Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) is leaning into its loyalty program strategy as a key lever to deepen guest engagement and drive incremental revenues. With cruising demand staying strong into 2025, the company is using loyalty data, exclusive experiences and digital integration to convert demand into higher guest spend and repeat bookings. As of March 31, 2025, customer deposits reached $6.33 billion, up from $5.5 billion in the prior-year period, underscoring healthy forward demand and reinforcing the strength of its booking curve.
Loyalty members, who made up nearly 40% of bookings in 2024 and spent 25% more per trip, continue to show strong engagement, supporting the company’s focus on deepening retention in 2025 and beyond. The company also noted a continued increase in cross-brand bookings among loyalty members, signaling that these guests are more likely to stay within the Royal Caribbean Group ecosystem. Loyalty members also show a higher preference for direct bookings, contributing to a more efficient distribution mix. This behavior is further supported by growing mobile app usage, where bookings have doubled so far in 2025. Loyalty members are more inclined to book through the app, helping RCL lower distribution costs while capturing more pre-cruise purchases and onboard spending.
Royal Caribbean is further strengthening its guest ecosystem through destination-driven enhancements. The upcoming Royal Beach Club in Nassau is designed to complement the highly successful Perfect Day at CocoCay, with curated experiences intended to increase guest satisfaction and maximize ancillary spend. As the company continues to build loyalty across touchpoints — from exclusive locations to digital booking flows — its ability to drive higher guest value and repeat travel appears well-supported by both demand trends and observed customer behavior.
Carnival Corporation & plc (CCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) are also evolving their loyalty strategies to strengthen guest retention, encourage higher onboard and repeat spending.
Carnival is shifting its loyalty model to reward guests based on total spend rather than just cruise nights. The company recently announced a new program, “Carnival Rewards,” which will integrate onboard purchases and co-branded card activity into its tier system. The goal is to enhance engagement across more touchpoints and create a more personalized loyalty experience. While Carnival expects a modest accounting impact in 2026, the program is designed to be earnings-accretive over the long term by strengthening guest retention and maximizing revenue per customer.
