Royal Caribbean Group Introduces Flexible Loyalty Rewards Setting New Standards in Cruise Travel
Setting Sail for a Better Loyalty Experience
For cruise lovers, loyalty programs often play a starring role in shaping the travel experience. Collecting points, moving up tiers, and unlocking promotions like cabin upgrades or early boarding add extra sparkle to a voyage. Recognizing this, Royal Caribbean Group is about to revolutionize how these rewards work across its cruise brands.
The Game-Changing Points Choice Loyalty Feature
Royal Caribbean Group, which manages Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea, has historically run separate loyalty programs for each brand. This fragmented setup meant points couldn’t be shared or transferred, leaving travelers with divided rewards even if they sailed multiple lines within the group. However, with the upcoming launch of the Points Choice feature in early 2026, the group is aiming to unify its rewards system.
This fresh program builds on the existing Status Match feature, which since spring 2024 has enabled loyalty members to enjoy matched status across brands. But Points Choice takes it several steps further by letting cruise enthusiasts decide exactly where their points accumulate, offering much-desired flexibility and freedom.
Choose Your Loyalty Home
Guests will be able to allocate points among these flagship loyalty programs:
- Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean)
- Captain’s Club (Celebrity Cruises)
- Venetian Society (Silversea)
So, if a traveler typically cruises with Royal Caribbean but wants to explore Celebrity or Silversea, they won’t have to start over. Points can simply flow into their preferred program, preserving their status and perks seamlessly.
How Does It Compare? Royal Caribbean vs Carnival
This overhaul has sparked lively discussions online, painting Royal Caribbean as a leader in customer-friendly loyalty rewards. Many travelers highlight how the new program encourages brand-switching within the group without penalty, a contrast to recent controversial changes made by Carnival Cruise Line.
Earlier this year, Carnival revamped its loyalty scheme, retiring the beloved Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) program in favor of a spending-based system called Carnival Rewards. This shift discarded lifetime status and shifted the focus from cruise nights sailed to total dollars spent. The change was met with considerable discontent among loyal cruisers.
| Traveler Feedback on Royal Caribbean’s New Loyalty Program: |
| “This is how loyalty programs keep their customers (vs. Carnival). This will get me to try a Celebrity cruise.” |
| “It might even mean, if we’re taking a cheaper cruise, that we look to Royal instead of Carnival with all else being equal.” |
| “Carnival isn’t going to be happy with this! Great job, RCL.” |
| “I’m so glad they’re rewarding loyalty instead of putting expiration dates on it. More reasons to stay loyal to Royal.” |
Although Carnival’s leadership communicated that the change was necessary due to growing membership and business demands, many cruisers remain unhappy about losing their lifetime status and the shift away from cruise-based rewards.
