Are you loyal?

[donaldsc]

Loyalty is a 2 way street. I have not seen any reason from any cruise line that rewards my loyalty to them.

 

DON

[bUU]

Loyalty is a 2 way street. I have not seen any reason from any cruise line that rewards my loyalty to them.

Commerce is a two-way street. Loyalty is one-way, and toward a cruise line, as you say, there's no reason for it.

[Beachdude]

There are two kinds of loyaltys on this forum, loyalty for a repeated quality of service, and loyalty for the cruise line name. The first one I understand because that is how service companies survive .

 

But loyalty for a company name is a mystery to me because it doesn't hold the cruise line accountable. You don't have to search very hard on any cruise line forum to see these loyalists. They will defend their cruise line even at its worst performance. These loyalist are easy to identify, they typically show off 10 of more past cruises on the same line. They don't realize it, but they owe the rest of us for keeping their cruise line honest.

 

Burt

[FredT]

Thanks for the reply, FredT! My last three cruises were on Carnival with friends. It was fun, but I too,want something a little more upscale and with fewer families. Going on the Grand Princess next, which I know is pretty big, but I've heard wonderful things about the Pacific Princess and other small ships. We are in our mid 50's so we are still active but want something more intimate too. This is only going to be my husband's second cruise,but my sixth. ��

 

DedeF:

 

Understand also about us. We have absolutely NO interest in shows, acts, or entertainment. To us, the sea, the ports, and the quiet days at sea ARE the entertainment. We just spent a week on the Royal Clipper. NO entertainment... (But a perfect cruise) So for us, the Pacific Princess, Ocenia's ships, the Prinsendam, Veendam (and her smaller siblings) are ideal. We are even taking a "leap" and trying a 11 day British Islands cruise in March on the 600 passenger Astoria. (Despite the horrible reviews of the entertainment and food) Why? History, GREAT itinerary, and size of the ship... Gonna be interesting!

 

But to the origional question? Nope, NO loyalty to a particular company. HAL is going "big ship"... And you will not see us on their new builds. When Princess gets rid of the pacific, that'll be it for them. (Well until the "grand rug rats" come of age!)

Edited May 10, 2017 by FredT
add on last paragraph

[Tatka]

I always get a laugh when read posts "I cheated on (cruise line name)". Cruises are not a marriage!

[Flatbush Flyer]

Thanks for the reply, FredT! My last three cruises were on Carnival with friends. It was fun, but I too,want something a little more upscale and with fewer families. Going on the Grand Princess next, which I know is pretty big, but I've heard wonderful things about the Pacific Princess and other small ships. We are in our mid 50's so we are still active but want something more intimate too. This is only going to be my husband's second cruise,but my sixth.

 

 

If you think you'd like one of Princess' small ships, you should check out the former 672 passenger Ocean Princess, which was purchased by Oceania in 2014. It then received a $40 million rehab/retrofit and now sails as Sirena.

Beyond the more luxurious accommodations, Sirena will have a quality of food and service that's a clear step up from what you'll find with Princess. Perhaps most importantly for many passengers seeking that "more upscale" experience, the right itinerary (particularly those requiring costly international air travel) will find "bottom line" pricing between Princess and Oceania (who includes that airfare/air credit and many amenities not "free" on Princess) to be comparable.

 

 

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[bury me at sea]

I have a self-imposed limit of not flying. Loyalty to a cruise line never enters the picture. I compare all lines that sail from the one port within one day's driving distance.

 

Then I compare price, number of sea days which I love, time I want to go, and then itineraries. Then I book the best fit.

 

Haven't yet taken one I didn't enjoy.

[cruisemom42]

 

But loyalty for a company name is a mystery to me because it doesn't hold the cruise line accountable. You don't have to search very hard on any cruise line forum to see these loyalists. They will defend their cruise line even at its worst performance. These loyalist are easy to identify, they typically show off 10 of more past cruises on the same line.

 

Burt

 

I'm not sure that what you describe is loyalty. I think it's a very human phenomenon to disbelieve someone else who has a completely different experience from you -- whether it's on a cruise line or when buying a car or whatever.

 

If you've bought 6 Toyotas that all performed well for you, you might tend to discount someone who just bought their first Toyota and somehow got a lemon. It's not that their experience isn't valid, it just doesn't match up with your own (wider) experience.

[richstowe]

I always get a laugh when read posts "I cheated on (cruise line name)". Cruises are not a marriage!

I guess that couples therapy is out of the question then ? :evilsmile:

[iancal]

I suspect that always sticking with one cruise line has as much to do with habit and familiarity than it does with actual loyalty.

 

Cannot imagine anyone being loyal to a corporation without some sort or reward/incentive. The cruise line loyalty programs are hardly what anyone would call generous-or rewarding.

[Cruise a holic]

What makes you choose the line you do?:o

 

We have tried many cruise lines and thus far the winner for us is Celebrity. We like the décor, comfortable staterooms and suites, enjoy the perks- like unlimited drinks. Michaels club is wonderful. The specialty restaurants are great. The buffets, especially on the Solstice class ships are the best of the cruise lines we have been on. And the price very competitive. We also love the Oasis class ships on Royal-( truly the best entertainment at sea) for many of the same reasons. Having sailed multiple times, on Disney, Carnival, Princess and once on NCL (the haven was great but the rest of the ship steerage, but the Haven very expensive.) Celebrity still on top.

 

For now, we try to stick to Celebrity and RC. However MSC may be something we might consider in the future along with Oceania.

[Tatka]

You think they need to be forced? :)

I never met people who said... "Oh... I cheated on Marriott and stayed in Westin. I feel so bad!"

[Flatbush Flyer]

We have tried many cruise lines and thus far the winner for us is Celebrity. We like the décor, comfortable staterooms and suites, enjoy the perks- like unlimited drinks. Michaels club is wonderful. The specialty restaurants are great. The buffets, especially on the Solstice class ships are the best of the cruise lines we have been on. And the price very competitive. We also love the Oasis class ships on Royal-( truly the best entertainment at sea) for many of the same reasons. Having sailed multiple times, on Disney, Carnival, Princess and once on NCL (the haven was great but the rest of the ship steerage, but the Haven very expensive.) Celebrity still on top.

 

For now, we try to stick to Celebrity and RC. However MSC may be something we might consider in the future along with Oceania.

 

 

On a recent Oceania TransAtlantic cruise, it was announced at an O Club event that 70% of that cruise's passengers were repeat O cruisers. From many of our casual conversations at meals or elsewhere on sea days, it became apparent that a significant number of the new-to-O passengers were either first time cruisers or folks moving up from Celebrity.

 

 

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[iancal]

We are more loyal to our on line TA. She gives us 8-12 percent rebates of the commissionable fare in the form of OBC. That a free cruise every for every 10-15 that we book.

 

Some of the cruise line loyalty rewards are laughable. Thinks like a free bottle of water, a free lunch (just like everyone else on the ship), a ten cent made in China lapel pin or a medal, or 50 percent discount at an alternate dining venue, so call preferred boarding privilages, or some dry cleaning.

 

So where should our loyalty reside With organizations that provide us with tangible benefits or rewards or those that throw us the odd bone with no meat on it simply to keep us sweet.

[bUU]

I'm not sure that what you describe is loyalty.

It is. What most folks think is loyalty ("I'll be loyal as long as I get a great deal") is actually not loyalty at all, but rather simply being a consumer. Loyalty would lack comparisons to alternatives; comparisons to alternatives is known by another term: "shopping".

[Tatka]

Not exactly. We have one line on which we are not planning to cruise again no matter what discount we'll get (even a free cruise).

We collect experiences, not money.... and have very limited for our tastes vacation time.

[Hlitner]

We have a "super salesman" in our family who does very well selling pharmaceuticals to large hospital chains. He has a lifetime of experience and does very well in a competitive industry. When we ask him the secrets of sales success he says it is building personal relationships and taking advantage of perceived "loyalty." This is simply a well refined (and very well known) sales/marketing technique. Make somebody feel special and give them a few perks...and they reward you with big orders...even if they are paying higher prices. Folks here on CC talk about loyalty to travel agents...who are actually charging them 5-10% more then other TAs. Others book directly with cruise lines (because they are loyal) even when they are told here on CC that they can easily save 7-10% by shopping around. We have met folks that pay a lot more for cruises then we do....but justify it because their long time TA sends them 1 or 2 bottles of cheap wine. As we said to one friend, we do not normally get any free wine (sometimes we are surprised with a bottle) but will often save thousands of dollars on a cruise. But they still prefer to deal with the agent that sends them a bottle of wine, Go figure. On one long HAL cruise we saved over $3000 from the deal offered by HAL (if booking direct)...but others told us although they knew they could save a lot of money ...they preferred to deal with their PCC (Personal Cruise Counselor) at HAL. When our PCC called us to try and get a booking we simply ask her if she could match the deal we could get from a cruise agency...and she said No. And then she asked us to book with her and she would trainsfer the booking to our cruise agent who would give us all our usual perks (including a large On Board Credit). When I asked our PCC why I should book with her at the higher price....she really did not have a good answer.

 

So we ill admit to being "loyal." Our loyalty is to whoever can offer us the best overall deal on a cruise. And our loyalty is only as good as the last booking. We love Capitalism and competition....and book accordingly. Being "loyal" to a particular TA will get us the same cabin as the lower price deal maker. And as to loyalty to one particular cruise line....we book itinerary, price, and quality! If HAL is the only cruise line in the world to do their Voyage of the Vikings itinerary...we will book with them. If Celebrity does a great itinerary...they will get our business...as would Azamara, Crystal, Oceania, Regent, etc. Why is the world would we limit our options...just for some kind of strange loyalty.

 

Hank

[MicCanberra]

What makes you choose the line you do?:o

We choose our cruises by Itinerary, timing and Price, if there are several cruises that are relatively equal, then the cruise line comes into the equation. We have a reasonable loyalty status with several lines but prefer X over the rest.

[bUU]

We have a "super salesman" in our family who does very well selling pharmaceuticals to large hospital chains. He has a lifetime of experience and does very well in a competitive industry. When we ask him the secrets of sales success he says it is building personal relationships and taking advantage of perceived "loyalty." This is simply a well refined (and very well known) sales/marketing technique. Make somebody feel special and give them a few perks...and they reward you with big orders...even if they are paying higher prices.

Precisely right... Generally, the only times consumer-facing businesses give customers actual loyalty is when they are regulated, and the regulations provide cover for them on the cost of the loyalty they afford their customers. I used to work for a regulated company that earned a flat 13% ROI on expense. Ah! Good times... Why not be loyal when you're guaranteed a decent ROI on the cost?

[Hlitner]

This "loyalty" thing is a two edged sword for the cruise lines. The standard mass market cruise line business model depends on maximizing onboard revenue as a major contributor to profits...where most of the cruise fare goes to cover much of the fixed costs and the onboard revenue is what puts them over the top when it comes to profits. But some lines have discovered that their most loyal customers do not spend nearly as much, onboard, as the newer customer. Consider HAL which has a tremendous group of loyal long time customers...many of whom are seniors (we fall into this category). Many of these folks do not drink or drink very little alcohol, tend to go to bed early (long HAL voyages tend to see the ship die by 9:30). On long sea days a lot of these older passengers prefer to play Bridge (no profit for the cruise line) or perhaps form a knitting club (no profit for the cruise line). These savvy passengers do not drop a lot of money in the casinos, spend big bucks in the shops, buy lots of photos, etc. They want their free meal in the MDR or Lido, their free show, and then their bed. So now, HAL is working to attract new customers which often means not being as nice to their "loyal" customer. One of our major cruise agencies told us that new customers seem to do much better with free upgrades on HAL....while we "loyal" customers are all looking for "upsells" which are often quite expensive. HAL has even traded-in some of their Glenn Miller era music for B.B. King groups...which play loud (oh my) music from the 70s, 80s and even (horrors) 90s).

 

Hank

[iancal]

When compared to other programs, the HAL loyalty program is a bit of a joke. Absolutely at the bottom based on our preferences. This indicates to me that HAL has a very loyal following but is moving oh so slowly in the direction of capturing new customers. Or does Carnival Corporation have something completely different in mind for this subsidiary.

 

The big question is can they attract and keep new customers at a faster rate than they are loosing their current loyal followers-through attrition or other competitive reasons.

[Hlitner]

When compared to other programs, the HAL loyalty program is a bit of a joke. Absolutely at the bottom based on our preferences. This indicates to me that HAL has a very loyal following but is moving oh so slowly in the direction of capturing new customers. Or does Carnival Corporation have something completely different in mind for this subsidiary.

 

The big question is can they attract and keep new customers at a faster rate than they are loosing their current loyal followers-through attrition or other competitive reasons.

You and I have agreed on this issue for many years (and been flamed on the HAL blog for saying so). I figure that HAL thinks they do not need much of a lure to keep their oldest (in more ways then one) customers. DW and I are in the upper echelons on several different cruise line loyalty programs, but it really does no influence our booking decisions. One very interesting factoid about loyalty programs is that we used to think that Celebrity had the best program because of the daily free cocktail parties (2 hours every day except the first evening). However, Celebrity now promotes their beverage packages and we find that it makes sense to book with the beverage package promo (as do many of their cruisers). So now, that free daily cocktail party is somewhat meaningless.

 

On HAL we do appreciate the unlimited free laundry...when we are on very long cruises. But the lack of free internet (which we get on nearly every other cruise line) is a real negative.

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

With the caveat that my loyalty goes out the window if I accurately perceive I'm getting screwed by a company with whom I've done mostly exclusive business for years, let me put in a vote for the value of brand loyalty.

With a "pacbell" e-mail address, you can imagine how long I've been an AT&T cellular customer (remember "bag" phones?). Over the years, I have received some IMO significant perks that would be hard to duplicate if I switched providers: things like multiple microcells at no cost to handle weak signals at home, second tier service contact info and a FAN number that significantly cuts the monthly charges.

Likewise, I have been a Comcast cable customer for more than two decades. Whenever it's time for renewal, their loyalty department (an actual real department) will always cut me the best deal currently available to new customers. Perhaps more importantly, I also have phone and e-mail contact info for the advanced repair engineering team - something that diehard cable/data users would kill for. (They even sent a lead tech to my home during a major renovation to help plan the hard wiring for data - yes, no charge!)

With the above two non-cruise examples: sure I can find a better bottom line contract for the next go-round. But, avoiding the loss of those contacts and the time/energy saved in dealing with them is often more valuable than saving a few bucks.

 

As for cruising, we are pretty much loyal to the single line that most closely matches our very specific needs in quality, service and itinerary at prices which (though they may not be "discount") have demonstrable value FOR US. And like the aforementioned companies, we have found that our loyalty has earned quite tangible rewards: A couple of the line's top producing TAs who will often be able to match or exceed the best deal we can find in comparison shopping; a Rolodex of department heads at that cruise line who have often "made things right" when there's been a problem needing attention; and decent loyalty perks like included gratuities and OBC beyond what the cruise normally provides.

Our loyalty in this particular situation is also made easier because the cruise line is such a good fit for our needs/preferences. Smaller ships and unique itineraries with many extended voyage opportunities along with stellar quality and service -all at a reasonable price - would be hard to match elsewhere.

The list goes on...

However, of course, if it ever comes to a place where we find that we are being taken advantage of AND our reasonable voiced concerns are not adequately addressed, we would start looking at redirecting our loyalty.

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

When compared to other programs, the HAL loyalty program is a bit of a joke. Absolutely at the bottom based on our preferences. This indicates to me that HAL has a very loyal following but is moving oh so slowly in the direction of capturing new customers. Or does Carnival Corporation have something completely different in mind for this subsidiary.

 

The big question is can they attract and keep new customers at a faster rate than they are loosing their current loyal followers-through attrition or other competitive reasons.

 

Not sure about the net rate of attrition. Total bunks on HAL ships keeps going up as larger new ships replace smaller old ones, they still sail full, their prices are not dropping. Ergo: somehow, from somewhere, they seem to be attracting replacements for the "nearly dead" segment of their traditional base who actually evolve from "nearly dead" to actually there.

 

 

Perhaps all these projections for the demise of HAL as a brand are a tad premature.

[navybankerteacher]

The interesting thing about loyalty programs which are really worth something to the customers who benefit from them is that they must also represent a real cost to the line which offers them.

 

Sure, I would like free this or that - but when it comes to booking a cruise I do not look for the lowest net cost (which obviously must involve the value to me of whatever loyalty benefits I am given) - I look for the cruise experience I want: which is an amalgam of itinerary, service, comfort, ambience, dates, and (in close to last place) cost. (After all - if saving money were really first and foremost in my mind, I would buy certificates of deposit rather than cruise tickets.)

 

It may just be that HAL has decided that it does not want to be a cut rate provider - whether being cut rate means charging lower fares or offering valuable "freebies".