Amex Cruise Privileges - anyone used for RCI?

[reeltrouble11]

It looks like using an AMEX Platinum card will get you an on-board credit, or a 2 category room upgrade. Is the 2 category room upgrade really 2 categories? I.e., would it bump you from an inside room to a balcony? Or just to a higher level of inside room?

 

thanks in advance!

[vikqueen]

I am using AMEX for my upcoming cruise, but I opted for the OBC. You also get a bottle of champagne and dinner for two at Portofinos. Best of all I've had great service from my AMEX agent, I highly recommend them.

[RichnTina]

The upgrades are usually within the same cabin type. Keep in mind that you can get the AMEX perks through any travel agent as well.

[hollon]

Is it worth having A.E, don't you have to pay a yearly fee for their service?

[Havingfun2010]

Is it worth having A.E, don't you have to pay a yearly fee for their service?

 

Not always. I have an AX Hilton rewards card, pay no annual fee, and use it for almost everything. The points I get, I use for hotel stays. Anywhere from $0.00 a night to $40.00 a night. So most cruises, the stay the night before is free. Last year, I used 2 free nights, and 3 reduced stay nights at $40.00.

[TMANGO]

The upgrades are usually within the same cabin type. Keep in mind that you can get the AMEX perks through any travel agent as well.

 

 

We booked our cruise through a travel agent and will be making final payment at the end of Feb. I used my platinum amex card and did not know about this program.

[nydoll1]

Do you need to book with Amex or just pay with a Platinum card?

[waterbug123]

Do you need to book with Amex or just pay with a Platinum card?

 

If it is like Celebrity, you do not need to book through Amex. We used our travel agent to book an upcoming cruise on Celebrity Reflection but paid with the platinum Amex, and she told us about the OBC we'd get as a result. (and it shows on the invoice from Celebrity).

[waterbug123]

Is it worth having A.E, don't you have to pay a yearly fee for their service?

 

The cruise privileges program that is the topic of this thread requires a platinum Amex, and yes there is an annual fee for that card. I think it's in the neighborhood of $400/year. Some may balk at that, but it is well worth it for us.... We are getting $300 in OBC on an upcoming Celebrity cruise, plus a bottle of champagne and a certificate for dinner in a specialty restaurant. That alone equals the annual fee for the card. We have another Celebrity cruise this summer and a 3 nighter on Monarch so we will get additional benefits there. We also get free access to Delta's Sky Clubs (including free cocktails etc.), and Delta reimburses us up to $200/year for incidental charges (ticket change fees, baggage fees, that kind of thing.) There are a host of other benefits, but those are some of the most obvious cash-in-hand ones that come to mind.

[swigso]

Hi

Here is the Link

 

It applies to the Charge Card, not the Credit Card.

Whilst you may get points for using the credit card

the American Express Platinum charge card has

additional benefits such as Lounge Access through Priority Pass

and World Wide Travel Insurance,

 

https://travel.americanexpress.com/travel/cpp

[Aquahound]

Is it worth having A.E, don't you have to pay a yearly fee for their service?

 

I chose the Gold Premier Rewards card over the Platinum card. I only fly on my own dime a couple times a year, so the perks of the Platinum card weren't worth the annual fee to me. However, the Gold annual fee is $175. Considering the points earned on the Gold card, the fee is well worth it. In the last couple years, all my personal flights and hotel stays have been paid for with points. I'm getting ready to book a flight to Alaska for DW and I and again, they will be paid for totally with points.

 

On another note, I traded my RCI Bank of America card for this AMEX Gold card, and I wish I would have done it much sooner. Another perk is being able to pay with points on any cruise line, and double and triple points are earned for all gas, grocery and travel costs charged to the card.

[spotgrey]

Have had an AE Platinum card for years and "did not" know about this program. Always used my AE to pay for several cruises and no one at TA, or RCL has ever mentioned this. Do you have to book cruise thru AE Travel or can you get the credit from booking with RCL? Glad to know this....My card is thru Delta Airlines do I still get the FF miles also?

[swigso]

Have had an AE Platinum card for years and "did not" know about this program. Always used my AE to pay for several cruises and no one at TA, or RCL has ever mentioned this. Do you have to book cruise thru AE Travel or can you get the credit from booking with RCL? Glad to know this....My card is thru Delta Airlines do I still get the FF miles also?

 

Your card may be a Credit Card rather than the Charge Card,

with the charge card the Balance is paid in Full each month.

[Traveler63]

I believe you need to book through the platinum travel service. I did for my upcoming Enchantment cruise, didn't do the upgrade since was book a GS but did get the OBC, dinner, champagne and also spa credit. I think the spa credit was a separate promotion. I recently received an e-mail from Amex saying they were discontinuing the program though so looks like I won't get to use it next year. :(

Love the other perks - 200 credit for airline fees (I chose AA, since that's what I usually fly), access to lounges, also hotel upgrades, etc. Worth the $400/fee.

[critterchick]

Can you combine the Amex benefits with other RCI benefits, such as OBC for booking onboard, Diamond balcony discount or shareholder credit?

[smoosh21]

It looks like using an AMEX Platinum card will get you an on-board credit, or a 2 category room upgrade. Is the 2 category room upgrade really 2 categories? I.e., would it bump you from an inside room to a balcony? Or just to a higher level of inside room?

 

thanks in advance!

 

The upgrades I have seen take you from an inside to an outside, but no higher than an outside.

[waterbug123]

I believe you need to book through the platinum travel service. I did for my upcoming Enchantment cruise, didn't do the upgrade since was book a GS but did get the OBC, dinner, champagne and also spa credit. I think the spa credit was a separate promotion. I recently received an e-mail from Amex saying they were discontinuing the program though so looks like I won't get to use it next year. :(

Love the other perks - 200 credit for airline fees (I chose AA, since that's what I usually fly), access to lounges, also hotel upgrades, etc. Worth the $400/fee.

 

No you don't. Our upcoming Reflection cruise was booked with a regular TA, not AE travel service, and we are getting the $300 OBC (it's on the RC invoice).

 

Can you combine the Amex benefits with other RCI benefits, such as OBC for booking onboard, Diamond balcony discount or shareholder credit?

 

Sort of. We did a future booking back on Celebrity Solstice a couple years ago and decided to apply it to the Reflection next month. We were to get $100 OBC for doing so. Then our TA informed us of the platinum AE thing, but said the advance booking OBC was only partially combinable with the AE OBC, and as such would be reduced to $50. So we are getting $50 (instead of $100) for booking onboard, plus $300 from AE; both are reflected on our RC invoice. We're perfectly happy with that!

 

Note: I should add that the OBC from AE won't happen automatically, simply because you happen to use the card to pay for the cruise. The TA has to make it happen, and if I understand correctly, has to call AE and get a code or something from them to give to RC to get it processed.

[Traveler63]

Right, you don't need to use Amex to book but can only partially combine the benefits. I got the $150 OBC for booking on board more than 6 mos out and then the $300 from Amex. You can't get the Amex and the C&A balcony/suite discount so I took the Amex which was $100 more.

[Deslok]

To clarify for some folks about the cabin category upgrade, while we tend to think of just perhaps 4 cabin categories: inside, outside view, balcony, and suite, the cruise lines have multiple categories within each of these. There are perhaps 4 categories of interior, 5 of outside view, 4 balcony, and 6 suite categories. So I've used this to get a balcony for the higher end of outside view cabin prices, which is still a pretty substantial savings, but you won't get a balcony for the price of an inside cabin.

[nycny]

Thank you for alerting me to this benefit. I had booked a summer cruise and paid with Amex platinum and did not know OBC and dining existed. I emailed my travel agent today to take advantage of the promo. I had to choose between $100 OBC for a balcony cabin, dinner for 2 and wine OR the diamond balcony update OBC of $100. The two promotoins were not combinable. I also learned that the 2 category upgrade must be in the same cabin category -- inside to insider, balcony to balcony etc. My travel agent offered me the $100 but did not price booking a D3 and upgrading to a D1 which works out to a better discount since it applies to the full booking. I am waiting to find out why and whether this works in my favor.

[Cshgrand]

Any other UK cruisers using Amex?

I now don't get any benefits with RC when using my platinum charge card, used to get OBC even if I book through their travel service.

[RichYak]

Here's the list of Platinum Card benefits from Amex's website:

 

Cruise Privileges benefits aboard Royal Caribbean

• Two-category upgrade or up to $300 per stateroom shipboard credit (depending on ship and category booked)
  
• Complimentary dinner for two in specialty restaurant
  
• Bottle of premium champagne
  
• Double Membership Rewards points

You will only get the 2x MR points if you book through Amex travel.

 

The rest of the benefits are available through any TA, however they are not automatic. There is a procedure that your TA must follow to get you these benefits (I don't know what it is). Simply charging to your Amex card will not get it done. I imagine any TA should be well versed in the procedure.

[Rated]

I have the Gold card...premier rewards...so this doesn't apply to me? It's only for PLATINUM customers?

[blueblock]

I have the Gold card...premier rewards...so this doesn't apply to me? It's only for PLATINUM customers?

 

Correct, only for Platinum (and presumably the Black Card people too, but I don't know any of those people!). The Gold Card does not give access to this benefit.

[skiiergirl]

Can you combine the Amex benefits with other RCI benefits, such as OBC for booking onboard, Diamond balcony discount or shareholder credit?

 

I believe the "booking onboard" is combinable with this but the balcony discount is not. I don't know about shareholder credit. I am also wondering whether a "Savings Certificate" would be combinable.