Best Casino Cruises
Updated: 12th September 2022
The idea of cruising the high-seas likely isn’t one that has escaped many of our players’ minds, with the pretence of blissful sailing and visiting some of the world's most exotic locations what’s there not to be fond of? Especially since some of the biggest casinos have set sail for the seven seas, offering our best online gambling casino site players who have a nomadic streak the chance to test out their sea legs and try their hand at some of the most popular casino card games in a fully-fledged casino cruise. With that in mind, we’ve collated a list of the best casino cruises and what you can expect to experience on each voyage.
1. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas
Despite harbouring a fleet of 26 cruise ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas stand as Royal Caribbean’s biggest vessels with both having their very own onboard casinos for passengers to visit at their leisure - offering the most luxurious cruise-based casino experience, boasting a wide range of fantastic amenities you would expect to find on a land-based casino floor causing them to be dubbed a “mini Vegas at sea.” On this vast casino floor, you’ll find a wide variety of games to be played, from traditional casino slots to a range of table games across live casino.
Royal Caribbean cruise lines have become one of the most recognised cruise lines in the world with their impressive fleet, so it's no surprise that the largest of them, the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, offer such a great casino experience.
2. Norwegian Epic
Epic in both name and stature, this colossal cruise liner from the Norwegian cruise line, Norwegian Cruises, stands at a brilliant 1,081ft long and is home to the similarly named Epic Casino which offers guests an extremely elegant atmosphere with hundreds of slot machines, as well as live blackjack and live roulette tables to choose from - players can also spend an evening watching the impressive Cirque du Soleil, with shows onboard each night to be enjoyed by guests.
3. Queen Mary II
Although being slightly cosier than those found on the aforementioned ships, the Queen Mary II’s on-cruise Empire Casino still has plenty to offer. The transatlantic flagship cruise liner of Cunard Line offers a fabulously glamorous casino experience reminiscent of the land-based establishments found in one of the world’s casino capitals, Monte Carlo. With a modest collection of 100 casino slots and 12 gaming tables, players can play without an overwhelming selection of games to play from - you could try one of their well established live poker tables, with a choice of Three Card Poker and Caribbean Stud Poker for you to delve into.
4. Royal Princess
Stretching an extra 2 feet longer than the Norwegian Epic, the 1,083 foot long Royal Princess stands as the longest casino cruise on our list - offering an extremely varied collection of casino games in their onboard hall, all ready to be played at guests’ disposal, from jackpot slots and progressive jackpot style games to bingo and table games for you to experience. High-stake players or frequent bettors also have access to exclusive member perks when using your Cruise Card on their casino floor.
5. Celebrity Cruises
With each of the vessels said to hold between 2,800 and 3,000 passengers, Celebrity Cruises arguably offers few of the most luxurious floors found in cruise-based casinos. With the exception of Celebrity Xpedition, each ship in their fleet harbours a brilliant onboard casino floor for guests to visit - as well as the chance to join their Blue Chip Club, providing exclusive privileges and offerings to enjoy whilst on board and at other MGM resort destinations around the world.
Their most popular onboard casino is the Fortune Casino, consisting of hundreds of slot machines, Texas Hold'em and plenty of table games.
What to Expect at Cruise Ship Casinos
Verifying Ages
The entry age for casino cruises varies from vessel to vessel and usually depends on where you’re travelling to. Typically, it’s 18 for European cruises and 21 for Caribbean cruises.
A Variety of Casino Games
Although the selection doesn’t quite match up to the range of games available at our online casino, or in the brick-and-mortar establishments found in the likes of Vegas and Macau, they certainly have enough of the popular games for players to enjoy during their time on-board.
Tournaments
It’s not uncommon to find live scheduled casino tournaments happening in cruise ship casinos. The types of tournaments you can expect to find offered on casino cruises tend to be slot-based or games of live blackjack.
Casino Cruise Rewards and Programmes
Many of the best casino cruises offer brilliant reward schemes and programmes you can take part in during your time travelling. Typically, these are usually open to high-rollers and those who stake over a determined amount, often rewarding non-cash prizes such as points, spa treatments, complimentary drinks, dining experiences, on-shore excursions and even discounts off your next cruise stay. Additionally, some of the cruise ship casinos will offer players the red-carpet treatment, distributing perks such as exclusive tournament entry and special treatment during their visits to the casino floor.
Play Casino Games at 21.co.uk
There are plenty of casino cruises sailing the Seven Seas for you to choose from, these 5 are simply the first of many options available if you fancy a change from the online and land-based casino scene - however, we know that a casino cruise may seem a little out of reach but don’t worry, here at 21.co.uk we pride ourselves on hosting one of the widest ranges of online slot games available. From popular slot titles such as the classic Starburst slot and Rainbow Riches to a brilliant bout of table games such as online blackjack and online roulette for you to try your hand at - there’s plenty for you to choose from and we’re sure our players are bound to find something to suit every preference.
There are also a number of online betting markets for our players to analyse ahead of a busy year of sports.