The State of Cruise Ship Casinos, 2026
What 169 ship profiles, ten cruise line pages, three comparison guides and 109 public game reports say about cruise ship casinos: who publishes what, where you can avoid smoke, how big the slot floors are reported to be, which games turn up at sea, and what a casino cruise still costs. Every figure is counted from a page on this site that cites its sources.
Last updated , the newest "Last checked" date among the pages it counts from.
Key findings
- Our directory profiles 169 ships from 10 cruise lines; 163 have a casino.
- Only 30 of the 163 casino ships have a slot count, table count or casino size published by the cruise line itself. 69 have none of the three from any source we could find.
- 76 ships have a slot count on their profile, and 9 of those come from the cruise line. The rest come from third parties, and 59 of the 76 rest only on undated pages.
- 28 casino ships are smoke-free by their profiles, but 4 of them (Carnival) only when sailing from Australia. Every Celebrity casino ship we profile is in that group.
- 6 of the 9 casino programs in our offers guide publish how fast slot play earns points. Only Princess publishes a full points-to-offer chart.
- The game reported on the most ships is Dragon Link: 12 ships across 6 cruise lines, in 109 public reports from 46 ships.
- Daily gratuities run from $17.00 to $22.00 per guest at the standard rate, and casino offers don't cover them.
Fleet coverage
163 of the 169 ships in our directory have a casino, 152 of them in service. The table also counts the 6 ships we profile that have no casino. These are the ships we profile, not every ship each line operates. What each line has announced for the ships not yet in service is in New cruise ships 2026–2028: casino details.
- In service
- Not yet in service
- Left the fleet
| Cruise line | Ship profiles | With a casino | No casino | In service (casino ships) | Not yet in service (casino ships) | Left the fleet (casino ships) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | 31 | 31 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Celebrity Cruises | 19 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | 31 | 31 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 0 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 22 | 21 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| Virgin Voyages | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| MSC Cruises | 25 | 25 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 0 |
| Princess Cruises | 17 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Holland America Line | 11 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Explora Journeys | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
What cruise lines publish, and what only third parties report
Every ship profile labels where its casino figures come from. Across 163 casino ships, 20 rest on the cruise line alone, 32 mix the line and third parties, 58 rely on third parties, and 53 are labelled not published. The label covers all of a profile's casino details, so it isn't the same as having a slot or table count.
- Cruise line
- Mixed sources
- Third-party
- Not published
| Cruise line | From the cruise line only | Mixed sources | Third-party | Not published | Ships with any figure from the line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | 0 | 2 | 22 | 7 | 1 |
| Celebrity Cruises | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | 0 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 0 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| Virgin Voyages | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MSC Cruises | 16 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
| Princess Cruises | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Holland America Line | 0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Explora Journeys | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Figure by figure
From the per-figure sources on Which cruise ships have the biggest casinos? A figure counts as the cruise line's when it comes from the line's own site, press release, fact sheet or technical sheet.
| Measure | Ships with a figure | From the cruise line | From third parties | Flagged, not ranked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot machines | 76 | 9 | 67 | 1 |
| Table games | 66 | 4 | 62 | 1 |
| Casino size | 49 | 23 | 26 | 1 |
Transparency scorecard
What each line writes down about its casino and rewards, as our guides found it. This is about what's published, not which program is better value. Quotes are the guides' own table cells.
| Cruise line | Slot earning rate | Points needed for an offer | Free casino drinks | Casino ships with a figure from the line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Published“1 point per $5 / per $15” | Sailing lists only“No key from points to codes. The sailing list for each code is published as a PDF.” | Published threshold“Club Royale Prime (2,500 points a year) and above. Choice members don't.” | 1 of 31 |
| Celebrity Cruises | Published“1 point per $5 / per $15” | Sailing lists only“Celebrity doesn't publish exactly how points map to a level. The monthly lists are published.” | Published threshold“Blue Chip Onyx (500 points) and above, per Celebrity's current terms. Older reports said all tiers.” | 0 of 14 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | Published“1 point per $2 / per $5” | Not published“No. Benefits are published, points aren't; the figures in circulation are reported.” | Reported only“Drinks On Us after about 1,000 points on cruises under 5 days, or 1,500 on longer ones Reported, 2019–20. Carnival says Elite cruises include Drinks On Us everywhere on board, and Ultra cruises while playing in the casino, each for you and a companion.” | 0 of 31 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Published“1 point per $5 / per $10” | Partly published“Yes for Points to Paradise (500, 1,000 and 2,000 points) and CASNext (2,500 to 10,000). Not for certificates.” | Published threshold“Ruby and Elite: NCL's tier chart gives an "Unlimited Open Bar" to everyone 21 and over in the member's stateroom. No drinks benefit is listed for Pearl or Sapphire, and players report Pearl lost casino drinks in 2024 Reported.” | 2 of 21 |
| Virgin Voyages | Published“1 point per $5 / per $10” | Partly published“Tier points yes (Star from 5,000, Legend from 75,000). Points for the voyage cabin offer: not published.” | Published threshold“Sea Roller Star (5,000 points) and above, per Virgin's current terms (updated Sep 10, 2026). An older Virgin casino page that's still online (terms May 13, 2026) also gave drinks to casino cabin offer guests; the current terms don't, so go by those.” | 4 of 4 |
| MSC Cruises | Not published“Not published; MSC says the same for both (1 point per $3, reported)” | Posted on board only“Not online. The Rewards Matrix is posted in the casino. Reported: 10,000 points for an interior (worldwide, up to 10 nights).” | No threshold published“MSC's comp match page says drinks are "always on the house in the casino" while you play, and publishes no threshold; URComped says invited guests on comp offers, coded on the card or marked with a sticker.” | 22 of 25 |
| Princess Cruises | Not published“Not published (about $2 a point on slots, reported)” | Published“Yes: four charts by cruise length. Up to 7 days, 500 points brings $200 free play and 3,000 an interior plus $100 free play.” | Reported only“About 1,500 points on the current cruise Reported. Resets every cruise.” | 1 of 17 |
| Holland America Line | Published“1 point per $2 / per $5” | Not published“No; the figures in circulation are reported.” | By private offer or invitation“By private offer ("Drinks in Casino"), or as an Ultimate Games or Prestige invitee.” | 0 of 11 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | Not published“Not published.” | Partly published“Tier thresholds only: Silver 1,000, Gold 7,500, Platinum 15,000 Tier Points. No points-per-offer chart.” | Every member“Every Players Club tier, including free Bronze.” | 0 of 3 |
| Explora Journeys | No casino program | No casino program | Included in the fare“Everyone. Drinks are included in the fare.” | 0 of 6 |
Points for an offer: Published 1 · Partly published 3 · Sailing lists only 2 · Posted on board only 1 · Not published 2.
Free drinks: Published threshold 4 · Every member 1 · Included in the fare 1 · By private offer or invitation 1 · Reported only 2 · No threshold published 1.
Sources: the programs table in Cruise casino offers compared, the line-by-line table in Free casino drinks, and the ship profiles. Explora Journeys has no casino rewards program.
Smoke-free and smoking casinos
By the smoking rule on each ship's profile: 28 smoke-free, 75 with a non-smoking area or room, 41 where smoking is allowed with no non-smoking area reported, and 19 unknown or unclear. Of the smoke-free ships, 4 (all Carnival) are smoke-free only when sailing from Australia, and for 1 of them the rule elsewhere is unclear; on other sailings, check the ship's profile. Some profiles apply a fleet policy rather than a ship-specific report; the profile says so.
- Smoke-free
- Non-smoking area or room
- Smoking allowed
- Unknown or unclear
| Cruise line | Smoke-free | Non-smoking area or room | Smoking allowed | Unknown or unclear | Of the smoke-free: only when sailing from Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | 0 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Celebrity Cruises | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | 4 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 4 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 0 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Virgin Voyages | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MSC Cruises | 2 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Princess Cruises | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Holland America Line | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Explora Journeys | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Slot floor sizes
76 casino ships have a published slot count, 9 from the cruise line. The chart leaves out the 1 count the profiles flag as unverified or not yet in place. Third-party counts are often repeated across sister ships and many predate a refit, so treat a range as a rough guide. For each ship's figure, source and caveats, see the slot rankings.
- From the cruise line
- From a third party
| Slot machines | From the cruise line | From a third party |
|---|---|---|
| Under 150 | 0 | 6 |
| 150 to 249 | 7 | 36 |
| 250 to 349 | 1 | 17 |
| 350 to 449 | 0 | 5 |
| 450 or more | 1 | 2 |
By cruise line
| Cruise line | Ships with a slot count | Casino ships | From the line | From third parties | Smallest count | Largest count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | 24 | 31 | 1 | 23 | 162 | 500 |
| Celebrity Cruises | 9 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 188 | 276 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | 16 | 31 | 0 | 16 | 178 | 249 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | 13 | 21 | 2 | 11 | 158 | 357 |
| Virgin Voyages | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 160 | 160 |
| MSC Cruises | 5 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 52 | 282 |
| Princess Cruises | 1 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 227 | 227 |
| Holland America Line | 3 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 72 | 144 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| Explora Journeys | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 18 |
Most-reported slot games at sea
The slot library holds 109 public, sourced reports of 47 games on 46 ships: 99 videos, 5 reviews, 3 cruise line posts, 2 blogs. A report means a game was seen on a ship on a date, not that it's still there or how many machines there are. Ships with more video tours get more reports.
| Game | Ships | Reports | Cruise lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Link | 12 | 15 | Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian (NCL), MSC, Princess |
| Devil's Lock | 6 | 6 | Royal Caribbean, Carnival |
| Huff N' Puff | 6 | 6 | Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, MSC, Princess |
| Lightning Link | 6 | 6 | Carnival, Princess |
| Spooky Link | 6 | 6 | Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian (NCL), Virgin Voyages, Margaritaville |
| Ultimate Fire Link | 5 | 6 | Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, Princess |
| Buffalo | 4 | 4 | Carnival, MSC, Princess, Holland America |
| Press Your Luck | 4 | 4 | Royal Caribbean |
| Phoenix Link | 3 | 4 | Royal Caribbean, Virgin Voyages, MSC |
| Dancing Drums | 3 | 3 | Royal Caribbean |
| Dollar Storm | 3 | 3 | Carnival, Holland America |
| Rich Little Piggies | 3 | 3 | Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival |
Offer programs side by side
Some programs reset every sailing, some build over a program year, and two work by invitation. The category is ours; the quote is the guide's. Explora Journeys has no casino program. For booking windows, guests and combining rules, see Cruise casino offers compared.
| Cruise line | How offers are earned | Slot / video poker earning rate |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Program year, plus certificates per sailing“Offer codes by email or mail, and Instant Reward Certificates for points earned on a sailing. Prime, Signature and Masters also get one tier cruise a year (program year April to March).” | 1 point per $5 / per $15 |
| Celebrity Cruises | Monthly lists by points level“Monthly offer lists for Blue Chip Club members, grouped by points level. Celebrity doesn't publish how play is counted toward a level.” | 1 point per $5 / per $15 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | Invitation, counted per sailing“Invitations based on your play, counted per sailing. No tiers or program year. Event cruises such as Premier, Ultra and Elite.” | 1 point per $2 / per $5 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Per sailing“Per sailing: Points to Paradise from that cruise's points; Casino Cruise Certificates; CASNext deposit certificates bought with points.” | 1 point per $5 / per $10 |
| Virgin Voyages | Annual tiers, plus offers per voyage“Annual tiers, earned May 1 to April 30. Star and above get an annual cabin offer; another cabin offer can follow points earned on a voyage.” | 1 point per $5 / per $10 |
| MSC Cruises | Per sailing“Per sailing: points count until the casino closes on the last day, and the next cruise offer comes by email. No program year.” | Not published; MSC says the same for both (1 point per $3, reported) |
| Princess Cruises | Per sailing“Per sailing: a Sea You Soon offer from the rated points you earn that voyage, counted until 11:59 p.m. on the second-to-last night.” | Not published (about $2 a point on slots, reported) |
| Holland America Line | Invitation“Invitations based on your play. No tiers or program year. Event sailings such as VIP, Ultimate Games and Prestige.” | 1 point per $2 / per $5 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | At the line's discretion“From rated play, at the line's discretion. The terms list tier, theo, actual win/loss, travel history and market. Tier year Oct 1 – Sep 30.” | Not published. |
What you still pay
A free casino cruise still carries daily gratuities, plus taxes, fees and port expenses. The chart shows the first rate each line lists (the standard cabin rate, before suite rates); the table has the guide's full wording. Taxes and fees vary by sailing; see The true cost of a casino cruise for worked examples.
| Cruise line | Standard rate | What the guide says |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | $18.50 | $18.50 (non-suite); $21.00 (suites). 18% on drinks and dining purchases, 20% on spa. |
| Celebrity Cruises | $19.50 | $19.50 (Inside, Oceanview, Veranda); $20.50 (Concierge, AquaClass); $24.50 (The Retreat). 20% on drinks, specialty dining, spa, room service. |
| Carnival Cruise Line | $17.00 | $17.00 (standard); $19.00 (suites), ages 2 and up. 20% on drinks and specialty dining. |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | $20.00 | $20.00 (Club Balcony Suite and below); $25.00 (The Haven and suites), for bookings from January 1, 2023. |
| Virgin Voyages | $22.00 | $22 per night on board, or $20 prepaid (since October 7, 2025). No added gratuities on drinks, spa or dining. |
| MSC Cruises | $17.00 | Hotel Service Charge of $17.00 per guest (2 and up) per night; $23.00 in Yacht Club, on US, Caribbean and Alaska cruises booked from May 11, 2026 ($16.00 and $20.00 if booked earlier). 18% on bar purchases on North America itineraries. |
| Princess Cruises | $18.00 | $18.00 (standard); $19.00 (mini suites, cabanas, Reserve Collection); $20.00 (suites). 20% on purchases. |
| Holland America Line | $18.00 | $18.00 (non-suite); $20.00 (suites). 20% on drinks and specialty dining, 18% on spa. |
| Margaritaville at Sea | $22.00 | $22.00 (staterooms); $25.00 (suites), per night. 20% service charge on purchases. |
| Explora Journeys | Included | Included in the fare. |
Data freshness
When we last checked each page, and how old the sources behind the slot counts are. A recent check doesn't make an old source new: most third-party slot counts sit on undated pages. Corrections and newly checked pages are logged on What's new.
| Newest dated source | Slot counts |
|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 | 9 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 3 |
| 2018 to 2022 | 3 |
| Before 2018 | 1 |
| Undated | 59 |
| Source not named | 1 |
Game reports in the slot library, by year reported: 2023: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 15 · 2026: 92.
Last checked, by cruise line
| Cruise line | Ship profiles last checked (number of ships) | Line page last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | October 22, 2026 (31) | October 22, 2026 |
| Celebrity Cruises | October 22, 2026 (19) | October 22, 2026 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | October 22, 2026 (31) | October 22, 2026 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | October 22, 2026 (22) | October 21, 2026 |
| Virgin Voyages | October 22, 2026 (4) | October 21, 2026 |
| MSC Cruises | October 22, 2026 (22); October 11, 2026 (3) | October 22, 2026 |
| Princess Cruises | October 22, 2026 (17) | October 21, 2026 |
| Holland America Line | October 22, 2026 (11) | October 21, 2026 |
| Margaritaville at Sea | October 22, 2026 (3) | October 22, 2026 |
| Explora Journeys | October 22, 2026 (6) | October 21, 2026 |
Methodology
This report adds no new research. Every number is counted from pages already on this site, each of which cites its own sources with the date we read them. The report is rebuilt from those pages whenever they change, so the figures here always match them. The cruise line pages and guides cite the lines' own sites first; ship profiles say when a figure comes from a third party.
How we count
- Ships, not fleets. Counts are of the 169 ships in our directory, including ships not yet in service and a few that have left the fleet. Lines may operate ships we don't profile.
- A casino ship is one whose profile lists a casino. Smoking rules and source labels are counted over casino ships only.
- Source labels are the profile's own: cruise line, mixed sources, third-party, or not published. "Ships with any figure from the line" counts ships where at least one slot count, table count or casino size comes from the line's own publication, per the biggest-casinos page.
- Slot counts are the figure the profile shows. The range chart leaves out figures the profile flags as unverified, as a planned expansion, or as published before an expansion opened. "Newest dated source" uses the publication date of the most recent dated source behind a figure; a figure whose sources are all undated pages is "Undated".
- Smoking uses four groups read from each profile's smoking text: smoke-free, a non-smoking area or room, smoking allowed with no non-smoking area reported, and unknown or unclear (not published, conflicting, or not yet announced). A ship that is smoke-free only on some sailings (Carnival's ships sailing from Australia) stays in the smoke-free group and is also counted on its own.
- Game reports are the slot library's public reports (videos, reviews, blogs and cruise line posts), counted once per game, ship and source. Members' own reports aren't included.
- Program categories (earning, points, drinks) are ours, each tied to the exact words of a guide's table cell, shown in quotes. A rate counts as published when the guide gives the line's own points-per-dollar figure.
- Gratuities are the first daily rate in the guide's table, which is the standard (non-suite) rate. Some lines charge it per night rather than per day; the full wording is in the table.
What this report can't tell you
- Which casino is best, or best value. Nothing here is scored or ranked across measures.
- Anything about ships we don't profile, or figures nobody has published. A missing figure means no source, not a small casino.
- Whether an older or undated figure is still right. Casinos change in dry dock.
The data
The figures on this page are in data.json, generated with the page. Its fields entry says which site page each part is counted from.
Sources
The pages this report counts from. Their own source lists name the cruise line pages, press releases and third-party pages behind each fact, with the date we read them.
- Ship casino profiles (Fleet coverage, source labels, smoking, slot counts, last-checked dates)
- Which cruise ships have the biggest casinos? (Who published each slot count, and when)
- Slot library (public game reports) (Games reported at sea)
- Cruise casino offers compared (Offer programs, earning rates, published points; last checked October 21, 2026)
- Free casino drinks by line (Who gets free drinks; last checked October 22, 2026)
- The true cost of a casino cruise (Daily gratuities by line; last checked October 21, 2026)
- Royal Caribbean (Line page; last checked October 22, 2026)
- Celebrity Cruises (Line page; last checked October 22, 2026)
- Carnival Cruise Line (Line page; last checked October 22, 2026)
- Norwegian Cruise Line (Line page; last checked October 21, 2026)
- Virgin Voyages (Line page; last checked October 21, 2026)
- MSC Cruises (Line page; last checked October 22, 2026)
- Princess Cruises (Line page; last checked October 21, 2026)
- Holland America Line (Line page; last checked October 21, 2026)
- Margaritaville at Sea (Line page; last checked October 22, 2026)
- Explora Journeys (Line page; last checked October 21, 2026)