Allie Hubers Celebrity Cruises is introducing a major enhancement to its loyalty offerings with the upcoming launch of Points Choice in 2026.
The new loyalty perk will allow guests to earn and apply points across all Royal Caribbean Group brands, which includes Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.
Building on the success of Royal Caribbean Group’s Status Match program, Points Choice is designed to give guests greater freedom to grow their rewards while sailing across the company’s portfolio of cruise lines.
Currently, cruisers across the brands can receive reciprocal perks through status matching, but their loyalty points remain separate.
“No matter which of our brands you sail with, you can apply your earned points toward the brand loyalty program of your choice,” Celebrity shared in its announcement.
“So, you can vacation with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, or Silversea while continuing to build your status in Captain’s Club. How’s that for flexibility?”
What is Celebrity Cruises’ Points Choice?
Points Choice is the next evolution in Royal Caribbean Group’s loyalty ecosystem. The new perk will allow cruisers to choose which brand’s loyalty program they want to earn points with, regardless of which ship or cruise line they’re sailing.
For example, if you’re loyal to Celebrity Cruises but decide to sail with Royal Caribbean, you can choose to apply your earned Crown & Anchor Society points toward Celebrity’s Captain’s Club instead.
Until now, loyalty points earned with each Royal Caribbean Group brand have been kept separate, with every cruise line maintaining its own independent rewards program.
Theoretically, Points Choice should give guests more flexibility to continue building their preferred status tier while still enjoying new experiences across sister brands.
When will Celebrity’s Points Choice launch?
Points Choice will debut in early 2026, according to Celebrity Cruises. Guests can expect additional details in the coming months, including:
- The official launch date
- Program rules and eligibility criteria
- Exchange rate tables showing how points will convert between brands
Only cruises departing on or after the launch date will qualify for Points Choice. Previously earned points cannot be retroactively applied to other brands.
How will points be converted?
Conversion rates between programs will be clearly published in the new points tables. At this time, Celebrity Cruises hasn’t released how points will be converted between the cruise lines.
For instance, the table will indicate how many Captain’s Club points a guest sailing on Silversea or Royal Caribbean will receive when electing to credit those points to Celebrity’s program, or vice versa.
What programs are included?
Points Choice will only apply to the following Royal Caribbean Group loyalty programs:
- Captain’s Club (Celebrity Cruises)
- Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International)
- Venetian Society (Silversea Cruises)
It will not extend to the company’s casino programs, such as Blue Chip Club or Casino Royale.
Will Celebrity Cruises’ status match or benefits change?
Celebrity Cruises confirmed that no loyalty benefits will change as part of this rollout. Members can still take advantage of the existing Status Match program, which allows one-for-one tier matching across all three brands.
Points Choice will operate in addition to, not in place of, the Status Match system.
Celebrity’s move is a stark contrast from Carnival’s recent loyalty changes
Royal Caribbean Group’s loyalty program continues to be one of the best in the cruise industry, especially compared to other cruise lines.
The recent change with Points Choice exemplifies the cruise line’s focus on enhancing guest loyalty without taking away existing perks.
This is a notable contrast to the recent controversy with rival Carnival Cruise Line. The company faced harsh backlash earlier this year after changes to its VIFP loyalty program led to frustration among longtime cruisers who felt their earned benefits were being diluted.
Carnival Cruise Line eventually backpedaled on some of the program updates, such as extending Diamond loyalty for life.
In comparison, Royal Caribbean Group appears to be taking the opposite approach by adding flexibility and value while still preserving existing benefits.
For Celebrity’s loyal Captain’s Club members, Points Choice is a huge win. This new program benefit opens the door to explore new destinations and ship experiences across the Royal Caribbean Group fleet.
Most importantly, cruisers won’t need to worry about losing progress in their Captain’s Club status while venturing to Royal Caribbean and Silversea.
With Celebrity Xcel debuting in late 2025 and Points Choice launching soon after, Celebrity’s most loyal guests will enjoy unprecedented flexibility to explore beyond the brand.
