Princess Cruises' loyalty program, Captain's Circle, has four tiers: Gold, Ruby, Platinum and Elite. You join automatically when you finish your first Princess cruise, and you move up by completed cruises or by cruise days, whichever gets you there first.
That simple structure hides a few details that change how fast you climb. A full suite or a solo fare can count as two cruises, cruise days count on their own track, and a new tier only applies from your next sailing. Below are the tier thresholds, the benefits Princess lists for each tier, and the rules that decide what counts, all as Princess's own Captain's Circle pages and benefits sheet showed them on October 8, 2026.
How Captain's Circle Works
Membership starts after your first completed cruise. Princess says you don't have to do anything to join: your membership number shows up in your pre-cruise emails, and Princess sends a welcome email once that first sailing is done. Residents of the European Economic Area are the exception and have to enroll by creating a My Princess account on princess.com.
The number matters more than the account. Princess's terms say you must give your correct member number at the time of booking to get credit toward status, and that you're responsible for it. If you book through a travel advisor, hand them the number too.
The Four Tiers and What It Takes to Reach Each
Princess counts completed cruises and cruise days side by side, and you reach a tier on whichever count gets there first:
- Gold: after your first cruise.
- Ruby: after 3 cruises or 30 cruise days.
- Platinum: after 5 cruises or 50 cruise days.
- Elite: after 15 cruises or 150 cruise days.
What Each Tier Gets You
Each tier keeps everything below it, so Elite members get the Gold, Ruby and Platinum benefits plus their own.
Gold
Gold covers the basics Princess lists for every member: Captain's Circle Launch Savings, early access to new itineraries, preferential pricing offers, members-only onboard events, access to dedicated support on board, the Captain's Circle online portal and a Circle Savings Account. Princess's footnote limits Launch Savings to residents of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Asia, and says it doesn't apply to the World Cruise, voyages of 45 days or longer, or third and fourth berths.
Ruby
Ruby adds one benefit to Gold: exclusive shoreside access to a Captain's Circle Help Desk phone line. Princess offers it to resident members of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Platinum
Platinum adds the first discounts on board. Princess lists 50% off a MedallionNet Wi-Fi package, early access to dining reservations, 10% off Lotus Spa treatments, 10% off in the onboard Photo Gallery and access to an exclusive lounge during disembarkation.
The fine print is worth knowing before you sail. Early access to dining reservations starts for Platinum and Elite members as soon as the cruise deposit is placed. A Wi-Fi package or spa treatment bought before the cruise is discounted on board, with the difference credited back to your folio. Princess says the Wi-Fi discount can't be exchanged or transferred to another person, and anyone sharing your stateroom can join you in the disembarkation lounge, with a request to bring no more than three others.
Elite
Elite adds the longest list. Princess names these benefits on top of everything Platinum gets:
- 10% off in The Shops of Princess.
- 10% off shore excursions, excluding transfers, shuttles, private vehicles, debarkation tours, overland tours and flightseeing tours.
- Priority ship-to-shore water shuttle embarkation.
- A complimentary Grapevine Wine Tasting Event, one per cruise per Elite member, booked through the Princess app.
- A complimentary mini-bar setup, one time only per Elite stateroom.
- A deluxe canapé selection on formal nights.
- Complimentary afternoon tea in your stateroom.
- Priority disembarkation.
- Complimentary laundry and shoe polishing, excluding same-day service.
The wine tasting and mini-bar are for guests 21 and older, or 18 and older when sailing in Europe. Princess's FAQ says you can change the mini-bar on board through CrewCall Chat or room service: mini bottles of liquor swap one for one for another liquor or beer of the same size, or you can trade the whole setup for a bottle of wine, sodas only or waters only.
How to Reach the Next Tier Faster
Princess's Captain's Circle FAQ gives two answers, and its terms add a third rule that decides whether a cruise counts at all.
Cruise Days Count on Their Own
Your tier is based on completed cruises or days sailed, whichever comes first. Longer sailings build days quickly, so someone who takes a few long voyages can reach a tier before their cruise count would get them there. Say you sail two 15-day cruises: that's 30 cruise days, enough for Ruby, even though you have only two cruises.
Suites and Solo Fares Count Double
Princess gives two cruise credits instead of one when you book and sail in a full suite, or when you sail alone and pay the exclusive occupancy fare (meaning you paid the single traveler supplement). Only the cruise count doubles, not the days. The FAQ excludes mini-suites, Reserve Collection suites and paid upgrades to a full suite.
Book With Your Number Every Time
A cruise only counts if your member number is on the booking. Princess's terms also exclude reduced-rate fares such as Friends and Family, affiliate, travel agent and journalist fares, cruises booked through the Special Bookings Desk, and other promotional fares Princess designates. If you're already booked and your status isn't showing, Princess asks you to call it at 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) in the U.S.
What Doesn't Count, and When a New Tier Applies
New status starts next time. Princess says you're eligible for the higher tier on the next cruise after you complete the cruises or days needed, not partway through the sailing that gets you there.
Only the cruise counts. The land portion of a cruisetour doesn't count, and only Princess sailings do, plus P&O Australia sailings up to and including the Pacific Explorer sailing of February 7, 2025, the Pacific Encounter sailing of March 8, 2025 and the Pacific Adventure sailing of March 10, 2025. P&O UK cruises no longer count.
Benefits don't roll over. Princess's terms say unused benefits aren't refundable or transferable and don't carry from one voyage to the next.
Princess also reserves the right to change or end the program and its benefits at any time without notice, so check the benefits page before a sailing where a specific perk matters to you.
Who Should Plan Around Captain's Circle
If you sail Princess once every few years, Gold arrives on its own and there's little to plan. The program starts to pay once you're within reach of Platinum, since that's the tier that adds the Wi-Fi discount, early access to dining reservations and the disembarkation lounge.
If you're close to a threshold, a longer itinerary or a full suite is the lever Princess gives you. Before you book, compare fares across lines. Our look at what an Alaska cruise costs priced Princess against seven other lines, and our Sun Princess coverage shows what one of the line's newer ships is like on board. Whatever you book, put your Captain's Circle number on the reservation before you pay the deposit.
