Is the Princess Cruises Captain's Circle Loyalty Program Worth It?

What is the Princess Cruises Captain's Circle Program?

If you're a cruise enthusiast, you've likely heard about Princess Cruises' Captain's Circle Loyalty Program. This program is designed for repeat guests who want to enjoy exclusive benefits on their voyages. You might be asking, "Is it really worth it?" Let's dive into what this loyalty program offers and whether the perks truly enhance your cruising experience. We will also cover the loyalty tiers and which tier is the sweet spot. Whether you are planning cruises down under or around the world the loyalty programme is the same.

Exclusive Perks of the Princess Cruises Captain's Circle loyalty

One of the main draws to joining the Captain's Circle is, of course, the exclusive perks. From free upgrades to special onboard events, the benefits can certainly enhance your cruising experience. Depending on your membership tier – there are four levels: Gold, Ruby, Platinum, and Elite – you can access different levels of rewards at each tier and each one takes more nights or cruises to get there. Let's look at the Princess Cruises Captains Circle Loyalty tiers.

Princess - Captain's Circle Gold Tier what is included?

Gold Tier is attained after your first cruise, whatever the duration.

So you have completed your first cruise and have been awarded Gold Tier, sounds awesome right. Well I think Gold might be overstating the benefit but there are some perks:

• Captain's Circle Launch Savings, Early Access to new itineraries and Circle members come first:

  • All pretty similar but the key benefit here is that you will receive an email one week before the general public on the new launches.

  • Given your competition for booking the hottest cruises and deals are cruisers that are also likely to be in the Captain's Circle it is probably a small benefit but clearly better than not being in the Princess loyalty programme

• Members-only onboard events

  • honestly not sure much happens here on the cruises I have been on

• Access to a circle host on board, circle centre online and circle savings account

  • Again minimal benefit

Princess - Captain's Circle Ruby Tier what is included?

Captain's Circle Ruby Tier is attained after completing 3 cruises or 30 cruise days.

Interesting balance here, you can complete 3 cruises or what seems to me significantly greater 30 nights to hit Ruby Tier. The question is what is Princess Ruby Tier v Gold Tier? Here is what Ruby Tier adds in addition to the Gold Tier perks.

• Exclusive shoreside access to the Captain's Circle Help desk phone line

  • Wow I hear you say, honestly I suspect they don't receive many calls

• Princess Platinum Vacation Protection upgrade

  • Basically a travel insurance offered by Princess (that you pay for)

  • Only available to residents in US/ Canadian and Mexican citizens who book in the US so not much use for Australian cruises from Australia

I think you have probably guessed that the upgrade from Princess Gold Tier to Ruby Tier is a very small benefit (if any). Maybe Ruby sounding better than Gold is about the only real benefit here.

Princess - Captain's Circle Platinum Tier what is included?

Princess Cruises Platinum Tier is attained after completing 5 cruises or 50 cruise days.

So what is Princess Platinum Tier v Ruby Tier? Here is what Platinum Tier adds in addition to the Ruby Tier perks.

• 50% off MedallionNet package

  • This is Princess Cruises wifi package, Princess changed this in 2022 from the old platinum perk of a time number of minutes (variable based on cruise length) to a discount instead

  • The 50% discount would be ok except the Princess Plus and Premier packages which are good value include wifi and at a much faster speed that the MedallionNet package offered.

  • This benefit is therefore of very limited value to most Princess cruisers unless you are not taking the package and need some internet connection maybe for checking emails that doesn't require high speed access

• Early access to dining reservations

  • I haven't tested this perk but you seem to be able to book in advance anyway on the Princes app

• 10% off LotusSpa treatments

  • Well its something I guess for those that use the Lotus Spa

• 10% discount in the Photo Gallery

  • With smartphones these days, it does seem the Photo Gallery is less of feature onboard but for those that like the cruise photos, this is a small perk.

  • If you have the Princess Premier package it includes unlimited digital photos and 3 free prints so it will be no perk at all

• Platinum and Elite lounge

  • With the wifi perk not being so useful anymore, the Platinum and Elite lounge is the best of the Platinum tier perks and to be honest it isn't much of a perk

  • It is usually open per dinner, typically 4.30pm to 6.30pm (but varies on ship, day and cruise)

I don't think Princess Platinum adds much benefit and seems to have been overtaken by the Princess Plus and Premier packages. See my blog post on choosing between Princess Plus v Princess premier or check out the Princess website for more details on Princess packages by clicking the link in blue below.

Princess - Captain's Circle Elite Tier what is included?

Captain's Circle Elite Tier is attained after completing 15 cruises or 150 cruise days.

It is a big jump in cruises or night to achieve Elite tier but stay tuned this is where Princess joins the Cruise loyalty party in a big way. Lets look at the perks of the Princess Cruises Elite tier in addition to the Platinum tier perks:

• 10% discount in The Shops of Princess

  • Who doesn't love a discount off shopping but it does excluded already discounted items

• 10% off Shore Excursions

  • Another decent perk as you are at least likely to use this one

• Complimentary Grapevine Wine Tasting Event

  • We love the word complimentary and we love wine so we love this perk (one event per cruise)

• Deluxe Canape selection on formal nights

  • For those who need a pre-dinner snack - we will take it

• Complimentary afternoon tea in stateroom

  • OK for those who need a snack before the free Deluxe Canapes

• Priority Disembarkation

  • Great if you are in a rush to leave at the end of your cruise

• Complimentary mini-bar set-up

  • Now we are talking perks - this is a winner

  • 1 set up of your mini bar with a selection of drinks

• Complimentary laundry services and shoe polishing

  • This is unique to Princess and in my view the best perk in the Elite Tier

The jump from Princess Platinum to Princess Elite tier is a big jump both in qualification and the perks. The perks in the Elite tier are excellent and some of the best of any cruise loyalty programme.

So is the Princess Cruises Captains Circle loyalty worth it?

It is safe to say, I am not a fan of the benefits in the tiers Gold to Platinum, I think they are lacking behind other cruise lines. The Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages have overtaken them and the benefits are now negligible and need a refresh.

In fact, the best use of Princess Platinum tier is to use it for status matching. MSC Cruises offer to match and you will be placed in a tier with much better benefits than those you receive from Princess.

However, I am a fan of the Princess Cruises Elite tier this is the sweet spot in the Princess loyalty scheme.

The benefits of free laundry , mini bar set up and priority ship to shore tenders are big benefits and if you are going to be cruising Princess and have racked up a few cruises or many nights then it might be worth pushing on to get the Elite status. Don't forget Princess is the only one of the main cruise lines that offers two paths to status (nights and cruises). Whilst 150 nights seems a long way (unless you do some long cruises), 15 cruises might be more attainable, especially if you like shorter cruises. You can technically get to Elite status with just 30 nights with 15 x 2 night cruises!

Ultimately, you have to value whether it is worth sticking to one cruise line to climb the tiers or shop around for the best deals. Happy deciding!