4000 points
Sailings
774
Average Nights
5.2
Top Region
Caribbean (557)
Best Cruise Rank
116.5
Best Cruise
Spectrum Of The Seas
5 Night Okinawa Holiday Cruise
Balcony | Offer type n/a
Royal Intel Comparison
4000 vs 6500 points in September 2026
The 4,000 and 6,500 tiers are close enough in price that the cabin mix is the main difference. At 4,000 points, the tier is split between oceanview and balcony inventory, with 774 sailings total. At 6,500 points, the mix shifts hard toward balcony, with 969 sailings total and a smaller junior suite component.
6500 points
Sailings
969
Average Nights
5.1
Top Region
Caribbean (671)
Best Cruise Rank
123.5
Best Cruise
Spectrum Of The Seas
5 Night Okinawa & Taipei Cruise
Junior Suite | Offer type n/a
What To Know
That shift matters more than the raw sailing count. The 4,000 tier is still a broad mid-market tier: 392 oceanview sailings and 382 balcony sailings. The 6,500 tier is more clearly a balcony-first tier: 875 balcony sailings and 94 junior suite sailings.
The 4,000 tier is the better fit if you want a wider spread of Caribbean and Mexico sailings without stepping into suite pricing. The best cruise here is a 5-night Spectrum of the Seas sailing from Hong Kong with $400 FreePlay, but the broader list is still anchored by Caribbean and Mexico.
The 6,500 tier is the better fit if you want balcony inventory with a cleaner path into premium itineraries. The best cruise is a 5-night Spectrum of the Seas sailing from Hong Kong with $500 FreePlay, and the tier also includes Alaska and Europe options that are not as visible at 4,000 points.
If the goal is simply to move from oceanview into balcony, 4,000 points is the lower-cost entry and still has enough inventory to work with. If the goal is to improve itinerary quality and cabin quality together, 6,500 points is the better breakpoint. The extra 2,500 points buys a more usable balcony-heavy mix and a stronger set of premium-region sailings.