Royal Caribbean Group (you know, the bigger group, not the specific cruise line) has just dropped a major update to its loyalty program that could change how we earn (and use) points across its family of cruise brands…
During the company’s latest earnings call, CEO Jason Liberty announced Points Choice – a new feature that will let cruisers earn loyalty points on any Royal Caribbean Group ship and apply them to the program of their choice.
That means whether you sail with Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, or Silversea, you’ll soon have the flexibility to credit your sailing to whichever brand’s loyalty program you prefer.
My full review of Oasis of the Seas – (2024 Edition)
The end of the loyalty silo
Until now, each brand kept its loyalty programs separate.
If you sailed Royal Caribbean, you earned points for the Crown & Anchor Society.
Hop over to Celebrity Cruises, and you’d start fresh with the Captain’s Club.
Silversea? A completely different tally under the Venetian Society.
While status matching was introduced in 2024 – meaning your tier carried across all three brands – your points did not.
That’s about to change.
How Royal Caribbean Points Choice Works
Launching in early 2026, Points Choice will allow guests to choose which brand’s loyalty program their points go to – no matter which cruise line they’re sailing with.
For example, if you’re a loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser (say, Diamond status) and you decide to try a Celebrity cruise, you’ll earn points on that Celebrity sailing – and then you can choose whether those points go toward your Crown & Anchor Society or Captain’s Club account.
The only catch?
You can’t retroactively move existing points you’ve already earned. Points Choice will apply only to cruises departing after the program’s launch date.
Loyalty benefits and tiers themselves won’t change, and the Status Match program remains in place – so your matching levels will still sync automatically across all three brands.
So, is it any good?
From a business point of view, it’s a clever move. Royal Caribbean Group is making it easier for guests to explore its sister brands without feeling like they’re “starting over.” That builds customer loyalty across the entire portfolio and, realistically, encourages more cruising overall.
From a cruiser’s point of view? It’s a win… Mostly.
If you’re someone who’s loyal to Royal Caribbean, you can cruise with Celebrity Cruises and still make progress toward your next Crown & Anchor milestone.
But it does make me wonder: why make us choose which account to apply the points to at all?
Won’t most of us just dump them into whichever program we’re furthest along in?
Are cruise loyalty programs worth it?
Royal Caribbean’s Missed Opportunity
If the company really wanted to make things seamless, why not merge everything into a single, unified account — one loyalty number that tracks all your nights across Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Silversea?
Each brand could still keep its own personality and perks, but your status would grow collectively. That would make earning feel more transparent and rewarding, and less like a juggling act between three overlapping programs.
Still, Points Choice is a step in the right direction – and a welcome one for anyone who’s ever eyed up a different Royal Caribbean Group ship but didn’t want to start their loyalty journey from scratch.
I’ll be watching closely to see how the details shake out before its launch in 2026 – especially how exchange rates and eligibility will work between brands. But one thing’s for sure: for those of us who like to mix up our cruising style, Royal Caribbean Group just made that a whole lot more tempting.
