RCI and Celebrity loyal points "merged"? How's that work?

[leaveitallbehind]

3 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

So under the old program, though, what RCL point level did you have to attain to be Elite+  ?  Wouldn't the number of required points have wound up in the D+ category anyway?

There was no direct reciprocity of tier benefits beyond Diamond and Elite.  Levels above that (D+, E+, Pinnacle, Zenith) all shared Diamond or Elite benefits and were capped there.

 

In order to enjoy D+ or E+ (or higher) benefits you had to earn those points with each cruise line seperately.

 

Now if you are D+ on RCCL, you share reciprocity with Elite+, etc., and visa versa

[leaveitallbehind]

1 minute ago, OnTheJourney said:

Well, I'm not that familiar with what "Royal Caribbean Group" implies and so that's where I'm getting confused. No big deal. Thanks.

No problem. It can be confusing, especially since the parent company also uses Royal Caribbean in their name.  I'm only trying to sort it out with you. It is a somewhat common misunderstanding.

[OnTheJourney]

3 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

There was no direct reciprocity of tier benefits beyond Diamond and Elite.  Levels above that (D+, E+, Pinnacle, Zenith) all shared Diamond or Elite benefits and were capped there.

 

In order to enjoy D+ or E+ (or higher) benefits you had to earn those points with each cruise line seperately.

 

Now if you are D+ on RCCL, you share reciprocity with Elite+, etc., and visa versa

Pretty wild. The whole tier / points system always amazed me. Such a gimmick to draw customers in the final analysis. 'I only need TWO more cruises to reach ____ level' ,etc. Great incentive. Even moreso when it applies to a related cruise line such as exists here. We also like cruising with Viking, which doesn't bother with any of that stuff.

[leaveitallbehind]

3 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Pretty wild. The whole tier / points system always amazed me. Such a gimmick to draw customers in the final analysis. 'I only need TWO more cruises to reach ____ level' ,etc. Great incentive. Even moreso when it applies to a related cruise line such as exists here. We also like cruising with Viking, which doesn't bother with any of that stuff.

Agreed.  We have been cruising for 32 years and started with RCCL back in its early years.  The loyalty program was an additional incentive, but not the reason, we stayed with them.  For us it was because our family was young and the venues and atmosphere on board were nicely oriented towards families, and as they pushed to grow that market, the booking incentives with kids were very attractive. 

 

Over time the loyalty tiers followed and be benefited from that as well.  IMO RCCL's loyalty program is the strongest in the industry and we enjoy the perks we've earned over the years as a result.  An additional originally unintended benefit is now the reciprocity with Celebrity, which is now our primary choice.  It just dovetails nicely.

 

That being said, were are not shackled with either cruise line and Oceana, Viking, and others certainly hold appeal for future consideration.

[Another_Critic]

22 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Well, I'm not that familiar with what "Royal Caribbean Group" implies and so that's where I'm getting confused. Sounds a bit like splitting hairs but I'm sure there's a significant difference. No big deal. Thanks.

RCG -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Caribbean_Group

 

RCI -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Caribbean_International

 

Celebrity -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Cruises

 

Silversea -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silversea_Cruises

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Well, I'm not that familiar with what "Royal Caribbean Group" implies and so that's where I'm getting confused. Sounds a bit like splitting hairs but I'm sure there's a significant difference. No big deal. Thanks.

Not splitting hairs at all. Royal Caribbean. International and Royal Caribbean Group are two separate companies, which in this case RCG owns RCI. Similar to Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse are two separate companies that are both owned by Darden Restaurants. 

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Pretty wild. The whole tier / points system always amazed me. Such a gimmick to draw customers in the final analysis. 'I only need TWO more cruises to reach ____ level' ,etc. Great incentive. Even moreso when it applies to a related cruise line such as exists here. We also like cruising with Viking, which doesn't bother with any of that stuff.

You will frequently see people on this site who are chasing points to get to the next level. Personally I don’t agree with that approach, but that doesn’t mean their approach is wrong. In my case I enjoy both RCI and Celebrity, so I cruise on both lines. I used to cruise more often on RCI, but now the split is getting closer to 50/50. If I was concerned with reaching Pinnacle I would only cruise on RCI. But I cruise for the experience, not the points, so staying loyal to one specific cruise line is not important to me. 

[leaveitallbehind]

20 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I would just like it if I could accrue C&A points while on a Celebrity cruise. Heck even if it's like a one time promo thing. In fact that is a great idea.  Try another cruise line, earn points for your preferred loyalty program.

Yeah that's kind of the concept I meant where points accrued on either go into a common pool that would benefit either or both equally.  Rationalizing the current points differential between the two would be the challenge.  Probably have to come up with a whole new point system and tier ratio to do it.  May not be feasible - or desirable by the cruise lines - to do it.

Edited June 17 by leaveitallbehind

[OnTheJourney]

3 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

But I cruise for the experience, not the points, so staying loyal to one specific cruise line is not important to me. 

Exactly. We mostly have done RCL and X because of both Baltimore and Bayonne being within 2+ hours driving distance, so most of our cruises have been out of there. Most disappointed, though, that X has changed the CA/NE itineraries to roundtrip Boston instead of Bayonne. I like Viking over both of them and wish they went out of our two local ports. Never sailed out of NY.

 

 

Edited June 17 by OnTheJourney

[RosieRoo]

10 hours ago, Toddcan said:

Wait until the points / loyalty system is based on a combination of money spent & nights onboard - like the airlines do.  This board will light up like no tomorrow 🙂

 

(half-kidding, half-serious - but they have all said that the rewards programs are being revamped)

Well, technically this is how Celebrity’s points are awarded. Your points earned are based on the category you book. 2 pts per night for oceanview vs 18 pts per night for the penthouse. I’d say that’s based on money spent. 

[leaveitallbehind]

2 minutes ago, RosieRoo said:

Well, technically this is how Celebrity’s points are awarded. Your points earned are based on the category you book. 2 pts per night for oceanview vs 18 pts per night for the penthouse. I’d say that’s based on money spent. 

To a lesser degree it is similar with RCCL in that suites carry more points (double) than standard staterooms, therefore more money spent.  Its just not scaled within that.

Edited June 17 by leaveitallbehind