Royal Caribbean Says No to Carnival-Style Loyalty. Here’s Why

Royal Caribbean’s CEO Michael Bayley signaled on September 25, 2025, that the line aims to avoid copying Carnival’s loyalty overhaul, telling guests, “And that is exactly what we’re trying to avoid,” according to a RoyalCaribbeanBlog report. Here’s what that means—and why it matters for frequent cruisers.

Bayley draws a bright line in the loyalty sand

Bayley’s comment came during Royal Caribbean’s President’s Cruise, a floating town hall that often telegraphs product tweaks before they hit press releases. The context: Carnival Cruise Line recently moved its loyalty scheme to a spend-based model and eliminated lifetime status, per the same report. That’s a fundamental shift away from the “nights sailed” approach many cruise lines still use.

In plain English, Bayley signaled continuity. Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society has historically rewarded nights sailed (with accelerated credit in higher accommodations) and preserved earned status for the long haul. His message suggests the company sees strategic value in keeping that framework, even as a major competitor leans into revenue-based rewards.

The industry takeaway: the big cruise players are no longer aligned on what loyalty should incentivize. That divergence sets up a real-world A/B test—time at sea versus money spent—and the results will ripple through pricing, onboard behavior, and brand switching.

Carnival’s pivot and the backlash risk

According to the RoyalCaribbeanBlog coverage, Carnival’s revamp moves to a spend-based system and removes lifetime status. For many travelers, those two levers are the third rails of loyalty. Spend-based earning is common in airlines and hotels because it targets high-revenue guests, but cutting lifetime status can feel like moving the goalposts on a promise.

Carnival’s bet is clear: reward the guests who spend the most, not just those who cruise the longest. That could favor suite buyers, last-minute bookers who pay premiums, and big onboard spenders. It could also discourage “milestone chasers” who rack up status on longer, lower-fare itineraries.

Bayley’s response underscores a competing philosophy: that cruise loyalty is about cultivating a habit—getting people on ships again and again—rather than only maximizing ticket yield per guest. The broader question for the market is whether cruisers accept airline-style math or revolt against it.

Why cruise loyalty plays by different rules

Cruise economics aren’t identical to airlines or hotels. A line’s profit isn’t just the fare; onboard spending on drinks, dining, shore excursions, and Wi-Fi can make or break a sailing. A nights-based system nudges guests to book longer itineraries, explore new ships, and keep the habit. Loyalty tiers, once earned, encourage brand lock-in for years.

A spend-based model can be more precise—rewarding the guests who drive the most revenue right now. But it can also create volatile incentives. If you anchor loyalty to dollars, guests might cherry-pick deals across brands when the math swings, undermining the “always sail with us” reflex cruise companies covet.

Bayley’s stance implies Royal Caribbean believes consistency and perceived fairness still matter. Keeping lifetime status intact (and the path to it stable) provides psychological glue: a sense that your loyalty will be honored even if pricing ebbs and flows.

The trade-offs, mapped

• Nights-based (status by time at sea)

  • Pros: Feels fair and predictable; encourages longer trips; fosters long-term attachment; easy to understand.
  • Cons: Can reward low-fare “status runs”; may under-reward high-spend suite guests on short cruises.

• Spend-based (status by dollars)

  • Pros: Targets high-revenue customers; aligns rewards with profitability; easier to tweak in tight markets.
  • Cons: Risks alienating value-focused loyalists; invites “deal-hopping”; cutting lifetime status erodes trust.

Quick stats snapshot

• Two models in play: time-at-sea vs. money-spent (per industry programs and the RoyalCaribbeanBlog report on Carnival’s shift).
• Royal Caribbean signal: avoid spend-based pivot and keep lifetime-style stability, per Michael Bayley’s on-ship remarks on September 25, 2025.
• Immediate impact: status chasers may gravitate to brands that preserve lifetime tiers; high spenders may test revenue-weighted programs.

What it means for your next booking

If you’ve invested years cruising Royal Caribbean for Crown & Anchor milestones, Bayley’s comment is a reassuring signal. It suggests the company values the journey you’ve already made—and wants you to keep booking longer itineraries rather than recalculating dollars per point.

If you’re a big spender who prefers short, premium-heavy sailings, Carnival’s approach might eventually reward your profile more—depending on the fine print. But eliminating lifetime status is a gut check: will today’s benefits still be there after your spend tapers in a few years?

For fence-sitters, the divergence creates leverage. Compare your next two or three years of likely cruising—length, cabin type, onboard habits—against each program’s earning rules. Then book where the math and the promise both feel right.

Follow the signals before you sail

• Watch official program pages for any policy updates before you book.
• Read the transition rules: how current status is treated is often more important than what new members earn.
• Don’t assume airline logic applies cleanly to cruising; onboard spending and itinerary length change the equation.

Bottom line and what’s next

Bayley just drew a clear contrast with Carnival at a high-visibility moment. According to RoyalCaribbeanBlog’s coverage, Royal Caribbean is “trying to avoid” the spend-based, no-lifetime path. That sets up a loyalty philosophy showdown in the world’s largest vacation category at sea.

Over the next few months, watch booking patterns on longer voyages and suite sales on shorter runs. If Royal holds its line and Carnival holds its nerve, we’ll learn quickly which version of loyalty actually moves the needle—and which one sinks under its own weight.

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Summary

• Royal Caribbean’s CEO signaled the line will avoid Carnival’s spend-based, no-lifetime shift.
• Carnival’s pivot favors high-spend guests but risks loyalty blowback.
• Cruise loyalty stakes are different from airlines; time at sea still matters.
• Travelers should audit their next 2–3 years of cruising against each program’s rules.