Jeffffffs

I've been on the Joy, Jade and Epic in the last 18 months and all have had a poker table.  Yes, the rake is Very High, but the games are usually a lot of fun (and the level of skill fairly low).

23 hours ago, Beach Life 1 said:

  I also,  always book my reservations on line,  and thought it sounded really weird that you would have to book through CAS for dinner.   

We had this exact issue for our last 2 cruises...no ability to make any reservations online.  I finally called to ask about it, and they said I had to call CAS.  When I called CAS they knew all about the issue and made the reservations.  I have no idea if this was just a technical issue, or some new "improvement", but it definately has been happening.

yes

They haven't done towel animals for a while now, but if you ask your room steward nicely they've always done them for our kids.

I was recently on the Epic and they wouldn't even take your card at the poker to track your play...so no points.  The rake was obscene (10% $25 max...the highest I've ever seen), but the games were pretty soft and there was a fun group of regulars.

My family just returned from the West Beach tour and had an excellent time. It was a full open air bus, but not too uncomfortable. The driver provided lots of narration.  They provide water and beer.  The beaches were spectacular, but the turtles made the day.

I found this link.  No idea if it's accurate.  http://www.discover-stkitts-nevis-beaches.com/st-kitts-nevis-ferry-schedule.html

It's been a few years, but as I recall the ferry terminal is walking distance from the cruise port.  Several ferry's run each day with separate schedules, so note the return times (it's not a regular schedule like every hour, it's more random).  Once at Nevis, take a taxi to Sunshine's.

I called twice today, my calls were answered almost immediately (which is the fastest I can recall ever happening).  Agent was very helpful...great service.

 

You can attempt to switch things around once you're on board, at the guest services desk. .

We've done this for years, as they always have required one adult in each cabin. They won't move you to the other cabin, but they will give you keys to both cabins, so that everyone can get into the cabin of their choosing (and the adults can get into both). They don't care where you actually sleep, but one adult will officially be listed in each cabin.

Thank you for the info were you happy with the seating?

Seats were excellent (first table next to the stage).

My wife and I bought the premium tickets ($95pp). Bought them online with credit card in advance...no issues. We both got cigars (I guess they ran out of carnations) and one bottle of premium rum (I think it was Havana Club Especial) for every 2 people. Highly Recommended. The show far exceeded our expectations. There is a bucket of ice on every table (we had no issues drinking ice in Cuba, but if you wanted to bring your own I can't imagine that they would care).

I highly recommend the Tropicana. Booked online for premium seats ($95 per person) (classic car taxi 25 CUC each way. Driver offered to pick take us back too, and didn't want payment until the end, but we paid him anyway. He was there waiting for us after the show). Great seats, great rum (keep it for a nice gift if you're not drinkers), very cool experience. Far exceeded my expectations.

Just off the NCL Sky and had a similar experience. Walked off the ship around 9:00 a.m. Three people ahead of me at immigration, no line at money exchange (they had like 10 windows open).

We toured Havana with Blexie (Roly was our guide) last week. Absolutely amazing and highly recommended. One thing we added that wasn't on his usual tour was a trip to a cigar factory (which was also very cool and highly recommended).

Go to a roulette table. You bet $25.00 on red and your wife bet $25.00 on black. Hopefully the zeros won't come up to often. You should wind up being able to play long enough to get some type of comps.

 

This is just giving your money to the casino. You have no chance to win, and will surely lose all your money (at an average rate of about $2.50 per spin).

I had friend who once decided that he would watch roulette and whenever black or red would come up three times in a row, he would bet on the opposite. If he lost, he would double his bet, and so on until the opposite color finally hit. The first time I watched him play his system he was on fire. Every bet he made won. He started randomly betting on numbers, and they would hit too. It was incredible. The system worked great for him for a while (a few trips), until it didn't...and he gave back all his winnings. But his system (as incredibly flawed as it is) at least had a chance to get lucky.

Unless you are a very skillful card counter, there is no system or strategy to beat the casino (even after factoring in comps). Every gambler needs to understand this. Personally, I try to focus on money management and taking advantage of streaks...but I fully understand that the house has the edge on every bet I make.

If your going to gamble in the casino, always use your players card. If your playing table games, there are some tips to make sure your play is being properly recorded by the pit boss, but ultimately your comps are based on your play.

Never play for comps. It is a losers game. The amount you are risking with each bet will far exceed the value of your comps.

Beware that they have nobbled the wifi such that if you try to connect to a VPN, the wifi disconnects, so the VPN will not work.

I had similar issues with a remote connection. I could connect and access simple thing, but had frequent disconnects when trying to open and work with large documents. Email worked fairly well.

The Breakaway (and all other NCL ships I've been on) has a live poker table, and usually gets a NL game going every night. The rake is excessive (10% with no cap...so a $200 pot is raked $20...even if no flop).

Unplayable in my opinion, but they seem to get a core group of regulars on most of the cruises I've seen.

Tourneys are also over raked (25% of buy-in I think).

While I've never cruised on Carnival, I would not expect any casino to provide significant comps to a $15-25 BJ player, but if you had a significant loss they might offer a percentage of that loss back as a comp.

House edge on BJ (for a reasonably skilled basic strategy) is about 1% (or less). That's about 15 cents per hand on a $15 bet. Times 50 hands an hour, their expected profit is $7.50/hr. Even if you are a bad player and their edge is 2 or 3%, there is not very much they are going to do for you.

In most casino's, you really need to be a $25 bettor before a pit boss will even pay attention, and $50-100 avg. bet before your likely to see any meaningful comps. On cruise ships the requirements are probably even higher.

Found this show ("Rock the Park") on Netflix this weekend. First episode was in Katmai National Park, with great footage of the bears catching salmon. Second episode was Glacier Bay.

Great footage of the parks, and really got us excited for Alaska.

Still more research to do...but I feel like I am narrowing it down:

1. Arrive ANC (12+ hour flight/connections, 5 hour time difference, two kids...rough day)...car service to Alyeska (Girdwood)...pass out. I thought about a night in ANC, but Alyeska looks like it is nicer, and I like the idea of not having to check in and out too much.

2. Two or three nights in Girdwood. Portage Glacier, gold mines, tram, etc.

3. Coastal Classic (Goldstar) Girdwood to Seward. [i like that it's 1 hour later, but is it a waste to miss the first hour of the ride? Price is the same from ANC or Girdwood. Downgrade to Adventure class?]

4. One or two nights in Seward (leaning towards two)[Windsong Lodge?]. Dog sled tour, Exit Glacier, wildlife center, Kenai cruise.

What do you think...anything in those areas I should consider? Can we get by without a car in Girdwood or Seward, or should I consider renting one in either or both?

.

We are looking at the NCL Sun departing Seward on 8/29 (with two kids, 9 and 11). This is our first time in Alaska, and we've just started to research...so we do not know very much yet.

Our plan is to fly to Anchorage on Thursday the 25th, giving us four days to explore. I'd love to visit Denali, but it seems like a lot of travel time, particularly for the kids. So my initial plan is as follows:

1. Arrive ANC Thursday night.

2. Explore Anchorage Friday/Friday Night.

3.Train to Seward Saturday a.m.

That would leave Saturday afternoon, Sunday and Monday for Seward. Is that too long for Seward? Should we spend another day in Anchorage? Any other places we should look into?

I am Golden and if I understand it correctly, will have a $100 food credit.

Is this a new policy? I haven't come across this anywhere else.

The pool was closed this past Sunday (12/27)...but we were able to use the pool at the Embassy Suites across the street.