It's hard to pass up a good deal, especially for a cruise that costs you next to nothing. Well, sort of.
I sailed on a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas from Tampa that was free as a result of my status with the cruise line's casino.
You may have heard about there are certain benefits for those that gamble enough in the casino on a cruise ship. While Royal Caribbean has a loyalty program, the casino has its own mini-loyalty program that is in addition to Crown and Anchor Society.
The second tier offers free drinks in the casino, discounts on internet access and at least one free cruise per year that you qualify.
I redeemed my free cruise offer, and it is indeed as advertised. The only catch is you have to gamble to earn it.
How free is free?
The cruise fare is indeed free, and all I had to do was pay the taxes and fees of $397.00 for two people.
In exchange for earning enough points in Royal Caribbean's casino loyalty program, I was awarded a free cruise to book. This free cruise isn't based on how much you gambled on a particular sailing. Rather, it's an annual benefit of being at least Prime within Casino Royale loyalty program.
Anyone that hits Prime or higher status in a casino year gets awarded a free cruise. It's given out in April, and it's good for a cruise within a year to book and sail on.
Your free cruise can be used on more or less any seven-night or shorter cruise that does not fall on a major holiday. And you can't book on any ship that's less than one year old. So you won't be able to go on Icon of the Seas (yet) or take the kids while they're on Spring Break.
There are many sailings to choose from, but also a lot of blackout dates. You'll have to careful find the right one, and that's assuming the casino offers aren't sold out for that sailing.
If you're flexible, it's not too difficult to find one. There's usually a lot in the fall and early winter when school is still in session.
As a Prime member (minimum 2500 points), I am entitled to an interior cabin on my free cruise.
I selected a Serenade of the Seas cruise because it was convenient, offered an opportunity to visit two ports in Mexico, and I like sailing on Radiance Class ships.
I booked the cruise through Royal Caribbean's casino department and also got $25 of free play in the casino with my booking.
My cabin was small and dark, but enough space for just me
I was given cabin 3047 midship on deck 3.
It was a little closer to the forward elevator banks, but pretty much in the middle of the deck. While deck 3 might not be the most popular location to have a cabin, it's exactly where you want to be if you want to minimize the sensation of movement to prevent seasickness.
I booked it as an Interior Guarantee cabin, which meant Royal Caribbean assigned me the exact room number. To be honest, I forgot to check when my room was actually assigned, but saw it was actually a good location given that it met my top three criteria:
- No connecting door
- Above and below other cabins
- Near an elevator
I've stayed in plenty of inside cabins before, and this was exactly the sort of room I expected.
It's a Category 2V cabin, and Royal Caribbean describes it as, "our most budget-friendly option" and "A cozy and comfortable retreat, Perfect for long naps after an adventure-filled day."
I'd say that's a good description. It's the right cabin for a place to sleep, shower, and change. Otherwise, you will probably be out and about doing things elsewhere.
The room has all the standard features all cruise ship cabins offer: a bed that can be split up, private bathroom with shower, couch, vanity, and closet.
One notable change in this cabin was it had a nightlight in the ceiling near the bathroom. It's a motion-activated light, so if the room lights were off, the nightlight would come on and illuminate the room temporarily until movement ceased.
It's a nice feature, and something you don't find on any Royal Caribbean ship. I'm guessing it's a feature added for Royal Caribbean's first ever world cruise.
I was disappointed there were not more World Cruise upgrades offered. I heard from other passengers they had USB and electric outlets added to their cabin for the world cruise sailing, but my cabin was not one of them.
Speaking of lights, this inside room gets very dark when you turn the lights off. Since there's no natural light, it's pitch black when you go to bed. That's great for anyone who is disturbed by lights when sleeping, but it was strange to have my alarm go off and it still be quite dark. Anyone staying in this cabin might consider picking up a sunrise alarm clock to help make it feel more normal in that way.
The private bathroom is exactly what I needed, and it has the bare essentials. It's a small bathroom space, but functional.
I had one issue with the toilet not flushing on embarkation day, but there was a crew member working on the issue before I could even report it and it never was a problem after that.
The king size bed takes up most of the room, and it was quite comfortable. You can ask your cabin attendant to split the bed at any time.
There's just 160 square feet of living space, but for one person it's plenty. Even with two people, you might have to shuffle a bit, but it's functional enough.
I don't mind staying in an inside cabin, but after a few days I started missing having natural light or being able to glance outside and see if it's sunny, rainy, or dark.
I'm not the type of person that needs sunlight to feel good. Rather, it gives me perspective on what the weather is like, have we docked yet, and most importantly, is it 3pm or 3am.
The lack of natural light in the morning made it a bit jarring to wake up in a completely dark environment. While I wouldn't go as far as to say I'll never do it again, it was my primary gripe with this sort of a cabin.
On a 5-night cruise, it's short enough that it wasn't a big issue. But if I was sailing longer than 6 or 7 nights, I might have to rethink the cost savings.
A free room, if you're okay with the gambling risk
I got my free cruise as promised, and it was exactly what I expected.
There's no question Royal Caribbean's casino rewards are arguably the best value in cruising today, but there's a major caveat that it involves significant risk.
Gambling is addictive, and you could end up losing a lot of money in the process of trying to earn a "free cruise".
You should be in a financial position where you can afford to lose money gambling in the casino without damaging your personal finances. The annual tier free cruise is a bonus, not your primary booking strategy.
I estimate it will take about $2,000 - $3,000 to earn enough points to make it to Prime status and qualify for the annual tier cruise. That's a lot of money to gamble and potentially lose.
Moreover, you could go in with that amount in mind but the addictive nature of gambling would lead you to spend much more. Without a doubt, it's something not to take lightly.
In my situation, I felt the risks were worth it and I came away feeling like I got more out of the situation with my complimentary sailing (and other Casino Royale benefits) to justify it all.
I had a great cruise that cost me very little for the actual booking, and I'll be qualifying again in 2025 for my next tier certificate.
