefits on both cruise.

Sapphire Benefits went from 17 to 13. NO guarantee $1000 free play anymore. Now it based on your previous cruise play. Small print from email:

"* Free play and promo chip benefits are based on gaming and tier: Ruby level guests, the greater of $2,500 or 15% of the previous sailing's gaming activity. Sapphire level guests, the greater of $500 or 10% of the previous sailing's gaming activity. Amethyst level guests, the greater of $100 or 5% of the previous sailing's gaming activity. Free play and promo chip benefits are capped at $10,000 in value per sailing. Annual cruise benefits are based on play. All benefits are for the account holder only and subject to availability. Additional restrictions may apply, and benefits are not transferrable. Management reserves the right to suspend, withhold, or cancel the loyalty program at any time. Reel and video slot machine points: $1 coin in equals one tier point. Video poker and video roulette points: $2 coin in equals one tier point. Table games: $8 table theoretical equals one tier point. For full details, call Blue Chip Club at 1-866-461-7170 or visit celebrity.com/casino. "

Hopefully our previous play will give "greater" than the $500! As Uncle Gordon used to say "Better then a poke in the eye with a sharp stick"!!

No more Specialty restaurant for 2. :(

No more Friends & family 20% cruise discount.

No more laundry credit. Was REALLY excited about that combined with our elite laundry perks on our B2B in Europe next year. :(

No more Stateroom amenities/welcome gift. No biggie as we've never received them!

No more $100 Spa Credit.

Amethyst is basically the same except for no Specialty Restaurant.

Definitely changes!

Biggest bummer is the small print about how Free Play is now figured. I'm not sure what they will do on a B2B since leg 2 will be based on leg 1's play.

We sure will miss our Specialty restaurant meals,too.

Perhaps at the host's discretion, a couple of specialty meals will be offered on board...

Just received an email. As I expected they appear to be devaluing the benefits. Lowering the guaranteed free play for each tier level to a base plus a percentage of gambling. Also the free specialty restaurants are gone. Here is the new system:

 

Thanks! I don't know how to attach a photo and have been typing and typing!

Definite drops in benefits.

Still...better then what it used to be (much better then some other cruise lines) and as my Uncle Gordon always said "better then a poke in the eye with a sharp stick". ;p

Received my email today with the new benefits. I’m not happy! No free dinners, spa treatments & half the free play... I already get internet & drink packages so that is useless. These changes have pushed me to try another line.

Leaving in two weeks. Not happy with last minute reductions in the offer.

We cruise in September. Does this start immediately or do you get what you were promised when you booked? I would hope Celebrity would at least give you what you had earned at time of booking. Thanks

Leaving in two weeks. Not happy with last minute reductions in the offer.

That's my biggest issue, is that they just implement these with no warning. They should allow the previous benefits on cruises that you already have booked.

I got the email too and called and asked about the changes and what my upcoming free play will be.

The email isn't worded well (not surprised). "gaming activity" to me means coin-in. Apparently they mean the higher of your theoretical loss or actual loss. So my last theoretical loss was $16.5k, so as Sapphire, my free play will be about $1,650. So that's more than the $1000 I was expecting but then I lose the free dinner, spa credit, and laundry credit. So it's a wash for me but I played alot more than usual last cruise. I'm probably not going to be as high as $1650 in the future.

Here's the one thing that scares me. She said that amount is only her estimate. The casino host when I get on board will have the final amount. I can see this turning into confusion and wrong amounts getting to the ship like it used to be with the rebates a few years ago. Which I guess is what we're back to, a rebate but with a guaranteed minimum.

She also said they got rid of the other things because no one was really using them and they wanted to give their high players more benefits through this casino cash way. I'm not sure what to think about that since I used them but since the host takes charges off at the end, they probably would have been taken off anyway.

Happy they kept Michael's Club.

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We cruise in September. Does this start immediately or do you get what you were promised when you booked? I would hope Celebrity would at least give you what you had earned at time of booking. Thanks

I am hoping for the same...but kinda doubtful. :(

We have a cruise in Jan and the b2b in May 2019 (Ireland).

We were hoping for all perks, especially on the Ireland cruises.

Received my email today with the new benefits. I’m not happy! No free dinners, spa treatments & half the free play... I already get internet & drink packages so that is useless. These changes have pushed me to try another line.

If you find another "non smoking" casino, please share it.

We swapped to Celebrity mostly for the non smoking casino...plus one of us (usually the hubby) always wins money...money he comes home with. (VP) Not so on other lines we've cruised.

These changes won't chase me away. Just a bit bummed for the 3 cruises we have booked looking forward to the original benefits. I still think it's a great program and am willing to bet you can get some of those lost perks from the casino host.

I got the email too and called and asked about the changes and what my upcoming free play will be.

 

The email isn't worded well (not surprised). "gaming activity" to me means coin-in. Apparently they mean the higher of your theoretical loss or actual loss. So my last theoretical loss was $16.5k, so as Sapphire, my free play will be about $1,650. So that's more than the $1000 I was expecting but then I lose the free dinner, spa credit, and laundry credit. So it's a wash for me but I played alot more than usual last cruise. I'm probably not going to be as high as $1650 in the future.

 

Well, if THAT is the way it's figured, then I, for sure will get more then the original $1000! Not sure about hubby. He could do no wrong on our July cruise!:)

 

We used the laundry once on our 14 day in March, just to see what kind of job they did. Pretty good.

Finally Elite; so thinking perhaps there is laundry discounts with it. Hope so.

 

I think the Specialty Dinners will be missed as much as anything. We specifically booked the Reflection for our B2B because of the Porch and (can't remember the name) steak/pizza place on the lawn.

Still, not a deal breaker!

 

 

She also said they got rid of the other things because no one was really using them and they wanted to give their high players more benefits through this casino cash way. I'm not sure what to think about that since I used them but since the host takes charges off at the end, they probably would have been taken off anyway.

 

I had one mediocre pedicure and nothing else. I won't really miss the spa credit.

 

 

Happy they kept Michael's Club.

 

Amen...We LOVE Michael's Club.

 

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Thanks for the call and thanks for posting. I figured I'd give them a few days & then give them a call. I imagine the lines are lighting up right now!

Karen