Cas dinners no longer include wine?

[grancayman]

Hi, Just got an email from a friend (longtime CAS player) onboard the

Getaway. He got his dinner, but it no longer includes wine/drinks.

Anyone else have this happen? He challenged it and they said no more!

[hpecorari]

Hi, Just got an email from a friend (longtime CAS player) onboard the

Getaway. He got his dinner, but it no longer includes wine/drinks.

Anyone else have this happen? He challenged it and they said no more!

 

http://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/casino-cruise/players-club

 

Yep, it's been changed

 

Harriet

[Casino Comp Chick]

I also noticed all day you are unable to see the Latitude tiers and perks. They are obviously changing them also

[GrabMyWrist]

Latitude info is still located at https://www.ncl.com/bge/latitude.

 

I did have to log in to see it though.

 

The main program info can be found here without a login.

 

http://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards/overview

Edited April 15, 2015 by GrabMyWrist

[hpecorari]

Latitude info is still located at https://www.ncl.com/bge/latitude.

 

I did have to log in to see it though.

 

The main program info can be found here without a login.

 

http://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards/overview

 

Something's up. You shouldn't have to log in to see what the perks are.

What if you're a first time NCL'er and want to see what perks you can earn?

 

Harriet

[rochelle_s]

Another disappointment. I was planning on having that wine in my cabin, now I am out of luck. I wonder if they will remove the bottle from the Latitudes dinner as well. As far as the CAS program goes there soon might be no real benefits left. The dinner does not come until you reach HOT and to do that the minimum you have to play through is $25,000. I am surprised, for that amount of play, a comped bottle of wine ($10 cost) would be an issue. NCL far and away had the best casino program at sea for the lines I have traveled. They are taking things away and at the same time it seems like some of the other cruise lines are adding to their programs. I have B2B booked on the Epic for 2016 but I might soon have to pay more attention to the other offers delivered to my mail box.

 

 

Rochelle

[Nola26]

Another disappointment. I was planning on having that wine in my cabin, now I am out of luck. I wonder if they will remove the bottle from the Latitudes dinner as well. As far as the CAS program goes there soon might be no real benefits left. The dinner does not come until you reach HOT and to do that the minimum you have to play through is $25,000. I am surprised, for that amount of play, a comped bottle of wine ($10 cost) would be an issue. NCL far and away had the best casino program at sea for the lines I have traveled. They are taking things away and at the same time it seems like some of the other cruise lines are adding to their programs. I have B2B booked on the Epic for 2016 but I might soon have to pay more attention to the other offers delivered to my mail box.

 

 

Rochelle

 

I believe the OP was indicating that wine or drinks aren't included in the comped dinner. I don't think there was a comment regarding the bottle of wine in the cabin.

 

Go to the casino bar for a pre dinner beverage then enjoy your meal.

[NLH Arizona]

Another disappointment. I was planning on having that wine in my cabin, now I am out of luck. I wonder if they will remove the bottle from the Latitudes dinner as well. As far as the CAS program goes there soon might be no real benefits left. The dinner does not come until you reach HOT and to do that the minimum you have to play through is $25,000. I am surprised, for that amount of play, a comped bottle of wine ($10 cost) would be an issue. NCL far and away had the best casino program at sea for the lines I have traveled. They are taking things away and at the same time it seems like some of the other cruise lines are adding to their programs. I have B2B booked on the Epic for 2016 but I might soon have to pay more attention to the other offers delivered to my mail box.

 

 

Rochelle

What are other lines adding to their casino programs?

[njhorseman]

I also noticed all day you are unable to see the Latitude tiers and perks. They are obviously changing them also

 

Latitude info is still located at https://www.ncl.com/bge/latitude.

 

I did have to log in to see it though.

 

The main program info can be found here without a login.

 

http://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards/overview

 

No log in necessary. They're here (and I don't see any changes after a quick review of the page):

 

http://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program/benefits-details

Edited April 15, 2015 by njhorseman

[Sand and Seas]

I thought CAS was going to try and add something to the benefits since they have downgraded some of the long standing ones. You would think this would be one of the least expensive ones and they could leave it alone. I made Golden last year but see no reason to try and get there again.

[rochelle_s]

I believe the OP was indicating that wine or drinks aren't included in the comped dinner. I don't think there was a comment regarding the bottle of wine in the cabin.

 

Go to the casino bar for a pre dinner beverage then enjoy your meal.

 

To my knowledge the casino does not comp a bottle of wine to the cabin. Platinum latitudes does though. One of my choices was the UBP so getting a drink anywhere on the ship will not be an issue. :) I was going to use the UBP for wine with dinner, the bottle coming back to the cabin would have been for getting ready or a night cap.

 

It is not an issue just disappointing that something else has been removed from the program.

 

I am like Sand and Seas, I reached Golden last year. Now that we start at zero every April 1st not only will it be more difficult to reach but with the removal of perks, such as the loss of Cagney's, I see no need to even try to reach that level again let alone maintain it.

 

These cutbacks to the program change the way I will play in the NCL casinos. One example is my cruise booked for 2016. It is B2B on the Epic for a total of 20 days. We board on March 28th. I will not be playing in the casino at all for the first 4 days. Why would I play when there is no benefit to my standing in the program? All points, in terms of tier level, will disappear on day 5. If I wait until Day 5 to play then all my points accumulated will be in play for the new year.

 

So the changes they are making to the program are not ones that will entice me to play more. They are in fact encouraging me to play less. At least for me anyways.

 

 

Rochelle

[luvcruzing]

This really sucks. First Cagney's, now this. What's next? Going on Getaway soon. Glad there are plenty of shows to choose from. No reason to spend a lot of time in the casino.

[rochelle_s]

What are other lines adding to their casino programs?

 

I get a LOT of mail from cruise lines. Mostly I have cruised with Holland America but also Celebrity and Princess. In the last year I have done 2 HAL cruises and 3 NCL. Next ones are all booked with NCL so I have not really been paying attention to who sent what. But I have had offers for greatly reduced cabins, tournaments, free casino drinks and free play (the highest being $300).

 

I cruise mostly for itinerary with my preference being Europe. I have found it is harder to get those comps from CAS. I also like longer cruises which they do not seem to comp at my level (currently Golden). That being said, I have managed to get B2B's for the Jade and the Epic. When I booked back in December with the Wave promo it allowed me to pick 2 options and the OBC for a balcony then was $200, so booking B2B worked out well for me.

 

I like to cruise solo and rumour has it that the ability for a solo CAS comp in a regular cabin will also be going bye bye and CAS does not comp the solo cabins found on the larger ships. I have never paid 200% to go by myself on a cruise so I would likely switch to a line with better single fares. So in the future I will pay more attention to the mailing before it hits the recycle bin or even check out some lines I have yet to go on.

 

I don't mean to sound like I am knocking NCL as that is not my intention. I enjoy their ships and the freestyle concept and in the last few years it has been the casino program that has kept me coming back. Cut backs in the program will have me placing itinerary miles ahead for the top spot on my priority list and unfortunately NCL cannot really compete with the other lines in that department.

 

As for the other lines exact offers I will pay more attention and report back.

 

 

Rochelle

[rochelle_s]

This really sucks. First Cagney's, now this. What's next? Going on Getaway soon. Glad there are plenty of shows to choose from. No reason to spend a lot of time in the casino.

 

 

I too will be spending more time in the other 'entertainment' spots.

 

The funny thing is that I have almost always had my entire on board account comped at the end of the cruise. So why pull the $10 bottle of wine? It's not like it was something offered to every Lucky player.

 

 

Rochelle

[Sand and Seas]

This really sucks. First Cagney's, now this. What's next? Going on Getaway soon. Glad there are plenty of shows to choose from. No reason to spend a lot of time in the casino.

 

I agree. There are a lot of other ways to enjoy the Getaway and many of them are Free :D My gambling dollars are better spent in Las Vegas....where they keep giving me NCL certificates!

[rochelle_s]

I agree. There are a lot of other ways to enjoy the Getaway and many of them are Free :D My gambling dollars are better spent in Las Vegas....where they keep giving me NCL certificates!

 

Which is kind of ironic. When you get a certificate from a land based casino you are under no obligation whatsoever to gamble on the ship. For those of us who get our comped cruises based solely on the play we do on board, the criteria we need to meet is getting harder and the extra perks are being diluted. :confused:

 

 

Rochelle

[MaryLS]

Rochelle, where did you hear the change in CAS comps for regular cabins for those sailing solo? And when will it be implemented?

[Sand and Seas]

Which is kind of ironic. When you get a certificate from a land based casino you are under no obligation whatsoever to gamble on the ship. For those of us who get our comped cruises based solely on the play we do on board, the criteria we need to meet is getting harder and the extra perks are being diluted. :confused:

 

 

Rochelle

 

So true! Absolutely no obligation to play on board although I certainly have spent some hours at it. Through CET certificates we have gone on 4 or 5 NCL cruises per year. And we do LOVE freestyle cruising so that has been great for us. I'll continue to play some on board, but just for fun....tier with CAS just isn't enticing.

[NLH Arizona]

I get a LOT of mail from cruise lines. Mostly I have cruised with Holland America but also Celebrity and Princess. In the last year I have done 2 HAL cruises and 3 NCL. Next ones are all booked with NCL so I have not really been paying attention to who sent what. But I have had offers for greatly reduced cabins, tournaments, free casino drinks and free play (the highest being $300).

 

I cruise mostly for itinerary with my preference being Europe. I have found it is harder to get those comps from CAS. I also like longer cruises which they do not seem to comp at my level (currently Golden). That being said, I have managed to get B2B's for the Jade and the Epic. When I booked back in December with the Wave promo it allowed me to pick 2 options and the OBC for a balcony then was $200, so booking B2B worked out well for me.

 

I like to cruise solo and rumour has it that the ability for a solo CAS comp in a regular cabin will also be going bye bye and CAS does not comp the solo cabins found on the larger ships. I have never paid 200% to go by myself on a cruise so I would likely switch to a line with better single fares. So in the future I will pay more attention to the mailing before it hits the recycle bin or even check out some lines I have yet to go on.

 

I don't mean to sound like I am knocking NCL as that is not my intention. I enjoy their ships and the freestyle concept and in the last few years it has been the casino program that has kept me coming back. Cut backs in the program will have me placing itinerary miles ahead for the top spot on my priority list and unfortunately NCL cannot really compete with the other lines in that department.

 

As for the other lines exact offers I will pay more attention and report back.

 

 

Rochelle

Which cruises lines are offering greatly reduced cabins, tournaments, free casino drinks and free play (the highest being $300)? I also cruise on Celebrity and the best I've had is $500 off a cabin (on specific dates), whereas on NCL, I've done a number of cruises, with the best being an 11 day cruise in a penthouse suite for just a little over $800.

 

BTW, since I don't get the same kind of offers I get on NCL, now when I cruise with Celebrity, I don't gamble at all.

Edited April 16, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[rochelle_s]

Rochelle, where did you hear the change in CAS comps for regular cabins for those sailing solo? And when will it be implemented?

 

It was on a thread here on CC somewhere around the time of the 18% being added to the specialties and the eruption of the Room Service fee thread. I did not pay it that much attention at the time because sometimes these things are just rumours as I said before. That being said, with all the changes happening it has been in the back of my mind that perhaps there might actually be something to it. I also recall asking my PCC when I made my Epic booking for 2016, what if my mother was not able to go? She had replied that I would have some time in order to find a replacement. She did not say that mom would be refunded and I could go solo. (The comp has nothing to do with my mother's play either ...she would be lucky to get to 100 points on a 2 week cruise :))

 

I like my PCC CAS specialist and she has been with the company a long time but she either does not have the information about changes or she is not forthcoming with it. I called and asked about changes when I first heard of the losing of the Cagney's perk, she said she knew of no changes coming. The same again about the changes from April 1st. So I could ask about this but not sure I would get any information if it were not already official and announced. I have had better luck finding out things from the regular CAS line.

 

Personally I hope it is nothing more than a rumour. For myself it does not make sense to take away that option. CAS comps me a cruise because I play $$$ in the casino. If I am alone I spend considerably more time in there than if I was cruising with someone else. The same for the other solo CAS players I have met.

 

Fingers crossed this little rumour is a false one.

 

 

Rochelle

[rochelle_s]

Which cruises lines are offering greatly reduced cabins, tournaments, free casino drinks and free play (the highest being $300)? I also cruise on Celebrity and the best I've had is $500 off a cabin (on specific dates), whereas on NCL, I've done a number of cruises, with the best being an 11 day cruise in a penthouse suite for just a little over $800.

 

BTW, since I don't get the same kind of offers I get on NCL, now when I cruise with Celebrity, I don't gamble at all.

 

 

As I said I don't recall exactly who offered what but when I get more mailings I will report back.

 

The last time I was on Holland America it was the Prinsendam (pricier ship- happens when there are only 800 passengers) in the Mediterranean. I had an email offer - I paid 75% less than the going rate at time of booking (not brochure). I was able to combine this with a mailer for $150 free play. I did not have a card for drinks in the casino but I never paid for any either, a host or manager was always stopping by to see if I would like something to drink. It was specific to that cruise but there were options. You could be on the ship anywhere from 14 to 85 days. You could board in Fort Lauderdale, Barcelona, Rome or Holland with the ship doing a TA, Med & then the Baltics. That was a rare type of offer but very good for someone like me who enjoys the longer cruises.

 

I understand your not gambling with Celebrity if they do not offer you anything. Living in Canada the comps from my local casino are very minimal. certainly no free alcohol. I have stopped going locally and only gamble when I travel. I benefit way more from it even when I lose! ;)

 

 

Rochelle

[Coastalbreezes]

To my knowledge the casino does not comp a bottle of wine to the cabin.

 

I am VIP with the casino and on the first day I always get a card to fill out with a "Choose three" from a list of options one of which is a bottle of red or white wine. Others on the list include a shrimp platter, cupcakes from Carlos' Bakery, fruit and cheese plate, etc.). Will be on Getaway next month and I'll report back if this perk is still available.

 

Tracy

[rochelle_s]

I am VIP with the casino and on the first day I always get a card to fill out with a "Choose three" from a list of options one of which is a bottle of red or white wine. Others on the list include a shrimp platter, cupcakes from Carlos' Bakery, fruit and cheese plate, etc.). Will be on Getaway next month and I'll report back if this perk is still available.

 

Tracy

 

That sounds like a nice little perk. Golden is my highest level and now with the reset to zero on April first I can't see me ever making it to VIP. I should have worked at it a little harder on my cruise in November as I left the ship only 400 points away.

 

Hope the Getaway casino is good to you! Have a great cruise.

 

 

Rochelle

[luvcruzing]

To my knowledge the casino does not comp a bottle of wine to the cabin.

Rochelle

 

On my February cruise, there were two bottles of wine in the cabin. One was for being platinum, and I really don't remember for sure, but the other one had to be from CAS. That bottle of wine (or a drink) at dinner was a nice added perk.

 

And, I agree with you regarding spending more time (and money) in the casino when cruising solo. I've only invited a friend on my last two cruises (always traveled solo), and I can assure you that I spent much more time in the casino when I didn't have a travel companion.

 

Another example of NCL/CAS shooting themselves in the foot.

[jaja]

And don't forget the other change.....CAS no longer discounts suites. :mad: