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I'm going on a cruise on Princess in a couple of weeks. Any experience or knowledge on how much or what to play on a ship in order to get their attention to get potential comped rooms on future cruises? I know it happens, but I'm not sure how to go about it if there is a certain method.
To start, we consulted on this question with Ben Rosenthal, author of our book Breaking the Slot Code, who spends a lot of time on cruise ships playing advantage slots. Here's what he told us.
"I've only been on one Princess cruise myself.
"I think Princess is one of the easiest cruise lines to start racking up comps. But I never actually looked at a chart when I was on the ship, as I figured this would be my first and last time on Princess. That wasn't because the boat was bad — although the casino on Enchanted Princess was a little small — but because I didn't see many good options out of ports I was interested in.
"Anyway, redjeepxj posted a chart on Reddit, effective Sept. 1, 2025. He noted that you get one point for every $2.50 gambled on slots. Another commenter followed up with, "1 point for every $2 on the slots." Unfortunately, I couldn't locate anything online directly from Princess, though many cruise lines have a chart posted right in the casino.
"According to the Reddit chart , you can start getting some future perks with as low as 500 points ($200 slot play on seven-day cruises). Anecdotally, it didn't seem like I was gambling all that much compared to how much I often do on other cruise lines. Even with minimal play, I keep getting fully comped cruise offers from Princess. Friends of mine have said the same.
Fortuitously, someone just posted a comp chart on a video: 45,000 points gets you a suite and $3,000 in slot free play; $30,000 a mini-suite and $2,500 FP; 15,000 a balcony stateroom and $1,500; 3,000 interior stateroom and $100. The chart doesn’t show the dollar-to-points ratio, unfortunately. You'd need to show a ton of action in seven days for the biggest comps and you’d still have to pay port fees and taxes, but 3,000 points for a comped room and $100 in slot play is not a bad deal.
"Table games have different requirements, by the way. This info is valid only for slots. One thing I can confirm is the gambling level needed for comps changes based on the length of the cruise. If you're on a lengthy one (over seven days), you'll need to show more play.
"One thing that never hurts is talking to the host. I've found cruise hosts to be mostly "abc" by the book. They look at the numbers and that's that. Very little wiggle room, if any. But always introduce yourself. Even if you don't gamble all that much, they might throw you a bone (free massage at the spa type of thing)."
Thank you, Ben. Additional research turned up the following.
In general, when it comes to casino comps on cruise ships, basic strategy is sign up early, play consistently in longer sessions, concentrate your action, and make sure the casino rates you — then let the offers come to you.
Earning casino-comped rooms and the like on future cruises is very similar to how land-based casinos rate you. They care about consistent play and predictable wagering at games with measurable theoretical losses. Give them enough theo and they’ll mail or email you free cabins and more (free ocean-view rooms, discounted balcony upgrades, reduced or free companion fares).
Some say that the cruise lines seem not to be too concerned about whether you win or lose on any given cruise. But Ben tells us, "Some cruise lines do care about wins and losses if you’re an advantage player. I got kicked off Norwegian for winning too much, essentially. I know that Carnival will also kick off winning advantage players."
Obviously, get a casino players card on day one. Early play helps your average per-day rating.
Contact a casino host (or ask the pit): “Can you make sure my play is being rated?”
We've heard that spreading your play thinly across many short sessions can impact your comp offers. Fewer longer sessions are said to be better. For good comps, at least one to two hours at a time, once or twice daily, rather than 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. Short sessions drag down the averages. Though again, Ben says he's never heard this.
Game choice matters. The best games are slots (highest theo, easiest comps), blackjack (especially 6-5 or side bets), roulette, and carnie games.
Finally, always check with a host near the end of the cruise: “Can you please tell me how my play rated this cruise and whether it qualifies me for future casino offers?” If you’re close, a host might encourage one more solid session or even manually flag your account. You'll also put your face on the host’s radar.
Casino cruise offers generally arrive 3–8 weeks after sailing and go to spam folders or appear only in your casino portal, not general cruise emails. So keep an eye out for your comps, wherever they show up.
And if anyone out there in cruise ship casino land has additional, complementary, or contradictory information about comps on the high seas, please let us all know in the comments.