Captain's Club Changes POLL- Are You Happy or Not

[TommyD3]

concierge and Aqua are the same points and differ in price by more than a Inside and Oceanview. As do some of the Suites grouped together. So not sure what is unfair.

Den

 

It is and it isn't. Inside cabins and ocean view are the same points. I don't think that's fair when every other category has its own point system.

 

Are you proposing that inside cabins get 1 point per day?

 

Sometimes Aqua is the same price or LESS than Concierge.

 

Recently on the Reflection the Royal Suite was exactly 2X the cost of the Celebrity Suite even though they both get 8 points per day.

 

The bottom line is that pricing varies widely depending on how many cabins are left and how soon the sailing is.

[NLH Arizona]

Actually with 25% of the poll indicating some degree of unhappiness with the program and another 22% suggesting only somewhat happy with the program, I would think that Celebrity has screwed up with the changes. The poll is hardly an exact science but does give some indication of people's feelings. Speaking personally as a person who was looking for a new cruise line home, I certainly feel no loyalty toward Celebrity and the only thing that will motivate me to book with them in the future will be price....they have lost my loyalty, surely that is not the purpose of a loyalty plan.

I don't think I ever said the poll was exact science. What this poll does say is that only 25 percent of those on here who voted are unhappy or somewhat unhappy and any way you look at it, it is the minority. I think Celebrity did a great job with the new program and was generous to all, because after all, instead of 30 points per point, they could have given us considerably less.

 

I hope you find a cruise line that you enjoy and their loyalty/rewards program gives you everything you are looking for. I'm sure as others have said, if someone leaves Celebrity, there will always be someone else to take their place.

 

Good cruising to you no matter which line you go to.

[NLH Arizona]

It is and it isn't. Inside cabins and ocean view are the same points. I don't think that's fair when every other category has its own point system.

Actually, Concierge class and Aqua class are combined at 5 points per night.

[NLH Arizona]

I'm afraid I haven't seen an increase in drink prices, a decrease in service, an up charge in cabin menus (you can get the entire MDR menu free plus lots more), any change in casino bets (whatever that means), or much else listed. The Aqua Cafe now serves many parfaits along with some other healthy choices.

 

Agree Elite Plus is not a major increase in goodies, but I will enjoy them. Elite is the big jump and I enjoy those, but the reason I made Elite and now Elite Plus had nothing to do with shooting for the benefits since Elite didn't have all the goodies when I made it, and a Elite Plus obviously didn't even exist. Got all those points as a fallout of cruising on a Line I enjoy.

 

Won't turn them down, but won't let some perceived dislike for an incentive program cause we grief. I do feel for the poster who looks like they are a week before their back-back and they are very angry.

 

For the rest of us, whether we like or dislike the program and how it was implemented, hope you enjoy your next cruise....on Celebrity or on some other lovely Line.

 

Den

Den, I've noticed a trend on some of those that feel slighted by the new Captain's Club program....it seems that many things have now turned bad and everything is because of cost cutting. I haven't really noticed any differences between my last cruise and the one before it. And like you, I haven't noticed any decrease in service, any increase in drink prices, have always been able to get a drink at a bar without waiting, etc.

 

I too wish them enjoyable cruises and hopefully they will find a cruise line that they enjoy and feel that they are giving them what they want, without any cost cutting, etc., because they sure don't seem very happy with the fantastic Celebrity experience.

Edited January 9, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Putterdude]

I don't think I ever said the poll was exact science. What this poll does say is that only 25 percent of those on here who voted are unhappy or somewhat unhappy and any way you look at it, it is the minority. I think Celebrity did a great job with the new program and was generous to all, because after all, instead of 30 points per point, they could have given us considerably less.

 

I hope you find a cruise line that you enjoy and their loyalty/rewards program gives you everything you are looking for. I'm sure as others have said, if someone leaves Celebrity, there will always be someone else to take their place.

 

Good cruising to you no matter which line you go to.

 

I never suggested that you said that the poll was an exact science, that is what I said.

 

The irrefutable point is that currently some 25% of the respondents have some level of unhappiness with the changes, 22% of the respondents are only somewhat happy with the changes and only 33% are very happy with the changes. It should be obvious to anyone who knows anything about marketing that Celebrity has miss calculated the reaction of their customer base and made a colossal error with these changes.

[NLH Arizona]

I never suggested that you said that the poll was an exact science, that is what I said.

 

The irrefutable point is that currently some 25% of the respondents have some level of unhappiness with the changes, 22% of the respondents are only somewhat happy with the changes and only 33% are very happy with the changes. It should be obvious to anyone who knows anything about marketing that Celebrity has miss calculated the reaction of their customer base and made a colossal error with these changes.

I was in sales and marketing for over 30 years and I can tell you that any company would be happy if only 1/4 of their customers were unhappy with a change. A company also knows that only a small percentage of those 1/4 of their customers will leave the company. Many just say they are leaving in order to try to get the company to change their stance on a new program/product, etc. Celebrity is smart enough to know (after all they went through a change to the Royal Caribbean loyalty/rewards program), probably down to the percent, how many customers they would lose due to this change. Celebrity is a lot smart than some give them credit for.

 

BTW, someone somewhat happy might be those that didn't get points for a booked or paid for cruise, but would have no intention to let something as little as that stop them from cruising a fantastic line like Celebrity, because they probably didn't cruise for points in the first place. And for that matter, someone saying somewhat unhappy, doesn't mean that they would leave the line either. So it boils down to 14 percent being unhappy and of those, I would venture to guess, only a small amount would stop cruising with Celebrity. Celebrity knew what they were doing and did it spot on.

Edited January 9, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Putterdude]

I was in sales and marketing for over 30 years and I can tell you that any company would be happy if only 1/4 of their customers were unhappy with a change. A company also knows that only a small percentage of those 1/4 of their customers will leave the company. Many just say they are leaving in order to try to get the company to change their stance on a new program/product, etc. Celebrity is smart enough to know (after all they went through a change to the Royal Caribbean loyalty/rewards program), probably down to the percent, how many customers they would lose due to this change. Celebrity is a lot smart than some give them credit for.

 

BTW, someone somewhat happy might be those that didn't get points for a booked or paid for cruise, but would have no intention to let something as little as that stop them from cruising a fantastic line like Celebrity, because they probably didn't cruise for points in the first place. And for that matter, someone saying somewhat unhappy, doesn't mean that they would leave the line either. So it boils down to 14 percent being unhappy and of those, I would venture to guess, only a small amount would stop cruising with Celebrity. Celebrity knew what they were doing and did it spot on.

 

Sorry, you and I will continue to disagree and I also have a background of almost 40 years in marketing.

[NLH Arizona]

Sorry, you and I will continue to disagree and I also have a background of almost 40 years in marketing.

Yes we will have to strongly disagree.

Edited January 9, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Wine-O]

Sorry, you and I will continue to disagree and I also have a background of almost 40 years in marketing.

 

"The lady doth protest too much, me thinks." :rolleyes:

[20pluscruises]

Why is it when Host Annie pointed out the cutbacks no one came on to tell her she was wrong? She noticed a lot of the same cut backs as others here on Cruise Critic.

 

We also had to deal with the diaper clad tots in the pools and hot tubs...along with the diaper changing on the pool lounge chairs...see photo below

 

 

 

1 Attachment

Edited January 9, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[teecee60]

I was in sales and marketing for over 30 years .

 

I also have a background of almost 40 years in marketing.

 

Unless you have THIS YEAR in marketing, WORKING FOR CELEBRITY, it just doesn't matter. :rolleyes:

[BosoxI]

If there ain't a dime's worth of difference between political parties, the same goes for middle of the road cruise lines. I'm not complaining about the changes and I'm certainly not going to defend Celebrity unless they pay me to do so. But what I will do is book cruises on lines that offer the most interesting itineraries at the most attractive prices. That's what I've been doing for 30 years of cruising and it'll take more than a cappucino or a few internet minutes to get me to change my routine.

[Denny01]

Here I go posting again; this will make it 6 times on one thread and that is getting weird. But I want to comment on this poll which is the point of this thread, and not how Celebrity should be run or how terrible the whole Celebrity cruising experience is.

 

Yes, this is an unscientific poll (as if a poll can be ‘scientific’ – a poll can be statistically relevant at best) and is easily biased and certainly non-representative. But it is saying about 75% (right now) think the new program is OK or they are neutral about it. That is pretty darn good for a new program, especially one that intentionally makes it harder to reach various tiers, along with adding new tiers people may like, or were looking for different goodies and think it misses the mark. Yup, a group of those who now must cruise more to reach various tiers isn’t happy - some ‘kind of’ and others ‘very’.

 

My opinion: it’s human nature to not like change. So for a large majority of this biased, unscientific, and extremely small sample of Celebrity cruisers (with probably more than a few who have never cruised with Celebrity chiming in) to think it’s OK or don’t care, that isn’t bad at all. In my line of work that included statistical analysis for 50 years (well, since I’m much younger than that, let’s say…..2yrs, yeah, that’s right 2hrs!), if 75% of my customers were happy or not upset with a major change, I’d consider it a success.

 

If we think we have a better idea, then we need to get a job with Celebrity, showing our ‘credentials’ for this type of work, or go to our Broker and buy 50.1% of RCL stock and implement what we want. But of course, if we didn’t complain and ask for the CEO’s personal email so we can tell him how to run the company, we’d lose at least 75% (another biased statistic!) of the posts here, including mine!

 

Note: I learned something typing this post….spell and grammar checker told me to change “it’s” to “its”, and I did. Then later, it told me to change the same “it’s” back to “its” – Confusing! I looked it up: it’s “it’s” when it’s a contraction as in “it is”; it’s “its” when it’s a possessive as in “I read the post, but disagreed with its point.” Neat stuff, huh?!

 

Den

[chessbriar]

Very happy. They addressed many of the issues I had since the started reconsiling benefits with RCI. As someone who likes 10 night cruises, I thought it sucked that someone who lived in Fla and too 10 3 night cruises (30 days at sea) should have the same status as someone who took 10 10 night cruises(100 days at sea. Plus for a 3 night cruise, they pay a far lower price per night than the 10 night cruise. Then to additionally give more credit to those who book higher price cabins. I don't do it, but have no problems with it.

[shavdog]

^5 Bosox

[wwcruisers]

^5 Bosox

 

:confused: too cryptic....

[wwcruisers]

Although we are all aware that Celebrity monitors these boards, I don't really think that any of our comments, suggestions, or polls will make any difference here. Celebrity has made their decisions about the Loyalty program, and nothing we say or do is likely to change that. While I think letters and e-mails to Corporate are often a good idea, folks should be prepared for the standard reply of: "We're so sorry that you are unhappy about .... . We apologize and sincerely hope that you will cruise with Celebrity in the future." :rolleyes:

 

Along with many others, I'm not entirely satisfied with the recent changes to the Captain's Club -- but I can live with them. As one of the C&A members who actually made Diamond on Royal, only to be kicked out of the Concierge Lounge -- I'm just glad that I didn't get lose any benefits, with these changes. And, while I love loyalty perks -- they are NOT the reason that I cruise with any particular cruiseline. :cool:

Edited January 9, 2014 by wwcruisers

[BosoxI]

:confused: too cryptic....

 

Maybe it signifies a high 5. At least I hope it does.:D Apropos of nothing, I always thought the high five was a relatively recent invention, but yesterday I was watching an old movie and darned if Phil Silvers didn't do one with Gene Kelly. Back in the 1940s. A sure case of everything old being new again.

[cruisingourmet]

Direct Copy & Paste

 

Dear Mr. Doe:

 

Thank you for your e-mail. As you requested, your correspondence was forwarded to the Executive Office of Celebrity Cruises. I have been asked to reply on behalf of Mr. Michael Bayley.

 

We regret to learn of your dissatisfaction with the changes to the Captain's Club and the response you received from Ms. Van Horn. Unfortunately, we will not be able to honor your request to add points to your membership, as points are only awarded when earned. As stated on our website under the Terms & Conditions of the Captain's Club, program terms are subject to change without prior notice.

 

Mr. Doe, we are sorry for your disappointment. We hope you will have a change of heart and join us on another ship soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Joan Bernheimer

Sr. Executive Representative

[Ma Bell]

Why is it that most of the complaints are coming from people who are not loyal to begin with? Celebrity has one of the best rewards plans around and a great cruise experience. I know it's the age of "instant gratification" and "it's all about me", but isn't it time to move on? Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise for Celebrity. Now they know who the complainers are.

 

Nothing was taken away and considerably more was added. It's going to take some a little longer to get there as it probably should have in the beginning. I suppose they could have just cancelled the program completely rather than attempting to make it more fair and viable.

 

Just enjoy the cake and stop worrying about the frosting. It's the cruise experience that counts and now even more rewards are available.

[C 2 C]

They Don't Care about my patronage

 

So what were you asking for?

[cruisingourmet]

Why is it that most of the complaints are coming from people who are not loyal to begin with? .

 

I have cruised EXCLUSIVELY with Celebrity... I'd say that is the definition of LOYAL.

 

Requested a few points so I would be 1 Cruise away from Elite level, as I was prior to un-announced un-welcome changes to CC program.

 

I have booked my next Transatlantic on HAL, will I be back?

 

Perhaps when they add the points I requested, it is entirely up to Celebrity.

[20pluscruises]

Direct Copy & Paste

 

Dear Mr. Doe:

 

Thank you for your e-mail. As you requested, your correspondence was forwarded to the Executive Office of Celebrity Cruises. I have been asked to reply on behalf of Mr. Michael Bayley.

 

We regret to learn of your dissatisfaction with the changes to the Captain's Club and the response you received from Ms. Van Horn. Unfortunately, we will not be able to honor your request to add points to your membership, as points are only awarded when earned. As stated on our website under the Terms & Conditions of the Captain's Club, program terms are subject to change without prior notice.

 

Mr. Doe, we are sorry for your disappointment. We hope you will have a change of heart and join us on another ship soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Joan Bernheimer

Sr. Executive Representative

 

Maybe if some posters here would respond in this manner (highlighted) it may help calm the situation. Instead the ones who are disappointed hear, go sail on Carnival, spoiled brats, glad I won't be sailing with you in the future, etc.

[C 2 C]

I have cruised EXCLUSIVELY with Celebrity... I'd say that is the definition of LOYAL.

 

Requested a few points so I would be 1 Cruise away from Elite level, as I was prior to un-announced un-welcome changes to CC program.

 

I have booked my next Transatlantic on HAL, will I be back?

 

Perhaps when they add the points I requested, it is entirely up to Celebrity.

 

We have also enjoyed sailing on HAL but their loyalty levels offer nothing for a long time.

 

They certainly don't offer elite type perks compared to Celebrity.

[boogs]

I have cruised EXCLUSIVELY with Celebrity... I'd say that is the definition of LOYAL.

 

Requested a few points so I would be 1 Cruise away from Elite level, as I was prior to un-announced un-welcome changes to CC program.

 

I have booked my next Transatlantic on HAL, will I be back?

 

Perhaps when they add the points I requested, it is entirely up to Celebrity.

 

That is hardly the definition of LOYALTY. It only shows that as long as they gave you what you wanted, you continued to cruise with them. Your comment about not coming back unless they give you extra points proves without a doubt that you are NOT loyal to Celebrity, only loyal to whatever you can get out of them. :rolleyes:

 

LOYALTY isn't a part time thing. To be loyal you must also accept the negatives as well as the positives, to sacrifice when called upon to. Otherwise, your alleged "loyalty" is only a word, and is completely worthless.

Edited January 11, 2014 by boogs