Top 5 Cruise Ship Casinos

When taking a vacation on a cruise, you’re promised a plethora of delightful experiences, that provide fun and entertainment for any sort of preference. From the moment you step onboard, you're greeted by endless excitement and relaxation. Whether it’s a trip through the tropics or a voyage around the globe, there’s no shortage of things to do on your mobile vacation.

However for those who enjoy a cruise and a gamble, you can get it all in one place! Gambling on cruises adds an extra layer of excitement to the already thrilling experience of being at sea; it offers passengers the chance to try their luck, while enjoying the luxurious entertainment and amenities onboard. In this article, we’ll discuss the top five cruise line ships to make a wager on across the globe.

What Are Gambling Cruises?

When you think of gambling on water, the first thing you might think about is a riverboat gambling cruise. These were boats that would go out on the river for the day and allow passengers to play slots and table games. They were, before online casino and sportsbook operators, the only way to gamble in the United States outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Nowadays, most top cruise ship operators will have casino and gambling options aboard. Many cruise ship casinos have a number of slot machine options with most having various table games as well.

Additionally, if a cruise ship has a casino, there’s a good chance that they will also have some sort of tournament. The tournaments will either be blackjack or slot-focused where the players buy-in at a certain price, but don’t actually wager during the tournament.

More often than not, the prize for these tournaments will be some sort of grand prize. However, some select cruise line operators will give the tournament winner a free cruise or other various high-end prizes instead of just cash.

The Best Casino Cruises

From playing a game of blackjack among the Caribbean seas to slots in the Atlantic ocean, there are a wide variety of cruises to choose from but we have whittled it down to the top five.

5. Carnival Cruise Line - Carnival Celebration

Carnival Cruise Line has a large number of ships in their fleet with 26 currently active. The largest ship in the fleet is the Carnival Celebration which is 1,130 feet in length and can hold 8,375 passengers with its 2,641 staterooms. The Carnival Cruise Line stays mostly in the United States with ports in Baltimore, Charleston, and New York but does venture internationally with ports in London, Rome, and Brisbane.

Numerous activities can be found aboard Carnival Cruise Line ships including a water park and coaster options for some quick thrills. For a more relaxing getaway, guests can unwind in the Cloud 9 Spa or enjoy a quiet escape in the Serenity adult-only retreat.

The gambling options on a Carnival Cruise are very state-of-the-art, with top-level slot and table games. From penny slots to slot tournaments, there’s no shortage of options to keep you spinning at sea (in a good way). Carnival provides some of the biggest names in the slot industry with offerings from Bally with 88 Fortunes and IGT with Sphinx 3D.

The table games are super extensive as well, with your favorites like blackjack and roulette being a given. But, there are also more niche poker games like PokerPro tables and Carnival’s own game, Fun21. There’s no shortage of gambling options on your voyage. Additionally, there is something unique that gamblers can find on Carnival Cruise ships that are hard to find on any other cruise ship’s casinos; scratch-offs! With various games to choose from, the prizes range from a few dollars all the way up to $500,000.

Cruises on the Carnival Celebration can range from $500 to $2,500 per person depending on voyage length, destination, and room choice.

4. MSC Cruises - World Europa

The largest ship in the MSC fleet is the World Europa which has a length of 1,093 feet and has 2,700 staterooms with a total capacity of 6,762 passengers. The majority of MSC cruises take passengers to locations throughout the United States as well as the majority of Europe including locations such as Barcelona, Marseille, and New York.

MSC has unique event and activity options throughout their ships including 4D Cinemas and beer festivals. For the thrill seekers, they have the Robotron, which allows users the experience of a roller-coaster 53 meters above the water.

When you step onto the casino floor, you would think that you just stepped into a casino in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. The casino environment is upscale and vast in its collection of games and atmosphere. There are slots aplenty on the floor with over 2,000 slot machines to take any gambler over the moon. Both progressive and fixed jackpot slots are available throughout the ship to give players that Vegas-style feel to their games.

Table games are available as well with fan favorites such as roulette, baccarat, and of course blackjack. What makes MSC cruises stand out the most from other cruise casinos is their bingo options. Everyone knows and loves bingo and MSC allows players to have the fun of the game while in the environment of other casino games.

MSC cruises vary in price with some as low as $250 per person or as high as $22,000 for their World Cruise.

3. Princess Cruises

The Princess Cruise fleet currently has three ships all tied for the largest size; the Sky, Enchanted, and Discovery. They all come in at 1,083 feet long with 1,834 cabins with a capacity of 5,006 passengers. Their 17 total active ships traverse all over the world with ports in Australia, Argentina, Spain, and Florida just to name a few.

Princess Cruises was named the Best Cruise Line for Onboard Entertainment by Cruise Passenger Reader with multiple options for game shows, dance classes, and live musicians. With the 'Under the Stars' movie nights and Broadway-style productions, there’s no shortage of entertainment on the ship.

USA Today coined Princess the 'Best Cruise Line for Gamblers' and it shows. With their elite rewards program, and various options of slot and table games, it is easy to see why. Video poker shines throughout the casino floor, next to the newest niche slot machines, to get novice and experienced gamblers alike into the action.

Beyond the excitement of table games that include dice and the roulette wheel, Princess allows players to dive into all sorts of poker games including Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, Texas Hold ‘Em, and Three Card Poker.

What makes Princess unique in the gambling space is that not only do they have tournaments, they also put on Invitational Tournaments bringing the very best players on the ship, to compete against each other, to provide an enjoyable experience; not just for the players, but for the onlookers themselves.

With such a wide variety of ships, locations, and rooms, voyages can vary from $250 per person all the way up to $45,000!

2. Norwegian Cruise Line - Norwegian Encore

The Norwegian Cruise Line features a large fleet of vessels all with different sizes and capacities. Out of their 19 ships, the largest is the Norwegian Encore, which is 1,094 feet long and has 2,040 staterooms with a total capacity of 3,998 passengers. Norwegian Cruise Line goes to six out of the seven continents and has various stops in locations such as Hawaii, Panama, Singapore, and so much more.

Their ships come with various activities of all ages including several specialty dining experiences, multiple bars and lounges as well as Broadway-esque entertainment and variations of your favorite at-home game shows like Wheel of Fortune or Deal or No Deal.

Their dedicated casino space, also known as Casinos At Sea, provides gamblers with a comfortable and relaxing environment to get away from the hectic day and play their favorite games. They provide popular and classic fan-favorite slots which range from a penny to $100 a spin to your favorite table games which have minimums of $5 all the way up to $5,000.

What really makes Casinos At Sea stand out compared to others is their reward system. While several cruise line operators do provide their players with rewards, no other offering is quite as extensive and tiered as Norwegian; with five different levels, based on a points system, where the benefits keep pilling up with each new level you achieve.

With so many different locations and ship options, the prices for Norwegian Encore vary immensely, with some voyages starting at $600 per person while others can be as high as $6,800 per person.

1. Royal Caribbean - Oasis of the Seas

One of the newest ships in the cruise line fleet, the Oasis of the Seas by Royal Caribbean is a dream for any vacationer who wants to sail the Caribbean or Mediterranean waters. The Oasis of the Seas comes in at 1,181 feet long and 215 feet wide. It has 18 decks and 2,801 staterooms with a maximum capacity of 6,699 passengers.

The ship has some of the more extensive features found on any ship in the sea. In terms of water, there are four pools, 10 whirlpools, and a bunch of waterslides in their Aquapark which houses the Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea.

Casino enthusiasts are also able to get their fill, on the ship, with their state-of-the-art gambling room. At the Casino Royale ,players can gamble on over 6,000 slot machines including: reels, video, and hybrids. Also found throughout the casino are table game favorites like: blackjack, roulette, craps, poker, and baccarat.

Tournament play is also available for games like blackjack, slots, and poker; with a chance to win breathtaking prizes. One feature that makes the Casino Royale stand out compared to other casino cruises is its complimentary gaming lessons where professional dealers provide instruction on how to play popular casino games. These classes are available for newcomers or those who just want to brush up on their skills.

Depending on the location and length of the voyage, and the room you choose, a stay on the Oasis of the Sea can cost anywhere from $500 per person to $3,800 per person.

CasinoRange Pick: Royal Caribbean - Oasis of the Sea

All of the cruise lines provide such unique options and thrills both in onboard activities as well as on the casino floor, that anyone would be hard-pressed when it comes to choosing just one voyage to go on.

I, however, would like to take a trip on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Sea. The amenities on board are absolutely state of the art and quite honestly, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on my blackjack skills before I start to put money down at the tables!