Reaching Diamond status in Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society is a significant milestone for any cruiser and leads to some impressive benefits, including access to the Diamond Lounge and free drink vouchers every day of the cruise.
A few months ago I reached 80 points in the Crown & Anchor Society, marking the beginning of my experience as a Diamond member with Royal Caribbean. Since then, I’ve been able to take advantage of the best Diamond benefits available to share with you how my cruising experience has changed since reaching Diamond.
Let’s take a look at how I was able to reach Diamond status so quickly followed by my favorite benefits and how my day-to-day life onboard has changed as a Diamond member.
How I reached Diamond so quickly
I went on my first cruise in August 2021 and became a Diamond member just seven months later in March 2022. It took me only 6 cruises to reach Diamond, but accumulating 80 points so quickly is not common.
I was able to reach Diamond status quickly through a combination of cruising solo and booking several cruises during Royal Caribbean’s double points promotion they ran last year.
Here’s a rundown of how I reached Diamond status in record time:
Mariner of the Seas 4-night cruise: 4 points
My first cruise was booked during Royal Caribbean’s double points promotion, but as I did not yet have Gold Status in the Crown & Anchor Society, I did not receive double points.
Total C&A Society points: 4
Odyssey of the Seas 6-night cruise: 24 points
My Odyssey of the Seas cruise was booked during the double points promotion and I was booked solo in an interior room.
I would have received 2 points per night by cruising solo, but this was doubled, so I received a whopping 4 points per night.
Total C&A Society points: 28
Related: Solo cruises on Royal Caribbean
Ovation of the Seas 7-night cruise: 28 points
Just a month later, I cruised in my own interior cabin on Ovation of the Seas. Like on Odyssey of the Seas, I received 4 points per night of the cruise as it was booked during the double points promotion.
Receiving 28 points from one cruise was an awesome deal, especially when considering that my cruise fare with pre-paid gratuities was only $727!
Total C&A Society points: 56
Independence of the Seas 4-night cruise: 8 points
My 4-night cruise on Independence of the Seas was booked after the double points promotion had ended, but since I was cruising solo I received 8 points total.
Total C&A Society points: 64
Harmony of the Seas 7-night cruise: 14 points
Just like Independence of the Seas, I booked this cruise without the double points promotion but was cruising solo, so I received 14 points total.
Total C&A Society points: 78
Wonder of the Seas 7-night cruise: 28 points
The cruise that brought me to Diamond status was the inaugural sailing of Wonder of the Seas. I booked this cruise during the double points promotion and was cruising solo, so received 4 points per night. I was just 2 points away from Diamond status at the beginning of the cruise.
My total Crown & Anchor Society point balance after this cruise was 106 and I officially became a Diamond member!
My favorite Diamond benefits
Diamond drink vouchers
By far my favorite benefit of being a Diamond member are the 4 free drink vouchers I receive each day of the cruise.
Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members receive 4, 5, and 6 free drink vouchers per day respectively, and this leads to significant savings throughout any cruise.
I can use these beverages on both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, each of which would cost between $4 and $13+ without the voucher!
Related: How Royal Caribbean’s free drink vouchers for Diamond and higher members work
Diamond Lounge
The Diamond Lounge is another perk I enjoy about being a Diamond member. This exclusive space is a more private, relaxing environment to spend time in while on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Complimentary food is available in the mornings and evenings, and a coffee/latte maker is found in the lounge.
The only downside of the Diamond Lounge is that I’m rarely cruising with other Diamond members, and since non-Diamond members are not allowed into the lounge, I don’t frequent the space as often as I’d like.
Related: The Crown and Anchor perks you should use on every Royal Caribbean cruise
$10 off Wash & Fold Laundry Bag
While not a huge savings, I’ve enjoyed the $10 discount I receive on the Wash & Fold Laundry Bag as a Diamond member. These small bags of laundry usually cost $35.99 each. I find this quite expensive, so paying $25.99 is more reasonable.
Returning home from a cruise with clean laundry is convenient, and I’m looking forward to reaching Diamond Plus status so I can receive a free bag of laundry on cruises 5 nights or longer.
Onboard offers
Every tier of the Crown & Anchor Society has onboard offers available, from coupons for 50% off drinks to discounts on onboard shopping and a free day of Surf internet.
While I haven’t taken advantage of all the onboard offers you receive by reaching Diamond status, I’ve come to enjoy these the most:
- $6 free play in the casino: I’m not a gambler and hate losing money, but it’s always fun to use my $6 in “free money” on each cruise to see if I win! On a recent cruise I turned this $6 into $100 within a few minutes (although I lost it all a bit later).
- One free photo: I travel with a professional camera and certainly don’t need any pictures taken by Royal Caribbean’s photographers, but it’s fun to receive one photo for free each cruise! My friends, family, and I have had fun doing silly poses and picking out a photo each cruise.
- 50% off coupon for any glass of wine, beer, or soda: If I know I am going to have more than 4 drinks and therefore go over my allotted Diamond vouchers, I use one of my two coupons per sailing for wine, beer, or soda. I’ve used this several times when I don’t want to waste a drink voucher worth $13 on a $3.50 can of soda!
How my onboard experience has changed since making Diamond status
Before I was a Diamond member, I would always dread the $13 bill for a single cocktail. I don’t drink enough to make a beverage package worth it, but paying $15 with a tip for one drink got old pretty quickly!
Since being a Diamond member, I’ve been able to try a variety of beverages I likely wouldn’t have ordered before. Spending $13+ for one drink made me more selective about what I was ordering since I didn’t want to be disappointed if I didn’t like the drink. It’s been fun to taste different cocktails each day of my cruise and find new favorites.
Related: 8 mocktails to try on your next Royal Caribbean cruise
I also used to purchase the specialty coffee card before making Diamond status. I usually get a latte each morning of the cruise, so the coffee card led to ~$20 in savings throughout the course of a cruise. Now that I have Diamond drink vouchers, I do not need to do this!
I’ve also started to frequent the Diamond Lounge most evenings when they offer complimentary appetizers and hors d'oeuvres. Having a small snack before dinner keeps me satiated, and I realized I tend to eat dinner later in the evening when I visit the Diamond Lounge before.
Outside of these benefits, I haven’t noticed a huge change in my day-to-day life on a Royal Caribbean cruise since reaching Diamond status. I haven’t taken advantage of benefits like the Diamond Concierge, backstage tours, 20% off spa service, etc., but I intend to do so in the future!
What I’m looking forward to most about reaching Diamond Plus
I currently have 141 Crown & Anchor Society points and should be on track to reach Diamond Plus sometime in the spring. Diamond Plus sees more significant benefits compared to the Diamond level, and here are the benefits I’m looking forward to the most:
BOGO specialty restaurant deal
Diamond Plus members receive a buy one, get one deal on specialty restaurant cover charges. These deals can be used on the first or second day of the cruise and can easily lead to savings of $40+ dollars for a specialty restaurant meal.
Related: What is the best Royal Caribbean specialty restaurant?
Free Wash & Fold Laundry Bag (5+ night sailings)
While I take advantage of the $10 off coupon for a Wash & Fold Laundry Bag now, it still means shelling out $25.99 for the service. I can’t wait to be Diamond Plus so this service is complimentary on sailings 5 nights or longer!
5 drink vouchers per day
While 4 drink vouchers per day is usually enough, having an extra voucher per day will mean I won’t feel like I'm “sacrificing” a drink voucher by using it on a $4 fresh-squeezed orange juice instead of a cocktail or glass of wine.
Final thoughts
Becoming a Diamond member has significantly enhanced my Royal Caribbean cruise experience and I appreciate the consideration Royal Caribbean makes to its loyal cruisers. While I'm not sure I'll ever reach 700 points and become a Pinnacle member, I'm thoroughly enjoying the perks I receive as a Diamond member on every Royal Caribbean cruise.
Planning a cruise? Start here:
- 8 cruise tips for first-time Royal Caribbean cruisers
- What’s included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare
- 5 quick and easy tips for finding a great shore excursion on your own
- Food on a Royal Caribbean cruise
- Which is the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship?
- What is the best time to go on a Caribbean cruise?
