Past Guest Perks

[MichelleP]

Okay, since that's my husband's card (and mine looks just like it), I'll try to answer the questions that were asked.

~ We did not have a suite... just a regular oceanview cabin.
~ This was our 5th cruise on Carnival. First two cruises we had the red-white-and-blue cards, third cruise we had the "fishy" cards, fourth cruise we went back to the red-white-and-blue cards, and then this one.
~ We do not own any Carnival stock.
~ We are not members of the Carnival vacation club.

So really, I'm as confused as you are as to why we got the gold cards. :confused:

That being said, the casino dealer saw the gold card when my husband got a cash advance and said it was because we were past guests. (He was surprised my husband had never played a table game since he had cruised previously.)

[mohavemommy]

So from what I have figured out... it must be a past-guest since the middle of January thing. I'm not sure I like having the cabin number printed on them since I wear mine on a lanyard and the cabin number would be visible to everyone.

[Lauri32]

Well it's not just a past guest thing since the middle of Jan because our Legend cruise was 1/22/05. But I am curious about the order of different cards Michelle received. We've only been on 4 Carnival so far. Got the red & blue on first 2, fishy on 3rd, and red & blue on 4th. Wonder if maybe it's a 5th cruise thing?? I know it doesn't have anything to do with the tables because my hubby plays every cruise.

[SouthernCaribbean]

[quote name='mohavemommy']So from what I have figured out... it must be a past-guest since the middle of January thing. I'm not sure I like having the cabin number printed on them since I wear mine on a lanyard and the cabin number would be visible to everyone.[/QUOTE]

I also noticed that but on Fascination the S&S card isnt the room key card. I would imagine if the gold cards were being used fleet wide more people would be talking about them. This could be something they are testing out on one ship or something that was used on one sailing.

[popcorngal]

Well as you can see, we are definite repeat Carnival customers, and were on the same cruise with Lauri32, and have never even HEARD of the gold S&S cards. This is sure a new one on me!:confused:

[mohavemommy]

Could it be that Carnival has rolled out a frequent cruiser card?

[txaginwf]

How is this for a past guest perk...

We are going on our first Carnival cruise this September. Carnival is giving us a discount and a two level upgrade for being past guests on Princess. Couldn't turn that down!

God made us all different so we would not all think alike. Imagine if we did, there would be no cruises available on any line... Everyone would want the same and no one would want the rest... Where would we be then?

txaginwf

[popcorngal]

OK, this gold S&S card thing really had me wondering, so I called Carnival direct. After waiting on hold for 30 minutes, I was connected to the Supervisor's Dept and here's what I found out...

First they tried to tell me that the gold card was for those booked in the penthouse suite. I told him no way, the card was not for the penthouse, but it had their past guest number on it. He did some more checking and here's the scoop:

Carnival is rolling out new S&S cards fleet wide, to recognize past guests. It just started in December. It will be on tiered levels, bronze, silver and gold. Since they have so many ships, it will take probably 6 months to get it on all the ships, hence why those of us past guests that recently sailed, didn't have one. He was quick to point out that there is no other perk associated with this other than being recognized as a past guest.

I asked how many past cruises constituted each tier, and he said the person that knew that was at lunch, but he would call me back as soon as he found out. He also said that this is such a new program, that even the supervisors know very little about it. I got his name and direct phone number and will be calling him back if I don't hear from him. Soooooo, I will post my findings as soon as I hear. Sometimes you just gotta be a little persistant!:rolleyes:

[Lauri32]

Ellen, I knew we could count on you to get the scoop. Although, I have to admit it was fun guessing for awhile. Too bad they didn't start the Legend off with those cards. Maybe they'll have them on the Miracle by the time you sail next year. We're looking at possibly doing the Liberty Jan or Mar 06, surely they'll have them all implemented by then. Not that you get anything extra, it would just be nice to recognized for our loyalty in continuing to cruise with them.

BTW, how's your PCD? Mine's eased up some since we're now trying to plan a vacation with our daughters sometime this summer.

[popcorngal]

I just got off the phone again with Carnival (yes, he actually called me back!) and here's the revised info...

There are only going to be 2 levels, Gold and Platinum. If you have sailed 1-9 times in the past, you will get the Gold card. As we know now, this has already been instituted, and is being put into effect fleet-wide. Still, it will take some time to get it on all the ships. The Platinum however is still in the works, with a rollout expected within a few months. This is for past guests with 10 and more past cruises. It is possible that there will be additional ammenities included with this level, but that is still up in the air.

Also, I inquired if these were on a per cabin basis or an individual basis. I was told it is on an individual basis, according to how many cruises each person has taken on Carnival. So if you have only taken 3 cruises, you will get a Gold card, while if your cabin mate has 10+ cruises, they will get a Platinum.

Good to hear from you Lauri! You know me, since I used to be in the travel biz, I like to get answers!;) PCD was pretty bad until I got this next cruise booked, especially with hubby still suffering the effects from catching some kind of upper respiratory bug on the flight home from the cruise on the Legend. He was really down with it, and still has the hacking cough and gets tired very easily. When I mentioned booking again already, the best way to describe the look I got was :eek: LOL! Now that he's feeling better though, I think his PCD has eased considerably too. Take care!

[Ericknow32]

[quote name='tef43'] I *will* make a prediction though, that over the next ten years or so you will see CCL phasing the repeater bribes out of the other lines. [/QUOTE]

[quote name='Ericknow32']When it comes to loyalty programs I would be willing to bet the opposite. I bet that Carnival will have a past guest program in ten years.[/QUOTE]

hey tef43 looks like i was right.

[mikeymars]

[quote name='popcorngal']If you have sailed 1-9 times in the past, you will get the Gold card. As we know now, this has already been instituted, and is being put into effect fleet-wide.[/QUOTE]

Interesting -- will have to see if these are what we are issued next Sunday when we check in for the Miracle.

[tef43]

[quote name='Ericknow32']hey tef43 looks like i was right.[/QUOTE]
Wow, a different color S&S card. Whoop-de-freakin-do. This is *hardly* a "perk" or did you miss that part?
[quote name='popcorngal']
He was quick to point out that there is no other perk associated with this other than being recognized as a past guest.[/quote]

[Flip2cruise]

[quote name='tef43']Wow, a different color S&S card. Whoop-de-freakin-do. This is *hardly* a "perk" or did you miss that part?[/QUOTE]

I agree, Actually it may save them from having to print up invitations for the past guest party. :) You might be able to just show your gold card at the door.

[Ericknow32]

[quote name='tef43']Wow, a different color S&S card. Whoop-de-freakin-do. This is *hardly* a "perk" or did you miss that part?[/QUOTE]

[b][color=blue]Did you miss this[/color][/b]

[quote name='popcorngal'] The Platinum however is still in the works, with a rollout expected within a few months. This is for past guests with 10 and more past cruises. It is possible that there will be additional ammenities included with this level, but that is still up in the air. [/QUOTE]

[color=blue][b]By the way, tef43, it is a start and I'm still right.[/b][/color]

[MichelleP]

[quote name='popcorngal']I just got off the phone again with Carnival (yes, he actually called me back!) and here's the revised info...[/QUOTE]

Hey, thanks for getting the answers for us! I was beginning to think everyone thought I'd made the gold card up! :)

[mohavemommy]

Hope I get a gold card next cruise!

[TXRoo]

We received a letter in our room the last night offering a 10% discount on a cruise if we booked in the next 18 months. We didn't complain about anything onboard. We only went to the purser's desk once and that was to switch credit cards. It may have been because we had a Carnival Sea Miles card....I believe it was the first one they had seen onboard. :)

[glrounds]

[i][font=Comic Sans MS][size=5][color=navy][b]They don't [u]NEED[/u] one.[/b][/color][/size][/font][/i]
[b][/b]
[i][font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#000080]47% of their paxs are first-time cruisers.[/color][/size][/font][/i]

[i][font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#000080]They provide the best value (in my opinion), the best service, the best food, the happiest fun-filled paxs, and the best entertainment.[/color][/size][/font][/i]

[i][font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#000080]"Perks" are bribes cruiselines use to attempt to [u]show value[/u] in competing with all of the above. Ask any woman, its like the $50 pair of shoes, on sale for 20% off the listed price of $100. That's no bargain. That's marketing. :rolleyes: [/color][/size][/font][/i]

[popcorngal]

Glad to help Michelle. It really helped that you posted that picture, cause then I could describe to them what it looked like and I knew it wasn't what they first told me, issued for the penthouse suite. Even my TA didn't know about this, and that's saying alot!:D

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

[quote name='glrounds'][i][font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#000080].[/color][/size][/font][/i][i][font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#000080]"Perks" are bribes cruiselines use to attempt to [u]show value[/u] in competing with all of the above. Ask any woman, its like the $50 pair of shoes, on sale for 20% off the listed price of $100. That's no bargain. That's marketing. :rolleyes: [/color][/size][/font][/i][/QUOTE]

[size=3][font=Book Antiqua]Sounds like a fairly sweeping generalization of "perks," don't you think?

I completely agree about the marketing appeal of thinking you're getting a discount off an already overpriced product. However, in cases where Carnival cruises are priced the same -- or even slightly more -- than a comparable RCI cruise, the extra $100-250 off does become a factor. And while I also agree that Carnival has a great product, in my limited experience comparing the two lines (one cruise on each), I don't think it stands significantly above RCI in any aspect I encountered. In one or two ways, it falls significantly short.

Of course, as you stated, value for the money is a matter of opinion.

However . . . I will say that we have booked our next cruise back on RCI. I didn't feel "bribed," I felt that I had accepted the winning bid for my cruise dollars. Now THAT is what I call marketing. :)
[/font][/size]