I’m sure this is much easier for people who live close to ports. I have to fly and get a hotel every time so makes it not as cheap/easy as those living near ports. That’s a huge factor.
We live 130 miles north of Galveston, but have to go through Houston to get there. With all the traffic and potential for disaster on the freeways, we are staying in a hotel the night before the cruise. We learned on our very first cruise, which we almost missed due to fog at our airport, that it makes for a much more relaxed time if we get to the port at least a day early.
@@emmybushman we will be going out of Galveston in November. Can you recommend a good hotel near the port, that also serves breakfast for having food for senior parents. Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Agree completely. We live less than 8 hours drive from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Port Canaveral. We usually do get a hotel night before but have even started driving to Canaveral the morning of the cruise without issue.
My children are 14 and 18 years old and I traveled on Royal Caribbean before they were born!! This started in the 2000s And we are from Brazil Today we are all Diamonds! And there really are many benefits!! Congratulations on the video!!
For me, I take a vacation to get a much needed break from work. I reached Diamond and do enjoy the benefits. My cruises to get there were for valuable time off and to enjoy the places that were on the itinerary. I value vacations when they are spread out and taken periodically. It would seem that cruising just to get cruise points would take the fun out of the vacation.
When we were 13 points away, we were looking at options- a 6 night cruise, and then deciding between a 6 night and 7 night for the second cruise. That was one case where loyalty status definitely played a factor in our booking decision! We were glad to choose the 7 night cruise in order to have Diamond on our next cruise after that. But yes, outside of situations like that, it really doesn't make sense to chase status or points.
My wife and I just got back from our first sailing with RC, and we loved it! We would like to get our status up faster by cruising more often, but with my job and kids, it's just not possible at this time. Eventually, we will make it to Dimond status. It will just take us a little while to get there. We do have another cruise scheduled next year (December 2023) with the kids. We plan on them having their own C&A account so they can already be earning their own points and status for the future.
Don’t forget the Casino Royale free cruise offers. I’ve gotten a ton of offers that I use as my solo cruise trips. I spoil myself with a suite for my solo cruises and just get a standard balcony for family cruises. The free cruise offers reward points so it allows additional sailings at an amazing discount!
😂 we always enjoy everything RC has to offer. The New Year’s cruise in 3 days will be our…. Lol 11th cruise in a year. We appreciate the additional perks that also come with the suites. We have our favorite ships and since we go often we have our favorite staff. They greet us and remember us. They always treat us like family. Loyal to Royal.
We got extremely lucky becuase during the pandemic when they allowed you to book crusies Royal was doing double points so a 7 night cruise in a Jr. Suite was worth 28 points. Won't just cruise to gain points but when they offered that we booked 4 cruises for 20, 24, and 2 28's points in a year. allowed us to go from gold to diamond in a year......very fortunate.....love royal.
I'm taking a solo short cruise in June so that I will be Diamond Plus when I go on my much-anticipated transatlantic cruise on Anthem next October. I love cruising so cruising in June definitely is a joy in itself. It didn’t hurt to get a significant discount through Casino Royale on the short cruise (and free drinks in the casino since I'm Prime). After that, I stop chasing tiers. Pinnacle is too far off.
On our way to diamond, we found many junior suites that were only slightly more in price than the balcony cabin we had planned on and got double points which helped us get to diamond. But I wouldn’t book a cruise just to make it to diamond.
We book because we want to vacation. However after Covid, we did plan a couple extras because of the double points offered. We will be diamond after our cruise in January, just tin time for our first transatlantic.
Thank you for sharing that information. You answered my question about if one member of the family is a Diamond member then your spouse or child in the same household will receive the same level. Thank you! I want to reach Diamond level but I cruise according to my favorite places and any new places I want to go to. I don't cruise to reach Diamond level only.
It makes sense to book a cruise in order to go on a cruise. NOT to move up to any status. That being said, if you are going on a cruise, there's nothing wrong with being strategic when it comes to your points. For example, book an 8-night cruise if it will make the difference in that 1 point you need to move to the next tier.
we are halfway to Diamond Plus from Diamond at 122 points, it has taken us 18 years to get there, not being able to cruise every year, need to save money to pay for them.
I am currently diamond and getting to diamond plus. I have to admit that I have added a couple cruises so that I will be to the next level when we hopefully do Panama Canal in 24. That will be a long cruise and will appreciate the additional benefits and discounts.
The Post-covid points were worth booking for the points. I went on one of the first cruises back and they were offering double points. My wife and I did a suite and got quadruple points per night on Odyssey. Then booked another cruise while they were still doubling points. We got 38 points with just 2 cruises and my wife and I are both diamond now. We went from 46 to 84.
Not sure if you can still add old cruises to get points but my wife sent in confirmation from two 7 night sailings from the 90s with her parents and we got those points. I got matched to her status and we became diamond in 2019, and our kids are also diamond... 😂 Oh yeah, you can match your c&a status to mgm properties in Vegas.
Since I live in Colorado, and we always have to fly out quite a ways to get to any cruise port, we almost always book back to back cruises on the same boat. Helps with points accumulation and saves money on airfare. On the newer boats 7 days doesn't really feel long enough to actually experience the whole ship anyway.
Perfect timing on your video Matt. I am booked on an 11 night Anthem cruise on January 24th, solo, in order to earn double points to get to diamond faster. We booked a back to back on the Icon for September of 2024 and were close enough to diamond that this would put us over. So as you mentioned, I am "taking one for the team" and we'll now be Diamond in time for our September 2024 back to back! However, I got a great deal on this cruise otherwise I wouldn't be doing it.
Our main reason for booking our newest cruise to Halifax is to cross the line into Diamond from Emerald. With our past cruise in August, we were only 2 points shy of hitting Diamond. So, there was a sale on a four night cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia (we wanted to see Halifax anyway) - and we could take this opportunity to try an interior cabin. We love cruising in general, but this was the only time we wanted to book a cruise primarily for the loyalty points. I thought we heard that RCCL was doing away with the Diamond Lounge, since there were so many people achieving Diamond/Diamond Plus status? Have you heard anything about this and when it would go into effect? Great content as always!! 😁
Yaaaas! I am thirsty for that Diamond status. Would eliminate the need for a drink package as four drinks a day would be perfect! Literally booked my “diamond status” cruise last week. So after Adventure in Feb ‘25, I’ll OFFICIALLY be Diamond. Thought I’d wait to book any additional cruises until that status kicks for the discount…thoughts? Also, is that credit listed as a separate line item during checkout? Thanks! Appreciate your vids!!
I went from platinum to diamond in 2 cruises with the double points, I had 39 points and booked a 4 night cruise in a Jr suite for Sept 2021, I got 16 points for that cruise, that gave me 55 points (Emerald), I went on a 7 night cruise this past November again I booked a Jr suite so I got 28 points for that cruise ,83 points got me to Diamond, the extra about $500.00 for the Jr suites saves me about 4, 7 night cruises, well worth it to me, excited to go on my first Diamond cruise in May
took my first cruise ever on RC in October and loved it. if i can swing it i am going to try to do 2 cruises this year not just for the points but because i had such a good time on my first cruise
I cruise because I love cruising! I will admit that once we hit Emerald, we did make a plan to get to Diamond faster!! I am looking forward to our first Diamond status cruise on Harmony in 100 days!!!
Years ago the diamond lounge had space for one to enjoy. On some ships the diamond/plus/pinnacle lounge area is so small, you cannot get in. One of the changes is that previously you would get as many drinks in the diamond lounge During the “happy hour” time 5-8. Now you have to use your one of your drink vouchers. My last cruise in July, even going to the lounge at 4:30 pm I could not get in. It was standing room only. Royal needs to consider bigger diamond and above level lounges with the higher number of people now having status.
I pick my cruises according to where I've been and where I still want to go. I also consider the weather where I'm going at that time of year and whether I've cruised on a particular ship before or not. Yes I have a check list to consider when choosing my cruises.
After our New Zealand cruise we will be 4 pts from Diamond. I absolutely booked us on an additional cruise to move up before our spring transatlantic-but it is a new & interesting itinerary!
I cruise as much as possible on multiple lines. I might choose one in particular or of a longer length to reach a tier. NCL had a lot of ways to get double points for booking certain cruises for a while and we made platinum in a couple years. Two free specialty dinners, a bottle of wine at one of them and a free bag of laundry each per cruise are nice perks after 75 nights.
We are on diamond level, before the covid we enjoyed all the benefits that RCC provided. Three weeks ago we took our first cruise after covid in Australia, it was very disappointed, there was no priority check in for loyal members, no nightly diamond event, no entertainment tour, we had to pay for using" I Fly " and "North star". In other hand people who paid for suite stateroom and up categories have more benefits than loyal members, it's come to a conclusion that loyal programs are over.
I'm definitely loyal to RCL and especially since I am Diamond. If they take away the drinks, I will be booking other cruiselines. So hopefully RCL listens and doesn't make changes.
With health concerns, then the pandemic, I've been 4 points away from diamond plus since January of 2018! I'm finally going on a cruise in April. I will finally be diamond plus. I'm going on a 14 day cruise to Greenland in September where I will be diamond plus and get 5 free drinks every day.
I was tempted to book suites to climb the C&A ladder faster until I read a comment somewhere saying that if you invest the money and purchase the perks separately you would spend less money. It's a rather simple math. Not only that, as points do (still) not expire, more and more people will eventually make it to diamond, forcing RCCL to raise prices or cut down on benefits. I am definitely not much excited about C&A anymore.
Sailing Oasis OTS next Thursday! We will be 3 points shy of Diamond after the cruise and looking to add a cruise to put us into the Diamond category before our Sept ‘23 Mariner OTS to Bermuda cruise!
so I had 77 Crown & Anchor points, when I booked a Southern Caribbean cruise for 8 days to Aruba, I'm a solo Cruiser. so I booked a two-night cruise to the perfect day on freedom of the sea prior to going on my Southern Caribbean cruise, both ships went out of Miami and it gave me three days to play around in Miami between the two cruises, the three nights in Miami and the two-day Cruise was around the same price as the four drinks a night and all the cappuccino drinks I drink on this Cruise. The .three nights at the Broadmoor in North Beach was $230 and $199 for the two night cruise.
As a solo cruiser, I got 56 points for my 14-day TA Wonder COVID cruise in April-May. That leapfrogged me from Gold past Platinum directly to Emerald, just a bit shy of Diamond. I thought about suites but it turned out to be much cheaper to book two short, cheap Bahamas cruises. I did a 3 and a 4-day Bahamas sail away inside and got to Diamond.
We were just short of diamond and were planning a 19 night transpacific. We took a short, 8 night southern Caribbean cruise to push us to diamond. The cost of the drinks package (for 2) for the transpacific was $3600 (including mandatory extra gratuities. The cost of the Caribbean cruise was $2900 including taxes and gratuities. We saved $700 and got an extra cruise. We could not keep up with the 8 free drinks per day (plus unlimited free espresso in the Diamond Lounge).
We book longer cruises - 12 night or back-to-back 7-night cruises for the vacation and to spread out cost of flights. It has helped us to reach Diamond status more quickly. The free drinks are a nice perk. I would not book cruises solely for the purpose of moving up to Diamond Plus level.
The quickest and fastest way to move up statuses is to always book a suite. If you want to keep it affordable, go with a Junior Suite. You may not get all the onboard perks but you will get double points which is what’s important.
We actually booked one cruise just to hit Diamond now in May, before our big cruise in August. We got a cheap cruise which costs less than we spend on board or for a drink package. 🍸 🥂🍹
We booked 5 cruises (total of 34 nights) since the restart and reached Diamond because all were double points - 4 for booking during the bonus times and 1 for a Jr Suite. Without those double points, we'd barely be Emerald. We enjoyed Diamond on our cruise 3 weeks ago on the Odyssey. Take advantage when Royal (or other company) offers double points for booking within certain times/seasons.
I am Diamond Plus, but there would be literally NO point to being so if I didn't really love cruising - partly because every time I jump up a level, some of the perks seem to disappear. Of course the next level for me is Pinnacle, which I am unlikely to ever reach. I have found that if you really like perks, you can get 90% of the Diamond/Diamond Plus and even Pinnacle benefits just by booking a Grand Suite or above.
Another UA-camr just said that they are taking away the Diamond Lounge and only Diamond Plus and above will have access to it for 2023 since the lounges are too crowded now...is that a "test" or is that happening?
Hi Matt, I agree with you. Cruise because you enjoy cruising. The perks are nice, but how many drinks could you buy for the amount of money 80 cruise nights would cost?
Yeah, if you're cruising just to get the benefits, then it's kind of like going to the casino for the "free cruises." Like, yeah they give you one for free, but how much money did you spend first before getting said free cruise that you could have just used to get another cruise or two?
i retired a year ago and found a cruise in November of 22 , i really enjoyed that first cruise. and from the first cruise i became a club royal member on my 2nd cruise and only paid Port taxes and gratuities. i went on 8 more cruises solo. and didn’t realize i became diamond in one year , so i still cruise through club royal and i average about 600.00 on board per cruise , thats solo.
I want it all 😂. I think my preference would probably be to enjoy the experience along the way. And I prefer 9 night or longer cruises in general. If I had my way, I would do a couple cruises per year but dang gone adulting 😜.
I just hit Diamond last year. I got it an extreme risky way for very cheap and it involved the casino. I do decently enough, even though I've lost a little on every cruise but 1. They reward me with free cruises. So I've been going on cruises by myself for free for a while and got diamond quickly. But like I said, it is risky.
@@Midwest.. Well, it depends. It's not how much you gamble. I've had days where I've lost 100 in 5 minutes. It's just like any casino. It depends on how much and how long. And you gain points faster on the slot machines then you do the tables. I like the tables more though and I play for a while. I don't know the exact science of how it works. I think I found a balance. But I can't promise that.
Cruise to enjoy cruising. Cruise on Royal because you appreciate Royal. We took advantage of the post-apocalyptic double points from Royal; not because we wanted C&A status, but because we were so excited to step foot once again on a Royal Promenade. We just made Diamond on our last cruise (Sep 2022), and sure, it'll be nice...but we're far more looking forward to being in a position now to explore what Sky Class has to offer on Icon, as opposed to what our loyalty status is. Bottom line: who gives a cuhrap what your C&A status is? Only you really do...it will come if cruising and Royal are for you 😀
We used a couple of Suite trips to help us move along, but now most of the Suites on the BIG ships are way too expensive for us. Still, I'll be searching out longer trips on smaller ships so that I can stay in a Suite to get from Diamond to Diamond+, and then begin the long slow climb to Pinnacle. I think we'll pick out certain ships to get our Crystal blocks on (maybe a new ship's inaugural cruise?) or something like that. To anyone who wants to get to that Prime Reward loyalty level, be it on Royal or another cruise line (or Airline, or Hotel, etc) you have to be dedicated. Then, you can branch out to other cruise lines and base your voyage on what you want to do or see. But I sure wish I had the time and money to go on the RC World Cruise in a Suite! That would be a lot of points!!!!!!
Diamond on Royal Caribbean, Elite on Princess, 4 star on Holland and enjoyed every minute of it! Only one that was a waste in my opinion is Holland, the perks just don’t equate to the others! Royal is the best!
I am definitely booking a cruise next year for the points. I want to be Platinum before I go on the Icon of the Seas in 2025. We always choose a balcony stateroom to get double the points. I love the perks, I certainly want to be up there in status haha just to get chocolate on embarkation day or whatnot haha
Will the answer of "whatever I have to tell my wife to get her to go on more cruises" work? I don't choose the cruise to go up in perks, however it is a great add on argument at times if I really want one ship over the other. (If we can afford a suite on an older ship compared to a newer one)
Yes, we are Diamond cruisers, we reach that back in March 2022, we are now close to Diamond plus after 10 cruises this past year. I will do a 5 day cruise by myself to get 10 points on Feb 5th, needed before our 7 day Feb 11 cruise and our 8 day March 3 cruise in Australia. Otherwise we won’t be Diamond plus for those 2 cruises. Is it worth it, maybe not, I had a complimentary cruise but waited to long to book it. However, free internet each and 5 free drinks, and I’ll have fun on the 5 day cruise anyway which I’ve never done. We have 15 booked for next year all the way to November, starting January 5, 2023 and January 28, then Feb 5 and February 11 mentioned above. We are not chasing Pinnacle, but if a crack opens to get extra points, why not. We are not drinkers, but we frequent the juice bar daily, on oasis class ships, plus we drink free in the casino anyway. It’s our second home now away from home, not so much a vacation. It’s cheaper than having a second home that goes nowhere. Oops
I need 15 points. Going on a 3 day suite cruise so 9 points after January 20th. I been on 5 cruises in 14 months 😂 I did 3 cruises 2 suites during the double points so we got X4 and that helped a lot
The time to cruise for points is past. For about a 2 year period RC you could earn double points for each cruise which allowed you to move to Diamond or Diamond Plus in a hurry. However, now that program is gone it will take more cruises, more expensive cabins or sailing solo to move faster. One approach for couples who normally get balcony cabins, would be to consider two adjoining inside cabins so you each get double points for a little more than a balcony cabin. If the cabins were adjoining, you would also have the advantage of 2 bathrooms and 2 closets.
My cruise in Feb. will be my first as a Diamond and first as Prime with free drinks in the casino so pretty excited. Question though, do you know how I can only use my Prime status in the casino and save my Diamond 4 drinks for other areas of the ship? I do dislike losing all my casino points at the end of March each year and starting April at 0 again. I really think the casino should be for a constant twelve month rolling status. My points in the casino will just disappear after my cruise in Feb. so I won’t ever get to use the additional casino benefits since we won’t cruise again till summer. My Crown and Anchor points keep accumulating of course, but hate losing those casino points end of March each year. And why March RCCL?🤔
I had several cruises booked this past year and realized I was going to be just a few points short of diamond status. I was hoping to be diamond by the time we went to Greenland in Sept 2023. I found an 8 day sailing out of Baltimore(6 hr drive) without the single supplement to get double points to push me into diamond status. I also used a FCC and Marriott Bonvoy points to pay for the cruise so in total i paid $129 for the trip. Is it normally an itinerary I would take, no. Also, we normal stay in balcony, this is interior. But to get 8 free drinks per day for our 14 day sailing in Sept, it was worth it. Lol
I sent my wife on at least 2 to 3 cruises per year and we just got our Dimond Staues just before Christmas , and she leaves again in 2 weeks in January,
MATT>>> Absolutely. This year I went from Platinum to Dimond Plus. now with Prime I will never buy the Unlimited drank Package again saving me 500-800 per cruise. O and Matt Congratulations on hitting Prime on Wonder OTS last week With Cooking Yoooo. sounds like it was a great trip. Just booked today a 12 nighter march 9 on Symphony transatlantic Miami to Spain. cruising Solo earning 24 points so i'll be at 221 points. almost 1/3 way to Pinnacle in just over 2 years,
I lucked out and thanks to cruising solo while they offered doubled points and low prices because of covid i was able to get to diamond status in 3 cruises this year. If it weren't for that I never would have made it lol.
Wait, tell me that again..my boyfriend can get matched to my level. Yes, we live at the same address..and have been on three cruises together in the last few years and are going on another next month. I am Emerald with a quest to get to Diamond...and he is Platinum. Can we ask as the "desk" next month for him to match my Emerald?
I have a question about the free drinks for Diamond and above. I am Diamond and the subject was brought up on whether the Diamond cruiser can share their 4 drink perk with a non Diamond cruiser.
Right now we am diamond. The perks are pretty much the same Between and diamond and diamond plus except for one drink. I’m not spending thousands of dollars on cruises just to get another drink. We’ll buy two drink for $30 and that will be our diamond plus perk. We will cruise toward diamond plus because we enjoy cruising, not to get one more drink apiece.
RCI has been eliminating or downgrading perks once enough of their loyal passengers hit the ranks, so I'd recommend against chasing levels. After the latest hits, I'm looking at other lines for 2024, as I'm not convinced the single supplement discount at 340 is going to be in place by the time I hit it. Making Diamond Plus was nice, but I don't drink alcohol, and I usually don't drink four mocktails a day. An extra one is nice, but I probably won't use it.
SO once you reach a tier, do you have to take so many cruises within a specific timeframe to keep the tier status or is it for life? Just curious how that works. Thanks!!
Ill have Diamond after my 3rd Cruise with Royal First one was 4 points only My second i got double points from a solo Travaler with a double points again perk = 28 points from a 7 night cruse so bringing me to 32 I am sailing in April on a 18 Night Cruise solo so double points and double again due to not been able to sail though covid and the double points perk was extended in australia This will bring me to Diamond with 3 cruises :D
Question? If one of us is Diamond, that makes the other spouse Diamond as well? I’m confused. Does that mean on the app we should both put the Diamond status C&A number on both apps or do we still need to use our own C&A number?
I remember when I first got Diamond status, I actually had to "have a discussion" with the Diamond Lounge attendant about bringing my fiance (who was Platinum) into the lounge with me. I explained, "Look, I paid her fare, she's my significant other and you're not allowing me to bring her in the lounge? I'm not coming in here by myself and leaving her outside the door!". They told me that technically, they couldn't do it, but finally realized how silly and awkward that rule was and let her in. I'm glad RCCL changed such a goofy policy!
I know you're RC focused; however, you could cruise Celebrity-- book Concierge Class or higher-- and get to Elite faster and more cost effectively than getting to Diamond on RC. I'm a numbers guy-- I'm correct on this. Once Elite on Celebrity-- you're automatically recognized as Diamond on RC. I don't see much value after Diamond vs spend on RC-- so after reciprosity-- I would probably just stay loyal to Celebrity and do the occasional RC cruise as a Diamond "recognized" member.
Am I right if you book and cruise on one of their sister cruise lines, your nights or points can be added to the same program? I'm sure I looked it up once before and they can be.
If you book a cruise but do not go on it do you still get the crown and anchor points? For example like the Transatlantic ones on the old ship that only cost like $600 bucks for 15 nights.
I’m sure this is much easier for people who live close to ports. I have to fly and get a hotel every time so makes it not as cheap/easy as those living near ports. That’s a huge factor.
We live 130 miles north of Galveston, but have to go through Houston to get there. With all the traffic and potential for disaster on the freeways, we are staying in a hotel the night before the cruise. We learned on our very first cruise, which we almost missed due to fog at our airport, that it makes for a much more relaxed time if we get to the port at least a day early.
@@emmybushman we will be going out of Galveston in November. Can you recommend a good hotel near the port, that also serves breakfast for having food for senior parents. Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Agree completely. We live less than 8 hours drive from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Port Canaveral. We usually do get a hotel night before but have even started driving to Canaveral the morning of the cruise without issue.
My children are 14 and 18 years old and I traveled on Royal Caribbean before they were born!!
This started in the 2000s
And we are from Brazil Today we are all Diamonds! And there really are many benefits!!
Congratulations on the video!!
For me, I take a vacation to get a much needed break from work. I reached Diamond and do enjoy the benefits. My cruises to get there were for valuable time off and to enjoy the places that were on the itinerary. I value vacations when they are spread out and taken periodically. It would seem that cruising just to get cruise points would take the fun out of the vacation.
There are so many Diamond and up members now that trying to get into the Diamond lounge or some events is crazy.
When we were 13 points away, we were looking at options- a 6 night cruise, and then deciding between a 6 night and 7 night for the second cruise. That was one case where loyalty status definitely played a factor in our booking decision! We were glad to choose the 7 night cruise in order to have Diamond on our next cruise after that. But yes, outside of situations like that, it really doesn't make sense to chase status or points.
My wife and I just got back from our first sailing with RC, and we loved it! We would like to get our status up faster by cruising more often, but with my job and kids, it's just not possible at this time. Eventually, we will make it to Dimond status. It will just take us a little while to get there. We do have another cruise scheduled next year (December 2023) with the kids. We plan on them having their own C&A account so they can already be earning their own points and status for the future.
Don’t forget the Casino Royale free cruise offers. I’ve gotten a ton of offers that I use as my solo cruise trips. I spoil myself with a suite for my solo cruises and just get a standard balcony for family cruises. The free cruise offers reward points so it allows additional sailings at an amazing discount!
😂 we always enjoy everything RC has to offer. The New Year’s cruise in 3 days will be our…. Lol 11th cruise in a year. We appreciate the additional perks that also come with the suites. We have our favorite ships and since we go often we have our favorite staff. They greet us and remember us. They always treat us like family. Loyal to Royal.
What's your favorite ship?
We got extremely lucky becuase during the pandemic when they allowed you to book crusies Royal was doing double points so a 7 night cruise in a Jr. Suite was worth 28 points. Won't just cruise to gain points but when they offered that we booked 4 cruises for 20, 24, and 2 28's points in a year. allowed us to go from gold to diamond in a year......very fortunate.....love royal.
I am only one cruise away from diamond. I am excited to become Diamond. Getting the free drinks are worth it
Also congratulations on reaching 200,000 subscribers
We plan to take a cruise on Royal Caribbean
I'm taking a solo short cruise in June so that I will be Diamond Plus when I go on my much-anticipated transatlantic cruise on Anthem next October. I love cruising so cruising in June definitely is a joy in itself. It didn’t hurt to get a significant discount through Casino Royale on the short cruise (and free drinks in the casino since I'm Prime). After that, I stop chasing tiers. Pinnacle is too far off.
On our way to diamond, we found many junior suites that were only slightly more in price than the balcony cabin we had planned on and got double points which helped us get to diamond. But I wouldn’t book a cruise just to make it to diamond.
I remember having 78 nights and booking a 4 day cruise, just to get to Diamond, which by the way, was excellent, we don’t like short cruises.
We book because we want to vacation. However after Covid, we did plan a couple extras because of the double points offered. We will be diamond after our cruise in January, just tin time for our first transatlantic.
Thank you for sharing that information. You answered my question about if one member of the family is a Diamond member then your spouse or child in the same household will receive the same level. Thank you! I want to reach Diamond level but I cruise according to my favorite places and any new places I want to go to. I don't cruise to reach Diamond level only.
It makes sense to book a cruise in order to go on a cruise. NOT to move up to any status. That being said, if you are going on a cruise, there's nothing wrong with being strategic when it comes to your points. For example, book an 8-night cruise if it will make the difference in that 1 point you need to move to the next tier.
great video, thanks for excellent info
we are halfway to Diamond Plus from Diamond at 122 points, it has taken us 18 years to get there, not being able to cruise every year, need to save money to pay for them.
I am currently diamond and getting to diamond plus. I have to admit that I have added a couple cruises so that I will be to the next level when we hopefully do Panama Canal in 24. That will be a long cruise and will appreciate the additional benefits and discounts.
The Post-covid points were worth booking for the points. I went on one of the first cruises back and they were offering double points. My wife and I did a suite and got quadruple points per night on Odyssey. Then booked another cruise while they were still doubling points. We got 38 points with just 2 cruises and my wife and I are both diamond now. We went from 46 to 84.
Went on my first RCCL cruise as a Diamond member thanks to my Elite status on Celebrity. It made a huge difference for us.
Platinum now and Diamond by the end of the year. Doing a few solo suites. Yes, I’m taking a few for the team.
Not sure if you can still add old cruises to get points but my wife sent in confirmation from two 7 night sailings from the 90s with her parents and we got those points. I got matched to her status and we became diamond in 2019, and our kids are also diamond... 😂 Oh yeah, you can match your c&a status to mgm properties in Vegas.
Since I live in Colorado, and we always have to fly out quite a ways to get to any cruise port, we almost always book back to back cruises on the same boat. Helps with points accumulation and saves money on airfare. On the newer boats 7 days doesn't really feel long enough to actually experience the whole ship anyway.
How do you handle laundry
@@p712ynj0kl You can get laundry done on the ship
Perfect timing on your video Matt. I am booked on an 11 night Anthem cruise on January 24th, solo, in order to earn double points to get to diamond faster.
We booked a back to back on the Icon for September of 2024 and were close enough to diamond that this would put us over. So as you mentioned, I am "taking one for the team" and we'll now be Diamond in time for our September 2024 back to back!
However, I got a great deal on this cruise otherwise I wouldn't be doing it.
Our main reason for booking our newest cruise to Halifax is to cross the line into Diamond from Emerald. With our past cruise in August, we were only 2 points shy of hitting Diamond. So, there was a sale on a four night cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia (we wanted to see Halifax anyway) - and we could take this opportunity to try an interior cabin. We love cruising in general, but this was the only time we wanted to book a cruise primarily for the loyalty points. I thought we heard that RCCL was doing away with the Diamond Lounge, since there were so many people achieving Diamond/Diamond Plus status? Have you heard anything about this and when it would go into effect? Great content as always!! 😁
Yaaaas! I am thirsty for that Diamond status. Would eliminate the need for a drink package as four drinks a day would be perfect! Literally booked my “diamond status” cruise last week. So after Adventure in Feb ‘25, I’ll OFFICIALLY be Diamond. Thought I’d wait to book any additional cruises until that status kicks for the discount…thoughts? Also, is that credit listed as a separate line item during checkout? Thanks! Appreciate your vids!!
I went from platinum to diamond in 2 cruises with the double points, I had 39 points and booked a 4 night cruise in a Jr suite for Sept 2021, I got 16 points for that cruise, that gave me 55 points (Emerald), I went on a 7 night cruise this past November again I booked a Jr suite so I got 28 points for that cruise ,83 points got me to Diamond, the extra about $500.00 for the Jr suites saves me about 4, 7 night cruises, well worth it to me, excited to go on my first Diamond cruise in May
Please sign up for the Crown and Anchor
took my first cruise ever on RC in October and loved it. if i can swing it i am going to try to do 2 cruises this year not just for the points but because i had such a good time on my first cruise
I cruise because I love cruising! I will admit that once we hit Emerald, we did make a plan to get to Diamond faster!! I am looking forward to our first Diamond status cruise on Harmony in 100 days!!!
You're spot on!
Years ago the diamond lounge had space for one to enjoy. On some ships the diamond/plus/pinnacle lounge area is so small, you cannot get in. One of the changes is that previously you would get as many drinks in the diamond lounge During the “happy hour” time 5-8. Now you have to use your one of your drink vouchers. My last cruise in July, even going to the lounge at 4:30 pm I could not get in. It was standing room only. Royal needs to consider bigger diamond and above level lounges with the higher number of people now having status.
I pick my cruises according to where I've been and where I still want to go. I also consider the weather where I'm going at that time of year and whether I've cruised on a particular ship before or not. Yes I have a check list to consider when choosing my cruises.
After our New Zealand cruise we will be 4 pts from Diamond. I absolutely booked us on an additional cruise to move up before our spring transatlantic-but it is a new & interesting itinerary!
I cruise as much as possible on multiple lines. I might choose one in particular or of a longer length to reach a tier. NCL had a lot of ways to get double points for booking certain cruises for a while and we made platinum in a couple years. Two free specialty dinners, a bottle of wine at one of them and a free bag of laundry each per cruise are nice perks after 75 nights.
We are on diamond level, before the covid we enjoyed all the benefits that RCC provided. Three weeks ago we took our first cruise after covid in Australia, it was very disappointed, there was no priority check in for loyal members, no nightly diamond event, no entertainment tour, we had to pay for using" I Fly " and "North star". In other hand people who paid for suite stateroom and up categories have more benefits than loyal members, it's come to a conclusion that loyal programs are over.
I'm definitely loyal to RCL and especially since I am Diamond. If they take away the drinks, I will be booking other cruiselines. So hopefully RCL listens and doesn't make changes.
With health concerns, then the pandemic, I've been 4 points away from diamond plus since January of 2018! I'm finally going on a cruise in April. I will finally be diamond plus. I'm going on a 14 day cruise to Greenland in September where I will be diamond plus and get 5 free drinks every day.
I was tempted to book suites to climb the C&A ladder faster until I read a comment somewhere saying that if you invest the money and purchase the perks separately you would spend less money. It's a rather simple math. Not only that, as points do (still) not expire, more and more people will eventually make it to diamond, forcing RCCL to raise prices or cut down on benefits. I am definitely not much excited about C&A anymore.
And retired people get sick and die off. But yes if to good to be true good luck
Sailing Oasis OTS next Thursday! We will be 3 points shy of Diamond after the cruise and looking to add a cruise to put us into the Diamond category before our Sept ‘23 Mariner OTS to Bermuda cruise!
so I had 77 Crown & Anchor points, when I booked a Southern Caribbean cruise for 8 days to Aruba, I'm a solo Cruiser. so I booked a two-night cruise to the perfect day on freedom of the sea prior to going on my Southern Caribbean cruise, both ships went out of Miami and it gave me three days to play around in Miami between the two cruises, the three nights in Miami and the two-day Cruise was around the same price as the four drinks a night and all the cappuccino drinks I drink on this Cruise. The .three nights at the Broadmoor in North Beach was $230 and $199 for the two night cruise.
Just got to platinum. Think I will be taking more solo cruises. But certainly not just for the status increase. Love cruising!
What about using your RC credit card while trying to get Diamond status?
As a solo cruiser, I got 56 points for my 14-day TA Wonder COVID cruise in April-May. That leapfrogged me from Gold past Platinum directly to Emerald, just a bit shy of Diamond. I thought about suites but it turned out to be much cheaper to book two short, cheap Bahamas cruises. I did a 3 and a 4-day Bahamas sail away inside and got to Diamond.
Junior suites are a great way to double points for not much more money.
We were just short of diamond and were planning a 19 night transpacific. We took a short, 8 night southern Caribbean cruise to push us to diamond. The cost of the drinks package (for 2) for the transpacific was $3600 (including mandatory extra gratuities. The cost of the Caribbean cruise was $2900 including taxes and gratuities. We saved $700 and got an extra cruise. We could not keep up with the 8 free drinks per day (plus unlimited free espresso in the Diamond Lounge).
We book longer cruises - 12 night or back-to-back 7-night cruises for the vacation and to spread out cost of flights. It has helped us to reach Diamond status more quickly. The free drinks are a nice perk. I would not book cruises solely for the purpose of moving up to Diamond Plus level.
The quickest and fastest way to move up statuses is to always book a suite. If you want to keep it affordable, go with a Junior Suite. You may not get all the onboard perks but you will get double points which is what’s important.
We actually booked one cruise just to hit Diamond now in May, before our big cruise in August. We got a cheap cruise which costs less than we spend on board or for a drink package. 🍸 🥂🍹
We booked 5 cruises (total of 34 nights) since the restart and reached Diamond because all were double points - 4 for booking during the bonus times and 1 for a Jr Suite. Without those double points, we'd barely be Emerald. We enjoyed Diamond on our cruise 3 weeks ago on the Odyssey. Take advantage when Royal (or other company) offers double points for booking within certain times/seasons.
I am Diamond Plus, but there would be literally NO point to being so if I didn't really love cruising - partly because every time I jump up a level, some of the perks seem to disappear. Of course the next level for me is Pinnacle, which I am unlikely to ever reach. I have found that if you really like perks, you can get 90% of the Diamond/Diamond Plus and even Pinnacle benefits just by booking a Grand Suite or above.
Another UA-camr just said that they are taking away the Diamond Lounge and only Diamond Plus and above will have access to it for 2023 since the lounges are too crowded now...is that a "test" or is that happening?
Reached diamond in November so booked 2 transatlantic cruises in a JS for the race to diamond plus 😎😎
Hi Matt, I agree with you. Cruise because you enjoy cruising. The perks are nice, but how many drinks could you buy for the amount of money 80 cruise nights would cost?
Yeah, if you're cruising just to get the benefits, then it's kind of like going to the casino for the "free cruises." Like, yeah they give you one for free, but how much money did you spend first before getting said free cruise that you could have just used to get another cruise or two?
i retired a year ago and found a cruise in November of 22 , i really enjoyed that first cruise. and from the first cruise i became a club royal member on my 2nd cruise and only paid Port taxes and gratuities. i went on 8 more cruises solo. and didn’t realize i became diamond in one year , so i still cruise through club royal and i average about 600.00 on board per cruise , thats solo.
Just turned diamond... it is really worth!
I want it all 😂. I think my preference would probably be to enjoy the experience along the way. And I prefer 9 night or longer cruises in general. If I had my way, I would do a couple cruises per year but dang gone adulting 😜.
Do points expire?
Lifetime, got it.
I just hit Diamond last year. I got it an extreme risky way for very cheap and it involved the casino. I do decently enough, even though I've lost a little on every cruise but 1. They reward me with free cruises. So I've been going on cruises by myself for free for a while and got diamond quickly. But like I said, it is risky.
How much would you recommend gamble at the casino every night to earn a free cruise 🛳? If don't mind me asking
@@Midwest.. Well, it depends. It's not how much you gamble. I've had days where I've lost 100 in 5 minutes. It's just like any casino. It depends on how much and how long. And you gain points faster on the slot machines then you do the tables. I like the tables more though and I play for a while. I don't know the exact science of how it works. I think I found a balance. But I can't promise that.
Cruise to enjoy cruising. Cruise on Royal because you appreciate Royal. We took advantage of the post-apocalyptic double points from Royal; not because we wanted C&A status, but because we were so excited to step foot once again on a Royal Promenade. We just made Diamond on our last cruise (Sep 2022), and sure, it'll be nice...but we're far more looking forward to being in a position now to explore what Sky Class has to offer on Icon, as opposed to what our loyalty status is. Bottom line: who gives a cuhrap what your C&A status is? Only you really do...it will come if cruising and Royal are for you 😀
We used a couple of Suite trips to help us move along, but now most of the Suites on the BIG ships are way too expensive for us. Still, I'll be searching out longer trips on smaller ships so that I can stay in a Suite to get from Diamond to Diamond+, and then begin the long slow climb to Pinnacle. I think we'll pick out certain ships to get our Crystal blocks on (maybe a new ship's inaugural cruise?) or something like that.
To anyone who wants to get to that Prime Reward loyalty level, be it on Royal or another cruise line (or Airline, or Hotel, etc) you have to be dedicated. Then, you can branch out to other cruise lines and base your voyage on what you want to do or see.
But I sure wish I had the time and money to go on the RC World Cruise in a Suite! That would be a lot of points!!!!!!
Diamond on Royal Caribbean, Elite on Princess, 4 star on Holland and enjoyed every minute of it! Only one that was a waste in my opinion is Holland, the perks just don’t equate to the others! Royal is the best!
I am definitely booking a cruise next year for the points. I want to be Platinum before I go on the Icon of the Seas in 2025. We always choose a balcony stateroom to get double the points. I love the perks, I certainly want to be up there in status haha just to get chocolate on embarkation day or whatnot haha
Will the answer of "whatever I have to tell my wife to get her to go on more cruises" work? I don't choose the cruise to go up in perks, however it is a great add on argument at times if I really want one ship over the other. (If we can afford a suite on an older ship compared to a newer one)
Yes, we are Diamond cruisers, we reach that back in March 2022, we are now close to Diamond plus after 10 cruises this past year. I will do a 5 day cruise by myself to get 10 points on Feb 5th, needed before our 7 day Feb 11 cruise and our 8 day March 3 cruise in Australia. Otherwise we won’t be Diamond plus for those 2 cruises. Is it worth it, maybe not, I had a complimentary cruise but waited to long to book it. However, free internet each and 5 free drinks, and I’ll have fun on the 5 day cruise anyway which I’ve never done. We have 15 booked for next year all the way to November, starting January 5, 2023 and January 28, then Feb 5 and February 11 mentioned above. We are not chasing Pinnacle, but if a crack opens to get extra points, why not. We are not drinkers, but we frequent the juice bar daily, on oasis class ships, plus we drink free in the casino anyway. It’s our second home now away from home, not so much a vacation. It’s cheaper than having a second home that goes nowhere. Oops
After Alaska in September we will be at 77 points. Looks like we need to book a little 3-4 nighter somewhere so we can start 2024 as Diamond. :)
I need 15 points.
Going on a 3 day suite cruise so 9 points after January 20th.
I been on 5 cruises in 14 months 😂
I did 3 cruises 2 suites during the double points so we got X4 and that helped a lot
The time to cruise for points is past. For about a 2 year period RC you could earn double points for each cruise which allowed you to move to Diamond or Diamond Plus in a hurry. However, now that program is gone it will take more cruises, more expensive cabins or sailing solo to move faster. One approach for couples who normally get balcony cabins, would be to consider two adjoining inside cabins so you each get double points for a little more than a balcony cabin. If the cabins were adjoining, you would also have the advantage of 2 bathrooms and 2 closets.
My cruise in Feb. will be my first as a Diamond and first as Prime with free drinks in the casino so pretty excited. Question though, do you know how I can only use my Prime status in the casino and save my Diamond 4 drinks for other areas of the ship? I do dislike losing all my casino points at the end of March each year and starting April at 0 again. I really think the casino should be for a constant twelve month rolling status. My points in the casino will just disappear after my cruise in Feb. so I won’t ever get to use the additional casino benefits since we won’t cruise again till summer. My Crown and Anchor points keep accumulating of course, but hate losing those casino points end of March each year. And why March RCCL?🤔
I had several cruises booked this past year and realized I was going to be just a few points short of diamond status. I was hoping to be diamond by the time we went to Greenland in Sept 2023. I found an 8 day sailing out of Baltimore(6 hr drive) without the single supplement to get double points to push me into diamond status. I also used a FCC and Marriott Bonvoy points to pay for the cruise so in total i paid $129 for the trip. Is it normally an itinerary I would take, no. Also, we normal stay in balcony, this is interior. But to get 8 free drinks per day for our 14 day sailing in Sept, it was worth it. Lol
We made Emerald this year. I've added a couple more cruises so we'll be Diamond for Icon in 2024.
Hello can u do a review on vision of the sea plz
I sent my wife on at least 2 to 3 cruises per year and we just got our Dimond Staues just before Christmas , and she leaves again in 2 weeks in January,
Do you not like your wife?
MATT>>> Absolutely. This year I went from Platinum to Dimond Plus. now with Prime I will never buy the Unlimited drank Package again saving me 500-800 per cruise. O and Matt Congratulations on hitting Prime on Wonder OTS last week With Cooking Yoooo. sounds like it was a great trip. Just booked today a 12 nighter march 9 on Symphony transatlantic Miami to Spain. cruising Solo earning 24 points so i'll be at 221 points. almost 1/3 way to Pinnacle in just over 2 years,
I lucked out and thanks to cruising solo while they offered doubled points and low prices because of covid i was able to get to diamond status in 3 cruises this year. If it weren't for that I never would have made it lol.
Those double points were awesome!!
Wait, tell me that again..my boyfriend can get matched to my level. Yes, we live at the same address..and have been on three cruises together in the last few years and are going on another next month. I am Emerald with a quest to get to Diamond...and he is Platinum. Can we ask as the "desk" next month for him to match my Emerald?
I have a question about the free drinks for Diamond and above. I am Diamond and the subject was brought up on whether the Diamond cruiser can share their 4 drink perk with a non Diamond cruiser.
Does the Diamond lounge offer comp drinks?
Not inherently. It still deducts from your daily allotment of diamond drinks
Wow! Free drinks?? I love Disney Cruises but as of late, Royal is moving up on my list and Disney down.
I'm going on freedom of the seas this summer is it fun need advice of what to do
Right now we am diamond. The perks are pretty much the same Between and diamond and diamond plus except for one drink. I’m not spending thousands of dollars on cruises just to get another drink. We’ll buy two drink for $30 and that will be our diamond plus perk. We will cruise toward diamond plus because we enjoy cruising, not to get one more drink apiece.
RCI has been eliminating or downgrading perks once enough of their loyal passengers hit the ranks, so I'd recommend against chasing levels. After the latest hits, I'm looking at other lines for 2024, as I'm not convinced the single supplement discount at 340 is going to be in place by the time I hit it. Making Diamond Plus was nice, but I don't drink alcohol, and I usually don't drink four mocktails a day. An extra one is nice, but I probably won't use it.
Totally agree 👍
SO once you reach a tier, do you have to take so many cruises within a specific timeframe to keep the tier status or is it for life? Just curious how that works. Thanks!!
It's for life
7:30 answers this. Yes, it's for life! Until they change the benefits, and you might lose some benefit you like.
Ill have Diamond after my 3rd Cruise with Royal
First one was 4 points only
My second i got double points from a solo Travaler with a double points again perk = 28 points from a 7 night cruse
so bringing me to 32
I am sailing in April on a 18 Night Cruise solo so double points and double again due to not been able to sail though covid and the double points perk was extended in australia
This will bring me to Diamond with 3 cruises :D
We will be at 77 points by Dec 2023, unless we squeeze in another. I still have 5 days of AL to use. 😊
So, how many points when the "Around the World" cruises begin?!
Question? If one of us is Diamond, that makes the other spouse Diamond as well? I’m confused. Does that mean on the app we should both put the Diamond status C&A number on both apps or do we still need to use our own C&A number?
I remember when I first got Diamond status, I actually had to "have a discussion" with the Diamond Lounge attendant about bringing my fiance (who was Platinum) into the lounge with me. I explained, "Look, I paid her fare, she's my significant other and you're not allowing me to bring her in the lounge? I'm not coming in here by myself and leaving her outside the door!". They told me that technically, they couldn't do it, but finally realized how silly and awkward that rule was and let her in. I'm glad RCCL changed such a goofy policy!
didn't RC just recently change the diamond club access?
No, they changed concierge lounge access on a handful of ships that still had that lounge. No change to diamond lounge access
I’ll be at emerald by September and diamond by December 2024
Thanks for the tips, newer cruiser here and trying to move up the ranks ⛴️
I'm already at diamond plus for 3 years and I'm 13 now
I know you're RC focused; however, you could cruise Celebrity-- book Concierge Class or higher-- and get to Elite faster and more cost effectively than getting to Diamond on RC. I'm a numbers guy-- I'm correct on this.
Once Elite on Celebrity-- you're automatically recognized as Diamond on RC. I don't see much value after Diamond vs spend on RC-- so after reciprosity-- I would probably just stay loyal to Celebrity and do the occasional RC cruise as a Diamond "recognized" member.
Am I right if you book and cruise on one of their sister cruise lines, your nights or points can be added to the same program? I'm sure I looked it up once before and they can be.
Unfortunately, not.
What do you get in gold?
If you book a cruise but do not go on it do you still get the crown and anchor points? For example like the Transatlantic ones on the old ship that only cost like $600 bucks for 15 nights.
If you don't sail you get no points.