Some of the best benefits Royal Caribbean gives its most loyal customers begin at the Diamond tier.
Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program, the Crown and Anchor Society, has a few different tiers with great benefits. However, the Diamond tier is noticeably the most sought-after tier to reach, and for good reasons.
Once you reach 80 cruise points with Royal Caribbean you will be at the Diamond tier and this is when the well-worth loyalty benefits begin, and there are a variety of different ways to enhance your cruise once you hit Diamond status.
No need to worry about enrolling in the loyalty program since you are automatically enrolled when you start cruising with Royal Caribbean and will accrue cruise points.
Re-think buying the drink package
While a Royal Caribbean drink package can be a good value and an amazing treat, sometimes as a Diamond member it may not make sense to purchase the drink package.
Royal Caribbean offers four complimentary drinks each day to each Diamond member up to $14 each. This is a big savings, especially if you are cruising with your partner then it can add up to $112 of free drinks each day of your cruise.
A pro tip is for each guest of drinking age to bring a bottle of wine or champagne from home onboard to have at dinner. On embarkation day, each guest is allowed to bring one sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne.
Also, being Diamond status you get a complimentary non-alcoholic specialty coffee beverage (excludes Starbucks) when you buy a specialty restaurant dinner. This is a nice bonus since those delicious lattes can be pricy nowadays, at sea and on land! Another nice benefit is access to the Diamond Lounge's fresh brewed coffee and cappuccinos. I enjoy a nice cappuccino over the standard free coffee guests can get in other areas onboard.
It is worth noting to make sure to ask your waiter to add your Diamond drink vouchers when ordering your free drinks. This also applies to any loyalty discount you use.
More savings on drinks as Diamond status are two 50% off vouchers for the purchase of any glass of wine, beer, or soda and the one time per sailing 20% percent voucher off any glass of wine, beer, or soda.
After all of these savings, I find myself buying the rest of my drinks with my SeaPass card and I actually save money skipping the drink package, that way I can spend the saved money on an excursion or a cooking class instead. But of course, if you are drinking enough each day, the deluxe drinking package can be a good value for you.
Take advantage of balcony and suite discounts
Being Diamond tier you get a greater discount on balcony and suite cabins. This may sway your decision on booking an inside cabin vs a balcony cabin.
You can save up to $125 on 3-5 night sailings, $225 on 6-9 night sailings, and $325 on 10+ night sailings.
To get the best deal book your cruise more than 6 months in advance, the savings drop when you sail within 6 months of your booking date.
Attend exclusive events
There are a couple of onboard events you can attend as a Diamond member. These include a top tier event on sailings 5 nights or more for Platinum loyalty tier (30 cruise points) and above and a nightly happy hour in the Diamond lounge exclusively for Diamond guests which has light appetizers and a social ambiance.
The Diamond Lounge is also open during the day so you can go in and enjoy a coffee or tea at any time. In the lounge, there is a Diamond Concierge to assist with any special needs or requests during your sailing, which can be helpful when lines are long at guest services.
At the top tier event, you will get a speech from the Captain, Hotel Director, and Cruise Director, while enjoying a complimentary glass of champagne. They recognize new Pinnacle members and top cruisers onboard.
Also on sailings 5 nights or more, there is an Up Close & Personal with Our Entertainment Family Event. These events are something new to try onboard and I recommend checking it out if you haven't yet.
Read more: 11 of our favorite under-the-radar Crown & Anchor perks
Make sure to get a photo
I always make sure to stop at a photo opportunity onboard or at a port to let the talented photographers take a photo since Diamond members receive a complimentary photo from your existing printed photo selection.
This perk is another per person perk so if you are with your partner you will get two free photos. Prices can be $20 or more for certain photo sizes so this also can be great savings if you are looking for photos to take home.
Use the ship internet
Diamond guests get one free day of Voom internet or price equivalent discount on any onboard internet package for one device.
With this, you have a day to connect with family back home or check in. It is nice to have this on a sea day so you get one full day of access.
Use free casino credits
I am not a huge gambler, but I sure will take a free $6 in free play credits for the casino on the ship.
You can use this at the slot machines and it cannot be used towards table games. You never know - you could turn that $6 into $200!
Read more: I gambled enough in Royal Caribbean's casino to get free drinks and a cruise
Youth Benefits
If you have children with you, they share the same tier as you, as their parent until they turn 18. Most Diamond perks are aimed at adults but there are a few perks your kids can get that will save you money. These perks include:
- 50% off one scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream on ships that feature Ben & Jerry's onboard. Valid twice per sailing.
- 4 free daily non-alcoholic drinks up to $14 (excludes Starbucks)
- 1 free day of SURF+STREAM internet
- Buy one get one free movie rental in your stateroom
Bottom line
There are more Diamond benefits you can take advantage of but these are some great highlights that can enhance your Royal Caribbean cruise!
If you are someone who sticks with Royal Caribbean exclusively then it is achievable to reach Diamond status. You need to reach 80 cruise points to get to the Diamond tier, you get one point for every night you sail in a regular stateroom and two points for each night in a suite.
If you do the quick math, if you take a seven-night cruise once a year in a cabin that isn't a suite, it will take you 12 years to reach Diamond. Of course, if you book a suite it will be half the time since you get double cruise points.
Being a Diamond member makes cruising on Royal Caribbean even more appealing with the great perks that come along with the status. Diamond Plus is the next loyalty tier to reach above Diamond needing 175 cruise points and the benefits become even greater.
Read more: The cost benefits of Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society onboard discounts
