Your loyalty status with Royal Caribbean is about to become significantly more rewarding.

Fans of Royal Caribbean will soon have the chance to match their status for benefits with the luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises, and the reverse will also apply.

The same matching opportunity will extend to loyalists of Celebrity Cruises as well.

On Thursday, Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of all three brands, will announce that loyalty program members from any of the lines can receive equivalent status across the other two.

For instance, Diamond-level members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program will gain instant recognition in Silversea's Venetian Society loyalty program at the 250 Venetian Society Days milestone, even if they have never cruised with Silversea before.

Elite-level members of Celebrity's Captain's Club loyalty program will now enjoy recognition in the Silversea program at the 250 Venetian Society Days milestone, even if they have never sailed with Silversea.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity's elite members at higher status levels will be able to match into even more prestigious tiers of the Silversea program.

Jason Liberty, CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, stated in an exclusive interview with TPG that it's essential for customers to feel loyal to the family of brands when considering their next cruise experience.

In a video address from his Miami office, Liberty pointed out that cruising customers often switch between brands based on changing life circumstances—such as when they have kids or grandkids—or when they want to explore a destination not offered by their preferred line.

He emphasized that in such instances, Royal Caribbean Group aims to keep these customers from choosing cruise brands that are part of other companies.

"Our goal is to prevent Royal Caribbean customers from boarding a competitor's ship. We want them to choose one of our ships instead," he remarked. "As you know, fostering loyalty is one of the most effective ways to ensure that happens."

Immediate status recognition across three brands

This new initiative positions Royal Caribbean Group as the only major cruise line to provide loyalty program status matching across all its wholly owned brands.

Previously, Royal Caribbean Group facilitated status matching only between the loyalty programs of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, excluding the Silversea brand.

The company once offered a status match for the loyalty program of Azamara Cruises, which it no longer owns.

The new program is likely to have the biggest effect on regulars of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity who are considering trying Silversea.

Diamond members from Royal Caribbean's loyalty program and Elite members from Celebrity's program who achieve the 250 Venetian Society Days level in Silversea will qualify for an immediate 10% discount on Silversea cruises — a notable saving. They will also enjoy additional benefits that first-time Silversea cruisers typically would not receive.

To qualify for membership in Silversea's Venetian Society at the 250 Venetian Society Days level, one usually needs to complete 250 days of sailing with the line — a significant requirement.

The new status match program will allow high-tier Silversea passengers who wish to experience a suite on a Royal Caribbean ship — perhaps because they are traveling with kids or grandkids — to instantly access all the premium benefits in the Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor program.

With the updated status matching system, customers loyal to any of the three programs can match their status to an equivalent level in the other programs across five different tiers. The specific details of the status match levels will be outlined in the chart below:

Key details regarding the new Royal Caribbean Group status match program include:

• The program will commence for sailings departing on June 5 or later.
• Customers must sign up for a program prior to receiving a status match.
• Those already enrolled in multiple loyalty programs will be automatically matched across brands within seven days.

No unified loyalty program for now

While the new status match initiative for all three Royal Caribbean brands is a step forward, it stops short of what some loyalty experts consider a logical advancement: a unified loyalty program encompassing all three brands.

When TPG inquired about this, Liberty indicated that the company wanted to fully understand the preferences of loyal customers across its three brands before implementing any significant changes. However, he hinted that more transformations could be on the horizon.

"This is essentially the first step. We aim to integrate these [programs]," he explained, describing the new status match initiative as "the initial phase of a unified loyalty platform."

Liberty mentioned that there is "more to come," adding, "Over time, you'll see that status and other benefits are being accumulated across the family of brands."

When asked if Royal Caribbean Group might adopt a single loyalty program like Marriott's expansive Bonvoy program, which allows points to be earned and redeemed across more than 30 hotel brands, Liberty suggested that may not be the ideal approach.

"In certain respects, Marriott positioned Bonvoy ahead of the individual brands," Liberty noted, implying that stays at Marriott hotels became solely about accruing points in the Bonvoy program, overshadowing the unique attractions of each hotel brand. He emphasized that Royal Caribbean Group wishes to avoid that scenario.

He emphasized that the company aims to keep the individual brands in its portfolio as the main focus for customers and the "guest-facing" aspect of the business, rather than centering around the loyalty program.

"We don't typically cater to what I would call the earn-and-burn customer," Liberty pointed out. "Our guests value recognition from their loyalty status more. They enjoy attending cocktail parties for their tier and appreciate perks like complimentary dry cleaning. These aspects matter more to them than simply earning and redeeming points."

Liberty observed that people don't cruise as frequently as they stay in hotels, making an "earn-and-burn" model similar to the Marriott Bonvoy program less applicable to a cruise loyalty program.

"We see you once, twice, or three times a year, not once or twice, three times a month, as is common with earn-and-burn models primarily seen with hotels and airlines," he explained.

Liberty also noted that there is more overlap among the customers of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Silversea than many might expect.

"Our data indicates there is a significant overlap between our suite guests on Royal Caribbean and those traveling with Silversea," he noted.

He cited examples of affluent customers who book premium suites on Royal Caribbean's family-oriented ships, sometimes spending tens of thousands of dollars per week while traveling with their children and grandchildren. These same customers might then opt for Silversea's upscale vessels when seeking a more personal or unique getaway, such as a trip to Antarctica.

Liberty reiterated a phrase he's been using during recent conference calls with Wall Street analysts: Royal Caribbean Group aims to transition its customers from experiencing "a vacation of a lifetime" with one brand to enjoying "a lifetime of vacations" across its three brands. The new status match program is a foundational step in that direction.

"We have been very deliberate about placing the right brand in the appropriate segments," he stated. "Now it's time to ensure that we are aligning ourselves with the customer and catering to the experiences they desire, while also recognizing them accordingly."