The best cruise loyalty programs reward you for nights at sea, not just for spending, and the most generous top tiers in 2026 belong to Royal Caribbean (Pinnacle Club), Celebrity (Zenith and its new Double and Triple Zenith levels) and Norwegian (Ambassador). Carnival has moved to a spend-based system, Carnival Rewards, since September 1, 2026, while MSC remains the easiest line for a status match. Below, eight cruise loyalty programs are compared side by side, with tiers, thresholds, top perks and what changed this year.
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Cruise loyalty programs compared at a glance
Thresholds are the points, credits or sailings needed to reach each tier.
| Cruise line / program | How you earn | Tiers (threshold) | Headline top-tier perk | Status match? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival – Carnival Rewards | 3 Stars per $1 on eligible fares and onboard spend | Red (sign-up), Gold 10,000, Platinum 50,000, Diamond 100,000 Stars over a two-year window | Guaranteed dining time, laundry, captain’s event invitation | No |
| Royal Caribbean – Crown & Anchor Society | 1 point per night, +1 for a suite, +1 sailing solo | Gold 3, Platinum 30, Emerald 55, Diamond 80, Diamond Plus 175, Pinnacle Club 700 | 6 daily drinks, free internet, suite lounge access, cruise certificates | Within Royal Caribbean Group |
| Celebrity – Captain’s Club | 2 to 24 points per night by stateroom; solo travelers earn double | Preview, Classic, Select 150, Elite 300, Elite Plus 750, Zenith 3,000, Double Zenith 6,000, Triple Zenith 9,000 | Free 7-night cruise at Zenith; Sky Suite cruise at Triple Zenith | Within Royal Caribbean Group |
| Norwegian – Latitudes Rewards | 1 point per night, 2 in suites and The Haven | Bronze 1, Silver 20, Gold 45, Platinum 75, Sapphire 150, Diamond 350, Ambassador 700 | Free 7-night balcony cruise for two | Honored on Oceania and Regent |
| MSC – Voyagers Club | Points by nights, cabin, experience and onboard spend | Welcome, Classic, Silver 2,200, Gold 4,300, Diamond 10,000, Blue Diamond 25,000 | Priority everything, free specialty dinner, Wi-Fi at Blue Diamond | Yes, from 50+ cruise and hotel programs |
| Disney – Castaway Club | Completed sailings | Silver 1, Gold 5, Platinum 10, Pearl 25 | Earliest booking windows, Palo dinner, photo package at Pearl | No |
| Princess – Captain’s Circle | Cruises or cruise days, whichever is faster; suites and solo count double | Gold 1 cruise, Ruby 3 / 30 days, Platinum 5 / 50 days, Elite 15 / 150 days | Free laundry, mini-bar setup, priority tender | No |
| Holland America – Mariner Society | 1 credit per day, double in suites, +1 per $300 onboard spend | One-Star (1 cruise), Two-Star 30, Three-Star 75, Four-Star 200, Five-Star 500 | Two specialty dinners, spa thermal pass, free laundry | No |
Carnival Rewards: the biggest 2026 change
Carnival retired its long-running VIFP Club and launched Carnival Rewards on September 1, 2026 (the start was pushed back from an earlier June date). The old system counted cruise days; the new one is based on what you spend.
- Earning: 3 Status Qualifying Stars and 3 Rewards points per dollar on eligible cruise fares and onboard purchases. Taxes, port fees and some fare types do not count. Casino play and the new Carnival Rewards Mastercard also earn.
- Tiers: Red (on enrollment), Gold (10,000 Stars, roughly $3,333 of spend), Platinum (50,000, about $16,667) and Diamond (100,000, about $33,333).
- Requalifying: status is no longer lifetime. The first qualifying window runs from September 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028, then every two years after that.
- Perks: Gold gets a free drink on sailings of five days or more; Platinum adds priority check-in and boarding, a second drink and wash-and-fold laundry; Diamond adds a guaranteed main dining time and a captain’s event. Points can be redeemed for things such as specialty dining, spa and shore excursions.
Long-time VIFP Diamonds who reached Diamond before the switch keep Diamond for life, and former Platinums receive a 10,000-Star boost each cycle so they never fall below Gold.
Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society
Crown & Anchor is still a simple nights-based program: 1 point per night, plus 1 bonus point per night in a suite and another for sailing solo. Points never expire.
The sweet spot is Diamond (80 points), which unlocks the Diamond Lounge and four complimentary drinks a day. Diamond Plus (175) raises that to five drinks, adds a free laundry bag on cruises of five nights or more and, as of mid-2026, a single supplement reduced to 150% of the double fare. Pinnacle Club (700) brings six drinks, unlimited internet for one device, suite lounge access and cruise certificates at milestone point totals.
The big 2026 news is Points Choice: for sailings departing from January 30, 2026, you can send points earned on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Silversea to any one of those three programs, using published exchange rates. You must request it within 14 days of the cruise ending. If you are deciding between Royal and its main rival, our Royal Caribbean vs Norwegian Cruise Line comparison looks at the ships and onboard experience as well.
Celebrity Captain’s Club: new Double and Triple Zenith tiers
Celebrity rewards cabin choice more than any other mainstream line. You earn 2 points per night in an inside or ocean-view cabin, 3 in a veranda, 5 in Concierge Class or AquaClass, and from 8 up to 24 points per night in suites. Solo travelers paying the single supplement earn double.
- Elite (300 points): daily Captain’s Club drinks in the early evening, Elite breakfast and priority tendering.
- Elite Plus (750): more laundry, bigger discounts and free Premium Wi-Fi minutes. Since June 11, 2026, new milestones at 1,500 and 2,250 points add more Wi-Fi time (480 and 720 minutes), 20% to 25% off specialty dining and free photos.
- Zenith (3,000): unlimited premium internet, laundry including pressing, a premium beverage package and a free 7-night Caribbean or Bermuda cruise.
- Double Zenith (6,000, new): a specialty-restaurant lunch on embarkation day of each cruise, plus a dinner and champagne on the milestone sailing.
- Triple Zenith (9,000, new): all of the above plus a complimentary 7-night Caribbean or Bermuda cruise in a Sky Suite.
Because suites earn so heavily, Celebrity is where suite guests can climb fastest. Note that Celebrity has also been tweaking Concierge Class itself; see how Celebrity swapped Concierge Class canapés for free room service.
Norwegian Latitudes Rewards
Norwegian awards 1 point per night, or 2 per night in suites, The Haven and some Latitudes Insider offers (Club Balcony Suites excluded). There are seven tiers, from Bronze after your first cruise up to Ambassador at 700 points.
Mid tiers are mostly about discounts on photos, spa, shore excursions and internet, plus priority services from Platinum (75 points). Diamond (350) adds a one-time cabin upgrade. The headline reward is at Ambassador: a free 7-night balcony cruise for two. Since October 2025, Norwegian’s parent company honors your tier on Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (and vice versa) at the closest matching level, on a per-cruise basis. Points cannot be moved between the brands.
MSC Voyagers Club
MSC’s points are based on nights sailed, cabin category, fare experience and eligible onboard spending, with double points for some bookings made 12 months or more ahead.
Gold (4,300 points) adds a thermal area session, priority tender disembarkation and bathrobe and slippers. Diamond (10,000) brings priority boarding, late check-out and a free specialty dinner. The top tier, Blue Diamond (25,000), adds dedicated luggage drop-off, priority for cabin upgrades, “My Choice” dining and a complimentary Wi-Fi package for one device; it can only be earned by sailing. Membership stays active as long as you cruise at least once every five years. For help choosing a ship, see our MSC ships ranked by real customer reviews.
Disney Castaway Club
Disney counts completed sailings rather than nights: Silver after one cruise, Gold at 5, Platinum at 10 and Pearl at 25. The biggest perks are booking windows. Pearl members can reserve activities and dining 123 days before sailing and check in online 40 days out, compared with 75 and 30 days for first-time guests, which matters a lot for popular Palo brunches and spa slots.
Platinum adds a complimentary Palo dinner for the stateroom, and Pearl adds an unlimited digital photo package. Status lapses if you do not book or sail within five years of your last cruise.
Princess Captain’s Circle
Princess counts whichever comes first, cruises or cruise days. That makes it unusually friendly to people who take short trips: three cruises get you Ruby and five get you Platinum, even if they were all short getaways. A full suite or a solo sailing at the single-occupancy fare counts as two cruises.
Platinum (5 cruises or 50 days) unlocks 50% off a MedallionNet Wi-Fi package and a disembarkation lounge. Elite (15 cruises or 150 days) adds free laundry, a one-time mini-bar setup, afternoon tea in your cabin, a wine tasting and priority tender and disembarkation.
Holland America Mariner Society
Holland America gives one credit per day sailed, doubles credits in suites and adds one bonus credit per $300 of eligible onboard spending (capped at the length of the cruise). Tiers run from One-Star after your first cruise to Five-Star at 500 credits.
Four-Star (200) is where it gets valuable: free laundry and pressing, priority check-in and tendering, and 50% off specialty restaurant cover charges. Five-Star (500) adds two complimentary specialty dinners, a Greenhouse Spa thermal suite pass each cruise and a small internet credit. A newer perk gives up to $400 of onboard spending money per stateroom when you book within 90 days of a new season launch. Want to know which ships to pick for those credits? Here are Holland America ships ranked by customer reviews.
Cruise status match and reciprocal benefits
A cruise status match lets you skip the early tiers. Here is where things stand in October 2026:
- MSC Cruises is the most open. It matches status from around 55 cruise, hotel and travel programs (including Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt), up to Diamond. You get one request per lifetime, and Blue Diamond cannot be matched.
- Royal Caribbean Group (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea) matches within the group through the Loyalty Match section of the app. For example, a Crown & Anchor Diamond is linked to Elite in Captain’s Club. Combined with Points Choice, this is the closest thing to a shared program among major cruise lines.
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings honors status across Norwegian, Oceania and Regent, sailing by sailing.
- Carnival Corporation brands (Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Seabourn and others) each run separate programs with no cross-brand match or points sharing. A Carnival Diamond starts at the bottom with Princess.
- Disney does not offer a status match.
Which is the best cruise loyalty program for you?
There is no single winner; it depends on how you cruise:
- Frequent mainstream cruisers: Royal Caribbean’s Diamond tier offers the best everyday value with free drinks and a lounge, and Points Choice lets you mix in Celebrity sailings.
- Suite guests: Celebrity’s per-night points in suites make Zenith reachable much faster, and the new Double and Triple Zenith tiers reward long-term loyalty.
- Short-cruise fans: Princess counts each cruise, so weekend getaways climb you quickly.
- Brand switchers: start with MSC, where a status match can give you Gold or Diamond perks on your first sailing.
- Big spenders on Carnival: the new spend-based Carnival Rewards favors people who book pricier cabins and spend onboard.
One tip most comparisons miss: compare the value of a perk against what you would actually buy. Free laundry and daily drinks are worth far more to someone on a 10-night cruise than to someone on a three-night getaway. And because loyalty perks usually sit on top of fare promotions rather than replacing them, it still pays to watch for cruise deals for 2027 before you book.
For a deeper look at one programme, see our guide to Celebrity Captain's Club levels and benefits, including how points are earned per night.
Loyalty status is only one route to a better room; our guide to how to upgrade your cruise cabin after booking also covers upgrade bids, price drops and onboard offers.
If you spend time in the onboard casino, it is worth learning how free casino cruises work, because casino tiers run separately from the standard past-guest programmes compared here.
FAQs
Which cruise line has the best loyalty program?
For most travelers, Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society offers the best everyday value from Diamond upward, while Celebrity’s Captain’s Club rewards suite guests best. Princess is easiest to climb if you take short cruises.
Which cruise lines offer a status match?
MSC Cruises matches status from other cruise lines and hotel programs. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea match status within their group, and Norwegian, Oceania and Regent honor each other’s tiers. Carnival Corporation brands and Disney do not offer status matching.
Does Carnival still have VIFP?
No. VIFP was replaced by Carnival Rewards on September 1, 2026. Status is now earned through spending (3 Stars per dollar) and must be requalified every two years, although existing Diamonds keep their status for life.
Can I combine Royal Caribbean and Celebrity points?
Partly. Since January 30, 2026, Points Choice lets you send the points from each Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Silversea sailing to one program of your choice, using set exchange rates. You must request this within 14 days of the cruise ending.
Do cruise loyalty points expire?
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian points currently do not expire. MSC requires a cruise every five years, Disney status lapses after five years without sailing, and Carnival Rewards status must be requalified every two years.
