Every Royal Caribbean cruise ship features an onboard casino, known as Casino Royale, which features a variety of table games and slot machines. Some ships even have two separate casinos, one for smokers and another that doesn’t allow smoking at all.
While the most obvious reason for visiting the casino on your cruise vacation is for a chance to win money, there’s another big reason why many people choose to gamble on their cruise — to earn free cruises in the future.
Related: Want free cruises? Don’t do this in Royal Caribbean casinos
If you aren’t familiar, there are three main ways Royal Caribbean cruisers can earn free cruises based on their casino play:
Annual free cruises – If you reach Prime status or higher in Casino Royale’s loyalty program, you’ll get a certificate for a free cruise each year. This can be used on most sailings, but there is a list of exemptions.Instant Certificates – There are lists of free sailings based on your play on a single cruise (as opposed to the full year, which is what annual cruises are based on).Targeted offers – It’s common to receive targeted Casino Royale offers by mail, email, and at clubroyaleoffers.com.
If your goal is to take a trip on the flagship Icon of the Seas, or its upcoming Star of the Seas sister ship, it has been very difficult to do so through a casino comp. Icon was specifically excluded from 2024 annual free cruise benefits, rarely appears on targeted offers, and other than one or two sailings on the occasional high-roller list, Icon-class sailings have generally been absent from the instant certificate lists.
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There are a few ways to earn free travel on a Royal Caribbean ship.
Image source: Royal Caribbean
Icon-class sailings are becoming easier to earn
Many Royal Caribbean casino players were surprised when an Icon-class casino offer arrived in their mailboxes in January. Some players received a targeted offer for a selection of complimentary sailings on both Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas from September through December 2025.
However, Icon-class sailings have generally not been included in the Casino Royale instant cruise certificate program. But that appears to have changed.
The April lists for Royal Caribbean instant free cruises have been posted to several social media groups, and it appears that Icon-class sailings have become quite prevalent on the instant lists.
To be sure, to get a completely comped cruise for two (just pay port taxes and fees), you’ll still need to earn a relatively high number of points. But if you make it to the 6,500-point level, you’ll find an impressive assortment of Icon and Star sailings with dates ranging from June 2025 through March 2026. Note that there are separate lists for sailings of five nights or shorter and six nights or longer, and the list is slightly more generous for shorter cruises. But Icon-class sailings appear on both 6,500-point lists.
More Royal Caribbean casino news:
Royal Caribbean has key side benefit for loyal passengers3 ways you can earn a free Royal Caribbean cruiseRoyal Caribbean’s Instant Cruise Certificates explained
If you’re not exactly a high roller, you can still earn a partial comp. On the 2,000-point lists, there is a selection of complimentary cruises for one guest in a two-person cabin on Icon of the Seas. This is essentially a buy-one-get-one-free offer. On the list for shorter cruises, you’ll even find one Icon BOGO offer at the 1,500-point level for a sailing in May.
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Will Icon-class sailings be included in annual cruise certificates?
This is certainly an encouraging sign that Royal Caribbean could be loosening its comp standards on its massive Icon-class ships.
A big question mark that remains is whether Icon-class sailings will be available to book with annual free cruise certificates when they come out later this month. Icon of the Seas was specifically excluded last year, but at the time it was a brand-new, one-of-a-kind ship, and that is no longer the case.
This could be a big benefit for frequent cruisers who play enough throughout the year to earn elite status, but who don’t reach a high point level on any individual cruise. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as news emerges.
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