ELITE plastered all over a suitcase

[waltd]

Just now, tonit964 said:

I would write " steerage" all over mine. 😂

If I did that I think they might try and put me to work.  

[OCruisers]

Funny!

This sort of thing happens on all cruise lines.

We were on a HAL cruise where at check-in people in suites were given a paper "Suite Guest" card to pin on to get them in the correct section. 

One couple wore theirs EVERYDAY.  

[Vexorg]

I don't remember exactly where the thread is now, but I once saw a story someone posted here where the watch officer on the bridge called an assessment party to some location on the ship, which was followed by a black card passenger at the purser's desk demanding to know why she hadn't been invited.

[Cruise Raider]

Oh my goodness .....

I just got done posting on another thread about not really seeing people throw that elite status around in real life.  I stand corrected!  This guy really takes the cake!!  hahaha 

[cajinyank]

I don't understand why people say they worked hard to become elite. Lets face it to become elite you spend money to go on a lot of cruises, not very hard to me.

[Pierlesscruisers]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

As we passed by the Priority line to board the ship a lady loudly remarked to her companion, "I worked hard to get in this priority line and I am not going to the regular line."  I suspect we were half way though lunch while that lady was still waiting in her "priority" queue :).

 

Hank

 

You could have always looked at her and said something along the line of "I was about 20 people or so behind you in the elite line and I just wanted to get on the ship, and have lunch! See you on board when you finally get through the line!" Wonder what she'd have thought about that!  Would loved to have seen the look on her face as you headed for the ship!

 

Tom

😁

[Hlitner]

19 minutes ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

You could have always looked at her and said something along the line of "I was about 20 people or so behind you in the elite line and I just wanted to get on the ship, and have lunch! See you on board when you finally get through the line!" Wonder what she'd have thought about that!  Would loved to have seen the look on her face as you headed for the ship!

 

Tom

😁

I realize I am preaching to the choir but the entire "entitlement" attitude that some folks have is just silly.  We have heard too many talk about "earning" their status or "working for" their status, etc.  The reality is that we have all simply purchased (with money) our status.  You have to love MSC who makes a mockery out of the entire status thing by giving "status match" to new cruisers.  So when we took our first MSC cruise we had "Black Card" status which is their highest level even though we had never set foot on one of their vessels.  We actually went to their Black Card party (primarily for laughs) and just about everyone we met were on their first cruise :).  Even on lines such as HAL and Princess one can "buy" their status by simply booking the most expensive categories (which gets them many extra points).  And then there are the folks who look for every opportunity to tell folks "I have been on X number of cruises." when that number is usually a relatively small number.  Who cares?  When asked (during a cruise) how many cruises we have taken my usual answer is "I don't remember."  If the person keeps pushing the issue I will insist "I do not remember" which is actually true :).  DW and I never kept records and we started cruising before we had a computer to store our old booking info.   I also will sometimes answer by suggesting that numbers of cruises are really meaningless and one should perhaps think in terms of how many cruise days.  We once had lunch with a lady on a long HAL cruise who told us that it was "only my 5th cruise."  One we pressed the issue she mentioned that her first 4 cruises had all been full world cruises (each over 100 days long).   We know another cruiser that only takes 2 cruises a year, one of which is a 110+ day World cruise and the other usually a 60-80 day to someplace.

 

One of my favorite questions when dining at large tables is to ask folks how many countries they have visited.  We have only met one couple that has been to more then 150 countries (there are officially 197 in the World although some argue 196).  I really want to meet somebody who has been to all the countries.  I have a personal quest to cruise on the most cruise lines and most ships.  We will never achieve that goal but it sure is fun.  But having the most days or cruises on a single line is an idea we find very boring.  We prefer variety and find cruising the same line (too often) boring in terms of menus and entertainment.  

 

Hank

[PaperSniper4]

On 12/22/2019 at 5:18 PM, wrongwaywatson said:

 

I don't think so.  It looks like he printed them up himself.   It was weird.  I would have taken a picture, but I thought it would be rude, LOL, so I just side eyed him!

 

You thought YOU would be rude?😉

[CruiseVA]

A few months ago someone started a similar thread, so, I designed these t-shirt's. Some people "got it", some got really upset about my "Elitist" attitude, and, some wanted to buy them.

[Cruise Raider]

I tend to think maybe that guy was just trying to trigger others ... his perception of how those with elite status act.  Maybe, maybe not??   But, there seem to be many that just try to get a rise out of others out there.  

[neverbeenhere]

Team Shirts?

[nicster]

There are a certain number of individuals that have to flaunt their 'credentials' ... I assume that is there only claim to 'fame'.  Haha

 

signed,

not telling 🤣🤣🤣

[Fairfield Nana]

Interesting title for this link. Seems like it has "elite" plastered all over it, or in least in most postings. Seems like everyone posting is an "elite"  customer and wants everyone to know it. I really enjoyed one person's comments a bit to the non-elite contrary perspective, that they prefer to spread their cruises around several different companies, depending upon offered itineraries, and to keep their experiences fresh and different. We also view cruising as an elaborate (and very enjoyable) "delivery system"  to visit some really cool places. This is a reason why we also have had some fantastic experiences on river cruises, especially on Scenic, Uniworld, and Avalon. Wish all you 'elites' much fun and enjoyment on your cruises and hope you are treated accordingly! 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Fairfield Nana

[tonit964]

This reminds me of the time my DD was about 9 or so. We were in the pool on a Royal Caribbean ship. A girl about the same age came swimming up to us and said to my daughter "I bet I've been on more cruises than you", my DD just looked at me like WTH? The girl continued saying she was this status on this line and that line, etc. we just ignored her but she kept talking, we left.

It was so sad to us that she felt so insecure she needed to brag about it.

[TheRabbit]

On 12/22/2019 at 6:02 PM, martinitime1 said:

The above made me think of this from when I was young.

 

"The only mistake I have ever made, was to think I made a mistake!"

[TheRabbit]

23 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I realize I am preaching to the choir but the entire "entitlement" attitude that some folks have is just silly.  We have heard too many talk about "earning" their status or "working for" their status, etc.  The reality is that we have all simply purchased (with money) our status.  You have to love MSC who makes a mockery out of the entire status thing by giving "status match" to new cruisers.  So when we took our first MSC cruise we had "Black Card" status which is their highest level even though we had never set foot on one of their vessels.  We actually went to their Black Card party (primarily for laughs) and just about everyone we met were on their first cruise :).  Even on lines such as HAL and Princess one can "buy" their status by simply booking the most expensive categories (which gets them many extra points).  And then there are the folks who look for every opportunity to tell folks "I have been on X number of cruises." when that number is usually a relatively small number.  Who cares?  When asked (during a cruise) how many cruises we have taken my usual answer is "I don't remember."  If the person keeps pushing the issue I will insist "I do not remember" which is actually true :).  DW and I never kept records and we started cruising before we had a computer to store our old booking info.   I also will sometimes answer by suggesting that numbers of cruises are really meaningless and one should perhaps think in terms of how many cruise days.  We once had lunch with a lady on a long HAL cruise who told us that it was "only my 5th cruise."  One we pressed the issue she mentioned that her first 4 cruises had all been full world cruises (each over 100 days long).   We know another cruiser that only takes 2 cruises a year, one of which is a 110+ day World cruise and the other usually a 60-80 day to someplace.

 

One of my favorite questions when dining at large tables is to ask folks how many countries they have visited.  We have only met one couple that has been to more then 150 countries (there are officially 197 in the World although some argue 196).  I really want to meet somebody who has been to all the countries.  I have a personal quest to cruise on the most cruise lines and most ships.  We will never achieve that goal but it sure is fun.  But having the most days or cruises on a single line is an idea we find very boring.  We prefer variety and find cruising the same line (too often) boring in terms of menus and entertainment.  

 

Hank

I actually overheard a man talking about "Working" on his "Elite" years ago. He wanted Elite status for a future cruise, so he was bragging about taking over 10 B2B 3 day cruises. It must have made him proud.

[MrSchwump]

A few years ago my wife had just had knee replacement surgery so we went to the mobility assistance area. They put her in a wheelchair and we were literally on board within 15 minutes. The best thing was the look on the people’s faces in the Elite lounge when we zipped past them and onto the ship. 

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, tonit964 said:

This reminds me of the time my DD was about 9 or so. We were in the pool on a Royal Caribbean ship. A girl about the same age came swimming up to us and said to my daughter "I bet I've been on more cruises than you", my DD just looked at me like WTH? The girl continued saying she was this status on this line and that line, etc. we just ignored her but she kept talking, we left.

It was so sad to us that she felt so insecure she needed to brag about it.

 

She almost certainly gets it from her parents.

[Spif Barwunkel]

So, I happened on to this forum from another and on to this thread. Quite the bashing going on toward folks who have attained a certain cruising status, cruise line notwithstanding. Of course, I would dare not assume that these loud, vocal posters - whose comments are an attempt at humorous criticism - are anything but good, friendly, down-to- earth folks who just don't happen to be funny.....or insightful. Not everyone wears their status level well. This thread is a perfect example of that. What we all are, to any cruise line, is a paying passenger who helps the bottom line. The more we pay to float on their boat, the more they ply us with additional favors. What it says on your Sea-Pass card is just a description of what box the cruise line puts you in, nothing else. Whether or not you are enamored by it or embarrassed by it, that's on you. Ignore the actions of others as long as they do not affront you. Whether you're the lowest class or the highest class, keep your cool and keep your class.    

[MJSailors]

Good post,  Spif Barwunkle !

        My DH and I started cruising with a Princess Cruise in 2004. We have had eight cruises with Princess since. In the past 15 years, we have sailed with other lines, visited European countries and a good number of states in the US. We didn’t work on any particular loyalty program offered by Princess or any other vacation company. Sometimes our travels did not go to plan due to illness, weddings and births so we cancelled and regrouped. We lived our lives with no particular travel goal in mind.

        The cruise lines and other vacation companies have loyalty programs for various reasons. One is to entice a customer into purchasing their offerings repeatedly, moving up the loyalty ladder. Another reason is recognizing a customer’s preference in choosing a certain company over others

for vacation planning. Money may be involved in participating in a company’s loyalty program ,yes. However, is “class” really a part of it, that is debatable.

        Given fifteen years since we took our first cruise, we could well have reached Princess’ Elite level by now.   We have not. Are we concerned,not a bit. Will we continue to sail with Princess, most likely.  Will we take other types of vacations, most likely. 

       As to those who make their high ranking loyalty level known to other cruisers, I hope they have enjoyed the journey to Elite as well as the destination of having a black card and/or medallion.

 .      I think that the showing of a certain loyalty status is apparent on most cruise lines. On RCCL, the level of Pinnacle is proudly shown as those passengers at that level wear the Pinnacle pins onboard every day and night of a cruise. 

          Enjoy your travels in 2020  everyone !

         

 

[RocketMan275]

Personally, I don't see why people get so fired up about those loyalty perks. Very few have any intrinsic value.

[Arzeena]

On 12/23/2019 at 11:25 AM, Hlitner said:

I will repost an old tale.  A few years ago DW and I were embarking from Port Everglades on a long HAL cruise.  When we entered the terminal there was the usual Priority Line for 4-5* Mariners (kind of like Elite) and we were immediately directed to that Priority Line.  We noticed that the priority line was quite long (over 50 people) while the regular line (a few feet distant) was completely empty.  This was not surprising since 75% + of the cruisers on that 2 month cruise were 4 or 5* Mariners entitled to priority along with those in suites.  So we left the Priority line, walked over to the non-priority line and were immediately checked-in while the priority line continued to move at a snails pace.  As we passed by the Priority line to board the ship a lady loudly remarked to her companion, "I worked hard to get in this priority line and I am not going to the regular line."  I suspect we were half way though lunch while that lady was still waiting in her "priority" queue :).

 

Hank

Yes, for that lady, so much cruising is very hard work!🙄

[donaldsc]

Do you think that the person had elite status or the suitcase?  After all, the labels were on the suitcase and not tattooed on the person.

 

DON

[satxdiver]

I think Princess should go to the number of days sailing instead of the number of cruises like most of the other cruise lines have done.  To use 15 3-day cruises to reach elite is a bit much but done all the time.  

 

I have been around those who think they are "special" since they are elite and of course wear their black card and now medallion around their neck for all to see.  Am I impressed!  I am elite of course since I like Princess but keep my card/medallion in my pocket.  When pax ask me how many Princess cruises I have been on the usual answer is several.  Elite is nice, I enjoy the bar setup, free WiFi (limited), check in lounge before boarding and of course my partner's big perk free laundry (2+ day turn around).  Pax who flaunt their status IMO are losers and I ignore them.  

[Papa Yoda]

 

When we were Ruby my signature had a ruby logo, when we were Gold, it was gold, when Platinum it was <whatever dang color that is>, and now we are Elite and it's black.  I thought it was neat to show your loyalty at whatever level as others have done, and later on after taking those cruises/days, that answers I give here might be gauged by that, not to flaunt some imagined "status".  I think that if you are truly interested in people, you are going to want to tap their experiences and as such I have no qualms asking how many cruises or days folks have been on and where they may have been that we'd like to go.  

 

Many times we've happened on folks on the ship looking lost and so being able to guide them often leads to great conversations and makes us feel good to help, I hope the same holds true here on Cruise Critic.