Repeat Cruisers - I’m curious what you think

[mevelandry]

So, I was reading on another thread about DCL not “caring” about their repeat cruisers. The posters I read, seem to indicate that DCL would rather market to new cruisers versus the repeat ones. On the one hand, they really don’t have to market to repeat cruisers since we have already tasted the kool aid. On the other hand, do they or should they appreciate those that are loyal to the brand?

I have been sailing exclusively with Disney since 2000. I have some thoughts on the subject, but was curious what other repeaters think??

They don't do much for us to come back as they keep raising their prices. I'll speak for my DH and I: for us, the kool aid is not strong enough to prevent us from branching out and seek different experiences/good value for a more affordable price. My DH is indifferent to anything Disney and while I love Disney and like characters, I can do with or without them.

So yes, I think they should offer a little more incentives.

 

[Disney_Life84]

If you've never cruised another line, how do you know this as a fact?

Why would we waste money cruising with someone else when we know for a fact that we will be happy with Disney??? I've heard stories of other cruise lines from many people with both positive and negative experiences. We will never be convinced to go anywhere else but Disney. Some may disagree, and that's fine. I was simply giving my answer at why we continue to choose Disney.

 

[Disney_Life84]

From experience, I disagree completely, absolutely, and totally.

That's fine. I'm sure many people will disagree. But in my personal opinion, no other company offers the same service as Disney. This was my answer for being a returning Disney cruiser.

 

[mevelandry]

We cruise Disney because it's Disney! We have never and will never cruise with any other cruise line. Reason being because no other company has the impeccable service that Disney offers. There are a few perks with each club level, however, I do agree that there could be a bit more for loyal customers. That said, even if they took away their club levels, we would still cruise with them. I also agree with what another poster said about the stage shows. The shows are amazing, however, there are only so many times you can see the same show. Disney is the best!

Which other cruise lines have you sailed with?

EDIT: My bad. I read too fast and have missed the part where you said you have never sailed with any other cruise line...

 

[monarchsfan16]

I don't choose companies based on loyalty perks. They're nice, of course, but they are that, perks. I choose companies based on product. I got into Disney Cruising relatively recently, so I have no reference point for "back when". My first cruise was in 2016. Our 4th is booked for next April. The Disney Cruise experience is an experience I value, from the shows, to the food, to the service, to the cleanliness and condition of the ships. That's why I continue to cruise Disney.

 

[mevelandry]

That's fine. I'm sure many people will disagree. But in my personal opinion, no other company offers the same service as Disney. This was my answer for being a returning Disney cruiser.

How can you tell that Chick-Fil-A has a better chicken burger than Cheesecake Factory if you have never eaten at Cheesecake Factory? By reading reviews on Tripadvisor?

 

[Disney_Life84]

How can you tell that Chick-Fil-A has a better chicken burger than Cheesecake Factory if you have never eaten at Cheesecake Factory? By reading reviews on tripadvisors?

.

From experience, I disagree completely, absolutely, and totally.

If you've never cruised another line, how do you know this as a fact?

Ok, so this was my mistake. From reading the OP, I thought we were posting why each of us chooses to continually sail with Disney. So, I put why WE (as in my family and I) choose Disney. It was my personal opinion. We love the service, the amenities, and just Disney, period. We don't need to go to any other cruise line. We know we wouldn't be as happy as we are with Disney. Some may disagree, and that's fine. I was simply answering why we choose .

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Why would we waste money cruising with someone else when we know for a fact that we will be happy with Disney??? I've heard stories of other cruise lines from many people with both positive and negative experiences. We will never be convinced to go anywhere else but Disney. Some may disagree, and that's fine. I was simply giving my answer at why we continue to choose Disney.

But you said "service is better than anyone else." That is a different statement. "We are happy with Disney service" is different than comparing them to other lines, with which you have zero experience.

 

[realhousewifeofportland]

But you said "service is better than anyone else." That is a different statement. "We are happy with Disney service" is different than comparing them to other lines, with which you have zero experience.

Let it go. It's like you're interrogating someone on the witness stand. They already explained themselves above. I bet there's a Law & Order on somewhere that you can watch.

 

[Disney_Life84]

Let it go. It's like you're interrogating someone on the witness stand. They already explained themselves above. I bet there's a Law & Order on somewhere that you can watch.

Thank you!!!!!!! I seriously was not understanding what the problem was.

 

[JecHec]

DH and I cruised RCCL by ourselves. In 2015 we set sail on DCL for the first time and have never looked back. We've taken DS and DD daughter since then. On May 10, we decided to celebrate anniversary with DCL. Point is, we are repeat cruisers because of the fabulous service, genuine niceness of cast members. Simply the best.

 

[Lisa F]

I would rather be a repeat cruiser because the product is stellar than because of benefits.

 

[smmco]

So, I was reading on another thread about DCL not “caring” about their repeat cruisers. The posters I read, seem to indicate that DCL would rather market to new cruisers versus the repeat ones. On the one hand, they really don’t have to market to repeat cruisers since we have already tasted the kool aid. On the other hand, do they or should they appreciate those that are loyal to the brand?

I have been sailing exclusively with Disney since 2000. I have some thoughts on the subject, but was curious what other repeaters think??

I would agree with this. They never change the cc gifts. I have at least 15 sling bags. They give the same fruit basket and chocolates as gifts. The fruit is never ripe and the chocolates are awful. They did away with the gold and platinum party. The Palo menu hasn't changed in at least 4 years. Every airline, hotel chain and cruiseline has loyalty programs, but DCL's is severely lacking. Loyalty programs are a good thing. Unless it's a really unique itinerary you don't usually see a lot of platinum or gold cruisers. Most DCL cruisers are one and done.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I think this will hurt DCL down the road. A lot of cruiselines are building ships and marketing towards families. Disney is no longer the only fish in the ocean when it comes to family cruising. A lot of people on here have never cruised anyone else yet they're convinced DCL is the best cruise line. Disney has that kind of blind loyalty going for them.

Disney may care about repeat cruisers, but I don't think they're doing enough to keep them. There prices are out of control and there loyalty program stinks. The competition is gaining on them. I think at some point this will catch up to them.

 

[smmco]

DCL gets more money from newbies.
First they won’t have the 200 dollar on board credit.
Second they won’t get the welcome back gift. 1.95
Third they won’t get the bottle of junk.
45 cents.
Fourth they will have lots more of Disney photos.
Fifth their souvenirs will be a lot higher.
Sixth they will have to pay for palo instead of platinum getting it for free.
Seventh gold and platinum gets 10 percent off at the stores.

Yep. If it's a once in a lifetime thing you go all out. I've heard the Dream is their real money maker. Mostly first time one and done cruisers. It's cost per day is high. Passengers spend a lot. The frequent cruisers are on the Transatlantics, Panama, Hawaii, Europe etc.

 

[iZon]

All companies care about repeat business (except maybe funeral homes!). It’s essential to their success. Just Google the tons of articles on why this is, and actually how repeat customers tend to spend more in the long run. To even suggest that a company doesn’t want or care about repeat business is an unusual view.

 

[delo4]

All companies care about repeat business (except maybe funeral homes!). It’s essential to their success. Just Google the tons of articles on why this is, and actually how repeat customers tend to spend more in the long run. To even suggest that a company doesn’t want or care about repeat business is an unusual view.

I think it may be less of a matter of not wanting or caring about repeat business than more of a matter of spending their dollars marketing to new cruisers.

I think there have been some interesting points made, especially regarding new cruisers spending more money, excursions, merchandise, alcohol, etc. I think that is true in our case. We tend to stay on the ship in port as we enjoy an empty ship. We still buy merchandise, but my guess is that it is probably not as much as a first timer.

I will say that we love the product and will continue to sail as long as they don’t price us out. However, I do feel like there is a trend more to a concierge cruiser and I think the new ships will have more areas for them and more places/experiences that you will pay additionally for. Over the years, they have added cabanas, bippity boppity boutique,, sweet on you, etc. I wonder if that trend will continue.

Also, if you have been cruising with DCL for some time, there were perks that they gave to repeat cruisers that they quickly took away. For example, there was once a $350 OBC credit if you booked another cruise if you were platinum. That was very short lived by the way. Also, I loved the back stage experiences that were offered to platinum as well. We were lucky enough to tour the bridge, the engine room, backstage at the theatre and a private galley tour for just platinums. I admit that the removal of those things is probably because of the amount of platinum cruisers, but its does send the same message. They recently did away with the reception for gold and platinum members except on cruises longer than 8 days. While they were not really exciting to attend, it still sent the message of apreciation for those loyal to the brand.

Anyway, I was just curious to see the discussion.

 

[iZon]

Repeat cruisers will tend to see the same ads as people who haven’t cruised. And possibly more as they may tend more to subscribe to official social media. A beer or car ad on TV is usually meant for both segments. Companies perhaps have to try a little harder to get people in the door.

Also, many cruisers rebook on board so there’s no need to “market” to them since they are planning on reusing the product. The best marketing is always the product itself. I choose to cruise again not because of the ads but because of the experience I had while on board.

A good example is Tim Tracker. Lately Disney have sent him on cruises, to Aulani, on Adventures by Disney, the cooking class on the Fantasy, and to specialty events at WDW. They know his viewers are already Disney fans, so this is a way of marketing those more niche products to a fanbase looking for more ways to spend money! The splashy TV ads cater to the wider market.

 

[smmco]

All companies care about repeat business (except maybe funeral homes!). It’s essential to their success. Just Google the tons of articles on why this is, and actually how repeat customers tend to spend more in the long run. To even suggest that a company doesn’t want or care about repeat business is an unusual view.

I’m sure they all care, but some company’s are better at showing it. Most people like to feel appreciated for loyalty wether it’s at their place of work or play.

 

[MonaMN]

I think there also may be others like us who have done one short cruise, enjoyed it and have another booked, but know that if we enjoy that, we May have to look elsewhere based on both cost and itineraries.

I am interested in Alaska, for example, but the price difference for Disney versus the others that do Alaska is large - and that cruise would be primarily about the ports. Same with Europe. So I see us taking one or two more Disney cruises, but my kid is 10 and I think many of the activities on the other cruise lines look appealing...

Time will tell, I guess...

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I've never heard anyone suggest this. We have been on 4 (5th one in 46 days). I have NEVER for one second felt DCL or CM's did not care about us as repeat cruisers. IMO they want to make everyone equally happy so they rebook and don't leave for a less expensive cruise or vacation.

We've had the same server in the MDR 3 times and have received excellent service from him each and every time.