Captain's Circle

Princess Cruises started Captain's Circle in 1990, according to its own company timeline. Membership begins on its own once a guest completes a first Princess cruise. Residents of the European Economic Area have to enroll through a My Princess account. The club keeps no points balance. It counts two things, completed cruises and days sailed, and a tier is reached by whichever count gets there first. The new tier applies from the next cruise. The land part of a cruisetour adds no days. A guest who books and sails in a full suite, or who pays the single supplement to sail alone, gets two cruise credits for that voyage. The doubling applies to the cruise count alone, and days are counted once. Mini-suites, Reserve Collection suites and paid upgrades into a suite do not qualify. Travel agent, affiliate, journalist and friends and family fares earn no credit, and the member number has to be on the booking.

Gold starts after the first cruise. Ruby needs 3 cruises or 30 cruise days. Platinum needs 5 cruises or 50 days, and Elite needs 15 cruises or 150 days. Gold brings Launch Savings fares, member pricing, onboard member events, a Circle Host on each ship and a Circle Savings Account. Launch Savings is a discount for residents of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Asia. It does not apply to the World Cruise or to trips of 45 days or more. Ruby adds a Captain's Circle help desk line ashore for members in those markets other than Asia. Platinum is the first big step. It gives 50% off MedallionNet Wi-Fi, 10% off Lotus Spa treatments and the Photo Gallery, early dining bookings and the Platinum and Elite Lounge. A Platinum member can bring up to three cabin mates into the disembarkation lounge.

Elite is the top of the ladder. It adds 10% off shore excursions and in The Shops of Princess, free laundry and shoe polishing, priority tender boarding and priority disembarkation. Each Elite member gets a Grapevine wine tasting per cruise, and each Elite cabin gets a free minibar set-up once. The minibar can be swapped for wine, soda or water. Elite guests also get afternoon tea in the cabin and deluxe canapes on formal nights. Princess sets no yearly requalification in its rules, and tiers rest on completed cruises and days. The terms let Princess change or end the club without notice. Unused benefits are not refunded and do not roll over to a later voyage. On September 8, 2026, Princess opened a contest for Elite members in the U.S. and Canada outside Quebec. Four winners get a trip for two and a ride on the Princess float in the Rose Parade on January 1, 2027.

Only Princess sailings count, with one exception from the group's past. Cruises on P&O Australia count up to set cut-off sailings: Pacific Explorer on February 7, 2025, Pacific Encounter on March 8, 2025 and Pacific Adventure on March 10, 2025. Carnival Cruise Line took over P&O Australia that March, and guests on the renamed ships joined its VIFP Club. P&O UK cruises no longer count. Princess publishes no status match with its sister lines at Carnival Corporation. The parent's annual report for 2025 says all of its brands run loyalty programs, with offers such as special fares, free laundry and internet.

The Princess Rewards Visa Card supplies the points the club lacks. Cardholders manage it at BarclaysUS.com, and it has no annual fee. It earns 2 points per $1 on Princess purchases such as cruise fares and onboard spend. Other purchases earn 1 point per $1. Princess values its 20,000-point sign-up bonus at $200 of onboard credit, or 1 cent a point. Points go toward onboard credit, travel, gift cards and goods, or toward purchases with Princess and the other World's Leading Cruise Lines. They do not expire while the account stays open and in good standing. They are lost 90 days after a holder closes the account. Authorized users earn at the same rate, and their points land in the main account.

Counting cruises or days gives two routes to the same badge. Fifteen 3-day getaways reach Elite after 45 days at sea, while a guest who books long voyages gets there at 150 days. The suite rule favors the short-trip route, because it doubles cruises and leaves days alone. A suite guest needs 8 voyages for Elite. A single 131-day world cruise, the longest Princess sells, still stops short of Elite on its own. Most Platinum and Elite perks are percentage discounts on Wi-Fi, spa, photos, shops and tours, so their value grows with what a member spends on board. With no points of its own, the club leaves rewards for spending to the card.