Royal Intel Insight

Did free play drop in October 2026?

This release does not show a tier-by-tier free-play change versus the prior month. Per-tier free play is unchanged across the shared tiers; the month-over-month movement is a mix shift, not a cut or a raise. That matters because the average free play per sailing moved down only because more sailings sit in lower-free-play tiers. The current weighted average is $1,162.6 per sailing, down from $1,258.6 per sailing last month. That is a $96 per sailing decline, weighted across tiers. It should not be read as a reduction in the posted free-play amounts at the shared tiers. The structure is straightforward: - 1,500 points: $100 FreePlay - 2,000 points: $150 FreePlay - 3,000 points: $250 FreePlay - 4,000 points: $400 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 - 70,000 points: $5,000 FreePlay The lower tiers below 1,500 points are still mostly cruise-fare-only inventory, so they do not contribute to the free-play average. That is part of why the weighted average can move even when the posted amounts do not. The mix shift is the main story this month. More sailings are concentrated in the lower and mid tiers, especially 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 6,500 points. Those tiers have solid free play, but they sit below the suite-heavy top end where the average gets pulled up quickly. The biggest volume tiers are 2,000 points with 1,386 sailings, 3,000 points with 1,432 sailings, 4,000 points with 1,106 sailings, and 6,500 points with 1,344 sailings. That is a large block of inventory sitting in the middle of the certificate, which is why the weighted average is lower even though the posted free-play amounts are unchanged. At the top end, 25,000, 40,000, and 70,000 points all hold steady at $1,500, $2,500, and $5,000 FreePlay respectively. Those tiers are unchanged from September 2026 and remain the strongest free-play values in absolute dollars. If you are comparing this release to the prior month, do not treat the lower average as a downgrade in free play. It is a distribution change. The certificate has more sailings overall, and more of them sit in tiers with lower posted free-play amounts. The right comparison is the tier mix, not the average alone. For players targeting free play specifically, the most useful tiers remain 9,000 points and above. Below that, the free-play amounts are smaller but the cabin and itinerary combinations can still be strong, especially at 4,000 and 6,500 points where balcony and junior suite inventory starts to matter.