Being the only person in these parts that talks about cruising with some degree of regularity, the nexus between what your average BoardingArea reader is looking for in a loyalty program and that of the cruise line programs has always interested me. I did a series covering several of the big cruise line programs last year. With that, I covered the basics of the programs with a focus on attaining elite status.
The cruise line programs are perk-based, not point based. The more you cruise, the higher your elite status, and with that, increasingly attractive and often fairly valuable perks like concierge lounge access, complimentary internet minutes, special dinners, etc. Many of the cruise lines also offer a points based credit card program where you earn points per dollar charged which can be redeemed for anything from onboard spending money to free cruises. I’ve shared my thoughts on these options before, the gist of which is that there are probably better options out there for most people to focus your spending on.
But back to loyalty. You might remember my piece on the Explorer of the Seas Noro outbreak this week. The ship returned to port early yesterday, and media were lined up by the pier to interview thousands of angry ex-cruisers. One of the talking head types was interviewing a gentleman who got sick during his cruise. The reporter closed things out with a predictable question, “will you cruise again?” Near giddy with anticipation of a “hell no” answer, the reporter cut the gentleman off when he went into details about how he had cruised in the past, several with Royal Caribbean, with no issues and expected to again.
What drives people like that gentleman, who no doubt had a hard week, to be loyal to a cruise line? You aren’t necessarily amassing points for spend like you might with your typical airline/hotel program, but the perks can be quite nice. Frankly, concierge access and the 5-8:30pm lounge offerings are enough to keep me loyal to Royal. But I think there’s more. I’ve said before that I think cruises can be the ultimate vacation, and in my book vacation doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing as travel. Getting away from it all means a lot to me with my valuable time off, and cruises offer that in spades. My good cruising experiences far outweigh the bad (I wasn’t blogging when my stateroom got flooded in 2005), and the level of care I receive as I’ve climbed the status ladder keep me coming back.
I’ve often wondered if cruise lines should look at remaking their loyalty programs into something more like the airlines. Not having access to the kind of financials one would need to make decisions like that, I can only assume that these companies feel that the programs are working out for them as intended. Perhaps I need look no further than my own cruising habits for an answer. Points hoarding or not, I have 5 cruises currently booked, and 4 of those are on Royal Caribbean. I guess I’m hooked….and loyal.
-MJ, January 30, 2014
i also wanted to add that it’s been about a year since i started the miles + points hobby and at the end of the day, i still prefer booking a rccl vacation versus a land vacation with free flights + free hotels. (for my azamara cruise though, i did redeem miles for my flight and also points for my hotel pre/post cruise so that was exciting that i was able to combine my two hobbies.) i paid out of pocket for my cruise using the sapphire. i considered using the arrival, but i decided not to do that. i… Read more »
Awesome! Congrats. We’ve always used miles to get to our cruises that depart from Europe. Someday, I may have to cross the pond in coach, but it hasn’t happened yet. đŸ™‚
great post. i agree, i am loyal to royal because of how they treat their repeat customers. i love them and no other cruise line compares. i think royal has been doing a great job and they keep me coming back for more. i also love how your status can be matched to a similar status on celebrity/azamara.
speaking of, i booked my first azamara cruise on the quest. i am excited to see how they handle their discoverer members. have you been on azamara before? any insight if you have? this will be a mediterranean cruise.
Haven’t sailed Azamara, but they are on my list. Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
The issue with cross branding is cruises compete with hotels and airlines. SPG compliments Delta because they provide different products. The former provides room, the latter provides transportation.
Cruises provide room and transportation, I can’t be staying at an SPG hotel and on a cruise at the same time.
Agreed that cruise lines needs to do more to promote loyalty. Airlines and hotels are leaps and bounds ahead of the cruise industry in targetted advertising and breeding loyalty.
I would love for cruise line loyalty programs to be more like airline programs, but I just don’t think it is in the cards. As far as I can tell cruise lines are making a TON of money. On a Holland America cruise a few years ago I was on the ship tour and talked with someone pretty high up in the hotel department. He said something to the effect that we make money during good economic times, and we make money during hard economic times. If I were in the cruise industry I would stay as far away from… Read more »
Great post. The only thing I would love to see from cruise lines is a status match after so many trips or a challenge like the airlines do. Or, like a cross brand like SPG, reach out to top tear airline flyers to get those over to the ships.