Free Casino Cruise?

[shofer]

For the first time, DH & I spent more time and money in the casino on our Symphony of the Seas January 29 cruise.  Surprise!  He received 2 offers from Royal Casino for a free cruise for 2 on select itineraries.  One on Wonder of the Seas w/inside room only.   The other was a variety of six RCI ships and destinations from balcony to inside cabin.  Has anyone taken advantage of these?  How much does an upgrade cost and is it worth it?  I actually met two sisters on our last trip who were on a free cruise but I didn't get into the details.   They did indicate that they had done this more than once.  I certainly wouldn't mind another cruise this year.

What say you?  Is it worth it?

Sue 

[DesireeC03]

We have done 2.  Didn't opt to upgrade - but the price was reasonable.  Paid port fees, taxes, and grats.  Nothing to lose (unless you hit the casino as much as you did to earn the cruise 😇)!

[RNCindy]

We're using our "freebie" for a balcony cabin on AOS in March.  It's just a 4 night, which is fine for us since we live in Houston.  All we had to pay were taxes, port charges and gratuities.  Taxes and port were about $70 each.  We chose not to upgrade but did receive an email to Royal Up if we wanted.  We get offers in the mail 1-2 times a month and have never used them until now!  

[BirdTravels]

47 minutes ago, shofer said:

For the first time, DH & I spent more time and money in the casino on our Symphony of the Seas January 29 cruise.  Surprise!  He received 2 offers from Royal Casino for a free cruise for 2 on select itineraries.  One on Wonder of the Seas w/inside room only.   The other was a variety of six RCI ships and destinations from balcony to inside cabin.  Has anyone taken advantage of these?  How much does an upgrade cost and is it worth it?  I actually met two sisters on our last trip who were on a free cruise but I didn't get into the details.   They did indicate that they had done this more than once.  I certainly wouldn't mind another cruise this year.

What say you?  Is it worth it?

Sue 

The cruise is essentially free (if you stay in the cabin class you were offered). Yeah, you need to pay the port fees and taxes for each person which is a couple of hundred bucks per person. For example, a 7-night Caribbean cruise the casino covers the $3348 cruise fare. And you pay the $145 port taxes and fees (per person).  Upgrades cost depend on the value of the room you were comp'ed in versus the room that you want to upgrade to. 

 

Take advantage of free rooms when you can. If you spend a little time in the casino on your next cruise, the free cruises will keep coming. 

 

Pre-pandemic, there were a lot of cruises where upwards of 25% of the adults onboard were sailing with a casino offer. Land-based casino stateroom comps, land-based discounts, Casino Royale discounts, Casino Royale comps. If you have an offer, don't pay retail. 

Edited March 1, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Gregg00ss]

We cruise this coming weekend and this will be the 3rd cruise in a row that has been comped from the casino.  Sad thing is I don't even spend a ton of money in there, maybe average 500 points a cruise.  With that said, plan to hit prime this coming cruise due to them lowering cut off to 1500 points.  

 

Anyway, our cruise this coming weekend is a 3 night and we were given an inside room.  It cost my wife and I $67 each to upgrade to a panoramic ocean view, plus tax and port fees.  We always upgrade to either an OV or balcony and the upgrade fee is usually very reasonable.  

[msuspartabigten]

Not to hijack....but those that are getting the offers, are you spending most of your time on the slots? Tables? I spend a lot of money at the tables and poker and never get anything.

[trisha1165]

16 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The cruise is essentially free (if you stay in the cabin class you were offered). Yeah, you need to pay the port fees and taxes for each person which is a couple of hundred bucks per person. For example, a 7-night Caribbean cruise the casino covers the $3348 cruise fare. And you pay the $145 port taxes and fees (per person).  Upgrades cost depend on the value of the room you were comp'ed in versus the room that you want to upgrade to. 

 

Take advantage of free rooms when you can. If you spend a little time in the casino on your next cruise, the free cruises will keep coming. 

 

Pre-pandemic, there were a lot of cruises where upwards of 25% of the adults onboard were sailing with a casino offer. Land-based casino stateroom comps, land-based discounts, Casino Royale discounts, Casino Royale comps. If you have an offer, don't pay retail. 

Is this just for those that spend a substantial amount in the Casino??

[RNCindy]

1 hour ago, msuspartabigten said:

Not to hijack....but those that are getting the offers, are you spending most of your time on the slots? Tables? I spend a lot of money at the tables and poker and never get anything.

We play a little of both.  Be sure to give them your Sail and Sign card when you play so you will earn points.  You can check on your status at clubroyaleoffers.com using your last name and C&A number.  You may need to opt in for notifications.

[live.love.cruise]

16 hours ago, trisha1165 said:

Is this just for those that spend a substantial amount in the Casino??

From my experience it seems Royal adjusts the offers based on your spending. My mom could spend several hundred dollars, at times up to $1k in the casino during a cruise. For the first time in Nov I spent between $100-$150 in the casino during one cruise. I started receiving free inside offers on 3/4 night sailings as well as $100 off any sailing. The offers began in late January. Meanwhile my mom seems to receive a new offer every week that includes free a jr suite or balcony on sailings up to 8 nights. 

 

 

[trisha1165]

46 minutes ago, live.love.cruise said:

From my experience it seems Royal adjusts the offers based on your spending. My mom could spend several hundred dollars, at times up to $1k in the casino during a cruise. For the first time in Nov I spent between $100-$150 in the casino during one cruise. I started receiving free inside offers on 3/4 night sailings as well as $100 off any sailing. The offers began in late January. Meanwhile my mom seems to receive a new offer every week that includes free a jr suite or balcony on sailings up to 8 nights. 

 

 

That's Awesome! I'm going to give it a go when I cruise 4/28/22. Thank You! 🙂 

[nelblu]

On 2/28/2022 at 10:06 PM, shofer said:

For the first time, DH & I spent more time and money in the casino on our Symphony of the Seas January 29 cruise.  Surprise!  He received 2 offers from Royal Casino for a free cruise for 2 on select itineraries.  One on Wonder of the Seas w/inside room only.   The other was a variety of six RCI ships and destinations from balcony to inside cabin.  Has anyone taken advantage of these?  How much does an upgrade cost and is it worth it?  I actually met two sisters on our last trip who were on a free cruise but I didn't get into the details.   They did indicate that they had done this more than once.  I certainly wouldn't mind another cruise this year.

What say you?  Is it worth it?

Sue 

Just one experience that I had.  Received an offer for 4 different ships and different number of days.  I chose Mariner as it was a 5 niter and wanted to get my money's worth since I needed a flight.  Did a mock booking and noticed that a balcony cabin was cheaper than an interior due to the D+ balcony discount.  Called the Casino desk and no problem.  Enjoyed it and don't understand why I got such and offer as I'm not a big player.  Usually, I ger $ off.

[resetjet]

17 hours ago, trisha1165 said:

Is this just for those that spend a substantial amount in the Casino??

No but you have to play machines.  Tables dont get you anywhere.  Last cruise it was 800 pts for a free cruise.  We spent $800 and got 1150 pts and had very little luck.  Got a week cruise on symphony in march inside for $300 in taxes.  Royal upd to a ov balcony for 150pp.  So a $2500 cruise cost us $1400 with the $800 loss.  Going this week and hope to get a canada cruise for summer and make prime for less this time.  

[nelblu]

13 minutes ago, resetjet said:

No but you have to play machines.  Tables dont get you anywhere.  Last cruise it was 800 pts for a free cruise.  We spent $800 and got 1150 pts and had very little luck.  Got a week cruise on symphony in march inside for $300 in taxes.  Royal upd to a ov balcony for 150pp.  So a $2500 cruise cost us $1400 with the $800 loss.  Going this week and hope to get a canada cruise for summer and make prime for less this time.  

Know the answer on mainland casinos, but not at sea casinos.  Is the points total cumulative per annum or per cruise.

[RFerrington]

6 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Know the answer on mainland casinos, but not at sea casinos.  Is the points total cumulative per annum or per cruise.

Your casino status is a cumulative total....you basically have the entire year (1 April - 31 March of the following year) to accumulate the number of points so that you will have status for the following year.  Once you reach the threshold (normally 2500 points for Prime but currently 1500, I believe) you are Prime immediately as well as qualifying you for the following year, but you will NOT receive your free annual Prime cruise until the next casino year (some time after 1 April).  Whether or not you earn a "free" casino certificate is an entirely different issue than the annual Prime cruise.  Those certificates are awarded by the casino manager based on your play during the cruise.  I understand that there have been some changes to how this works....some people are apparently getting cruise certificate offers as soon as they board which is not the way it used to work.  I think there have been a number of such changes.

 

The offers that you receive throughout the year have traditionally been based upon your play from the last cruise you were on....but I think they may have modified this process a bit, lately.  In the past, if you had a "heavy" casino cruise then you could expect "better" cruise offers in the mail and if you have a "light" casino cruise then your offers wouldn't be as good....but I'm not sure that rule still applies.

[nelblu]

36 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Your casino status is a cumulative total....you basically have the entire year (1 April - 31 March of the following year) to accumulate the number of points so that you will have status for the following year.  Once you reach the threshold (normally 2500 points for Prime but currently 1500, I believe) you are Prime immediately as well as qualifying you for the following year, but you will NOT receive your free annual Prime cruise until the next casino year (some time after 1 April).  Whether or not you earn a "free" casino certificate is an entirely different issue than the annual Prime cruise.  Those certificates are awarded by the casino manager based on your play during the cruise.  I understand that there have been some changes to how this works....some people are apparently getting cruise certificate offers as soon as they board which is not the way it used to work.  I think there have been a number of such changes.

 

The offers that you receive throughout the year have traditionally been based upon your play from the last cruise you were on....but I think they may have modified this process a bit, lately.  In the past, if you had a "heavy" casino cruise then you could expect "better" cruise offers in the mail and if you have a "light" casino cruise then your offers wouldn't be as good....but I'm not sure that rule still applies.

Thank you for the explanation.  Wonder if there's any modification to the '21-22 year as they began sailing in earnest in August, '21.  Is the lower threshold of 1,500 points for the later start of cruising. 

 

Also, is there any way to ascertain the number of points that have been accumulated in a fiscal period.

Edited March 2, 2022 by nelblu

[RFerrington]

45 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Thank you for the explanation.  Wonder if there's any modification to the '21-22 year as they began sailing in earnest in August, '21.  Is the lower threshold of 1,500 points for the later start of cruising. 

 

Also, is there any way to ascertain the number of points that have been accumulated in a fiscal period.

It is my understanding that 

1.  They have reduced the number of points required to reach Prime from 2500 to 1500 for the current casino year.  Presumably this is b/c they sailed for less than a full casino year.

2.  They are extending your current status (if you are already rated) for another casino year, meaning whatever level you currently hold, will be good through 3-31-23.

 

I am unaware of any way to check your current point level but I think others have mentioned being able to see it online somewhere.  Sorry....no help here.

 

I say all of this without having returned to cruising.  IOW, I have not set foot in a Royal Caribbean casino since Feb. 2020.  I am stating what I understand to be the case from others' reporting.

[sandebeach]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

Thank you for the explanation.  Wonder if there's any modification to the '21-22 year as they began sailing in earnest in August, '21.  Is the lower threshold of 1,500 points for the later start of cruising. 

 

Also, is there any way to ascertain the number of points that have been accumulated in a fiscal period.

Go to https://www.clubroyaleoffers.com and enter your last name and Crown and Anchor number. Your points for the year should show above your offers. 

[nelblu]

7 minutes ago, sandebeach said:

Go to https://www.clubroyaleoffers.com and enter your last name and Crown and Anchor number. Your points for the year should show above your offers. 

Thanks, I'll try.

[nelblu]

49 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

It is my understanding that 

1.  They have reduced the number of points required to reach Prime from 2500 to 1500 for the current casino year.  Presumably this is b/c they sailed for less than a full casino year.

2.  They are extending your current status (if you are already rated) for another casino year, meaning whatever level you currently hold, will be good through 3-31-23.

 

I am unaware of any way to check your current point level but I think others have mentioned being able to see it online somewhere.  Sorry....no help here.

 

I say all of this without having returned to cruising.  IOW, I have not set foot in a Royal Caribbean casino since Feb. 2020.  I am stating what I understand to be the case from others' reporting.

Just looked at my account and they are back to 2,500 points for prime.

[RFerrington]

24 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Just looked at my account and they are back to 2,500 points for prime.

UGH.  Guess I'm not surprised....

[Sunshine3601]

6 hours ago, nelblu said:

Just looked at my account and they are back to 2,500 points for prime.

They never updated their website.     

Here is the status notice:

Club royale status letter.pdf

[resetjet]

9 hours ago, RFerrington said:

Your casino status is a cumulative total....you basically have the entire year (1 April - 31 March of the following year) to accumulate the number of points so that you will have status for the following year.  Once you reach the threshold (normally 2500 points for Prime but currently 1500, I believe) you are Prime immediately as well as qualifying you for the following year, but you will NOT receive your free annual Prime cruise until the next casino year (some time after 1 April).  Whether or not you earn a "free" casino certificate is an entirely different issue than the annual Prime cruise.  Those certificates are awarded by the casino manager based on your play during the cruise.  I understand that there have been some changes to how this works....some people are apparently getting cruise certificate offers as soon as they board which is not the way it used to work.  I think there have been a number of such changes.

 

The offers that you receive throughout the year have traditionally been based upon your play from the last cruise you were on....but I think they may have modified this process a bit, lately.  In the past, if you had a "heavy" casino cruise then you could expect "better" cruise offers in the mail and if you have a "light" casino cruise then your offers wouldn't be as good....but I'm not sure that rule still applies.

Its really two fold.  The prime status and prime cruise are as stated above.   Right now its 1500 to prime and that is cumulative for 2022.  Now on each cruise you can earn another cruise in addition to your annual prime cruise.  currently as of two weeks ago it was 800 pts to earn a free cruise in the near future in an inside room for two.  You just pay taxes which is about $150 each for a 7 day cruise.  You can then royal up to up to a balcony.  If you lose alot, I think it was 1500 on a single cruise, you can start with a balcony and royal up to a suite.  At the end of the cruise, make sure you convert all your points to free play or cash.  the cumulative points will still transfer and you will still get any offers no matter what, but if you leave them on there, they won't be there on the next cruise.  Its more or less earned freeplay for the existing cruise.

[sandebeach]

The casino has a “bonus” program currently ongoing. I don’t know how long it will last. But right now, as posted, if you earn 800 points you can get an interior cabin for two on selected sailings. It usually takes 2,500 points to get a free cruise, so this is a really good promotion. 

[resetjet]

18 hours ago, sandebeach said:

The casino has a “bonus” program currently ongoing. I don’t know how long it will last. But right now, as posted, if you earn 800 points you can get an interior cabin for two on selected sailings. It usually takes 2,500 points to get a free cruise, so this is a really good promotion. 

Prime right now is 1500 pts for the free annual cruise.  So if you earn say 1600 pts you will get prime, a free oceanview sailing and the free annual cruise plus free drinks as soon as you hit 1500 pts for this year.   Great deal right now.

[resetjet]

One should also note the casino year ends April 1, so if you don't get it by then, it will probably be moot.  I assume it will go back to 2500 for prime and higher mins for free cruises.