The October 2026 certificate is out.
Read the October 2026 reportApril 2026 certificate
4,000 ptsRoyal Intel · Monthly certificate report
April 2026 Instant Rewards Certificate
Version A · Published Mar 14, 2026 · 12,804 sailings · 13 levels
Your certificate level
Pick the points on your April 2026 certificate. It only covers sailings at exactly that level.
- Europe opens at
- 800 points
- Alaska opens at
- 400 points
- 9+ nights from
- 400 points
- Biggest step up
- 4,000 to 6,500
The PDF lists every sailing at every level.
Your level
…
Finding your 4,000-point sailings…
What changed since March 2026
This certificate has 4,558 more sailings than March 2026
2026-04 has 4,558 more sailings across all tiers than March 2026. Average free play is -$154.2 across the certificate, but the bigger change is how much smaller the sailing list is overall.
- Sailing count delta
- +4,558 sailings
- Average free play delta
- -$154.2
- Previous release
- March 2026 Certificate
| Points | Now | Before | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40,000 | $2500 | $2500 | No change |
| 25,000 | $1500 | $1500 | No change |
| 15,000 | $1000 | $1000 | No change |
| 9,000 | $750 | $750 | No change |
| 6,500 | $500 | $500 | No change |
| 4,000 | $300 | $300 | No change |
| 3,000 | $150 | $150 | No change |
| 2,000 | $100 | $100 | No change |
| 1,500 | $50 | $50 | No change |
| 1,200 | n/a | n/a | No change |
| 800 | n/a | n/a | No change |
| 600 | n/a | n/a | No change |
| 400 | n/a | n/a | No change |
The editor's read
Release 2604A is a larger, cleaner certificate than March. It covers 12,804 sailings, up 4,558 from 2603C, while average nights hold at 5.5. The mix is still heavily Caribbean-led, but the list is broader than a simple Florida-and-short-cruise sheet would suggest. Miami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Tampa all sit near the top of the port mix, and the ship list is spread across the usual Royal Caribbean workhorses: Jewel of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, and Freedom of the Seas.
Caribbean dominates with 8,665 sailings. Mexico is a distant second at 1,749, followed by Asia at 689, Alaska at 436, and Mediterranean at 405. Australia, Bermuda, and Europe are present but thin. That matters because the certificate is not just a volume story; it is a distribution story. The lower tiers are mostly short-haul Caribbean and Mexico inventory, while the upper tiers start to pull in the longer, more useful itineraries in Alaska, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Read the full editor's read (10 more paragraphs)Show less
Cabin mix follows the same pattern. Junior Suite leads at 2,629, then Grand Suite at 2,413, Balcony at 2,200, Balcony - GTY at 1,995, Oceanview - GTY at 1,657, and Interior - GTY at 1,621. The presence of so many suite and balcony options at the higher tiers is the main reason this release holds up better than the raw average free play number suggests.
The first meaningful breakpoint is unchanged at 400 points for a one-guest cruise fare. That is the floor for Alaska this month, with Ovation of the Seas on the 7 Night Southbound Alaska & Hubbard Glacier sailing from Seward on 2026-06-05. The first two-guest tier remains 400 as well, but the practical upgrade in cabin quality starts later.
The first balcony two-guest breakpoint improves to 1,200 points from 1,500 in the prior release. That is the most important structural gain in the certificate. It means balcony access arrives earlier, and it does so without needing to wait for the 1,500 or 2,000 tier.
Europe becomes practical at 800 points, where Explorer of the Seas appears on the 7 Night Greece & Croatia Cruise. Alaska becomes practical even earlier, at 400 points, because the best low-tier score is already an Alaska sailing and the region keeps showing up through 600, 800, and 1,200.
The strongest tier is 25,000 points. Its best cruise is Ovation of the Seas on the 7 Night Southbound Alaska & Hubbard Glacier sailing, with a Grand Suite, cruise fare for 2 guests, and $1,500 FreePlay. The tier’s average top score is 130.4, and it has 1,315 sailings. That is the clearest place where the certificate starts to behave like a premium offer set rather than a broad casino comp sheet.
The weakest tier is 400 points. It still has a useful Alaska top end, but the overall mix is narrow: 59 sailings, all Interior - GTY, with Mexico and Caribbean making up most of the list. The best score is strong for the tier, but the rest of the inventory is thin and less flexible.
The best value tier is 3,000 points. It has 1,416 sailings, the highest count among the lower and mid tiers, and it is the first tier where Europe and Alaska both show up with real usefulness. The top cruise is Brilliance of the Seas on a 7 Night Greek Isles & Cyprus Cruise with Balcony - GTY and $150 FreePlay. That is a better balance of access, cabin quality, and destination spread than the adjacent tiers.
Compared with March 2026, the release is much larger in sailing count, but not richer in free play. Average free play falls to 774.8 from 929, a drop of 154.2. The first two-guest tier stays at 400, but the first balcony two-guest tier improves from 1,500 to 1,200. That is the main positive shift in the month.
At the tier level, free play is flat across the board versus the prior release. The change is in volume, not payout. More sailings are available at every tier, especially from 1,500 through 9,000, and that makes the certificate easier to use even though the average free play is lower.
2604A is a broader certificate with better cabin access at the mid tiers and no meaningful free play uplift. The practical story is simple: 400 points gets you into Alaska, 800 opens Europe, 1,200 brings balcony access forward, and 3,000 is the cleanest all-around value tier. Higher up, 25,000 remains the strongest premium tier, while 40,000 is the top-end suite play with the largest FreePlay package.
Every level in the certificate
Bookable counts leave out sailings that have already departed. Tap a level to make it yours.
| Points | Bookable | Avg nights | Most sailings in | First opens | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7of 59 | 5.7 | Mexico | Alaska, 9+ nights | SailingsPDF | |
| 72of 218 | 5.7 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 142of 434 | 5.5 | Caribbean | Europe | SailingsPDF | |
| 266of 823 | 5.5 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 333of 1,045 | 5.6 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 468of 1,278 | 5.6 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 639of 1,416 | 5.6 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 369of 1,022 | 5.5 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 499of 1,277 | 5.6 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 730of 1,522 | 5.6 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 653of 1,138 | 5.4 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 801of 1,315 | 5.4 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF | |
| 771of 1,257 | 5.4 | Caribbean | None | SailingsPDF |