High-level cruise line loyalty program members tend to get premium treatment on ships, but that's not always the case. Sometimes, it's simply not in the best interest of the overall cruise to let top-tier loyalty program members get special treatment.
Royal Caribbean, for example, no longer offers priority boarding to its highest-level Crown & Anchor Society members. They still get early access to tenders in ports that require them and all sorts of other perks, but they board the ship at the time they selected without a special line.
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Carnival Cruise Line offers its Diamond VIFP Club members, the highest level in the program, priority check and boarding on embarkation day as well as priority disembarkation. Diamond members, however, are not the first people off the ship on the last day of the cruise, and that's something that angered at least one passenger.
This unnamed Diamond-level VIFP member shared his grievance with Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald on his popular Facebook page.
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Carnival lets one group off its ships first
"What is the intent of self-assist? Why are self-assisters called to depart before VIP Diamonds, who are waiting for luggage to be taken to the carousel? Other cruise lines do not have self-assist. If you do this, then let the perk of being first off the ship happen. It did not x2 on Jubilee. We were not off the ship until 8.15," wrote the seemingly angry passengers.
It should be noted that many other cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises, allow self-assist passengers (people carrying off their own luggage) to leave first. Heald explained the logistics behind the cruise line's decision as to which passengers get off the ship first at the end of the cruise.
"Thank you and thank you for your loyalty that has you proudly holding that Diamond card. We must have self-assist. Without it, the debarkation of 6000 guests on your ship would take many more hours, which would result in a very late embarkation," Heald wrote.
The Brand Ambassador shared that he was not aware of what other cruise lines did. (He probably is, but he never comments on other cruise lines.
"But I will say I have no idea how a ship with even more guests on her than Carnival Jubilee manages debarkation if as you allegedly say there is 'no self assist.' United States Customs and Border Protection also have a say in this for sure," he said.
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Top-tier VIFP program members do still get special treatment.
"Anyway, we do take Diamond and Platinum and Faster to the Fun and Suite guests who have all their own bags with them off the ship first, before anyone else. Then, once your tag 1 and tag 2 bags have been placed ashore by the port authority stevedores, we will call guests ashore," he added. "While we wait for those bags to be placed ashore, then yes, we do allow other guests on self-assist to leave.And I should also say that having you off the ship by 8:15 a.m. is, well, not too bad I think."
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