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Get more Delta SkyMiles starting now when booking a cruise

Getting a big pile of Delta SkyMiles when booking a cruise just got easier.

In a major overhaul unveiled Wednesday, the Delta SkyMiles Cruises program switched to an award structure that offers 2 Delta SkyMiles for every dollar spent on a cruise.

That could bring significantly more mileage earnings for cruisers than what was available in the past, depending on how much they typically spend on cruises.

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The program also was rebranded as Delta Cruises, with a new website, cruises.delta.com .

Under the former system of mileage earning, Delta Cruises customers would earn a fixed number of Delta SkyMiles when booking a cruise, no matter how much they spent on the trip.

The fixed number started at 1,500 miles for a voyage of up to five nights and maxed out at 10,000 miles for a sailing of 13 nights or more. A typical seven-night cruise would bring 3,000 miles.

Under the new program, most cruise bookings will earn more miles, though some cruise bookings could earn less miles than with the previous system.

In fact, the greater number of SkyMiles that a customer could earn with a typical booking could be substantial, from what we can see.

Related: The ultimate guide to picking a cruise line

For example, let's assume you book a seven-night cruise for your family of four this summer on Royal Caribbean's new Wonder of the Seas in a midship balcony cabin. The pricing right now for such a scenario for an August trip is around $4,400, not including taxes and fees.

Under the old Delta Cruises earning system, you would earn a flat number of 3,000 miles for such a booking. Under the new system, you would earn around 8,800 miles.

That's a decent, if not amazing, number of bonus miles for booking a cruise. TPG currently values Delta SkyMiles at 1.41 cents each, putting the value of 8,800 SkyMiles at $124. It's far better than the value under the former system — 3,000 miles would be worth $42.30.

Keep in mind that Delta Cruises sometimes offers additional bonus miles with specific lines as part of short-term promotions. A recent Delta Cruises offer brought an additional 20,000 bonus miles when booking a balcony cabin on a cruise with Disney Cruise Line , for instance.

As a result, total miles earnings when booking a cruise through Delta Cruises can end up being far higher than just a 2-miles-per-dollar ratio.

Delta Cruises' terms and conditions

Note that the spending we're using here to calculate mileage earnings is the cruise fare before port charges, taxes and fees. Under the new system, cruisers will not earn miles on the port charges, taxes and fees portion of a cruise's cost.

Here's a look at all the specific rules around the new Delta Cruises mileage earning system:

• You will get 2 miles for every dollar spent on cruise fare.
• You will not earn miles on the added cost of port charges, taxes and fees.
• You will not earn miles on the cost of travel insurance, if you add that to your booking.
• There is no limit to how many miles you can earn.
• Mileage awards are per cabin and are only awarded to one passenger per cabin.
• You must book through Delta Cruises to get the miles.
• Mileage will post to your Delta SkyMiles account six to eight weeks after you cruise.

In all, there are 21 cruise lines that participate in the Delta Cruises program, including all the major big-ship brands such as Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line .

Which credit card should I use to book?

Looking to earn even more Delta SkyMiles? You can use a Delta SkyMiles credit card , such as the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card . It earns 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases — including flights. This card is currently offering 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months.

Don't have a Delta-affiliated card? Use a card that earns bonus points on cruises . A good option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card , which earns 2 points per dollar spent on travel, including cruises. Right now, you can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

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Score 1,000 Delta SkyMiles When You Book a Hilton Stay For a Limited Time

The promotion is running until May 6.

Courtesy of Delta

Delta has teamed up with Hilton Honors to offer 1,000 miles on stays at thousands of hotels worldwide.

“Delta SkyMiles members, enjoy a limited-time offer on Hilton stays,” the airline shared about the new promotion on its website . 

First, travelers must join both Hilton and Delta ’s programs if they haven’t already and register for the latest promotion by Monday, May 6. Then, Hilton Honors members will need to link their Delta SkyMiles number under the “Preferred Travel Partners” section of their profile.

Delta will award 1,000 SkyMiles for an eligible Hilton reservation booked directly with cash through Hilton’s website or the Hilton Honors app and completed by July 7, 2024. A maximum of three hotel reservations can be booked during the travel window, which gives the potential to earn a total of 3,000 SkyMiles through this promotion.

It could take up to six to eight weeks after the stay is over before the miles are deposited, but they won’t count toward earning elite status with Delta, according to the promotion. 

This isn’t the first time Delta has partnered with other travel and lifestyle loyalty programs, giving members plenty of opportunities to earn miles even if they’re not flying. Travelers can also register to earn 1 mile per dollar spent at Starbucks and Airbnb thanks to these exclusive partnerships. Finally, members can earn SkyMiles from spending on Delta co-branded credit cards or flying SkyTeam partner airlines such as Aeromexico or Virgin Atlantic. 

Delta SkyMiles can then be redeemed for free flights roughly at 1.2 cents apiece, and the airline will often run flash sales where members can redeem miles for flight deals. It’s also possible to redeem SkyMiles for Delta Vacations packages for at least 15 percent more value, which bundle flights, hotels, and car rentals at a discounted rate.

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While many in North America looked for just the right spot to view a total solar eclipse on April 8, Delta customers and crew on two historic flights needed only to peer out their windows.

The celestial celebrations on DL 1218 from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and DL 1010 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) began in the gatehouses with curated music, photo ops and conversations with Delta meteorologists Warren Weston and Dave Samuhel about what to expect on board the unique flights.

“Delta provided the best experience,” said a customer on the DFW-DTW flight. “It didn’t matter if you were an astronomy expert or a first-time eclipse enthusiast about the eclipse or not, they really made this flight one to remember.” 

Running an airline is a true team sport, and these path-of-totality flights were no exception. From meteorologists and flight dispatchers to flight attendants, pilots and airport customer service agents, Delta teams worked in lockstep to create a memorable experience for our customers.

When it was time to board, customers embarked with excitement and anticipation. The energy was unmatched as Delta crew members welcomed customers through a solar system-themed balloon arch.

Once at their seats, customers were greeted with co-branded goodie bags filled with bespoke items like ISO-certified eclipse viewing glasses from Warby Parker, limited-edition Sun Chips – which were on sale to the general public for only four minutes – and Delta-branded swag including special-edition solar eclipse socks.

Delta also offered exclusive beverages at Delta Sky Clubs along the path of totality. Blackberry Moonrises and Corona Coladas were available in Indianapolis (IND), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), and Detroit (DTW).

Customers cheered upon take-off and again as they approached the path of totality.  

Frequent flyer Paul D. was aboard the AUS flight and shared how he was able to capture several photos from the left side of the plane.

“One of the photos I wanted was the eclipse’s shadow on the ground,” Paul said. “As we got closer, the sky got darker and darker. I looked out the window and the shadow looked like a smear on the ground.”  

While many customers were glued to their windows, customer Neil Albstein proposed to his girlfriend Michele Rosenblatt. After two months of planning for the memorable moment, the stars aligned perfectly.

“I could never come up with anything more special to propose to her,” Albstein said. “I wanted it to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so [the flight] seemed perfect.”

Meanwhile, on the ground, Delta partnered with KIPP Paseo Primary and Preparatory School in Austin, TX to host a solar eclipse watch party.

Delta First Officers Seth Linder and Michael Gulley, along with several Delta volunteers, engaged students in an immersive science experience, read space-themed books, and encouraged the kids to dream big.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to share this experience with KIPP Paseo and expose young minds to science in real time,” Gulley said. “If we can get students excited about STEM early, the possibilities are endless for what and who they can become.”

Although the flight came to an end, the celebration did not. Upon landing in Detroit, customers were greeted by lively music, Delta-branded swag and a meet-and-greet with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.

“This was such a unique experience and so much fun,” said Paul. “I am so happy to be a part of this moment in history.”

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From Delta's solar eclipse flight to $200 sound healing ceremonies, here's how people are splashing out to celebrate the eclipse

• Visitors are expected to flock to states like Texas and Maine to enjoy solar eclipse views. 
• Some are looking for a more unique experience, spending up to $6,000 on tours.
• Others are spending their cash on more spiritual practices like sound healing ceremonies.

Visitors are expected to flock across the US to enjoy the best views of the solar eclipse; some are traipsing their tents and vans across the country and others are booking into hotels.

The "path of totality" — where the moon will appear to block the sun completely — will stretch from Texas to Maine. And choosing the right location is worth it according to some experts .

Southern states like Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Illinois may experience over four minutes of totality , longer than the average solar eclipse in this century.

But some solar eclipse fans want a more unique experience, splashing thousands of dollars on tours, flights, and rituals.

Here is how people are going above and beyond to get the best views:

Delta Air Lines special solar eclipse flights

Delta Air Lines is offering a flight from Austin to Detroit for those eager to view the solar eclipse from 30,000 feet in the air.

The flight has been planned to maximize passengers' eclipse experience, from selecting an aircraft with extra-large windows to determining the precise departure time, Delta said in a press release.

Related stories

A one-way ticket for the flight started at $749 and went up to $1,150 for those looking for a first-class seat, per CNBC .

The popularity of the first ticket release led the airline to release a second solar eclipse flight, this time from Dallas to Detroit.

A $200 sound healing retreat claims to harness the energy of Mother Earth during the solar eclipse

For those looking for a more spiritual way to enjoy the event, a small business in Vermont offers an 8-hour sound-healing retreat.

The day starts with a talk from an astrologer before launching into a selection of rituals involving herbal ointments (made especially for the eclipse) and sounds from "crystal singing bowls and medicine drums", according to the event's website.

It says the event hopes to provide a "peaceful environment" among the crowds that are expected to visit Vermont.

A $5,000 Texas trip includes viewing the eclipse from a vineyard with private guides on hand

Travel company Smithsonian Journeys offers four different solar eclipse tours in Texas that start at $4,995 and go up to $6,695 for a five-day trip.

In the build-up to the eclipse, customers had private astronomy talks, visited a solar observatory, and hiked through canyons.

The eclipse day itinerary takes place in a vineyard with wine tasting and time in the garden to watch the four minutes of complete darkness with guides available to answer eclipse-specific questions.

Some of the tours end the evening with a riverboat dinner cruise.

A 22-day cruise off the coast of Mexico, with guest lectures from a physicist

Holland America Line's Solar Eclipse Cruise set sail on April 5 and plans to be off the coast of Mexico in the path of totality on April 8.

The ship will be placed in the "perfect location for guests to see the eclipse," said Bill Prince, vice president of entertainment for Holland America Line, on the company's blog.

Despite the eclipse only lasting up to 4 minutes out of the 22-day cruise, the experience is padded with lectures and top tips from University of California San Diego Professor Adam Burgasser.

The price of this cruise isn't publicly available, but the company's other 22-day cruises can cost $3,175 a person.

Watch: A small Australian town was treated to a rare hybrid solar eclipse

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I'll only allow clapping on a solar eclipse flight: Here's what it was like onboard

Millions of people across North America watched the total solar eclipse Monday, but I was one of the few in a lucky group to see it from the sky.

It was certainly a different perspective. On the ground, the main event is, of course, seeing the moon fully obscure the sun. But from the sky, the real show was seeing the shadow of totality sweep over the landscape below, to watch as street lights flickered on in that temporary darkness while daylight reigned just over the edge.

I flew as a guest of Delta Air Lines on Flight 1010 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Detroit, and we encountered the experience of totality for about four minutes over southeastern Missouri.

'The ship can move': Why you should watch next solar eclipses from a cruise ship

Because the eclipse itself was only visible to those on the south side of the plane, the team at Delta planned ahead and got special permission to execute turns during totality so everyone onboard could see – about two minutes per side.

“For us, it’s a normal flight. For this flight just knowing where the sun was going to be, just trying to maximize the opportunities for the passengers,” Alex Howell, chief standards captain for Delta’s Airbus A320 fleet and pilot in charge on Flight 1010 told me just after we landed in Detroit. “It was great. It really went off without a hitch.”

Onboard, the mood was festive. I can’t remember the last time I was on a flight where there was applause after almost every announcement, at the start of the takeoff roll, again when we lifted off the ground and once more when we landed. Usually I’m not a fan of this kind of clapping, but for the solar eclipse, I could make the exception.

Delta’s representatives told me it was a cross-company effort to get the flight I was on, as well as another eclipse special from Austin, Texas, off the ground. It was a good reminder that the miracle of flight can unlock many other experiences for passengers.

How the flights were planned

According to Chris Clisham, a Delta flight superintendent, the first step in planning these special eclipse flights was determining the timing.

“What went into it is seeing where we wanted to intersect that shadow, where we wanted to see that totality and work backward from there,” he said. “Then we backed up and said, ‘OK, what kind of departure time do we need for that?’”

After that, the planning happened much like any other flight, although some extra, advanced communication with air traffic control was involved.

“The planning was, on one hand, routine, what we do for every flight, every day sort of a thing, but on the other hand, as we got closer to the event today, the focus became on cloud cover,” Warren Weston, Delta's lead meteorologist, told me in Dallas before we boarded. 

It was cloudy as we departed Dallas, and even at cruising altitude (ha!) there was some wispy coverage, but it broke just before the moon and sun did their tango.

What else you can see from a plane

Of course, eclipses are fairly rare events, but they’re hardly the only natural wonders visible from commercial flights.

Mark Vanhoenacker , a Boeing 787 pilot for British Airways and author of “Skyfaring” and “Imagine a City,” told me flying is a constant reminder of the magic going on in the sky.

“The northern lights are, I think they’re probably the most amazing thing we see from the flight deck,” he said. “It’s such an amazing thing, and they shimmer and they kind of have this quality of milk landing in coffee. They have this very slow motion that you almost can’t perceive until you look away from them and then you look back and it’s different.” 

Vanhoenacker said auroras and eclipses aren’t the only spectacles out the window of a plane, either.

“I joke in ‘Skyfaring’ that we kind of run out of wishes. You see so many shooting stars. It’s a challenge to maintain our childhood excitement at that kind of thing, about all the wonders of flying, really,” he said. “One of the things that’s most special about flying is being above the clouds. A lot of people are not going to see the eclipse. One of the best ways to ensure you see any phenomena of the night sky is to be above the clouds.”

What it was like onboard

That idea of a nearly guaranteed eclipse sighting was certainly a draw for passengers on Flight 1010.

Many told me they had seen eclipses before and wanted to get a new perspective, and the mood onboard was friendly and celebratory – I, again, note all the clapping.

Clisham made a prediction ahead of the flight that turned out to be true: “The biggest difference is you’re going to see all the window shades up for once,” he said. “Everyone’s going to want to look out the window.” 

As I sit in an aisle seat writing this on another flight where almost all the shades are down, I wish my fellow travelers would bring Vanhoenacker’s sense of wonder to every flight rather than just those that are marketed for what’s going on outside the window. Even if it’s not an eclipse, there’s always a lot to see from 35,000 feet. 

The reporter on this story received access to this flight from Delta Air Lines. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.  

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected]

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Like Jewels, Will Travel

Gem- and jewelry-themed tours and excursions mix treasure hunting with adventure and cultural experiences.

Text by Amy Elliott

Illustrations by Ben Pearce

Last year, when Roberto Ruiz visited the Carbonera mine in Querétaro, Mexico, he cracked open a grapefruit-size piece of rhyolite with a hammer. When he looked inside, “it was like finding a fire fossil,” he said during a recent phone interview from his home in San Antonio. Inside was an orangey-red fire opal that he likened to a flame, forever preserved in the sphere of igneous rock.

Mr. Ruiz and his wife, Erika Rodriguez, are among the few people who have traveled to the mine, a desolate spot located in Carbonera in central Mexico, a destination that’s well off the beaten tourist track, some 20 miles from the nearest city. Their journey was especially unusual as neither is in the gem trade: Mr. Ruiz is a corporate attorney and Ms. Rodriguez works in digital marketing.

But they are among a growing number of travel enthusiasts seeking unusual, hyper-specific vacation experiences that offer an insider’s view of the gem and fine jewelry industries, and a number of businesses are responding to the demand accordingly.

Mr. Ruiz said the idea of visiting an opal mine was appealing for a few reasons, starting with his lifelong fascination with gemstones and minerals.

The mine’s remote location in the rocky, semidesert wilderness (where snakes and scorpions are not uncommon) was also compelling: Ms. Rodriguez said she and her husband are usually inclined toward travel focused on outdoor adventure, from hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru to rock climbing around Krabi in southern Thailand.

“We had also gone to the American Museum of Natural History in New York and saw an opal from Querétaro, and Roberto is originally from there,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “We found out something that we didn’t even know existed and we became interested in learning how the opals are extracted — and meeting the people who were doing it.”

But a traveler cannot just show up at a mine and start digging. It requires a guide, someone well connected to the mine owners and well versed in what to expect: dirt and dust; lots of walking; the occasional explosion at the site; and, at times, security risks. Given their knowledge of the terrain, guides keep an ear to the ground for rumblings — both geological and political — and respond accordingly to keep travelers safe.

The couple arranged the trip through Carlos Torres, an acquaintance from New York who is a gemologist, commercial gem buyer and consultant. He had piqued their interest with tales of the mines he has visited, particularly on trips with his business partner, Laurent Massi, who has taught gemology at several institutions and now is the owner of the Neogem consultancy in Paris.

Mr. Torres and Dr. Massi have organized gem mining trips not just to Mexico, but also to destinations such as Colombia (for emeralds), Thailand (for rubies) and Brazil (for Paraiba tourmaline). Last fall, they started the Gem Odyssey , a business to structure similar gem-hunting expeditions as all-inclusive travel packages that start, on average, at about $3,700 per person, not including airfare.

Gem Odyssey itineraries are tailored to jewelry enthusiasts who are not industry professionals — offering plenty of education and explanation, while avoiding “inside baseball”-type industry talk. The trips typically span nine days, with at least three of those days spent at a mine site.

The founders say the schedules can be customized to include experiences such as tequila tastings or visits to local artisan markets; any given trip might include a mix of accommodations, with upscale hotels near the airports or central cities and more rustic facilities in the mining areas.

But his clients don’t come for the niceties, Mr. Torres said. “They like the idea of getting mud on their hands.”

And, he added, after receiving instruction in mining safety, they become part of the process: “They see the drilling, how the dynamite is used for extraction, and they get to experience breaking the stones and checking for gems.”

Dr. Massi, who also was on the phone interview with Mr. Torres, said that “witnessing the birth of a gemstone is not something anyone can do and see at home in their garden. We try to give them an experience, and see a part of a country, that they could not get access to on their own.”

Digging For Tourmalines

Perhaps it is not surprising, but gem- and jewelry-themed travel is a trend especially relevant to the tastes and inclinations of high-net worth individuals — people with at least $1 million in liquid assets — according to Milton Pedraza, the founder and chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a consultancy specializing in luxury consumer research with offices in New York and Florida.

Mr. Pedraza said the sophisticated traveler has “seen it, done it.” So, he said, when someone has the opportunity to access an exclusive experience in a far-flung part of the world, “it makes your life more unique,” he said,“and everybody wants to be seen as authentic, unique and genuine.”

The designer Pamela Hastry is connected to such clients through Morphée , her jewelry company in Paris, and the lectures that she regularly hosts in and around her hometown, Brussels. She also conducts private tours of Place Vendôme in Paris, a center for high jewelry, and of the Diamantkwartier, or Diamond Quarter, in Antwerp, Belgium, one of the jewelry industry’s oldest and most prominent diamond centers.

In November Ms. Hastry is planning to take a group to Namibia, in southern Africa, to discover the country’s beautiful tourmalines (while also making a stop at a mine that produces chrysocolla, an unusual blue-green type of chalcedony). Organized with Destination, a luxury travel agency in Belgium, the 10-day itinerary includes at least one night in a tent near one of the tourmaline mines (€8,986 or about $9,711, without airfare).

“You’re going to live — and dig — like a miner for a day and a half,” Ms. Hastry said.

Damien Van Bellinghen, the founder of Le Club des Etoiles, a business and social club in Brussels, has one of the 15 reservations for the Namibia trip. Mr. Van Bellinghen, who went on one of Ms. Hastry’s private tours of Antwerp’s diamond district, wrote in an email that he looked forward to discovering how gems are extracted, getting to know the miners and exploring the country through the lens of a jeweler.

“The types of trips that Pamela Hastry organizes plunge straight into the heart of where the most marvelous jewels come from,” he wrote. “Such visits can only be made if you are accompanied by someone who has ‘insider’ knowledge and, above all, who has the trust of the local people. And we’re lucky enough to enjoy it.”

The Royal Treatment

If you do find a gem during one of these mine trips, can it be used in a piece of jewelry? Both Ms. Hastry and Mr. Torres of the Gem Odyssey said that they could facilitate a purchase, although they noted that the item purchased would have to comply with international import/export regulations.

But some gem-loving travelers don’t want to dig for their treasures. They would rather a holiday centered on history, sightseeing and shopping for finished pieces of jewelry (with posh accommodations and amenities as a bonus).

“You can tour some cities very easily through the lens of the history of fine jewelry and jewelry-making,” said Camilla Davidson, who is head of destination management for Britain, France and Ireland at Red Savannah , a luxury travel agency in England. “And that would still enable you to see so many of the destination’s highlights.”

For example, the agency offers a tour of London called Couture and Crown Jewels, an extravagant option for jewelry enthusiasts with deep pockets ($550,000 for two people, without airfare). It offers a private tour of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London and dinner in its White Tower; a four-night stay at the Raffles London at the OWO; and tickets to a West End show. And it includes a $125,000 credit toward a jewelry purchase at Humphrey Butler, an antique and estate jeweler.

Ms. Davidson said she developed the package in response to the world’s fascination with British royalty and was inspired by the idea of connecting a visit to the Crown Jewels to an exclusive jewelry shopping experience.

Humphrey Butler and his namesake business were a natural fit for the itinerary, she said: “He has the most impeccable collection and he as an individual is completely charming, exceptionally discreet, and just great fun to be around.”

Jewels at Sea

For some jewelry collectors, a travel experience that plays to, or enhances, their level of connoisseurship, is most appealing.

“Whatever their interest is, they want to learn more,” said Mr. Pedraza, the luxury consumer specialist. “So they make an adventure or journey out of it.”

One such example might be the Spotlight on Fabergé package offered by Regent Seven Seas Cruises in collaboration with Fabergé, the Russian heritage workshop known for its bejeweled eggs, which in 2009 moved its headquarters in London.

The first such excursion aboard the Seven Seas Grandeur liner is scheduled for July. Josina von dem Bussche-Kessell, Fabergé’s creative director, explained that the cruise is designed for “clients who care about art and culture and would happily sit for an hour or so to learn about the history of Fabergé’s royal clients then and now.”

The Grandeur, which was launched in November, has its own 1,600-piece art collection, including a Fabergé egg in an ocean theme with blue guilloché enamel, diamonds and pearls, called “Journey in Jewels,” which was commissioned by Regent Seven Seas. (The meetings on the commission actually led to the cruise collaboration.)

The 11-day voyage is scheduled to depart from the Civitavecchia port in Rome and to include destinations such as the Sicilian city of Taormina; Ibiza, Spain; and Nice, France, ending in Monaco (from $12,999 per person, including airfare).

The programming is to include Fabergé expert-led lectures, screenings and master classes, as well as shore excursions attuned to the participants’ interests in the decorative arts. As Ms. von dem Bussche-Kessell sees it, such a floating symposium — a kind of sleepover camp on a luxury scale — effectively creates a community for people who share a common passion.

Mr. Pedraza said that was an important incentive for certain travelers: “They love to engage with the product while meeting people who are their peers and who come through trusted brands and curators.”

And the return home is just as important as the journey itself, especially with a glittering souvenir to show friends and family.

“You get to demonstrate your expertise,” Mr. Pedraza said, “The experience has made you an insider.”