Casino program years and deadlines
Five cruise casino programs run on a fixed year and reset your status points on a set date. Here's when each year ends, when a tier you earn starts and stops, what survives the reset, and what it costs in expected play to close a gap before the deadline.
Club Royale and Casinos At Sea reset on April 1, Sea Roller Rewards on May 1, Blue Chip Club on August 1 and Margaritaville's Players Club on October 1. On all five, status points go back to zero and your tier for the new year is set from what you earned in the year that just ended. Carnival, Princess, MSC and Holland America count play per sailing, so there's no year-end deadline to chase.
Before the reset, check your points, use any annual cruise or other benefit tied to the tier you hold now, and price the play you'd still need as expected loss (our method: 8% of slot coin-in, 2.7% of video poker coin-in). That cost buys a tier for the year ahead; it doesn't guarantee any offer.
Terms with a dotted underline are explained when you tap or select them.
Program years at a glance
Dates are from each line's official program page or terms, checked October 21, 2026. "Not published" means we found no official statement.
| Line | Program year | Tier for the new year is set | Exact reset time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean Club Royale | April 1 – March 31 | April 1, from the Tier Credits (Points that count toward your tier for the program year. They're separate from the Reward Points you spend on board.) earned in the year just ended | Not published. Royal Caribbean reportedly counted credits earned by 5:59 a.m. ship time on April 1, 2025 toward the old year. |
| Celebrity Blue Chip Club | August 1 – July 31 | August 1, from the Tier Credits earned in the year just ended | Not published. URComped reported 6:00 a.m. on August 1, 2025. |
| Norwegian Casinos At Sea Rewards | April 1 – March 31 (also Oceania and Regent) | Re-evaluated each year from points earned April 1 – March 31 | 12 a.m. Eastern on April 1 (official) |
| Virgin Voyages Sea Roller Rewards | May 1 – April 30 | At the start of each status year, from the earning year just ended | Not published |
| Margaritaville at Sea Casino Players Club | October 1 – September 30 | From Tier Points earned in the earning period | Not published |
| Carnival | No casino program year. Casino Points count per sailing. | ||
| Princess | No published program year. Sea You Soon offers count points per voyage. | ||
| MSC | No published program year or tiers. Dream Points count per sailing. | ||
| Holland America | Not published. No tiers or program year. | ||
| Explora Journeys | No casino rewards program. | ||
Margaritaville's current terms give an October–September year. A Cruise Critic article updated in July 2026 described a July–June period, so the year appears to have moved with the October 2026 update. We follow the official terms.
When a tier is earned and kept
On every annual program, a tier you reach during the year is renewed for the whole of the next year. What differs is when the benefits start and whether the line says how long a mid-year tier lasts.
| Line | Reach a tier mid-year | How long it lasts | If you don't re-earn it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Benefits apply on the voyage you're on, or your next voyage in the same program year. | The rest of that program year, then the full year after. Prime reached in March 2027 runs through March 31, 2028. | On April 1 your tier is set from the credits you earned; no grace period is published. |
| Celebrity | Benefits start on your next voyage in the same program year, not the current one. | The rest of that program year, then renewed for the next August–July year. | On August 1 you move to the tier your credits support. A claimed one-tier "soft landing" isn't in the terms. |
| Norwegian | Upgrades are allowed; if you tier up during a cruise, the benefits start on your next cruise (an elevated drink card is the exception). | Sets your tier for the following tier year. How long a mid-year upgrade lasts isn't published. | Tiers are re-evaluated from that year's points only; no grace period is published. |
| Virgin Voyages | Virgin's casino page says you enjoy the benefits for the rest of the earning year; its terms say a tier reached on a sailing applies from your next voyage. | The rest of the earning year plus the following 12-month status year. Virgin's own example: status through April 30, 2027. | Not published. The terms imply you drop to the tier your new total supports. |
| Margaritaville at Sea | You can move up mid-period; some benefits of the new tier may start only on your next sailing. | Not published | Not published |
The simple arithmetic of timing: a tier reached in the first month of a program year is usable for about 23 months; the same tier reached in the last month is usable for about 13. The threshold, and so the play needed, is the same either way.
What resets and what carries over
Most programs keep two balances: status points that reset with the program year, and spendable points with their own, usually shorter, clock.
| Line | Status points | Spendable points | Benefits with a deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Back to zero every April 1 | Reward Points expire at the end of each voyage | The annual cruise: the benefits grid we opened (printed January 2026) said book and sail by March 31, 2026. |
| Celebrity | Back to zero every August 1 | Reward Points expire at the end of each sailing | The annual cruise: the current page says book and sail by July 31, 2027. |
| Norwegian | Everyone starts at zero for tier purposes on April 1 | Not wiped on April 1. Points expire 18 months after they're earned and are held by individual ship. | Not published |
| Virgin Voyages | Back to zero every May 1 | Not published. Free play is given per voyage. | Not published |
| Margaritaville at Sea | Back to zero every October 1 | Reward Points expire 90 days after they're earned; new play doesn't extend them. | Not published |
Nothing rolls over between program years on any of the five. Points moved from one Norwegian, Oceania or Regent ship to another stay spendable but don't count toward your tier.
Sailings that cross the reset
A cruise that starts before the reset date and ends after it is the case players ask about most. Only Celebrity publishes a rule.
- Celebrity (official)Tier Credits from a cruise that begins in July and ends after August 1 count toward the year that's ending. Your credits then reset to zero on the cruise's return date, so none of that cruise's play counts toward the new year.
- Royal Caribbean (reported)For 2025, credits earned by 5:59 a.m. ship time on April 1 were reported to count toward the old year. The Club Royale terms don't mention it, so confirm with the casino host before you rely on it.
- Norwegian (official)Everyone starts at zero at 12 a.m. Eastern on April 1. Norwegian doesn't say how that maps to ship time on a sailing in another time zone.
- Virgin Voyages and MargaritavilleNot published.
The last weeks of a program year
Our analysis, not cruise line advice. We price play as expected loss: coin-in × 8% on slots and × 2.7% on video poker (8/5 Jacks or Better), the assumptions used in the economics of casino cruises and the math behind casino games. Real results swing widely around that average.
- Check your real balance firstClub Royale and Blue Chip show Tier Credits when you sign in online. Norwegian, Virgin and Margaritaville have no online points page, so ask the casino host or call (numbers are on each program's account page).
- Use what your current tier already gives youAnnual cruise certificates are tied to the status year. Book it before the deadline printed on your certificate or benefits grid.
- Spend expiring points before you leave the shipRoyal Caribbean and Celebrity Reward Points expire at the end of the sailing. Norwegian's last 18 months, so there's no year-end rush there.
- Know when the benefits startOn Celebrity, Norwegian and (per its terms) Virgin, a tier reached on a cruise applies from the next one. Crossing a threshold on a short sailing helps the year ahead, not that cruise.
- Price the gapMultiply the points you still need by the line's dollars per point, then by the edge. If the result is more than the next year's benefits are worth to you, the deadline isn't a reason to play.
What 1,000 status points cost in expected loss
| Program | Slots: coin-in (expected loss) | Video poker: coin-in (expected loss) |
|---|---|---|
| Club Royale ($5 / $15 a point) | $5,000 ($400) | $15,000 ($405) |
| Blue Chip Club ($5 / $15 a point) | $5,000 ($400) | $15,000 ($405) |
| Casinos At Sea ($5 / $10 a point) | $5,000 ($400) | $10,000 ($270) |
| Sea Roller Rewards ($5 / $10 a point) | $5,000 ($400) | $10,000 ($270) |
| Margaritaville Players Club | Not published: Margaritaville doesn't say how much play earns a Tier Point. | |
Example: 600 short of Prime
A Club Royale player has 1,900 Tier Credits in March and needs 2,500. The 600-credit gap is $3,000 of slot coin-in, an expected loss of $240, or $9,000 on video poker, about $243. At $1 a spin and 600 spins an hour, the slot route is about 5 hours of play.
Because Club Royale applies an upgrade on the voyage you're on, a short March sailing could be where it happens. Prime would then run through March 31 of the following year.
Example: a July cruise for Amethyst
A Blue Chip player has 4,700 Tier Credits and needs 5,000. The 300 credits are $1,500 of slot coin-in, an expected loss of $120.
A cruise that starts in late July and ends in August still counts toward the outgoing year. But Celebrity starts new-tier benefits on your next voyage, so the upgrade shows up on the cruise after this one.
These are long-run averages. On a few hours of play your actual result could be well above or below the expected loss, while the points earned stay the same. Our status keeper runs this sum for your own balance and emails you 30 and 7 days before a program year ends.
Lines without a program year
On these lines the deadline that matters is the end of each sailing, not a date on the calendar.
- CarnivalCasino Points start at zero each cruise. Since Carnival Rewards launched on September 1, 2026, each Casino Point also earns a status Star and points left at the end of a sailing become Carnival Rewards Points (reported). Carnival Rewards status uses a two-year window; the first runs September 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028 (reported).
- PrincessSea You Soon counts points from when the casino opens until 11:59 p.m. on the second-to-last night. Book the offer within 30 days and sail within 6 months. Princess's page counts the 30 days from disembarkation in one place and from when the offer was made in another.
- MSCMSC says play and points count toward your next cruise offer until the casino closes on the last day. Dream Points don't carry over to the next cruise (reported).
- Holland AmericaNo program year, tiers or reset rule is published.
- Explora JourneysNo casino rewards program.
Recent rule changes
Program and partnership changes from each line page's "What's changed" section, newest first. Follow the link for details and sources; ship and casino-floor news stays on the line pages.
| Date | Line | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Margaritaville | New Gold and Platinum perks for sailings from this date; the terms now give an October–September tier year. |
| Sep 2026 | Virgin Voyages | Casino page and terms updated, including the offer-upload option. |
| Sep 2026 | Margaritaville | Match My Offer reviews offers from other cruise lines and land casinos. |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Carnival | Carnival Rewards replaces VIFP; leftover Casino Points convert to Carnival Rewards Points. |
| 2026 | Princess | Tier Match open to US residents 21 and over through at least December 31, 2026. |
| Apr 2026 | Royal Caribbean | Video poker earning slowed to 1 point per $15; the annual cruise comes from a set list; Signature gets casino onboard credit; Club Royale moves into the app. |
| Apr 2026 | Celebrity | Blue Chip Club features come to the Celebrity app. |
| Feb 2026 | MSC / Holland America | Wynn Rewards' cruise partnership moves from Holland America to MSC (Holland America's ended February 1). |
| Nov 2025 | Norwegian | First Cruise On The House matches land-casino offers for new players. |
| Sep 2025 | Norwegian | Higher fee waivers for Sapphire, Ruby and Elite. |
| Sep 2025 | Princess | Sea You Soon point requirements rose 17–75% (reported). |
| Aug 2025 | Celebrity | New tiers and benefits take effect with much lower thresholds; tier FreePlay and drink packages replaced with Effy credit. |
| Jul 2025 | Explora Journeys | Explora Club's next phase launches, with no casino benefits announced. |
| Apr 2025 | Margaritaville | Players Club relaunched with new tiers. |
| Aug 2024 | Celebrity | New earning rules and the August–July year begin. |
| Apr 2024 | Virgin Voyages | Sea Roller Rewards launches with automatic enrollment. |
Sources
- Royal Caribbean — Club Royale terms and conditions (PDF) (Apr 2026; accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Royal Caribbean — Club Royale tiers FAQ (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Royal Caribbean — Earning Club Royale points FAQ (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Royal Caribbean — Club Royale benefits grid (PDF) (printed Jan 8, 2026; accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Celebrity Cruises — Blue Chip Club terms (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Celebrity Cruises — Blue Chip Club (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- URComped — Blue Chip Club tier renewal 2025 (Jul 29, 2025)
- NCL — Casinos At Sea Rewards (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- NCL — Casino terms (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Virgin Voyages — Casino and Sea Rollers Rewards terms (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Margaritaville at Sea — Casino Players Club and terms (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Carnival — Carnival Players Club (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Travelweek — Carnival rolls out revamped rewards and status program (Sep 3, 2026)
- Princess — Sea You Soon (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- MSC — Comp match (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Holland America — Casino (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
Reported items (Royal Caribbean's 2025 cutoff, Carnival Rewards details, MSC carry-over, Princess's 2025 changes) and the rule-change dates come from the sources on our casino accounts guide and each line page.
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