NCL raised their requirements for tiers, will Princess Follow

[paul929207]

I just don't know what the word entitlement has to do with tier levels in a loyalty program. Hotel, Airlines, grocery stores and cruises to mention a few all have loyalty programs. My post was directed towards wondering if Princess would require more nights/cruises to achieve their tiers like NCL just did.

 

 

I would think Princess monitors every action taken by the competition. They watch the reaction to it. As an example, Anytime Dining was clearly a success. So Princess introduced it in a modified form that they felt would be attractive to their passengers.

[NavyVeteran]

Princess already recognise the "Most Travelled Passengers" with either a Captain's Lunch or a special Cocktail Party. This isn't really a Captain's Circle tier as such, as it is dependent on how well travelled your fellow passengers are whether you meet the "cut" for these events.

 

From 25 cruises onwards there is a bit of OBC - starting at $25 and increasing gradually to $100, that gives us a free excursion or something else, and is nice to receive.

 

I'd certainly be very happy with a few more "Elite Plus" benefits. Increased internet minutes, Sabatini breakfast, priority table reservations etc would all be nice...

 

 

I don't see them adding Sabatini breakfast or priority table reservations. These, along with same-day laundry service, are a few of the very few percs that Elite passengers get for booking a suite. It Elite passengers had many more of the suite percs, it could reduce the demand for suites - and I don't think Princess would want this.

[easyboy]

I would think Princess monitors every action taken by the competition. They watch the reaction to it. As an example, Anytime Dining was clearly a success. So Princess introduced it in a modified form that they felt would be attractive to their passengers.

I agree. They have to know their competition in order to be ahead.

[caribill]

How did NCL implement this? Last time Carnival changed their requirements they gave people many months to book cruises to get to the next level.

 

 

They simply issued a press release and said it would be implemented almost immediately.

 

No need to give months to do anything. There were no changes in the requirements to get to the existing levels. And the additional benefits at each level were also immediately available.

[cruzsnooze]

I don't see them adding Sabatini breakfast or priority table reservations. These, along with same-day laundry service, are a few of the very few percs that Elite passengers get for booking a suite. It Elite passengers had many more of the suite percs, it could reduce the demand for suites - and I don't think Princess would want this.

 

 

Sabatini could not accommodate all the elites, there are too many. I think there needs to be some adjustment to the tiers because it's over crowded.

[susancruzs]

I'm elite, but only recently during my last TA plus Baltic cruise. In a conversation at a repeaters party, someone insinuated about my sailing single, getting extra credit. People never cease to amaze me. I think I would be in favor of the elite with more cruises and/or days being made elite plus or something! :)

 

I was on a long RCI cruise, 25 days, I'm Diamond and they have Diamond Plus. They actually had to call security because 2 women, one a plus one "just" Diamond, got into it over something in the Diamond Lounge. This is silly.

 

I could be wrong but in some cases, I think people take their number of cruises and status too seriously. I've cruised 28 times, 6 different lines, all over the world and it doesn't make me any better than someone who takes just a few cruises.

[LACruiser88]

I totally agree that Princess should update their tier system. Too many cruises have TOO MANY Elites. On these overloaded cruises it has taken as long as 4 days for our laundry to be returned.

 

I know you are listening Princess, PLEASE HELP!

[DrivesLikeMario]

...I could be wrong but in some cases, I think people take their number of cruises and status too seriously. I've cruised 28 times, 6 different lines, all over the world and it doesn't make me any better than someone who takes just a few cruises.

 

Amen to that! :D

[DrivesLikeMario]

I totally agree that Princess should update their tier system. Too many cruises have TOO MANY Elites. On these overloaded cruises it has taken as long as 4 days for our laundry to be returned.

 

I know you are listening Princess, PLEASE HELP!

 

Totally agree! It seems the perks aren't so special when so many people have obtained them.

[jagoffee]

I totally agree that Princess should update their tier system. Too many cruises have TOO MANY Elites. On these overloaded cruises it has taken as long as 4 days for our laundry to be returned.

 

I know you are listening Princess, PLEASE HELP!

Do you realize that this would only improve if Princess took that laundry benefit away from some people. I guess it would not get worse.

[UpcountryTravelers]

I understand your experiences however while that may apply to some Elite level passengers, I've rarely seen it happen.

 

I've seen just as many first time Princess passengers be demanding & offensive to crew. The majority of the elite level passengers I've met were not demanding passengers but ones who greatly respected the crew.

 

I think entitled passengers are more based on their personality than their repeat passenger level. Jerks like you heard are idiots & that's not necessarily determined by their Captains Circle level.

 

Referring especially to the part I've bolded: I agree. Those of us who have cruised that much have learned to greatly respect the crew, their skills and dedication, and all they do for us!!

 

(I make it a point, every cruise, to find a crew member who might not be recognized by others; a person cleaning a restroom, a mechanic fixing a problem, etc., and tell them how much we appreciate their hard work for us. I tell them that my fellow passengers might not always say it, but we do appreciate them and thank them. Try it! It's fun to see their surprised smiles!!)

[caribill]

I totally agree that Princess should update their tier system. Too many cruises have TOO MANY Elites. On these overloaded cruises it has taken as long as 4 days for our laundry to be returned.

 

I know you are listening Princess, PLEASE HELP!

 

So you would not mind if a new super elite category was established for those with 700 days or more and only this new category would get free laundry?

 

With those under 700 days not having the laundry benefit anymore, the return time would be quick for the super-elite.

[Brisbane41]

NCL is hardly an exemplary line for Princess to follow. It is far better to be the trendsetter than to be a follower of a cruise line that caters to the bottom feeders in the cruise industry. NCL is so poorly rated that it would not even appear on my cruise radar and I would not go on one of their ships for free. I think Princess should maintain their upper-middle class level and strive to be a step ahead of the other so called mass market lines as they always have been.

 

P&O UK which used to own Princess changed their loyalty club a few years ago by adding bonus tiers on top. If you continue to cruise with them in a three year period and meet a minimum number of cruise nights per year then you are bumped up into a bonus tier with even more perks. The club essentially remained the same except the bonus tiers were introduced to recognise extreme loyalty.

[easyboy]

So you would not mind if a new super elite category was established for those with 700 days or more and only this new category would get free laundry?

 

With those under 700 days not having the laundry benefit anymore, the return time would be quick for the super-elite.

Good point!

[wishfulone]

We prefer to do longer cruises so we've had to climb the Princess ladder the slow way - by nights not number of cruises. It always amazes us to hear people bragging about how many 3-4 night sampler cruises they did in order to get the benefits.

 

The best benefit for us came at Platinum with the internet allowance and the evening nibbles but we still do our own laundry. It's a very social activity where you get to know lots of fellow passengers and at least I try to remember what will shrink if I put it in the dryer :eek:

[ckb104]

I'd certainly be very happy with a few more "Elite Plus" benefits. Increased internet minutes, Sabatini breakfast, priority table reservations etc would all be nice...

 

 

My parents are Elite and I'm cruising with my Mom in May, so I'm excited to be able to take advantage of some of her Elite perks. We were just talking the other day about how cutting in line for Anytime Dining would be a nice benefit. :D

[beg3yrs]

My parents are Elite and I'm cruising with my Mom in May, so I'm excited to be able to take advantage of some of her Elite perks. :D

 

Follow-up posts to this may get pretty exciting. I counsel you to stay very far away from stating you'll be turning in your laundry with your mom's. It's a hot-button topic for lots of people.

 

About the only perks I can think you'll be able to take advantage of are sharing the mini-bar setup, being a guest at the evening Platinum/Elite/Suite lounge and maybe she'll purchase something for you with her 10% boutique discount.

[capriccio]

 

About the only perks I can think you'll be able to take advantage of are sharing the mini-bar setup, being a guest at the evening Platinum/Elite/Suite lounge and maybe she'll purchase something for you with her 10% boutique discount.

 

Preferred boarding too if they are sharing a cabin.

[nukesubsailor]

My parents are Elite and I'm cruising with my Mom in May, so I'm excited to be able to take advantage of some of her Elite perks. We were just talking the other day about how cutting in line for Anytime Dining would be a nice benefit. :D

 

I am Elite and I have never seen "cutting in line" listed as an Elite perk. Elites supposedly get priority when making dinner reservations but that is not what I would call cutting in line.

[long cruiser]

It's really simple elite passenger should be allowed to eat with club class passengers.

Why should a first time cruiser get better benefits for dining?

long cruiser

[ckb104]

Follow-up posts to this may get pretty exciting. I counsel you to stay very far away from stating you'll be turning in your laundry with your mom's. It's a hot-button topic for lots of people.

 

About the only perks I can think you'll be able to take advantage of are sharing the mini-bar setup, being a guest at the evening Platinum/Elite/Suite lounge and maybe she'll purchase something for you with her 10% boutique discount.

 

Oh no! Thank you. It didn't occur to me how that might come across to someone. I am thinking of "cabin-wide" perks like early embarkation and the mini-bar set-up (we are diet Coke girls!) For a while I also thought that Elites got priority at anytime dining until my parents set me straight about that. :D

[ckb104]

I am Elite and I have never seen "cutting in line" listed as an Elite perk. Elites supposedly get priority when making dinner reservations but that is not what I would call cutting in line.

 

I'm sorry. Bad choice of words on my part. I didn't intend to give it negative connotations.

[XBGuy]

It's really simple elite passenger should be allowed to eat with club class passengers.

Why should a first time cruiser get better benefits for dining?

long cruiser

 

Why not?

 

Club Class is a premium offering. Understandably, it comes at a premium price. Suite passengers, in addition to Club Class Mini-suite passengers pay for "better benefits for dining." Frankly, it is a revenue enhancement sales strategy for Princess. Why should they give it away?

 

Here's another way of looking at it. A little over a year ago we were on the Crown Princess. On embarkation day we met with the Room Service Manager to plan our Ultimate Balcony Dinner. During some small talk he mentioned that there were over 800 Elite level passengers on this particular cruise. If I am not mistaken the capacity of the Crown Princess is something like 3000-3500 passengers. So, roughly 1/4 of the passengers. Now, my guess is that a reasonable number of those Elite passengers were, in fact, sailing in Suites or Mini-Suite that might be designated "Club Class." However, I do see that adding that many more potential diners to the Club Class dining room might have a serious negative effect on service-level delivery. So, I would think that Princess intentionally limits the number of passengers with access to the Club Class dining room.

[CoffeHound]

Do you realize that this would only improve if Princess took that laundry benefit away from some people. I guess it would not get worse.

 

This is exactly what I was thinking... as in be careful what you wish for in the sense that it doesn't help in the short term to create higher levels unless you take away the most valued perks from the Elites and only give them to the new higher and smaller tier. If you increase the number of days or cruise credits or whatever to make each tier, but grandfather in everyone who already has it, it is going to take awhile before the number of Elites who stop cruising outpaces the number of cruisers becoming Elite in any meaningful way.

[beg3yrs]

I am Elite and I have never seen "cutting in line" listed as an Elite perk. Elites supposedly get priority when making dinner reservations but that is not what I would call cutting in line.

 

And I've never seen priority for dinner reservations listed as a perk either. If I've missed it, would you please post the link from the Princess web-site?