Royal Caribbean’s casinos are popular with everyone from occasional slot players to serious gamblers chasing complimentary cruises through the Club Royale programme.
But several changes introduced during 2026 mean that playing in the casino can now cost cruisers more, even if they’re not trying to earn status or qualify for free cruises.
Some of the changes may seem fairly minor on their own. But taken together, they mean extra fees, less flexibility and, in some cases, fewer rewards for the same amount of play.
Here are the four biggest changes Royal Caribbean casino players need to know about.
1. Transferring Money From Your Onboard Account Can Now Cost $3
Arguably the biggest change involves a relatively small amount of money, but it is exactly the kind of charge that can become irritating once it starts appearing repeatedly. And maybe even problematic.
Club Royale players below Prime level are now charged a flat $3 fee when transferring money from their onboard account into their casino play account through a slot machine.
Players began noticing the new charge in early 2026, with some saying they had previously been able to move the same money without paying anything extra.
One passenger reported transferring $20 and seeing $23 charged to their onboard account, while another said a casino manager confirmed that the fee applied regardless of whether they transferred $10 or $100.
And it has now been clarified that this is a new standard fee which casino players are going to be charged when transferring funds. And I don’t like it.
This isn’t just a fee for cashing out winnings. It applies when money is moved from the onboard account into casino play, including through the slot machine’s Personal Banker system.
Prime, Signature and Masters members are exempt from qualifying casino convenience fees, which means the charge falls mainly on lower-tier or more casual players. And I think it’s those people who are going to be hit the hardest anyway.
Three dollars is hardly a major expense on its own, but somebody adding relatively small amounts to their casino balance several times during a cruise could end up paying a surprisingly high percentage in fees.
I’m a prime example. I like to play at the casino, but usually only small amounts. $20 at a time helps me to stay in control of my budget. If I did that every night of a 7-night cruise, that’s now 7 x $3 extra I’m spending – $21 in fees alone.
And I’m just a casual player. What about someone who is trying to limit their spends to avoid getting carried away because they’ve an addictive personality? If they would normally spend $140 over 7 nights, they’re now much more likely to put all $140 on their account on day one to only pay the fee once, and then they could burn through it too quickly and end up spending more than they wanted to.
I know that people can put restrictions on their account but not everyone wants to do that, so this $3 just seems like a pretty big inconvenience for casual and small-stake players. And it makes you wonder if they’re almost incentivising people to play more to reach the higher tiers of the Club Royale programme in order to get the fee waived.
And reaching Prime isn’t something a casual player can necessarily do quickly just to avoid the charge. Prime status begins at 2,500 tier credits, while Signature requires 25,000 and Masters a huge 100,000. So for someone who only puts a few dollars through the casino each evening, the $3 fee is likely to remain part of the experience rather than something they can realistically play their way out of.
2. Video Poker Players Now Have To Wager 50% More
The biggest change for anyone who regularly plays video poker is a straightforward one: earning Club Royale points has become considerably harder.
Royal Caribbean increased the wagering requirement from $10 per point to $15 per point when the new casino year began on 1st April 2026.
That means a player who previously needed to put $1,000 through a video poker machine to earn 100 points now needs to wager $1,500 for exactly the same result.
Importantly, that does not mean they are guaranteed to lose $1,500. The figure refers to the total amount wagered through the machine, with winnings potentially being recycled into further bets along the way.
Even so, increasing the requirement by 50% makes earning status noticeably slower for players who have historically used video poker as one of the more efficient ways to build Club Royale points.
To put that 50% increase into perspective, Prime status begins at 2,500 tier credits. If somebody tried to earn all of those through video poker, the old $10-per-point rate meant $25,000 of total wagering. At $15 per point, that becomes $37,500 – an extra $12,500 passing through the machines for exactly the same tier.
Video poker often has a lower house edge than traditional slot machines, which is one reason experienced casino players may prefer it when trying to stretch their bankroll while working towards a particular reward.
It could be that the change is intended to rebalance the earning system because of those more favourable odds, but that explanation has not stopped regular video poker players from being unhappy about it.
The $15 figure applies specifically to video poker. Royal Caribbean calculates casino play differently across slots and table games, so passengers chasing a particular points target should check the current earning structure onboard rather than assuming every game works the same way.
3. Some Complimentary Cruise Offers Now Have A $100 Booking Fee
Club Royale’s complimentary cruise offers are one of the programme’s biggest attractions, especially when they unlock cabins that might otherwise cost well over $1,000.
But Royal Caribbean has caused some controversy now as selected complimentary balcony and oceanview offers appeared with a new $100 non-refundable booking fee attached.
The initial offer had to be booked by 31st May 2026 and applied to selected sailings departing between 4th May and 31st December, with the $100 charged per stateroom. It’s not yet clear if the fee will apply to selected cabins on all complimentary sailings going forward.
That booking fee was separate from the taxes and port charges that passengers already expect to pay when redeeming a casino comp, and it remained non-refundable if the booking was later cancelled.
It is worth stressing that Royal Caribbean has not suddenly started charging $100 on every Club Royale complimentary cruise. This was attached to selected targeted offers rather than becoming a blanket fee across the entire programme.
Even with the added charge, a guest receiving a balcony cabin worth significantly more than $1,000 could still be getting a very good deal overall.
What bothers some Club Royale members is the precedent. Complimentary casino cruises have traditionally meant the cruise fare itself was covered, leaving passengers responsible for taxes, fees and gratuities.
Adding a separate booking charge makes the word “complimentary” feel slightly less straightforward, particularly when the extra fee cannot be recovered if the guest cancels.
Read more: I Spent $10,000 In The Casino Trying To Get A Free Cruise
4. The Annual Free Cruise Is Less Flexible For Some Players
The fourth change could be the most important for Prime members, even though there is no obvious new fee involved.
Royal Caribbean has changed the way its annual complimentary cruise certificate works by moving from an exclusion-based system to an inclusion-based one.
Previously, qualifying members could generally choose from a broad range of cruises and then check whether their preferred sailing appeared on a relatively short list of exclusions.
That meant the certificate felt quite flexible. Provided the cruise met the length requirements and was not excluded because of factors such as a holiday departure or particularly high demand, there was a decent chance it could be booked.
For the 2026 casino year, Royal Caribbean switched to giving members a defined list of eligible cruises instead.
If you’re not too familiar with the whole realm of casino cruises, this could just sound like a small administrative change, but there is a big difference between being told “you can book almost anything except these cruises” and “you can only book one of these cruises”.
For Prime members, the new list reportedly contains roughly 500 eligible sailings and is weighted more towards older ships and less in-demand departures.
That can make the annual certificate considerably less useful for somebody who reached Prime with a specific ship, itinerary or travel date in mind.
The picture is more complicated for Masters players because some of them appear to have gained more attractive options under the new system. Eligible Masters certificates reportedly include cruises lasting up to 25 nights, with some accommodation categories extending as high as a Grand Suite.
For those players, the inclusion list may actually improve the value of the annual reward. Prime members, however, have lost some of the flexibility they previously enjoyed.
There could be another squeeze happening too. Frequent Club Royale players have also reported that the “instant certificates” earned during a cruise aren’t always as generous as they were previously, with some seeing lower cabin categories and less FreePlay for similar levels of play.
That one is harder to quantify because instant offers can vary between players and sailings, so I wouldn’t call it a confirmed fifth change. But if you’re someone who carefully plays towards the certificate levels displayed in the casino, it’s another reason to check the current rewards before deciding how much you’re prepared to spend.
Not Every Club Royale Change Has Been Negative
Royal Caribbean has also added a few benefits during the new casino year, so the programme has not simply been stripped back across the board.
Signature members now receive onboard credit based on cruise length, with $25 available on three or four-night sailings, $50 on five or six-night cruises and $75 on sailings of seven nights or longer.
That is a genuine addition because Signature players previously did not receive onboard credit as part of their tier benefits. It’s a nice little touch that gives players at this status a bit of a treat to enjoy on their cruise.
Royal Caribbean has also begun bringing Club Royale information into its main app, allowing passengers to see their casino status without relying entirely on emails or separate web pages. A long overdue change for many, I’m sure!
Club Royale in Royal App
by u/DDRNemesis in royalcaribbean
The rollout appears to have had a few teething problems, with some players reporting that offers visible on the Royal Caribbean website were not yet loading correctly in the app, but the direction of travel is useful.
There has also been a favourable change to how long casino status lasts once earned. Players who reach Prime, Signature or Masters can retain that status through the rest of the current casino year and the entire following casino year before needing to requalify.
That gives anyone reaching a higher tier relatively early in the cycle more time to make use of its benefits.
Turn Your Royal Caribbean Casino Play Into Other Cruise Offers
If some of these Club Royale changes have made you less keen to concentrate all of your casino play with Royal Caribbean, your existing offers could potentially be useful elsewhere.
URComped is free to join and can match casino players with complimentary or discounted cruise offers based on things like their existing casino offers, loyalty status and play history.
And you don’t necessarily have to start from scratch with another cruise line. URComped works with a range of major cruise lines, so a Royal Caribbean casino offer could potentially help you unlock opportunities with other brands too.
Could Your Casino Play Get You a Free Cruise?
URComped turns your existing casino offers and loyalty status into comp offers with cruise lines and destination casinos.
Already getting casino perks? See what other offers you could qualify for…
Is Club Royale Still Worth It In 2026?
For passengers who already enjoy gambling onboard Royal Caribbean ships, Club Royale can still provide excellent value.
A complimentary cruise or heavily discounted cabin can easily be worth far more than some of the new fees, particularly if the player was going to spend time in the casino anyway.
But things become much less convincing when somebody is gambling primarily because they want to earn a future cruise.
Video poker players now need to wager considerably more for the same number of points, lower-tier members can face extra transaction fees, and Prime members may find that their annual cruise certificate no longer covers the sailing they had hoped to book.
Masters members arguably have a more balanced deal because their new certificate options include longer sailings and better cabins, while Signature members have picked up additional onboard credit.
For casual players, though, Club Royale increasingly looks like a useful bonus rather than something worth building an entire cruise strategy around. Which will be disappointing to some cruisers because they do enjoy the cycle of cruising and gambling to cover their future sailings.
Casino offers and qualification rules can change quickly, so anyone deliberately aiming for a particular tier or certificate should check the current terms onboard before committing more money simply because a reward worked a certain way last year.
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