Disney Cruise Line Updates Castaway Club Membership Requirements

[71 Truck]

The is an insane argument and the perks are meh. It is not the perks that people generally care about.

You are right the perks are not nearly as good as other cruise lines, however, we like the ability to be able to book everything from cruises to on board activity's/excursions early because most of the popular activity's fill up fast.

Also if you are looking for a certain cabin having a certain loyalty status give you the ability to book early getting what you are looking for.

My wife and I are Platinum. We are still on the computer at the stroke of midnight on, online check in /booking night to get the earliest arrival time we can since they eliminated the perk for any time arrival. Also we are looking for certain on board activity's that fill up fast so we want to make sure we get what we are looking for.
On our last cruise my mother was on the cruise with us. She is silver and by the time she was able to sign up for on board activity's to do with us most were full.

So we are a little different because we do care about what perks we are able to take advantage of.

 

[mcd2745]

The problem it is trying to solve is lots of people having status from cruising as children. The problem with that is if everyone’s platinum, then nobody is from the perspective of things like early port arrival, the free Palo (people would be mad if they have free Palo but can’t even get a reservation), etc. Too many platinums from people who earned status as kids and now rarely but occasionally cruise has caused the perks to get crowded and lose exclusivity. I say this as someone who has only recently completed my first cruise, but it makes sense to me. Only so much someone should be rewarded for what their parents did as vacation.

If they rarely cruise...how is it a problem? This whole thing made zero sense from the beginning. It's hard to see how DCL benefits in any way other than trying to manufacture urgency in people's minds to get them to book cruises over the next few years after they will have increased their fleet by 60%.

 

[Girl of the South]

I think we should sail on ships that go where/when we want. And fly airlines that do the same. Chasing “status” is just not worth it. I don’t get that much out of being gold or silver anything. Chase dreams, not “status” . .

 

[DonaldEsquire]

The is an insane argument and the perks are meh. It is not the perks that people generally care about.

It’s not insane at all. It’s a loyalty program. What other hospitality industry gives you status for life based on something you did a decade ago or more? Hotels? Airlines? Car rentals? No, you have to continually earn your status or you lose it. Obviously annually earning status on a cruise line isn’t practical, so they’re finding a middle ground on it, but someone who sailed a bunch as a kid because of their parents and then picks back up in their 30s shouldn’t necessarily have the same or higher status as someone who has been cruising more recently. Platinum got too crowded, so they found ways to return exclusivity to the highest tiers by creating Pearl and creating a way to cull people who earned status as kids but haven’t been loyal cruisers as adults. Perks like early boarding only work when the upper tier is small. If the upper tier is too large, then nobody feels like it’s really a perk.

 

[DonaldEsquire]

If they rarely cruise...how is it a problem? This whole thing made zero sense from the beginning. It's hard to see how DCL benefits in any way other than trying to manufacture urgency in people's minds to get them to book cruises over the next few years after they will have increased their fleet by 60%.

Because there are enough of them and that they add up and the fleet is still to small to disperse them among several ships/itineraries.

 

[enzy65]

I think we should sail on ships that go where/when we want. And fly airlines that do the same. Chasing “status” is just not worth it. I don’t get that much out of being gold or silver anything. Chase dreams, not “status” . .

I so agree with your statement. We are going on a road trip for a week and staying in a different hotel each night. I spent hours researching so I could get all 7 nights with one brand hotel, didn’t happen and I am fine with that.

 

[Girl of the South]

Thanks! I tried really hard for awhile with a couple airlines and a couple hotel chains but it's so much more freeing to just let it happen "organically". How fun! ROAD TRIP! I remember driving across the country many years ago and staying in a Motel 6 every night, and how the rooms all were perfect copies of each other and I felt like had driven 10 hours and ended up in the same place? Sweet travels to you!

 

[sadiecatie]

For most people, I can see where travel status might not be worth feeling constrained in your travel plans. But if you travel a lot for work, it can really add up. Add travel credit cards to that, and the perks can be really great this I why my family are dedicated Marriott/American Airlines travelers.

 

[TeamRiley]

This is totally a big data issue. Database systems change so fast these days that if you records aren't updated via continued interaction you fall off. Most Dr's offices change systems at least once a decade. If you try to go back more than about 5 years for medical records and you haven't been seen in those 5 years, many of them have been archived and take forever to dig up. They are just letting people know that the same thing will happen at DCL.

 

[enzy65]

Thanks! I tried really hard for awhile with a couple airlines and a couple hotel chains but it's so much more freeing to just let it happen "organically". How fun! ROAD TRIP! I remember driving across the country many years ago and staying in a Motel 6 every night, and how the rooms all were perfect copies of each other and I felt like had driven 10 hours and ended up in the same place? Sweet travels to you!

Thanks!! We are leaving in the morning, I’d rather be going on a Disney cruise, but will have to wait till we board the treasure next year. It’s our 1st long road trip, about 2500 miles. I’m sure it will be fun and interesting.

 

[Girl of the South]

“But if you travel a lot for work, it can really add up. ”

Unfortunately, a lot of us don’t get flights and hotels paid for by our jobs. If you can get miles and points traveling for work - well done! Never had a job that sent me anywhere . .