Cruise Ship Loyalty: My Princess Cruises Captain’s Circle “Platinum In One Trip” Status Experience

Just like hotels and airlines, Cruise Lines have their very own loyalty programs as well, and I recently decided to take on the Princess Cruises Captains Circle and go on a status run.

I decided to do this after I had already completed my target with Celebrity Cruises a few years ago, which I also reported about here on LoyaltyLobby, and back then, I vowed to also look at other programs when the opportunity arises.

The big advantage of cruise line loyalty is that you don’t have to requalify each year as the points and tier level are accumulated over a lifetime as far as most programs are concerned, they come with a range of benefits as well as a few drawbacks.

Up until about six years ago, I knew nothing about cruises. I got them offered frequently from MGM casinos in Las Vegas, but never bothered taking any until I was offered an Alaska cruise for the first time, rather than going to the Caribbean, which never really interested me that much.

I have since taken seventeen cruises and really have become a fan, which I initially wouldn’t have imagined to happen (at least not for the next 20 years).

After getting a bit tired of Celebrity after so many cruises, I have started to branch out a little and took different lines such as Holland America and this month my first trip with Princess Cruises.

You can access the Princess Cruises Captain’s Circle here.

Of course, I looked very closely into their loyalty program and was astounded by how fast one is able to rise through the status levels with them.

After my single two week (2x 7 day itinerary) cruise in a full suite (anything above what Princess calls a Mini Suite), I have now reached six cruise credits and just clocked in the Platinum tier, basically jumping two tier levels:

Here is the Matrix and benefits chart of the Captains Circle:

Download (PDF, 1.12MB)

Now that I’ve reached Platinum and already clocked in six cruise credits from zero, I think it’s very much within reach to get some more and reach Elite eventually. Reaching that next and final level would require me to earn 9 more credits, but these can be accelerated by sailing in suites and by occupying a cabin as a single traveler.

The amount of points you earn depends on your cabin type and whether you’re traveling with double occupancy or single occupancy. Single travelers earn double credits, but with cruises, you usually also pay double the price as a single, so there’s that. It’s rather easy to raise your status profile quickly.

That being said I think the Princess Captain’s Circle program is rather weak compared to let’s say Celebrity Captains Club and that’s why it’s easier to get Princess Elite status. There isn’t very much the cruise line has to put out.

I think the only really tangible benefit of being a Platinum member now is the 50% discount on Wi-Fi. All other “benefits” under the program are basically just marketing ploys to sell more cruises.

Even for Elite members, the line’s highest level, there isn’t much more to write home about except maybe the 10% off shore excursions and certain complimentary laundry services. Priority tender services and priority disembarkation are sort of a muddy benefits and let’s not forget that with so many Elite’s there is really little benefit. Like the saying goes, if everyone is elite, nobody is elite.

The program also features a distinct happy hour with alcoholic (or even non alcoholic) beverages together with canapés at the “Elite Lounge” that eligible members will be invited to with a letter upon embarkation. This might help not having to buy a drink package in some circumstances.

After examining the Princess Captain’s Circle program closely, I came to the conclusion that the company mainly uses it as a marketing tool considering how fast members reach the highest tier level.

Compare that, for example, to Celebrity where it usually takes members many, many years and lots of money to reach the Elite Plus and Zenith level:

Cruise Ship Loyalty: My Celebrity Cruises Captains Club Status Run Experience

It would be absolutely impossible with Celebrity to gain the second-highest status by sailing two weeks, even in a Suite. And while this time it worked to my benefit, I don’t think it’s a good thing when someone totally new to the program jumps from zero to the second highest tier with one voyage.

Princess even goes so far as to give you instant Elite for life when you buy their $14,990 Future Cruises credit package from the Future Cruises Desk.

One good thing about most of these programs, including Princess: There is no time limit or reset to accumulate this, so you can take your sweet time. It doesn’t matter if you reach your desired tier in 2, 5, 10, or 20 years, provided the cruise line and program are still around by then, which isn’t a given. Just look what happened to the luxurious Crystal Cruises, which went from a billion-dollar company to broke within weeks.

Cruise Line loyalty programs usually don’t status match. MSC does, and Virgin has a limited program too but they’re pretty much a one-off. There are sometimes reciprocal benefits between cruise lines with the same main owner, such as the automatic match between Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

Casino guests also enjoy special privileges and status benefits. As I mentioned above, I came to cruising through the free cruises offered to me as an MGM Rewards NOIR member. Princess also has several land-based casino partners, such as Caesars Rewards. If you continue playing at the casino onboard and are wise in doing so, you can get free cruises continuously.

I have a personal threshold that I’m willing to (in the worst case) lose around $1300 for a free cruise week. That’s about what I’d pay for a hotel anyway.

Conclusion

Taking part in the Princess Cruises Captain’s Circle program can be worth it if you try to maximize points earnings by comparing prices and sometimes book premium cabins rather than the basic Veranda. I had a pretty easy run to get to Princess Platinum with ONE cruise, and this cruise was essentially for free via the Casino Match Program.

If your own money is on the line, the same principle applies as with all other loyalty programs: Look exactly at the tiers’ benefits to see if they make sense for you and offer a financial benefit. If it’s just fluff, then… forget about it.

Maybe I can explore some other cruise lines if they match my offers or status benefits, but looking at prices, I probably wouldn’t pay cash for a cruise. They are just too expensive compared to a regular 4-5* hotel, where much better service and flexibility are provided. However, these hotels are going up in price too, so a careful comparison is always warranted.

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