TampaGambler

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Pre-pandemic, a lot of cruises had over 25% of adult passengers sailing on casino offers. NCL CAS comped rooms, CAS discounted rooms, land casino comped, land casino discounted. Every 4th cabin walking down the hall is sailing for free or on a discount. 
 

Last week it was over 12% of total passengers on the Escape. 

Where are you able to find and/or get those numbers for sailings?

Let’s all be honest….The fact you brought N95 masks on a cruise, home COVID test and we’re testing on the first day let’s us know all we need to know.

I think the vast majority of civilization doesn’t care anymore. 
 

Looking at your situation, the lady was probably trying to make you well aware it’s 6k for her to see you. They obviously have to make that explicitly clear before you just come down and then get the shocked bill.

19 hours ago, Anashoo said:

Lol the casino huh? Good to know, thanks! How much was it per day? I was also hoping to see that when it showed up, buuut

In November, it was $199 for the entire cruise, they do not all you to just buy one day, its all or nothing...

For some strange reason, we can buy it ahead of time now for our Alaska sailing next week for $175. 

As an FYI, they also have a limited number of unlimited galaxy pavilian cards so they can do unlimited VR.

On our last cruise they didn’t show up as being able to purchase ahead of the cruise, but we were able to buy once onboard, ironically at the casino lol….

This would be a prime opportunity to post the meme from raiders of the lost ark where he throws the guy off the plane and says, “he didn’t have a ticket”…..

I couldn’t find a good gif

On 5/12/2023 at 4:02 PM, cruiseny4life said:

I've sailed the Haven a few times. I can't remember any impolite kids. I was surprised on my last cruise. On embarkation day, a random guy and I were in the hot tub just talking, because that's what you do when you're strangers in the hot tub. Surprisingly, some ten'ish year old kid came over, got in the hot tub and just sat silently for a few minutes. I was kind of blown away a kid would willingly get in a hot tub with two old guys (to him). We all just enjoyed ourselves and didn't have any terrible experiences. 

 

So long as your kids are polite and not screeeeeeeaming, I think you (and they) will be just fine.  

I second this…

As a Dad of three kids ages 8, 10 and 12, we’ve sailed in the Haven on a number of occasions and never had any problem. In fact, we’ve had guest come over and gave them items or offer things because they said they were so well behaved.

If your child is respectful and knows when they can be louder, you won’t have any problem at all, enjoy the cruise!

A good one for hanging by the pool is a Miami Vice…

Wish they would change up the Haven menu daily 

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Just off my first MSC cruise - three nighter on the Seaside.

 

I was happy to see that, yes, surrender is still alive and well. Though I only utilized (remembered!) it on the second of the two nights I played in there. The dealer looked confused when I asked for it - I play two hands, and had a 16 and 17 vs. the dealer A. It turned out to be the right play. Of course, the next time I did that, my 16 would have pulled a 5. No use crying over spilt milk !

 

I will say that most of the players at that (almost always full) $25 table did not play basic strategy - but rather by the seat of their pants, hunches, and gut feelings. It was painful to watch.

 

Early on I did ask if they had a $50 or $100 table, but was told "no". Even though there were two empty tables next to us - that were never used. Probably not enough dealers, if it was anything else like the rest of the ship !!

 

Do they ever break out the purple chips? They had one guy at the table who cleaned out their blacks. He was sitting there with an (occasionally) full tray of black chips in front of him. Many times playing the table limit ($500). 

 

Tom

MSC is not a big gambling cruise company... When I called MSC casino customer service to ask about sending front money, the lady says, "What is front money"? She then says I have to bring the money with me on the ship. I know this to not be true as I sent front money in March, but even though I wired a very large amount, I could only get the limits at 100-k. They also refused to raise the min to $100. So, even though my limits were raised, if I wanted to play I had to play at the $50 table. 

NCL is the way to go if you like to gamble, they will allow you to bet anything you want. 

Does anyone know if the certificates are transferable? 

Here is the actual matrix... 

On 4/24/2023 at 12:44 AM, Elkins45 said:

It won't let me send you a DM.

https://urcomped.com?src=RIDGGRE6KEXYJKQ

If you use this link, you can sign up. Upload your best offer and they will use that to get you a free cruise. 

If you send me a DM, I can send you a link for a site that uses free cruise certificates to get you a casino offer on your first MSC cruise. 
 

regarding your question, you get points as you play. They have a chart, which you can see, that shows what room you get for how many points. The number changes based off cruise length.

Yes, jeans are fine. They will still welcome you with open arms and you get the same food.

21 minutes ago, Pillonad said:

Yes. Thanks for your feedback., I knew there would be differences in the cabins on the Viva versus the Getaway. But I was not told what our cabin number or category would be before we had to make the decision other than it would be "comparable." Did not realize comparable meant lower category. We were informed of our new  category after the decision was made. There are still rooms available on the Getaway in our original category. Thanks for your feedback.

You answered one of my questions here, but now it spurred another..

How long ago did they assign you the new cabin room?

10 hours ago, Pillonad said:

Let's start over and try this again.

 

Hi friends. I'm new to the community but not to cruising. I'm hoping I can get you opinion and/or advice. My family booked on a trip that got cancelled and have been rebooked on a similar itinerary.  We were told we would be booked in a comparable room category and discovered we have been downgraded even though rooms of the exact same category originally booked are available. Has this ever happened to you? I've spoken with customer service, emailed the VP of customer service, and am not working with a personal consultant or travel agent. Do you have any other ideas how to approach this issue. It just doesn't feel right to me.

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance. 

First, welcome to the board. As you can obviously see, like most things in life, some comments on this forum are more valuable than others and come across in different ways. However, do not take it personally, some people are just more negative. At the end of the day, you will get loads of valuable information here. 

For curiosity, did they reprice the sailing or did the price of the cabins stay the same? While this doesn't effect my response, I'm curious because I too, would be disappointed going from a new ship to an older one. 

Also, I'm confused with what you said here...."When we we rebooked, we were given no options as to room or location, only "this is your new room." Were I told that the room would be different, I would not have chosen that option." So, did you know the room number or the type of room? What specifically did they tell you?

So, with all that said, I believe a huge mistake was made, and I'm sure you recognize it now, that you should have researched all this back in September when you had the opportunity to make changes. At this point, you are past the final payment date, and agreed to changes 7 months ago. 

At this point, without beating you down more, I would do the following...

1) Figure out what you want and be reasonable.. for example, do you want to postpone the cruise, change ships, or see if they will change the rooms for you.  

2) Then, do as one of the initial responders said and KINDLY email NCL and see if they can or will do anything.

Lastly, to answer your other question... Yes, it has happened to us before on RCL (due to dry dock repairs taking longer) and it sucks. It happens on every cruise line for various reasons. In addition, we too were replaced with an older ship, but we declined after looking at the ship, got a refund and went on a different cruise. 

2 hours ago, kelleherdl said:

Consider alerting the YC Director by email. I think the email is YCDirector@mscmeraviglia.com. I will confirm today. The Butlers, concierge staff, Junior Butlers and the YC Restaurant Manager will be happy to make the cruise special.

 

 

I would make sure and do this… once they know it’s their honeymoon, I guarantee you won’t have to buy strawberries or champagne. They will ensure they have a wonderful trip.

I remember both bars being open on the Seascape over spring break 2 weeks ago, so they aren’t all closed.

Just got off the seascape 2 weeks ago, we were a group of 14. On gala night I wore jean pants and all other nights wore shorts, no problem at all. 

Each night the manager promptly came over and laughed with our table. 

Some people dress up, others don't... Regardless, they will not kick you out of the YC restaurant. 

9 minutes ago, Sydneyberlin said:

Not “whatever champagne I desire” but there was proper French champagne listed to be available by the bottle when I paid for the upgraded drink package. It actually was Möet back then, and then it was Veuve suddenly and now it might be Möet again. 
 

I personally prefer Veuve (or even any of the much smaller produced independent champagne houses) but as long as it’s proper French champagne as promised, I’m not that fuzzed. What I will not accept is that cheap American (or Australian, or Chinese) pseudo-Champagne that retails for a tenth of that. This is what you can get only many other cruise lines, without paying for an upgrade even. But it’s not what I forked out my money for the Plus package on NCL.

Honestly, I do not believe you are intending to come off the way I, and probably others, are taking your posts. 

I get you are hoping to get some nicer champagne, and I'm sure NCL will have some, however what you need to realize is this...

NCL is not obligated to provide you with any specific type of champagne. Per the terms of service, which you had to agree to when you purchased the package, it clearly says, "Beverage selection subject to change on board". 

This is their catch all, so you cannot say you purchased the package specifically for Veuve or something else and then demand a refund because you do not feel its worth the value anymore. Just like with cruise ports, the alcohol package is subject to change and subject to availability. 

3 minutes ago, Sydneyberlin said:

What you are expecting is what maybe happens on a good airline’s business or first class but most definitely not in mainstream cruise line’s dining room. 

 

I certainly don’t want to make anyone’s life hell but I’ve paid for that premium package (and it’s not cheap!) so I’d like to get what I’ve paid for. 

Based on your own analogy, you are not in business or first class, so you are getting the service you paid for. You aren’t going to be wined and dined in the MDR. Everyone knows that the MDR is slow. If you want better, pay for the upgrade. 

Lastly, under no terms are you entitled to receive a bottle of the champagne you desire. It’s not on the approved list for bottles at dinner.

3 hours ago, aynt79 said:

 

@TampaGamblerDo you think the offers for the other staterooms depends on your play? My husband's/my play got us an offer of an oceanview and we paid the extra to upgrade to Haven. I called to ask if I could get the 10% off another Haven room for other family members wanting to join us, but the rep said the 10% only applied to any "regular" stateroom, not Haven. Wondering if I should keep trying different reps. 

Your play, which they use an average of multiple sailings, definitely goes into the determination of what offers they give or can calculate on the phone. When you use a certificate, the terms are pretty much cut and dry, but if they are giving you an offer based off prior play before a certificate and/or you are combining certificates there can be some subjectivity into what they offer. While I cannot think of a reason to get upset, you always get more bees with honey, so if you are nice and joke/talk with them, some representatives will go the extra mile and maybe give you more than you were technically due. If it is really good, they have to run it up the chain to get it approved, etc. I can tell you the last 2 sailings the initial reps gave me horrible offers and said they couldn't use my play for them. Amazingly, the third, said "no problem, I think I can comp all three."

Regarding using both of your play for family, the representatives did tell me that is not customary, but they will do it for bigger gamblers. Regarding the 10% for the haven, I would call back, because I know for a fact you can get the 10% discount off the Haven. I haven't ever been told relatives couldn't get the 10%, even before they took my information and saw my play. 

Do not give up, there are a bunch of casino reps in Florida and Arizona, so keep calling back. 

Let me know if you have any other questions... 

We also go cruise on MSC in the Yacht Club and it is very each to get comps, its also very cheap to upgrade. On MSC its a flat fee, say $399 to upgrade from balcony to jr. suite, then $399 for suite, then $399 for Yacht club. 

On 3/24/2023 at 10:41 PM, smillerholmes said:

I am taking just my 2nd CAS cruise in a few weeks.  When I called last month to see what might be available for later this year I was only offered Insides, but he also dropped the same info about looking at the last 3 years of play - I thought it was odd too considering the pandemic, but I decided to wait until I get back from my cruise in May to see what will be available at that point.

 

As for the Ruby Upgrade Perk - I had not heard this, but not surprising.  I hope to make Ruby on my upcoming cruise so perhaps I will be able to offer some feedback on that soon.

I’m not sure what other posters have experienced, but what I’ve found is that your comp can also depend on which casino representative you get on the phone. 
 

I’ve been told no by one or two representatives, then had the third do not only what I was asking but more. For instance, last week I asked if I could use my play to discount my family’s haven cabins, since we pay for them. First two reps, said they could only extend a 10% discount but call back after my cruise in May. The third representative comped all three haven rooms.

You are just trying to fan the flames, ergo attempting to turn this a bigger ordeal than it really is. Hence, you comment on each and every post made in the thread, even on rhetorical questions where you’ve already provided the information. 
 

However, I’ll ask a question…Do you believe the people on cruise critic do not review their credit cards before paying the bill?

We were able to check into the yacht club at 10:30 in Miami and board the ship immediately…