Thursday, July 9, 2009

Celebrity Cruises Upgrades Its Captain's Club Loyalty Program

If you follow my blog regularly, you already know that I'm a hopeless frequent flyer program junkie so I'm always interested in hearing about other travel loyalty programs. Yesterday Celebrity Cruises announced some very specific upgrades to its Captain's Club program.

According to Dan Hanrahan, Celebrity's president and CEO, “Our most loyal guests deserve our loyalty in return, so we’re thrilled to offer them a vastly improved program. Our new Captain’s Club gives them greater recognition, exclusive benefits, and a number of new features designed to make them feel like the center of our attention every time they sail with us.”

So, what does Celebrity have in store for its repeat guests?
  • Captain's Club Celebration—Once per cruise on all ships except for Celebrity Xpedition, club members will be invited to a mixer where they will meet the ship's captain and other senior officers, enjoy interactive cooking demos, and listen to "CC Jams" (performances by various shipboard musicians).

  • Captain's Club Lounge at Michael's Club—If you're an Elite member, you're eligible to enjoy this new lounge. From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. the lounge is stocked with complimentary esspresso, tea, and other menu items. The Captain's Club aboard the Solstice and Equinox also offer wi-fi access. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. stop by the club for a complimentary wine tasting.

  • Complimentary Internet Access—Elite members will also now receive a free 90-minute Internet package while Select members are offered a 25 percent discount on Internet packages.

  • New Laundry, Dry Cleaning, and Pressing Benefit—Depending on the length of your cruise and program tier level, you'll also be offered upgraded laundry benefits.

Prior Captain’s Club Benefits & New Updates

For Classic members (1-4 tier credits): Access to the loyalty desk and loyalty host; a premium onboard discount booklet; access to the new Captain’s Club Celebration event; a complimentary custom air request; pre-cruise specialty restaurant reservations; member reunion cruises; one-category upgrades (when available); and an online newsletter.

For Select members (5-9 tier credits): All of the benefits of Classic membership, plus priority embarkation, a complimentary wine seminar, priority status to shore excursion waitlist, an invitation to the senior officers’ cocktail party, 25% off any Internet package, complimentary pressing of two clothing items, and discounted laundry on cruises of 12 nights or more.

For Elite members (10 or more tier credits): All of the benefits of Select membership, plus a private shipboard departure lounge with continental breakfast, priority tender service, priority waitlist for dining room seating, elegant tea service, complimentary use of Thalassotherapy pool use on Celebrity Mercury, complimentary access to the Persian Garden (port days only), access to the new Captain’s Club Lounge at Michael’s Club, 90 free Internet minutes, one free item of dry cleaning, a complimentary bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) and additional discounted laundry on cruises of 12 nights or more.


“We will continue to provide members in every tier of the Captain’s Club with the recognition and rewards they’ve come to expect, while adding several new enhancements over the course of this year,” said Hanrahan. “We also want to ensure that our members have the opportunity to quickly advance to the next tier. That’s why we count tier credits versus purely counting cruises. Tier credits are earned simply by sailing with us, but we also award additional credits for cruises of 12 or more nights, and for booking certain stateroom and suite categories. As a result, members can more quickly advance to the next tier.”

“What we’re rolling out today, combined with everything we’ll be adding to the program over the course of this year, will add up to what I’m confident will be the best loyalty program at sea,” Hanrahan added.

What do you think about the new program? Does it work for you?

For more information, talk with your travel agent or contact Celebrity Cruises at 1-(800) 437-3111.
—Andrea M. Rotondo

Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

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