Jimmy Buffett’s cruise line launches game-changing casino loyalty program

Margaritaville at Sea is offering some very generous perks to gamblers.

Apr 29, 2025 - 15:15

Margaritaville at Sea just introduced a new casino loyalty program with some best-in-class perks, as well as some available shortcuts to earn a high status level quickly.

To be clear, Margaritaville at Sea already had a casino program, although the biggest problem was that its rules, perks, and features were unclear.

I can confirm firsthand that the cruise line was very generous with things like matching other cruise lines’ casino offers. Shortly after the Margaritaville at Sea Islander launched, I emailed a copy of a recent Carnival casino offer to the MAS casino representatives and was given an identical cabin offer on a sailing of my choice, plus free Wi-Fi, a complimentary steakhouse dinner for my family, and priority boarding.

However, in the casino itself, there were some pain points. Mostly, it was completely unclear how gaming points were earned while playing, what the loyalty tiers were, and how to advance to a higher level.

I spoke to the casino hosts, several table game dealers, and the slot attendants, and nobody could explain any of these things, other than saying things like “the more you play, the better your perks will be.”

And it’s worth emphasizing that the MAS casino staff, both on and off the ship, were very generous when it came to freebies. In fact, when I visited the casino host desk on the second-to-last night of the cruise, the host looked at my play, which I would consider a mid-level amount, said “we’ve been waiting for you” and gave us a second steakhouse dinner.

Having said all that, the new casino program not only continues the generosity, but makes it very clear how to earn status.

Margaritaville at Sea has launched a new casino loyalty program.
Image source: Margaritaville at Sea

Margaritaville at Sea’s new casino loyalty program

In a nutshell, Margaritaville at Sea’s new casino program is designed to allow cruisers to earn status and perks faster than other cruise lines, and to award the most generous benefits of any comparable program. And at first glance, it appears that they’ve succeeded.

Like most other casino loyalty programs, tier status is now earned with an easy-to-understand point system. Gamblers receive one point for every $5 coin-in on slots, and points based on their play at table games. For example, if you play a slot machine for $5 per spin and hit the button 100 times, you’d earn 100 points, regardless of how much you win or lose.

There are four status levels available – bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. And you can earn them through your 12-month rolling point total, or you can achieve them instantly with a certain level of daily play. For example, silver status can be earned with 1,000 points over a 12-month period or by earning 400 points in a single day. Here’s a breakdown of the other levels:

Bronze – Automatic level awarded for new sign-ups.
Silver – 1,000 points in a 12-month period or 400 points in a day.
Gold – 7,500 points in a 12-month period or 3,000 points in a day.
Platinum – 15,000 points in a 12-month period or 6,000 points in a day.

Exceptional perks for casino players

The perks at each level are rather generous, especially considering the point requirements. Even at the silver level, players receive free drinks (including the cruise line’s signature Boat Drinks) while actively playing in the casino, free fares for the third guest in their cabin, and a few other perks.

At the gold level, players get a free drink package, a free specialty restaurant meal, VIP check-in, a spa credit, and many other valuable benefits.

You can see the full list of perks on the cruise line’s website here.

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One of the most unique benefits is a free cruise given to status members as a tier benefit. To be perfectly clear, this isn’t unique all by itself – after all, Royal Caribbean offers annual tier cruises. However, top-tier MAS loyalty members have the option to gift their status cruise to a friend.

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