While many land-based casinos have eliminated, or severely limited, indoor smoking while gambling, that generally isn’t the case on cruise ships. There are a few cruise lines that have completely non-smoking casinos, such as Celebrity and Virgin Voyages, but many – including industry heavyweights Royal Caribbean and Carnival – still generally allow smoking in the casino.
(Virgin Voyages does have a small, enclosed smoking casino area).
To be fair, most onboard casinos are officially split into a smoking side and a non-smoking side, but that only helps so much when you’re in a continuous space. Plus, smoking is technically only allowed while actively playing, although this is extremely difficult to enforce.
Related: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises fix key casino problem
The topic of whether cruise lines should allow smoking or not is a highly controversial one. Some people claim that cruise casinos aren’t as well-ventilated as say, large Las Vegas casinos, and therefore secondhand smoke is a serious concern. And many correctly point out that the majority of cruise passengers don’t smoke.
On the other side of the argument (and the reason why smoking is often still allowed) is that a disproportionate percentage of frequent gamblers are also smokers. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have tested completely smoke-free casino environments in the past, and in all cases, gambling revenue declined.
One solution we’re seeing more and more is the emergence of separate non-smoking casinos. Carnival started doing this a few years ago. In fact, when I sailed on Carnival Magic in 2022, I was surprised to find a completely separate non-smoking casino. Not only was it a different space, but it was on an entirely different deck.
Image source: Dennis Post/Come Cruise With Me
One Royal Caribbean ship just got a major casino overhaul
Royal Caribbean has followed a similar approach, but only on its largest ships.
The cruise line has added a secondary smoke-free casino on all Oasis-class and Icon-class ships. This space, which used to be Jazz on 4 on most Oasis-class ships, offers slot machines, a few table games, and drink service, but no bar.
The cruise line, however, appears to have a solution for non-smoking casinos on its Freedom and Voyager-class ships.
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas surprised cruisers after emerging from a recent dry dock. In addition to the expected routine maintenance, the Vintages wine bar on the Royal Promenade has been replaced by a non-smoking casino.
The new casino has an open entrance off the promenade and features several rows of slot machines on either side and a bar in the middle. There are also a few table games, as well as TVs to watch sporting events.
As you might expect, it’s a significantly smaller space than the main casino, but it is a completely separate, smoke-free space for gamblers to enjoy.
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Royal Caribbean adds a surprise perk
Of course, for passengers who prefer to gamble without breathing cigarette smoke at the same time, this is a welcome addition. However, there’s one big perk for regular Royal Caribbean gamblers that is a little less obvious.
While this isn’t the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature a separate non-smoking casino, there are a couple of things that make it unique. The first is the location directly on the Royal Promenade.
On Oasis-class ships, the non-smoking casinos are towards the back of Deck 4.
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The second big difference is the bar. While Royal Caribbean’s main casinos certainly have bars, the smoke-free casinos on Oasis-class ships do not. They typically have drink service at the machines, but that’s it.
This can be an enormous perk for those who have achieved Prime status or higher in Royal Caribbean’s Club Royale program. Those with status can simply walk up to a Casino Royale bar and order a complimentary drink, and this marks the first time the free drink benefit is available directly on the Royal Promenade.
The availability of completely free alcoholic beverages at not one, but two different locations on Freedom of the Seas – including a very convenient location on the Promenade – can make it far more practical to cruise without purchasing a drink package.
And that’s especially true for those with Diamond status or higher in Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor society, which includes at least four free drink vouchers daily that can be used at any bar on the ship.
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