?Carnival Ocean Player's Club Perks???players rating

[Cruisegirl6]

On every carnival cruise the casino manager would approach my other half and give him his card without him asking for one.

[BigB0882]

Is everyone sure it is 1500 points for Drinks On Us? I could swear it was 1000 when I was on the Elation in December but maybe it was 1500. I know at 500 you got free $5 slot play or something but I thought the next level was 1000 for the drinks. Has it changed or am I remembering wrong? I may have spent more than I thought. lol

[thephillykid]

The crazy thing about these comps for the DOU card is that it is something that if you put $1 into a slot machine in any land based casino. People think that CCL is doing us favor loosening us up by giving us drinks for free. I am used to drinking for free in AC or Las Vegas for 25 years playing craps.

[BigB0882]

I live in Louisiana so I understand you can go into any casino and drink for free, even if you are only minimum betting on a penny slot and you only brought $5 with you. That is true. However, it is very very different. If they had free drinks in the casino on a cruise, then everyone would go in there and sit down, order a drink, and then leave. No one would go to a bar and wait to pay the big bucks for a drink when they could get one for free. It would end up meaning all the machines would be taken by people trying to get a free drink so the casino would be losing revenue on alcohol sales AND be losing revenue from people who want to gamble but can't get on a machine. Lose Lose for them. At a casino on land, there is no where else to go unless you leave the casino. They don't have to worry about people coming just to gauge them for free drinks. It happens, no doubt, but not many people go on a special drive for a few free drinks. On a cruise ship it is just a short walk and then you can leave and go do anything else you want on the ship. So it isn't normally a big perk but on a cruise it is pretty huge because that is how cruise ships make a LOT of their money, alcohol is very profitable.

[PDXJAS]

I can not figure out how it works either. DH and I did a cruise in Jan of 2011. in 2014 decided to take another. I had a casino rate, he did not. We did not get a free drink card. I know he had more points then I did. We both had $25 in casino cash. He got a coupon in the mail. I got an e-mail, which I printed out. We were with cousin. When I went to get my $25 I noticed his name on the list. I asked if he had something coming. He did. $50. He had no idea. They told me that anytime he travels on Carnival he gets that. He was on his 11th carnival cruise and had no idea. Now, I am his favorite cousin.

[winddawn]

Other than earning the drinks on us card, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason about how Carnival doles out casino comps. And it isn't just Carnival. I have sailed 25 times on Carnival and always spend considerable time each cruise playing slots, and I have not received any casino offers for a free cabin. I sailed on Holland America one time 4 years ago, and recently got a free inside cabin casino offer from them, which I booked. So I agree with the other person who stated that the casinos sometimes use the free cruise offers to get you back on their ships when you haven't cruised with them in a while. Prior to the free cruise offer from HAL, HAL also sent me casino offers for casino cash (best one was for $600 casino cash which I didn't take). I have also noticed that on Carnival, that the casino offers I get for reduced rates tend to come when I do not have a future cruise booked.

 

I don't think Carnival gives other comps like they used to. I used to always get smaller gifts from the casino every cruise, such as chocolate covered strawberries, but I have not received any of those the past couple of years. Other past casino gifts included a fruit and wine basket from the casino, but that was several years ago too. As I said, I have not received any other gifts from the casino in a couple of years.

 

I do get the premier casino offers from Carnival on a routine basis. I only booked that one time in the past. I do not see much value in them since they charge me higher fares for them which IMO offsets the perks provided. Since I usually buy the Cheers package, the free drinks card with the premier offer which is only good in the casino isn't worth much to me. The drawings they do in the casino with the premier cruises seem to be done mostly late at night, and I don't typically go to the casino late nights when it is more crowded because it is a lot smokier and more difficult to get a machine. The cigarette smoke really bothers me where I wake up wheezing the morning after.

 

So where I have for years booked a holiday cruise over either Christmas or New Year's, this past year I opted instead to visit a land-based casino for my holiday vacation. They comped my room for 3 nights over Christmas and gave me free meals and casino cash which was a much better offer than I usually get from Carnival's casinos. And I had a good time. So I will play it by ear going forward. I have 2 cruises booked right now--one on Carnival that was a very small cruise discount with $75 casino cash and the free cruise on HAL. I've decided not to book any more cruises until I get an offer that I think is worth my loyalty. Carnival's prices are definitely increasing this year, so I'm not seeing the value there that I have in the past. It seems very ironic to me that instead of rewarding loyalty, Carnival tends to provide incentive not to book with them by offering free cruises to less loyal customers while more loyal customers do not get the free cruise offers. That's just crazy IMO.

[abcsteward]

We have always been taken care of on any of our Carnival Cruises by the casino... Whether we booked on a Casino offer or not...

 

Been on one premier cruise and am thinking about another as I type... The first one was alot better deal... But Any free money is good to me... :D

[Cruisegirl6]

abcsteward hello, I had some people telling me one thing and then another, for your premier cruise, where did you get the drink on us cards were they waiting for you in the cabin or did you have to go to the casino cage?

[BigB0882]

We had to go to the cage and ask for our card. I wouldn't have known about it but somehow my partner was informed he had hit that stage. I guess a nice attendant or waitress let him know when she saw his point total as he was ordering a drink. Then he let me know. No one brought us our card. I don't see how that would happen unless someone is walking around looking at point totals as people play the slots.

[Davey Wavey]

So I agree with the other person who stated that the casinos sometimes use the free cruise offers to get you back on their ships when you haven't cruised with them in a while...I don't think Carnival gives other comps like they used to...It seems very ironic to me that instead of rewarding loyalty, Carnival tends to provide incentive not to book with them by offering free cruises to less loyal customers while more loyal customers do not get the free cruise offers. That's just crazy IMO.

 

The cruise lines are just plain unpredictable. Almost everything you said was opposite for me. I have received free cruise offers when I had just left a ship and already had another Carnival cruise booked, when I didn't have anything booked, when I hadn't been on a cruise in a few years. My first cruises I didn't receive any of the stuff except the drinks card. Now I get something in the cabin every night. I don't ever expect it because who knows...

 

I feel my loyalty is properly rewarded (certainly no where near the level of a land based casino), but I do see enough stories to make me think it is pretty inconsistent. I advise people who gamble for perks to stay in the land based casinos. Cruise casinos are a different breed and will most certainly disappoint those looking for comparable and/or consistent perks.

[BigB0882]

I got a response from the casino email and they said my husband does qualify for $50 casino cash. I, unfortunately, don't qualify but that is fine as I didn't earn as many points as he did. Anyway, I am so glad for the advice to ask because if I didn't email then my husband would have never known he had this. They told me he would have to go to the cage and ask for his perks, so it wouldn't have just been applied to his sail and sign card automatically. The point of this, ASK ASK ASK if you think you may be due some casino perks. The worst they can say is no.

[Cruisegirl6]

BigB082 the cruise that you had to go to the cage for the drink on us card, was that a regular casino cruise booking or the premier cruise?

 

We always get the chocolate covered strawberries, pastries and such along with two nights of wine at dinner, my other half only plays slots never tables. I used to get the 25 and now I get the 50 cash back from the casino but if you getting this amount your not entitled to the drink on us card.

 

The casino manager always walks around and looks at your points because my other half always gets approached the first evening in the casino and gets his drink on us card.

 

My PVP told me that if you turn down a casino offer sometimes your placed on the bottom of the list to get another.

 

We always constantly get the offers by mail letting us know the offers perhaps 2-3 times a year maybe 4 don't really count.

 

The cruise coming up we booked from my other halfs premier cruise offer, we DID NOT pay higher in fact we paid lower than the cost was, perhaps we got another different discount on top of him getting the premier offer, $900 cash back and I get $50 back. Carnival outbeats any casino at sea for its offers and perks.

[BigB0882]

We were just on a regular cruise, my first ever. The pit boss must have been walking around because someone informed my husband that he hit the magic number but I really think it was a nice waitress who told him he didn't need to continue paying for drinks. He then told me and I went to the cage and got my card. I wasn't ordering drinks, though, so maybe if I was the waitress would have informed me as well.

 

$900 cash back is a LOT. May I ask how many points you earn? We lost a LOT of money on our cruise and I got nothing and my husband just $50 but maybe you get a lot more once hitting that premier number. I am just curious how much you are gambling but I understand if that is none of my business. :)

 

This next cruise my husband and I are going to take turns gambling. A) It will slow us down and B) it will keep all of our points to his one card so he can have a better chance at cash back or premier cruise offers plus cash back.

Edited January 29, 2015 by BigB0882

[ccartman2]

The question I didn't see answered for sure is what constitutes a point? based on every dollar bet? Every bet placed? Assuming every $ bet, and Not sure I'd ever get the DOU card.

[Cruisegirl6]

Hi BigB002 ok that explains it people with the premier casino offer have told me they received their drinks on us card in the stateroom. Yes the casino manager does walk around and when they see somebody deserves the drinks on us card they immediately issue it like to my other half, he never asks for it but first night they find him and he gets it, lucky dog, I never got one but booking with the premier casino entitles me to one. yey I get something lol

 

My PVP also was shocked how we got $900 back he said he rarely sees it that high and he asked me how much my other half gambles honestly I don't know but he only plays the slots, maybe he plays 3-6 a spin??? I never watch him because I don't want to jinx him and I never asked him but I believe at times I went up to him to ask how he was doing and he was using $3-$6 a spin.

 

I understand you taking turns gambling but honestly its a cruise a vacation don't stress yourself out for a cruise discount and such....BUT if you tell me how much you bet at a hit in a slot and your husband maybe I can figure it out whether your plan will work, again like you said none of my business so if you want to tell me fine if not totally understand.

 

Have you ever gotten any treats to your cabin?

[BigB0882]

$3-$6 a spin is a very high bet and would accrue points very quickly. I usually play the penny slots and gamble anywhere from 80 cents to a little over $1 a spin. So my points rack up very slowly and my money lasts longer so Carnival doesn't care too much about me. lol My husband doesn't gamble as high as yours does but he is close, sometimes he is in the $3 range.

 

One funny thing is the last night on our cruise I had a little money left and said, what the heck. I found a machine with $3 max bet, spun and won $400 Maybe it was worth it, after all!

 

We would combine our gambling to save money for us, if we take turns gambling then we wont lose our money as quickly. It also, as a bonus, keeps all our points on one card. If my husband is offered a premiere cruise we can hopefully save money on our next cruise. I wont get the free drinks doing this but I hardly drink anyway.

[ZJ13820]

The question I didn't see answered for sure is what constitutes a point? based on every dollar bet? Every bet placed? Assuming every $ bet, and Not sure I'd ever get the DOU card.

 

For slots, $2.50 coin-in = 1 point. For video poker $5.00 coin-in = 1 point. Coin-in is how much you bet, not how much money you put in the machine. So let's assume you play a $0.25 slot machine with a three coin maximum bet. So everytime you spin, you have $0.75 coin-in, and every 3.33 spins, you earn 1 point.

 

For table games, your play is rated by the pit managers. On average, they are looking for $20-$25 per hand for an average of 2-4 hours per day. Minimum table play is not likely to get you much, if anything. Tipping/playing for the dealers often is noticed by the pit managers and does help your rating.

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you for that so assuming I play a penney slot and play 2.50 every spin if I were to spend 600 would that mean I get the 1500 points, I bad with math lol

[ZJ13820]

Thank you for that so assuming I play a penney slot and play 2.50 every spin if I were to spend 600 would that mean I get the 1500 points, I bad with math lol

 

No. You would earn 1 point for every spin (at $2.50). At 1,500 points at $2.50 a point, you would have coin-in/wagers of $3,750. Whether or not $600 is enough of a bankroll to reach those 1,500 points depends on how many of your spins are winners. Kind of like the lucky that can play for an hour with only $20 or the unlucky that go through $100 in 5 minutes.