Cruising has become a hot commodity in the past couple of years. Cruise lines that were well established before the pandemic, such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, etc., are introducing newer and bigger ships left and right. At the same time, newer cruise companies are making a dent in the industry, as well. Our favorite is Virgin Voyages, but as the good blog says, Your Mileage May Vary.

There was a time when cruises had their own loyalty programs and, save for perhaps status matching, they really didn’t “talk” to other programs, least of all those for airlines and hotels. However, there are a few cruise companies that, because of the basis of where they’ve come from, are partnering in a way such that your points or miles could be worth something, either towards that cruise or as a kickback to your loyalty program.

Here are the ones where that’s the case (they’re admittedly not the greatest deals in the world):

Virgin Voyages & Virgin Flying Club & Virgin Red (sometimes via American Express)

May as well start with my favorite, right?

Virgin is a HUGE conglomerate that has overseen dozens of companies over the years. Virgin Voyages, their cruise line, is only one of the more recent ones. But Virgin has 2 ways to earn points:

• Virgin Points are what you earn when you fly on Virgin Atlantic, as part of their Flying Club program, or when you stay at Virgin Hotels.
• Virgin Red is Virgin Group’s reward club. “Earn Virgin Points with your favorite brands, then spend them on rewards across the Virgin family and beyond. Earn points on your everyday shopping.“
• You can link your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Virgin Red accounts and use the points interchangeably.

And that’s a good thing because, depending upon the promotion at the moment, and where you live, you can sometimes either earn points for cruising on Virgin Voyages, or

Here are some examples (these are all expired, but they give an idea):

• Earn 3,000 points when taking a Virgin Voyages cruise (good for UK residents)
• As a valued American Express® Card Member, Virgin Red (the rewards club from Virgin) is offering you a limited-time offer to sail around the Caribbean or Mediterranean with Virgin Voyages for as little as 80,000 Virgin Points.
  
• Relax aboard two of the finest ships on the high seas, and choose between a voyage in the Caribbean, starting in Miami for 5-nights (80,000 Virgin Points) or 8-nights (100,000 Virgin Points), or a 7-night voyage around the Mediterranean, starting in Barcelona for 100,000 Virgin Points.
• Earn up to 4 points per £1 with a Caribbean voyage. ( good for UK residents)

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection & Marriott Bonvoy

The first Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection yacht, Evrima, set sail on its maiden voyage in October 2022. Measuring 190-meters in length, Evrima features 149 suites, each with its own private terrace, and accommodates up to 298 guests in a relaxed, casually elegant atmosphere.

Since then, 2 other yachts, Ilma and Luminara, have been slated to join the fleet, in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has also announced a new way to earn and redeem points on travel with Marriott Bonvoy. Earn points on your cruise fare and hotel packages, nights toward Elite status, and redeem points toward the price of your cruise fare when you sail. Plus, Elite members receive enhanced benefits onboard. They specify:

• Earn 5 points per $1 spent on your cruise fare, as well as on the hotel package rate for participating Marriott hotels booked through The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
• Redeem an initial 180,000 points toward a $1,000 savings on your cruise fare, and increments of 90,000 points toward a $500 savings thereafter
• Receive one Elite Night Credit per night toward achieving higher Elite status
• Accelerate earning with your Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card

Margaritaville at Sea & Margaritaville Perks

Margaritaville at Sea is a cruise line owned by Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line that’s meant to be in the same vein as Margaritaville restaurants and resorts, i.e., lots of laid-back Jimmy Buffett-isms. It touts itself as an “offshore resort experience” or a “floating offshore vacation” (but was described in the Washington Post as “basic economy at sea,” which made me giggle, but we’ll save that for another post).

Anyway, Margaritaville has a program called “Margaritaville Perks,” which according to their website, ‘gives you exclusive access to rewards, and allows us the opportunity to show you our appreciation.” They mention early hotel check-in, complimentary cocktails and on-site amenities.

Several media entities suggest that there’s a goal to integrate Margaritaville Perks into Margaritaville at Sea, but there’s no timeline for the same, never mind any sort of specifics.

Close, but no cigar

Four Seasons and Aman plan to begin their respective versions of “cruising” in 2025. However, neither offers a loyalty club.

The Les Bateaux Belmond fleet, comprising seven luxury floating villas as part of Belmond since 1985, also has no loyalty program for guests.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

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