Introduction and TR

[FABismonte]

Both my kids gamble very little... But they love getting my perks... They get into Drai's Nightclub in the Cromwell for free. They love the shows and suites... Also the NCL cruises and getting the Haven perks...

Hi LoneStar:

How do you get Haven perks through gambling comps? I thought that the best CET hook with NCL was the Seven Stars Voyage but that can only get you up to a balcony cabin. Do you pay for an upgrade to Haven level suites?

FAB

[LoneStarHorse]

FAB

We get the Haven because I have the VIP card with Casinos at Sea... In the past 13 months we've taken 5 cruises with NCL.

Hi LoneStar:

How do you get Haven perks through gambling comps? I though that the best CET hook with NCL was the Seven Stars Voyage but that can only get you up to a balcony cabin. Do you pay for an upgrade to Haven level suites?

FAB

[FABismonte]

Got it. On my NCL cruises I have only briefly gambled so I know very little about the Casinos At Sea program, let alone the benefits as one climbs up the NCL greasy pole.

FAB

[quahaug]

Everyone on this forum would have been banned on Wov, that's what makes this place so good, basically anything goes. Keep up the good work.

[Dan Druff]

The Casinos At Sea program is much inferior to most land-based programs, including Total Rewards.

The odds on shipboard casinos are also horrible. The only way it's not horrendous is if you play at high limits (but still not good). Most blackjack is 6:5, and the VP paytables are awful (though they get less awful if you play higher -- the same machine is configured to pay better depending upon which denomination is played).

The poker is horrible (10% rake, no max), and the tournaments (blackjack, poker) see more than half the prizepool taken by the casino.

When I'm aboard NCL, I don't bother playing in the casino at all.

[FABismonte]

The odds on shipboard casinos are also horrible. The only way it's not horrendous is if you play at high limits (but still not good). Most blackjack is 6:5, and the VP paytables are awful (though they get less awful if you play higher -- the same machine is configured to pay better depending upon which denomination is played).

I agree that the video poker on a cruise stinks. I have never had good experiences on the slot machines which appear to be incredibly tight.

However, the craps table is fine. I recall double odds on the pass line and normal payouts on the place numbers. Also I recall the table minimums to be $5, so I have enjoyed time playing craps onboard.


FAB

[Alan Mendelson]

My sister and her husband are avid cruisers. They go at least four times a year. They are craps players -- in fact, they are the ones responsible for starting me on craps. They always complain they never win playing craps on a cruise. I keep suggesting the same thing to them: if you don't win playing the right side, try playing the dark side.

[Dan Druff]

Speaking of cruise casinos, there is a trick to use the casino to cash out "on board credit" at just a 3% loss. This works on most cruises.

1) Buy into a machine for the exact amount of the onboard credit you're looking to convert, and charge it to your room. It will charge you a 3% fee.

2) Cash out immediately. Do not play.

3) Take the ticket to the cashier, and receive cash!

So, for example, if you have $200 on board credit, this will charge your account $206, of which $200 will fall off (because of the on board credit). So it will only cost you $6, and you will walk away with $200 in your pocket -- meaning it's a $194 gain (97%).

Keep this in mind if you have on board credit that you don't really need for anything else.

If your cruise has one one of those digital poker machines (where you play actual poker against opponents, NOT video poker), this is even better, because there is no 3% fee on those, but you can pull the same thing.

[supermaxhd]

Speaking of cruise casinos, there is a trick to use the casino to cash out "on board credit" at just a 3% loss. This works on most cruises.

1) Buy into a machine for the exact amount of the onboard credit you're looking to convert, and charge it to your room. It will charge you a 3% fee.

2) Cash out immediately. Do not play.

3) Take the ticket to the cashier, and receive cash!

So, for example, if you have $200 on board credit, this will charge your account $206, of which $200 will fall off (because of the on board credit). So it will only cost you $6, and you will walk away with $200 in your pocket -- meaning it's a $194 gain (97%).

Keep this in mind if you have on board credit that you don't really need for anything else.

If your cruise has one one of those digital poker machines (where you play actual poker against opponents, NOT video poker), this is even better, because there is no 3% fee on those, but you can pull the same thing.

The two Carnival cruises I've taken charge 3% at the tables but not on slots when I charged to my room. My last cruise I wanted $200 cash so I charged it to my room on a slot machine. When I went to the cashier to cash out without playing they threatened to take my card (whatever that meant) if I did it again without playing any. They gave me the $200. This weekend I will be on the Carnival Pride leaving from Baltimore.

[slobdinger]

The two Carnival cruises I've taken charge 3% at the tables but not on slots when I charged to my room. My last cruise I wanted $200 cash so I charged it to my room on a slot machine. When I went to the cashier to cash out without playing they threatened to take my card (whatever that meant) if I did it again without playing any. They gave me the $200. This weekend I will be on the Carnival Pride leaving from Baltimore.

Many cruise ships were known to have vulturable slot games like the IGT Vision Series. But I'm sure they were low payback so you would have to have nut plays to throw down.

[slobdinger]

I can confirm that AoS was stalked by a WoV member a while back. He resigned for quite awhile because of it.

[LoneStarHorse]

If someone stalks a person that's nuts... Some people appear to take these forums a bit to seriously

I can confirm that AoS was stalked by a WoV member a while back. He resigned for quite awhile because of it.