Margaritaville at Sea just expanded its casino players club

I saw a Cruise Industry News item from September 3 saying Margaritaville at Sea expanded its Casino Players Club benefits, with more perks across Bronze through Platinum and some extra top-tier goodies like Wi-Fi, host service, and even a "Sail with Friends" style benefit for certain players. What caught my eye is that cruise lines keep leaning harder into casino loyalty lately, and this one feels especially social. Anything that makes it easier to bring friends along or have a better onboard hangout vibe gets my attention fast. I’m a slots-for-fun person, so I always look at these changes less as math and more as: does this make the casino side of the cruise more enjoyable? Curious what everyone thinks. Is Margaritaville becoming more interesting to the casino crowd, or is this still not enough to pull you away from your usual line?

Replies

I’d call it interesting, not automatic. Back in the 90s the players clubs were mostly a paper card, a wink from the pit boss, and maybe a cabin offer if the moon was right. Now everybody’s building ladders and social perks because they know plenty of folks want the casino to feel like part of the vacation, not a sealed-off room with ringing machines. The friend-angle is smart. A lot easier to justify trying a new line when you can rope in another couple. Question is whether the onboard casino itself has enough life around it once the novelty wears off. Anybody here actually sailed Margaritaville recently and seen how busy the casino gets at night?

I haven’t sailed Margaritaville yet, but that “bring friends” angle is about the first thing that made me look twice. Denise and I will try just about any casino if the whole trip feels easy and fun, and having another couple along changes the whole flavor of the cruise. Like gumbo, a little more in the pot usually helps. For me the big question isn’t just perks, it’s casino setup. If the floor is tiny or shuts down early, all the club tiers in the world won’t matter much. Anybody know if they’ve got table game variety at night, or is it mostly slots and a few basics?