Disney Cruise Line reveals full details on its new Castaway Club 'Pearl' Membership Tier

Feb 23, 2023 in "Disney Wish"

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Posted: Thursday February 23, 2023 2:04pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney Cruise Line will introduce the new "Pearl" membership tier of its Castaway Club on May 1, 2023 - available to cruisers who have sailed on at least 25 Disney Cruise Line vacations.

Pearl membership is available to guests who have sailed at least 25 times with Disney

Castaway Club is Disney Cruise Line's way of recognizing Disney Cruise Line guests who have continued to sail time and time again. Members are rewarded with exclusive at-home and onboard benefits. Those guests who are eligible for the "Pearl" tier will be automatically upgraded with the following benefits:

Unlimited Digital Downloads - Pearl Castaway Club members will unlock unlimited complimentary digital downloads.
Book Disney Cruise Line Vacations Before Anyone Else - The new membership tier introduces an early booking window that opens four days before the general public will gain access.
Customize Your Cruise Ahead of Time - Pearl members will have the added benefit of scheduling activities before anyone else with an exclusive booking window that opens 123 days before the date of their next cruise beginning later this summer.
Stateroom Surprises - This summer, all Castaway Club members will receive a refreshed assortment of welcome aboard gifts awaiting them in their staterooms. As a part of this special surprise, Pearl members will receive a pair of pearlescent tumblers.
Complimentary Dinner at Palo - Guests who have earned Pearl membership status can also look forward to a complimentary dining experience at Palo during their next voyage, based on reservation availability.

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ChuckEliasFeb 27, 2023

As an unabashed lover of the Memory Maker in the parks, I really like the unlimited photos. That is really nice. Having said that, there are other things I would've liked. A Remy meal in addition to the traditional Palo meal would be great. Bringing back the on-board credit would be nice. Maybe a free cruise is too much to ask, but a HEAVILY discounted cruise after a certain number of days at sea would be awesome.

EOD K9Feb 25, 2023

I had just worn the coveted Platinum lanyard not long before this announcement and when I heard I wasn’t in the highest tier anymore I was slightly annoyed. After seeing the new perks, I’m not as disappointed.

ImagineerwannabeFeb 25, 2023

I was struggling to actually see much difference from platinum..other than a couple of days more booking window and some pearl tumblers

Jambo DadFeb 24, 2023

Free meal ok. Would suggest a free cruise after your 25th even if it’s just a 3 day.

SplashJacketFeb 23, 2023

Honestly, free photos are a great perk. What else are they supposed to give people? 10% off on a cruise? Another free premium meal? Onboard credit? A castaway cabana that would only be a benefit for an increasingly smaller number of cruises? All those things would be good perks, but makes no sense to give a discount to people who already go continuously. More adult dining doesn’t help kids, and on shorter cruises it isn’t as useful. Cabanas are already in short supply. But as we’ve found ourselves doing more cruises, we find ourselves getting less and less photos taken, and also purchasing them less often (been multiple cruises since we’ve bought a package). Including the photo package let’s the Pearl cruisers who only get a few photos (like at the restaurants) or allows them to get a few extra character photos they normally wouldn’t get (since they go so often it isn’t novel). With my 12 cruises, and probably won’t be Pearl for multiple decades (probably 3+ if ever), it’s not a terrible perk. Pearl should be less cruises, or ideally, a number of days spent at sea. But I digress. I believe I’ve done 82 days at sea. 25 3-days are 75 days at sea or $75,000 for 4 people at the cheapest available atm. 25 7-days are 175 days. 25 13-days are 325 days at sea. No one goes on cruises to rack up rewards, though. They go on cruises because they enjoy them, and then they get perks. It should definitely be less for Pearl, though. I get they want 25 for the 25th anniversary, but still.