A question for those of you who've just lost the $100 loyalty benefit.

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, mellon1 said:

I just told my DH we will be able to save more for our retirement as we will not be taking 30-45 day cruises each year.  Very sad, as we were looking forward to this and in a situation to do this more, but also counted on the OBC/loyalty benefits.  Still doing our 2022 cruise for 42 days, but seriously thinking about canceling 2023, prices have gone up so much and we are not getting anything back in return for loyalty.  

 

Really? You won't take the cruises you were looking forward to so much because of...  $100 OBC that you will no longer receive. Sounds to me like the old "biting off your nose to spite your face" thing. In the scheme of things a $100 credit on a 30-45 day cruise is a drop in the bucket. Yes, I'm sure it was nice and it was good to count on it but really... It's only $100.

[nocl]

5 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I loved the MedallionNet internet on the Ruby Princess. First, it turned blogging into a different sport, but I also enjoyed watching videos in the cabin on nights when I was really tired, or sea days when it was bumpy. One of my favorite things was watching someone compete in a national cross country race via live stream when I was on a ship half way around the world. 
 

But the best part of MedallionNet was remembering just a few years ago when another poster here on Cruise Critic vehemently mansplained to me why there would never, EVER be high speed internet on a cruise ship and that clearly my MS in Telecommunications was worthless because I had the audacity to believe that there would be, and sooner rather than later. When we were floating somewhere around Vanuatu and I was steaming The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, I remembered that, and I laughed and laughed. 

One of the people I met on the same Tahitian cruise where we met you and your husband on an excursion was the President of the company provides the technology for the Princess internet. We had a very nice discussion talking about what they were doing to minimize the impact of latency due to the distances involved with satellite communications. Streaming is actual one of the easily solved problems, compared to much more interactive tasks.

[billco]

3 hours ago, mellon1 said:

After so many cruises it goes up to the max of $100, you are not there yet.   Truth be told, we never knew about it until we found Cruise Critic.  We learned so much from everyone.  That $100 credit is probably equal to maybe $25 they are out of pocket.  Just my guess.

 

As far as making money, anyone who has gotten a drink, bottle of wine, spa treatment, excursion through Princess, knows it is way overpriced.  Yes, they are in it to make money; however, the credits they give are put toward those overpriced items, so I think they were breaking even.  Yes, it is difficult for all businesses with covid.  I did read somewhere that cruises said they still would make a profit if the ship was only 50% full.  We do splurge when we are on the ship, but save all year to do it and we appreciated the OBC/loyalty credits.  Just our opinion.  We have spent a lot with Princess through the years and the amount they gave in OBC was not much compared to that; however, it was a nice gesture on their part and showed they valued our business.

You are right. I am not at the $100 level and at my age probably never will be. I doubt that would make any difference how I feel about the loss of the benefit.

Anybody who has gotten a drink, bottle of wine, spa treatment, excursion through any cruise line knows it is way overpriced.

 

Princess doesn’t give the perks, because they value your business, they do it to get your business. Apparently post covid marketing suggests some changes in marketing strategy. Like going after least travelled who spend vs. most travelled who don’t.. After all how many people actually qualify for $100 loyalty credit? 
 

I think there is one word that defines post Princess Cruises and the market they are going for. Medallion.

Edited July 9, 2021 by billco

[nocl]

3 hours ago, mellon1 said:

After so many cruises it goes up to the max of $100, you are not there yet.   Truth be told, we never knew about it until we found Cruise Critic.  We learned so much from everyone.  That $100 credit is probably equal to maybe $25 they are out of pocket.  Just my guess.

 

As far as making money, anyone who has gotten a drink, bottle of wine, spa treatment, excursion through Princess, knows it is way overpriced.  Yes, they are in it to make money; however, the credits they give are put toward those overpriced items, so I think they were breaking even.  Yes, it is difficult for all businesses with covid.  I did read somewhere that cruises said they still would make a profit if the ship was only 50% full.  We do splurge when we are on the ship, but save all year to do it and we appreciated the OBC/loyalty credits.  Just our opinion.  We have spent a lot with Princess through the years and the amount they gave in OBC was not much compared to that; however, it was a nice gesture on their part and showed they valued our business.

Technically a ship might be cash flow positive at 50% if you ignore all corporate expenses. But when you consider the profit margin for cruise lines they need to sail on average at a fill rate of over 100% of the 2 per cabin capacity rate.

 

That is that the standard for all of the mass market lines is at least 104%. That is with the 75% fare 25% on board spend.

Edited July 9, 2021 by nocl

[caribill]

7 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I don't remember what Princess offers in terms of TV entertainment but Royal Caribbean offers pretty much nothing.

 

The only live TV includes several news and sports channels plus the view from the camera at the front of the ship. There are several channels that promote on board shopping, shore excursions, etc. There is also a channel showing weather conditions. One channel may show "Love Boat" reruns. Other channels have recorded shows from networks such as cartoons, nature, etc.

 

But the upgrade to MedallionNet has also brought with it the technology to also have two more entertainment options o the TV.

 

One of these is a library of several hundred movies, all available to view at no charge. You can start a movie and pause it if you need to and then resume it at a later time.

 

The second option is to show in your cabin a number of onboard events that were recorded. This can include, for example, game shows and shore excursion lectures. Like the movies, they can be started, paused and resumed.

[caribill]

   .

[Thrak]

To be fair regarding my earlier post about "it's only $100"... Many folks (likely including the one to whom I was responding) take long cruises that are actually multiple segments so the $100 would be multiplied several times. I really do understand the disappointment of those who have been loyal Princess cruisers and have come to expect the benefits provided in the past. While $100 on a cruise may not be much it may actually end up being $400 or $500 on a multi-segment cruise. In my income bracket that is definitely nothing to discount lightly.

 

Having conceded that, I still wouldn't fail to take the cruise I had really looked forward to because of the loss of the benefit. We are booking cruises we really want to take even though the prices seem to have increased somewhat dramatically. It is my opinion that these prices have risen in this manner not only because the cruise line is hurting for money but also because they have issued such crazy amounts of FCC and are counting on folks not really minding the price increase because the cruise is now "free" which, of course, it really isn't.

 

We are not at all pleased with the increased pricing (or people's loss of perks) but still plan to cruise because it's what we want to do and have looked forward to doing.

[2 cruises a year]

43 minutes ago, Thrak said:

To be fair regarding my earlier post about "it's only $100"... Many folks (likely including the one to whom I was responding) take long cruises that are actually multiple segments so the $100 would be multiplied several times. I really do understand the disappointment of those who have been loyal Princess cruisers and have come to expect the benefits provided in the past. While $100 on a cruise may not be much it may actually end up being $400 or $500 on a multi-segment cruise. In my income bracket that is definitely nothing to discount lightly.

 

Having conceded that, I still wouldn't fail to take the cruise I had really looked forward to because of the loss of the benefit. We are booking cruises we really want to take even though the prices seem to have increased somewhat dramatically. It is my opinion that these prices have risen in this manner not only because the cruise line is hurting for money but also because they have issued such crazy amounts of FCC and are counting on folks not really minding the price increase because the cruise is now "free" which, of course, it really isn't.

 

We are not at all pleased with the increased pricing (or people's loss of perks) but still plan to cruise because it's what we want to do and have looked forward to doing.

You are losing sight of the big picture. Yes, $100 is lost on each leg. But how many thousands of dollars did all of those legs cost?  Percentage wise, this is a relatively small loss.

The irony is that Princess "bought" a lot of "loyalty" for that small percentage of the total cruise cost, now passengers are feeling a lot of "disrespect" over this relatively  insignificant cash (loyalty) loss that Princess bought from them.  Another example of you reap what you sow.

Edited July 9, 2021 by 2 cruises a year

[getting older slowly]

An interesting point.... how many people do B2B or many short cruises into one ?

 

It is using the loyalty thing  many times.... where others just do a 13 nighter one lot of loyalty credits

 

It is like a ship with 50% elites all trying to use the free laundry.... everybody loses....

 

Simply can't please everybody.....

[2 cruises a year]

1 minute ago, getting older slowly said:

An interesting point.... how many people do B2B or many short cruises into one ?

 

It is using the loyalty thing  many times.... where others just do a 13 nighter one lot of loyalty credits

 

It is like a ship with 50% elites all trying to use the free laundry.... everybody loses....

 

Simply can't please everybody.....

My comment was in reference to a post that specifically referenced multiple legs, so how many people is another subject. Don't respond by changing the premise. Start your own thread. 

[mellon1]

6 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Really? You won't take the cruises you were looking forward to so much because of...  $100 OBC that you will no longer receive. Sounds to me like the old "biting off your nose to spite your face" thing. In the scheme of things a $100 credit on a 30-45 day cruise is a drop in the bucket. Yes, I'm sure it was nice and it was good to count on it but really... It's only $100.

No, it is $100 each 7 day cruise.  We do B2Bs all at once.  Plus, we lost on FCC/OBC as there was an error and they did not extend it during covid when we canceled, so we were out 10 FCC/OBC credits, and they said they could not do anything about that either.  That, along with the prices for 2023 for the suites/mini-suites have increased substantially.  We booked for 2023, hoping the pricing would come down, but the pricing is almost $7K more (also cruise length is 12 days less too) than what we are paying in 2022 and we are going more days in 2022.  That may not sound like a substantial difference to you, but it is to us.

 

We just feel we are spending a lot going for 30-42 days at a time and paying to stay in a higher priced room and they are taking away some of the perks and don't feel appreciated.  I know it is our problem we feel that way, but we have been loyal with them solely for so many years.  

 

It is much easier for a business to keep its current customers than to try to get new ones.  That is just a true statement.

[mellon1]

3 hours ago, 2 cruises a year said:

You are losing sight of the big picture. Yes, $100 is lost on each leg. But how many thousands of dollars did all of those legs cost?  Percentage wise, this is a relatively small loss.

The irony is that Princess "bought" a lot of "loyalty" for that small percentage of the total cruise cost, now passengers are feeling a lot of "disrespect" over this relatively  insignificant cash (loyalty) loss that Princess bought from them.  Another example of you reap what you sow.

Yes, we are human and we agree.

[mellon1]

3 hours ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

I just hope none of you folks that are saying "it's only a $100" are the same ones that are complaining about your internet minutes being taken away.

Sometimes people only care about what affects them directly.  Most are all on the internet, but not all get the loyalty.  It takes many years, lots of cruising and spending lots of money with one cruise line.  

 

I just don't believe in dangling a carrot and then taking it away after.

[mellon1]

3 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

An interesting point.... how many people do B2B or many short cruises into one ?

 

It is using the loyalty thing  many times.... where others just do a 13 nighter one lot of loyalty credits

 

It is like a ship with 50% elites all trying to use the free laundry.... everybody loses....

 

Simply can't please everybody.....

We have been on cruises where the B2B group is over 1,000 passengers, so a lot of people do the B2Bs and then other times there have been less than 300.  The point is, they give $100 loyalty, you are taking another cruise and spending a lot of money on that, then that $100 OBC is used on board with things that have a HUGE markup, so in reality to me, it is spending the money wisely.  Of course, this is just my opinion and I am not a finance person but business 101 to keep good customers and guarantee they come back and don't look elsewhere.

 

They are missing the older class have more money to spend, more time off to cruise and are more flexible.  Young adults are not usually in that type of place.  Plus, my nieces and nephews go for overall price, not one line and not even cruising.  They like the all inclusive as everything is included and they go wherever the best value is.  They have no loyalty.

[dog]

I used the Contact Us form for Captain Circle and received a reply. They appreciate my concern and understand my disappointment re: taking away internet benefits. 
That is the way it is. 
They listed the benefits promoting the discounts. 
I will leave it at that. 

[ceilidh1]

4 hours ago, dog said:

I used the Contact Us form for Captain Circle and received a reply. They appreciate my concern and understand my disappointment re: taking away internet benefits. 
That is the way it is. 
They listed the benefits promoting the discounts. 
I will leave it at that. 

I have to wonder if the Princess folks actually believe they are doing us a favour by changing these benefits? Did they run the numbers and see that the vast majority of plats/elite buy Plus so don't need the Internet minutes? Did they look at onboard spending and see the vast majority of elite end up not using their loyalty credit? Did they survey any plats/elites to ask what benefits would be important to them? The way the changes have been presented makes it sound as if Princess are doing this for "us"...is this just marketing speak, or do they believe it is in our best interests? 

[dog]

44 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

I have to wonder if the Princess folks actually believe they are doing us a favour by changing these benefits? Did they run the numbers and see that the vast majority of plats/elite buy Plus so don't need the Internet minutes? Did they look at onboard spending and see the vast majority of elite end up not using their loyalty credit? Did they survey any plats/elites to ask what benefits would be important to them? The way the changes have been presented makes it sound as if Princess are doing this for "us"...is this just marketing speak, or do they believe it is in our best interests? 

I don’t believe they are making these benefit changes for us. 
To me it looks like a way of bringing in money, getting us spending on board. The deposit amounts are ridiculous. I won’t book at $960 for 2 deposit  but I priced comparable cruise with Celebrity cruises and it was higher & they wanted $900 deposit for the 2 of us. $450 each. Refundable.   
 

[Astro Flyer]

52 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

The way the changes have been presented makes it sound as if Princess are doing this for "us"...is this just marketing speak, or do they believe it is in our best interests? 

In my opinion that’s 110% marketing spin & an effort to convince loyal passengers that the changes are for our benefit but I’m not that gullible.

 

Removing internet, Loyalty OBC & priority boarding and adding 10% discounts for some types of purchases isn’t a way to generate loyalty as they state in their email about the elite benefits…”What hasn't changed is our commitment to earning your loyalty”.

 

Based on these changes their interpretation of earning loyalty is a one-way street…they seek our loyalty to them while not being loyal to their most frequent passengers by removing benefits.

[Tedferg]

On 7/7/2021 at 12:31 PM, Bwana Tom said:

 The free internet didn't cost them virtually anything; 

A small point, but possibly there is no way to give a fixed number of 'Minutes' on Medallion Net. So 150 minutes for Platinum, example, would not work.

[Tedferg]

This is not a 'Loyalty' point per se, but I  get Veteran OBC and usually have an FCD so $100 OBC for two of us and that $200 is a tie breaker when I compare cruises. We really like Princess and that $200 tips the scale for repeat business.

 

I am amazed that Celebrity want an extra $450 just to make deposit refundable - that is more than a deal breaker for me.

[Astro Flyer]

3 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

A small point, but possibly there is no way to give a fixed number of 'Minutes' on Medallion Net. So 150 minutes for Platinum, example, would not work.

There has been a way to provide a package of free internet minutes which they decided to remove as a P&E benefit to require everyone to pay for access.
 

It’s a financial decision despite their claim that it was solely done to eliminate issues onboard caused by passengers forgetting to log off.

[Tedferg]

2 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

There has been a way to provide a package of free internet minutes which they decided to remove as a P&E benefit to require everyone to pay for access.
 

It’s a financial decision despite their claim that it was solely done to eliminate issues onboard caused by passengers forgetting to log off.

I am not arguing with you, just asking if there is a difference between the previous Internet and Medallion Net. I do see posts that Medallion Net is fast and accessible whereas my old free minutes were slow and not much use. I would only check email once and sign in for Air Boarding Passes.

 

So my original question was, does Medallion Net have the facility to restrict the number of minutes.

 

Also if they are two separate technologies, why keep the old one. Of course they might have designed Medallion Net to be 'always on' versus need to log in/out as a feature. I bet if they kept two systems and free minutes were only on old system, people would flock to new system.

 

Maybe too, if they had kept the old Personalizer and new Medallion App, people would flock to the latter after time. (Off Topic point )

[t&atravel]

9 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

So my original question was, does Medallion Net have the facility to restrict the number of minutes.

Yes it does (did?). On my previous medallion cruise you were able to stay connected 24/7 to their wifi (intranet) which was needed if you wanted to access the app.   There was a icon to choose access to the internet at which time you would choose to login using your minutes.  It would lose connection sometimes but worked faster than the old system.  It was not without other problems though.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 7/7/2021 at 7:09 PM, scottca075 said:

The people who cruise Princess want to ride the water slides, Flowrider, sky dive ride, etc etc of Oasis??

yes. Is that a surprise? We love Princess and RCI equally for the completely different reasons.

[caribill]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Also if they are two separate technologies, why keep the old one.

 

The old technology was only kept for the ships without the upgraded technology which is needed for the Medallion.

 

During the pandemic pause, they upgraded ships which had the old technology and then sold the remaining ship (Pacific Princess) which did not have the new technology.

 

So all remaining Princess ships only have the new technology