Cruisers who are fans of Southwest Airlines received an early holiday gift this year when the airline announced a new partnership with World Travel Holidays, the largest cruise agency in the US.
The new collaboration introduces Southwest Cruises, allowing guests to book cruise vacations directly through its new website, powered by World Travel Holdings.
Members of Southwest Rapid Rewards program can now earn points by booking voyages on major cruise lines like MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line. The points accumulated through these bookings can be redeemed on Southwest Airlines’ flights.
“Customers told us that cruises are one of the top travel experiences that they’re looking for, and our new partnership with World Travel Holdings gives customers access to all major cruise lines to complement the travel with Southwest,” says Phil Gouel, vice president of product development for Southwest Airlines.
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He added, “This partnership also gives our loyal Rapid Rewards Members new ways to earn points,” with cruisers eligible to earn points for every dollar spent on cruise bookings.
George Andreopoulos, vice president of business development at World Travel Holdings, expressed excitement over the new partnership.
“Southwest Cruises represents a unique opportunity for Rapid Rewards Members to combine their love of flying with unforgettable cruise vacations,” he said.
Southwest now provides another airline partnership for cruise bookings, joining Delta Airlines’ Delta SkyMiles Cruises, American Airlines Cruises, and United Airlines’ Cruises.
Rapid Rewards at Sea
To participate in the Southwest Cruises program, passengers must be enrolled in the Southwest Rapid Rewards program. Members earn one point for each dollar spent on the base price of their cruise, excluding additional fees such as port charges, taxes, and insurance.
This means if booking a $1,000 cruise through Southwest Cruises, a guest could earn 1,000 Rapid Rewards points. This points-earning opportunity is available for all cruises departing on or before December 31, 2026.
In addition to the base point earnings, Southwest Cruises will also offer promotions to allow members to earn additional bonus points on certain sailings or stateroom categories.
Frequent flyers with Southwest Airlines can use their Rapid Rewards points to earn free flights, with the number of points depending on the fare price. Typically, according to loyalty analysts, every point is worth about 1.4 cents, so a $300 flight would need approximately 21,429 points.
Southwest Airlines flies to several major US port cities, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, Seattle, Baltimore, Galveston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
It’s important to note that while Southwest Rapid Rewards points can be used for flights and other rewards, they cannot be used directly to purchase cruises.
Additionally, passengers who are members of cruise line loyalty programs will miss out on earning points on cruises if they purchase cruises through this new web portal, rather than earning points per night and bonuses offered by cruise lines.
Cruise line loyalty programs, such as Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society and Carnival Cruise Line’s Very Important Fun Person (VIFP), offer a variety of benefits, such as rewarding frequent passengers with priority boarding, cabin upgrades, and discounts on onboard services.
