Are you someone who is “loyal to Royal”? If so, then you are likely already a member of the cruise line’s Crown & Anchor Society.
While it sounds like some secret club at a private college, Crown & Anchor is Royal Caribbean’s loyalty rewards program. Anyone can be a member and earn points for taking cruises. The more points you earn, the higher your status on the ship, which leads to more benefits and rewards.
Put simply, if you like to sail with Royal Caribbean, then the program can grant you all sorts of freebies like special gifts, discounts, and even free cruises.
Still, there is much more to know about the ins and outs of the program, including questions that many people have about how it works.
For more details on the Crown & Anchor Society and answers to frequently-asked questions, we have you covered below…
In This Article...
What Is the Crown & Anchor Society?
Crown & Anchor is the name of Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program for its cruise guests. With each cruise taken, passengers earn points with the program. The more points earned, the higher the status level within Crown & Anchor.
Earn high enough status and you can receive a number of freebies, rewards, and benefits. The perks can include everything from special discounts and rates on cruises to invites to member-only functions to free drinks, free cruises, and more.
Why Should I Join the Program? How Do I Sign Up?
Frankly, there is no reason not to sign up for Crown & Anchor. There is no cost to enroll, and you have the ability to earn a number of perks without doing anything extra. After all, if you’re going to be taking a cruise anyway, then you may as well be rewarded for doing so.
If you want to sign up, you actually don’t even have to do anything. New U.S. guests are automatically enrolled after their first cruise with Royal Caribbean. If you have sailed before on Royal Caribbean but aren’t a member, then you can call the company at 1-800-526-9723 (outside the U.S./Canada: 541-285-9723).
As well, you can visit the Loyalty Ambassador on your cruise to sign up. Just ask Guest Services for the location once onboard.
How Do I Earn Points?
It’s extremely simple to earn points toward status. All you have to do is take cruises. Members are awarded one point for every night sailed. So if you sail a seven-night cruise, then you earn seven points. A three-night trip is worth three points.
There is one tweak to know — you earn double points if you sail in suite accommodations. So book a suite on a week-long cruise and you’ll earn 14 points instead of just seven.
In addition, we have seen promotions from Royal Caribbean from time to time that award double points for any sailing as an incentive to book.
Do Points Expire or Does Status Level Fall?
No. There is no mention of points expiring or losing status due to not sailing the cruise line for an extended period. In fact, we personally have points going back nearly a decade from past cruises.
Obviously it can take years to build up enough points to earn the higher status levels. Having points that expire would make this incredibly difficult to do. Thankfully, it’s not something members have to worry about.
What Status Levels Are There in the Crown & Anchor Society?
In total, there are six levels within Crown & Anchor. Each level comes with more benefits. All members start out at Gold level, with the highest rank being the Pinnacle Club.
- Gold (3 Points): The first level of the Crown & Anchor program, which is awarded after sailing three nights.
- Platinum (30 Points): Sail 30 nights — or 15 in a suite — and reach Platinum status aboard the ship.
- Emerald (55 Points): It takes 55 points to reach Emerald status, or nearly two months on the ship in a typical cabin.
- Diamond (80 Points): After 80 points you reach Diamond status, which is where the benefits really begin to ramp up.
- Diamond Plus (175 Points): Spend nearly six months on a Royal Caribbean ship and you’ll reach Diamond Plus. Here, you get early access to theaters, personalized gifts, and more.
- Pinnacle Club (700 Points): The highest level in the Crown & Anchor Society is the Pinnacle Club. It takes “only” about two years of sailing in a balcony cabin to reach this level.
What Are the Crown & Anchor Society Benefits?
No matter what level you reach, there are some benefits awarded to your status. Obviously, the higher your level, the more perks and rewards that you will see.
For instance, members who are Diamond level and above now receive drink vouchers for daily drinks at bars around the ship. Pinnacle Club members receive certificates for free cruises. And Platinum level and above receive robes to use on the ship.
Below is a list of benefits by status level. Keep in mind that benefits may change from time to time.
Note: As of August 24, 2021 Royal Caribbean also offers free drinks for Diamond members and above:
“We’re excited to now offer our Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members beverage vouchers for drinks up to $13. Each day of the cruise, Diamond members receive four vouchers, Diamond Plus members receive five vouchers, and Pinnacle Club members receive six vouchers. These can be used at any bar, at any time, in the Diamond Lounge during Happy Hour or in our private destinations. Consider it happy hour all day long!”
Do I Get Special Fares for Being a Member?
Yes. One of the perks listed is “Crown & Anchor Exclusive Rates” for cruises. This applies to all members from Gold through Pinnacle Club. This does not mean you’ll get a discount off of every cruise. The terms and conditions says it applies only to “specific ship and sail dates.”
In addition, Platinum level and above can see discounts on balcony and suite cabins as a benefit of being a member.
What if I Reach a New Status During a Cruise?
So say you have 25 points in the Crown & Anchor Society and are booked on a seven-day sailing. At the end of the trip, you’ll have 32 points, putting you in the Platinum category. How does that work regarding your benefits and status? Do you get them mid-trip?
Royal Caribbean is clear that “next tier benefits will be applied on the following sailing after points status has been earned.”
In other words, you only get the benefits of being in a higher status tier on your next sailing.
Do I Earn Points for Booked Cruises?
Have several cruises booked and hope that it bumps up your status level? That’s not the case. With the Crown & Anchor Society, points are earned after the sailing is completed.
“Cruise Points are awarded to the guest whose name is entered into the reservation at the time of booking and completes the sailing.”
So if you have enough trips booked to be in a higher status but have yet to actually sail the days, then you won’t earn points for the trips just yet.
What if I Have a Past Cruise Without Points?
Have you sailed with Royal Caribbean in the past, yet don’t have the points showing in your Crown & Anchor membership? In that case, it’s a good idea to contact the cruise line.
Royal Caribbean’s website said that “requests to add missing cruise points may be submitted up to 12 months after the debarkation date of your sailing.”
Even if you have a past trip that’s beyond one year ago, it certainly doesn’t hurt to contact the cruise line and ask about receiving credit.
How Do I Contact the Crown & Anchor Society?
Have a question about the program? You can contact Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program via the following channels:
- Phone (U.S./Canada): 1-800-526-9723
- Phone (Outside U.S./Canada): 541-285-9723
- Email: crownandanchor@rccl.com
Does Status Apply to Other Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines like Celebrity?
Royal Caribbean is a sister line to other cruise lines owned by its parent company, namely Celebrity Cruises.
One nice perk is that your status can extend to the other cruise lines. So your status earned on Royal Caribbean also applies to Celebrity. And the status earned on Celebrity can move over to Royal. You’ll want to call the cruise line for details on how to attain your status.
Note that points earned on Celebrity won’t translate over to Royal Caribbean. So if you have 50 points on Royal Caribbean and sail for a week on a Celebrity cruise, you won’t then have 57 points on Royal Caribbean after the trip.
You can read more about the Crown & Anchor Society here.
