Are you loyal?

[Bill B]

Now, to answer the topic question (I didn't in my first post) -

Sort of... but not really. The majority of my nineteen cruises have been with Princess. I've done two each on HAL and Costa. All around, Princess 'fits' me well. However, my main considerations in choosing a cruise/line are price/day with single supplement and itinerary. My best and worst cruises have been on HAL. The best stateroom was on Costa (the Concordia) but also the worst public area decor - truly a 'Technicolor dog's breakfast'.

 

In my subjective opinion:

- HAL has the best itineraries.

- Costa offers the best 'value for the money', and their AIBP is approximately half the cost of Princess' (I won't buy it on Princess)... but the worst food of the three.

- Princess has the worst single supplement policy - almost always 100% - but the best ship decor and loyalty program. I've just become 'Elite', so undoubtedly the free laundry and mini-bar setup (in addition to the Internet minutes - I don't care about any of the other perks) will come into consideration in future.

 

So, you're probably asking yourself Why have most of his cruises been on Princess? Simple - Standby Deals. When leed-in fares get down to about $75/day, I'll pay the single supplement and book.

 

While I understand brand loyalty to a point, I don't understand the RABID brand loyalty some CC posters show to 'their' particular line. The line may treat you well and make you feel 'special' while on board... but the reality is we're all nothing more than numbers to any cruise line.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Bill B

[JimmyVWine]

I give my business to the cruise lines that have the best personal wine allowance policy. That used to be DCL and Princess, but then DCL got way too expensive and the final nail was their change in wine policy. As long as Princess continues to allow us to bring wine from our cellar on board and pay a corkage fee, they will get my business. I save many of my best cellared wines for enjoying while on vacation when someone else is doing the cooking and cleaning. I will give my vacation dollars to businesses that understand that dynamic.

[St Paul Girl]

If the itinerary fits our travel plans, we will consider Princess. We just changed from Princess to Oceania for our South America cruise due to better itinerary but also better pricing. Have only done Princess for Alaska and Tahiti. If we can see the world, we prefer to see it from a land perspective, feel the culture and meet the people.

Each to their own.

[richstowe]

My signature says it all ."Love them all but loyal to none". If that isn't clear enough , 6 cruise lines in only 9 cruises is . Loyalty plans are well designed for the cruise brands benefit .

[leck57]

We are loyal to Princess but it's itinerarys first for us so we have cruised on other lines. Basically I find most loyalty schemes on cruise lines almost worthless until you reach the top level or so, and there is no point spending extra money just to get there if there are better options elsewhere.

I have friends that fly with one airline just to get the points but they pay way more than they need to and the points they receive aren't worth the extra money. Some people are just blindly loyal.

[Bill B]

On a different (but related) vein I'm not 'loyal' to cruising. I used to be when cruises were basically 'all-inclusive', but with the shift to a focus on on board revenue, cruising has become progressively more and more expensive.

 

While it's an 'apples & oranges' comparison, a land vacation in SE Asia, in low season, at a 4-star beach resort in a 50 sqm (i.e. huge compared to a stateroom) with a beautiful pool seven steps from my veranda, a gorgeous 'picture postcard' palm-fringed beach 30 meters away, and including a sumptuous buffet breakfast can be for as little as $20 per day (tax & service fees included)... and there's no single supplement! :D Add $5 for dinner and $5 for scooter rental and I'm all set... including 'tours'.

 

$30 per day...or $200+ per day... Hmmmmm. :confused:

[jnc411]

Usually we are loyal ~~ can't beat the elite perks, OBC from CCL stock and veterans benefits, plus Princess has a great product with super itineraries. That said, I do cruise other lines occasionally and comparison shop when ready to book a cruise.

Yes , we agree with the above. However, we do take into consideration if the ship has a promenade deck, that is a game changer for us.

J n C

[CineGraphic]

For now, we are loyal. Who knows what changes the future will bring. As long as we are treated well, and fed decent food, we'll remain "Princess people".

[rbslos18]

yes , we agree with the above. However, we do take into consideration if the ship has a promenade deck, that is a game changer for us.

J n c

 

+1

rb

[pris993]

more loyal than not, lol. over 50 cruises... lost count, on 9 different lines... in past 10 years, mostly Princess, Celebrity, HAL, Cunard....more on Princess than any...now that we are seniors love having Princess home ported in San Francisco. Can't beat taking a taxi to the ship. Even so we are going on the Royal in October out of Barcelona on a 14 day... TA. Flying is not really my cup tea anymore.. airlines have made a miserable experience so if I can avoid do.

[no1racefan1]

Itinerary, then price. As you can see by my signature, we are not loyal to any line.

[Floridiana]

Only interested in the itinerary, therefore not loyal to a line, but prefer one with excellent food.

[davekathy]

Nope. Itinerary, price, cruise line and ship. Varity is the spice of life. Even though lately it seems we are only using two different spices.

[iancal]

No loyalty whatsoever. We select based on ship, itinerary, and price. The loyalty programs are usually at the bottom of our list because most of them are not that great. Besides, we can put a value to us on any rewards and factor this into our price comparisons.

 

At the end of the day a cruise line is nothing but a corporate entity. There have been so many changes and cutbacks that is seems most of the mass market cruise lines are gravitating down to the lowest common denominator.

[OCruisers]

Princess is the best "fit" for us and we're elite ... but that doesn't keep us from cruising on other cruise lines from time to time. :)

[Aquahound]

Used to be loyal. Then I branched out and realized what I was missing.

 

I used to say things like....you can't beat these perks. Well, turns out you can. And turns out those perks aren't really that great to begin with.

[Warm Breezes]

No loyalty. We cruise the ship that best fits our wants for that particular vacation at the price we are willing to pay.

 

 

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[DirtyDawg]

Like any dawg I am loyal to the master who has the most treats.:)

[leaveitallbehind]

We've historically been loyal to RCI, but have recently started expanding to Celebrity. I guess that's not really straying too far as they are both owned by the same parent company. From a loyalty program point of view we feel that they offer one of the more attractive ones and enjoy the benefits our status provides. But we've reached the highest tier level with them that we are likely to ever achieve, so from that perspective we have no loss of benefit to cruise with other lines. There are other lines we may start considering as comparison, but we like the product - in particular with Celebrity - and will likely continue that path for a while.

[Hlitner]

Are we loyal? To our family...yes. To a cruise line....absolutely NO! Variety is the spice of cruising. We love the difference between cruise lines (different shows, food, etc). And since we cruise a lot (over 100 days in some years) we like to keep it fresh and exciting. Repeating the same old same old....is just not our style.

 

Hank

[SuiteTraveler]

Loyal to a cruise line? Absolutely NOT! We are all about different and unique experiences.

[Essiesmom]

Noparticular loyalty. We book based on time, itinerary, price. We seek to move up the loyalty ladder until we get some perks...Celebrity (Elite) some internet and laundry; Princess platinum: some internet and military OBC; Carnival: platinum free laundry (which allows us to travel with carry ons only) and priority boarding. We get nothing for 3 star on HAL. Minor free internet on Cunard but self laundry is free. A few perks for Black Card on MSC. We are opportunists. EM

[iancal]

We cannot imagine being loyal to any one cruise line, any one hotel etc. Boring. We like to see what's on offer from all sorts of suppliers. Cruise lines are no different. Besides, the experience can vary so much within cruise lines and between ships.

[lamchops]

I'm loyal to my wallet.

Itinerary and value determines my choice.

[Strophic]

My first cruise (as an adult) was Carnival, this year's cruise is Royal Caribbean, next year's cruise will be Norwegian.

 

The plan is to try out a number of different lines and then determine our favorite, but I don't expect I will be super loyal to any one cruise line.