Royal Caribbean cruiser asks key question on casino gambling
People always want to know how to beat the system and which machines are "hot" on cruise line casinos.
Royal Caribbean rewards gamblers with free cruises often. In its Casino Royale onboard gaming establishments, cruisers can earn an instant certificate for a free cruise based on their level of play on that sailing, which they can choose from a list available from the onboard casino host.
Recently, a post on Reddit asked for advice when it comes to getting a free cruise from casino points cheaply. The post, which was titled “How to ‘game’ the free cruises from casino points” asked:
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“I don’t gamble, and am not very interested, but I do love ‘free’ stuff. Is there a way to game to casino points (or a) free cruise system? Can I spend less in the casino than it would be to pay for a cruise?” the poster asked.
Responses were mixed, with many people saying it was a bad idea and others saying they regularly get free cruises for less than they would have cost. So, let’s set the record straight.
The short answer is “maybe.” As someone who plays regularly in Royal Caribbean casinos and takes advantage of free cruises for myself and my family, I know the comp system very well. So, before you decide to try for a free cruise, here’s what you should know if you aren’t too interested in the casino from an entertainment perspective.
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Can you get a free cruise cheaply in the casino?
I’ll be perfectly clear. It’s entirely possible to get a free cruise from a casino instant certificate while spending less money than the comped cruise would have cost. And to be honest, in the majority of cases, I come out slightly ahead when I use free cruise offers. But not by much, and not all the time.
Consider this example. Let’s say that the free cruise you want is on Casino Royale’s 2000-point list. With one point equal to $5 of coin-in, this means that you’ll have to put $10,000 through the casino’s machines. In other words, imagine hitting the spin button on a $5-per-spin slot machine 2,000 times, regardless of how much you win or lose.
Royal Caribbean doesn’t publicly reveal its slot machine returns, but most sources estimate that it is in the 85% ballpark. This means that if you put $10,000 through the machines, you should get about $8,500 back from winning spins, which would mean a loss of $1,500. If the listed price of the free cruise is less than that, it could be worth going for.
The problem is that $1,500 would be your theoretical loss in that situation. It’s entirely possible to lose more or less. And it’s possible to lose a lot more. It wouldn’t be unheard of for a gambler to have a particularly unlucky cruise and lose $3,000-$4,000 trying to get to the 2000-point level.
Of course, you could also potentially win money and reach a free cruise level – I’ve certainly done it a few times. But the point is that you’re gambling. There is no surefire way to guarantee that you come out ahead when trying to earn a free cruise certificate.
Beware if you try to game the cruise ship casino system
Now, it is certainly possible to game the system a little, but not if you want to keep getting free cruises. As I’ve written about in other articles, there are three main ways to get a free Royal Caribbean cruise from casino play:
- Instant certificates based on your play on a single cruise.
- Your annual “tier benefit” cruise for reaching Prime level or higher.
- Targeted offers you receive in the mail or email.
From my personal experience, if you earn 2,500 points on your first cruise (enough for Prime status), it will get you an assortment of free cruise offers over the coming weeks and months. I average 2,000-2,500 per cruise and currently have six different offers in my account.
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So, it’s possible to earn 2,500 points on a single cruise, which would earn you an instant certificate for a free cruise. You could book a free cruise with that, and book several more as offers arrive in your mailbox. But if you don’t maintain a similar level of play on those free cruises, your offers can disappear very quickly.
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In a nutshell, if you’re already a gambler, the comped cruise system in Royal Caribbean’s Casino Royale can be an excellent way to gamble. Personally, I find that the perks of gambling on a cruise are far superior to those offered by land-based casinos for a similar level of play. But before you try to game the system, keep in mind that cruise ship casinos are businesses and offer free cruises as a way to make money.
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