Cruise Line Loyalty Programs

Allow me to be a curmudgeon.  I don't want to take all the fun out of it, but for the most part I am, how should I put it - maybe "unimpressed" would be kind - by the cruise lines' passenger loyalty programs. 

While I could fill pages on this topic, this week Carnival epitomized the underwhelming nature of many of these platforms by the release of their "new" loyalty program.  If you are accustomed to the phrase "new and improved", don't look for it here. 

In additional to complicating their previous design by changing it from two levels  to five levels (Royal Caribbean did something similar in 2011), Carnival will no longer offer the complimentary cocktail party to all repeat passengers.  Ostensibly this is because "the sheer size of the event had made it neither particularly fun nor memorable".  

Replacing the repeat passenger cocktail party for those enjoying their second cruise  - and up until they have completed 24 days on board - will be one free drink at the Punchliner Comedy Club.  This club exists only on a few ships in the fleet, on the remaining ships loyal passengers will be entitled to a free drink at breakfast or lunch in the main dining room. I can probably count (without taking off my sneakers) the number of people who actually go to the main dining room for breakfast or lunch, but who am I to speak?  It's all about the bottom line.

Having brought up the bottom line, I decided to take a look at it to see how much, on average, cruise lines profit from a passenger sailing.  That amount is said to be about $179 per passenger, per sailing.*  That's profit before taxes, but wait ... isn't there a big fuss going on in Congress right now about the cruise lines paying NO TAXES?!  But I digress.

Some of the exciting features of the loyalty program for those who have sailed less than 25 days include:

• members-only offers (oooh, aaaahhh)
• member e-newsletter (wowie - kazaam)

After 24 days sailed and up through 74 days sailed (calculated as from $626 to $1,892 of profit) passengers also receive:

• the cocktail party that they used to get from sailing #2 and onwards (value about $2.50).
• a "Gold VIFP Pin".  I put that in quotations because with gold at about $1620 an ounce, I am reluctant to believe that the afore-mentioned pin is anything other than gold in color (value about 15¢).

I hate to sound cynical.  It's just that I am. 
 

At least Carnival has finally recognized that they do have a loyalty program by giving it a name (other than Carnival Past Passenger).  It's now officially dubbed the VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) Club.  Cue the fireworks.


If you're not already frothing at the mouth for that next Carnival cruise and want to know exactly what you'll get from all those past Carnival sailings the complete list of benefits can be found here.


And if you're still not convinced of all the terrific benefits, here's a look at the propaganda video: 

I'm not saying that Carnival does not have a good product, they do.  They have just the right product for their market.  But trying to convince me that their passengers are "VERY IMPORTANT" for the first several sailings of their Carnival "careers" is simply a stretch.  If you're going to have a loyalty program, make it worthwhile to be loyal, otherwise save the sales pitch.




*Sources: Cruise Market Watch’s proprietary Cruise Pulse™ and Port Pulse™ databases, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., Carnival Corporation and plc, NCL Corporation Ltd., Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and DVB Bank.