It looks like Royal Caribbean is doing something different and adding a new casino to one of its cruise ships in an unusual place.
Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas went in for its regularly scheduled maintenance work in January. The ship, built in 2006, arrived in at a shipyard in Cadiz, Spain for a three-week drydock.
Routine drydocks usually just consist of maintenance work, but it looks like a new idea is coming to Freedom.
Updated deck plans within the Royal Caribbean show the ship's wine bar, Vintages, is being replaced.
In place of Vintages is "Casino Royale Non-Smoking".
Royal Caribbean hasn't formally announced a change.
Vintages was the ship's wine bar, where you could find the widest selection of wines. All restaurants and bars offer wine, but Vintages had the most types and was a bar best known for its comfortable furniture.
The location of the casino is just one deck above the main casino, with a staircase nearby for convenient trips between the two.
The new non-smoking casino won't be nearly as large as the main casino. Vintages was a smaller location, and from the deck plans, it's clear that it's roughly the size of two shops.
Adding a non-smoking casino to Freedom of the Seas would follow a trend the line first began implementing on the Oasis Class ships.
In 2023, Royal Caribbean began converting the jazz club to a non-smoking casino. Wonder of the Seas was the first ship to debut this feature, and the conversion process began on the other Oasis Class ships.
The 3,926-passenger ship is getting ready to resume cruises from Fort Lauderdale in February.
Addressing a problem that's plagued the casino for years
Adding a non-smoking casino has been a strategy to offer a gambling location for those that don't want to deal with second-hand smoke.
Royal Caribbean allows smoking in its casinos. Technically, the rule is for active players, but the casino has ended up being a glorified indoor smoking venue in practice.
The debate over allowing smoking in the casino has been contentious over the years, with many cruise ship passengers voicing their opinions on the matter and it's left Royal Caribbean in the middle.
Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley spoke on the subject at an event in 2022, admitting, "smoking in the casinos is a bit of a conundrum."
"The dilemma is that there are many people who do want to smoke in the casino. I know that's not a popular response, but it's it's the truth."
"I'm not judging anyone or anything, but there's a large group of people who do want to smoke in the casino."
While there's a non-smoking side to the casino, the odor of the smoke still travels.
The cruise line has not gone as far as banning smoking in the casino outright, providing a non-smoking alternative venue seems to be their new strategy.
By offering a non-smoking casino on the Royal Promenade, it's likely the company wants to attract gamblers who don't want to be around smoking, back to the casino.
More casino space is good business
Offering more casino space means more opportunities to drive up revenue on a cruise ship.
Gambling in the casino is one of Royal Caribbean's top revenue generating businesses. It's big business, and more popular than ever.
Royal Caribbean Group lumps casino revenues in with other extra cost items, such as drink packages, shore excursions, wifi, and anything else not included with your cruise fare.
In the second quarter, Royal Caribbean Group reported "onboard and other" revenue was $183,000,000 across all brands. That's $14 million more than the same quarter in 2023.
Anecdotally, many cruise fans have taken notice of the special offers made by the onboard casino in order to take advantage of discounted and complimentary sailings.
Freedom of the Seas returns to service this month
With Freedom finishing up its 3-week dry dock, the ship is ready to start cruising again on February 16.
The drydock work included general maintenance for the ship's propulsion, as well as replacement of carpets, and more.
The ship will begin sailing with a 7-night voyage that visits Nassau, St. Thomas and St. John’s, Antigua.
In May, Freedom of the Seas repositions to Miami,
