Compare cruise casino programs
Pick two or three cruise lines to see their games, smoking rules, rewards and fees together, or use the detailed view to see all ten at once.
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Which line fits your style?
Start from the way you like to play, then compare the lines that fit.
Want a smoke-free casino?
Celebrity, Margaritaville and Explora have non-smoking casinos, and Virgin Voyages keeps smoking to a small separate room. Holland America's Noordam and Zuiderdam are smoke-free too.
Chasing big tournaments?
Carnival runs $1 million slot tournaments on set sailings, and Norwegian has its "$1 Million Takeover" on Norwegian Joy in December 2026.
Like onboard credit?
Casinos At Sea Rewards gives tiered onboard credit from $75 up to $1,000, and Sea Roller Rewards adds free play every voyage from Superstar up.
Want the biggest casino floors?
Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Icon class ships, including the new two-level casino on Legend of the Seas, are among the largest at sea.
Live in the UK?
Royal Caribbean runs separate Club Royale offers for UK residents. MSC sails from Southampton with spending in pounds, though its casino program is US-focused. NCL says its casino offers must be booked in USD.
Cruise once and play hard?
MSC's Dream Points and Princess's Sea You Soon offers work one sailing at a time, so a big week can earn a free future cruise without building status over a year (reported thresholds).
Want free drinks while you play?
Margaritaville serves every Players Club tier, and Explora includes drinks in the fare. Elsewhere you'll need a tier or points total. See who qualifies →
Not sure? Tell us how you play and the rewards finder ranks all ten programs for you.
Find your casino matchDetailed view: all ten lines
Earning rates, tiers, fees for charging play, UK rules, age limits and smoking for every cruise line we cover, in one table.
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| Cruise line | Royal Caribbean | Celebrity | Carnival | Norwegian (NCL) | Virgin Voyages | MSC | Princess | Holland America | Margaritaville | Explora |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino and games | ||||||||||
| Casino name | Casino Royale | The Casino | No fleetwide brand | Casinos At Sea | The Casino | Ship-named casinos | Princess Casino | Casino | Margaritaville Casino | The Casino |
| Slots fleetwide | 6,000+ | 2,500+ | Not published | 4,800+ | 115–160 per ship | 2,000+ | Not published (227 on Sun Princess) | Not published | Not published | 18 on Explora I (reported) |
| Smoking and age | ||||||||||
| Smoking | Allowed, with non-smoking areas | Smoke-free | Mostly allowed; non-smoking rooms on 15 ships | Allowed for players; separate rooms on Bliss, Joy, Encore | Non-smoking, small smoking room | Varies by ship; smoking rooms on many | Non-smoking except designated slots (reported) | Smoke-free on Noordam & Zuiderdam; designated areas elsewhere | Non-smoking | Non-smoking |
| Gambling age | 18+ (21+ Alaska) | 18+ (21+ Alaska) | 18+ | 18+ (21+ for rewards) | 18+ ships (21+ Alaska) | 18+ (21+ Alaska) | 18+ | 18+ | 18+ | Not published |
| Rewards and earning | ||||||||||
| Rewards program | Club Royale | Blue Chip Club | Carnival Players Club | Casinos At Sea Rewards | Sea Roller Rewards | Dream Points | Princess Players Advantage | Holland America Players Club | Casino Players Club | None |
| Slots: $ per point | $5 | $5 | $2 | $5 | $5 | $3 (reported) | $2 (reported) | $2 | Not published | — |
| Video poker: $ per point | $15 | $15 | $5 | $10 | $10 | $3 (reported) | $5 (reported) | $5 | Not published | — |
Points aren't worth the same everywhere. "$ per point" is how much play earns one rewards point. Lower means faster earning, but what a point buys differs between programs, and table play is rated differently everywhere, so the fastest rate isn't automatically the best deal. Compare the tiers and what they unlock too. | ||||||||||
| Program year | Apr 1 – Mar 31 | Aug 1 – Jul 31 | No public tiers | Apr 1 – Mar 31 | May 1 – Apr 30 | Per sailing (no carry-over) | Per cruise (points reportedly reset) | No public tiers | Oct 1 – Sep 30 | — |
| Tiers | Choice · Prime · Signature · Masters | Pearl · Onyx · Amethyst · Sapphire · Sapphire Plus · Ruby | Invitation-based (Premier, Ultra, Elite…) | Pearl · Sapphire · Ruby · Elite | Showstopper · Star · Superstar · Idol · Legend | Free-cruise levels by cabin type | Sea You Soon offers each cruise; VIP by invitation | Invitation-based (VIP, Ultimate Games, Prestige…) | Bronze · Silver · Gold · Platinum | None |
| Top tier starts at | 100,000 pts | 150,000 pts (reported) | By invitation | 100,000 pts | 75,000 pts | 45,000 pts in one sailing (reported) | By invitation (Diamonds) | By invitation | 15,000 tier pts | — |
| Paying and fees | ||||||||||
| Pay with | SeaPass card | SeaPass card | Sail & Sign card | Key card | The Band | MSC cruise card | Medallion | Cabin card, Player Bank or cash | Not published (one review says cash only) | Not published |
| Charge play to your account | Yes. $3 per transfer below Prime; waived at Prime+ | Yes, up to $10,000/day with a fee; waived at Onyx+ | Yes. Fee not published (older reports: ~3% at tables) | Yes. Fees waived up to $600–$1,500 at Sapphire+ | Yes. ~7% fee reported; waived at Superstar+ | Yes. No added fee reported (US) | Yes. No fee reported by players | Yes. Fees not published | Not published | Not published |
| UK players | ||||||||||
| UK residents | UK offers available (separate UK terms) | Offer terms cite US/Canada residents | Not stated (Fun Match is US-only) | Offers booked in USD, not via UK office | Not stated | Not stated; program is US-focused | UK site describes the program; eligibility not stated | Offers for US, DC and Canada residents only | Not stated; US sailings only | No casino program |
| Sails from the UK (2026–27) | Southampton (Liberty 2026, Freedom 2027) | Southampton (Apex) | Dover (Legend 2026, Miracle 2027) | Southampton | Portsmouth (3 sailings, Aug 2026) | Southampton (Preziosa, Virtuosa) | Not covered yet | Not covered yet | No (Florida, Texas from Oct 2027) | Not covered yet |
Carnival and Holland America don't publish points tiers and invite players instead, Margaritaville doesn't publish its earn rate, and Explora has no casino program.
Checked Last checked October 11, 2026. Each cruise line page lists its sources.