Three Oasis Class Ships To Get Supersized Casinos This Year
Casinos have always been a popular attraction on cruise ships, both for guests and cruise lines. But over the past few years, Royal Caribbean has focused on increasing the size of its onboard casinos.
They’re basically doubling down, removing other entertainment spaces to create larger casinos and dedicated smoke-free areas. Now, they’ve announced that more ships will follow suit.
Oasis Class Casino Expansions
In a recent email from Club Royale, Royal Caribbean’s casino program, the cruise line detailed upcoming casino expansions across three Oasis Class ships.
Ships Getting Casino Expansions
- Allure of the Seas – Summer 2026
- Symphony of the Seas – Fall 2026
- Oasis of the Seas – Fall 2026
These ships will get expanded smoke-free spaces. After the expansion, each will have a total of 29,098 sq. ft. of casino space. To put that in perspective, that’s about six NBA basketball courts worth of slots, table games, and casino space. If you compare it to Royal Caribbean’s older ships, it’s nearly double the size of the newly renovated Liberty of the Seas casino.
Guests will find 38 table games and close to 600 slot machines, with the latest games installed on board.
Expansion Details Are Still Limited
The email doesn’t reveal exactly how Royal Caribbean will expand the casinos on these ships. Previously, most Oasis Class ships added dedicated non-smoking casino space by removing the Jazz on Four bar.
But now that those spaces have already been converted, we can look at the recent renovation of Harmony of the Seas for a clue.
During a dry dock earlier this year, Royal Caribbean removed the small comedy club, The Attic, and the Crown Lounge. The Crown Lounge was moved to Deck 15, replacing one of the teen spaces, while comedy shows that were previously held in The Attic were moved to the Royal Theater so more guests could see them.
That expanded the overall footprint of the casino considerably, creating large casino spaces on both sides of Studio B.
The newest Oasis Class ship, Utopia of the Seas, also has a similar layout, so it seems likely the older ships will see similar changes during their renovations.
Improved Non-Smoking Sections
This change also helped create a clearer divider between smoking and non-smoking areas.
Previously, Royal Caribbean had non-smoking casino sections, but without real dividers, a non-smoking slot machine could be right next to a smoking one. In addition, smoke could still waft through the space. It was a huge design drawback compared to competitors like Carnival and Norwegian, which have true non-smoking casino areas on their newest ships, and Celebrity and Virgin Voyages, which have completely non-smoking casinos.
By adding larger casinos with more clearly separated smoking and non-smoking spaces, Royal Caribbean can better serve both groups. Non-smokers get a more comfortable place to play, while smokers still have a dedicated space instead of being pushed out entirely. It’s a better setup for everyone who wants to enjoy the casino.
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