New Castaway Club Benefits Announced

[PrincessShmoo]

If you saw a bunch of lime green ones, it was probably Disboard members

I wouldn't count on it. There are groups on other sites that have been using the lime-green color for easy identification of "their" group.

I'm in the camp that was not happy to see the reception going to 8 night or longer cruises. According to their web site that's 18 cruises out of 364 that will now have the reception. I think Disney has someone whos' job is to figure out what things they can do to tick off their loyal customers.

I agree about losing the reception. I think it should be on at least the 7 night cruises. But, I can see what the issue might be.

Since DCL has started adding more and more other events (themed) on their cruises, I'm thinking that there's less & less time for it. Now, by just having it on the long cruises, it gives them something in their repertoire (as it were) for filling the time onboard those longer cruises.

Cruises that now have Star Wars activities, Halloween, Christmas, Marvel, and who know what else, just don't lend to a lot of "free" time for the CMs to fit everything in easily.

 

[closetmickey]

This is true for us as well. I hated the small-talk banter that the cruise staff had to put up with - I felt so bad for them. We only go to get the rice krispy treat at the end When we went on a 3 night cruise it was delivered to our room since there was no reception. Hopefully that will be the case from now on on 7 night and shorter cruises.

If they deliver the rice krispie treats I won't be so upset. Sadly, that was our main motivation as well. The kiddos love those

 

[SuperDry]

They don't have room in the club areas for the receptions so they will most likely be held in the theater or up on the top deck.

As we've seen in this thread, not everyone attends the reception. But they know how many are eligible on each sailing, and are prepared for all of them to show up, just in case. One time on the Magic, there were so many Gold and Platinum members on board that there was not enough capacity in Fathoms to hold them all. They had overflow seating set up in O'Gills, and were prepared to simulcast the reception on the O'Gills TV screens. But since many people didn't show, there was more than enough room in Fathoms, so O'Gills sat empty, despite it being prepared.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

They don't have room in the club areas for the receptions so they will most likely be held in the theater or up on the top deck.

We've attended the reception in (on the various ships)The Tube, Diversions, and Evolution. Most recently, the "reception" was at the Walt Disney Theater, as they included a "exclusive rehearsal viewing" of Twice Charmed. On our Hawaii cruise there were so many, they held it on the pool deck (closing off the Donald Pool area and closing the pool cover).

 

[tinker6]

We sailed on the Magic in March and already noticed changes for Platinum members. They didn't have Platinum lanyards for us and we were told they were no longer giving those out. Then the Castaway Club bag was the same for silver, gold and platinum - NO distinction between the levels. The only difference was what was inside the bag...I know these are minor, but it always made us feel special when people asked us how many cruises we had been on when they saw our Platinum items. And yes, we are very disappointed in DCL doing away with the reception...maybe just do on 7 or more day cruises - 8 is like a slap in the face.

 

[vakamalua]

The BEST perk of all would be a discounted fare as some other cruise lines and tour companies do!!! Happy to hear the little things make so many people feel special but we've got way too many beach bags (and the quality is declining) and have seen too many DCL filmed advertisements at the receptions--time to offer a monetary perk.

 

[mom4fun]

We sailed on the Magic in March and already noticed changes for Platinum members. They didn't have Platinum lanyards for us and we were told they were no longer giving those out. Then the Castaway Club bag was the same for silver, gold and platinum - NO distinction between the levels. The only difference was what was inside the bag...I know these are minor, but it always made us feel special when people asked us how many cruises we had been on when they saw our Platinum items. And yes, we are very disappointed in DCL doing away with the reception...maybe just do on 7 or more day cruises - 8 is like a slap in the face.

What? They aren't giving out platinum lanyards? What are they giving out then? We got our gold one's on the Fantasy last month.

 

[tinker6]

What? They aren't giving out platinum lanyards? What are they giving out then? We got our gold one's on the Fantasy last month.

It was a plain black lanyard, not fun or cruise worthy.

 

[RedSox68]

It was a plain black lanyard, not fun or cruise worthy.

BOOOOO!

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

I guess I won't be in a hurry to go on my 5th Disney Cruise to get to Gold and have the reception. Wait, our 5th cruise is in about a month. Sad to see that we won't be able to take advantage of the reception on future cruises since we usually go on 7 night or shorter. This will be our first cruise longer than 7 nights.

If they deliver the rice krispie treats I won't be so upset. Sadly, that was our main motivation as well. The kiddos love those

Ok, I haven't cruised yet, so bear with me. I'm confused.

I understand (somewhat) being upset about not getting something you're used to getting...but...if your main motivation to go to a reception is the Rice Krispie treats, how can it really be a loss you'd be upset about? They're really easy to make at home...easier than cookies.

And how is the presence or lack thereof of this reception a motivation to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise? I mean, if this is what you were looking forward to, you could spend $50-$100 to buy a bottle of wine, some snacks, ingredients to make Rice Krispie treats, and hire someone to make them and serve it all to you. Waaaaaaaay less than the cost of a cruise. So what am I missing?

Because really, if this reception is the big motivation to keep cruising with DCL, maybe I'm spending money that I could do other things with for the upcoming cruise that we've booked.

As far as I understand, any company that offers a loyalty program does so in order to gain repeat customers. They usually offer substantial rewards toward the beginning of offering their product because people aren't as familiar with it. As more people buy into their marketing, the rewards scale back because it becomes less cost effective to offer them to the masses of people who are now returning because of the quality of their product.

When I was a massage therapist and just starting out, I charged less than other competitors and sold package deals. When I was starting to book out several weeks in advance, I raised my prices. Eventually I no longer offered packages or discounts of any kind. The simple reason was: I no longer needed to. I had a solid client base because I offered a solid product. It sounds to me like DCL is following a similar model.

While it may be a little bit of a bummer to lose a perk you've grown accustomed to, it seems unrealistic to expect things to stay the same as more and more people become repeat customers. After all, no matter what we like to think, no company truly exists for the benefit of its consumers. They exist to make money. So, from the sounds of it, DCL has found that it no longer makes sense from a money or time standpoint to offer this reception on most itineraries. They will most likely phase it out completely. It's a prettily normal practice in most companies in this point of their business, not just a nefarious characteristic of Disney.

Now I fully expect to have a lot of people arming their rotten tomato arsenals at this post of mine, but come on. A free drink, fruit and a Rice Krispie treat taken away and you no longer want to cruise this line? What am I missing?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Ok, I haven't cruised yet, so bear with me. I'm confused.

I understand (somewhat) being upset about not getting something you're used to getting...but...if your main motivation to go to a reception is the Rice Krispie treats, how can it really be a loss you'd be upset about? They're really easy to make at home...easier than cookies.

And how is the presence or lack thereof of this reception a motivation to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise? I mean, if this is what you were looking forward to, you could spend $50-$100 to buy a bottle of wine, some snacks, ingredients to make Rice Krispie treats, and hire someone to make them and serve it all to you. Waaaaaaaay less than the cost of a cruise. So what am I missing?

Because really, if this reception is the big motivation to keep cruising with DCL, maybe I'm spending money that I could do other things with for the upcoming cruise that we've booked.

As far as I understand, any company that offers a loyalty program does so in order to gain repeat customers. They usually offer substantial rewards toward the beginning of offering their product because people aren't as familiar with it. As more people buy into their marketing, the rewards scale back because it becomes less cost effective to offer them to the masses of people who are now returning because of the quality of their product.

When I was a massage therapist and just starting out, I charged less than other competitors and sold package deals. When I was starting to book out several weeks in advance, I raised my prices. Eventually I no longer offered packages or discounts of any kind. The simple reason was: I no longer needed to. I had a solid client base because I offered a solid product. It sounds to me like DCL is following a similar model.

While it may be a little bit of a bummer to lose a perk you've grown accustomed to, it seems unrealistic to expect things to stay the same as more and more people become repeat customers. After all, no matter what we like to think, no company truly exists for the benefit of its consumers. They exist to make money. So, from the sounds of it, DCL has found that it no longer makes sense from a money or time standpoint to offer this reception on most itineraries. They will most likely phase it out completely. It's a prettily normal practice in most companies in this point of their business, not just a nefarious characteristic of Disney.

Now I fully expect to have a lot of people arming their rotten tomato arsenals at this post of mine, but come on. A free drink, fruit and a Rice Krispie treat taken away and you no longer want to cruise this line? What am I missing?

I'm not saying it's going affect whether I cruise DCL or not. I'm just saying we enjoy the reception. We find it's nice to do some one on one time with various officers. And speaking directly with the cruise director can garner some nice additions to the ships schedule. The rice krispy treats - yeah, they're not as good as the real thing (I believe they use a generic rice cereal, and it's not as sweet to me), but they're Mickey head shaped, and I don't have to pack them and bring them along (besides the fact that you're not allowed to bring home-made food items onboard).

I like the DCL "commercial" each year, kinda keeps me up on what DCL is doing on a more personal level.

It's just another cutback in the reward program for being loyal DCL customers. But, again, I get that DCL can set the program up any way they want.

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

I'm not saying it's going affect whether I cruise DCL or not. I'm just saying we enjoy the reception. We find it's nice to do some one on one time with various officers. And speaking directly with the cruise director can garner some nice additions to the ships schedule. The rice krispy treats - yeah, they're not as good as the real thing (I believe they use a generic rice cereal, and it's not as sweet to me), but they're Mickey head shaped, and I don't have to pack them and bring them along (besides the fact that you're not allowed to bring home-made food items onboard).

I like the DCL "commercial" each year, kinda keeps me up on what DCL is doing on a more personal level.

It's just another cutback in the reward program for being loyal DCL customers. But, again, I get that DCL can set the program up any way they want.

That makes sense. Like I said, I get being sad about losing a perk you've been accustomed to. I was more confused by the people who said that they wouldn't be motivated anymore to take more cruises to become gold. And by the amount of comments I keep seeing here that talk about how awful Disney is for stuff like this. If they're so awful, selfish and evil, why cruise with them? Your feelings seem completely rational to me. Some of the other responses baffle me though.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That makes sense. Like I said, I get being sad about losing a perk you've been accustomed to. I was more confused by the people who said that they wouldn't be motivated anymore to take more cruises to become gold. And by the amount of comments I keep seeing here that talk about how awful Disney is for stuff like this. If they're so awful, selfish and evil, why cruise with them? Your feelings seem completely rational to me. Some of the other responses baffle me though.

I just think it's sad, that loyal customers are treated worse than new ones.

You find that everywhere. "Sign up for XXX now and get 6 months free (or $50, or free groceries for a week) whatever. Only for new customers."

But, if you've been with a company for 20 years, nada, they don't care.

 

[RedSox68]

I just think it's sad, that loyal customers are treated worse than new ones.

You find that everywhere. "Sign up for XXX now and get 6 months free (or $50, or free groceries for a week) whatever. Only for new customers."

But, if you've been with a company for 20 years, nada, they don't care.

UGH, that really gripes me with the cable companies. Sometimes you feel like loyalty doesn't count for anything anymore.

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

I just think it's sad, that loyal customers are treated worse than new ones.

You find that everywhere. "Sign up for XXX now and get 6 months free (or $50, or free groceries for a week) whatever. Only for new customers."

But, if you've been with a company for 20 years, nada, they don't care.

True. That is infuriating. I've actually switched phone companies in the past for this very reason.
But, did I miss something? Is there a newbie perk I'm not seeing? (Since I'm a newbie, I'd be delighted to take advantage of there is one!)

 

[RAD]

IMHO, DCL really should take a look at the entire CC program and revamp it to reward their customers based on more then just the number of cruises they've been on. We do RCCL last December and their Crown and Anchor program gives you more points based on the accommodation book and number of nights sailed. Show a customer that sails 10 3 day cruises with an inside cabin get the same benefits as someone that's done 10 cruise of 40 to 70 or more days in a higher level stateroom, aka paid more money?

 

[NZMUM]

Ok, I haven't cruised yet, so bear with me. I'm confused.

I understand (somewhat) being upset about not getting something you're used to getting...but...if your main motivation to go to a reception is the Rice Krispie treats, how can it really be a loss you'd be upset about? They're really easy to make at home...easier than cookies.

And how is the presence or lack thereof of this reception a motivation to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise? I mean, if this is what you were looking forward to, you could spend $50-$100 to buy a bottle of wine, some snacks, ingredients to make Rice Krispie treats, and hire someone to make them and serve it all to you. Waaaaaaaay less than the cost of a cruise. So what am I missing?

Because really, if this reception is the big motivation to keep cruising with DCL, maybe I'm spending money that I could do other things with for the upcoming cruise that we've booked.

As far as I understand, any company that offers a loyalty program does so in order to gain repeat customers. They usually offer substantial rewards toward the beginning of offering their product because people aren't as familiar with it. As more people buy into their marketing, the rewards scale back because it becomes less cost effective to offer them to the masses of people who are now returning because of the quality of their product.

When I was a massage therapist and just starting out, I charged less than other competitors and sold package deals. When I was starting to book out several weeks in advance, I raised my prices. Eventually I no longer offered packages or discounts of any kind. The simple reason was: I no longer needed to. I had a solid client base because I offered a solid product. It sounds to me like DCL is following a similar model.

While it may be a little bit of a bummer to lose a perk you've grown accustomed to, it seems unrealistic to expect things to stay the same as more and more people become repeat customers. After all, no matter what we like to think, no company truly exists for the benefit of its consumers. They exist to make money. So, from the sounds of it, DCL has found that it no longer makes sense from a money or time standpoint to offer this reception on most itineraries. They will most likely phase it out completely. It's a prettily normal practice in most companies in this point of their business, not just a nefarious characteristic of Disney.

Now I fully expect to have a lot of people arming their rotten tomato arsenals at this post of mine, but come on. A free drink, fruit and a Rice Krispie treat taken away and you no longer want to cruise this line? What am I missing?

We don't go to the reception for the Rice Kispie treats (we don't even like them ). Nor do we go for the food & drink (I don't drink alcohol & my kids are under 21). We go to talk to the officers one on one in a fairly calm & relaxed environment. My 2 kids (teen/young adult) voluntarily get up & come with us because they like to hear what officers have to say.

It's not a big motivation to keep cruising though & we won't stop just because we don't get to go to a reception.

 

[steves100]

Just wondering why I NEVER get these emails, being platinum with all the correct info : (

 

[Racer X]

You know what would be really nice is if they just had a "Gold/Platinum" welcome back luncheon on embarking day at one of the restaurants. It could be more of a drop in/Open house thing, for the lunch duration, and it would be nice and casual w/o having to compete with the buffet or other lunch destinations. They could have a character or 2 milling about and officers could show and have lunch with the passengers. No formal presentation, just a hey, welcome back! We appreciate your returning to spend your dollars with us. The food could be the same as everywhere else so no special prep is necessary, and sure, hand out the rice krispy treats if that is what everyone is looking for. I think that would be a nice thing to look forward to and wouldn't seem to cost much more.

 

[tink1970]

What am I missing?

I think people like to feel their repeat business is appreciated. How this appreciation is expressed...everyone has different opinions on that. Would I love DCL to say "hey, you've been a faithful consumer who has stuck with us during the lean and fat years and we'd like to express our gratitude by -----." Yes, yes I would.
Do I expect it to happen? Sadly, never.