hotel July 9, 2026

Earn and Redeem Hilton Honors Points for Luxury Cruises

Hilton Honors members can now earn and redeem Hilton Honors points for luxury cruises with Explora Journeys, including exclusive discounts and status perks.

Hilton Honors members can now earn and redeem Hilton Honors points for luxury cruises through a new partnership with Explora Journeys. This expansion moves the loyalty program beyond traditional hotel stays, allowing travelers to use their points for high-end ocean voyages across the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Northern Europe.

How to Earn and Redeem Hilton Honors Points for Cruises

This partnership is part of the broader Hilton Honors Adventures initiative, which connects members to curated travel experiences. When you book Explora Journeys itineraries through Hilton channels, you can earn 10 base points for every U.S. dollar spent on fares. You can also use your existing points to pay for these luxury sailings, providing a new way to use accumulated balances that might otherwise sit idle.

Beyond the points, the partnership includes several tier-specific benefits that reward high-status members. If you hold Gold status, you get a complimentary welcome cocktail party with Explora Journeys ship leadership. Diamond members receive additional Journey Experience Credits to use during their voyage. For those in the new Diamond Reserve tier, the benefits include a behind-the-scenes bridge tour (subject to availability) and private port transfers.

Explora Journeys is the luxury ocean travel brand owned by the MSC Group. The fleet is growing, with EXPLORA I and EXPLORA II already in operation. The brand’s first LNG-powered ship, EXPLORA III, is scheduled to launch on July 24, 2026. Travelers can choose from several distinct itineraries:

The Mediterranean: Focuses on historic ports, small islands, and coastal villages.
Northern Europe and the Arctic: Includes journeys through fjords, Iceland, and Greenland.
The Caribbean and Central America: Features routes through the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal.

Every eligible cruise stay also counts toward your Hilton Honors elite status. This is a significant development for travelers looking to fast-track their way to higher tiers, as cruise spending can often be much higher than a standard hotel stay.

Maximizing Your Hilton Honors Loyalty

For frequent travelers, the ability to use points for cruises changes how you might manage your Hilton Honors balance. Typically, Hilton points are valued at approximately 0.5 to 0.6 cents per point. While this is lower than the value you might get from Hyatt points, which can reach 1.7 cents per point, Hilton offers a much larger global footprint and more ways to earn points quickly.

One way to build your balance for these cruises is through co-branded credit cards, such as the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. These cards allow you to earn points in large quantities, which can then be applied to these luxury ocean journeys. If you use American Express Membership Rewards, you can also transfer those points to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio, making it easier to reach the threshold for a high-end cruise.

This partnership also positions Hilton more competitively against Marriott Bonvoy. While Marriott travelers often rely on Free Night Certificates, those certificates are often capped at certain point values. Hilton’s system is different, offering uncapped free night certificates through certain promotions and credit cards. Being able to bridge the gap between hotel stays and luxury cruises gives Hilton a more holistic travel ecosystem than many of its competitors.

For those who prioritize status, the inclusion of cruise stays toward elite tier qualification is the real win. Most cruise lines have their own separate loyalty programs that do not talk to hotel programs. By linking these two, Hilton is making it possible to maintain or even increase your status while spending time at sea. This is particularly useful for members of the Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, or LXR brands who want to maintain a consistent level of service throughout their entire vacation.

The Bottom Line

This partnership is a major win for high-tier Hilton Honors members, especially those in the Diamond and Diamond Reserve categories who can access exclusive ship tours and private transfers. For the average member, the 5 percent discount on fares and the ability to burn points on something other than a hotel room provides genuine flexibility. However, because Explora Journeys is an ultra-luxury brand, even with a discount, these trips remain a significant investment that may not be accessible to budget-conscious travelers.

Learn more in our Guide to Hilton Honors.