Royal Intel Insight

Did free play drop in October 2026?

Release 2610D is a stable month on per-tier free play. Shared tiers do not show a month-over-month change in the free play amount attached to each tier. The overall free-play average moved because the mix of sailings shifted, not because the tier values were cut or raised. That distinction matters here. The weighted average free play per sailing is $24.6 lower than September 2026, but this is a mix shift, not a per-tier reduction. The month has more sailings in higher-value tiers and fewer in the lowest tiers that previously carried no free play anyway. The current free-play ladder is straightforward: - 1,500 points: $100 per sailing - 2,000 points: $150 per sailing - 3,000 points: $250 per sailing - 4,000 points: $400 per sailing - 6,500 points: $500 per sailing - 9,000 points: $750 per sailing - 15,000 points: $1,000 per sailing - 25,000 points: $1,500 per sailing - 40,000 points: $2,500 per sailing - 70,000 points: $5,000 per sailing The 1,200 tier still has no free play attached in the current data. That makes 1,500 the first true free-play tier this month. The mix is still concentrated in the lower and middle tiers. The largest volume sits at 9,000 points with 1,373 sailings, followed by 3,000 points at 1,214, 25,000 points at 1,169, 40,000 points at 1,037, and 6,500 points at 1,017. That means most of the free-play dollars are being distributed across the 4,000 to 15,000 range, not just at the top end. At the low end, 1,500 and 2,000 together account for 1,841 sailings. Those are the tiers where free play starts to matter, but the dollar amounts are still modest compared with the jump into 4,000 and 6,500. At the top end, 25,000, 40,000, and 70,000 are all flat versus last month on a per-tier basis. The 70,000 tier remains at $5,000 per sailing and is still the ceiling in this release. Because the per-tier amounts are unchanged, the main question is where the month’s inventory moved. The release has more sailings overall, and the added volume is not concentrated in the lowest tiers. That is why the weighted average free play per sailing comes in lower even though the tier ladder itself is intact. For readers comparing months, the clean read is this: the free-play structure is unchanged, but the sailing mix shifted toward tiers that pull the average down. If you are shopping by tier, the numbers are steady. If you are looking at the release as a whole, the average is lower because the mix changed. There is no sign of a tier-level free-play cut in 2610D. The important move is the breakpoint change at 1,200 and 1,500 points, plus the heavier volume in the mid tiers. The free-play ladder itself is stable, and the month should be read as a mix shift rather than a pricing change.