Royal Intel Insight

Did free play drop in November 2026?

Release 2611C shows a clear increase in free play versus October 2026. The average free play across the certificate is $1,389 per sailing, up $155 per sailing from the prior month. That is a meaningful lift, but the more useful read is at the tier level: several shared tiers actually changed their free play amounts. The biggest increases are at the top end. The 40000 tier rises to $3,000 FreePlay, up $500 per sailing from last month. The 25000 tier moves to $2,000 FreePlay, also up $500 per sailing. The 15000 tier increases to $1,500 FreePlay, again up $500 per sailing. Those are the clearest month-over-month gains in the book. Mid-tier play also improved. The 9000 tier is now $1,000 FreePlay, up $250 per sailing. The 6500 tier is $750 FreePlay, also up $250 per sailing. Lower in the book, 4000 is now $500 FreePlay, up $100 per sailing, while 3000 and 2000 each gained $50 per sailing and now sit at $300 and $200, respectively. The 70000 tier is unchanged at $5,000 FreePlay. That matters because it keeps the top of the ladder stable while the middle tiers catch up a bit. This month’s free play story is not just about larger numbers. The sailing mix also shifted. The release is bigger overall, with 13,764 sailings versus 11,072 last month, and the average sailing length moved up to 5.5 nights from 5.3. That means more of the free-play pool is attached to slightly longer itineraries. The certificate remains Caribbean-heavy, but the best free-play value is concentrated outside the core Caribbean book. Mexico is still the most common non-Caribbean region, and Alaska, Europe, Asia, and Australia all show up in the higher tiers. That matters because the best-value sailings often pair stronger free play with better itinerary quality, not just a larger bonus. The lower tiers expanded materially, especially 600, 800, and 1200. But because those tiers do not carry free play in the historical comparison, they mainly affect the overall average by changing the mix of sailings, not by changing the bonus structure. In other words, the average free play moved up because the per-tier amounts improved and because the distribution of sailings shifted toward tiers that already carry more value. That distinction matters. This is not a broad-based cut or a broad-based raise. It is a real increase in several shared tiers, plus a larger and more varied sailing list. If you are comparing this month to the prior release, the cleanest takeaway is that mid-high play improved the most. The 15000 through 40000 tiers are the main beneficiaries. Lower tiers still have usable offers, but the value gap between the entry tiers and the stronger tiers remains wide. For readers tracking free play specifically, the best move this month is to focus on the 15000 to 40000 range. That is where the bonus increases are large enough to matter and where the itinerary quality is strongest enough to justify the play level.