Casinos at Sea, Club Royale, Ocean Players Club experiences / differences - Junket ??

[Atlanta07]

Hello all - I wanted to start a thread for those gamblers like myself that are looking to trade tips and experiences that they have had with RCI, NCL and Carnival. Hope we can all share ideas to get the most perks out of the programs and share enough info so others don't have the frustrations that I've had in the past.

 

For reference and just in case I mess up the names NCL's program is called Casinos at Sea (CAS), Carnival's is Ocean Players Club and RCI or RCCL is Club Royale.

 

I know that there are other cruise programs out there for gamblers but I'm only familiar with those listed above as they are the only cruise lines that I've actually cruised with. I'm sure others will be happy to list additional programs and how they work in the thread.

 

In the beginning we were always people that would refuse to use a player's card on a ship even though we spent a lot of time in the casino. We had two thoughts - either the cards had some sort of influence on the machine or that we didn't play enough for it to matter. We were finally convinced to use a player's card - on some lines your room key.

 

Now we use the cards at all times and can't imagine not doing so for reasons that I will get to soon.

 

NCL's Casinos at Sea program is my preference over all of the lines as they seem to give the best comps based on previous play or expected play. I will get to expected play in a moment.

 

Based on your play they will comp a type of cabin or give you a discount. In my experience I've been offered a suite and if I didn't like the suite offered I can pay to upgrade to whatever level I'd like. Note that if they do comp a room that you are happy with you will still have to pay port taxes and will still be responsible for gratuities etc.

 

Another great thing about NCL's program are the comps at the end of the cruise. Based on your play (points that you accumulate) throughout the cruise they then comp your cruise bill the last night of the cruise. Now the standard is that you have to get at least 2,500 points throughout the cruise to qualify for any part of your bill to be comped but based on your play they will give you a credit. Gratuities and cash pulls cannot be comped. Based on weather you book through their program or through a junket can determine how much you get back but either program is great. It is nice to get a credit on your bill either way. Several times we've had our whole bill comped. Another great perk is that you will get a drink card to use while in the casino. If you book through a marketing company or through a casino promotion you should get the drink card in your cabin when you get on the ship, otherwise when you earn enough points (I can't remember how many but it will be advertised) just go up to the casino cage and they will give you a card that attaches to your players card and will notify the waiter's not to charge you for drinks.

 

When I mentioned expected play it is only in the event that you have never cruised with them or never used a players card when you did. You won't get comps from NCL directly - you would have to go through a casino junket or a casino marketing company and ultimately they would "vouch" for you. They do this based on your play either at other land based casino's or from other cruise lines. For instance if you are a Diamond or Seven Stars player at Harrah's or a Platinum or Noir member at MGM they would be able to get you a room or at least a discount on NCL or any other cruise line. After your first booked cruise they will then determine all future discounts or comps based on the last cruise you went on. This is true not only for NCL but all other cruise lines I'm talking about in this thread. I know from personal experience that there are several good casino marketing / junket companies out there.

 

Carnival - Ocean Player's Club - Based on previous play, Carnival will offer you cash and a discounted cabin. If they are having a special promotion you can choose which cruise out of a list that you want to go on for free. If you want to go on a cruise and they don't have a promotion (received in the mail) then you will usually get 10-20% off whatever cabin you choose. Also if you and your spouse both get offer's you can combine them. For instance my spouse has been offered a free balcony cabin before and I've been offered cash - you can combine them and one get the cabin and the other get the cash. If you both get offer's for a free cabin - all is not lost - you can combine the cabin offers and get a better cabin. This is the best way to book with Carnival if you can as the discounted fair doesn't make you feel "special."

 

Carnival's cash offer can be let's say frustrating at times. First if it is through the promotion mentioned above you will get a voucher for any cash offer's. This is what you want - the voucher provides proof. Several times I've been so frustrated and angry because what I was told my cash offer would be before the cruise and once I got on the cruise and went to the cash cage, they didn't have the same amount. Always get your cash offer sent to you via email from the players club as you will need proof and a contact person to prove that you aren't lying to the casino on the ship if there is a discrepancy. I can say that I've had to wait up to two days to get the cash promised but held out. You will be pressured to just take what they have but don't do it unless you have no proof at all of what you've been told your offer is.

 

Carnival also has a free drinks program while playing in the casino and is great. They do not comp your bill at the end like NCL.

 

Royal Caribbean - Casino Royale - They also have a program where you get an amount off of whatever cabin you prefer to book. This works nicely in the sense that you don't have to wait to see what cabin they are going to give you. The booking process was extremely easy because of this. They don't comp your bill at the end. As of November 2012 they also did not have a drink program for free drinks but the casino manager may offer you a drink on occasion. After the cruise if you book through them they will send you a rebate voucher for an amount off of a future cruise. If you book through a junket or casino marketing company you will get a check - yes one that you can cash - in the mail about 60 days after your cruise. After the amount we got off of our cabin and our (unfortunate) losses we are getting back about 50% of what we spent in the casino.

 

All of the cruise lines will send things to your cabin based on your play. You will get chocolate covered strawberries, bottles of wine at dinner or bottles of wine in your cabin, vouchers for free photos etc.

 

Okay - I think that is enough to get a conversation going. Just wanted to give my fellow gamblers a little bit more information so that you can utilize the comps that are out there. Nothing is better than going on a cruise for free to gamble. At least you have a possibility of winning big and if you don't - well then you had a good time and a free or at least less expensive cruise.

 

And again, my last bit of advice always sign up for and or use your players card. You never know what offers you will get even if you don't think you play enough.

 

Have fun and happy cruising!!

[chipq]

My wife is a teacher so our cruises are usually limited to peak cruise periods. We have not yet been fortunate enough to receive a free cruise but often get 20% discount. I stay away from the slots because they seem to be set very tight. I don't see many good pays. I stick with craps and have the pit boss rate my play. The free drinks are a nice benefit and the welcome gift in the cabin is appreciated very much.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[Atlanta07]

My wife is a teacher so our cruises are usually limited to peak cruise periods. We have not yet been fortunate enough to receive a free cruise but often get 20% discount. I stay away from the slots because they seem to be set very tight. I don't see many good pays. I stick with craps and have the pit boss rate my play. The free drinks are a nice benefit and the welcome gift in the cabin is appreciated very much.

 

 

The cruise line that you get 20% off - is that Carnival? If so - keep an eye out for mailed offers. That's the only way we've ever been able to get a free cruise with them. We play both table games and slots and have been lucky on both - although not often. Welcome gifts and free drinks are always nice. The only time I get a bit annoyed is when on the last night of the cruise I go to dinner and we are offered two bottles of wine - drink one and think that we will just take the other off the ship. We go to our cabin to find 3 more bottles in the room. With it being the last night we then start giving away bottles due to the bad planning of the casino. If we drank all 5 bottles we'd be a bit in trouble :). A few other cruise passengers and even staff have benefited from this problem and seem to appreciate it.

[Daghis]

I recently became a member of Club Royale. I wish that they were a bit more welcoming in terms of treating me nicely outside the casino. The only thing I've received in my cabin is a welcome aboard letter inviting me to stop by the casino and meet the casino host along with a couple foil-wrapped chocolate casino chips.

 

Now, I will say, on the other hand, I was doing very well during my last cruise and was able to spend a lot more time in there on the slot machines. The casino host was able to comp my entire group of 11 to dinner at Portofino along with a $200 credit for wine. I'd never received anything extra during any of my previous cruises, so that was a really nice treat.

 

Still, I'd love to come into the cabin to find a bottle of wine or some chocolate covered strawberries. Maybe next time...

[Atlanta07]

I recently became a member of Club Royale. I wish that they were a bit more welcoming in terms of treating me nicely outside the casino. The only thing I've received in my cabin is a welcome aboard letter inviting me to stop by the casino and meet the casino host along with a couple foil-wrapped chocolate casino chips.

 

Now, I will say, on the other hand, I was doing very well during my last cruise and was able to spend a lot more time in there on the slot machines. The casino host was able to comp my entire group of 11 to dinner at Portofino along with a $200 credit for wine. I'd never received anything extra during any of my previous cruises, so that was a really nice treat.

 

Still, I'd love to come into the cabin to find a bottle of wine or some chocolate covered strawberries. Maybe next time...

 

Yeah - With Club Royale it all seems to depend on your relationship with the casino host or manager in the beginning and then during the cruise making sure that they see you. Although they run daily reports to see who is playing it seems that if they don't see you - you don't get anything extra. NCL definitely has them beat in this regard to having treats in your cabin etc.

[Daghis]

then during the cruise making sure that they see you.

My local casino gave me a "free" (not including taxes and fees) 4-night cruise that I took on the Monarch of the Seas. The cruise itself was okay, but their casino was very disappointing. Very few machines were TITO, and none of them were centrally connected for player tracking. This meant that the casino host had to walk through the casino periodically and make notes of when and how much I was playing. He'd even come up to me and ask how long I was in the casino the previous night.

 

I got pretty creeped out by all the stalking. It's one thing when I know the computers are keeping track, but someone walking by and watching me, with a clipboard and a pen to take notes, was just too much for me.

[AthensBuckeye]

Thanks for the info. I'll be cruising on Royal Caribbean this summer (Jewel of the Seas). I'm assuming the blackjack tables will have a minimum bet requirement. Anybody have any details on that, or does it vary too greatly between ship, time of day, etc. Thanks!

[Lionesss]

I have neve been lucky at the slots on any of RCI ships, just won tiny bits to prolonge the agony.

We usually go to the blackjack table and are able to play their awhile, and in the evening it is usually $10 bucks a hand, by the time we get there (11pm).

Don't know if it starts any lower.

We have fun, especially if it is an entertaining group of gamblers.

Later

[Atlanta07]

From what I've seen different cruise lines have different minimum bets. I've also seen where a line will announce that a smaller minimum will be established for a specific time period in the casino.

 

Many times if the casino isn't busy they lower the bet. The most common lowest bet I've seen is $5 and the lowest was during a Carnival cruise where the casino was pretty empty and they lowered the minimums to $3 to get people in the door hoping I'm sure that they would be tempted to increase their bets once they were there.

[AthensBuckeye]

Thanks... $5 or $10 would be great! When it gets to $25 I have a shorter leash.

[Atlanta07]

Thanks... $5 or $10 would be great! When it gets to $25 I have a shorter leash.

 

I understand that! It's nice to build up to that level or have the choice to drop down your bet if the cards aren't going in your favor.

[itching2cruiseagain]

My husband and I booked our cruise (March 7, 2013 Liberty of the Seas) through main Royal Caribbean phone line. While talking to the agent we mentioned how much fun we had in the casino on our last cruise. He suggested calling Club Royale in the morning to see if we earned anything on our cruise last year(Our first with RCI). We called and found out we will have a nice amount of cash waiting for us at the cage that we earned on our last cruise. Had we booked through them originally we could have used it as a credit for our booking (About half of our D2 balcony fare). I'm kind of glad we didn't, now we have unexpected extra cash for playing :) Then they told us the cruise we are going on happens to be a slot tournament cruise. They were able to switch our cruise to being booked through them which entered us into a slot tournament for free. We also got a discount on the cruise which was credited back to our credit card. We had a lot of fun with the host, Mark Cassidy, last time and he is supposed to be the host this time too. We are really looking forward to this cruise. At home we are elite members through Seminole Player's Club. We get a lot of comps and free play with them. They are not affiliated with RCI. We have gotten free cruises with NCL through them (you have to pay port charges and taxes). One thing we learned, it is best to use your card in the machine and/or at the tables every time.

[Atlanta07]

That's great! Yes - it is always good to use your card all the time, every time. You never know what comps you will qualify for. That's great to have surprise cash waiting for you.

[Atlanta07]

Just got off the Carnival Breeze - it is truly a beautiful ship. The casino wasn't nice to us but was to a few others. The poker machines were the hot machines on our cruise. We did however have gifts/treats in our cabin every other night and had 3 dinners on the casino for free in the Italian restaurant and the steakhouse.

[itching2cruiseagain]

Just got off the Carnival Breeze - it is truly a beautiful ship. The casino wasn't nice to us but was to a few others. The poker machines were the hot machines on our cruise. We did however have gifts/treats in our cabin every other night and had 3 dinners on the casino for free in the Italian restaurant and the steakhouse.

 

We went on Carnival around 6 or 7 years ago. That ship had very few slot machines, so we didn't spend much time in the casino. As an aside, My favorite is RCI followed by NCL. I don't think I'll travel on Carnival again (not because of the casino, just personal preferences).

How does the comp system work on Carnival? Did you get money back in addition to the free dinners or does that come out of the money you would have gotten back? Does anyone know if RCI gives complimentary specialty dinners as well?

[Atlanta07]

rochelleb,

 

Thanks for your message. On Carnival you don't get money back like you do on RCI or a credit to your room bill like you do with NCL - ultimately with Carnival you are working toward a free or discounted future cruise and or cash to be given to you the first night of your future cruise. If you and the person you are traveling with both receive offers you can combine them. For instance one of you may receive a free balcony cabin and the other receive cash - that is what my last cruise was and worked out well in addition to the free dinners etc.

 

RCI does give complementary specialty dinning but it seems to be hit and miss and comes directly from the casino host or manager so it is always good to establish a relationship with them as early as possible.

 

My preference is still NCL even though I had a good experience with Carnival this last time and my check for my last cruise with RCI just arrived today. Of course this all comes from my experience booking with a junket rather than through the cruise lines themselves with the exception of Carnival.

 

I hope that answers your questions!

 

Hans

[itching2cruiseagain]

Just got back from the Liberty this morning and we had a great time. Hubby and I both made it to the final in the VIP slot tournament, but came in 6th and 10th place (no prize). We also entered the regular slot tournament and did a couple of re-buys. They paid off, I won a cruise on December 2nd with an entry into the $100,000 slot tournament taking place during that cruise. :D

As for play in the casino, the first couple of days were brutal. The last day we won some of the money back, plus I won the tournament. We met some great people, and had fun with them as well as some friends from home. Plus our casino host, Mark, is amazing. Overall the great times we had overshadowed our losses in the casino and we are looking forward to our next cruise.

[Daghis]

Plus our casino host, Mark, is amazing.

Is that Mark Cassidy? If so, he was my host on Freedom of the Seas in October. He did an excellent job taking care of me and my friends.

[ladytravlr2]

I have taken 2 "free" cruises through Casinos at Sea and they have all been great. I have one more booked for October. You can upgrade your room for a decent amount, depending on what you were given and what you prefer. The drinks card was great, and no one seemed to be noticing how much time spent in the casino or not. Many people were there through the CAS program, you can tell by the cards we used in the machines, and the drink cards. Little perks in the room, such as chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, etc.

 

I will continue to cruise with NCL as long as I can get such good deals...and this is part of their plan...get cruisers who will spend time in the casino/on ship and spend more money. I keep getting casino cash offers from Carnival but haven't used those yet...didn't seem worth it.

[ladyhawk415]

Hubby & I are not big gamblers, so I'm just curious...Just how much do you have to spend to get these perks?

[LSUcajunmom]

Anyone know the email for Carnival's casino "headquarters" right off hand? Thanks in advance.

[Ambiverol]

Royal Caribbean - Casino Royale - They also have a program where you get an amount off of whatever cabin you prefer to book. This works nicely in the sense that you don't have to wait to see what cabin they are going to give you. The booking process was extremely easy because of this. They don't comp your bill at the end. As of November 2012 they also did not have a drink program for free drinks but the casino manager may offer you a drink on occasion. After the cruise if you book through them they will send you a rebate voucher for an amount off of a future cruise. If you book through a junket or casino marketing company you will get a check - yes one that you can cash - in the mail about 60 days after your cruise. After the amount we got off of our cabin and our (unfortunate) losses we are getting back about 50% of what we spent in the casino.

 

 

I am in the RCCL club, and thought I'd clarify a few things.

 

They do offer free drinks while in the casino. On the smaller ships, the staff eventually figures out who is in the club. On the Oasis, the casino host gives you a stack of free drink coupons on the first night and says "see me if you need more". During "masters tournaments" (invite only type things) they place a sticker on your (and your guests) sea pass.

 

That sticker also serves as your entry to any of the shows on the big ships (except the comedy show). You don't have to mess around with the ticketing system.

 

They do the usual wine in the room once or twice per cruise, chocolate covered strawberries, maybe an invite to a specialty restaurant, and a fruit bowl or something. Also, they have comped my bill at the end of the cruise (it's never too much, except for cash pulls-which are not comped).

 

Casino Royale puts out a list of cruises at the beginning of the year that will be free or reduced, but they are very tough to contact. I've been on hold for nearly an hour waiting to speak with a representative. The average hold time is probably 30 minutes and I've waited 3 weeks to get a call back. It sucks.

 

I hear NCL has a much smoother program. RCCL is very good once you're in, but it's hard to get in! You need to wait for them to pull you aside one day and say, "Psst, hey kid, you're in!" It took me a couple of cruises to get their attention. The rebate given on the next cruise is usually pretty good.

 

To answer some of the questions about minimum bet amount, I pulled out my most recent letter from Casino Royale.

 

It states:

Play at least 3 hours per day

BJ/Dice $50/hand

Carib Stud/LIR/3 card/Roulette $25

Slots $5/spin

 

I personally don't go out of the way to adhere to any of these numbers. Playing for comps can get you in trouble. Usually it works itself out that I fall well within these parameters, but it is secondary to playing the game.

 

I know many people think the 3 hour thing is a bit much, but I think RCCL multiplies it out. For example: 3 hours at $50/hand=1.5 hours at $100/hand=45 mins at $200 hand, etc. Sometimes I only gamble 2-3 nights on a 7 day cruise and still get excellent offers from RCCL.

 

The good: Very generous once you are in

The bad: Hard to get in, HUGE pain to contact the players club

 

Thanks to the OP for the junket info. That may be the route to go if I ever "jump ship" to NCL.

[ladytravlr2]

Ladyhawke....in answer to your question "how much do you have to spend in the casino to get free cruises, etc?" I don't know. I don't typically spend that much time in there, maybe a little each evening after dinner and show. I usually play penny slots or 25 cent slots. I think my cruise certificates have come because I have been a customer of Harrah's Casinos since they began, and only in past 3 years have gotten any cruise offers though. I used to be a diamond member, but don't live very near a casino now, so this past year I haven't gone very much...only on my trips to go to the cruise port and maybe 2 or 3 other times a year. So, I won't be a diamond anymore most likely. NCL partners up with Harrah's to provide their cruise offers via Casinos At Sea. I have to go to a casino, spend some time there, and pick up the cruise voucher. Your cruises vary depending on how high of a gambler you are I think....you have many choices of ports to depart from and length of cruise. Mine have been either 3-5 day or 7 day...never more. They have always been inside cabin. Port and tax charges seem to be a little higher than the port charges and taxes you would have paid if you paid for the cruise yourself. Guess that might be a way to recoup some of their money, don't know. Averages around $325 per person for port and tax charges.

 

You can upgrade your room to a better one for the regular upgrade price...I did that for my upcoming October cruise....went from inside to balcony.

 

Hope that helped a little. I am always surprised when I get a cruise certificate...because I always think the other one was probably the last one.

[Atlanta07]

For those of you that have yet to but will be getting your Carnival "Premier Cruises" list I received mine today - they are as follows:

 

Dream 7/13/13

Pride 8/11/13

Breeze 8/31/13

Sunshine 9/20/13

Splendor 9/22/13

Conquest 10/13/13

 

Hans

[Guerre]

I seem to recall the roulette wheel on the RCI ships has a 0 and a 00, so it's like low-limit Vegas (but worse than Europe which never has a 00). But don't they also shaft you on the payout to a number, giving you 32:1 instead of 35:1? Maybe I'm thinking of a European ferry boat or something...