Loyalty status can become addictive. It's nice to be recognized as a valuable customer and receive the perks and benefits associated with that status.
In many cases, loyalty programs work as intended and keep people from switching brands. If, for example, you have status on an airline that gives you access to a lounge and seat upgrades, it's much more likely that you will fly with that company.
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Cruise line loyalty works a little differently than other loyalty programs. Status isn't earned and then kept for the remainder of the year, and then the following year, it builds up over a lifetime.
Some people invest years, even decades into earning status with their favorite cruise line. In the case of Royal Caribbean, the big benefits kick in when a passenger reaches Diamond in its Crown & Anchor Society. That takes 80 points with passengers earning one point per night in a regular cabin, two in a suite, or if they sail solo, and three if they sail solo in a suite.
If you are someone who takes one 7-night cruise per year in an interior, ocean view, or balcony cabin traveling with another person, it would take 12 years to earn Diamond status. Some, of course, cruise more often, or cruise in suites or solo, but no matter how you earn them, 80 points show dedication and loyalty.
Once you hit that status, it serves as a bit of an anchor chaining you to Royal Caribbean. That's something the company has taken steps to correct across its brands.
Image source: Daniel Kline/Come Cruise With Me
Royal Caribbean made a company-wide change
Royal Caribbean Group operates three cruise lines. Its namesake brand, Royal Caribbean, caters to families, while Celebrity Cruises welcomes families but its core audience is adults. Silversea is an upscale brand that offers more exotic destinations on smaller, intimate ships with top-tier service.
Previously, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity had a form of loyalty program status, that maxed out at Diamond and Elite respectively. That means that higher level members of the Crown & Anchor Society and Captain's Club did not receive a full match on their status.
That's something the company recently changed.
"The Loyalty Status Match program gives you the best benefits at sea. Members can now receive one-for-one tier matching across all three Royal Caribbean Group brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea," the company shared on its website.
That gives members an added incentive to try each line.
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Royal Caribbean's CEO explains why the loyalty change was made
Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty did an interview with Travel Weekly about the changes. He noted that about 25-30% of the company's passengers sail across its brands and explained why.
"Whether they're going from Silversea to Royal for multigenerational or Royal to Celebrity, etc. Sometimes it's also about the destination or the experience that they're looking to go after," he shared.
The loyalty program change does not mean that members get the same perks on each cruise line. Instead, they get the comparable level on each cruise line which all offer different benefits.
Liberty believes that the change will have an impact.
"For our guests, what really matters to them is being recognized and having the additional amenities that come with those changes in status in our loyalty tiers. We have a lot of loyal customers who really want to be recognized. They want to have events and activities that applaud them for their loyalty," he added.
Offering these benefits across the company's three brands could keep passengers from sailing other cruise lines. MSC Cruises, however, does offer a status match program, but its loyalty benefits are generally less generous than the ones offered by the Royal Caribbean brands.
Royal Caribbean's chief rivals, Carnival and Norwegian do not offer any sort of a loyalty status match.
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