Royal Caribbean
Group is making a major change to its brands’ loyalty programs, which could completely
reshape how frequent cruisers earn and use their points across brands.
The company has
officially announced Points Choice, a new loyalty feature that will allow
guests to earn cruise points on one brand and apply them to another within the
group’s portfolio. The program will apply to sailings departing on or after January
30, 2026, and will span Royal
Caribbean, Celebrity
Cruises and Silversea
Cruises.
Points Choice
represents the next evolution of Royal Caribbean Group’s loyalty strategy,
building on its
Status Match program introduced in 2024. Under Status Match, loyalty
members already receive equivalent tier recognition when sailing across the
group’s three brands. Points Choice goes further by letting guests decide where
their newly earned points actually live.
With the new
system, members of Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society, Celebrity
Cruises’ Captain’s Club, and Silversea’s Venetian Society can choose which
program receives the points they earn on a sailing — regardless of which brand
they cruised.
“Points Choice is
designed with our guests at the center,” said Jason Liberty, chairman and CEO
of Royal Caribbean Group. “Our guests are exploring more of our brands than
ever before, and we believe our loyalty experience should grow with them.
Points Choice gives every guest the power to direct their loyalty points within
our family of brands where they will have the biggest impact for them.”
Points will
continue to be earned based on nights sailed, with cabin category determining
how many points are awarded per night. While Royal Caribbean Group has not yet
published an official exchange chart, Cruise
Hive reported that one leaked on social media in recent weeks shows
significant variation across brands.
For example, guests
staying in premium suite categories such as Sunset, Owner, Aqua-Theater or
Oceanview Panoramic suites would earn two points per night in Crown &
Anchor, eight points per night in Captain’s Club or one point per night in the
Venetian Society. The chart outlines 10 cabin tiers, from inside staterooms to
top-level suites, across all three brands.
The process itself
is designed to be simple. After completing a sailing, guests will have 14 days
to decide where to apply their points using a Points Choice Request form
available through Royal Caribbean Group’s websites or mobile apps. If no action
is taken, points will automatically be applied to the guest’s existing loyalty
program.
Royal Caribbean
Group says the new system reflects a broader effort to strengthen loyalty
benefits at a time when other travel brands are pulling back.
“Points Choice
reflects the company’s commitment to turning the vacation of a lifetime into a
lifetime of vacations, by making every trip count and every point more
meaningful for those who choose to vacation with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity
Cruises, and Silversea,” the company said in its announcement.
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