Integration of RC Loyalty Programs

[Dennis Blazey]

Just listened to a webinar with Celebrity's brand President and AVP for brand loyalty in which they responded to questions raised by Captain Club members - with emphasis on upper tier members.  My wife and I are Diamond on RCCL and receive reciprocal Elite status on Celeb.  We have 3 Celeb sailings - 1 trans-atlantic, 1 canal and equator crossing from from Lauderdale to Chile, and 1 AK cruise on Celeb and numerous RC cruises (next departs 11/7 on Serenade).  So we are happy sailing either line.

A question raised by a number of persons was if there were any plans to integrate RCCL's loyalty programs into a single system across all 3 brands - RC, Celeb, and Silver.  Right now, while there is program tier reciprocity, each program "earns" separately.  That is to say points earned in Captain's Club (Celeb C&A equivalent) reside in CC and are not recognized/earned within C&A, and the reverse is true.  The question of program integration bubbles up often from RCCL loyalists who cruise a lot within the Line, but are brand agnostic.  These are cruisers that are more destination than ship driven - such as my wife and myself.  The answer given was a "qualified" no.  BUT, both did say that there studies/discussions to increase loyalty program cross-synergies that MAY be coming up soon.  What that means was left "undefined", but I might guess/speculate that there could be some parity and melding in the perks across the programs.  For example, on Celeb there is a nightly upper tier cocktail party with unlimited free drinks and light food.  That might be replaced with the voucher RCCL Diamond voucher program.  Or Celeb's 2 free laundry loads starting at the Elite level might move into C&A's Diamond package.

Thoughts?

[HeWhoWaits]

47 minutes ago, Dennis Blazey said:

Just listened to a webinar with Celebrity's brand President and AVP for brand loyalty in which they responded to questions raised by Captain Club members - with emphasis on upper tier members.  My wife and I are Diamond on RCCL and receive reciprocal Elite status on Celeb.  We have 3 Celeb sailings - 1 trans-atlantic, 1 canal and equator crossing from from Lauderdale to Chile, and 1 AK cruise on Celeb and numerous RC cruises (next departs 11/7 on Serenade).  So we are happy sailing either line.

A question raised by a number of persons was if there were any plans to integrate RCCL's loyalty programs into a single system across all 3 brands - RC, Celeb, and Silver.  Right now, while there is program tier reciprocity, each program "earns" separately.  That is to say points earned in Captain's Club (Celeb C&A equivalent) reside in CC and are not recognized/earned within C&A, and the reverse is true.  The question of program integration bubbles up often from RCCL loyalists who cruise a lot within the Line, but are brand agnostic.  These are cruisers that are more destination than ship driven - such as my wife and myself.  The answer given was a "qualified" no.  BUT, both did say that there studies/discussions to increase loyalty program cross-synergies that MAY be coming up soon.  What that means was left "undefined", but I might guess/speculate that there could be some parity and melding in the perks across the programs.  For example, on Celeb there is a nightly upper tier cocktail party with unlimited free drinks and light food.  That might be replaced with the voucher RCCL Diamond voucher program.  Or Celeb's 2 free laundry loads starting at the Elite level might move into C&A's Diamond package.

Thoughts?

If they merged the best of each program's perks into each other, that would be great. If they synchronized to the lesser perks of one vs. the other, there would be an uproar.

[Mike.s]

As someone who's starting to travel on both Celebrity and Royal it would be great if they allowed points earned on either cruise line contribute to your overall status. Might give us an outside chance of reaching the top tier, but I fear they may move the goalposts further away.

[Xaa]

Agreed @Mike.s. I think this is a miss for them.  As the kids go off to college and we are left without the need for a family friendly ship, they could more easily guide us to Celebrity with point accumulation, instead they invite Princess to the table.

[smokeybandit]

The only reason to merge programs to a common points system would be to try to get more people on Celebrity ships. Clearly they don't need any changes to get more onto RC ships.  Just the same, making it quasi-easier to earn points seems counterintuitive to the concern that too many people have higher numbers of points.

[karl_nj]

10 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

The only reason to merge programs to a common points system would be to try to get more people on Celebrity ships. Clearly they don't need any changes to get more onto RC ships.  Just the same, making it quasi-easier to earn points seems counterintuitive to the concern that too many people have higher numbers of points.

Well, you take advantage of the program change to make hitting levels more difficult in the future….  At one point diamond was 10 cruises. 

[twangster]

With Always Included the perks of Captain's Circle are pretty miniscule.  

The only reason to expect Diamond like perks on X would be to avoid Always Included fares and go with NO PERKS fares, which is exactly what X doesn't want.  

[cruisellama]

I wouldn't see a merger happen, especially with Silver.  Its business model and target client base is different.  If R and X were to merge, it could be a sign of a closer integration between the two to combine leadership positions and reduce G&A across those 2 lines.    Personally wouldn't want to see it as they each have focused guest experiences and I believe both would suffer with the compromises that would ensue. 

[Vancity Cruiser]

Not to sound cynical, but the only way they would merge would be to move the goalposts farther away. No way are they going to make it easier for more people to get more perks.

[smokeybandit]

4 hours ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

Not to sound cynical, but the only way they would merge would be to move the goalposts farther away. No way are they going to make it easier for more people to get more perks.

The only way they'd merge is to get more RC loyalists sailing on X. Other than that, exactly, they don't want more people getting tiered status.

[JasonOasis]

I don't see the benefit here either to Royal/Celebrity or us the consumer.

I'm diamond plus according to Royal my status would convert over to Captains Club Elite on Celebrity and I would be entitled to all the perks at that level.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/celebrity-loyalty-points#:~:text=For instance%2C if you are,a Captain's Club Elite member.

The only thing is I don't get the points on Royal so it doesn't help get me any closer to pinnacle on Royal.  But if I'm not trying to reach pinnacle on Royal then what is the issue they are already matching my status on Celebrity, I just don't see the upside to this.  

In my opinion if they merged these two programs it probably would take 1,000  points or more to reach pinnacle on Royal.  There is no way they leave it at 700 and people on Celebrity would have a harder time reaching zenith.  

It really comes down to what is more important to each individual cruiser.  If reaching pinnacle is important then stay with Royal but for those who are ready to experience more than what Royal is offering and don't care about pinnacle then what do you have to loose by cruising on Celebrity.

[twangster]

The more all inclusive a cruise line is, the less that a loyalty program has tangible benefits.

Sail Silversea for example and there is nothing on board to differentiate a newbie to a seasoned Silversea loyalist.  

Celebrity is pushing their Always Included fares.  If you buy into that then what are you seeking from Captain's Club?  Free laundry?  

Once X went "all in" the loyalty program became much less relevant. 

[twangster]

If anything Royal is probably trying to figure out how to de-emphasize the focus on the loyalty program.  

Carnival has loyal followers yet VIFP is mostly all about nothing.  

Who is better off?  Carnival offering very little to the masses and some very minor perks to the top elite, or Royal, offering so much to the growing masses?

[Traveler]

On 10/4/2023 at 1:37 AM, twangster said:

Who is better off?  Carnival offering very little to the masses and some very minor perks to the top elite, or Royal, offering so much to the growing masses?

Very simple the one that gives to benefit to the current loyalty status I currently have .

I guess it will be interesting to  have survey to know not just who is loyal but who is going to cruise on other lines and for how many. 

[Crown&AnchorEsq]

Unifying the point system (though hopefully not adjusting the goalposts, though that is obviously a concern) has some value to certain cruisers.  We like RCL because it is family friendly but if the Mrs. and I were to take a trip on our own without the little ones we might consider expanding to X or Silversea so we know that we will still be working towards greater benefits on RCL for us and the kids in the future.  Is it a huge issue? no.  But I do like to keep pumping up my points so we can get to D+ some day.

[Shari]

I received this email from Celebrity yesterday.  It appears to be another step towards integrating the benefits of the 2 cruise lines.  They are starting a lounge equal to the Crown Lounge.

"I have heard from many of our loyal Captain’s Club members, such as yourself, that one of the program’s most gratifying aspects is the opportunity to be part of a community of like-minded travelers with whom you can share your experiences on board. I love that so many of you are eager to connect over your shared passion for travel and cruising.

I am excited to announce that starting in January 2024, we will designate an existing lounge space for our Elite, Elite Plus, and Zenith members to get together on board during the daily Elite Cocktail hour.

The lounge space will be available twice per cruise on sailings between 5 nights and 7 nights, and three times per cruise on sailings 8 nights or longer, from 5pm to 7pm. Your concierge team will inform you in your welcome letter of the specific days and locations where you can gather on board. Additionally, drinks will still be available at bars and lounges throughout the ship daily by presenting your Seapass card if you prefer not to use the designated lounge space.

This gathering, in addition to our Captain’s Club Welcome Party, Senior Officer Party, Music & Mixology event, and more, provides our members with several opportunities to meet up, and we could not be more excited. Thank you for your loyalty, and I hope to meet you on board soon. "

[WAAAYTOOO]

We both got the letters as well.

[smokeybandit]

But that lounge really is just a dedicated space and isn't really a new benefit per se. Unless they're going to start putting apps in the lounges like RC does.

[twangster]

3 hours ago, Shari said:

I received this email from Celebrity yesterday.  It appears to be another step towards integrating the benefits of the 2 cruise lines.  They are starting a lounge equal to the Crown Lounge.

"I have heard from many of our loyal Captain’s Club members, such as yourself, that one of the program’s most gratifying aspects is the opportunity to be part of a community of like-minded travelers with whom you can share your experiences on board. I love that so many of you are eager to connect over your shared passion for travel and cruising.

I am excited to announce that starting in January 2024, we will designate an existing lounge space for our Elite, Elite Plus, and Zenith members to get together on board during the daily Elite Cocktail hour.

The lounge space will be available twice per cruise on sailings between 5 nights and 7 nights, and three times per cruise on sailings 8 nights or longer, from 5pm to 7pm. Your concierge team will inform you in your welcome letter of the specific days and locations where you can gather on board. Additionally, drinks will still be available at bars and lounges throughout the ship daily by presenting your Seapass card if you prefer not to use the designated lounge space.

This gathering, in addition to our Captain’s Club Welcome Party, Senior Officer Party, Music & Mixology event, and more, provides our members with several opportunities to meet up, and we could not be more excited. Thank you for your loyalty, and I hope to meet you on board soon. "

They took Michael's Club away from Elites and now after so much vitriol and negative feedback they are giving something back but only two nights on a seven day cruise.

I don't see how that draws any conclusions about merging loyalty programs.  

They alienated loyal customers, got called out for it and came up with a compromise.  

[cruisellama]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

They took Michael's Club away from Elites and now after so much vitriol and negative feedback they are giving something back but only two nights on a seven day cruise.

I don't see how that draws any conclusions about merging loyalty programs.  

They alienated loyal customers, got called out for it and came up with a compromise.  

Celebrity ships lack the spare "real estate" to add a separate high tier club. (If you look at their current on board Captain's Club space - it's pitiful - CC rep desk and a few chairs..     Their business model relies more on buy-in for some level of inclusive perks.  ie  - "money can buy you love..  ".     If you look at higher end lines, you're paying for greater inclusivity of on-board benefits like dining, drinks, etc.   Getting a few drink coupons doesn't really help you out on the high end line as you've already paid for it.

[twangster]

4 hours ago, cruisellama said:

Celebrity ships lack the spare "real estate" to add a separate high tier club. (If you look at their current on board Captain's Club space - it's pitiful - CC rep desk and a few chairs..     Their business model relies more on buy-in for some level of inclusive perks.  ie  - "money can buy you love..  ".     If you look at higher end lines, you're paying for greater inclusivity of on-board benefits like dining, drinks, etc.   Getting a few drink coupons doesn't really help you out on the high end line as you've already paid for it.

Only because they created The Retreat.

Prior to this concept X ships had a club for loyal guests which suite guests could also use.  

[cruisellama]

18 hours ago, twangster said:

Only because they created The Retreat.

Prior to this concept X ships had a club for loyal guests which suite guests could also use.  

That was/is (on some ships) Michaels club. I thought that included Zenith, but guess it also accommodated Elite and Elite +.  (I never saw E, E+ admission, so removal must have happened before I made it.)   Zenith still has Michaels/Retreat access. 

 

[Reigert2008]

On 10/5/2023 at 9:01 AM, Crown&AnchorEsq said:

But I do like to keep pumping up my points so we can get to D+ some day

This was our thought.  We’re a family of two and love Royal, but have looked into some celebrity sailings as options.  We’ve never done a Celebrity since we wanted to wait until we hit Diamond, so we wouldn’t “waste a cruise” and take longer to hit Diamond.  For us the drink vouchers are a game changer.  Now that we’re Diamond, we’re more open to trying a Celebrity since Diamond+ doesn’t do too much for us.  
 

if the programs were “merged” then we’d earn points regardless and we may bounce around a bit.  

i’m a rewards club fanatic and stick to where I get the best benefits (for us) and try to not do things that don’t earn my rewards

[HeWhoWaits]

On 10/26/2023 at 9:06 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

We both got the letters as well.

I got the letter and I haven't sailed on Celebrity yet (but have on booked in February so it applies).