Points Choice Loyalty Starts Jan 30 on Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean Points Choice will go live for sailings departing on and after January 30, 2026, giving Royal Caribbean Group guests a new way to steer where their loyalty credit lands. The change matters most for travelers who alternate between Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea and want their earning to build toward one preferred program instead of being split across brands. The practical move is to pick your target program for each trip, submit a Points Choice request before you sail, and then verify the posting after the cruise so you do not miss the 14 day window.

The Royal Caribbean Points Choice update means you can sail one brand and still apply the earned credit to a different brand's loyalty program, as long as the sailing qualifies and you file the request on time.

Who Is Affected

This affects loyalty members across Crown and Anchor Society [Royal Caribbean], Captain's Club [Celebrity], and Venetian Society [Silversea] who either already split their cruising across the three brands or are considering doing so because ships, itineraries, and price points differ widely within the same corporate family. Travelers who are close to the next tier, or who value specific milestone benefits [such as priority services, onboard discounts, or brand specific recognition], have the most to gain because Points Choice lets them aim a given sailing's credit at the program where it moves the needle fastest.

Travel advisors and frequent cruisers managing multiple cabins are also in the direct impact group because Points Choice is not "set it and forget it" yet. Royal Caribbean says a separate request must be submitted for every sailing when you want the points to post to another program, with a preference center planned later in 2026 to reduce repeat submissions.

Finally, anyone booking close in should treat this as a deadline driven policy, not a retroactive fix. Points Choice does not apply to cruises that depart before January 30, 2026, and requests submitted after the 14 day post cruise window will not be processed.

What Travelers Should Do

First, decide what you are actually optimizing, tier status, redemption currency inside one brand, or recognition consistency while you try new ships. If your goal is faster tier progression, map your upcoming sailings against each brand's earning structure and the group's published exchange rates, then pick a single "home" program for that specific trip.

Next, treat the request window like a baggage claim rule, miss it and you lose leverage. Submit your Points Choice request any time before departure if you already know your plan, or submit it soon after the cruise ends, but do not wait until the end of the 14 day period in case you are traveling, unpacking, or juggling flight disruptions on the way home. If you use the Royal Caribbean International or Celebrity Cruises app, confirm that the request shows as submitted, then set a reminder to check for posting later since Royal Caribbean notes it can take up to 30 days after cruise completion and request submission for points to update.

Use decision thresholds that match your itinerary risk and your flexibility. If you have one sailing that is clearly a one off [for example, you are trying a luxury Silversea itinerary but usually sail Royal Caribbean], Points Choice can keep that experiment from "resetting" your progress toward a goal on the brand you sail most. If you are already adjusting itineraries inside the same corporate ecosystem, for example after a destination change like Labadee Haiti Cruise Stop Canceled on Royal Caribbean 2026, use Points Choice as part of a broader plan, keep buffers for schedule changes, and avoid leaving key loyalty deadlines to the last day.

How It Works

Points Choice sits on top of the three separate loyalty programs, it does not merge them. You still earn points based on the rules of the brand you sailed, but after the sailing you can elect to apply the earned credit to a different Royal Caribbean Group loyalty program through a request process. The group positions this as an extension of its cross brand loyalty strategy, pairing Points Choice with Loyalty Status Match so recognition and earning can follow travelers as they try different brands.

Operationally, the friction point is timing. Because the request can be filed before you sail and up to 14 days after the cruise ends, the system ripple is mostly administrative rather than onboard, but it still affects travel behavior. First order effects show up in booking choices, travelers may be more willing to pick the best itinerary or price on a given date because they can still feed their preferred loyalty "bank." Second order effects show up in how travelers distribute future sailings across the group, which can shift demand toward certain ships or seasons, and it can also change how advisors package repeat business because the loyalty downside of switching brands is reduced.

Sources

• Points Choice, Royal Caribbean FAQs
• Royal Caribbean Group is Designing Loyalty for the Way Guests Travel Today
• Loyalty Status Match, Celebrity Cruises
• Loyalty Recognition Across Our Family of Brands, Silversea
• Royal Caribbean Group expands loyalty points across its brands, Axios