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Does loyalty status transfer set your Celebrity status permanently, or temporarily?


JLMoran

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OK, I know from the other posts here that your C&A status on Royal is transferred over to Celebrity or Azamara when booking a cruise with them. I've also read that your nights on that Celebrity / Azamara sailing won't transfer back to Royal, which makes sense.

But when the status from Royal is transferred, is that a permanent thing, or only for that sailing? The flow in my head is like this:

  • I've never sailed on X
  • I'm Emerald on Royal, and I book my first X cruise
  • I now start with X at their Emerald equivalent
  • Nights on X sailings immediately start counting towards the next loyalty ranking with X
  • I do another 4 sailings on X for a total of 28 days and now I'm bumped up to the Diamond equivalent (assuming the points for each X rank are the same, at 55 days to start at Emerald equivalent, plus 25 more to hit Diamond)

Is that right? Or is it this way?

  • I've never sailed on X
  • I'm Emerald on Royal, and I book a cruise with X
  • For that sailing, I'm treated as X Emerald equivalent, but I don't actually have that rank with X and I'm building loyalty on them from zero
  • My Emerald rank from Royal keeps carrying over with my future X bookings, but...
  • I don't actually hit the Diamond equivalent on X until I've done the full 80 nights or whatever they require

And in both cases, if I happen to hit Diamond on Royal before I hit the equivalent on X, the new rank will carry over to my next X booking?

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1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

OK, I know from the other posts here that your C&A status on Royal is transferred over to Celebrity or Azamara when booking a cruise with them. I've also read that your nights on that Celebrity / Azamara sailing won't transfer back to Royal, which makes sense.

But when the status from Royal is transferred, is that a permanent thing, or only for that sailing? The flow in my head is like this:

  • I've never sailed on X
  • I'm Emerald on Royal, and I book my first X cruise
  • I now start with X at their Emerald equivalent
  • Nights on X sailings immediately start counting towards the next loyalty ranking with X
  • I do another 4 sailings on X for a total of 28 days and now I'm bumped up to the Diamond equivalent (assuming the points for each X rank are the same, at 55 days to start at Emerald equivalent, plus 25 more to hit Diamond)

Is that right? Or is it this way?

  • I've never sailed on X
  • I'm Emerald on Royal, and I book a cruise with X
  • For that sailing, I'm treated as X Emerald equivalent, but I don't actually have that rank with X and I'm building loyalty on them from zero
  • My Emerald rank from Royal keeps carrying over with my future X bookings, but...
  • I don't actually hit the Diamond equivalent on X until I've done the full 80 nights or whatever they require

And in both cases, if I happen to hit Diamond on Royal before I hit the equivalent on X, the new rank will carry over to my next X booking?

OMG, my wife and I ran to the vodka when we read this one!  What you forgot to address is the issue of OBC. Great post though! :27_sunglasses:

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I am following as well...as I am select on X based on my platinum status with Royal. But in order to grow my  status, would need to stick to Royal as any cruises on X don't count for anything.

 

That's how I understand it. BUT, would seem strange if I really enjoyed X so much after my first cruise with them In January...that I would have to start from ZERO to build loyalty points, as my Royal status would automatically make me higher than that for each cruise on X.

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From Celebrity:

Credits are not combinable across brands*; however as members move up in tier, the membership level will be automatically upgraded across all enrolled programs. If you are currently a member of both Captain's Club and Crown & Anchor programs, you will automatically receive benefits based on your highest membership level between the two. The benefits of the two programs will stay independent, and the number of sailings a member accrues on each brand will not be combined. You will earn the tier credit for the brand you are sailing as long as you are a member of that brand's loyalty program.

Your point balances remain separate between Royal and Celebrity.  If you're Emerald or Platinum on Royal you get the Captain's Club Select benefits (Elite if you're Diamond or higher) from the start on Celebrity, but you're still starting with zero points.  If you never sail Royal again, you'll need 300 points on Celebrity to get to Elite status.

 

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It's more "recognition" of your status on the other line than a "transfer".  As @Orange Crush states, each account is unique and you don't accumulate nights in one when cruising on the other.  To gain points in C&A you must sail RCI.  To gain points in Captains Club, you must sail X.  

Having achieved 'Emerald' on RCI if I sail X they treat me as if I have achieved their 'Select' level despite the fact that I am only 'Classic' based on 112 points I've earned by sailing X.  .

Once I achieve 'Diamond' (next week woohoo!) I'll be recognized and treated as if I had achieved 'Elite' but until I sail X again, my Captains Club point total remains at 112.

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Side note - when I first sailed X I didn't have a Captains Club # so one was created for me.  After sailing and waiting two weeks my account never accumulated points.  Apparently the system had generated a Captains Club # for me based on me being a C&A member and that is where my X points went.  They merged the two X accounts for me, the one I knew and the phantom one I never knew.  All is well now. 

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Thanks, @Orange Crush and @twangster! Even after reading the official verbiage from Royal and Celebrity I just wasn't clear how it worked after that first cruise "across the line". What you've said makes sense, and frankly is a lot clearer to me than the boilerplate semi-legalese the cruise line publishes. Now, when I eventually book a cruise on X, I'll be able to explain to my wife how this works and actually feel confident in the explanation.

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Personally It's another thing I really like about RCCL.  Recognition across brands.

On Carnival Corporation brands (Carnival, Princess, Holland, etc) they do not recognize or acknowledge loyalty at all.  You could be super special total top elite on Carnival but if you sail Princess you are treated like a newbie who has never sailed before.

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17 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Now, when I eventually book a cruise on X, I'll be able to explain to my wife how this works and actually feel confident in the explanation.

@JLMoran, I don't know all the legal stuff switching from one to the other, However, when I booked my last X cruise a few weeks ago, My Planner at Celebrity noticed by DOB was wrong on the C&A compared to Captains, so I know they have access to both.  If you don't use a TA I would book directly with Celebrity, they really seem to know what they're doing. 

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3 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

... they really seem to know what they're doing. 

Agreed.  When I needed to reach out to Captain Club they were very responsive, thorough and knowledgable.  

The only negative thing I have to say resulted from a terminal experience checking in for my Sky Suite.  The 'guardian of the lines' wouldn't let me use the suite/elite+ line because my sail pass said 'Preview' Captains Club.  I wasn't Platinum back then and my C&A Gold did nothing for me on X.  So despite booking a sky suite and there was no one in that queue, she wanted me in the general line.  I think this was an isolated incident from a terminal employee who was programmed to look at the Captains Club status only because priority boarding is supposed to be a sky suite benefit.  

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25 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

If you don't use a TA I would book directly with Celebrity, they really seem to know what they're doing. 

I actually do have a TA, Heather from MEI. She knows Celebrity really well, as well as Royal, and was super-excited to hear that I was considering doing a cruise with them for my 50th birthday in 2020, and that I was looking for input from her on finding an itinerary that could measure up to what Royal's Norway & Iceland itinerary offers. She did tell me that if I wanted to bring the kids (who by that time would be 19 and 16) along for that trip that I might want to stick with Royal just so they had more to do onboard and would find more people their age; but, if we went on Celebrity they certainly wouldn't be bored, there just wouldn't be as many kids or as many activities geared towards teens and young adults.

I may do Celebrity anyway if I can't convince the wife to do the Norway and Iceland offering, or if it's simply too costly (I want that trip to be one where I do a full suite, regardless of the final itinerary, unless it has so few sea days that there's really little point). My older daughter will be in that limbo age where she's too young for teens club but too old for adult activities, and my younger one is already pretty eclectic and has more varied and "grown up" interests than your typical 14 year old, so by that time fewer teens / kids on board may be less of an issue. And if it's a port-intensive trip like one to the Mediterranean and Adriatic, having a lot of on-ship activities won't be so crucial.

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18 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

I actually do have a TA, Heather from MEI. She knows Celebrity really well, as well as Royal, and was super-excited to hear that I was considering doing a cruise with them for my 50th birthday in 2020, and that I was looking for input from her on finding an itinerary that could measure up to what Royal's Norway & Iceland itinerary offers. She did tell me that if I wanted to bring the kids (who by that time would be 19 and 16) along for that trip that I might want to stick with Royal just so they had more to do onboard and would find more people their age; but, if we went on Celebrity they certainly wouldn't be bored, there just wouldn't be as many kids or as many activities geared towards teens and young adults.

I may do Celebrity anyway if I can't convince the wife to do the Norway and Iceland offering, or if it's simply too costly (I want that trip to be one where I do a full suite, regardless of the final itinerary, unless it has so few sea days that there's really little point). My older daughter will be in that limbo age where she's too young for teens club but too old for adult activities, and my younger one is already pretty eclectic and has more varied and "grown up" interests than your typical 14 year old, so by that time fewer teens / kids on board may be less of an issue. And if it's a port-intensive trip like one to the Mediterranean and Adriatic, having a lot of on-ship activities won't be so crucial.

That is so exciting to think about that itinerary for your 50th.  I think the reason I booked Celebrity at "off" times was because I didn't want to deal with too many children. (I'm older than you! LOL).  I did book Sky Suite for all 3.  My only RC sailing so far is Grandeur from Baltimore as we wanted a short one to start with (we have dogs not kids! LOL).  I just really love the perks the give you for a suite, my planner is very responsive.  I'm waiting also for their new deployment, not sure when that will be.  With an itinerary like the Mediterranean or such, your children probably will be just fine as you will be sightseeing all day. And what kids don't just like the pool! LOL  

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41 minutes ago, twangster said:

I think this was an isolated incident from a terminal employee who was programmed to look at the Captains Club status only because priority boarding is supposed to be a sky suite benefit.  

I hope it was an isolated incident! LOL I'm booked in Sky Suites for all 3 sailings.  Still looking at Freedom thanks to you for 2020, the prices are very reasonable, in fact Very reasonable. I really loved your blog!  

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9 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

And what kids don't just like the pool! LOL  

Ummm, my daughter and wife are both redheads with the super-fair skin to match. They burn on a cloudy day after using SPF 50, so lounging by the pool is not one of their favorite activities. :10_wink: :29_smirk:

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Ok...I just finally had time today to read through all of this now...still a bit confused....so for example if I go and sail X this summer (I'm Emerald right now) I will receive the select benefits on X but will I collect any cruise points with X for that sailing?? And then let's say I don't cruise X until 2 years later. I'll be diamond by that point. So then will I receive elite benefits when sailing X again or am I still at select because they already recognize me once?  

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IfI understood the earlier replies, @Sabrinaklai, you will (a) get the credit for the nights you sailed on X, but you are starting at 0 with them; and (b) if you hit Diamond in the interim then you’ll get treated as Elite level with X when you book that sailing. To actually reach official Elite status with X will take ~80 nights with them since you start from zero with their loyalty program.

Just to bake your noodle a little more, let’s say you loved X so much you only sailed with them going forward, never reached Diamond with Royal. If you hit Elite status with X after ~80 nights and THEN decide to go back on Royal (trip with the grandkids by that point?), NOW you’ll have Diamond status on Royal, ev n though you haven’t sailed with them in years.

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On 11/22/2017 at 1:57 PM, monctonguy said:

So moral of the story is...if I enjoy X...just do a few more cruises with Royal first to get to at least Diamond so I don't have to start all over with X

Doing some math . . .

X gives different points by room class, anywhere from 2 to 18 points per night.  Royal gives 2 points for suites and 1 point for everything else.  So to get Diamond/Elite, you need to sail:

  • 80 nights on Royal in Interior, Ocean View or Balcony staterooms
  • 40 nights on Royal in Junior Suites & up
  • (or some combination)

or

  • 150 nights on X in Interior or Ocean view
  • 100 nights on X in Veranda/Infinite Veranda (normal Balconies)
  • 60 nights on X in Concierge/Aqua class (superior Balconies)
  • 38 nights on X in Sky Suites (Junior Suite-ish)
  • 25 nights on X in Celeb/Signature/Royal/Edge suites (Midrange Suites)
  • 17 nights on X in Penthouse/Reflection/Iconic suites (Max Suites)

Looks like in most cases, you'll level-up faster through Royal unless you mostly book superior balconies and suites, and that's before considering any points you already have on Royal.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/22/2017 at 3:50 PM, Sabrinaklai said:

Ok...I just finally had time today to read through all of this now...still a bit confused....so for example if I go and sail X this summer (I'm Emerald right now) I will receive the select benefits on X but will I collect any cruise points with X for that sailing?? And then let's say I don't cruise X until 2 years later. I'll be diamond by that point. So then will I receive elite benefits when sailing X again or am I still at select because they already recognize me once?  

Once you achieve Diamond on RCI you will be tagged as Elite when you sail X regardless of how many points you slowly accumulate on X.  

If you make Diamond on RCI and then never sail RCI again (devil speak right there) and your goal is to achieve Elite Plus (750 points) you will only get there when you X points naturally reach 750.  Since you are starting at zero that could take awhile but at least you'll be treated as Elite for all cruises during that journey.

On 11/24/2017 at 9:05 AM, Orange Crush said:

Doing some math . . .

  • 38 nights on X in Sky Suites (Junior Suite-ish)

I'd argue Sky Suites are more Grand Suite like.  Full day access to suite restaurant and Michaels Club suite lounge with free drinks at night.  Also consider only Oasis and Quantum class have Coastal Kitchen so when on older RCI ships there isn't a suite restaurant for any suite level while more of the X fleet have a suite restaurant. 

Cabins vary by ship but even on the older Millennium class there are some very nice Sky Suites.  I wouldn't compare these to a JS on an RCI ship of a similar vintage.

SkySuiteMille.jpeg.5c7090e1a0e2b0435325ab55b89cfe5c.jpeg

SkySuiteBathMille.jpeg.8a353e5c0c220792070715139a79d800.jpeg

 

On 11/24/2017 at 9:05 AM, Orange Crush said:

Looks like in most cases, you'll level-up faster through Royal unless you mostly book superior balconies and suites, and that's before considering any points you already have on Royal.

This strategy wasn't lost on me.  I enjoyed my X cruise but RCI ships are younger at heart.  I can accumulate status on RCI knowing that X is there waiting for me as I continue to grow up and mature.  When I'm ready I can sail X and at worst be Elite even though I have just 112 X points as my base to start from. 

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On 12/3/2017 at 1:12 PM, twangster said:

I'd argue Sky Suites are more Grand Suite like.  Full day access to suite restaurant and Michaels Club suite lounge with free drinks at night.  Also consider only Oasis and Quantum class have Coastal Kitchen so when on older RCI ships there isn't a suite restaurant for any suite level while more of the X fleet have a suite restaurant.

Probably.  I was mostly guessing when trying to line up the room categories between Royal & X.  Royal's Junior Suites are kinda odd ducks in that regard.  They're not *really* suites, but you get double points and a couple perks.  They might be a better match to Concierge and Aqua class.

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