3/23/18 Reflection Cruise thoughts and why goodby to Celebrity

[purpletequila]

I can understand that one as you did not make the decision to cancel the cruise, it was completely out of your control due to the airline.

 

Still not a completed cruise

[villauk]

The cruise line does not charge for membership in Captains Club and gives points and relating benefits for the levels achieved according to their rules. Like it or not they get to set the rules accordingly. They are not required to give anything. I find the argument of OP a bit perplexing. Although I understand the OP's point, it is irrelevant. The cruise purchase is not the issue. X has chosen to reward cruisers who complete their trips. They aren't required according to the cruise contract you signed to give points just for paying. Like it or not, it's their ballpark and they get to set the ground rules.

 

 

But again, it appears not for everyone (as per Cisco333’s post); some are receiving points but not sailing on the ship. Perhaps it depends on which state you live in as to whether you get the points or not - similar to which ocean you’re sailing in as to whether you get canned soda on the Classic package on X :evilsmile: ;p.

[mnocket]

The cruise line does not charge for membership in Captains Club and gives points and relating benefits for the levels achieved according to their rules. Like it or not they get to set the rules accordingly. They are not required to give anything. I find the argument of OP a bit perplexing. Although I understand the OP's point, it is irrelevant. The cruise purchase is not the issue. X has chosen to reward cruisers who complete their trips. They aren't required according to the cruise contract you signed to give points just for paying. Like it or not, it's their ballpark and they get to set the ground rules.

Everything you say is true..... but that doesn't make it right. Companies are free to set almost any rules they want, no matter how unfair, and consumers have the right to call them out on it - and they should. I like Celebrity, but I'm not blindly loyal to them. They do some things (which they are perfectly entitled to do) that are unfair and/or degrade the customer experience, and when they do I will not defend them.

[mnocket]

I am sure you realize that the cruise points one receives is not a direct function of how much it cost. I am not sure if under the current system of earning credits that it would ever be worth paying for a cruise that you have no intention of taking, but it would have been on the old system. The points are based and rewarded after you complete the cruise.

 

Airline flights work the same. If you do not fly, you do not get the miles or credit towards status for the flight. There are times when people actually take a round trip flight just to get the credit/miles.

 

I cannot think of any Frequent customer program that allows the earning of Frequent points when you do not actually use the service. Can you give us some examples?

 

In this example the OP made a decision to take a risk and not to buy insurance. I “self insure” frequently, as well. Not only does he lose his fare, but the rewards he would have received.

 

I do feel bad for the OP, but I think he is only hurting himself by not wanting to partake of any type of vacation function, that will not give him reward points when he cancels. IMO the options may not even exist.

 

After the emotion of the situation dissipate, they may feel different in the future. At least that is my wish for them even if they never cruise on Celebrity again.

You're basically saying Celebrity is treating their customer right because it is standard industry practice. I'm saying Celebrity is treating their customer wrong even though it's standard industry practice. We have no dispute of the facts - we just judge them differently. Different strokes.

[Luvcrusn]

I'm not defending X but just stating that those are their rules. They aren't new rules. If a person doesn't like them, they have that right. It doesn't mean they're going to change. You have the right to speak your feelings or choose to give your business to whomever you choose. :)

[Denny01]

Yep it's Celebrity's policy.

Yep it's pretty standard in the industry. That said, it's still WRONG! Why do people defend Celebrity? .......

My read on most all of these posts isn’t they are defending Celebrity but explaining the rules the Line plus most others follow.

 

Our friends had to cancel just prior to our cruise due to illness and didn’t get the points either after trying more than a few avenues.

 

They are still cruising Celebrity.

 

Den

[Cisco333]

You're basically saying Celebrity is treating their customer right because it is standard industry practice. I'm saying Celebrity is treating their customer wrong even though it's standard industry practice. We have no dispute of the facts - we just judge them differently. Different strokes.

 

 

 

The cruise I missed was the Solstice out of Seattle. We rebooked and took the cruise a couple of weeks later. On this trip our luggage was put on the wrong ship at the port. We had to do without our luggage until we caught up with the other ship on day four. Celebrity gave us some obc to buy clothes...just had to laugh at this point.

 

 

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[jagoffee]

You're basically saying Celebrity is treating their customer right because it is standard industry practice. I'm saying Celebrity is treating their customer wrong even though it's standard industry practice. We have no dispute of the facts - we just judge them differently. Different strokes.

 

Yes, you are correct.

 

Furthermore it does not even seem logical to me that someone should receive loyalty points if they did not fly/cruise/stay, etc. It is not really a pay based system, but a usage system IMO. Personally I would not like to see a system where someone would find a great bargain. pay the greatly reduced fare, not show up for the cruise/flight, and then receive loyalty points. IMO it would create chaos.

 

But as you say, we do not agree.

[jagoffee]

The cruise I missed was the Solstice out of Seattle. We rebooked and took the cruise a couple of weeks later. On this trip our luggage was put on the wrong ship at the port. We had to do without our luggage until we caught up with the other ship on day four. Celebrity gave us some obc to buy clothes...just had to laugh at this point.

 

 

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Are you,saying that you received CC points for both of the cruises? The one that you did not take and then again for the cruise that you transferred and took?

 

If yes, I am sure that does not make the OP feel any better.

[phoenix_dream]

IMHO bottom line this falls under the 'cutting your nose off to spite your face' scenario. You generally seem to enjoy the cruise line but are going to refuse to travel with them again because you are short a few points because you don't agree with their (published before you purchased the cruise) policy. Seems silly to me, but I guess if everyone were the same this would be a pretty boring world.

[Cisco333]

Are you,saying that you received CC points for both of the cruises? The one that you did not take and then again for the cruise that you transferred and took?

 

 

 

If yes, I am sure that does not make the OP feel any better.

 

 

 

Yes this was in 2015. Sorry did not intend to make the OP feel worst.

 

 

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[markeb]

Unless things have changed, and I'm sure it's buried in the fine print that would take me all night to find, the airlines are actually worse. If you're accommodated on another airline outside the airlines loyalty program, and actually FLY on the other airline, you don't collect miles on the original airline, even though you bought the ticket from them. And, in this day and age, they're really only going to accommodate you on a competitor if the delay/cancellation is their fault...

[Big_G]

Everything you say is true..... but that doesn't make it right. Companies are free to set almost any rules they want, no matter how unfair, and consumers have the right to call them out on it - and they should. I like Celebrity, but I'm not blindly loyal to them. They do some things (which they are perfectly entitled to do) that are unfair and/or degrade the customer experience, and when they do I will not defend them.

 

Just curious, if I have insurance and get reimbursed, in your mind should I still get the points?

[mnocket]

Just curious, if I have insurance and get reimbursed, in your mind should I still get the points?

In terms of fairness - a bit of a gray area, but here's my thinking.....

In an ideal world I would think it's fair to withhold CC points in the case where the customer is reimbursed by insurance. Kind of a "no harm, no foul" sort of thing. That said, it would be pretty much impossible for the cruise line to be able to distinguish between those who were reimbursed and those who weren't (unless they bought insurance through Celebrity). So, from a practical standpoint, I think the best policy would be to award CC points to all customers who paid their cruise fare in full, even if they canceled and were reimbursed. True, in that case the customer would receive a benefit even though they incurred no net cost, but the cruise line is still coming out way ahead. I think it would be a customer friendly policy - and I love companies with customer friendly policies.

[Pavovsky]

Very well said.

 

 

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[excitedofharpenden]

Your position is totally wrong. It's been the policy for a very, very long time that you only receive points after you COMPLETE the cruise. If you want to leave, leave. My guess is that you will get absolutely no sympathy on this tread.

Let's look at it another way: You had cancellation for any reason insurance that refunded your money. Would you expect to receive your money and the points? Your choice to purchase or not purchase the insurance. If you lost money by not purchasing the insurance, your bad!

Here's an idea if they gave points just for booking: Book the PH for 15 day cruises and purchase insurance that would refund money if you cancelled your cruise. You cancel and would get your money back and would be Zenith without ever taking a cruise. You'd just be paying for the insurance.

1st reply here and exactly what I was going to say. Why should Celebrity be expected to give points on a cruise that was subsequently paid for, cancelled and potentially claimed for under travel insurance?

 

Phil

[excitedofharpenden]

This is akin to another poster leaving X due to the MDR having 'inedible food' and children aboard....

 

bon voyage

Well, no it's not. Those are legitimate personal choices that one could make. This isn't.

 

Phil

[villauk]

1st reply here and exactly what I was going to say. Why should Celebrity be expected to give points on a cruise that was subsequently paid for, cancelled and potentially claimed for under travel insurance?

 

Phil

 

Apart from some pax are obviously getting those points and others are not, according to the replies.

[excitedofharpenden]

Apart from some pax are obviously getting those points and others are not, according to the replies.

Except it’s difficult to quantify "some" because there is only one poster here claiming that they received points for a cruise not taken and of course we don’t know the circumstances. For as long as I’ve cruised and coming here it’s always been made clear that points are only credited once the cruise is completed and this might be the first time I’ve seen anyone claim different to that. For the reasons stated in a few of the posts including mine that you quoted, it makes perfect sense.

 

Phil

[Orator]

The OP is MIA and therefore will not receive points for starting the thread.

[bbrule7]

This to add some clarity to my original post. The post was meant to share our thoughts and concerns on the cruise, not to solicit disagreements or agreements. If after speaking to the Captains Club hostess on the ship she would have stated "no cruise no points" I would not have agreed but would have considered it a done deal and moved on. But she advised me to contact someone in a management position which led me to believe these cases could be handled on a case by case basis. After reading one post it can be handled that way. So apparently it is not a firm rule.

After following different sub forums it seems like every different cruise line has its own little fan club and when certain fans don't agree with posts they pounce.

[MagPie60]

Oh well......c'est la vie.

[Pavovsky]

This to add some clarity to my original post. The post was meant to share our thoughts and concerns on the cruise, not to solicit disagreements or agreements. If after speaking to the Captains Club hostess on the ship she would have stated "no cruise no points" I would not have agreed but would have considered it a done deal and moved on. But she advised me to contact someone in a management position which led me to believe these cases could be handled on a case by case basis. After reading one post it can be handled that way. So apparently it is not a firm rule.

After following different sub forums it seems like every different cruise line has its own little fan club and when certain fans don't agree with posts they pounce.

 

 

 

I agree with your last statement but I also think this forum can be a fantastic source of good information. I have vented here too - When expectations are not met, it is frustrating.

 

When booking and choosing to give my money to a line in return an experience/service/ use of my spare time I read these forums and the review - the good the bad and the balanced. I usually choose on the basis of the latter.

 

Having sailed 4 different lines including Celebrity I would urge you to try others out but keep an open mind on Celebrity - you may see things that will make you want to come back or you may never want to. I really liked Cunard. Loved aspects of Azamara. First cruise on Reflection was great. Second on Equinox was disappointing but loved the stops - will go back on all three of the price and the itinerary is right except will try to have reasonable expectations.

 

I also think that many companies now do not value loyalty - but remember that works both ways. Fully respect your choice.

Edited April 11, 2018 by Pavovsky

[richsea]

This to add some clarity to my original post. The post was meant to share our thoughts and concerns on the cruise, not to solicit disagreements or agreements. If after speaking to the Captains Club hostess on the ship she would have stated "no cruise no points" I would not have agreed but would have considered it a done deal and moved on. But she advised me to contact someone in a management position which led me to believe these cases could be handled on a case by case basis. After reading one post it can be handled that way. So apparently it is not a firm rule.

After following different sub forums it seems like every different cruise line has its own little fan club and when certain fans don't agree with posts they pounce.

Pounce? Who is pouncing? Just because the majority of posters don’t agree that something as trivial as CC points is a valid reason for not cruising with a line doesn’t means they’re pouncing. Did you really expect everyone to agree with you? You kind of come off like a kid pouting because they didn’t get a second ice cream.

[Luvcrusn]

I think it's nice of any cruise or air line to give benefits for loyalty. I view that as something they do not have to do, but as something they do to try to entice customers back to use their services again. As long as I am getting what I've paid for in service and enjoyment, I would not dismiss any vacation vendor because they didn't give me something extra. Extras are nice, but since I've not paid for them, not critical for my return business. Now if I don't get the service I've paid for, that's a whole different story.