Your loyalty is about to be rewarded across the entire fleet.
In a major and long-awaited move, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has announced a new, unified loyalty program that will allow frequent cruisers to have their status recognized across all three of its distinct brands. Starting in late 2025, a guest’s loyalty status with Norwegian Cruise Line, the upscale Oceania Cruises, or the ultra-luxury Regent Seven Seas Cruises will confer a matching set of benefits on the sister lines.
This is a game-changing development that will provide huge new value for loyal customers and will create a more integrated cruising ecosystem.
1. It creates a powerful new cross-brand ecosystem.
For years, the three brands under the NCL Holdings umbrella have operated as separate entities with their own, distinct loyalty programs. This meant that a loyal, top-tier member of Norwegian’s Latitudes program would be treated as a first-time cruiser with no benefits if they decided to try a more upscale cruise on Oceania, Travel Weekly reports. This new policy breaks down those walls.
It creates a single, powerful ecosystem where a customer’s loyalty to the parent company is recognized, no matter which of the three brands they choose to sail with for a particular vacation.
2. High-tier Norwegian cruisers get a taste of luxury perks.
This is a huge win for the most loyal members of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Latitudes program. A high-tier member, such as a Platinum or Ambassador level guest, who has earned their status through years of sailing on NCL’s mainstream ships, will now be able to enjoy a set of elite benefits when they decide to splurge on a more premium Oceania or Regent cruise.
This will likely include valuable perks like free laundry service, complimentary internet, and discounts on shore excursions, making the step up to a more luxurious cruise line a much more attractive and rewarding proposition, as mentioned in USA Today.
3. Luxury guests can bring their benefits to a family-friendly ship.
The new policy also works in the other direction, which is a major benefit for the loyal guests of the high-end Oceania and Regent brands. A top-tier member of Regent’s Seven Seas Society might want to take their grandchildren on a more family-friendly vacation on one of Norwegian’s large ships, which are packed with amenities like water slides and race tracks.
Under the new system, their elite status will be recognized on the Norwegian ship, giving them access to perks like priority embarkation, a dedicated concierge, and other benefits that will make their family vacation even smoother, according to Investing.com.
4. It provides a clear and rewarding “upgrade path”.
One of the main strategic goals of this new policy is to create a clear and compelling “upgrade path” for customers within the company’s portfolio. The new system is designed to encourage a regular Norwegian Cruise Line customer to try the more premium Oceania for a special occasion, or for a loyal Oceania guest to consider a truly all-inclusive, bucket-list trip on Regent.
By ensuring that their hard-earned loyalty and benefits will travel with them, the company is making it much more likely that a customer will stay within the NCL Holdings family as their tastes and budgets evolve over time.
5. The new system will use a “one-way” status match for perks.
The company has clarified that the new system is not a complete merger of the three loyalty programs, but a “one-way” recognition of benefits. This means that you will not be able to combine your points from the different brands to reach a higher status faster. Instead, your existing status on any one of the lines will unlock a pre-determined set of benefits on the other two.
For example, a top-tier Regent guest will receive the highest-level benefits available on an NCL or Oceania ship. It’s a system designed to honor your existing status, not to combine your points.
6. It’s a major competitive move against other cruise giants.
This new, integrated loyalty program is a major strategic move in the highly competitive cruise industry. It is a direct challenge to the other large cruise corporations, like Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Corporation, which also own a portfolio of different brands that largely do not share loyalty benefits. NCL is betting that this new, more customer-friendly approach will be a powerful differentiator.
It is a smart strategy that could be a major factor in convincing a loyal customer to stick with one of their brands rather than trying a competitor.