Since cruising has resumed, the ways the certificates have been handled for onboard play have been evolving. They were giving them out at the beginning of the cruise based on the last cruise play to start, then they abandoned it, and brought it back. As such, that was once again in place on my February 2022 cruise on Oasis of the Seas.
However, one of the biggest changes has been on incentivizing short-term bookings, clearly an effort to try to fill up ships now by enticing casino players to come back again soon.
While the main buckets haven’t really changed, there is a bonus award added for those who reach a certain number of points on a given cruise. Specific itineraries are available (all in the short term, with nothing on my February cruise past June of 2022) for those willing to book, while still on the ship, another cruise within the next few months.
The sailings covered were up to 9 nights, and even included Odyssey of the Seas, one of the newest ships, which just began sailing in the last year.
Those who earned 800 points would qualify for an Interior Stateroom on those select short term dates; 1600 got an Oceanview Stateroom and 2500 offered a balcony. Compared to normally getting an inside cabin, this is quite the upgrade.
For those who were already earning suites, their enticement was bonus free play for those short term offers, since it’s hard to upgrade people past suites, and there’s only so many suites to go around to begin with.
These terms are changing regularly, so don’t necessarily expect this is what will get offered when you board your cruise even a month from now. But clearly as things continue to rev back up, there is continued efforts to bring players back sooner and more frequently to keep the ships hopping.
