Carnival Switching from Loyalty to Rewards Program

[dreamer17555]

Don't you have to take a cruise every 5 years to keep your status on DCL?

DCL has the option to remove status after 5 years of no cruises but so far no record of it happening to anyone. MSC has a similar policy but that is VERY different than needing to spend X amount of dollars every two years and starting from zero each time. If DCL had a program to match, you’d need to complete 10 or more cruises every 5 years just to stay Platinum, instead of just sailing once in that time to keep your status (and again, I haven’t heard of anyone actually losing their status after the 5 years).

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Don't you have to take a cruise every 5 years to keep your status on DCL?

Yes.

 

[jwalk03]

I suppose the question is "Are you loyal if you cruise on the same cruise line all the time, or if you spend money on it?"

IMO (and only my opinion) taking lots of cruises on the same cruise line is more loyal than spending money on it.

BUT, by spending more money on a single cruise line could mean better "rewards".

I appears Carnival values the money more than the loyalty.

And honestly the perks you earn for working so hard to get their status are kind of a joke.

Red Status: 1 free bottle of water
Gold Status: 1 free drink (only on 5+ night cruises)
Platinum: 2 free drinks, a bag of laundry, and you can drop your bag off in your room early? (Plus some other “priority” things that I have no idea have valuable they are.

Some ok perked if you just happen to get there after several cruises, but Doesn't seem remotely worth the effort of having to re-qualify for it every 2 years!!

This whole program seems to be going over like a lead ballon. Sure seems like they are going to have to modify it or walk it back in some way or they are going to suffer some serious customer loses.

Though to be fair I think Southwest charging for bags is a colossal blunder too and they seem to be forging ahead with that anyway- so what do I know?!

 

[DCL58]

Just read that you had to sail 200 nights on carnival to reach their highest loyalty tier. On DCL, the same can be accomplished with only 75 nights (25 three night cruises to make Pearl).

Interesting changes to their loyalty program. Doubt it goes over very well. Bet most people who sail carnival will not spend $16K per year to achieve the new top status - since carnival cruises don’t seem to cost very much.

If DCL went to the $16K per year for top status, bet lots of people would qualify.

 

[dreamer17555]

Do any of the lines do room upgrades? I'm not sure their room availability would make it practical to even offer it as a perk. I suspect it would upset members who felt they were guaranteed an upgrade.

Here is what Diamond (100,000 Stars) on the new Carnival Rewards gets you is below. Plus, you can redeem points for things like cruise fares, drinks, and more. For example, a 50 minute aromatherapy hot stone massage will cost you over 10,000 points.

To reach Diamond, you’d need to spend over $33,300 every two years, since you earn 3 Stars for every $1 spent.

Stars are tracked individually, with stars earned in a stateroom are split equally among all guests in the room. It’s still unclear exactly how that works with kids, so more clarification is needed there.

Member Perks

Earn & Redeem

• Earn points
• Redeem points

News & Offers

• Member e-newsletter
• Member-only offers

Recognition & Status

• Diamond member sail & sign card
• Member collectible pin

Support

• Dedicated Diamond support (sales & service)

Onboard Extras​

Beverages

• Two complimentary beverages
• One complimentary 1.5L bottle of water

Dining

• Guaranteed Main Dining time (early or late - dinner only)
• Priority Specialty Dining reservations

Stateroom

• Complimentary Wash & Fold (2 to 5 bags)†

†Number of wash & fold bags varies based on cruise duration

Priority Access​

Pre-Cruise Priority

• Early online check-in (16 days)

Embarkation Priority

• Check-in
• Security line (where available)
• Captain’s lounge (where available)
• Boarding
• Luggage delivery (checked luggage)

Onboard Priority

• Retail concierge services
• Access to a dedicated casino host (upon request)
• Early bag drop-off in stateroom (carry-on bags)
• Guest Services phone assistance
• Guest Services line
• Casino cashier line
• Spa reservations
• Water shuttle boarding (ship to shore)
• Debarkation

 

[dreamer17555]

Just read that you had to sail 200 nights on carnival to reach their highest loyalty tier. On DCL, the same can be accomplished with only 75 nights (25 three night cruises to make Pearl).

Interesting changes to their loyalty program. Doubt it goes over very well. Bet most people who sail carnival will not spend $16K per year to achieve the new top status - since carnival cruises don’t seem to cost very much.

If DCL went to the $16K per year for top status, bet lots of people would qualify.

Keep in mind it is done individually with staterooms "splitting points" so on DCL with 2 Adults in a family they would need spend over $33K per year... not as easy, $64k every two years for 2 adults is a LOT on cruising even for DCL. And no word from carnival if kids are being counted in the reward split or not.

 

[jwalk03]

Keep in mind it is done individually with staterooms "splitting points" so on DCL with 2 Adults in a family they would need spend over $33K per year... not as easy, $64k every two years for 2 adults is a LOT on cruising even for DCL. And no word from carnival if kids are being counted in the reward split or not.

Yeah $30k/year to get a “free” bottle of water, 2 “free” drinks, and a “free” bag of laundry?! What a joke.

 

[eticketplease]

Yeah $30k/year to get a “free” bottle of water, 2 “free” drinks, and a “free” bag of laundry?! What a joke.

I’m not sure 120,000 quarters in my suitcase will pass the checked baggage weight for that laundry

 

[dreamer17555]

Yeah $30k/year to get a “free” bottle of water, 2 “free” drinks, and a “free” bag of laundry?! What a joke.

To be fair you can redeem to 100,000 points on items (once you get to that level you are given the laundry and water etc). 10,000+ points gets you a 50 min hot stone massage, 2,000-5,000 points gets you a stingray beach encounter, 5,000-10,000 gets you a steakhouse dinner. It is still a crazy amount of spend considering it is per person.

 

[asunutgirl]

We were on the Treasure a couple of weeks ago with a total of 7 of us in our party. My sister has been on one previous DCL cruise and that was 20 years ago. When she booked the Treasure cruise, DCL found her in the system. She received silver benefits including the booking window for excursions and Castaway gifts. I love that Disney honored that for her.

 

[DCLMP]

It sounds like DCL no longer has the worst loyalty program.

 

[o&smom]

It sounds like DCL no longer has the worst loyalty program.

Don’t say that too loud!

 

[LAS2AMS]

Nobody likes the changes but reality is that the cruise industry was among the last remaining segments of the travel industry to not move their rewards program primarily to a revenue based system.

When the airlines made such moves years ago, people complained it was the death of loyalty. Yet today loyalty and credit card fees (from the issuers purchasing miles) are the most lucrative source of income for the airlines.

For now Disney is a niche player so they may keep status quo, but I think it’s most likely that Royal and Norwegian will follow suit. Maybe they won’t go as far and Carnival makes adjustments.. but that’s kinda norm for these things.

We cruse a lot. Price and, to a lesser extent itinerary, are the biggest factors in our decisions. While we have status on Carnival and Royal, it’s meaningless to me. The biggest perks are drinks and we don’t drink much…

 

[DCL58]

Anyone see Professor Melissa on TikTok? She sails carnival ALL the time and she was hopping mad about the changes.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I don't understand why a cruise line can't have 2 separate programs.

1) A loyalty program that recognizes that someone has taken one of their cruises.
2) A rewards program that give perks based on spending.

Holland America has that, sort of. You can get medallions based on number of actual days you've cruised. No perks, just a medallion when you achieve specific number of days onboard. And the Mariner Society where you get points for number of cruise days, if you book suites, onboard spending. The points have star levels. Each level has some sort of perk - everything from a free ship's photo, to free laundry, discounts on mini-bar purchases, free specialty dining.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't understand why a cruise line can't have 2 separate programs.

1) A loyalty program that recognizes that someone has taken one of their cruises.
2) A rewards program that give perks based on spending.

Holland America has that, sort of. You can get medallions based on number of actual days you've cruised. No perks, just a medallion when you achieve specific number of days onboard. And the Mariner Society where you get points for number of cruise days, if you book suites, onboard spending. The points have star levels. Each level has some sort of perk - everything from a free ship's photo, to free laundry, discounts on mini-bar purchases, free specialty dining.

Seabourn has two programs as well.

One is based solely on sailed days and counts towards milestone awards including 7 and 14-day free cruises but largely gifts. Presently they start at 100 sailed days and max out at 2,500 sailed days.

The other and main (the Club program) is based on this formula:

• Each Sailed Day on board a Seabourn ship earns you one Seabourn Club Point
• Each Sailed Day in a penthouse or premium suite accommodation earns one additional Seabourn Club Point
• Each night on an escorted Seabourn Journey earns one Seabourn Club Point
• Every $500USD of eligible onboard and pre-cruise online purchases earns one Seabourn Club Point (net of returns, and limited to one additional Seabourn Club Point for each Sailed Day)

Presently it starts at 1 point and ends at 650+ points (meaning that's the highest level though you'll still earn more points beyond 650). So it combines sailed days plus how much you spend as well thus incentivizing both.

That said recent surveys point to potentially an adjustment in at least what is included in their Club benefits, I think what they are trying to figure out is what people value more. Some stuff IMO is outdated. Like for example we're now Silver (after 2 cruises) and one of the benefits you could choose as your one in the Silver level is a comp telephone call for up to 20 mins. That is something that will likely be only truly necessary for certain locales but otherwise many people have some forms of calling out should they need to, in port or still within range of the port or wifi calling (though you'd probably need to upgrade to the higher wifi package; standard wifi workable for majority of people is included in the fare). It would have been more valuable years back when cellular coverage was more hit or miss or even having as many people with cell phones.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Bet most people who sail carnival will not spend $16K per year to achieve the new top status - since carnival cruises don’t seem to cost very much.

That's I think the more crux of this because Carnival is normally considered that price-conscience customer base. It doesn't mean there aren't some passengers spending the bigger dollars but that many do often sail it because it is overall less expensive than other lines. To go after the ones that spend a lot more money is in conflict with their existing customer base and they don't have a product to match. A lot like how SWA is trying to be like the other airlines but doesn't have the product to match outside of the price is no longer as inexpensive as it once was they don't have the seating options like other airlines and extra leg room isn't going to cut it, they don't have food options, etc. It's an about-face to their normal customers.

 

[dreamer17555]

Nobody likes the changes but reality is that the cruise industry was among the last remaining segments of the travel industry to not move their rewards program primarily to a revenue based system.

When the airlines made such moves years ago, people complained it was the death of loyalty. Yet today loyalty and credit card fees (from the issuers purchasing miles) are the most lucrative source of income for the airlines.

For now Disney is a niche player so they may keep status quo, but I think it’s most likely that Royal and Norwegian will follow suit. Maybe they won’t go as far and Carnival makes adjustments.. but that’s kinda norm for these things.

We cruse a lot. Price and, to a lesser extent itinerary, are the biggest factors in our decisions. While we have status on Carnival and Royal, it’s meaningless to me. The biggest perks are drinks and we don’t drink much…

I would not assume other lines will jump on this change. I even anticipate Carnival rolling some of it back because the backlash has been fierce.

Airlines are a really different animal and those who do fly the most tend to do so for their jobs- not pleasure. It is not the same thing as selecting a vacation destination.

I honestly am stunned Carnival even thought about announcing this change when the documentary about their famous "Poop Cruise" from a few years ago is set to hit Netflix next week...

And I don't even think people are angry about losing perk as much as they are about not feeling valued after years of sailing. It takes a lot to build brand loyalty and sadly very little to destroy it.