4 Things Royal Caribbean Is Testing Before Your Ship Gets Them

Royal Caribbean likes to try things on one ship before it bets the fleet. Some tests become your cruise planner. Some vanish. This companion follows the video’s four tests in order, with the timestamps, the source behind each one, and what it costs you.

The video opens with a dare. Pick the test you think reaches your ship first. Matthew ranks all four on the evidence at the end, in section 5 below. No peeking. Fine, peek.

Watch the video above for the spoken rundown. The sections below are what you can check yourself. More day-to-day coverage is on the Royal Caribbean news hub.

Chapters

These are the chapter marks in the video description.

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:29 How does the testing work?
• 1:38 Test #1: Room service in the app
• 3:03 Test #2: Scratch-offs in the app
• 5:19 Test #3: Priority digitized tendering
• 6:28 Test #4: Smoke-free casinos
• 8:34 My take
• 9:10 A lot of promises for 2027 and beyond

How Royal Caribbean tests things (0:29)

Royal tries an idea on one ship, watches how guests react, then decides on the fleet.

The video gives three history lessons. It says Royal Caribbean Blog spotted unlimited drink and internet packages on Allure of the Seas in November 2012, with the drinks at $55 a person plus 15% gratuity. Both packages sit in your cruise planner today. It says new main dining room menus with theme nights started on Symphony of the Seas and went fleetwide in January 2023.

And it gives one flop. In 2019, Symphony guests could order food in the app, drop a pin on a deck map, and a server found them. That test did not stick.

Those three examples come from the video. They were not re-checked for this page.

1. Room service in the app, on Star of the Seas (1:38)

On Star of the Seas, you can open the app, browse the room service menu, fill a cart, and order. Royal Caribbean Blog reported the pilot on 21 Sep 2026 and compared the screens to Uber Eats. Everyone else still picks up the phone.

The price does not change. Royal Caribbean Blog says any room service order carries a $7.95 service charge plus 18% gratuity. You pay it once per order, however many items you add. Three breakfasts in one order is one charge. Suite guests skip it. The video adds that Royal’s own FAQ marks the fee as subject to change.

Royal told Pinnacle Club members about the test and asked for feedback. Pinnacle is the top tier of Crown & Anchor Society, so the most frequent cruisers get the first say.

On timing, Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage Linken D’Souza said, “Room service continues to evolve.” He said we would hear more by next year. He named no date. Celebrity already offers app ordering on Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Ascent.

One outlet has covered the Star test. The video says so too.

What to do: If you sail Star, order the whole family’s breakfast in one cart. One order, one $7.95.

2. Scratch-offs in the app, on Utopia of the Seas (3:03)

The video’s intro to this one: “just because we needed more reasons to spend money on gambling.”

Since August 2026, Utopia of the Seas has sold digital scratch-off tickets in the Royal Caribbean app. Gambling News, citing Royal Caribbean Blog, prints tickets from $2 to $20 and a $100,000 top prize.

Win $2,000 or less and the money lands in your onboard account. Win more and you visit the casino cashier for tax paperwork. The tickets replace Paradise Lotto, which Royal ran before the pandemic.

The catch: you earn no casino points. Royal Caribbean Blog and Gambling News both say so. If you are chasing a casino tier, a scratch-off does nothing for you.

The video says Royal picked a lottery over full online gambling because of internet at sea, and that a scratch-off needs no fast connection. It also says Yogonet and casino.org report more ships in the coming months, with no named Royal spokesperson behind that timeline.

What to do: Set a spending limit before you open the app, the way you would at a slot machine. A $20 ticket from a deck chair is still a $20 ticket.

3. Priority digitized tendering for Pinnacle members (5:19)

A tender port is one where the ship anchors offshore and small boats ferry you in. On Royal, that usually means a tender ticket and a wait for your number.

In July 2026, Royal emailed Pinnacle members about a new perk. Royal Caribbean Blog quotes the email: “you’re automatically set to head ashore.” The ships and ports it lists are Odyssey of the Seas in Santorini, and Harmony and Legend of the Seas in La Spezia. The video names Odyssey and Legend.

The condition is the fine print. The perk works only on ships that run digitized tendering, and Royal has not published which ships those are. Royal says more ships will be added as the experience expands.

So there are two tests here. One is the digital tendering system. The other is the priority lane for the top tier. If you are not Pinnacle, the system is the part to watch. That is the piece that could reach your ship.

This one also rests on a single outlet reporting Royal’s email.

What to do: If you have a tender port in Europe, check the app for a tender option before you queue for a paper ticket.

4. Smoke-free casinos (6:28)

The video warns this one will split the audience. Fair.

This test has passed. The video says Royal Caribbean Blog traces it to Wonder of the Seas in 2022. Royal had planned Wonder for China, swapped a jazz club for casino space, and kept it non-smoking after the ship moved to the United States. It did well enough that Royal spread the idea.

The cost is the room it takes. Each conversion removed a space someone loved.

• Radiance of the Seas lost its Quill & Compass Pub in a February 2026 dry dock.
• Allure of the Seas closed Blaze and Comedy Live, per the video. It says the new floor runs along both sides of Deck 4, mostly slots with a few tables.
• Symphony lost its comedy club and the Crown Lounge, per the video.
• Ovation lost its Music Hall. Freedom lost its wine bar.

Royal Caribbean Blog counts eight ships with larger non-smoking casino space: Harmony, Utopia, Symphony, Allure, Radiance, Liberty, Ovation, and Freedom. Oasis of the Seas is next. The space outside Studio B is being converted. Blaze closed for good on 6 Sep 2026, and the Crown Lounge moves to Deck 15. Full opening is expected around 9 Nov 2026. Royal has not published an official list.

Our own Harmony of the Seas watch-along has the expanded casino up close.

What to do: If your favorite lounge sits next to a casino, check that it still exists before you sail.

5. The ranking (from 8:20)

Time to check your answer. The ranking starts at about 8:20 in the transcript, just before the 8:34 chapter mark.

On the evidence, smoke-free casinos win. They are on eight ships, and Oasis gets its space in November.

Of the true tests, the tendering perk has the clearest signal, because Royal itself said it will add ships. Scratch-offs come next. Two outlets report more ships in the coming months, with no named Royal source. Room service ranks last. Its only timeline is one executive saying we would hear more next year.

The video asks you to remember Symphony in 2019. Royal tried app food ordering once and did not keep it. Read the Star test as a signal, nothing firmer. The tech is seven years newer, to be fair.

What you can do

Before your next Royal sailing, open the app and look for the room service and tender options on your ship. Price the room service order, not the item. Set a gambling budget before the scratch-offs reach you. And if you love a lounge, look it up on your ship before boarding day.

Royal has locked in a lot for 2027. The video points you to 9 Royal Caribbean 2027 Announcements Most Cruisers Missed next.