How to enrol in a cruise loyalty programme before sailing

Do you need to enrol, or are you enrolled automatically?

Norwegian Cruise Line. Guests are enrolled in Latitudes Rewards automatically after their first cruise [1]. Points are earned at one per cruise night, with one extra point per night for a full-fare suite or The Haven booked when the reservation was originally made, excluding Club Balcony Suites, and one further point per night on a Latitudes Rewards Insider Offer, which excludes Suites and The Haven [1]. The published tiers run from Bronze at 1 point through Silver at 20, Gold at 45, Platinum at 75, Sapphire at 150 and Diamond at 350 to Ambassador at 700 [1].

Holland America Line. No registration is required: past guests are enrolled automatically in the Mariner Society and receive benefits starting with their second cruise [8]. Guests who have sailed on a World's Leading Cruise Lines ship — Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn or Costa Cruises — are enrolled as a Star Mariner after their first booking with Holland America Line [8]. Star levels are reached at one completed cruise for One-Star, then at 30, 75, 200 and 500 Cruise Day credits for Two-Star through Five-Star [8].

Celebrity Cruises. Captain's Club is free to join and enrols online in minutes, and the line says benefits begin on your next vacation after you enrol once [7]. Club Points are posted to the account after the sailing and do not expire once they are in the account [7].

How do you get your loyalty number onto a cruise booking?

Celebrity Cruises states that you add your Captain's Club number to any booking, or sign in before you reserve, to start earning, and that if you have already booked you add it to your reservation [7].

Norwegian Cruise Line links the number to your online account: the line says you must be logged in to a My NCL account with a Latitudes number attached to view Past Guest offers, and Latitudes Rewards Insider Offers appear only in that state [1].

Holland America Line asks guests to reference their Mariner Number whenever they reserve future cruises in order to receive special Mariner fares and advantages [8]. Guests who set up an online account should tick the box indicating they are a prior guest, which the line says ensures they receive the benefits they are entitled to [8].

If a travel agent, group organiser or charter operator holds the booking, confirm with them that the number sits on the reservation before departure. Charter bookings are treated separately by at least one line: Holland America Line says charter bookings receive cruise days, onboard spending bonus and suite bonus days for purchasing a qualified suite [8].

What should be on your pre-sailing checklist?

The table sets out what each line publishes about enrolment and about the number itself.

• Check the history behind the number. Holland America members can view cruise history, Star-Level and bonus Cruise Day credits in the My Account section [8], and Latitudes points are visible after logging in to My NCL [1].
• Check what the tier actually delivers on your sailing. Norwegian's tier benefits apply on sailings of 5 nights or longer, while onboard discounts, including pre-booking shore excursions, apply on all sailings regardless of length [1].
• Check what will appear on board. Holland America personalises the key card with the Star level, and 2- to 5-Star Mariners also receive lapel pins [8]; Norwegian asks guests to present the keycard to receive benefits and discounts [1].

What should you check once you are on board?

• Norwegian Cruise Line. Present your keycard to receive tier benefits and discounts [1]. For shore excursion savings, identify yourself as a Latitudes Rewards member and show your key card in person at the shore excursion desk at the time of purchase [1]. Member events listed in the tier benefits use the CruiseNext desk in the Atrium by 9:00 pm on embarkation day, or by 9:00 pm on the second day on Pride of America [1].
• Holland America Line. Star-level onboard discounts are applied automatically to the onboard account and shown on the receipt at the time of purchase [8]. Priority check-in for 4- and 5-Star Mariners is marked by signage at each cruise terminal [8].
• Celebrity Cruises. Points post after the sailing, and status or balance can be checked by signing in online or in the app [7]. Members can also use Points Choice to apply points earned on a sailing to Captain's Club, Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society or Silversea's Venetian Society [7].

Exceptions and limits

• Missing-credit windows. Norwegian can credit missing Latitudes points only for cruises taken in the last 12 months [1]. Holland America asks guests to allow seven to ten days after a cruise or cruisetour ends before requesting Cruise Day credits, and says it cannot adjust them without proper documentation [8].
• Bookings that do not earn. At Holland America, prizes, charity and familiarisation sailings and working personnel do not earn cruise days, onboard spending bonus or suite bonus days, and employee space-available bookings earn cruise days and the onboard spending bonus but not suite bonus days [8].
• Groups and shared staterooms. Holland America says benefits are for the personal use of the applicable guest and those sharing a stateroom on the same booking number, and are not applicable to groups; everyone on the same booking receives the benefits of the highest Star level in the room [8].
• Itinerary type. Celebrity says Captain's Club benefits are designed for Celebrity sailings and that Galapagos and river cruises can carry their own inclusions, so eligibility should be confirmed in the programme terms for the specific sailing [7].
• Cross-brand recognition has carve-outs. Norwegian honours Latitudes status on Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises [1], but the one-time Diamond cabin upgrade, the Ambassador gift and the complimentary 7-day cruise are excluded from that honouring [1]. Celebrity matches tiers one-for-one across Captain's Club, Crown & Anchor Society and Venetian Society [7].

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to join a cruise loyalty programme, or are you enrolled automatically?

It depends on the line. Norwegian Cruise Line enrols guests in Latitudes Rewards automatically after their first cruise [1], and Holland America Line requires no registration because past guests join the Mariner Society automatically [8]. Celebrity Cruises' Captain's Club is free to join and is enrolled online [7].

How do you add a loyalty number to a cruise you have already booked?

Celebrity says you can add your Captain's Club number to your reservation after booking, with signing in before you reserve given as the alternative [7]. On the other two lines the number lives on your online account or is quoted when you reserve [1] [8].

How long do you have to claim missing points or cruise days?

Norwegian credits missing Latitudes points only for cruises taken within the last 12 months [1]. Holland America asks guests to wait seven to ten days after the sailing or cruisetour ends, and requires documentation such as the boarding pass page of your Express Docs, an onboard spending folio or a room key [8].

Do cruise loyalty points expire?

At Celebrity Cruises, Club Points do not expire once they are in your account [7].

Can you use cruise loyalty status on a sister brand?

Norwegian honours Latitudes status on Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises [1], and Celebrity matches Captain's Club tiers one-for-one with Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society and Silversea's Venetian Society [7]. Holland America enrols past guests of Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn and Costa Cruises as a Star Mariner after a first booking [8].

Related pages

Start with the cruise loyalty programmes guide and the first cruise checklist. If points or cruise days go missing afterwards, the missing credit claim guide covers the claim route. Term: cruise past guest number. Browse all frequent flyer terms.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society, Silversea's Venetian Society, Carnival's VIFP Club, Princess Cruises' Captain's Circle and MSC Cruises' Voyagers Club are not covered here.

1. Norwegian Cruise Line Latitudes Rewards programme page, checked 18 October 2026
2. Celebrity Cruises Captain's Club programme page and FAQs, checked 18 October 2026
3. Holland America Line Mariner Society benefits, FAQs and terms, checked 18 October 2026