Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines had some very positive news for their loyal Crown & Anchor Society members this week as the benefits and amenities for tier members were upgraded.
Members will especially benefit from additional complimentary beverages, which is most welcome as the company recently increased the price for beverage packages significantly.
It has not been a very positive few months as both Royal Caribbean as well as its sister company Celebrity Cruises have cut down onboard services, selection of beverage packages and simultaneously increased pricing for the remaining models.
Royal Caribbean has informed its members with an email about new changes as of February 28th:
Dear Loyal Members,
In case you missed it, we recently announced exciting benefit updates. From stylish new amenities to additional savings for our valued members. Be on the lookout for exciting celebrations and activities as we continue to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Crown & Anchor Society. We can’t wait to reveal what we have in store!
Emerald Members and Above:
SAY HELLO TO MORE WATER
We’re thrilled to announce you’ll no longer have to pre-select your welcome beverage prior to your sailing. You will now receive additional complimentary water bottles in your stateroom in place of the welcome beverage benefit — so you can stay hydrated everywhere you go. The complimentary waters benefit will begin March 10, 2023.
Diamond Members and Above:
CRYSTAL BLOCKS, NOW IN COLOR
This spring, we’ll debut brand new, full-color crystal blocks! We’ll be saying goodbye to current designs over the next several months as we transition to our new look. Members receive their first crystal block at 140 cruise points and earn subsequent blocks for every 70 points thereafter.
UNCORK MORE SAVINGS
Raise a glass and toast to deliciously crafted complimentary cocktails up to $14* or a tempting discount on your favorite bottle of wine — 20% off bottles over $100 and 40% off bottles under $100. The discounted wine benefit will take effect starting March 10, 2023.
*(Sailings out of Singapore, the beverage value is $13. Sailings out of Australia have a beverage value of $15)
Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Members:
NEW AMENITIES NOW AVAILABLE
Your favorite amenities are back in stock — plus we’ve added new ones! We’re introducing stylish new toiletry bags and upgraded totes to help you pack for your next adventure. These new amenities will become available starting March 10, 2023.
Beverages can be pricey on board cruise ships, at least if they’re obtained as part of beverage packages if not already included in the cruise fare as part of an all-inclusive package.
Every cruise line has a slightly different way of rewarding their loyalty members of higher rank with a variety of complimentary beverages which is of course only a benefit if your fare doesn’t already include the aforementioned packages.
There is also a list of benefits that Diamond Plus & Pinnacle members can pick from based on the number of loyalty points in their account:
Some nice options are available on this list, and I’m quite glad that it’s not just a mandatory selection of some alcohol amenity.
Here is a comprehensive benefit chart for the entire RCL Crown and Anchor Society:
There are some interesting points on the chart where it comes to the new benefits. Of course, these pins and crystal blocks that are given to members to highlight their newly obtained membership level is just novelty nonsense. Nobody really needs these things, and would you really wear a pin displaying status or display a crystal brick in places like your office?
But these onboard benefits are a different matter. Diamonds and above have access to the Diamond Lounge with an “Exclusive Nightly Happy Hour” for Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members The event will take place between the hours of 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm in the Diamond lounge and will include complimentary hors d’oeuvres.
Additionally, guests may redeem their complimentary drink vouchers during this event even though these drink vouchers can also be used at any other bar onboard. While officially on the chart, RCL had previously (during Covid and beyond) discontinued the happy hour at the lounge and instead refer members to use their coupons loaded on the sea pass card throughout the day.
Platinum and Emerald members can enjoy 50% off Starbucks beverages while Diamonds and above are directed to the Diamond Lounge and consume for free. I’m not exactly sure what is being served there right now as I’ve only sailed with Celebrity the past four years but if it’s something basic I’d rather pay a 50% discounted beverage at a real coffee shop.
In comparison to Celebrity Cruises I think that Royal Caribbean treat their Elite members much better and since the two companies offer a status match Celebrity CC Elite <> RCL Diamond I feel that I should try them soon and see how it suits me.
Conclusion
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has improved benefits for their Crown & Anchor Society members, especially those of higher rank. Members will now enjoy additional beverage amenities, which can come in quite handy for those who don’t already profit from a beverage package.
The benefits of these cruise loyalty programs are a bit of a double-edged sword because in order to really profit from the benefits after a long history of cruising you should not have any inclusions otherwise they are moot as pretty much everything is already included on board.
Are you a member of the RCCL Crown & Anchor Society?