Changes to Carnival Loyalty Program

[angelsfort]

Personally, I feel like they should go with a loyalty program like Chick-Fil-A...  where you accumulate "points" and when you reach certain levels, you get more perks to choose from and you accumulate points a little differently (such as more points are awarded for each $ spent, etc)

you don't automatically get ALL of the perks, you use your points to choose the perks that are the most important to you specifically.  Some of the redeemable perks could be VIP ship tours once you reach Diamond or Platinum - or a special dessert in the MDR once you reach Gold status (each available at different point values)

 

each level accumulates - when you reach Diamond status, you have all of the perks from all levels below available to choose from plus a few extra higher point items

 

that sort of thing

[angelsfort]

because in my opinion, each guest has a different idea of which perk they look forward to the most.

 

for some it's the priority boarding - for others its the laundry - still others are all about the free drinks available at the party...  with a "points" based program, each guest can choose which perk they want from the available perks in their tier / that they can use their points to select

this means the cruise line isn't "on the hook" for every perk for every guest in each tier of the program.

[skywalkr2]

18 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

I wouldn’t let the fact that you have priority boarding stop you from trying other lines 

To this point my entire cruising decisions have been based around getting Platinum level.  I am not alone in that.

[cblcop]

Platinum going on cruise next weekend. Received email about perks.everything except laundry was on the list. Fellow cruiser also received same email. I hope this is an error. Love the laundry service

[ninjacat123]

1 minute ago, cblcop said:

Platinum going on cruise next weekend. Received email about perks.everything except laundry was on the list. Fellow cruiser also received same email. I hope this is an error. Love the laundry service

My DH really likes that service.  I hope it's not being dropped!

[JMAE]

On 3/25/2024 at 9:41 PM, jimbo5544 said:

Where do all those thousands of $600 OBC come into the  equation for all of the cancel rebooking from covid.  We had 15 of them.

The $600 OBC is an expenditure. When I'm taking profits, I'm pointing out when the income (fares & on-board spending) covers the ship's operational cost any funds after that could be used to cover long term debt, and any other business expenses like OBC.  CCL is about $30 billion in debt, in 1Q of 2024, CCL reported they retired $1 billion in debt, that was originally scheduled to be retired in 2027. They reduced their loss compared to Dec 2023 report and forecasted robust revenue growth over next several years.  Based on Q1 2024 deposits at $7 billion, surpassing their previous record by $1.3 billion, things are looking better.   

[Illbcruzn4life]

6 hours ago, skywalkr2 said:

To this point my entire cruising decisions have been based around getting Platinum level.  I am not alone in that.

If you are happy that is all that matters. 🙂

[MtnSeaGirl]

19 hours ago, angelsfort said:

because in my opinion, each guest has a different idea of which perk they look forward to the most.

 

for some it's the priority boarding - for others its the laundry - still others are all about the free drinks available at the party...  with a "points" based program, each guest can choose which perk they want from the available perks in their tier / that they can use their points to select

this means the cruise line isn't "on the hook" for every perk for every guest in each tier of the program.

This is an interesting idea.  What is impt to one person may not be impt to another.  EX:  I don't drink a lot.  Maybe one drink a day; some days none...however I did find that one drink on the Horizon last year that was pretty darn tasty...LOL  .  Drinks would not be a big factor for me, but that one bag of laundry as the coin dryers don't dry  well at all would be nice.  We end up flying to the ports as DH does not have a lot of time off, and the cost of checked bags are getting higher.  So, this one perk would be one I may be a fan of where someone who drives to ports would not be as keen on laundry.  Love outside the box ideas!  

[mfs2k]

Carnival has a history of not wanting to offend those who are close to, or have reached, status through old program rules. 
Carnival used to base Platinum status on the number of cruises (10) instead of the current program of number of nights (75). Carnival used to offer frequent 2 night cruises to nowhere and many people had 10 cruises but not 75 nights. 
When they changed the program to 75 nights about 10-12 years ago they announced the change well in advance and grandfathered many guests into the Platinum program with 10 cruises and fewer than 75 nights. I’m one of those grandfathered. Thank you Carnival. 
Im confident that any changes made to the program will be thoughtful and provide lots of notice and will not be designed to anger frequent repeat guests. To do it differently would be dumb marketing. 

Edited March 28 by mfs2k

[jimbo5544]

14 minutes ago, MtnSeaGirl said:

This is an interesting idea.  What is impt to one person may not be impt to another.  EX:  I don't drink a lot.  Maybe one drink a day; some days none...however I did find that one drink on the Horizon last year that was pretty darn tasty...LOL  .  Drinks would not be a big factor for me, but that one bag of laundry as the coin dryers don't dry  well at all would be nice.  We end up flying to the ports as DH does not have a lot of time off, and the cost of checked bags are getting higher.  So, this one perk would be one I may be a fan of where someone who drives to ports would not be as keen on laundry.  Love outside the box ideas!  

There has been much discussion here over the years on this topic.  One thing floated out was the ability to have a menu, your level in loyalty gave you access to select things off the menu (not all levels could select all things that were important to them.

[jimbo5544]

4 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Carnival has a history of not wanting to offend those who are close to, or have reached, status through old program rules. 
Carnival used to base Platinum status on the number of cruises (10) instead of the current program of number of nights (75). Carnival used to offer frequent 2 night cruises to nowhere and many people had 10 cruises but not 75 nights. 
When they changed the program to 75 nights about 10-12 years ago they announced the change well in advance and grandfathered many guests into the Platinum program with 10 cruises and fewer than 75 nights. I’m one of those grandfathered. Thank you Carnival. 
Im confident that any changes made to the program will be thoughtful and provide lots of notice and will not be designed to anger frequent repeat guests. That would be dumb marketing. 

All you said is true, in regards to past efforts.  The problem with that is if they protected all those at the same level, the problem does not go away.  The problem is (big part of the problem anyways) that the volume of people that qualify for the loyalty levels has grown to a level that is becoming unsustainable.  What started as a few on a sailing grew to 10’s then 100’s and approaching 1,000’s.  Simply unsustainable. 

[mfs2k]

Just now, jimbo5544 said:

What started as a few on a sailing grew to 10’s then 100’s and approaching 1,000’s.  Simply unsustainable. 

Which part is unsustainable? Priority boarding?  I don’t get it. Why would they offer FTTF if they can’t handle it?  
Maybe priority means shifting an hour for Platinum. Maybe it means a new Titanium level between Platinum and Diamond. 
Go with the flow and have fun. You’re on vacation. 
it’s all better than it was 20 years ago when no one was assigned a boarding time and 2,000 people showed up at 11am and we all waited in line for 4 hours to board and there was no such thing as a beverage package. Remember those days?  
Give me less than a 2 hour wait, a place to drop my bag and put on a bathing suit, and a cocktail and I’m happy. I’m on vacay. 

[jimbo5544]

6 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Which part is unsustainable? Priority boarding?  I don’t get it. Why would they offer FTTF if they can’t handle it?  
Maybe priority means shifting an hour for Platinum. Maybe it means a new Titanium level between Platinum and Diamond. 
Go with the flow and have fun. You’re on vacation. 
it’s all better than it was 20 years ago when no one was assigned a boarding time and 2,000 people showed up at 11am and we all waited in line for 4 hours to board and there was no such thing as a beverage package. Remember those days?  
Give me less than a 2 hour wait, a place to drop my bag and put on a bathing suit, and a cocktail and I’m happy. I’m on vacay. 

FTTF came before offering it as a perk.  It is a revenue driver (whoever thought of it should have got promoted).  If they dropped it from a loyalty perk, it would continue as FTTF.  When half the ship has it as a perk (from a loyalty persective), it simple cannot be done in the time constraints..

 

There are options, and I love the perks, just stating the reality of the situation.  IMHO, the easiest way would be keep the same things (more or less) but cruisers wold have to aintain some level of persistency (like cruise X times within X period of time, or they drop off.  

[nydney1]

On 3/26/2024 at 7:43 AM, Guest said:

You are correct it was CNBC, it was very interesting 
 

 

I believe it was CNBC several years ago had a show about the financials of a cruise ship for one sailing. If i can recall correctly - it was break even or just a little under just from cruise fares - and on-board sales determined profitability. They even showed that alcohol sales were down mid-cruise and were pushing specials to increase sales. 

 

[nydney1]

One point that no one has mentioned is that there are so many more ships to choose from. 
 

With Carnival adding more ships there are that many more opportunities for people to increase their status.

 

Random Thoughts:

Is a free drink that much of a perk if you have the drink package or a free drinks Casino deal?

 

I agree, that when you have 10 people that are Diamond it is easy to do something special. When there are 100 it is much more challenging.

 

I like the idea of a free dinner in one of the specialty restaurants. Carnival can control when it accepts the reservation for crowd control. Cost is also minimal for Carnival. 
 

I like the idea of reduced cost or free internet. If reduced cost still a revenue generator and no additional cost to Carnival.

 

I would offer free pictures. Ie 5x7 for Blue, 1 8x10 for Platinum, 2 for Diamond. Printing costs are minimal, while perceived value is high. Also if you get one photo you are likely to purchase more.

With the interactive TV in each room you could offer perks here as well. Free pay per view movie based on level. Again, minimal cost and easy to control.

 

 

 

[pe4all]

The only "perk" I really use is the free laundry.  Coming home with clean clothes is great.  Before the perk I dreaded going home to do laundry for 4.  Now every 2-3 days I drop a bag on my cabin bed (along with $5 tip) and back it comes clean and folded.  Really cuts down on our packing.  I have never used the "free drink" perk as we don't do the brunch.   I do use the water, the $25 in the casino, and the free gift has been pretty lousy.  How many koozies and cosmetic bags can we use?  We just give them away at this point.   Carnival has been talking about this change for years.  I remember years ago when JH said we would be running naked down 5th avenue over the wonderful changes that were coming, when - in fact- the changes were actually cut-backs, lol. We cruise CCL because we like CCL - not because of the perks.

Edited March 28 by pe4all

[skywalkr2]

12 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

If you are happy that is all that matters. 🙂

I have been very.  I love the Carnival atmosphere, the ships, the food, the fun.  Would I like another line?  Possibly, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't like it THAT much more.  If anything I would like to go on a Princess cruise sometime as they really aren't that much more expensive.

[ninjacat123]

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

FTTF came before offering it as a perk.  It is a revenue driver (whoever thought of it should have got promoted).  If they dropped it from a loyalty perk, it would continue as FTTF.  When half the ship has it as a perk (from a loyalty persective), it simple cannot be done in the time constraints..

 

There are options, and I love the perks, just stating the reality of the situation.  IMHO, the easiest way would be keep the same things (more or less) but cruisers wold have to aintain some level of persistency (like cruise X times within X period of time, or they drop off.  

If it takes consistent cruising to keep one’s loyalty level, I’m good and so is the rest of my family 👍😁

[mz-s]

2 hours ago, mfs2k said:

Which part is unsustainable? Priority boarding?  I don’t get it. Why would they offer FTTF if they can’t handle it?  
Maybe priority means shifting an hour for Platinum. Maybe it means a new Titanium level between Platinum and Diamond. 
Go with the flow and have fun. You’re on vacation. 
it’s all better than it was 20 years ago when no one was assigned a boarding time and 2,000 people showed up at 11am and we all waited in line for 4 hours to board and there was no such thing as a beverage package. Remember those days?  
Give me less than a 2 hour wait, a place to drop my bag and put on a bathing suit, and a cocktail and I’m happy. I’m on vacay. 

 

People on here are just upset that their silver or white card aren't as exclusive as they used to be. Nothing about the program is unsustainable. If it was Carnival would have nixed (or changed) it long ago.

[kganzenmuller]

I really don't care about any of the perks except for, occasionally laundry, and always the priority on debarkation day for self-carry. It's nice to go to the theater or dining room and be lead off the ship in an orderly fashion and not deal with the rugby match in the corridors. Maybe the digital debarkation has taken care of this. 

The 2 day early check in is nice but they don't seem to always enforce the boarding times anyway.

[pc_load_letter]

On 3/27/2024 at 8:16 AM, angelsfort said:

- still others are all about the free drinks available at the party... 

 

(In Austin Powers voice) Yeahhh baby yeah.

[jimbo5544]

18 hours ago, JMAE said:

The $600 OBC is an expenditure. When I'm taking profits, I'm pointing out when the income (fares & on-board spending) covers the ship's operational cost any funds after that could be used to cover long term debt, and any other business expenses like OBC.  CCL is about $30 billion in debt, in 1Q of 2024, CCL reported they retired $1 billion in debt, that was originally scheduled to be retired in 2027. They reduced their loss compared to Dec 2023 report and forecasted robust revenue growth over next several years.  Based on Q1 2024 deposits at $7 billion, surpassing their previous record by $1.3 billion, things are looking better.   

I agree on the financials, was not disputing them.  What I was commenting on was that regardless of how they accrued the OBC when they handed it out, it is less revenue coming in, lots less.  They have absolutely no way of knowing what OBC is being used on which cruise.

[kew1031]

Still Gold after 15 years because we very rarely have the time or $$$ to sail more than once a year. We made Gold level right around the time they switched from # of cruises to # of days, so that worked out. We are nearing Platinum; if nothing changes before January 2025, we'll be Platinum when we board the Dream for a 14 day Journeys cruise. One of my thoughts on levels is maybe Red level requires two cruises or maybe 10 or 14 days accumulated before they reach Blue level instead of one cruise, any number of days, and then you get blue. 

As long as they don't switch to $$ based, because we don't gamble (except for my penchant for playing Bingo 3 or 4 times on a cruise) and we don't drink much. 

[icft]

I don't think anyone has anything to worry about as far as the rules changing for the next level thereby taking that away just as one was about to get there.

 

I also don't think any new loyalty program will be designed to cost Carnival anything more than the current program.

 

So, my wild guess:

 

All the current levels and requirements to reach the level will remain the same.

 

Additional levels will be added to address the problems of "if everyone is special, no one is special." Borrowing terms from the casino cruises, let's say they add a "Ultra" level and the new top level is "Elite."

 

What they can do to take care of the problems of too many having priority boarding is to just add two higher levels in the priority of boarding. Instead of boarding Diamond then Platinum, their boarding order would be Elite, Ultra, Diamond, Platinum.

 

They may make all the Diamond and Ultra events with the Captain drinks and hors d'Oeuvres and the Elite event a proper sit down lunch. 

 

The priority spa and tender items would again have a Elite, Ultra, Diamond priority order.

 

That kind of approach would not cost Carnival any more than the current cost but would take care of the main areas where everyone being special means no one is special.

 

Yes, Diamond and Platinum would be less special, but still special.

[PA Dutchman]

On 3/22/2024 at 12:00 PM, starstruck05 said:

John Heald, Carnival's Brand Ambassador, has stated that the new program should be rolled out by the end of the year but he's not able to give details as to what the new program is. It's been in the works for a while. I suspect an announcement maybe in the fall.

this has bee going on for about 10 years and nothing,  Carnival think

s they give good prices so they don't really need a loyalty program