If you're looking for the sweet spot of Royal Caribbean loyalty program perks, it's right at the Diamond level.
At the Diamond level, you qualify for four free drinks per day of your cruise, and that is very lucrative. For a lot of cruisers, the complimentary drink vouchers are a defacto drink package and can save hundreds of dollars on every cruise.
Plus, there's also a free day of WiFi, access to the Crown Lounge, and more that comes with being a Diamond member.
Royal Caribbean gives all of its repeat cruisers discounts, special offers, and even freebies to reward their allegiance to the cruise line. By far, the most lucrative benefits begin when you reach the Diamond tier, which requires 80 cruise points.
Read more: Best cruises to maximize your Crown & Anchor perks
Every cruise point represents a night on a ship, although there are some ways to get more points quicker. If you want to get to Diamond as fast as possible, there are a few good strategies to get you there beyond simply booking a bunch of cruises.
Book suites instead of regular cabins
Royal Caribbean will give you an extra cruise point per night if you book any suite, including Junior Suites.
Moving up from one point per night to two points will cut the number of nights you need to cruise in order to reach Diamond, and it's the simplest approach.
Staying in a suite means you can bring your family with you as per normal, but instead of a lower category cabin, you move up to a suite.
As you might guess, staying in a suite will cost you more money. However, if you're flexible, I've found the price difference to move up to Junior Suite or Grand Suite is not as egregiously expensive as you might think.
One thing to watch out for is RoyalUp, which allows you to bid for a stateroom upgrade.
If you win a bid to move up from a lower category cabin (i.e. balcony) to a suite, you will not get double points.
Go on a cruise solo
You can also earn an extra cruise point per night if you happen to cruise alone in a cabin.
Because cruise ship cabins are sold on a double occupancy basis, Royal Caribbean will give solo cruisers more points because they're effectively paying for a second person due to the single supplement fee.
There are two things to look out for when cruising solo in order to get that extra point.
First, studio cabins don't qualify for the extra point. These are cruise ship rooms specifically designed for solo travelers. As such, they don't have the single supplement fee or the double points.
Second, to get that extra point, you need to book the original reservation as a solo cruiser. This means you cannot book the cruise with someone else on the reservation and then later drop them or have them not show up for the cruise at all while still booked.
It used to not matter, but Royal Caribbean began enforcing that rule recently.
Combine the two strategies
If you really want to get to Diamond status as fast as possible, then I'd recommend booking a suite as a solo cruiser.
When you stay in a suite by yourself, you'll earn 3 points per night. This is the most points you can earn per night on any cruise.
If you were to employ this strategy on a 7-night cruise, you would earn 21 points from that sailing.
Taking it one step further, you could book two cabins for your family and book one adult in one cabin solo. This way you can accrue 3 points per night while still going on a cruise with your family.
Alternatively, you could book two separate standard cabins and at least earn double points for one of the adults.
In either scenario, make sure the adult with the most Crown and Anchor points is the one booked in the cabin alone.
In case you're wondering, the cruise line doesn't care where you sleep, so you can book two rooms, but sleep together in the same room.
How much money can Diamond status save you?
While the four free drinks per day are probably the best benefit you can get from being a Diamond member, there are many more great perks too.
The four free drinks you get add up to $56 per day. And don't forget, that's per person because everyone in your immediate family gets the same status.
The free day of WiFi access is equivalent to the $29.99 cost for a 24 hour pass.
You'll also get $6 of free play in the casino. You never know, that could end up generating a lot more money for you, but let's assume $6.
There are a number of coupons to apply to drinks. You'll need to specify them when you order, but it adds up.
- 50% off any two glasses of wine, beer or soda when purchased together: $7 x 2 = $14
- 50% off any two Johnny Rockets Milkshakes: $4.50
- 20% off any glass of wine, beer or soda: $1.38
- Receive one free non-alcoholic specialty coffee with the purchase of one Specialty Restaurant dinner: $8.95
Finally, there are shopping and service discounts you can get by being a Diamond member.
- 20% off any Spa Service (excluding Medi-Spa): $19.80 (60 minute Swedish massage)
- 15% off RCCL Logo Products (must spend $25): $3.75
- One free Photo: $19.99
- 10% off a Photo Package or Photobook: $19.90
- $5 off a $25 Dry Clean or Press: $5
- $10 off a $34.99 Wash & Fold Laundry Bag (5+ night sailings): $10
- Receive a discounted Stateroom Phone rate of $2 per minute: $5.95 per minute savings x 2 = $11.90
If you took advantage of every single Diamond discount given to you on a sailing, you could save $175.17 per person. Not every benefit will likely be used, but there are at least a few that most people should be able to take advantage of on every sailing.
Stepping stone to the top tiers
Once you make it to Diamond, I think you'll find it a gateway tier to the best perks Royal Caribbean can offer.
Many cruisers point to attaining Diamond status as a key milestone in their cruising journey because of the benefits it adds.
