Fewer Benefits for Captain's Club Members

[dagadget]

Cruise credits for CC class and higher I have heard for 7 days or longer is 2 credits. But I can't find this on the Celebrity web site. Now on the Royal site I can find the cruise credits. I have sent an email to Captain's club asking for clarification on this. Does anyone have an answer for any of these questions prior to hearing from Captain's Club? Thanks for the feedback in advance

[hajekfam]

Cruise credits for CC class and higher I have heard for 7 days or longer is 2 credits. But I can't find this on the Celebrity web site. Now on the Royal site I can find the cruise credits. I have sent an email to Captain's club asking for clarification on this. Does anyone have an answer for any of these questions prior to hearing from Captain's Club? Thanks for the feedback in advance

 

If you look at the benefits page under the Captain's Club - you will see under Classic Level Benefits:

 

Additional sailing credit on itineraries of 12 nights or more (maximum of three sailing credits per sailing)

Additional sailing credit for booking a Concierge Class stateroom or Suite (maximum of three sailing credits per sailing)

[dagadget]

If you look at the benefits page under the Captain's Club - you will see under Classic Level Benefits:

 

 

Thanks I will look there now :D

[bububr]

"INVITATION TO CAPTAINS TABLE", that we are not actually losing anything "real". It was always just an opportunity to begin with, never a guarantee.

 

We have been invited to dine at the head table a number of times as Elite members, and its really a lot of fun.

 

How they actually choose guests is anyones guess. I was under the assumption that we just cleaned up real good.:)

 

In all honesty, I think people are chosen from the list of suites and elite members, then weeded out due to personality and compatibility. I don't think this will change, with the exception of the exemption in the benifits listing.

 

The last cruise on Zenith it was a couple with 66 X cruises, another with 31, a couple in a suite that was NOT part of Captains club, and us in CC class......Its like playing roulette, you never know where the ball is going to fall.

 

Dave:eek:

[tbelian]

"INVITATION TO CAPTAINS TABLE", that we are not actually losing anything "real". It was always just an opportunity to begin with, never a guarantee.

 

We have been invited to dine at the head table a number of times as Elite members, and its really a lot of fun.

 

 

In all honesty, I think people are chosen from the list of suites and elite members, then weeded out due to personality and compatibility.

 

Dave, not to belabor the point, but I respectfully disagree. This was not listed as 'you might get an invitation to captain's table', this was listed as 'invitation to the captain's table'. It never materialized in more instances than it did materialize for 'elite' members. In talking with a captain's club on board rep recently (Infinity, I think), the feedback was, there were always more elite members on any given sailing than they could give this benefit to. Thus, it always was a non benefit. They would have been better off saying: "Play the lotto, you might win".

 

FWIW, we are eilte and suite occupants on most of our recent cruises. Never an invite. We shower daily... :D (Also, FWIW ... we probably would have turned the invitation down. Maybe they can read minds?)

[bububr]

Since I don't have the exact wording I'll assume ( please don't go there:D )

 

I think it said "Invitation to the Captains or Senior Officers table (based on availability)...or something like that.

 

So it was always based on availabilty not guaranteed....

 

I think many people were reading something that wasn't there...wishful thinking?

 

Dave:eek:

[tbelian]

Ok fair enough. It did say 'based on availability'... but my point is, there never was any more availability (in fact maybe even less) BECAUSE you are an elite captain's club member. The availability was never any better when they offered this phantom benefit than the availability was before.

 

It's hocus pocus. Always has been , always will be.

[phoenix_dream]

To the best of my knowledge, the numbers are not combined - wish they were, but that's another thread. The numbers are reciprocal only. Nancy

 

I stand corrected - you're right - you get recipocal credits; not combined credits. Thanks for the info!

[grandsix]

Althouh we all love Celebrity, let me also assure the few CC members and the Celebrity Executive Staff that you will never benefit by take aways. There are more of us that regard benefits as ONE reason to be loyal to a cruise line. There is enough competition out there to justify increasing loyalty benefits rather than decreasing them.

[Sykll]

I have to agree with most of the posts here regarding the lack of CC benefits. There isn't any real incentive to be loyal to Celebrity.........if only they would read this thread or even look at our signatures, they'll get the message! So many of us are drifting to other lines.........Celebrity, wake up!

[Snow Road Cruisers]

Thank you, grandsix.

 

We stated this thread, with the same sentiment; Celebrity is #1 with us -- over 20 cruises with them. However, their marketing is for new cruisers, and their core passengers are starting to notice the lack of "it is nice to have you back" feeling and greeting.

[DC2OC]

Became a C&A Platinum after after 5 X sails.Sailed RCL in Feb Put down $100 each for a unnamed future cruise.Selected a ( day cruise for OCT and will get a $200 room credit for the putting down a deposit,$250 (125 each) off the balcony and $200 for being a stockholder (ok X will match the stockholder credit).I prefer X but Thats an extra 450 bucks minus whatever X will give for a 2200 dollar future cruise booking.Good incentive to stick with RCCL.But I still love X and will sail her again.................Frank

[dagadget]

A letter to Royal on combining the Loyalty Programs

 

Richard and Adam

 

I have an idea that might be of interest to you in regard to making the Loyalty programs better and in addition would make sure that Royal Caribbean International keeps return cruisers coming back. At present the loyalty programs allow a cruiser to get reciprocal benefits on the other brands after 5 cruise credits. What I propose is not much different but would encourage more cruises from those that have cruised. Just an example I have 2 Captain's Club credits for a Cruise on millennium in 2006 in a CC class cabin and 1 credit for Crown and Anchor on Mariner of the Seas. Having the loyalty programs use all cruse credits additively instead of separately would make more Celebrity and Azamara Captain Club members cross over to Royal Caribbean and vice versa. If this was in place I would presently have 3 Cruise Credits on the Combined loyalty program vice 2 on Captain Club and one on Crown and Anchor. In addition you could save money and reduce staff if you did combine the loyalty programs into one program. Each line could continue to use those benefits as under the current system. You could call it Captain's Anchor.

 

Again thank you for such a great product.

 

Sincerely

 

David Lewis

[hajekfam]

A letter to Royal on combining the Loyalty Programs

 

Richard and Adam

 

I have an idea that might be of interest to you in regard to making the Loyalty programs better and in addition would make sure that Royal Caribbean International keeps return cruisers coming back. At present the loyalty programs allow a cruiser to get reciprocal benefits on the other brands after 5 cruise credits. What I propose is not much different but would encourage more cruises from those that have cruised. Just an example I have 2 Captain's Club credits for a Cruise on millennium in 2006 in a CC class cabin and 1 credit for Crown and Anchor on Mariner of the Seas. Having the loyalty programs use all cruse credits additively instead of separately would make more Celebrity and Azamara Captain Club members cross over to Royal Caribbean and vice versa. If this was in place I would presently have 3 Cruise Credits on the Combined loyalty program vice 2 on Captain Club and one on Crown and Anchor. In addition you could save money and reduce staff if you did combine the loyalty programs into one program. Each line could continue to use those benefits as under the current system. You could call it Captain's Anchor.

 

Again thank you for such a great product.

 

Sincerely

 

David Lewis

 

And it would make it easier to reach the next level- so more members would move up faster and the benefits would be reduced again! :(

Keep the counts separate - it's bad enough that the membership is so large first of all because the fee was removed, and secondly because of the reciprocal benefit that the benefits are being reduced to practically nothing. If counts were combined - there would be so many members that benefits would be nothing!

[bububr]

BAD idea.

 

Different lines, different demographics, different ways of cruising.

 

RCCL- Family oriented, flashy, shiny with crappy touristy things like Ben & Jerrys, Johnny Rockets...etc..., Dress as you like dress codes

 

Celebrity- More ADULT, low key, better food, less children and families, dress codes adheared to 95% of the time.

 

Azamara- More exotic, highend, few to NO children or childrens facilities, more intimate, so far reports are people dressing more than requested.

 

IMHO

 

I don't like travelling with hoards of children and families so I choose X and will be planning on Azamara. I like dressing up so I'll travel MORE with X. I don't like the food, or the abundance of families or disney like atmosphere of RCCL.

 

By having cumulative credits, you will bring demographics that are loyal to one line onto another possibly dragging down the experience for others.

 

I don't want to see the dress codes thrown out the windows because of non-compliance, I don't want to see the quality of food go down hill anymore because they have to accomodate more children and families making food more bland, And I don't want to hear people complaining about not having a Ben& Jerrys, or Ice rinks, or rock walls for their kids. I like things just the way they are. Three seperate lines, with crossover benifits, and as far as that goes...I'd rather not have those either.

 

Dave:eek:

[grandsix]

Thank you, grandsix.

 

We stated this thread, with the same sentiment; Celebrity is #1 with us -- over 20 cruises with them. However, their marketing is for new cruisers, and their core passengers are starting to notice the lack of "it is nice to have you back" feeling and greeting.

 

AGREED. Celebrity's goal should be to make sure we do not try other cruise lines. This change is a another good enticement to switch to Holland America etc. We do not think this is what they want

[caviargal]

BAD idea.

 

Different lines, different demographics, different ways of cruising.

 

RCCL- Family oriented, flashy, shiny with crappy touristy things like Ben & Jerrys, Johnny Rockets...etc..., Dress as you like dress codes

 

Celebrity- More ADULT, low key, better food, less children and families, dress codes adheared to 95% of the time.

 

Azamara- More exotic, highend, few to NO children or childrens facilities, more intimate, so far reports are people dressing more than requested.

 

IMHO

 

I don't like travelling with hoards of children and families so I choose X and will be planning on Azamara. I like dressing up so I'll travel MORE with X. I don't like the food, or the abundance of families or disney like atmosphere of RCCL.

 

By having cumulative credits, you will bring demographics that are loyal to one line onto another possibly dragging down the experience for others.

 

I don't want to see the dress codes thrown out the windows because of non-compliance, I don't want to see the quality of food go down hill anymore because they have to accomodate more children and families making food more bland, And I don't want to hear people complaining about not having a Ben& Jerrys, or Ice rinks, or rock walls for their kids. I like things just the way they are. Three seperate lines, with crossover benifits, and as far as that goes...I'd rather not have those either.

 

Dave:eek:

 

Dave, I agree. These are different products for different demographics. As much I appreciate the great perks on RCI, it is not enough to compensate for the onboard experience. I would hate to see X follow in their footsteps for all of the reasons you mentioned, and more.

[6502programmer]

By having cumulative credits, you will bring demographics that are loyal to one line onto another possibly dragging down the experience for others.

 

Allow me to paint an alternate perspective. By NOT having cumulative credits, you force people whose vacations may be better suited to different lines to cruise the same line to maximize the credits. An example: If I'm traveling with my wife, I want a classy experience. I would go Azamara or Celebrity. If I'm cruising with my family, I would want family activities and would want Royal Caribbean. By constraining the credits to the lines, you're forcing someone who wants to obtain a higher status to "settle" for the line. If I have four credits on X, and one on RC, I'd consider doing the next cruise on X, whether with family or not, solely for the status. X has kids facilities that are "good enough".

[bububr]

"If I have four credits on X, and one on RC, I'd consider doing the next cruise on X, whether with family or not, solely for the status. X has kids facilities that are "good enough".

 

At one point there will be only Elite members, which will make the program virtually worthless. It would no longer be a perk it would be a norm.

 

I have less than 5 credits on RCCL, but I have more than 20 on Celebrity that I have accumulated over the years making me Elite on X, and Azamara and Diamond level on RCCL. While I like the 'perks' RCCL gives, I'm NOT crazy about the demographics on most of their ships, or their ships in general. So I really don't sail on them.

 

Just curious, should Cunard, Carnival, Princess, and Costa share benifits also? I believe they are under one corporation also. So if I do a few short cruises on Carnival, then I should be able to become Platinum World Club on Cunard? Just a question.

 

Dave:eek:

[caviargal]

Allow me to paint an alternate perspective. By NOT having cumulative credits, you force people whose vacations may be better suited to different lines to cruise the same line to maximize the credits. An example: If I'm traveling with my wife, I want a classy experience. I would go Azamara or Celebrity. If I'm cruising with my family, I would want family activities and would want Royal Caribbean. By constraining the credits to the lines, you're forcing someone who wants to obtain a higher status to "settle" for the line. If I have four credits on X, and one on RC, I'd consider doing the next cruise on X, whether with family or not, solely for the status. X has kids facilities that are "good enough".

 

 

It really depends. I am Diamond Plus on RCI, with outstanding perks (upgraded from a balcony to a JS last cruise, plus free pre-inaugural cruise, Concierge Lounge, etc.). I was on RCI only because my Regent cruise cancelled with less than 72 hours notice and we were able to use the same airline tickets, rental car and hotel and not lose everything. It was the lesser of the levels available.

 

However, when I plan a cruise, I do not consider RCI as an option, even though my status gives me excellent perks. The demographic and onboard experience detracts from my vacation far more than the perks add.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I somewhat agree with CaviarGal. RCI has sank to my third or fourth choice if I'm just considering a 7 day cruise. For longer cruises the on board experience is a bit better so given a good itinerary I'd give them more consideration particularly if I was considering a balcony cabin. But the perks don't outweigh the on board experience so I'd probably go with Princess, Celebrity, or HAL if they were offering a similar itinerary. The longer the itinerary the more likely I'd pick Princess, if it were an option, due to free laundry.

[donanderson]

I don't think we've lost anything with the new listing. I can't speak for Select, but for Elite the 10 free minutes of internet have been gone for a long time and the sitting with the Captain caused problems because some people actually believed that if you were Elite you WOULD sit at the Captain's Table! Obviously, that wasn't going to happen given the number of Elite that are on the some cruises unless they turn the CT into a Buffet and have it upstairs!:D

Perks are not a deciding factor in choosing a line but they do play a part. More than the actual perks, it's the lack of caring about repeat business than the 'things'.

My opinion is that the Elite Coupon Book is insulting to someone who has been loyal enough to cruise over 30 cruises with them. The ONLY thing I ever use is the free bingo and I have just started doing that. So, for me, it's useless.

When we got the $12 fo $10 in the Casino, I always used that and then proceeded to put all of it and more in their slots. Surely that had to be win-win for them.

When the numbers on board are small enough that they do the Elite Tea in a venue other than the dining room I sometimes go to that (depending on the sun:) ). And I do enjoy the Senior Officer's Cocktail Party when it isn't like pulling teeth to get a drink.

Otherwise X's Elite perks are a big snooze for me and when added to the new structure of the onboard booking credits I (a formerly pretty loyal X'er) have booked 4 RCL's and am looking at an Oceania. I have only one more X cruise booked and that is the TA this Sept on Connie. I am starting to look other places because I don't feel that my business is appreciated by X. Every move X has made lately has pointed that out to me.

Will I swear off X? Certainly not, but I am opening myself up to more choices.

 

 

I agree...After 22 cruises, including many on RCI, Holland America, and Celebrity our cruise to Hawaii in March was great, but the Elite book was a joke. We didn't use any of the coupons at all. I sent a letter to the Captains Club department at Celebrity complaining about the terrible benefits, and got a boiler plate response that just made madder. The guy with the other couple traveling with us also sent a note of dissappointment about the elite benefits and got a reply that did not satisly him. He also did not use any of the coupons. My conclusion is that the Captains Club is not worth joining. Don

[hajekfam]

After seeing the interest in the Captain's club pre-booking of the Solstice, I think a great benefit that they should offer (at virtually no cost to Celebrity) would be: For the first two weeks after new itineraries are announced each year, only Captain's Club members would be allowed to book - just like they did with the Solstice. TA's could not book blocks of cabins until the two weeks were up. It would give Captain's club members a chance for the prime cabin locations before they are snapped up by large agencies.

I think this is a benefit that a lot of members would use and all it would cost Celebrity is a delay in opening bookings to the general public for two weeks more.

[trcori]

Select members, cruised last week (Mercury to Alaska) for the first time in a little more than a year. Most of the coupon book was useless for us because we don't use the spa (aside from the T-pool) or acupuncture or the casino. My favorite coupon hasn't been mentioned here so far as I can tell ... $20 for as much as you can stuff into a laundry bag. That was half-price, for what we managed to get into ours. (Though it turned out to be not THAT special; two days later, the bulletin offered $25 for "all you can stuff into the bag" to anybody on board.) We also utilized the Internet service discount -- 15% more minutes with the purchase of any package. (We went with the lowest-level package, $40 for about 75 minutes.) And yes, all the Captain's Club events were listed on a one-sheet that arrived in the cabin at the start of the cruise (and I almost lost it) --- except for our favorite -- we FINALLY GOT AN INVITATION TO A BRIDGE TOUR! That came separately. It had become a running family joke that our son (now 11) had been able to tour the bridge with the kids' group each and every one of our eight cruises, but we were still ... waiting. Till this time. BTW, our least favorite "perk" was the "Senior Officers Cocktail Party" for select/elite -- it was 11:15 in the morning on the last sea day (immediately after the bridge tour, in fact) - we thought maybe it would be an informal Q/A type event like "Ask the Cruise Director" type gatherings we'd seen before, but instead, it was like a daytime version of the CC cocktail party, with live music, trays of drinks, and a few officers semi-circulating. The chief housekeeper came by to say hi and that's about as exciting as it got. Our best perk came weeks before the cruise - the great "Happy Hour" (or whatever they call it now) price that put us onboard in the first place. Speaking of bookings, that's OUR big beef of the moment -- the dramatic change in the "incentives" for booking on board. At our end of the spending scale, the "incentive" would be pretty much outweighed by the interest the credit-card company made off us for the early deposits, so thanks but no thanks! Too bad; we'd booked onboard almost every time, but now there's nothing in it for us -- TR (great cruise anyway, of course)

[C 2 C]

At the end of a voyage, I return our coupon booklets together with the comment card. It is my contribution to "Save the Waves".

The bosses were on Galaxy in May 2006 for a partial Transatlantic and I passed our displeasure on to them while they were waiting to disembark. There has been no response nor change in "benefits". Since we experienced our 50th X sailing in January, don't expect fireworks when you pass that milestone.

It's the "little" guys on board that make Celebrity special. The perks are meaningless.:(