Royal Caribbean Changes Its Casino Royale Program Perks

Cruisers on the high seas, you might notice something different about Royal Caribbean's offerings. The cruiseliner boasts annual rewards for loyalty members, and every April, those who participate can expect to see the benefits.

If you gamble enough in the ship's casinos as part of its Casino Royale program, Royal Caribbean will give you a complimentary cruise. Per Royal Caribbean Blog, this is different than the Crown & Anchor Society. The Casino Royale program resets every year. It's also possible to reach the higher tiers, depending on how many points you earn from gambling in the casinos.

The Prime level offers perks like no fees for cash advances, free drinks while in the casino, and, of course, a complimentary cruise. Royal Caribbean Blog revealed that one member, who reached the highest status possible in the program, noticed a change. Instead of receiving a list of cruises one couldn't select to redeem their free cruise (known as the exclusion list), he was sent a list of "included sailings, up to 25 a night, and [they] ranged from Balcony to Grand Suite."

Casino Royale also shared with members that they could receive "new limited-time bonus offers and special perks throughout the year, so you have the chance to upgrade your annual cruise benefit."

This could be a boon for loyalty members, as it seems they have more options from which to select their free Royal Caribbean cruise, along with longer voyages and better accommodations. However, as RCB noted, the switch from an exclusion list to an inclusion list, as it were, may seem, at face value, less flexible.

Before this change, the exclusion list boasted sailings that typically fell on holidays or were special events. Instead of 25 nights on the ship, as per this change, cruisers received only seven nights or fewer.

Only time will tell how this change to Royal Caribbean's free cruise offer will affect Casino Royale participants. Will the pros actually outweigh the cons?