Cruise loyalty, examined — Page 5

Top loyalty levels do offer exclusive perks on repeat ports, and that is the plain answer here. On Princess, the top tier is Elite, and that tier sits above Gold, Ruby, and Platinum in the…

Last-minute cruise deals are real, and they are usually built from unsold cabins as the sailing date gets close. On repeat ports, that often means the same dependable embarkation points and…

Perk value often outweighs devaluation in cost vs. value assessments. That sounds tidy on paper, and in cruise loyalty, it usually feels true in the room where the choice is made: a lower…

The best cruise offers are the ones that make the fare easier to read, not harder. A good offer is not just the lowest number on the page. It is the one that gives clear value, fits the…

Repeat ports do earn extra Princess points, but the phrase can hide a simple rule. Princess counts loyalty by completed cruises or cruise days, not by the number of times a ship visits the…

I came to Boston to live with my own pace, not to chase the newest port or the flashiest cabin. Yet every few years I slip back into the same chair on the same deck, and I notice how the…

I woke to the soft hum of the ship in the harbor and a familiar ache in my shoulder from yesterday’s walking tour. It’s how this life starts. Small, almost invisible, until the pattern…

I’ve spent a lifetime watching rooms filled with people who carry out their days in the glow of recognition. In Charleston, where I taught children how to read the room as well as the book,…