Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - Crown and Anchor Society

Royal Caribbean updated the way it offers select guests complimentary upgrades effective earlier this week.

Beginning on November 11th, Crown and Anchor Society members will be considered for a complimentary stateroom upgrade the week prior to a sailing.  The only way to qualify for an updated is to select your upgrade preferences at the Crown and Anchor website at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/CrownandAnchor.

Complimentary upgrades will only be processed for members whose preferences have been registered. 

Upgrades will only be offered within a week prior to the desired sail date as follows:

• Grand Suite to Owner's/Family Suite

• Jr Suite to Grand Suite

• Balcony to Jr Suite

• Oceanview to Balcony

• Interior to Oceanview

The change appears to be a move to standardize the upgrade process, where unsold staterooms were offered to Royal Caribbean passengers that had previously booked the cruise with less direction in terms of who qualifies and when.  While not explicitly mentioned, we are assuming upgade preference will start with the highest level of Crown and Anchor Society membership and filter down through the ranks as availability dictates.

Royal Caribbean is set to double the amount of Crown and Anchor Society points each cruise solo cruisers recieve.  Instead of just one point per night, solo cruisers will recieve two points per night sailed.

The change is being made because solo cruisers pay a special solo rate, which is essentially double the normal rate.  Therefore, paying double should net you double the points.

Cruise Tricks is reporting the change in points will be applied to all cruises in October 2013 and going forward.  

In addition, any solo cruisers that book a suite will recieve three points per night, which is an extra point above what anyone that books a suite with at least double occupancy.

Crown and Anchor Society is Royal Caribbean's loyalty program that was changed back in 2011 to reflect more points for longer cruises.

Royal Caribbean’s NextCruise future booking program has gotten some new enhancements to make it a better value for passengers.  

Now passengers can book up to three Open Bookings with NextCruise, which are fully transferrable, and can be used as gifts for friends and family. Furthermore, Crown & Anchor Society members can combine the onboard booking bonus that they earned through Open Booking with their Crown & Anchor Society Savings Certificate or the Platinum-tier and above Balcony and Suite discount.

NextCruise is an exclusive benefit for Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program members that allows guests a reduced deposit of $100 per person ($200 per person for suite-category staterooms) and an onboard booking bonus of up to $200 per stateroom to spend on their next sailing with Royal Caribbean. Guests can choose to make a reservation on board for a specific Royal Caribbean sailing and enjoy their onboard booking bonus during their future cruise.

NextCruise bookings allows passengers to still work with their travel agents automatically. Royal Caribbean’s onboard Loyalty & Cruise Sales Teams are available to assist guests in determining their best future cruise booking option.

Royal Caribbean sent an email to its Crown and Anchor Society loyalty club members that they will have exclusive access to start booking cruises aboard Oasis of the Seas as she makes a quick trip to Europe.

Starting April 9 at 7am eastern, Royal Caribbean will offer Crown and Anchor Society members two full days to make reservations before the general public gets access.

To reserve, please contact the Crown & Anchor desk at 1-877-722-5266 beginning at 7 AM Eastern time on April 9th, 2013.

Royal Caribbean announced last month it was sending Oasis of the Seas to Europe starting in September 14, where she will offer transatlantic sailings as well as a choice of three European sailings.

Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean made the announcement it would transition its Crown and Anchor Society Ultimate Value Booklets from actual paper booklets to a digital form that is loaded on your SeaPass card.  We now know more information about how the new digital offers will work.

The new offers will be loaded onto each passenger's SeaPass card, eliminating the paper books, starting in "summer 2013".

A full list of your benefits onboard the cruise can be found on the back of the welcome letter delivered to their stateroom on Day 1 of the cruise. In addition, you will be able to find a balance of offers by visiting an iCafe computer, using your personal computer and via iTV in their stateroom (on Oasis and Allure of the Seas only).

All offers will remain on the card until the passenger disembarks their cruise.  Offers will remain valid if their cruise is interporting.  

Offers expire when the cruise ends. Offers do not carry over to the next cruise.

For those passengers doing back-to-back cruises, a new set of offers will be loaded onto their Seapass card on Day 1 of the next voyage. Offers do not carry over to the next sailing even if they are a back to back cruiser.

In a blog post by Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein, Royal Caribbean announced that at some point in 2013, the Crown and Anchor Society Ultimate Value Booklets that are distributed to passengers onboard their cruise in paper form will go to a paperless format instead.

The new coupons will be available right onto guests' Seapass cards instead of having to use paper booklets.  We've heard that guests will be able to check which coupons they have available at any given time via the interactive televisions in their staterooms, similar to how passengers can already check their onboard spending accounts.

The change to electronic coupons is cited for its environmental savings but there's plenty of speculation the change has more to do with abuse of the coupons over the years.  Often coupon books will be given to family and friends following a cruise to be used on another cruise or sold on sites like eBay.  Officially, the coupon books must only be used by those the books are given to on that sailing only.

The Ultimate Value Booklets are given to passengers who are enrolled in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society (a brand loyalty reward program) and have sailed with Royal Caribbean at least once.

No word on when exactly this change will happen, but we can expect it sometime "soon" in 2013.

Do you like the change to e-coupons? Let us know in the comments below.

Royal Caribbean announced today that it is partnering with MGM Resorts International to create a strategic relationship that will offer members of both loyalty programs opportunities to more rewards.

Members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society and MGM's M life will receive new offers and benefits starting in January 2013.  

Crown and Anchor Society member will receive M life offers and benefits such as pre-sale access to tickets for A-list concerts and championship boxing matches, priority reservations, priority hotel check-in, room upgrades, VIP services and more, based on Tier Level.

Likewise, M life members will receive offers with a range of benefits when sailing with Royal Caribbean.  As members advance to the next M life Tier Level, their cruise offers and benefits will grow.

Royal Caribbean executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, Lisa Bauer, commented on the deal, "Whether on land or at sea, Crown & Anchor Society and M life members will enjoy unprecedented recognition for their dedication to our brands. We are delighted to be an M life preferred partner and welcome M life members aboard to experience our world-renowned Gold Anchor Service, innovative cruise ships, unexpected onboard amenities, and unforgettable itineraries to exciting destinations.”

Royal Caribbean has changed its rules and will now allow children in its exclusive concierge lounges aboard its ships in the evening.

Previously passengers under the age of 21 were not allowed in the lounges between 5:00pm and 8:30pm because of the open bar that was available.  In addition, Royal Caribbean is relaxing the dress code from "formal or evening attire" to "smart casual" after 5:00pm.

Concierge lounges aboard Royal Caribbean are reserved for those staying in a suite as well as the top tier of loyal passengers (based on their status in the Crown and Anchor Society).

Just like your favorite airline or hotel chain, Royal Caribbean has its own customer loyalty program called the Crown and Anchor Society.  But what is it? And why should you join?  Let's answer some questions about this club.

What is Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society?

The Crown and Anchor Society is a free customer loyalty and rewards program that Royal Caribbean has offered to its guest for many years.  While the programs exact details have changed over the years, the basic premise remains: the more you cruise with Royal Caribbean, the better the rewards you receive.

Can I join the Crown and Anchor Society?

The only eligibility requirement to join the Crown and Anchor Society is you must have completed one cruise with Royal Caribbean.  So if you're brand new to Royal Caribbean, you will need to wait until you finish your first cruise.  But once you return from your trip, you can enroll online or via the phone.

How does the Crown and Anchor Society work?

Royal Caribbean has created different levels of levels in the Crown and Anchor Society.  Each  level is separated by points and you earn a specific amount of points for each cruise you take.  Shorter cruises get less points than longer cruises, with the idea that longer cruises cost more and therefore are worth more.  

You earn one cruise point for every night you cruise with Royal Caribbean and if you stay in a suite cabin, then you accumulate double or two points per night of your cruise.

The levels of the Crown and Anchor Society are as follows with the points required to achieve that level in parenthesis...

1. Gold (3)
2. Platinum (30)
3. Emerald (55)
4. Diamond (80)
5. Diamond Plus (175) 
6. Pinnacle Club (700)

What do you the levels of the Crown and Anchor Society get me?

The exact perks vary from level to level but in general, Crown and Anchor Society members receive coupon books in their staterooms upon embarkation on their cruises, a members only welcome back party, and onboard booking bonuses.  In addition, from time to time Royal Caribbean offers complimentary stateroom upgrades to its members with those with the highest points offered first.

There are many more benefits such as your own robe, gifts, tours, lounges and more for those in the higher levels of the Crown and Anchor Society.    You may view a full list of benefits on the Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Society members benefits page.

How do I get to the higher levels faster?

Crown and Anchor Society membership favors those that take longer cruises and spend more on their cabins.  Taking cruises longer than seven nights and staying in a suite will get you to the top of the Crown and Anchor Society fastest.  While the perks of the higher levels are nice, they are simple that - perks.  They're nice incentives to staying loyal to Royal Caribbean but these perks aren't really major cost savers or amazing opportunities.  They're simply a nice way to thank Royal Caribbean's customers for returning aboard.

Should I join the Crown and Anchor Society?

There's really no reason not to join once you've cruised with Royal Caribbean before.  The club is free and does offer some nice benefits once you amass enough credits.  Basically, you're only missing out on benefits that you would otherwise pass up by not joining.  In simpler words, you've got nothing to lose by joining.