One of the best aspects of Royal Caribbean's loyalty program is that you can pass your benefits onto your kids, greatly enhancing the value of a cruise.
Cruising with kids is the core focus of Royal Caribbean. Their family-focused business is at the heart of what they offer on any of their cruises.
Read more: 7 best cruise ships for kids
I have two kids who have been cruising since they were each six months old, and there's doubt we've saved so much money over the years because of our Crown and Anchor perks.
Royal Caribbean awards points for every cruise you take, and whomever has the most points in the household passes their tier onto others in the household, including minors.
This means a newborn could crawl right into a top tier level of Crown and Anchor Society on their first cruise.
Families that will cruise often will find a lot of benefits when they bring their kids.
Extending program benefits to children
Royal Caribbean will extend your Crown and Anchor Society status to your children, and even spouse, living in the same household as you.
There are a few rules, but it's fairly straightforward.
Anyone under the age of 18 will automatically qualify for the top status among the household. That means if you have Diamond status, but your spouse only has Platinum, your kids would get Diamond level benefits.
Each child needs their own Crown and Anchor Society account before you can match them.
The "catch" is your kids would get your status, but not your points.
Let's assume you never cruise again, your kids would have zero points but Diamond status. So for them to get to Diamond Plus, they'd have to get enough points on their own to move up to Diamond Plus.
Once the kid turns 18, their accounts are no longer linked with yours and now are individual. They retain their Crown and Anchor Society level and must earn points (and tiers) on their own going forward.
When they are 18 their accounts are no longer linked with yours and now are individual. Their account will now reflect the points actually earned from the cruises they took while linked to your account.
Spouses also get your status
Children aren't the only ones to benefit from your loyalty to Royal Caribbean.
If you get married and you or your spouse has a higher Crown & Anchor tier, you can status match to each other. In addition, partners qualify too. Royal Caribbean isn't particular about if you're married or not, just that you're declaring you are in a relationship with someone else.
You'll need to call the loyalty program at (800) 526-9723 and request your new spouse be added in a relationship with you. Alternatively, you could email [email protected] but I recommend calling for faster service.
Just like the kids, your spouse needs their own membership number.
It can take a few days for the linking to complete.
Once it's linked their points tally will appear to be the same as yours, however if the relationship ever ends their points tally will return to what they have accumulated based on their own cruise history.
There is a limit to family matching with children
Your kids can get your Crown and Anchor Status up the loyalty program ladder, but not not quite all the way.
If you or your spouse get to Pinnacle Club status, which is the top most tier within Royal Caribbean's program, your kids will remain at Diamond Plus.
Pinnacle Club member tier status can only be earned by an individual, spouse or significant other by one of them accumulating at least 700 Cruise Points or more in the CAS program. That means kids must earn that status on their own.
Spouses, however, still get Pinnacle status if their spouse gets it first.
Onboard benefits for kids
Anyone under the age of 18 has their own subset of benefits that differ slightly from what adults get. These benefits work on every cruise, which makes it advantageous to take advantage on every sailing.
The Youth Member Benefits are as follows:
Gold
- 50% off one scoop of Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Parlor (on select ships)
- SURF+STREAM Internet discount equal to parents' benefit
- Buy 1 movie rental in your stateroom and receive the second FREE
- Spend $15 in Arcade Credits to get $5 off your onboard expense account, or spend $50 in Arcade Credits to get $25 off (applied at the end of the sailing)
Platinum
- 50% off one scoop of Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Parlor (on select ships)
- SURF+STREAM Internet discount equal to parents' benefit
- Buy 1 movie rental in your stateroom and receive the second FREE
- Spend $15 in Arcade Credits to get $5 off your onboard expense account, or spend $50 in Arcade Credits to get $25 off (applied at the end of the sailing)
Emerald
- 50% off one scoop of Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Parlor (on select ships)
- SURF+STREAM Internet discount equal to parents' benefit
- Buy 1 movie rental in your stateroom and receive the second FREE
- Spend $15 in Arcade Credits to get $5 off your onboard expense account, or spend $50 in Arcade Credits to get $25 off (applied at the end of the sailing)
Diamond
- 50% off one scoop of Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Parlor (on select ships)
- SURF+STREAM Internet discount equal to parents' benefit
- Buy 1 movie rental in your stateroom and receive the second FREE
- Spend $15 in Arcade Credits to get $5 off your onboard expense account, or spend $50 in Arcade Credits to get $25 off (applied at the end of the sailing)
- 4 Complimentary daily non-alcoholic drinks up to $14 (excludes Starbucks and Desserted)
Diamond Plus
- 50% off one scoop of Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Parlor (on select ships)
- SURF+STREAM Internet discount equal to parents' benefit
- Buy 1 movie rental in your stateroom and receive the second FREE
- Spend $15 in Arcade Credits to get $5 off your onboard expense account, or spend $50 in Arcade Credits to get $25 off (applied at the end of the sailing)
- 5 Complimentary daily non-alcoholic drinks up to $14 (excludes Starbucks and Desserted)
Pinnacle Club
- 50% off one scoop of Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Parlor (on select ships)
- SURF+STREAM Internet discount equal to parents' benefit
- Buy 1 movie rental in your stateroom and receive the second FREE
- Spend $15 in Arcade Credits to get $5 off your onboard expense account, or spend $50 in Arcade Credits to get $25 off (applied at the end of the sailing)
- 6 Complimentary daily non-alcoholic drinks up to $14 (excludes Starbucks and Desserted)
In case you're wondering, no, adults cannot use their kids complimentary drink vouchers for alcoholic beverages for themselves.
