“After 35 cruises on Carnival our next cruise will most likely be our last.”

Cruise Passenger readers always have plenty to say about what’s going on in Australian cruise, and in the broader cruise community. In Your Say, Cruise Passenger looks at the issues our readers are writing to us about on our blogs, posts and newsletters.

Changes to loyalty programs certainly sparked a lot of comments this week. Carnival Cruise Line’s loyalty program changes were the biggest in years – and meant most current loyalty program users will lose their status.

Understandably, many Carnival passengers weren’t too happy, feeling their years of loyal service to the brand were being disregarded in the decision-making by the cruise line.

Cruisers were worried that these changes could spread to other lines, namely Princess Cruises. 

Cruiser Arend de Weger said, “Carnival’s new proposed loyalty program disgusts me. As pensioners we save hard to go on cruises. Onboard spending is kept to a minimum simply because we cannot afford the costs.

This is just a greedy grab by Carnival at the expense of those who keep your company afloat.

“If these changes to the loyalty program goes ahead, you won’t be seeing my wife and I and those I am able to influence, on board Carnival ships again, and that would be a pity as we are currently planning a cruise in which Carnival cruises were going to be considered.”

John Alwyn-Jones wrote about the ‘cost squeezes’ happening with Carnival.

“The bottom line is that at the bottom of the market, which is where Carnival Cruise Lines is, post covid with such massive losses, Carnival Corporation at this bottom level which includes Carnival Cruise Lines, P&O UK, probably Costa and Aida, will do anything to save a buck or more, with customer loyalty not at all high on the agenda, but low prices and special offers, with often unbelievable bargain prices, to get as many passengers onboard at lower prices and squeezing as much money out of them as they can is paramount. Costs are also being dramatically squeezed on board, with loyalty benefits just one of many!”

Another cruiser, John G, called it ‘the great loyalty purge’.

“This is the “Great Loyalty Purge” and nothing more. June 1st 2032 Carnival will purge 97% of the Diamond members in one shot. Carnival had some high dollar spenders complain about the people who earned their time getting Diamond level over the years. Yes, cutting costs is a big part of every business but you need to take this into consideration, on the long 10+ day cruises, it’s Diamond and platinum guests who buy those cabins, which will go empty going forward. 

“After 35 cruises on Carnival our next cruise that is paid will most likely be our last. Being a Diamond member on Carnival I would rather spend my money next 6 years on building status on another cruise line than wasting money on Carnival for not! Diamond status will be $33k every two years per person not per couple! Oh Carnival, my company isn’t paying my cruise fare like they do my airline business class tickets for work. Loyalty is a two way street!”

Cruiser Ian Hewitt shared an email he wrote to Carnival, explaining how even though he cruises two to three times a year with them, he’ll now no longer have loyalty status.

“In 2012/13, I sailed on one of the first inaugural cruises from Sydney, when Carnival decided to place one of its ships “down under”:. I thought this was great. I had always envied Carnival operating out of the USA and decided then that my total loyalty would be to Carnival for my and my family’s future cruising adventures. I thought carnival was FUN but not anymore.

“I am a loyal Platinum VIFP member on my way to Diamond status. Its taken me all of these years to reach Platinum and then reach Diamond status. Now all of my hopes and dreams have been shattered. So much for my loyalty. Loyal is a “ two way street” requiring reciprocation on both sides.

“All I can see is any loyalty from Carnival’s side disappearing before my eyes.

“My wife and I looked forward to 2-3 cruises a year in Australia. That’s a good average. Unfortunately, doing 2-3 cruises will see my loyalty of many years of cruising with Carnival disappear with a new scheme that has not been thought through very well.

“I simply can’t afford paying $25,000 every two years to keep my current status going. We are both retired and watch our spending now. Sadly, I will now look at building loyalty with another cruise line that values its customers and treats them with respect. I know this means starting over, but something I will need to do to get that genuine loyalty back. It should NOT be just about money and profit. It’s about genuine loyalty.

“If changing the scheme was because to many cruisers were qualifying for Platinum and Diamond status, why not just introduce new tier levels about Diamond. A solution without huge cost.

“Finally, your new loyalty program will do nothing for the Australian market. Aussie cruisers tend to only do 1 maybe 2 cruisers per year, so they will have no chance to receive any benefits from the new program.”

Read and comment on the original story here: https://cruisepassenger.com.au/news/after-the-carnival-cruise-lines-loyalty-program-debacle-why-princess-could-be-next/

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