CAS EPIC Reality.......Norwegian's New Reality

[anthem]

I think that is some seriously conspiracy theories to think they are controlling or trying to control how the odds/payouts are on slot machines. . . The slot payouts are controlled and programmed into a chip on the machines (for most major slot machines like IGT/Bally). Those chips are heavily controlled from the manufacturer and gaming commissions. Now, that doesn't mean NCL or other cruise line casino's might have chips for various payouts, but to think that they would go into each machine to change them mid-cruise ? Kind of a big stretch. . .

[callmebetty]

This is a very interesting thread to read! I stumbled upon it while searching dor the cruise review that went unfinished :( We were ignored by the casino host on our last cruise and I was told that if we wanted to continue booking through CAS, we needed to "show a better effort" on our next cruise. This cruise in July will probably be our last through CAS since apparently things have changed and 6000 points is not great effort on my husbands part plus another 2000 on my card. I am going to remain optimistic, but other than the slot attendant Veronica on the Gem, we seem to be invisible.

We still get offers from Princess from our cruise many years ago and it may be time to head on back.

[boopsahoy]

This is a very interesting thread to read! I stumbled upon it while searching dor the cruise review that went unfinished :( We were ignored by the casino host on our last cruise and I was told that if we wanted to continue booking through CAS, we needed to "show a better effort" on our next cruise. This cruise in July will probably be our last through CAS since apparently things have changed and 6000 points is not great effort on my husbands part plus another 2000 on my card. I am going to remain optimistic, but other than the slot attendant Veronica on the Gem, we seem to be invisible.

We still get offers from Princess from our cruise many years ago and it may be time to head on back.

 

We have been booking through CAS for I would guess 5 or 6 years? Not sure. Sometimes the casino host ignores us and sometimes they dont. I think it depends on the host and how much everyone else is playing. One year we were offered 2 comp dinners and then the next we actually had to mention to a the head slot attendent how the host didnt even talk to us nevermind a comp dinner and he later told us he got us one, so I guess with her you had to ask. I just go and gamble what I want to and if they give us a comp room great and if they dont that would be too bad but it wouldnt stop me from cruising.

[mking8288]

... I think it depends on the host and how much everyone else is playing ... I just go and gamble what I want to and if they give us a comp room great and if they dont that would be too bad but it wouldnt stop me from cruising.

 

+1 Agreed.

 

That's the attitude that DW & I would 100% side with. On the Gem last November, we found a relatively empty & quiet casino on sea days, most of the crew members just standing around & idle, and not much of a tournament atmosphere with the "paid" buy-in or entry fees for slots & table games ... and, surprisingly enough, smoke wasn't as bad as it used to be in the old "Dawn" days a few years ago.

 

Slots on cruiselines had and will remained to be very tight, as they really don't report their earnings & payout percentages, and don't have a gaming commission overlooking their moves, etc. unlike land-based ones including the Indian tribes. I'm sure that many of you know that NCL's corporate parent is the Gentling group, that owned the NYC Rasino's at the Rockaways and is the most profitable, contributing huge $$$ to NY State's treasury since it opened in late 2011-12, even pulling customers away from Foxwood & Mohegan Sun in CT's.

 

It's foolish to aim for that 1,000 points for a $10 OBC by playing like crazy on the ship, or 3,000 points (I think) for a free Drink Card, and 6,000+ points for a repeat invite to book again for a future CAS sailing - there is no free meals sailing with them. If one is going to play that much anyway, you would do a lot better on land going to Sin City - a quick 5 minute call to our hosts in Vegas will get us a nice 400 SF 3 nights or 4 nights comp room with coin/free play vouchers + meals written off, etc. and sometimes enough cashback before we leave to offset our plane tickets - and, if we are lucky enough, coming back home with more money in our pockets.

 

Fine to have fun while crusing and get a free T-shirt that cost them $5 USD or less, meanwhile - keep feeding those $20 bills into the bin and watch the "meter" - we're about 150 points on the Gem for the next tier on the last sea day coming home, and guest what - we just said, "the heck with it" and headed out to Blue Lagoon for some wings & soup. Besides, the points will be there for the next 18 months.

[boopsahoy]

+1 Agreed.

 

That's the attitude that DW & I would 100% side with. On the Gem last November, we found a relatively empty & quiet casino on sea days, most of the crew members just standing around & idle, and not much of a tournament atmosphere with the "paid" buy-in or entry fees for slots & table games ... and, surprisingly enough, smoke wasn't as bad as it used to be in the old "Dawn" days a few years ago.

 

Slots on cruiselines had and will remained to be very tight, as they really don't report their earnings & payout percentages, and don't have a gaming commission overlooking their moves, etc. unlike land-based ones including the Indian tribes. I'm sure that many of you know that NCL's corporate parent is the Gentling group, that owned the NYC Rasino's at the Rockaways and is the most profitable, contributing huge $$$ to NY State's treasury since it opened in late 2011-12, even pulling customers away from Foxwood & Mohegan Sun in CT's.

 

It's foolish to aim for that 1,000 points for a $10 OBC by playing like crazy on the ship, or 3,000 points (I think) for a free Drink Card, and 6,000+ points for a repeat invite to book again for a future CAS sailing - there is no free meals sailing with them. If one is going to play that much anyway, you would do a lot better on land going to Sin City - a quick 5 minute call to our hosts in Vegas will get us a nice 400 SF 3 nights or 4 nights comp room with coin/free play vouchers + meals written off, etc. and sometimes enough cashback before we leave to offset our plane tickets - and, if we are lucky enough, coming back home with more money in our pockets.

 

Fine to have fun while crusing and get a free T-shirt that cost them $5 USD or less, meanwhile - keep feeding those $20 bills into the bin and watch the "meter" - we're about 150 points on the Gem for the next tier on the last sea day coming home, and guest what - we just said, "the heck with it" and headed out to Blue Lagoon for some wings & soup. Besides, the points will be there for the next 18 months.

 

For us a cruise is a gambling and beach vacation. So we do play a lot. But we dont watch the meter because we are only going to gamble the money we brought to gamble and if the outcome is favorable its all good. However i must say we are used to getting the free room and then upgrading to a suite. I dont think we would pay for a suite so if we didnt get a free room we'd go back to a balcony room.

[unboringuy]

I've never booked through CAS. On my last cruise, a 13 day TA last year, I think I amassed a total of about 4000 points. I play a lot of blackjack, a little craps, and a little of the poker machines (thank you royal flush on the $1 machine!). I average several hours a day play. I play at the $25 minimum blackjack table (the VIP pit wasn't even used during the cruise) so my minimum bets were at least $25 per hand, and my maximum bets would have been $800.

Bottom line, I do not believe that CAS is interested in table game players, regardless of the bets, and regardless of the win or loss. When I tried to book an upcoming cruise through CAS marketing, I was offered "the casino rate of 20% off." Of course, this can't be combined with anything else so it turns out worse than I can get without going through CAS.

 

I realize that a ship casino is different from a land-based casino, but on land I get full comps everywhere. I don't gamble any more or any less with a comp, so it doesn't really matter much, but it would be nice to get comps.

[sjbdtz]

It's foolish to aim for that 1,000 points for a $10 OBC by playing like crazy on the ship, or 3,000 points (I think) for a free Drink Card, and 6,000+ points for a repeat invite to book again for a future CAS sailing - there is no free meals sailing with them. If one is going to play that much anyway, you would do a lot better on land going to Sin City - a quick 5 minute call to our hosts in Vegas will get us a nice 400 SF 3 nights or 4 nights comp room with coin/free play vouchers + meals written off, etc. and sometimes enough cashback before we leave to offset our plane tickets - and, if we are lucky enough, coming back home with more money in our pockets.

 

Okay...here goes:

 

1,000 points doesn't earn you $10 OBC. You need a minimum of 2,500 points in order to redeem $25 in SeaBucks which can be applied to your account either at a 1 : 1 ratio, or a 2:1 ratio for various different types of spending.

 

The drink card is 1,500 points, not 3,000.

 

How exactly is a 3 or 4 night comp room + meals, and "maybe" enough to offset your plane tickets, better than a 7 night cruise with meals & room comped? They're in essence the same thing. To someone who likes "Sin City", that's an option. To someone who likes to cruise, CAS is another.

 

 

 

I've never booked through CAS. On my last cruise, a 13 day TA last year, I think I amassed a total of about 4000 points. I play a lot of blackjack, a little craps, and a little of the poker machines (thank you royal flush on the $1 machine!). I average several hours a day play. I play at the $25 minimum blackjack table (the VIP pit wasn't even used during the cruise) so my minimum bets were at least $25 per hand, and my maximum bets would have been $800.

Bottom line, I do not believe that CAS is interested in table game players, regardless of the bets, and regardless of the win or loss. When I tried to book an upcoming cruise through CAS marketing, I was offered "the casino rate of 20% off." Of course, this can't be combined with anything else so it turns out worse than I can get without going through CAS.

 

.

 

You did 4,000 points on a 13 night cruise. I earned about 7,000 on a 7 night cruise to be offered a mini-suite (from which I upgraded at my own expense).

 

Blackjack is the most even odds in the casino, so the house advantage is minimal (assuming you're playing according to strategy). Having $800 on the table when the house edge is tiny, does not help your quest for comps.

 

Playing Let it Ride, which is hugely house-favorable would be much better to accumulate points.

 

So it's not the table-games per se, which are less valued, but the particular game you chose to play. Also, they're more interested in how long you are parked at the table,

than anything else. They know that OVER TIME they'll win...so time is a big component of the calculations. 4 hours daily is what they'd be looking for, in order to get comped accomodations.

 

 

 

 

Stephen

 

.

[boopsahoy]

Okay...here goes:

 

How exactly is a 3 or 4 night comp room + meals, and "maybe" enough to offset your plane tickets, better than a 7 night cruise with meals & room comped? They're in essence the same thing. To someone who likes "Sin City", that's an option. To someone who likes to cruise, CAS is another.

quote]

I agree. CAS works for me for that exact reason and Im not that big a fan of Vegas. I go to Atlantic City a couple of times a month and the cruise is a gambling vacation for me as well.

[stoneman56]

Does anyone know what the payback % is on the machines? We had a torrid time on the Epic, even VP was sucking our money and that shouldn't happen. DT Vegas it is likely to be 96-99% and Strip about 95%. I would bet the ships are running at 75% if our bad luck was anything to go by.:(

[che5904]

Does anyone know what the payback % is on the machines? We had a torrid time on the Epic, even VP was sucking our money and that shouldn't happen. DT Vegas it is likely to be 96-99% and Strip about 95%. I would bet the ships are running at 75% if our bad luck was anything to go by.:(

 

You may not be far off. But if you think about it Vegas has over 30 casino's just along the strip and at least 10-12 DT if not more. Where is the ship's competition.

[boopsahoy]

Does anyone know what the payback % is on the machines? We had a torrid time on the Epic, even VP was sucking our money and that shouldn't happen. DT Vegas it is likely to be 96-99% and Strip about 95%. I would bet the ships are running at 75% if our bad luck was anything to go by.:(

I dont know what denomination VP you play, but the quarter machines have terrible pay tables-hard to win when they only pay 30 coins for a max bet fullhouse! I noticed that the .50 was a little better and $1 was even better.