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.
[Editor's Note: This answer is provided by Ben Rosenthal, author of our book Breaking the Slot Code, who spends a lot of time on cruise ships playing advantage slots.]
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.
There is a fairly reliable, casino-centric strategy for earning complimentary (casino-comped) rooms on future cruises, and it’s less about “winning” and more about how the casino rates you.
Below is the practical, cruise-tested approach.
1. Understand What the Cruise Casino Actually Cares About
Cruise casinos rate you almost exactly like a land casino:
Theo (theoretical loss) =
Average bet × decisions per hour × hours played × house edge
They do not care whether you win or lose on this cruise.
What they care about:
Consistent play
Predictable wagering
Games with measurable theo
If you give them enough theo, they’ll mail or email you free cabins, often including:
Free interior or oceanview rooms
Discounted balcony upgrades
Free drinks in the casino
Reduced or free companion fares
2. Always Get a Casino Players Card (Day 1, Not Day 6)
Do this as soon as the casino opens, not halfway through the cruise.
Why:
Play before you sign up may not be back-credited
Early play helps your average per-day rating
Ask the casino host or pit:
“Can you make sure my play is being rated?”
3. Concentrate Your Play (This Is Critical)
Do NOT spread your play thinly across many short sessions.
Bad:
10 minutes here
15 minutes there
Good:
Fewer, longer sessions
At least 1–2 hours at a time, once or twice daily
Casinos rate average bet, and short sessions drag that down.
4. Game Choice Matters More Than People Realize
Best Games for Casino Comps (per dollar wagered)
Good choices
Slots (highest theo, easiest comps)
Blackjack (especially 6:5 or side bets)
Roulette
Carnival-style table games
Poor choices
Video poker (too player-friendly)
Low-edge blackjack with perfect basic strategy
Minimal-bet play
You don’t have to play badly—but you do want a game where the casino can justify comping you.
5. Bet Size vs. Time: The Sweet Spot
You do not need high roller bets.
Typical thresholds (very approximate):
$25–$50 average blackjack bet
$2–$5 per slot spin
2–4 hours per day
That level of play often triggers:
Discounted future offers after first cruise
Fully comped interiors by cruise #2 or #3
Consistency beats aggression.
6. Use the “End-of-Cruise Host Check”
On the second-to-last or last casino night, politely ask:
“Could you tell me how my play rated this cruise, and whether it qualifies me for future casino offers?”
If you’re close:
They may encourage one more solid session
Occasionally they’ll manually flag your account
This also puts your face on the host’s radar.
7. Watch for Post-Cruise Offers (Don’t Miss Them)
Casino cruise offers often:
Arrive 3–8 weeks after sailing
Go to spam folders
Appear only in your casino portal, not general cruise emails
They may not say “free cruise” in big letters—look for:
“Casino Exclusive”
“Casino Rates”
“Casino Complimentary Cabin”
Casino generosity varies by cruise line.
Generally more generous:
Carnival Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean
MSC Cruises
Moderate:
Norwegian Cruise Line
More conservative:
Princess Cruises
Celebrity Cruises
Princess calls its future casino comp offers “Sea You Soon.”
By earning enough points during your cruise, you may qualify for a discounted or complimentary cabin offer on a future Princess sailing.
These offers can include:
A free or heavily discounted stateroom
Casino free play credits
Invitations to special casino events
Occasionally drinks or small perks tied to casino loyalty
Important: These offers typically come after your cruise via email or mail, not always on the last night. Some players report getting them weeks or even a month later.
📈 3. Tiered VIP/Invitational Events
Princess has various casino status levels and invitational cruises, such as:
Hearts
Ultimate
Prestige
Diamonds
These status tiers come with escalating perks — and the higher your status, the better your comp offers tend to be, plus invitations to exclusive onboard events.
For example, the Hearts level may include:
Welcome parties
Free play bonus
Risk of hosting perks
A chance to qualify for complimentary cabins as part of the benefit package
🧠 4. Key Strategy Tips for Princess Casino Comps
Here’s how to maximize your chance of a good future offer:
🍀 Play Early and Consistently
Start earning points early in the cruise to maximize your total.
Many players say that points earned after midnight on the last night often don’t count toward post-cruise offers.
💳 Use Your Medallion for All Casino Action
The system tracks activity through your Medallion, so ensure all wagers are linked to it.
📩 Don’t Expect Guaranteed Freebies
Princess tends to be more conservative than some other cruise lines — you may need a substantial amount of play to land a complimentary stateroom offer rather than smaller perks.
📬 Watch for Post-Cruise Offers
Unlike some land casinos that give instant comp offers, Princess often emails offers later, and some players report waiting weeks.
📊 Real-World Player Insights
From player discussions (e.g., cruise communities), there are a few realistic observations:
Some cruisers reported accumulating enough points for offers with fairly moderate play, while others needed a significant amount of points before a cabin offer arrived — with results varying by individual play patterns.
Players have mentioned needing point totals that reflect substantial total wagers to get good cabin comps — often more than the standard cabin cost if you’re just chasing the comp.
Everyone’s experience can differ, and results aren’t guaranteed.
🧾 Final Takeaways
✅ Yes — Princess pays attention to your casino play and can offer future cruise comps and perks if you earn enough points.
❗ But it’s not automatic or guaranteed — you need sustained play and fairly high point totals to trigger meaningful offers.
📨 Offers typically arrive after the cruise, so plan to check email and even spam folders.
I've only been on one Princess cruise myself. If you'd like, you can check out my Blog post about Enchanted Princess.
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 was going to be my first and last time on Princess. To be clear, that wasn't because the boat was bad—although the casino on Enchanted Princess was a little small—but was instead because I didn't see many good options out of ports I was interested in.
Anyway, redjeepxj posted this handy 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 something online directly from Princess, though many cruise lines have a chart posted right in the casino.
According to the chart from Reddit, you can start getting some future perks with as low as 500 points ($200 slot play on seven-day cruises). As I said in the video, anecdotally, it didn't seem like I was gambling all that much compared to how I often do on other cruise lines. Even with that, I keep getting fully comped cruise offers from them. Friends of mine have said the same.
Table games have different requirements, by the way. This would only be for slots. One thing I can confirm is the gambling level needed changes based on the length of the cruise. If you're on a lengthy one (over seven days), you're going to need to show more play.
One thing that never hurts: 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. Not tons of wiggle room. 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).
