Royal Caribbean’s annual casino loyalty perks are starting to hit accounts, and longtime players are noticing something feels different right away.
Every year in April, those that gambled enough on Royal Caribbean ships to reach a higher tier are eligible to receive a complimentary cruise.
The complimentary cruise certificates that once followed a predictable set of rules have been replaced with a new system that, for some members, offers more flexibility than ever before, while others don't see as much return value.
For some, the update opens the door to longer sailings and even higher-tier cabins.
Here's what has changed.
Royal Caribbean gives you a free cruise every year, if you play enough in their casinos
Royal Caribbean offers perks for gambling in its casinos through the Casino Royale program.
This is a separate loyalty program from Crown & Anchor Society, and it resets every year. Based on how many points you earn in a calendar year, you can reach higher tiers.
Prime is the level that offers perks, and it includes complimentary drinks in the casino while playing, no fee for cash advances, and a complimentary cruise each year.
The annual complimentary cruise offerings are different from last year
On April 21st, members who obtained the highest tier started to see their annual certificates appear in their account.
In years past, you could choose any cruise that wasn't listed on an exclusion list. The excluded sailings were typically holiday sailings or event cruises. It was also limited to any sailing for 7 nights or less.
The framework was simple: if a sailing wasn’t on the excluded list and was seven nights or less, it was fair game.
Craig Hart reached the highest casino status at Masters, and he said the Master’s list has changed from a list of excluded cruises to a list of included sailings up to 25 night and ranged from balcony to Grand Suite.
On paper, that sounds like a major upgrade. Longer cruises and higher-end accommodations were rarely part of the annual certificate conversation before.
He thinks some people may see this as a great change, but others may not as much value in it.
Within the email sent out by Casino Royale, there were also talks of "new limited-time bonus offers and special perks throughout the year, so you have the chance to upgrade your annual cruise benefit."
What this means, no one knows yet, but it may create more value for the casino players.
Win or lose? Casino players debate if they like the change
For some casino guests, the expanded list represents a clear win. Access to longer voyages opens up options that simply didn’t exist under the old rules, particularly for travelers who prefer repositioning cruises or extended itineraries.
The inclusion of higher-category cabins also suggests Royal Caribbean is willing to offer a more premium experience to certain players, at least on select sailings.
At the same time, the move from an "exclusion list" to an "inclusion list" changes how flexible the benefit feels. Instead of browsing the full range of sailings and ruling out a handful, players are now limited to a curated selection chosen by the cruise line. Even if that list is extensive, it can still feel restrictive compared to the previous system.
That perception matters, especially for a loyalty program built around repeat play and predictable rewards.
Craig is curious to see how these changes impact how cruisers look at the value in the program, "While more people obtain status in the casino because of the value in years past, Royal Caribbean ships are sailing at or over capacity. As this new casino year progresses, new ships start sailing and ships continue to sell out, it will be interesting to see other changes that will be made this year."
Depending on your cruising preferences, the available ships and sailings are either useful or not. Newer ships, such as the Icon Class are not very prevalent. On Reddit, there were plenty of opinions.
- "Prime used to be any 7 day in an interior with a list of exceptions (usually just new ships and holidays). Now its a 500 cruise list. Huge downgrade. Boo!"
- "Mostly older ships and shorter sailings."
- "Highly disappointing. Most of these are older ships that I get an offer for in the mail 3 times a week."
- "No Icon for prime. Mostly older ships ships and short trips."
The sentiment shared by some is they gambled last year with a certain expectation, but feel the new change wasn't expected.
One person on Reddit posted, "I purposely gambled far more than I normally do to achieve Prime in anticipation for an interior on any 7 day cruise, 2+ year old boat, minus holidays."
"Not getting that is being bait and switched."
