Free drinks in the casino?

[Whitelighter]

On my last cruise (Greek Islands on Silhouette) I was a regular in the Casino (as I always am) and as you do got chatting to the other regulars - the social aspect is a big part of the pull, or at least it is for me.

 

Anyway, I was offered a drink on a number of occasions from other players but I always politley decline as I dont want to get into rounds etc. Anyway, this one family who I was getting on well with insisted saying that 'dont worry, i dont pay for them its all free in here'

 

And it was, it wasnt bravado.

 

I later overheard the Casino Manager telling one of the group who wasn't a regular every night that for the following week (they were back to backing) let her now and she would make sure she was 'on the list'.

 

So how do I get 'on the list'?

 

Is it a case of walk in on night one and change a load of $ for chips or something more subtle? I am Elite tier in the club, but as far as I know Celebrity don't keep records of your casino spend - especially as I do most of mine in cash.

[matt0148]

Drinks are free if you are a member of the Blue Chip Club which is by invite only.

 

If you play enough, the Casino Manager should approach you by the end of your cruise with an invitation. Of course I presume you could always ask that your play be rated so they can determine if you qualify for an invite (in which case they will keep track of your spend).

[Queen of Oakville]

Drinks are free for anyone with a drink package.

 

Not familiar with the blue chip club, so I can't comment on that.

 

The pit bosses can "comp" just like any casino.

 

 

I remember on Grandeur. We seemed to have the same group at our table every night. There was one young guy from NJ who was buying drinks left and right. He was the big spender - everytime the waitress came for him and his friends, it was his card that went out. And then the last night, he received his statement. He had accrued several thousand in charges and was visibly bothered by it. He spent the last night wanting to win it back. I'm sure he ended up even deeper in the hole.

 

On another cruise, it might have been Carnival Dream, we were sitting and playing for several hours. Not big spenders by any means. I was probably playing 5 to 10 a hand. DH was playing 10 to 25 a hand. Others at the table were somewhere in between. We held the table for a few hours. About an hour or two in; someone called over the pit boss and asked him to buy drinks. He did. I saw this happen another time when I wasn't even playing, I was just watching DH - pit boss bought the table drinks and one for me as well.

 

I don't think you just "get on list" ... they want you to be putting some money down and playing at least for a few hours each night.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Queen of Oakville

[Whitelighter]

Thanks for the info.

 

I have emailed Celebrity re: the blue chip club (Queenie its on their website so it does exist).

 

I play at least 3-4 hours per night, usually between $20 and $40 per hand.

 

Ill see what they say

[ghstudio]

Thanks for the info.

 

I have emailed Celebrity re: the blue chip club (Queenie its on their website so it does exist).

 

I play at least 3-4 hours per night, usually between $20 and $40 per hand.

 

Ill see what they say

 

I believe it's minimum $25 bets for a couple of hours each day....

 

I'm a regular, but I generally play 2 hands for $10 each. On one Celebrity cruise, after playing with six other regular players for three or four nights, I asked the PB if he'd buy us a round of drinks. He made a mistake...he said he couldn't! wrong answer and after a short discussion, he decided he actually could :)...and he did.

Edited January 14, 2015 by ghstudio

[parallax]

I think with the advent of the drink packages the issue is moot for most passengers. However, I have found the casino host, on most cruises, to be generous in providing complimentary drinks. He/she, after a day or two, has a good sense of who are the regulars.

[Whitelighter]

Maybe its my fault for never asking.

 

Or maybe they are still sore after the royal flush win on ultimate TH :o

[Ruthk]

We are boarding a NCL ship next weekend and the cruise is free (all we have to pay are the taxes and port charges). Also we get VIP boarding and free drinks in the Casino, plus dining 3 times in their gourmet restaurants. I have never sailed NCL, but it is their newest ship and the price is right. We received the invitation in the mail, and last year didn't take them up on the offer because we thought it was a scam. Since then I have done my homework, and it is a promotion between NCL and Caesars Entertainment. They are obviously banking on the fact we will do a lot of gambling while on board.

 

Then we get off the NCL ship and head for the Eclipse for 28 days! Life is good!!

[Andy]

I believe it's minimum $25 bets for a couple of hours each day....

 

 

Hi Ghstudio,

 

FWIW, I asked about Blue Chip on Eclipse a few weeks ago, and they said it was an average of $50 per hand for a period of time, per day. I asked how much time, and I didnt get a direct answer, but I've heard the 2 hours per day comment in the past.

 

I wonder if they raised the minimum recently, as I also thought it was $25 not too long ago. Hopefully, others will chime in.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Host Andy

[NLH Arizona]

We are boarding a NCL ship next weekend and the cruise is free (all we have to pay are the taxes and port charges). Also we get VIP boarding and free drinks in the Casino, plus dining 3 times in their gourmet restaurants. I have never sailed NCL, but it is their newest ship and the price is right. We received the invitation in the mail, and last year didn't take them up on the offer because we thought it was a scam. Since then I have done my homework, and it is a promotion between NCL and Caesars Entertainment. They are obviously banking on the fact we will do a lot of gambling while on board.

 

Then we get off the NCL ship and head for the Eclipse for 28 days! Life is good!!

NCL's Casino at sea is fantastic. If you cruise with them again, don't wait for an offer, call them directly for what they will do. My November 11 day cruise in a penthouse (a mini suite would have been entirely free) was really cheap and I got free drinks in the casino, plus offer for free dinners in specialty restaurants, plus I didn't have to ask to join. When I'm on Celebrity (will be on the Summit in two days), I skip gambling, except for a little and save it for NCL, because off the great perks.

[Projunior]

The NCL Casino at Sea program may be OK if you play slots, but it is a complete sham if you prefer table games. We were on the Getaway in September and played Ultimate Hold'em, the table game where you play against the house (not regular Hold 'em vs other players). Both my DW and I sat side by side and were playing $15-$35 a hand for a minimum of fours hours a day on each day of a 7 day cruise, so a combined $30 to $70 per hand. We used only my room card to get rated and accumulate our our points. At the end of the week we had racked up a whopping 434 points for our play, with 1500 needed to qualify for a drinks package. One of the dealers told us the program is skewed completely to the slot players, that the table games players get short shrift. She strongly encouraged us to write to NCL to get that changed.

 

We had the ship all-inclusive beverage package, so we were drinking "free" anyway. But apparently the casino bartender had no way to know if he was mixing up freebie drinks for the the ship package or the casino package. I suspect that our drinks might have had a few molecules of alcohol in them, but it was hard to tell. The other bars on the ship seemed to serve real drinks.

[bobsfamily]

So how do I get 'on the list'?

 

Play a good bit, win some, lose some... bet between 25-50 a hand, do some doubling on Blackjack... I'm not exactly sure when I hit the mark but the on the 4th day I wandered into the casino in the afternoon (had not played the night before) and the host sought me out to say she missed me the night before and had something for me. It was my Blue Chip card and that I was now a member. I have since received my permanent number and will get a new card on our upcoming Feb. cruise. You do receive free drinks while in the casino... you have to get them from the casino bar. We had the drinks package (same this cruise) so in reality the free drinks didn't mean much but it is a perk. Twice we were offered free specialty dining, took them up on one. We also will receive a "rebate" from our last cruise gambling once the cage opens... Nice!

 

BTW our drinks were strong from the casino bar, in fact might have been almost double pours, I did tip well though.

Edited January 15, 2015 by bobsfamily

[Ruthk]

NCL's Casino at sea is fantastic. If you cruise with them again, don't wait for an offer, call them directly for what they will do. My November 11 day cruise in a penthouse (a mini suite would have been entirely free) was really cheap and I got free drinks in the casino, plus offer for free dinners in specialty restaurants, plus I didn't have to ask to join. When I'm on Celebrity (will be on the Summit in two days), I skip gambling, except for a little and save it for NCL, because off the great perks.

 

Thanks for your info - I am learning - never knew about comps on ships. NCL told me our casino card for free drinks will be waiting for us in our cabin - is that correct? I hope the Getaway is not tight (I think Celebrity is) and I hear their casino is quite large. Did you and your partner play on one card to bring up your points?

[dkjretired]

Thanks for your info - I am learning - never knew about comps on ships. NCL told me our casino card for free drinks will be waiting for us in our cabin - is that correct? I hope the Getaway is not tight (I think Celebrity is) and I hear their casino is quite large. Did you and your partner play on one card to bring up your points?

 

I found NCL to be a little looser than Celebrity and they seem to give out comps much easier on NCL. I was Seven Stars in Harrahs, don't even play when I'm on a Celebrity ship because they are so tight. It's like throwing your money in a black hole.

Edited January 16, 2015 by dkjretired

[bobsfamily]

I found NCL to be a little looser than Celebrity and they seem to give out comps much easier on NCL. I was Seven Stars in Harrahs, don't even play when I'm on a Celebrity ship because they are so tight. It's like throwing your money in a black hole.

I need to try a NCL cruise but as for Celebrity I found the casino to be about the norm. I was up, I was down but left about the same. Of course hitting a 3k jackpot on a "penny" machine helped!