Royal Caribbean Group guests are spending more onboard than the company planned for, helping drive the company’s performance, according to Jason Liberty, chairman and CEO.

“Onboard spend has been much stronger than we thought it was going to be,” Liberty said. “Not that we didn’t think people weren’t going to pay more than they did yesterday, but they’re paying even more than we had anticipated.”

He pointed to the changing guest mix as one factor.

Half of Royal Caribbean’s guests are now millennial or younger, Liberty explained, and they tend to take more frequent, shorter trips such as weekend getaways.

“They basically spend as much on a short trip as they would on a six- or seven-night type itinerary,” he said.

Liberty also tied higher spending to the company’s loyalty push.

Since the launch of Status Match earlier this year, which carries loyalty status across the group’s brands, guests who sail on more than one brand have posted higher average per diems than those who stay with a single brand.

Loyalty members now account for 40 percent of guests.

He said the company’s ability to identify and curate high-value customers was resulting in higher margin and greater lifetime value per guest.

“I think that really talks to the resilience of the business, the resilience of the consumer and how they value effectively the vacation experience that we deliver,” Liberty said, “which is not only resulting in them paying more, but also them coming back for more.”