Does Your Cruise Loyalty Club Actually Benefit You?

All cruise lines are keen to get customers back on board their ships once they have taken their first cruise. To help this they all have their individual loyalty schemes, most of which were in place many years before the likes of Tesco Clubcard points and the Boots Advantage card. Most loyalty tiers are measured on how many nights you’ve spent on board or the number of cruises taken. The benefits vary hugely between each cruise company. Some of the benefits for repeat customers include reduced fares, priority check-in, cabin upgrades, onboard credit, access to special events or private functions such as cocktail receptions, complimentary Wi-Fi, free laundry service, or goodies such as choco­late cov­ered straw­ber­ries or welcome-aboard champagne. Once you build up enough points, you might even earn a free cruise.

One cruise line that has been promoting it’s loyalty ‘status match’ recently is MSC. They invite you to enroll in their loyalty program and start enjoying benefits even if you haven’t been on a cruise before. If you are a member of an airline or hotel rewards program, or indeed another cruise line’s loyalty scheme they will match the loyalty level you are at. This immediately entitles you to a at least a 5% discount when booking a cruise with them & possibly more. You can read more about it and how to join here.

Celebrity offer a free cabin category upgrade for past passengers and once you get to Elite level you get a complimentary 240-minute Internet package, complimentary drinks, discounts on specialty restaurants, access to the Persian Garden spa and more. if you have sailed with Royal Caribbean previously you get a loyalty discount, but only on balcony cabins and above. On achieving Diamond member status you also get access to the Diamond lounge with free drinks at certain times. These sister lines also have a reciprocal agreement where the loyalty level is transferred between the 2 companies.

With P&O there are six tiers. Benefits in the Caribbean Tier, for example, include priority boarding, a private welcome reception on board and 10% savings on all purchases in the ship’s bars, shops, spas, salon and on-shore excursions. They also tend to offer a 5% early booking discount, applicable for a few weeks after their launch dates.

With Norwegian Cruise Line the benefits include priority boarding, discounts in duty-free shops, free wifi, an exclusive cocktail party & onboard credit on select sailings. Members of the top tiers receive a complimentary dinner for two at one of the a la carte restaurants on board. Members in the highest tier can earn a complimentary 7-day cruise.

Remember –  some cruise lines don’t automatically add you on to the scheme. You must enroll yourself, so don’t miss out!

To see more details about each individual cruise line loyalty program click here.

 

 


About Me

Hi There!  My name is Collette and as the blog suggests I am a big lover of cruising and have travel in my blood. I have worked in the travel industry for 25 years, starting as a holiday rep in Turkey back in 1993. After 4 years I returned to the…

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