Royal Intel Insight

Did free play drop in July 2026?

Free play in 2607A is stable at the tier level. Shared tiers do not show a per-tier change versus June 2026. The month-over-month movement in the overall average is a mix shift, not a cut. That distinction matters. The certificate’s weighted average free play is $730.2 per sailing, down from $797.3 last month, but the historical comparison classifies the change as mix_shift. In plain terms: the same shared tiers are still paying the same free play amounts, but there are more sailings concentrated in lower tiers, so the average across the whole certificate comes down. The release added a lot of lower- and middle-tier volume. The biggest gains in sailing count came at 1,500 points, 1,200 points, 2,000 points, 4,000 points, and 6,500 points. Those tiers carry lower free play than the top end, so a larger share of inventory there pulls the weighted average down even when the per-tier amounts are unchanged. The current free play ladder is straightforward: - 1,500 points: $50 FreePlay - 2,000 points: $100 FreePlay - 3,000 points: $150 FreePlay - 4,000 points: $300 FreePlay - 6,500 points: $500 FreePlay - 9,000 points: $750 FreePlay - 15,000 points: $1,000 FreePlay - 25,000 points: $1,500 FreePlay - 40,000 points: $2,500 FreePlay Lower tiers below 1,500 points do not carry free play in the comparison set, so they are not part of the free-play ladder. The release-wide average is not a clean “offer got worse” signal. It is a weighted average across a much larger sailing set, and the new sailings are concentrated in tiers that pay less free play. That is why the average moves down even though the tier amounts themselves are unchanged. The top end is especially stable. The 25,000-point tier remains at $1,500 FreePlay, and the 40,000-point tier remains at $2,500 FreePlay. Those are the same anchor points as last month. The strongest sailing at 25,000 points is still Mariner of the Seas on the 10 Night Greece, Italy & Croatia itinerary from Barcelona, and the 40,000-point tier reaches the same top score on the same Mediterranean pattern. If you are comparing offers by free play alone, do not read the release average as a tier cut. The useful question is where the same amount of free play now sits inside a larger sailing pool. In 2607A, the answer is that the pool expanded most at the lower and middle tiers, which makes the weighted average look softer. For players targeting free play, the most efficient tiers remain the same: - 4,000 and 6,500 points for meaningful mid-tier value - 9,000 points for a clear step up in free play without jumping to suite-heavy inventory - 15,000 points if you want Junior Suite coverage with four-digit free play - 25,000 and 40,000 points for the highest free-play anchors The month does not introduce a new free-play breakpoint. It just gives more inventory at the existing ones.