How would you change Castaway Club Levels

[Mainsail Minnie]

100% Agree, I'd love to see DCL get rid of the loyalty program all together.

And concierge, while they're at it.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

And concierge, while they're at it.

That's never going to happen.

 

[DCLDVC1]

And concierge, while they're at it.

They would save me a lot of $$$$$.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

That's never going to happen.

I didn't say it would. A PP said she wished they'd get rid of loyalty tiers altogether, and I pointed out that if you want to make sure everyone onboard has the same privileges, getting rid of concierge is part of that. Since they get first booking dibs on everything, take up part o the ship, etc., their privileges take more away from the newbie ordinary cruiser than Castaway Cay perks ever could.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I didn't say it would. A PP said she wished they'd get rid of loyalty tiers altogether, and I pointed out that if you want to make sure everyone onboard has the same privileges, getting rid of concierge is part of that. Since they get first booking dibs on everything, take up part o the ship, etc., their privileges take more away from the newbie ordinary cruiser than Castaway Cay perks ever could.

But, at least, Concierge is paying for those extra privileges.

 

[K8T]

Should be sailing nights. We live in the
Uk and most of our cruises are European, so 7 days minimum.,usually 12 -14 nights. Crazy we had more nights than most people will have done to get Platinum on their 3 day cruises. We are gold.

 

[grx]

But, at least, Concierge is paying for those extra privileges.

Yeah, I cannot conceive of Disney doing anything with concierge. It's the same as Club level in WDW. If you want to spend the $$, then by all means enjoy the privilege that comes with it.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I didn't say it would. A PP said she wished they'd get rid of loyalty tiers altogether, and I pointed out that if you want to make sure everyone onboard has the same privileges, getting rid of concierge is part of that. Since they get first booking dibs on everything, take up part o the ship, etc., their privileges take more away from the newbie ordinary cruiser than Castaway Cay perks ever could.

I don't believe that's true. Only 41 of the 1250 staterooms on the Dream & Fantasy and 44 of the 875 on the Wonder and Magic are Concierge. That's a very small percentage of available rooms. I cruise Concierge and am also Platinum and when my booking window opens at 120 days, everything but the Cabanas are available. Platinum, Gold & Silver CC members take more away from the newbie ordinary cruiser than those booked in Concierge staterooms.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I don't believe that's true. Only 41 of the 1250 staterooms on the Dream & Fantasy and 44 of the 875 on the Wonder and Magic are Concierge. That's a very small percentage of available rooms. I cruise Concierge and am also Platinum and when my booking window opens at 120 days, everything but the Cabanas are available. Platinum, Gold & Silver CC members take more away from the newbie ordinary cruiser than those booked in Concierge staterooms.

Castaway Cay cabanas are the single most sought-after amenity that DCL offers, so that is no small consideration. It is now almost impossible to get a family beach cabana if you are not concierge.

And as I said, whole parts of the ship are dedicated concierge, that could otherwise be available to other guests, for other activities. The Outlook Cafe on the Wonder with its big windows perfect for Alaskan views, for example, was taken away from ordinary guests & made concierge only.

Again, I'm not crusading on this issue, but just making the point that if someone wants to take Castaway Club privileges away because they infringe on other guests, then they should take away Concierge, too, because it does infringe on other guests, as well.

But, at least, Concierge is paying for those extra privileges.

Concierge passengers pay for their perks, but so do Castaway Club members. It costs more to reach Platinum status than it does to cruise Concierge one time.

 

[tink1970]

Concierge passengers pay for their perks, but so do Castaway Club members. It costs a lot more to reach Platinum status than it does to cruise Concierge one time

Not necessarily...I've paid pretty low fares for FL and MTY for cruises and I suspect 10 x 3 or 4 night cruises with those discountswould still be less than the Once in a Lifetime concierge level cruise we took over the summer in Europe with 4 adults in a 1 suite br. As a matter of fact, running the numbers of some of my discounted cruises, I know so.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

Not necessarily...I've paid pretty low fares for FL and MTY for cruises and I suspect 10 x 3 or 4 night cruises with those discountswould still be less than the Once in a Lifetime concierge level cruise we took over the summer in Europe with 4 adults in a 1 suite br. As a matter of fact, running the numbers of some of my discounted cruises, I know so.

You're comparing apples to oranges, not a valid comparison. European summer cruises and discounted off-season Bahamian cruises have totally different price ranges.

Apples to apples, one concierge cruise is cheaper: one summer European concierge cruise is cheaper than 10 regular summer European cruises, and one discounted off-season Bahamian concierge cruise is cheaper than 10 regular discounted off-season Bahamian cruises.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I love the varying opinions on how DCL should calculate the Castaway Club level. Everyone is going to vote for what is to there advantage. Some do short cruises so they want number of cruises. Some only do long cruises so they feel it should be by days. There will never be a perfect answer.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I love the varying opinions on how DCL should calculate the Castaway Club level. Everyone is going to vote for what is to there advantage. Some do short cruises so they want number of cruises. Some only do long cruises so they feel it should be by days. There will never be a perfect answer.

Unless, of course, they follow Princess's way of using both number of days and number of cruises to determine each level.
Gold - after 1 completed cruise
Ruby - after 4th or 5th cruise credits OR 31-50 cruise days
Platinum - after 6-15th cruise credits OR 51-150 cruise days
Elite - from 16th cruise onward OR 151+ cruise days

Whichever level you reach first (cruise credits or number of days) gets you to the next level. So you can have four 3 night cruises OR one 32 night cruise to become Ruby.

 

[ScooterScott44]

You're comparing apples to oranges, not a valid comparison. European summer cruises and discounted off-season Bahamian cruises have totally different price ranges.

Apples to apples, one concierge cruise is cheaper: one summer European concierge cruise is cheaper than 10 regular summer European cruises, and one discounted off-season Bahamian concierge cruise is cheaper than 10 regular discounted off-season Bahamian cruises.

Not trying to dog pile on this topic, but trying to tie this item back to the discussion on the original topic about changes to the locality program. By today’s rules for the locality program on number of cruises it is apples to apples.

You are correct that the price of a European cruise will be more expensive than a Bahamas cruise but in the context of the locality program it is the same. Even in the Bahamas and Caribbean the cost differential for concierge is present, it is just that it is lower since the cost is lower for all stateroom categories.

I’ll add that we are Platinum and have done some cruises on concierge. Knowing what we know I see very little impact from the loyalty program on the average guest. Particularly since the perks are pretty minimal. The same goes for the concierge impact on the standard guest experience, almost no impact. The concierge only areas are quite small, not nearly on par with other cruise lines and the perks are pretty limited in how they actually apply on the ship. But flipping that around there are a few caveats about concierge that do make it worth the costs.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Unless, of course, they follow Princess's way of using both number of days and number of cruises to determine each level.
Gold - after 1 completed cruise
Ruby - after 4th or 5th cruise credits OR 31-50 cruise days
Platinum - after 6-15th cruise credits OR 51-150 cruise days
Elite - from 16th cruise onward OR 151+ cruise days

Whichever level you reach first (cruise credits or number of days) gets you to the next level. So you can have four 3 night cruises OR one 32 night cruise to become Ruby.

Or they could just scrap it. Less unhappy people always wanting more. They don't like how it is designed. They are tired of the same gifts. They should add this or that. Personally, if I was DCL or any cruise line for that matter I would be tired of the guests always wanting more.

 

[Mom24Princesses]

Just leave it as it is....

 

[MichelleCanada]

Leave it as is but give a choice of a return gift so that people who cruise more often don’t end up with multiples of the same gift.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Leave it as is but give a choice of a return gift so that people who cruise more often don’t end up with multiples of the same gift.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I feel like a massive overhaul isn't necessary/won't happen but little changes to refresh the program would do wonders.

 

[Garyjames220]

You're comparing apples to oranges, not a valid comparison. European summer cruises and discounted off-season Bahamian cruises have totally different price ranges.

Apples to apples, one concierge cruise is cheaper: one summer European concierge cruise is cheaper than 10 regular summer European cruises, and one discounted off-season Bahamian concierge cruise is cheaper than 10 regular discounted off-season Bahamian cruises.

oranges wins hands down

a lot tastier

 

[TestingH2O]

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I feel like a massive overhaul isn't necessary/won't happen but little changes to refresh the program would do wonders.

This. I don’t have a problem with the current system, and I also think it would be fair to add a tier above platinum for super cruisers. That being said, the sling bag has got to go. How many years have we been getting these? And don’t get me started on the stupid luggage tags. At least the bag has some use.

New gifts every year would probably be about right. Or the choice of the stateroom gift or a very small gift shop credit such that you had to spend money on top of it to get anything good. Either way you leave with DCL branded merch so you advertise the brand, but people get some choice and variety. I really don’t need anything fancy, and the perks of signing in early are the big thing, but an acknowledgement of something more than trash would be nice.