loyalty

[Momomany]

I also enjoy trying different lines, and mostly like to see who is offering the best 'deal' for a time I want to go. I'll probably never make top ranks of any of them, but they all have something to offer.. In my opinion, RCI would be hard to beat for entertainment, though I admit I don't enjoy having to book shows in advance as I had to for Oasis -- though I certainly understand it. Different lines definitely cater to different age groups, but each one I've been on has been a great experience.

[cruiseguy1016]

Our first ever cruise was with Royal Caribbean and we loved everything about it. We have cruised strictly with them since, not for the loyalty points necessarily but because we are very happy with the product. Is there something else out there that is better? Maybe, maybe not. Since we are happy where we are, we're not ready to try something else. It's a lot of money to spend for something you might not be happy with. If we get to where we are no longer happy with what RCI has to offer, we'll try another line.

[dsu_2003]

We look more at itinerary - islands we like and new places. We then choose best overall deal money, room, offers. Right know we have an RCL (Diamond) Carnival (not sure), 2 NCL (Platinum Plus) and Celebrity (Elite RCCL March). We like to go In the fall and spring for longer trips.

 

 

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[Big_G]

We started with Royal then did some Princess and Carnival before returning to Royal. After a few more on Royal, we tried Celebrity. We're pretty much sticking with Royal and Celebrity until we get the itch to try something new. So far we haven't got the itch. There's nothing wrong with being loyal or loyalty programs. Different strokes for different folks.

 

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[George C]

MSC has a loyalty match program

[juncos]

We have try other cruise lines Cunard,Princess,Carnival...Talk to other people about other lines..

RCC is our favorite we have always been treated royally..

Also we know what we are going to get..Shows, other activities ect ect..

Come pass 9 pm we know where we going, to dance the Latin band is there for us since we love to dance latin music..

So there different strokes for different people..

Enjoy you next cruise whatever line might be,we know which one for us..

Best regards,

Manny & Lydia

[kc320]

I mainly cruise Royal because of the number of ships & itineraries available to me here in Florida...I have sailed Princess & found them to be very good...and if they had more ships in more ports here I would probably sail them more as well...

[Ourusualbeach]

Tried most mass market lines before ending up with RCL. Now I'm in it for the perks, mostly the free drinks:halo::cool:

Really?:eek::halo::')

[Ourusualbeach]

Fair warning, Ken will be counting your halos while I'm gone next week.

I may need a calculator.:D

[cynt]

My favorite is Royal. Mainly because they were my first. I'm loyal to no one but 28 days from diamond on Royal. At different stages in my life I looked for different things so I sailed on different lines.

 

When looking for something cheap for family ages 2 to 76, and beer budget to champagne budget, I head to carnival. I wanted the Best Alaskan cruise so I tried princess. I need a cruise ASAP the cheapest cruise I can find. Next milestone birthday I'm heading to Paul Gauguin to check out Tahiti and the society islands, my dream cruise.

 

I recently tied the knot and My DH is just now getting his feet wet. He's been on one 4 nighter, something cheap and within driving distance too see if he would like it. So we tried carnival out of Galveston. He did and he wanted to try something longer but still within driving distance. We tried carnival out of new Orleans. He liked that as well.

 

Now he wants to see what all the fuss is about on the mega ships. So now we're headed to FL to check out the Allure.

 

I'm a cruiser. Just put me on a ship and I'll figure out the rest.

 

My best cruise experience was on the Anthem. By far my favorite ship. I loved the dynamic dining. Hate they couldn't figure it out and work out the kinks. I didn't have any problems. Loved the concept.

 

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[island lady]

Just looked at your signature for the first time....:o....so I have a question for you. Do you always keep a suitcase packed? :')

 

Pretty much. We keep almost everything for cruising in our suitcases (one his/one hers) except fresh clothes. It takes us maybe 20 minutes the night before a cruise to pack for a week or longer cruise. ;)

Edited July 11, 2018 by island lady

[island lady]

Lately we've been sticking with RC and Celebrity.

 

Still waiting to "buy" you a drink in the DL/CL/SL. ;) :cocktail::tropical-drink::wine-glass:

[island lady]

What, no posting from the ship? Slacker.

 

 

LOL...Yeah...what's the deal??!! ;p:halo::halo:

[island lady]

RCI would be hard to beat for entertainment, though I admit I don't enjoy having to book shows in advance as I had to for Oasis -- though I certainly understand it. Different lines definitely cater to different age groups, but each one I've been on has been a great experience.

 

Another loyalty perk for D+ and Pinnacle. No reservations needed for shows. ;)

[davekathy]

Still waiting to "buy" you a drink in the DL/CL/SL. ;) :cocktail::tropical-drink::wine-glass:

We're doing a B2B cruise on the Freedom, 3 March and 10 March 2019.:wine-glass::wine-glass:

[Merion_Mom]

Just looked at your signature for the first time....:o....so I have a question for you. Do you always keep a suitcase packed? :')

Living in Florida - and half an hour from a port - is "cheating". :D :D :D

[Langley Cruisers]

I don't get caught up in the loyalty program scam....

 

To me, something is a scam if you lose money on it due to dishonesty. The loyalty programs are free.. no fee to sign up or maintain membership, nothing payable for services rendered, etc. I have never considered the loyalty programs a scam and I don't quite understand why you say that. Seriously inquiring...

[Mikew0805]

Living in Florida - and half an hour from a port - is "cheating". :D :D :D

 

 

I'd have to disagree! :halo:

[Mikew0805]

Loyalty... nah, not for me. I will sail with with anyone I guess. I find that RCI & CCL are similar, and I like them both. However, unlike others here, I have found better service on my CCL cruises than on my RCI cruises.

 

I happen to be Diamond on RCI, and getting close to Diamond +, but it really does not benefit me much. I do not drink much, so the three a night is a waste.. if I drank them I would be passed out before dinner, and not wake until Breakfast. I do not really care for balcony cabins, so that discount really does not apply to me either. I really do not get on or off the ship any faster than I did before.... so nothing really for me.

[lenquixote66]

This could be posted on the board of any brand....I see that many only sail one cruise line, in this case RCI...do you ever feel that you'd like to try another line but do not due to loyalty points, or fear of another line not being as good, or whatever? I personally like to try different ships, different lines...but that is simply a choice, and I have enjoyed every single cruise. Just wondering.

 

 

 

 

My wife and I have cruised on 6 lines .We are not at the top on any in loyalty points.

[emory2001]

At first I thought I would be into the loyalty program, because I do love Royal Caribbean and find it to be a great value. I'm excited to be on Royal for Alaska later this month. But as far as loyalty benefits, I'm Platinum and not seeing any meaningful benefit, and as far as future advancement benefits, I don't drink much ever and don't care about separate lounges. At all. I also enjoy variety, so when a Kids Sail Free promo had blackout dates for my kids' Thanksgiving break, I booked Carnival instead.

 

For summer 2020, we're cruising northern Europe and visiting friends in Denmark for a graduation. The departure/arrival dates will matter for that one because of the graduation, and it has to at least depart or arrive in Copenhagen, so whichever cruise line can accommodate our schedule and port needs will be the one we go with. I'm looking hard at NCL if the dates will work, just to try it.

[CruisingNole]

I live in Florida and stick with the ports here. Love the Oasis class but the itineraries are limited. Once you've done 2 or 3 7 nighters out of Florida, you've pretty much visited every port those ships sail to. NCL and CCL both offer 7, 10 and 14 day sailings to ports that Royal doesn't visit.

 

I feel like by restricting yourself to one cruiseline, you are missing out on A LOT. It's just like an airline, not all of them fly to every airport in the world. Would you not visit somewhere simply because your airline of choice didn't fly there? That's insane.

[Iamcruzin]

To me, something is a scam if you lose money on it due to dishonesty. The loyalty programs are free.. no fee to sign up or maintain membership, nothing payable for services rendered, etc. I have never considered the loyalty programs a scam and I don't quite understand why you say that. Seriously inquiring...

 

Maybe scam is the wrong word. Some people get so caught up with it that it becomes the entire basis for their decision on what line to cruise on. This is exactly what purpose of this marketing tactic is which is why I use the word scam. I have read threads where people will spend hundreds maybe thousands of dollars just to get to the next level. On the Princess board people will sail a one day reposition cruise solo in a suite just to get 3 credits to reach elite faster. Really? how much is the bar set up and free laundry really worth? Both the Princess and Celebrity board will bring up the topic that they need a new level to achieve. Really? That's why you cruise? It's one thing if you are happy with the product and you achieve the top level because you enjoy the experience and it's another if you are settling because you are locked in by the tier you have achieved. How many times have you read a thread that begins with I'm a Diamond plus.......and they start complaining. I'm actually happy to be reading on this thread that many base their decisions on more important factors than achieving status.

Edited July 12, 2018 by Iamcruzin

[CruisingNole]

Maybe scam is the wrong word. Some people get so caught up with it that it becomes the entire basis for their decision on what line to cruise on. This is exactly what purpose of this marketing tactic is which is why I use the word scam. I have read threads where people will spend hundreds maybe thousands of dollars just to get to the next level. On the Princess board people will sail a one day reposition cruise solo in a suite just to get 3 credits to reach elite faster. Really? how much is the bar set up and free laundry really worth. Especially on a cruise line that provides self service laundry. Both the Princess and Celebrity board are always bring up the topic that they need a new level to achieve. Really? That's why you cruise? It's one thing if you are happy with the product and you achieve the top level because you enjoy the experience and it's another if you are settling because you are locked in by the tier you have achieved. How many times have you read a thread that begins with I'm a Diamond plus.......and they start complaining. I'm actually happy to be reading on this thread that many base their decisions on more important factors than achieving status.

 

Here's the thing that makes loyalty programs a sham: Most of the "perks" of real value can be purchased by anyone, even a first-time cruiser. When you think of how much money you have to spend on one cruise line (sometimes even spending more than what another cruise line charges for a similar itinerary) to get to a level where the "perks" are actually worth a damn, from a monetary standpoint the cruise line always wins. Otherwise, they wouldn't offer the program.

[Iamcruzin]

Here's the thing that makes loyalty programs a sham: Most of the "perks" of real value can be purchased by anyone, even a first-time cruiser. When you think of how much money you have to spend on one cruise line (sometimes even spending more than what another cruise line charges for a similar itinerary) to get to a level where the "perks" are actually worth a damn, from a monetary standpoint the cruise line always wins. Otherwise, they wouldn't offer the program.

Exactly.