A five-year-old just earned their spot as one of Royal Caribbean's most loyal passengers.
Aydin Derakhshan of Atlanta, Georgia, was recognized for their newfound Pinnacle Club status while sailing on Star of the Seas over Christmas, as reported by Royal Caribbean Blog.
Although minors share their parents' Crown & Anchor Society loyalty status, Pinnacle Club status cannot be shared. This means, for example, that if one parent has earned Pinnacle Club status, the highest their child can obtain is Diamond Plus.
This makes Derakhshan's accomplishment even more noteworthy, as he has cruised enough to earn 702 points under his own account.
Pinnacle Club cruisers within Royal Caribbean's loyalty program must have 700 points. As such, it would take a minimum of 100 7-night cruises in standard cabins to reach this milestone.
Derakhshan's first cruise was in 2022
It takes most cruisers decades to reach the cruise line's coveted Pinnacle Club status. For example, it took Matt Hochberg, founder of Royal Caribbean Blog, 17 years and over 68 cruises to finally become a Pinnacle Club cruiser.
Derakhshan, however, did it in less than four years. During his Pinnacle Club award ceremony, it was revealed that Derakhshan first began cruising with Royal Caribbean in 2022.
Being celebrated aboard Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest Icon Class ship, during the last few days of 2025 means that he rapidly ascended to Pinnacle Club status faster than perhaps anyone.
Derakhshan's favorite cruise ship is Star of the Seas, and his favorite port of call is Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's award-winning private island in The Bahamas.
Before Derakhshan, the youngest known Pinnacle Club member was 7 years old
Royal Caribbean doesn't publicly share information about its loyalty club members. However, the youngest cruiser to obtain Pinnacle Club status before Derakhshan was 7.
Ryan Tyson collaborated with Royal Caribbean to produce a short video spotlighting his cruising journey in 2023. He obtained Pinnacle Club status while on a cruise aboard Anthem of the Seas with his parents, who are responsible for the "Cruises, Rooms & Reviews" YouTube channel.
In the short 1-minute clip, Tyson shares that his favorite ship (at the time) was Oasis of the Seas because "it is the only ship that has Portside BBQ, and it is good."
While onboard the ships, he loves anything that has to do with sports, including mini-golf, the SeaPlex, and the Sports Deck.
When asked how it felt to be the youngest Pinnacle Club member, he replied, "Being the youngest Pinnacle member in history, it just feels amazing.
What perks do Pinnacle Club members get?
Because top-tier loyalty members have spent at least 350 nights in a suite (or 700 in a standard stateroom), Royal Caribbean wants to reward those cruisers with exclusive perks like priority boarding, a free cruise, complimentary drinks, and more.
Other Pinnacle Club benefits include:
- Priority boarding
- Six complimentary drinks per day
- Free unlimited internet package on every cruise
- Access to the suite-only Coastal Kitchen restaurant and Suite Lounge
- Special gold pin
- Exclusive breakfast in a specialty restaurant
- Invitations to exclusive events
- Free wash & fold laundry bag on sailings of 5 nights or more
- Reciprocal top-tier status with Celebrity Cruises and Silversea
Some cruisers are unhappy with Derakhshan's accomplishment
Should kids be able to earn Pinnacle Status? Some cruisers don't think so.
"This is why cruise lines are suffering from 'Loyalty Overload'..Points, number of cruises and achievement of benefits should have never been given to children under the age of 18," commented one person on a Royal Caribbean Blog post.
"Now those who actually paid for their cruises are being sent letters saying 'We apologize but due to the number of loyalty members on the cruise your benefits may be impacted'...Congratulations to the [5-year-old] Pinnacle member who still won't contribute to [Royal's offers] for 13 more years."
Someone else agreed, saying that the parents have too much money and don't know what to do with it.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
