Care to comment on Princess Players Club VIP cruise?

[Keikidoc]

We have reservations on 14 Aug 2018, Grand Princess to Alaska Inside Passage as a Players Club VIP. Has anyone been designated previous VIP sailings that began Dec 2017? VIP amenities included $ for casino play, comp beverages in the casino, special in-stateroom amenities etc. How was your cruise as a Players Club VIP?

[Tyskie]

We're interested as well -following

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[tompeter]

One thing to be aware of....The casinos can become extremely crowded on these sailings. Sometimes it is impossible to get on a machine or find a seat at a table. This took away some of the enjoyment for us....

[idahospud]

One thing to be aware of....The casinos can become extremely crowded on these sailings. Sometimes it is impossible to get on a machine or find a seat at a table. This took away some of the enjoyment for us....

You are absolutely correct. I have been part of a few of the VIP cruises before. The casino is packed and the free drinks are super-hard to come by.

 

As per the flyer we received in the mail, we got a discounted cabin and some casino cash. Every day we got a new gift in the cabin. I don't remember all of them, but I do remember getting a tin of chocolates, a Princess Casino beach towel, chocolate covered strawberries, and ??? There are special VIP-only tournaments and drawings throughout the cruise. There was supposed to be priority boarding (I think) but we do lots of B2B cruises so have always been onboard already so I don't know how that worked. Drinks are free in the casino while you're playing and wearing your VIP badge. Again, hard to come by because there are so many VIPs wanting drinks.

 

I've done my time in crowded VIP casinos and have just gotten a bit tired of it. I won't be booking anymore. But if you haven't done one before, I'd say go for it.

[azbirdmom]

We're on the same cruise for the same reason. This will be our third casino VIP cruise. They are fun but I agree with the comments about the casino being crowded and it can also take quite a while to get drinks. Hopefully with all of the different VIP cruises available this year, there won't be the crowds that we've experienced on past VIP cruises.

[Alabaster Cruiser]

We have never had trouble getting drinks on VIP cruises. We usually tip 1 to 2 dollars each round. We have waiters that follow us to the table when we walk in.

 

Sent from my VK700 using Tapatalk

[Keikidoc]

Mahalo for all the comments. Looking forward to this cruise, mostly for seeing Alaska again and Sitka for the first time. Casino will be fun seeing it busy. I was on the Emerald going down the west side of South America last December and was sometimes the only 1 of 2 at the craps table. h

[BOOFER9]

We are on a casino cruise march 20 (Royal) ; what is the vip boarding?

[treesah]

I'm curious. How do you become member of the Players Club and are offered free cruises? Do you get an invitation from the casino manager? How do you qualify? How much you gamble or how long you gamble? Are we talking about gambling thousands of dollars? Does anyone care to share what's involved? Or is it random?:rolleyes:

[caribill]

We are on a casino cruise march 20 (Royal) ; what is the vip boarding?

 

It means if you check in before boarding has started that you will be assigned to one of the first groups to board the ship.

 

 

If you check in after boarding has started it will usually not mean much as after about the first 30 minutes of boarding everyone who checks in can then go directly to the ship.

[tawlaw1526]

Just like Keikidoc, We always tip $1 to $2 per FREE drink and the waiters are constantly asking Us what we would like to drink. Many times, they will just show up with a fresh drink for me when they see I am getting low and I still tip. The service has always been excellent during crowded VIP cruises for us. Half way through the cruise, I always hand my favorite waiter a $20 for his/her excellent service. These people work so hard and I feel they always enhance our casino/vacation experience. If you are in the casino blowing through money, you can’t possibly think a $1 or $2 is a lot for a drink. I promise you, it will get you excellent service and it will be appreciated by the hard working waiter. Throw them a $20 and that will take your service to another level. Last cruise, while the ship was in port and casino was closed, my husband and I were out by the pool eating a burger and our normal casino waiter was working by the pool, he quickly came over to check on us and to get us a drink. He was so amazing and his extra effort was outstanding. To us, it was worth the $30 to $40 we would of just lost at a Blackjack table.

[rbt001]

I'm curious. How do you become member of the Players Club and are offered free cruises? Do you get an invitation from the casino manager? How do you qualify? How much you gamble or how long you gamble? Are we talking about gambling thousands of dollars? Does anyone care to share what's involved? Or is it random?:rolleyes:

 

Make sure you insert your key card in the slot machine or provide it for a table game as you sit down.

 

Gamble only as much as you are comfortable, and by the last afternoon/evening of your cruise you MAY find a personal offer in your mail box outside your cabin. If you don't receive one, then you may still get offers for discounted cruises via email or regular mail to your residence.

 

It's not a random process but rather based upon your play in the casino which is tracked when you insert your card in the machine or present it at a table.

[Keikidoc]

I'm curious. How do you become member of the Players Club and are offered free cruises? Do you get an invitation from the casino manager? How do you qualify? How much you gamble or how long you gamble? Are we talking about gambling thousands of dollars? Does anyone care to share what's involved? Or is it random?:rolleyes:

 

I don't play slots but do present my keycard every time I sit at a table or play craps. I set a max amount to "lose" as entertainment $ each night...generally not more than $200, also a max for the cruise. When I lose my "allotment" I'm off to bed with a book. (and that, sometimes, will be 30 mins.:( If I win, it is playing with casino $ and stay longer and dealers get more tip$. :D

 

I've gotten a letter from the casino host the 2nd to the last night with an invitation to book another cruise in 30 days and receive anywhere form $125 -$200 in casino cash. I don't get a invite on every cruise even though I've contributed about the same amount of $ to the casino. I certainly don't spend thousands of $. Once a year I get a flyer in the mail about VIP casino cruise available for discount staterooms and casino cash. This last one offered $125 casino cash, comp drinks while playing in the casino, chance to win some tech gadget prizes, etc. I think it helps to get to know the dealers, pit bosses and casino host.

[Nightengale31]

I'm curious. How do you become member of the Players Club and are offered free cruises? Do you get an invitation from the casino manager? How do you qualify? How much you gamble or how long you gamble? Are we talking about gambling thousands of dollars? Does anyone care to share what's involved? Or is it random?

 

I sailed 6 cruises with Princess, gambled quite a bit of $$ on all these cruises, and aside from a specialty dinner or rare spa comp never got a cruise comp because I don't believe Princess was offering them or not to me anyway previous to and when I last said with them in 2012. So after getting an NCL comp from a local casino I did my next 6 cruises with them which all were comped by NCL's Casinos at Sea. After all this time away from Princess I recently got a VIP Princess Players Club balcony cruise comp offer which I took advantage of and booked a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess for 10/18 since I always enjoyed cruising with Princess.

 

Not sure why after all these years Princess reached out with a cruise comp. They must have figured that this lady who had a 2 cruise a year history and fairly heavily donated to their casinos over a number of years must be sailing with another line that is comping her cruises. Looking forward to this cruise and we will see how it goes, but I must admit it will take more than a balcony cabin comp to lure me away from NCL because my last cruise comp from them was a 10 day Italy coast cruise in a Haven spa cabin on the Epic with unlimited beverage, unlimited specialty dining, paid gratuities, and $400 OBC. This was truly a cruise of a lifetime, and the icing on the cake was winning a $7,500 jackpot the 1st night of the cruise on the 3rd $3 spin on a penny progressive machine.

[mimilove]

What do you do to become and receive a VIP Player Card? Thanks, Debbie (mimilove)

 

You are absolutely correct. I have been part of a few of the VIP cruises before. The casino is packed and the free drinks are super-hard to come by.

 

As per the flyer we received in the mail, we got a discounted cabin and some casino cash. Every day we got a new gift in the cabin. I don't remember all of them, but I do remember getting a tin of chocolates, a Princess Casino beach towel, chocolate covered strawberries, and ??? There are special VIP-only tournaments and drawings throughout the cruise. There was supposed to be priority boarding (I think) but we do lots of B2B cruises so have always been onboard already so I don't know how that worked. Drinks are free in the casino while you're playing and wearing your VIP badge. Again, hard to come by because there are so many VIPs wanting drinks.

 

I've done my time in crowded VIP casinos and have just gotten a bit tired of it. I won't be booking anymore. But if you haven't done one before, I'd say go for it.

[tawlaw1526]

It all depends on your amount of play while in the casino. It’s all recorded when you give them your cruise card at the table or by inserting it in the slot machine.

[treesah]

Thanks to all for your enlightening explanations. I've been cruising with Princess since 2004 and although I do visit the casino I'm a frugal gambler so my chances are nil, I guess. Wishing you all good luck.

[Lucky TGO]

Thanks to all for your enlightening explanations. I've been cruising with Princess since 2004 and although I do visit the casino I'm a frugal gambler so my chances are nil, I guess. Wishing you all good luck.

 

Ditto!!

Tony

[raymo]

We've been on 6 VIP casino cruises with Princess and all of them have been fun. A welcome aboard party with snacks and drinks after sail away is always fun. The free drinks in the casino throughout the cruise and a free slot tournament as well as drawings every night help make the VIP experience enjoyable. We're not big spenders and still don't know why we get the offers, but take them if it fits our schedule.

The big one is in November called the Ultimate VIP casino cruise by invitation only. Our names won't be on that list!

[FLCruise7]

We have reservations on 14 Aug 2018, Grand Princess to Alaska Inside Passage as a Players Club VIP. Has anyone been designated previous VIP sailings that began Dec 2017? VIP amenities included $ for casino play, comp beverages in the casino, special in-stateroom amenities etc. How was your cruise as a Players Club VIP?

 

We're on the same cruise for the same reason. This will be our third casino VIP cruise. They are fun but I agree with the comments about the casino being crowded and it can also take quite a while to get drinks. Hopefully with all of the different VIP cruises available this year, there won't be the crowds that we've experienced on past VIP cruises.

 

We'll be sailing to Alaska with both of you! This will be our first VIP cruise. We get a lot of "come back & play" offers that are sometimes for a free room, sometimes casino cash, sometimes both. Looking forward to this sailing as we love Alaska! :)

[RMM34667]

Going on a VIP Cruise Saturday. My casino cash offer said my card would be loaded with the casino cash and you could not cash out till that much was spent. Anyone have experience in how that works? I have always been handed cash. Thanks.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

[idahospud]

Going on a VIP Cruise Saturday. My casino cash offer said my card would be loaded with the casino cash and you could not cash out till that much was spent. Anyone have experience in how that works? I have always been handed cash. Thanks.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

Yes, they've changed how it works. It's now free play instead of cash. You'll go to the casino cage so they can activate it on your cruise card. Then when you go to the machine (or tables) you will access your free play account. You can cash out winnings from your free play but you can't cash out just the free play itself.

[RMM34667]

Yes, they've changed how it works. It's now free play instead of cash. You'll go to the casino cage so they can activate it on your cruise card. Then when you go to the machine (or tables) you will access your free play account. You can cash out winnings from your free play but you can't cash out just the free play itself.

Thanks!

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

[Keikidoc]

You are absolutely correct. I have been part of a few of the VIP cruises before. The casino is packed and the free drinks are super-hard to come by.

 

As per the flyer we received in the mail, we got a discounted cabin and some casino cash. Every day we got a new gift in the cabin. I don't remember all of them, but I do remember getting a tin of chocolates, a Princess Casino beach towel, chocolate covered strawberries, and ??? There are special VIP-only tournaments and drawings throughout the cruise. There was supposed to be priority boarding (I think) but we do lots of B2B cruises so have always been onboard already so I don't know how that worked. Drinks are free in the casino while you're playing and wearing your VIP badge. Again, hard to come by because there are so many VIPs wanting drinks.

 

I've done my time in crowded VIP casinos and have just gotten a bit tired of it. I won't be booking anymore. But if you haven't done one before, I'd say go for it.

 

Does your spouse in the same cabin get a VIP badge for drinks also? She is not a big gambler. $20 is her limit.

[SteelerFanXL]

Does your spouse in the same cabin get a VIP badge for drinks also? She is not a big gambler. $20 is her limit.

 

 

Yes, you both get the free drinks. That's how it was for us this past November.