Royal Caribbean in 2023 will mark the 25th anniversary of the cruise line’s loyalty program with a year’s worth of festivities and new amenity rollouts. The announcement follows on the heels of the line’s decision to end popular frequent-cruiser perks on several ships.
New Gifts, Amenities for Crown and Anchor Members
The silver anniversary of Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society loyalty program next year will be celebrated fleet-wide, according to program director Courtney Brant.
In an end-of-year note to members, Brant hinted that new gifts and perks will be forthcoming, along with a webinar series.
Brant said, “The year-long festivities kick off with our first-ever Coffee Talk, a virtual webinar to be hosted quarterly by our loyalty team, featuring special guest appearances from company leaders. Be on the lookout for an invitation in January.”
New and redesigned gifts and onboard amenities also are planned, although she did not elaborate on them. Brant added, “These are just a few of the ways we plan to celebrate our program’s tenure – the rest I’ll save as a surprise for the new year.”
The Crown and Anchor Society consists of six levels. Cruisers earn one point toward loyalty status for each night they cruise on a Royal Caribbean ship, and points can be earned starting with a guest’s first cruise. The more points a guest earns, the greater the benefits. At the highest tier, guests qualify for a complimentary seven-night cruise.
The tiers are:
Gold (3-29 points)
Platinum (30-54 points)
Emerald (55-79 points)
Diamond (80-174 points).
Diamond Plus (175-699 points)
Pinnacle Club (700-plus points)
Line Recently Nixed a Popular Perk
Promises of new gifts and amenities to mark Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program anniversary followed the line’s announcement it is limiting its popular Concierge Lounge access to Pinnacle Club level members and to suite guests only. Access previously had been granted to Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members, and to suite guests.
Earlier this month the line said the new policy would take effect on sailings departing on or after December 16, 2022, on ships that do not have a Suite Lounge.
Ships without a Suite Lounge include all Radiance-class ships, all Vision-class ships, the Voyager-class Explorer of the Seas, and the three oldest Quantum-class vessels, Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, and Ovation of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean said it wanted to “standardize” lounge access because entry into the VIP areas had been variable, based on the overall guest count onboard each ship and the number of loyalty guests sailing. Those factors prevented uniformity in lounge capacity and access levels across the fleet.
The Concierge Lounge is a popular perk for loyalty program members and suite guests because the exclusive space offers continental breakfasts and open bar and hors d’oeuvres each evening, along with certain concierge services such as assistance with specialty dining reservations, the pre-ordering of dinner wines, and the booking of spa treatments, for example. The private lounge is available to qualifying guests 24 hours a day.
