Royal Caribbean cruisers are about to get more value from being a loyal cruiser.

Royal Caribbean Group announced on Friday a new partnership with Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming that will allow those with deals and promos on accommodations, meals, and more at Hard Rock and Seminole casinos, hotels and cafes, and on Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises vacations.

It essentially provides added perks for members of the Club Royale (Royal Caribbean) and Blue Chip Club (Celebrity Cruises) casino loyalty programs, as well as Unity by Hard Rock.

New benefits

Here's what cruisers and Hard Rock members can expect to get from this new arrangement.

Club Royale and Blue Chip Club members can get exclusive discounts and perks at participating Hard Rock locations, including annual complimentary trips at select Hard Rock hotels and casinos worldwide for premium tier Club Royale and Blue Chip members. 

Unity by Hard Rock loyalty members will receive discounts on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity vacations and can qualify for invite-only cruise giveaways. Top-tier loyalty members will also receive an annual complimentary cruise on select ships and itineraries. 

What this means is you're a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity cruiser with status in the casino, you now have benefits with Hard Rock and vice versa.

Official starting date for rewards still being finalized but expect communication via your email if you are a Unity by Hard Rock member, Royal Caribbean Club Royale member or Celebrity Cruises Blue Chip member in the upcoming weeks with the complete detail.

The program will not extend to earning points Unity Points while playing in the casinos on a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity cruise, nor will you earn Casino Royale or Captain's Club points while playing at a Hard Rock casino.

More casino and cruise synergy

The new partnership with Hard Rock adds more value to cruisers with their loyalty status.

Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society already offers reciprocal benefits at MGM Resorts. For no extra cost, you can link your Crown & Anchor level and immediately take advantage of MGM benefits including resort fee waivers, discounts on entertainment, and complimentary hotel upgrades.

If you've cruised with either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises, you can take advantage of the MGM Rewards program. These range from discount offers and welcome amenities for Sapphire and Pearl members to onboard credits of up to $300 and annual complimentary cruises for Platinum and Noir members. 

Just be sure to validate your MGM Rewards status and request these benefits at the time of cruise booking (at least 10 days before departure).

Read more: How do Royal Caribbean and MGM Resorts shared benefits work?

Special events this weekend

If you happen to be in South Florida this weekend sailing on Icon of the Seas, there's some added festivities.

Tonight, Friday, April 26, Zedd will headline a star-studded celebration at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood Guitar Hotel Pool, alongside activations and giveaways, including a cruise giveaway on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. Ticket information is available at Casino.HardRock.com/Hollywood.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, the celebration will continue at Royal Caribbean’s Terminal A at PortMiami with music and giveaways. 

Surprise events and pop-up activations presented by Hard Rock will also come to life on Icon’s 7-night Caribbean getaway departing that day. 

A special highlight at Basecamp, will be Hard Rock Cafe’s legendary Messi Burger named after Lionel Messi. Messi Burgers will be available at no cost throughout the sailing, plus giveaways of mini soccer balls and sunglasses.

Read more: Icon of the Seas restaurant and dining guide

A new partnership has been formed between Miami's leading cruise line and soccer club.

On Friday, Royal Caribbean announced, "an unprecedented, multiyear partnership" with Inter Miami CF. The soccer club was established in 2018 and is in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer.

Royal Caribbean will be the soccer club's main partner and Official Vacation Partner.

The new partnership builds on the cruise line welcoming international star Lionel Messi, who joined the team for the 2023 season.

Royal Caribbean is no stranger to sponsorship deals, as the company has been a corporate sponsor of different teams in the past.  It provides them with a new way to advertise their vacations to the public.

With the impending launch of Icon of the Seas in January, the cruise line is clearly getting ready to turn up the advertising of the new ship to get the public's attention.

Icon of the Seas is built with far more family-focused activities than other cruise ships, and it's a brand new type of cruise ship.

Scheduled to begin sailing in January 2024 and already available to book, will feature a water park, kids club, entire portion of the ship for young families, and more dining and entertainment than on any other ship since.

Icon of the Seas will have more cabins to cater to families with higher capacities, thanks in large part to new room designs.

Adults aren't being left out either.  While the kids are busy with all of their activities, there's a jazz club, elevated supper club, adults-only pool and bar, dueling piano bar, and lots more.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty spoke on the new deal, "Royal Caribbean started in Miami more than 50 years ago, and we have always had heart and passion for our community. It's been exciting to see Inter Miami’s success, including their recent Leagues Cup title, energize South Florida. As the Club’s Main Partner, we are thrilled to build on that momentum together and deliver memorable moments to fans around the world."

Royal Caribbean's SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Kara Wallace, also heralds the new relationship, "Royal Caribbean and Inter Miami have won the hearts and minds of fans from around the world. Together as partners, the possibilities to reach more dreamers and adventurers are exponential from ship to pitch, especially as we look forward to the arrival of Icon of the Seas."

What the partnership will bring

The sponsorship deal means a lot of cross brand promotion.

You can expect to see stadium LED, in-game content, fan zone activations, the Club’s digital and social platforms and more starting with the next home game at DRV PNK Stadium.

In addition, both partners will share community service initiatives in South Florida.

Weather Decision Technologies, Inc. (WDT) announced that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) has selected WDT’s WeatherOps risk mitigation system to implement on all of the ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet, as well as in the emergency operations centers in Miami as of November 2017.

WDT’s WeatherOps platform was chosen to support RCL’s global cruise line operations after real-world validation and the approval of each captain in each division. RCL’s shore side team in Miami will also utilize WeatherOps to support captains across the fleet and ensure that logistics and weather safety across all aspects of the company’s operation are handled with respect to any weather hazards or delays.

"We are extremely excited to be using WDT’s innovative technology to ensure that our ships and Captains can plan the safest route possible for our guests and crew members," said James Van Fleet, Chief Meteorologist, Royal Caribbean International. "Our goal is always to make sure our guests have the best vacation possible, and this technology helps us do that."

Royal Caribbean announced today it will be the Official Cruise Line of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and the Arena Concert Series at Madison Square Garden.

Royal Caribbean and The Market Square Garden Company announced their marketing partnership, which provides Royal Caribbean with premier brand integration and exposure across Madison Square Garden’s unrivaled set of assets, including digital platforms, venue signage and presence in the transformed Madison Square Garden.

Royal Caribbean will enjoy significant brand exposure at The Garden during all Knicks and Rangers games, as well as during concerts at Madison Square Garden. This includes courtside and in-arena LED signage throughout the Arena, featured spots on MSG’s GardenVision and features on Knicks and Rangers digital and social assets.

"New York is an incredibly important market for Royal Caribbean, and we couldn’t think of a stronger fit in a strategic partner than the Madison Square Garden Company,"said Jim Berra, Chief Marketing Officer, Royal Caribbean International. "As the Official Cruise Line of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and the Arena Concert Series at Madison Square Garden, we hope to inspire New Yorkers to consider Royal Caribbean for their next great adventure."

"As the number one cruise line in the world, Royal Caribbean is a fantastic addition to our legendary group of marketing partners and we look forward to working with them on some exciting initiatives," said Ron Skotarczak, executive vice president, marketing partnerships, The Madison Square Garden Company. "We are excited to provide incredible value for our newest partner that will help drive their business."

Royal Caribbean has signed a three-year contract with U.S.-based Cintas to produce, provide and maintain employee uniforms across the fleet.

The move is intended to service its own expansion in the Chinese market and to benefit the Chinese economy. Specifically, the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, or TEDA, issued a letter of endorsement to Cintas for the contract’s support of the Chinese economy.

Royal Caribbean global supply chain officer, Mike Jones, says the new deal with Cintas had its beginnings early last year, when the line’s board of directors expressed interest in developing more partnerships in China to demonstrate its commitment to the region, beyond basing more ships there.

“As part of that request, the executive committee asked supply chain to go out and identify several key partnerships that have an impact on employment and what we spend there, and would be recognized by the government as a contribution to the overall economy,” Jones explains.

“Cintas refocused their efforts on sourcing from factories in China, and they’re increasing their production there,” Lisa Ghai, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. manager of hotel procurement, says of the multimillion-dollar deal. “At the same time, we’re able to offer our internal customers significant savings on some of their highest volume items, so it was a win-win.”

Royal Caribbean extended its deal with Mood Media Corporation to be the sole provider for all the on-board, overhead music for Royal Caribbean's new Quantum class cruise ships.

Mood has provided the sound for Royal Caribbean ships in 220 distinct zones of music across 12 ships since 2007. In creating Royal Caribbean’s on-board sound, music designers carefully capture the global, exploratory nature of the company and its guests by blending traditional classics and contemporary favorites with hand-picked Italian, Spanish, French, English and Asian selections.

Additionally, Mood now provides music to the smart ship via 14 players covering 28 zones (gym, spa, smaller themed restaurants and larger dining halls, café, casino, pool deck, discotheque and more). One featured program is the highly customized RCC playlist, “Royal Caribbean Core.” The music straddles the line between familiar mainstream pop and hip indie pop to convey exhilaration and adventure. The tracks feature “seize-the-day” lyrics and a feeling of momentum from artists like Fitz and the Tantrums, U2 and Coldplay.

Royal Caribbean Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, commented on the new deal, "After years of experience working with Mood Media as a music provider to our fleet, we knew we were placing our ship in good hands. The team was a key contributor in achieving the big picture experience we envisioned for our 21st century patrons"

“Royal Caribbean ascended above its competitors within the tourism industry because they value the importance of creating a holistic cruise experience that truly touches all sensory touch points for their loyal guests. They certainly took that mindset to another level with the new Quantum Class, and it’s a very exciting time for them,” said Ken Eissing, President of Mood Media – North America.

Royal Caribbean and Florida International University (FIU) will unveil a 130,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art rehearsal and production studio on Friday and announce details of a new partnership that will include collaborative research and talent development.

The Royal@FIU World Stage Collaborative will include paid internships, custom curricula and behind-the-scenes access to Royal Caribbean’s experts and facilities.

Students will gain hands-on experience in cruise line operations, stage management, lighting, stage design, audio engineering and production. In addition, FIU faculty and staff will have access to Royal Caribbean marketing and sales data from its six cruise brands to conduct original research and present findings to Royal Caribbean.

A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place from 10:15 a.m. to noon Friday at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus.

Royal Caribbean announced today it was reneweing its multi-year partnership with Bank of America, which will include the launch of new credit cards that will offer benefits for Royal Caribbean cruises.  The agreement will also bring new credit cards for sister brands Azamara Club Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.

Dubbed, "MyCruise Rewards",  the program will allow cardmembers to redeem points not only for the cruise brand they pick, but also across the other two sister companies that are owned by the Royal Caribbean parent company.

Through MyCruise Rewards, cardholders can earn discounts on cruise-related packages and redeem points for cruises, stateroom upgrades, specialty gifts, and onboard credit across all three cruise lines. The new cards provide double points for purchases on Azamara, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean, and one point for every dollar spent on all other purchases.   

Carol Schuster, Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President, Marketing commented on the deal, "We know how important choice is to our guests, so the new cardmember benefits introduce a variety of rewards, such as more than 100 redemption options, making it easy and fun for our guests to enjoy flexibility as they treat themselves while vacationing with our brands."

Card offers, including fees and rates, can be found at www.royalcaribbean.com/mycruiserewards.

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.”